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A Message from Our President, Diane McGeoch
UNFORMING AND REFORMING
I am in a Deacon Book Group which meets monthly on zoom. We’ve been together for over a year and have formed an affirming community. We discuss the book we are reading together, but it is more than that. We also share challenges and ups and downs from our lives and ministries. We’ve grown to trust one another and lift one another up through mutual support, prayer, and caring conversation. I highly value this group of people and the community we’ve created. Some of us have never met in person, only on zoom. Yet I still feel close to this group because of the things we’ve shared over time and the collective memory that we’ve developed.
Our congregations are full of collective memory. Remember when we were on the mission trip and the bus broke down? Or the time we spilled paint on the carpet during Vacation Bible School? Or when we were cleaning out the craft closet and got glitter over everyone and everything? Or the intergenerational event when we heard the story of our congregation’s founding. These collective memories are stories that have a powerful impact. Our stories get connected to others’ stories and to God’s stories and faith is formed and reformed over and over again.
Our collective memory as the Christian Education Network of the ELCA is rich and powerful. We’ve had many years of supporting lifelong faith formation in the home and the congregation. During my years of involvement, I’ve come to know many gifted leaders from across the church. We’ve had dedicated Board members and Network members. This collective memory and network of relationships is something to be treasured and celebrated.
Our transition is ongoing and our conversations with APCE – Association of Partners in Christian Education – are continuing. Our Board voted last October to merge with APCE. A Covenant Task Force is at work, and a missional merger document is being written. This document will be shared when it is complete. We recently hosted two question and answer sessions about the merger on zoom. The next step in the process is for our members to vote, and you will be receiving notification of this vote and a ballot soon.
We are a Reformation church, and this transition involves some unforming and reforming over and over again. Something new is being created. Our collective memory is being joined to a new community and the result may be beyond our imagination. We trust God throughout this process, and many people are holding this in prayer. We look back on our history, honor the steps that brought us to this point, and look forward to what is being created. God is at work in new and amazing ways. As we unform and reform, we make new stories.
Let’s pray and journey together into making new collective memories,
Deacon Diane McGeoch cenpresident@faithfulteaching.org
Christian Education Network of the ELCA
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