From Our Pastor

It's probably a universal human attribute that we all like to be pleasantly surprised. So I was filled with delight when I came back from a few days of post-Easter vacation to discover how much progress had been made in the Christian Education building restoration project. I knew crews would be demolishing the old walls (Margo and I had been warned to take down pictures and things balanced precariously on book-shelves, lest the vibration lay them low). I called Margo periodically to check on Fairview only to hear banging and smashing in the back-ground. I knew they'd made progress but I didn't expect to see framed walls and the outline of the new hallway. Far more than I can with paper and computer plans; I can now really envision what the new building layout will be.

I'm so excited at what the near future will bring that as I sit in the pas-tor's study I can almost hear the sounds of music coming through the wall… but wait, I really can't hear music coming through the walls! In addition to the hammering of carpenters, the buzz of power tools, and the clang of debris being dropped into a dumpster I also hear music - the music of a boom-box that the construction workers have plugged in to make their days pass more quickly.

Unfortunately, hearing someone else's choice in music (I'm a Brahms and Bach kind of guy) makes my day pass much more slowly. Truth be told, I can barely hear myself think - which is why I'm actually writing this newsletter article from the library at Columbia Theological Seminary.

One of the luxuries of being a minister in the Information Age is that some of my pastoral duties: worship preparation, sermon writing, study-ing, writing newsletters, etc. can be accomplished remotely. All I really need is my laptop and a wireless connection. As for spiritual disciplines,I've already staked out a place in the chapel for prayer time. If I need to meet with someone during the day, there's always Starbucks across the street.

But, I'd like to point out that there is someone at Fairview Presbyterian who doesn't share that luxury of being able to escape the cacophony. That person is Margo Smith. Her duties as Fairview's Administrative Assistant mean that she's stuck in a construction zone day in and day out. She doesn't have the luxury of unplugging the church's computer or forwarding the church phone to her cell. Not only that, but until the new Treasurer's Office is completed, she's sitting with all of Fairview's office supplies. It's quite cramped in there. Now the construction crews are monkeying with the power so the computer has gone wonky, and the copier only works sporadically.

It is no secret that the faithful are called to make sacrifices for the Gospel of Jesus Christ but I don't think any-one warned Margo that she would be the one shouldering the most of the inconveniences for this project. I can't thank her enough for how well she's managing with all the interruptions. I know we're early in this pro-ject but she hasn't complained once! I hope you'll join me in sharing your appreciation of her continued pa-tience and perseverance. I also hope you'll be forgiving if something's amiss in the bulletin or in a newsletter - we're all doing the best we can, considering the circumstances.

I know, however, her sacrifices and inconveniences will be worth it. Already I can imagine our Christian Edu-cation Building filled with neighborhood children learning to play piano, guitar, and tuba with Music Time Learning. Some of those sounds may be distracting from the duties of a pastor but I have a firm conviction that the gift of music leads to lifelong success in many areas of life. Plus, maybe then I'll hear some Bach or Brahms coming through the wall.

 

Yours in Christ,

Rob