Dear siblings in Christ, 
I love the cooler weather and the changing of the leaves.  My husband and I took a drive to Warwick recently and marveled at the yellow, orange and red landscape before us.  I must confess, however, that there is a downside to this season for me - raking.  All those beautiful leaves fall to the ground, presenting a mess to be cleaned.  Even with a leaf blower my yard takes hours.  There is a popular phrase that goes, "with the good comes the bad."  Now, I wouldn't call raking or blowing leaves "bad," but it certainly isn't fun and I can think of any number of things I'd rather be doing with my time.  Yet, as adults we find ourselves in this situation practically on a daily basis.  I'd rather be doing a lot of things besides dusting, cleaning the bathroom, paying my bills or going to the doctor. It can be the same with our service in the Church. 

Service in the Church can be dull and sometimes tedious.  Yet the Church needs to do its work.  I recently went to a town council meeting with my son and about half way through he whispered to me, "This is so boring!"  I smiled and responded, "Yes, but it's necessary to run the town and be transparent."  This is what any council, whether it be local political, non-profit, big business or congregational governing board is like.  At Trinity, we will be electing new congregational leaders on November 17th and I really encourage you to think about how you can serve.  I cannot promise you that it will be exciting, but I hope it will be ultimately fulfilling to know that you've offered your talents to ensure that Trinity maintains a presence of love and welcome as we serve our community and the world in Jesus' name. 

And if your life circumstance is such that you cannot serve in leadership, I ask you to please pray for those who are.  It can be boring; it can be tedious; there are even moments of conflict, which is why your prayers are so very important to sustain our leaders.  We're in this together!

In the end, while yard work can be exhausting, seeing the result of my labors is satisfying indeed.  I also feel the same, and an even greater sense of gratitude and satisfaction, when I see our congregation moving forward.  And while, as a small church, we may not be able to do huge projects, we can accomplish what we can with great love and devotion - all for the glory of God.

In Christ,
Pastor Holliday