Endings and Beginnings

This week we celebrate the end of the year and the decade! I always enjoy the newspaper articles and the web postings about the past year. What were the top movies? the Best books? the most important news stories? Who has died? All of that seems important to remember and to reflect.

At the same time I am getting ready to do a funeral tomorrow for a 90 year old man, Bill Van Scyoc, who was a charter member of my church. As i sat with his son and daughter in law on Saturday we remembered and reflected - not only on his life - but his generation. My parents are gone - but they were part of that generation that lived through the depression, world war 2, the possibilities and the Ozzie and Harriet family life of the 50's. These people were really the backbone of the church - faithful attenders, workers and givers.

And yesterday was the last worship service for Broad Street Christian Church in downtown Columbus. When I lived in Columbus in the 80's it was the big church with the very impressive building. many of the oldest members of my current church attended that church in the 50's as Dr. Floyd Faust was an important pastor. now the building is too large to maintain for the dwindling congregation. Very sad to see a congregation die.

We are living through a time of change and there are so many endings - not just people and churches - but the changes in the way we get and impart information, the changes in family life, the changes in neighborhoods. That is a post in and of itself.

But what I recognize is that the changes - and the deaths - are just a part of the story. There are births that comes out of it. And so, I hope that the people who are part of the church that has died will seek and find new churches and I hope some of them make their way to karl Road christian church.

What is so clear to me is that one or two people, can come into a church and really make a difference. they can bring a new sensibiility, a new kind of energy, and new perspecitve and help us to grow in different ways.

I look ahead to the new year with great expectation. There is a generation that is dying and it saddends me. At the same time there is a new generation that is coming. And God is in the midst of it all and bringing us new beginnings.

I look forward to see what is going to happen next!