From the Deacons – “Listen For the Call”

by Karin Noyes

The Deacons are reaching out over the next week and will try to reach each of you by phone. We hope to be successful but if by chance we missed you, perhaps we don’t have your updated phone number OR don’t have you in our directory. Please email our office assistant, Loriann, with your information! [email protected]

Five years ago, I felt flattered and intrigued to be asked to serve on the Deacons Committee at our church. I was feeling the tug – to spend less time alone (often a downside of being an artist) and to step towards exploring my spiritual side. I had questions about God and especially about Jesus. I felt awe at the beauty of nature and knew this was where I felt God most. I had felt the power of “Something greater than I” sitting in AA and Al-Anon rooms. Experience had taught me of my powerlessness, and I knew there was something bigger out there. I thought I was ready to move out of my comfort zone. But to say I felt a bit of a fraud was to say the least. I felt completely out of my league!!!!

Two years later, I found myself volunteering to take on the leadership of the Deacons. The idea of working closely with Diane Monte-Catania seemed like a great opportunity to continue my questioning and spiritual explorations. Curious, but also feeling more unqualified than ever, I figured that I could “learn on the job.” Leaving my comfort zone further behind, I stepped into the unknown.

The past three years, I have co-led the Deacons. I had three different co-leaders, whose style and strengths varied from one another, but meshed well with mine in our work together. I have enjoyed working with each of them and gained much from the experience. Thank you Theresa Carroll, for teaching and sharing your quiet, thoughtful, caring, spiritual side. Thank you Mary O’Neill for bringing us from hand written notes to Doodle Polls and Google Docs — and for waking me up to inequities (hidden and blatant, implicit and overt) found all through our society. And thank you Lorna Edmundson for bringing your calm and deep, deep wisdom and experience to our disparate group of Deacons. I am so grateful to the three of you.

I would be remiss for not mentioning, two important things. First: how grateful I am for the guidance, courage and leadership of Pastor John over this past year of ups and downs. And second for the guidance and support of my longtime friend, Betsy Beck. It was she, many years ago, when we both had small children on the Hotchkiss campus, who started me coming to church. Betsy has been there for me ever since.

What our church has been through over the last few years has been a bit of a rocky ride. I am hopeful there will be calmer waters ahead. I am truly grateful that I had ALL the opportunities to learn and grow over the past years. We are challenged, yet again, during this Corona Virus Pandemic, to search out new ways to stay connected as a church. My advice: Have faith and jump in. And in case this story rings a bell with YOU and you might want to jump in, we still have one vacancy on the Deacons Committee starting in June. No experience necessary!