Kris Nordstrom

12-01-06

Weekly Post #8

This was my final practicum meeting with Pastor Kaye.

We spent the majority of the time recalling what had occured during the past semester and developing major comcepts which I felt I had learned during that time.

I think that the greatest lesson I learned throughout the semester was that the ministry in general gets kind of a bad rap. By that I mean to say that most people have a very narrow scope of what a pastor does throughout any given week. The schedule that Pastor Kaye keeps would wear down many executives from the sheer pysical demands, let alone the emotional and spiritual drain that is placd on a senior pastor on a daily basis. From this I havd come to the conclusion that a pastor must have a strong support network of peers as well as a concrete plan as to how to maintain their sanity through the demands they must meet.

Kris Nordstrom

11-03-06

Weekly post #7

This practicum session was spen observing Pastor Patton during a staff meeting.

On Tuesday morning I sat in Pastor Patton's office and sipped a cup of coffee. She seemed very preoccupied, anxious even. She sat in a chair across from me and very seriously stated that today's meeting will have to be held oin the strictest of confidence. There are matters that need to be tended to and if I wanted, I could schedule another time for my practicum. It was my decision, and if I chose to stay, she would trust in my confidentiality.

Needless to say, this will be a very general post, with very litle detail. What I did observe was the prayerful and humble manner in which the entire staff approached the situation. It was refreshing to see a group of people grounded in prayer when confronted with adversity. I was also inpressed by Pastor Patton's ability to rally her staff and keep them focused on the task at hand. She is truly a gifted leader.

I learned through this session that it is not all fun and games being a pastor.

Kris Nordstrom

10-18-06

Weekly post #5

This observation involved Pastor Kaye leading a listening session which included a large number of youth.

On tuesday evening I observed a listening session aimed at focussing the energies of the church toward the future. There were three areas on which the open floor discussion was centered: Praises (what are we doing good), Challenges and opportunities (what lies ahead), and, my favorite, Medium miracles (If you could ask for one, what would it be?)

It should be noted that Pastor Kaye has only been senior pastoring First Chirch since June of this year, the listening sessions are her way of getting a feel for the pulse of her people.

Praises were numerous and included the prayer shawl ministry, the rapidly growing youth group, the shoe ministry and the continued strength of the UMW chapter.

Challenges and opportunities included reaching out to the immediate neighborhood to increase church attendance by those in the local area. Sort of a parish approach to evangelism. There are several distinct socio-economic groups in the area that could greatly benefit from an increased presence of the church. Not just ethnic groups, but more specificaly those who are economicaly challenged. Another challenge brought forward was developing a ministry for college students and young adults (25-35). The reason for this is beyond the obvious "we need it". After the youth graduate, there is not program to move them into which continues to develop their spiritual growth and gifts. By developing a program for those people, a manner of keeping them involved with the church during the years most fall away is achieved.

Medium miracles were great! They included a second site for an emergent style worship experience, increased handicap accessability, and a prayer/rememberance garden.

It is also important to note that many of the youth were present for this session. Asside from being well behaved, they interacted very well with the older members, and gave great insight to the things that they felt would help grow the younger constituancy of the church.

I learner a great deal from this observation, the most important being that the youth of a church, being its future, should have some voice in that future.

Kris Nordstrom

Weekly Post #4

10-10-06

This post describes an observation of Pator Kaye while participating in a Trustee's Board meeting.

On monday evening I sat in on the Trustee's meeting of FUMC in Marion. Next year will mark 175 years of faithful service to the Marion community by this church. There is a great deal of preparation going on for April of 2007 because the Bishop will be visiting and "headlining" the celebration.

The meeting began with prayer and was generally light hearted. I found this to be refreshing. I had a preconcieved notion that it would be a group of "old folks" with no sense of humor or idea of whit or whim. I was wrong. Unfortunately, the lightheartedness could not overcome the overwhelming boredom. I don't mean to be crass, but unless you enjoy balancing your checkbook a trustees meeting will be agonizing.

After the minutes from the meeting last month were entered to record, the bills paid for the month of September. lawn mowing, trash removal, utilities, etc. were covered. ZZZZZZZZZ

Next up, The outstanding bills for the remainder of the year. ZZZZZZZZZ

Next up....... The list of items needing repair and the wish list of face lift projects for next year's celebration. I woke up here. (kidding).

My point in all of the humor is this; I have said in the past that administrative duties and committee meetings are going to be the hardest part of the ministry for me to adjust to. This is why I have gone heavy on meetings throughout the practicum thus far. I have to train myself to find God working in these moments rather than gritting my teeth and rubbing my temples!

I learned from this observation that I need to develop a great deal more patience before I take any sort of leadershjip role in any ministry setting. My training in the military has made it difficult to deal with anything but an autocratic system. That is for God and me to fix.

