SEPTEMBER 2019

From the Pastor’s Desk

I was recently at a church event where people were sharing ideas of what they were doing in their churches, or had done in their churches which proved to be fruitful for the congregation. I sometimes am surprised when someone mentions something they have done and it has worked and many people in attendance are amazed because they have never heard of the program or tried it for themselves. If I am the one sharing the idea, I am amazed I offered something no one had tried or had thought of before.  I don’t always think of myself as an ingenious person.  What really catches me by surprise is when someone I look up to is surprised by an idea.  I often think, well I look up to them and they are a mentor to me, and they hadn’t thought of this idea, they were unfamiliar with this idea?

It is in these moments, I realize an important thing; we need one another.  More than just needing each other we need to be sharing our knowledge with one another, we need to share our experiences with one another.  I believe if we do that we will be more productive and be able to analyze problems and find solutions more easily.  I recently heard the president of a company talk about the combined experience which was represented in the workforce, and the number was really impressive.  After the figures sunk in, I wondered if all of the experience mattered.  Just because a workforce has 200 years of combined experience, doesn’t mean a lot unless there is some sharing of knowledge, and of people tapping into the experience.  So, we all have experiences, we all have tried certain things, and we have learned a variety of things from different people, but unless we are communicating, sharing, and cataloging what we know, all of the knowledge will die away in a short period of time.

I was talking with a gentleman who told me about the eulogy for his mother-in-law who suffered from dementia.  For the last several years of her life she was not able to carry on intelligent conversations like she had for most of her life.  In the eulogy, a daughter of the lady began to spoke and made an interesting statement. The memory of the lady who had passed away had not been lost.  The memory in fact had been transferred to the kids and grandkids.  The family members and friends, who had heard the stories, the lessons, and other experiences this lady shared, became the memories.  The same is true when we work together.  Memories, experiences, lessons get passed on, more people can benefit from the successes of these things, and they are able to take on a life of their own.   Each one of us is a finite being, with our own skill set, our own set of experiences, and our own knowledge.  When all of us share what we know, the experiences we have had, and our knowledge we find ourselves becoming greater than the sum of our parts.   The Presbyterian Church USA is a connectional church because we know that we are stronger together than we are apart.

                                                                                                        Pastor Blake Brinegar