I am looking forward enormously to getting back to the sea again, where the overstimulated psyche can recover in the presence of that infinite peace and spaciousness.
Carl Jung
Dear Friends in Christ,
You may wonder why I keep repeating this quote. It was in the worship bulletin June 22. I bring it back each summer. Well, because it speaks to many situations, and much faith.
We all need a break from overstimulation sometimes, and summer in New England can offer that. I pray it offers it for you.
For Jung wrote that, as a medical professional he engaged many people with abdominal pain that did not result from a physical illness or cause. It was a spiritual, social, psychological pain, sometimes from an overstimulated psyche. (Now, if you have stomach pain, get it looked at, for sure. But don’t overlook our need for comfort, peace, and a bit of break from worry, too much news, too many demands, as well.) These years of covid and these months of turbulent change in our culture and and across our globe are hard on Christians, if not hard on all humans. So I really pray we all have a time of peace. And infinite spaciousness. After all, Jung said he didn’t believe in God; he said he knew God exists.
As one of God’s people, how do you re-charge your spirit? What do you need this year, this June, for restoration, joy, and even a call to the future? How can the church, our church, help with that? What do you ask from God?
By tradition each summer our Senior Choir rests, our CE Director goes on furlough, and worship evolves. Fifty years ago there were twelve lay-led Sunday worship services here at NHCC. When I arrived there were ten. We cut back to seven, and now this year there are just three of that traditional type. Because last year we introduced a new model for August: while we worship together on Sunday morning the first Sunday of August, for the next three weeks we gather on Wednesdays for a light meal and a time of devotion. Our Deacons planned this for three years, and we are in year two. Part of the logic is that often there are more people in town on Wednesday than on Sunday. Part of the logic is that it’s nice to have a different community model, such as breaking bread, talking with each other, and then praying together — for a change.
There is another strong tradition at NHCC: you can see it in our printed budget. The first category listed is Missions. Before staff or building or music: we put Missions first in our budget. Perhaps this would give you comfort this summer, and certainly it may bring comfort to others: following presentations at Annual Meeting and the next Sunday in worship we are starting to study a long-time mission partner, Konbit Santé, the hospital in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. They lost all their USAID funding this past February, which meant they lost all nine Community Health Workers who educated and supported pregnant women, and then helped with early post-natal care so mother and baby both thrive. A community health worker in Haiti costs $200/month. Not much more than I pay for a storage unit or Wi-Fi. But with much more impact. It is a tradition to reach out beyond our walls, and we’ll organize during the summer, but if you would like to learn more, contact us. The director of Konbit Santé will visit us in September.
This summer we pray to reduce our troubling stimulation. We pray to engage infinite peace and spaciousness. We pray to celebrate the presence of God. And to share that presence with others.
All along, we count our blessings.
Peace,
P.S., I will be on break the first two weeks of July, but I am around through the rest of the summer. You’ll see me at Wednesday worship, and in the office, and always do call when there is something we can do.