A Letter from Lindy Sept 7

Hi Pilgrims,

An opinion piece in the NY Times this week offered an explanation about what makes certain people click. You know that moment in human connection that defies easy explanation — that sudden, electric feeling when you meet someone and feel your minds merge. Where does that spark come from, exactly? What makes someone feel like a lifelong friend after just a couple of minutes? 

As I read the article, I linked this query to one I have about strangers/visitors become Pilgrims. What is it about this community that makes someone say, “this is precisely where I want to be on Sundays.” Or, “these are the people into whose arms I want to collapse when my knees give way because of life circumstances.”  This question I name for folks who wonder about becoming members of this beloved community. I want them to feel that we are precisely the embrace and/or grounding they are seeking.

Certainly, I can tell my own story about being held amidst when the ground rocked beneath me. I can name the many ways in which I watch us take our part in ushering in God’s kindom, interpreting God’s word into action. I name the ways in which we laugh and foster joy and hope. I name the ways in which we hold with care the suffering of those we know, those entrusted to our prayers, those beyond our community, as we gather in worship. I name how seriously we take being church together, in structure and practice. All of these threads weave into the tapestry of Pilgrim as beloved community, for which I am grateful to be a part.

Grateful am I also for the five individuals who have made a similar decision–Roxanne Ditson-Weeks, Joey Zimmerman and Mark Schafer,

Scott Washington, Erin Wasserman. We will invite them to join our fellowship this Sunday and enfold them in our embrace. I, for one, cannot wait to see the gifts they bring to enhance and enliven our communal witness. I hope you will join me in welcoming them to Pilgrim.

After worship, we will gather in fellowship for our Homecoming celebration with yummy food from across our community. An infusion of fun will be the ranking of the most comforting of these offerings. So come with your dollars to stuff the jars as we live into the Windy City lore of “vote early, vote often.” Our goal is to raise the balance for our new window coverings, and then whatever is left to continue sprucing up our Fellowship Hall.

Can’t wait to welcome our newest Pilgrims and break bread together.

grace and peace,

Pastor Lindy

(she/her) why pronouns matter