Come Holy Spirit, Come!

Come, Holy Spirit Come

 Come as the wind, and cleanse us.
Come as the fire, and burn;
Come as water, and refresh.
Convict, convert, and consecrate
That we may be truly yours.
During my first couple of weeks at Bridge St. I have been almost (but not quite) overwhelmed by the volume of meetings related to the new governance model which was adopted on a trial basis earlier this year. We have agreed that I will need a while to get "up to speed" but I really like what I'm hearing and seeing.

This model anticipates that committees and teams do their work within their parameters and job descriptions without everything then funneling through the board, which in many systems acts as a "committee of the whole."

The Governance Board is not made up of representatives of other groups, but it given the task of setting the mission and vision for the congregation and informing others of what that will be. The minister is given a fair amount of responsibility, but also authority, and expected to provide practical spiritual leadership. Everyone at every level is accountable to reflect the mission, and the budget is struck to support that mission. At least this is how I see it so far!

I am very impressed by the individual, Ian,  who is coaching the congregation through this, and all those who are working their way through what is a significant departure from anything done here before. I have read about this Carver Model for years and it has intrigued me. I haven't heard of any congregation that has put it into practice.

I am hoping and praying that the Holy Spirit we celebrate today is swirling in our midst and we are doing more than babbling in foreign tongues. The Pentecost story tells us that chaos sparked courage, then clarity as the early church discovered its mission. Come Holy Spirit Come!

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