February 2 Letter from the First Christian Church of Louisville President
If you haven’t had a chance to see Reverend Brian Gerard’s last message to the First Christian Congregation you must see it now. As the TV slogan of some years ago said, it is “must see TV.” Or in this case, video.
Brian’s message was, as always, heartfelt.
Sunday afternoon we had a Covid-style sendoff for Brian. A parade of church members blessed him with well wishes, gifts and I’m betting plenty of bourbon. God speed, Brian Gerard. You have made us better in so many ways.
If you get a chance, please thank the people who organized the going-away tribute. Diane Zimmerman, Lanie and Terry Minton, Kelli and Mike Lorenzen and especially Gina Jennings. Gina is our go-to person at First Christian and she always gets it done. After only a couple of weeks in this position I have come to realize how invaluable she is.
Now to the search for the next person who will lead us in the years to come. Your search committee has had it’s first meeting. It’s an impressive, dedicated group. You can see all their names here in this newsletter. They will soon be formulating a congressional survey about what you want to see in a new senior minister. Have no doubt, your voices will be heard.
We also have an impressive list of pastors who will see us through the Easter season until the interim minister is named and arrives. Their names and the dates of their sermons are also in this newsletter. Of course, these days we will be enjoying their sermons virtually and many of our congregation members are doing that. While, exact numbers are difficult to come by for virtual viewing we know our average viewership is about 175. There’s no way to tell if that’s primarily single viewers or more than one person watching together. Gina tells me on an average Sunday in the sanctuary we have approximately 165-175 in attendance for all 3 services. So, it seems that even though we desperately miss being together we are taking advantage of the virtual services. I hope you will give those filling our pulpit in the coming weeks the same dedication.
As we enter February it reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Groundhog Day. Little did we know that in 2020/2021 we would be living a type of Groundhog Day. For some of us each day is pretty much the same as the last. First Christian’s virtual services are one way to change up your days. Each week our staff puts together a wonderful virtual service for you and guess what — it’s different every week and you can watch anytime. I want to thank Alan and Denise Parsons for sharing this week’s open letter to our congregation about why FCC is their church home. Everyone is invited to send me their open letter. For that or anything on your mind or anything you need never hesitate to contact me at mswan8@yahoo.com