March 2022
Greetings to you in the name of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Over the years, I have had opportunity to travel to far and distance lands to share the Gospel and witness to God’s love shown to us in Christ Jesus. In my mission work, I have been warmly received and shown great hospitality by pastors and church members in many countries across the globe.
Whenever I journey, just prior to stepping on the plane, I pause to acknowledge beloved God, God’s work in creation and love for creation and to ask for guidance and wisdom as I embark on the journey. I realize that once I board the plane, doors are shut, wherever I am going I will be stepping into a new realm. And I will return forever changed. One cannot help but return changed. The variety experiences, the people one encounters, the stress and joys of the journey all help to shape and mold the sojourner. We all have wonder-full stories and tales of our journeys.
As I was thinking about journeys to far and distance places, those that have often rocked us at our core, I was reminded that transformative journeys are not just those to far and distance places. Each day too is a journey, one from which we cannot returned unchanged. The angels wake us in the morning, and we set off into the day; a day that may be planned and to some degree routine, but filled with newness and surprise, mystery and opportunity. This is a gift. As a Christian, with this new day we have the joy and privilege to continue living into our calling by God to a life of fullness. As God breathes new life into us daily, we can grow in relationship to God, into loving relationship with one another, and we have the opportunity to care for one another.
Our mission at Hillcrest Congregational Church is to continue to be a Christ-centered presences in the greater Pleasant Hill community. During this interim period, as our Transition Team forms and begins to meet, we will be looking into our resources, our passion and energy and the needs of the greater Pleasant Hill community. With prayer and discernment, we are exploring how and where God is calling us to respond. Those without shelter and those without adequate food and medical care abound in the area; the lost and wayward go unnoticed; many children are academically ill equipped for their continued advancement; Pleasant Hill’s diverse ethnic makeup often divides us instead of uniting us; prejudice and disharmony infects the community’s soul. There is much to be done. Please continue to pray for the Transition Team as they lead Hillcrest through this phase of ministry and as they explore the future and develop a profile for calling Hillcrest’s next pastor.
Rev. Raymond Waespi, Bridge Pastor