Harvest Market returns
As we head into summer’s later days, we can feel it on the breeze…Harvest Market is coming! Our venue chairs will meet this Thursday evening at the church to prepare for our golden anniversary - 50 years!
You may have also heard that this will be the last year that Dave Clift serves as Harvest Market chair. He has generously put together this document which summarizes the roles of both the Harvest Market steering committee and the chairperson. We are looking for a new leader (or leaders) for 2025 and beyond, and we may be looking beyond our congregation for those leaders. Your prayers, reflections, and considerations are welcome as we plan for the future. We are so grateful for Dave’s eight years of service, and he plans to be here making pies in 2025. Thank you, Dave!
Hitting the 50-year mark is a tremendous accomplishment. Can you imagine how many volunteer hours have gone into this event over the last half century? Yet all would be for naught if it weren’t for the continued community interest and support. Harvest Market is a place to connect, to celebrate the end of the growing season, and yes, to have some old-fashioned fun. As my recent week at church camp reminds me, there are some places where the “good ol’ ways” are just what we need.
At the same time, there is always room for innovation. You’ve probably noticed that the Clutter Barn has accepted payment via Venmo for the first time this summer, and there are plans to do so for HM venues as well. Many thanks to Tracie Wright, Bill Frank, and Dave Clift for leading us into this new territory. Stay tuned for other additions around the grounds to commemorate our 50th.
This balance of clinging to the old and the good while making room for new ideas is something this church does remarkably well. There is great wisdom in not reinventing the wheel, but taking time to be sure the wheel is running as well as it can be (and that the cart is heading in the right direction!). As we gear up for another program year, I’ve seen this at work in many of our ministry teams, and I’m grateful.
It is my hope that as Harvest Market considers new leadership and leadership models, the same principle will apply. There is great wisdom and strength in the large volunteer base that prepares for the event year after year. And, as volunteers get older and the event seems to get bigger, we may need to figure out some new ways of doing things. Maybe it’s hiring an event chair; maybe it’s collaborating with several groups across our towns to put the event together; maybe there’s a church-community co-chair relationship; maybe it’s something else entirely. Whatever it is, let us pray that God’s Spirit leads us in the direction we need to go for the good of the community we share in. After all, we need places of neighborly connection now more than ever. That’s an old-fashioned phenomenon that is more than worth preserving.
With much hope,
Pastor Jen