Kris Nordstrom

Weekly Report #3

10-03-06

This report was an observation of the stewardship committee making final plans for the stewardship drive beginning next Sunday.

I arrived in the fellowship hall of the First UMC at about 6:20 P.M. and took a seat at the round table covered with stacks of binders and papers. Three very tired ladies sat at the table along with Pastor Kaye. The meeting was going to begin soon and Francis S. was making sure all her ducks were in a row.

After a short prayer, the meeting was in full swing. Pastor Kaye introduced me and gave a brief explaination as to why I was there. Everyone was very accomodating and then they got down to business. Francis began by reading the minutes for the last meeting and they were approved without ammendment. Then came the task of finalizing the huge stewardship drive slated to begin next Sunday. The drive is going to be done in circuit rider fashion. Meaning that the area is divided into geographical subdivisions and a "bishop" is assigned to each area. Each "bishop" is given a leather saddle bag filled with pledge cards, copies of the 2007 budget, and a list of names addresses and phone numbers of those in their district. The bishop is responsable for getting the bag to the first person on the list. After that, each person is tasked with passing the bag on to the next listed person and then notifying the bishop of a successful pass off. The last person returns the saddle bag to the bishop, who in turn takes it to the church where the pledge cards will be tallied and compared to the budget.

In the unfortunate event that the pledges fall short of the budget, the pledge cards will be thrown out and a new circuit will begin. We all pray that does not happen.

At the end of the meeting there was another prayer and they adjourned.

THis practicum taught me the importance of proper planning and the cooperation of various committees etc. The fact that it is imperative to surround yourself with proactive people was also a lesson learned.

Kris Nordstrom

Weekly report #2

09/28/06

This practicum involved observing Pastor Kaye in a purly administrative setting.

Today I met with Pastor Kaye before lunch and spent about an hour observing her attend to daily administrative duties. As I have stated in the past, I feel that this is the area in which I will need the most assistance. While I was there, several phonecalls came in. Most of which were taken, some however were not. It was important to note that she felt stretched very thin with the possible litigation regarding the previous post. She then spoke of the need to be able to differentiate between urgent needs and those that can wait.

We had a long discussion in reference to the previous post and the developments that have come to light in the last week. Without being specific, it would seem litigation is not avoidable. This greatly saddens me. I had hoped that this might be resolved without getting ugly. Even if court is avoided, I fear a trial by media. We must be careful to not to be dragged into a quagmire in which there is no positive outcome. If we do not refute the statements of the other side, does our silence confirm what is said? Is it possible for us to respond to the "accusations" in a loving Christian manner that glorifies The Kingdom? How can we best serve God and His will throughout this ordeal.

I learned today that just when a situation seems to be as complex as it can possibly be, it will undoubtedly get even more muddy. We must remain faithful and ensure we adhere to Christian principles until the end.

The prayer walk ministry continues and I am hopeful that it will bear fruit soon. I know that I sounded pretty pessimistic previously in this post, but I know that God is with us. I feel that somehow, God is using this ordeal to strengthen his church. To prepare us for something greater to come. This church is standing on the brink of greatness, one final push is all it needs to awaken a great movement toward what God has planned for us. That, to me, is exciting!

Kris Nordstrom
Weekly Report #1
9-21-06
This practicum was discernment, prayer, admnistrative action related.

I spent Thursday morning learning about humility and the importance of ensuring we look to fulfill God's will. I think it is easy for us to feel that whatever seems to be good or great is God's will and conversely, whatever seems to be a setback or stumbling block is not.

In the case of the First United Methodist Church in Marion Indiana (FUMC), the will of God is not clear regarding the use of a piece of property it owns and currently leases out. The leasee would like to sublet, the church would like to terminate its agreement with the leasee and start an inner city outreach for disadvantaged youth and young adults. Currently both sides seem to be at an impass. The tenant is not interested in any form or fashion in what the church's plans are or how they might benefit the community. The church I believe is convinced that the building should be used for the outreach program.

As I spent time with Pastor Kaye, I learned that to her, it is not a question of what the church wants or even what she wants. She is more concerned with the will of God and being granted the discernmaant needed to understand His will. It very well could be that the outreach is not the plan God has laid before the congregation. If that is the case, it is ultimately doomed to failure, or mediocrity at best. Further in that line of thought is the ralization that maybe the hardness of the tenant's heart is exactly the will of God being used to redirect them.

Or on the other hand, is it possible that this is a chance for the first person reached by the outreach be the tenant. Faced with this quandry, Pastor Kaye has seen it fit to begin a prayer walk project. Those who feel so moved are to walk the in question property and pray earnestly that God's will be shown to all parties involved and that throughout the process God's love in Christ be exibited clearly.

I feel that given the situation, the prayer walk idea is one of great merit. I wonder if more decisions, both urgent and mundane, were made in this prayerful manner how the world would look to us.

Your comments are welcom and appreciated.

Kris