Good-Bye, But Not Farewell

June 14, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

A week from today, my family and I will be boarding a direct flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam, to begin my twelve-week, grant-funded study leave. Lately, I’ve been feeling an odd confluence of excitement and apprehension. The reasons for the former are simple: It’s a chance to step away from the routine of ministry (which is recommended in the Discipline for pastors every six years), it’s an opportunity to experience an all-expense paid trip to some remarkable countries, and it’s a time for rest, renewal, and recreation.

But I’m also hesitant. As a worker by nature, I don’t often know what to do with extended periods of personal time, and I’ll have to adjust to life without the reliable routines of Sunday-to-Sunday. After all, I’m in the people business, and doggone it, I really like being your pastor. I’ll miss our daily and weekly interactions, the sound of your laughter, and the generative power of our worshipping together.

But the greater uncertainty that I feel lies in the subject of my study. Unlike a normal continuing education experience, in which I study topics such as more effective ways to do ministry, or the latest theological innovations, or current trends in Christianity and culture, the subject of my time away is, well, me. And my family.

As you know, the goal of this whole project is to come to a better understanding of the complexities and blessings of what it means for me to be an American citizen of Filipino descent, married to a woman of Dutch origin, with multiracial children. To come to that understanding, I’ll be dusting off long-neglected memories, uncovering hidden aspects of my past, and rooting up some parts of my heritage that I’ve never really acknowledged. I’ll meet cousins, aunts, and uncles that I’ve only heard about, be immersed in cultures where everyone looks like me (The Philippines) and where no one looks like me (The Netherlands).

Along the way, I’ll be prayerfully exploring ways for another kind of family – this church family – can learn to coexist with all of its beautiful, chaotic diversities. The underlying premise for this project is that the same principles that the deVega family can learn to celebrate its differences and focus on its commonalities are the same principles that a church can use to be more open to different ethnicities, perspectives, and backgrounds.

That’s why I’m excited. It will be a kind of work that I’ve never done before in my fourteen years of ministry: deep introspection, mixed with dramatic cultural immersion, with intentional focus on a critical area of survival for the mainline church. But it will be work done with deliberate rest, intentional connection to family, all in the context of some of the most beautiful locales in the world.

(Did I mention that one of my uncles is taking us up a jungle trail to the top of a volcano? And that I might get to preach in a family member’s village church? And that some members of one of my former churches is taking us on a canal boat tour in Amsterdam?)


THIS SUNDAY: GOOD-BYE (BUT NOT FAREWELL!)

This Sunday will likely be one of my most personal, most autobiographical sermons to date, as I go further in unpacking for you why this renewal means so much to me, my family, and the church that I love. I’d love it if you came to worship so I can thank you personally for your love, support, and well-wishes as I say good-bye until September 11. (And let me reiterate: when I come back, I still plan on being your pastor, for the foreseeable future!!)

In the meantime, here are some ways that you can be praying for us over the next several weeks:

· Pray for safety as we travel, with no major disruptions to our itinerary. You can pray for an uneventful eight hours to Amsterdam, as well as the whopping twenty-four hours to the Philippines. And since the girls display a lot more patience on super-long plane fights than their parents, you can pray that Mom and Dad don’t go stir crazy in the flight cabin!

· Pray for our health. We won’t go into the list of possible illnesses we could contract while we’re there, since we’re trying not to think about it. We’d rather just have a good time and come back whole and healthy. Oh, and you can pray for a steady recovery from all the jet lag!

· Pray that the four of us will draw closer together as a family. It is truly rare for a young family like ours, with kids our girls’ ages, to have a chance to have an experience like this. I’m not sure what this might look like, but there’s every possibility that this can show us how to love, respect, appreciate, and affirm one another more than ever before. Please pray that all of that will happen between me and Jessica, for our relationship to our daughters, and for these two cute little ducklings that call themselves siblings.

· Pray for St. Paul’s. I have absolutely no reservations about leaving your pastoral responsibilities in the capable hands of Rev. Ron Kitterman. (If anything, you may learn to like him better.) But you can pray that whatever I experience overseas and what you experience here in Cherokee over the next three months will lead us to even more clarity and enthusiasm about the future God has for us. When I get back, it will be full steam ahead, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together!

You might want to know that I plan on writing a few new editions of this Mid-Week Message throughout the summer. But part of this renewal will include stepping away from the regular routine of writing these weekly, though I’ll want to be in touch with you a few times with some of the things I am experiencing and learning. Those will be joyous occasions to tell you how we’re doing.


THE SUMMER AHEAD

In case you’re wondering about our itinerary, here’s a quick outline:

Sunday, June 19: Last Sunday in the Pulpit
Tuesday, June 21: Depart for Amsterdam
Wednesday, June 29: Depart Amsterdam via Train for London
Saturday, July 2: Depart London for U.S.
Starting July 2: Time with Family and Friends in Minnesota (Jessica’s American roots)
July 16: Depart for Manila
July 27: Return from the Philippines
Starting July 28: Time with Family and Friends in Florida (My American roots)
August 11: Kids Return to School
Magrey Spends Remaining Weeks Recovering, Studying, Reflecting, and Writing
Sunday, September 11: First Sunday back in the Pulpit

And here’s a quick word about Rev. Ron Kitterman. He’ll be in the office starting the week of June 20, and I’ll share with you all this Sunday what his anticipated days and hours in the office will be. He will be able to cover all pastoral emergencies as they arise, and you can reach him by contacting the church office. He already has a handful of weddings and memorial services scheduled at the church, and he will be providing excellent worship leadership and pastoral care for you, based on his decades of effective, beloved ministry in the Iowa Conference. He will make his cell phone available to you in cases of critical, urgent emergencies, and you can reach him through his new St. Paul’s UMC e-mail address, at rkitterman@cherokeespumc.org <mailto:rkitterman@cherokeespumc.org> . You will want to come this Sunday to formally welcome him and his wife Mary Lou to the St. Paul’s Summer Family.

Finally, this is great time to remind you that your membership commitment to prayers, presence, gifts, and service really does matter this summer! We thank God that we are in great shape heading into this summer regarding our financial giving, membership, and worship attendance. We have gained 32 members so far this year (a number of them by profession of faith!), and we are a few thousand dollars ahead of expenses right now (the first time we’ve started the summer this way in my time as your pastor.) Nonetheless, we know that the summer is a time for busy folks to go away for their own renewal, so please continue to remember St. Paul’s over the next three months. Come to worship as often as you can, and please make arrangements to fulfill your stewardship commitments either by mail or through automatic check withdrawal. You can contact our Financial Secretary Sarah Cook for more information on setting this up.

Now, more than ever, I am grateful for the privilege of serving as your pastor, and for the chance to have this once-in-a-lifetime, transformative opportunity. I can’t wait to see what our future holds in ministry together.

Grace, Peace, and Love,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org




WHAT A GREAT TIME SO FAR!
Wow! That’s the best way to capture what we’ve been experiencing so far with the 70 children in this year’s Vacation Bible School. Thanks to Korrie Waldner and her great leadership team, the first day of VBS happened without a hitch, and there’s a high level of energy and joy as we steam through the week. You will not want to miss a taste of what we’re experiencing when you come to worship this Sunday. And you’ll have a chance to match the children’s daily contributions to the Bishop’s FIT Challenge, which funds disaster relief to the Iowa communities devastated by recent tornadoes and that will be affected by the rising waters of the Missouri River. God’s Love has really been in Action this week. Come and see for yourself!