Pastor's Pondering - April 29, 2022

Dear friends - On Tuesday night, we had a significant Session meeting full of all sorts of meaningful ministry.

• Five members of the Confirmation Class officially joined River Glen - their testimonies and answers to the Session's questions were by far the highlight of the meeting. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

• With our continued five-year goal of River Glen being a safe, hospitable, and welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ community, the Session approved three motions from the Beyond the Barn long-range planning team to be listed as an opening and affirming church online through two PCUSA agencies and a non-denominational website.

• The Session approved a recommendation from the Unity in Diversity team to open a Justice Center through AdministerJustice.org, a non-profit organization based in Elgin which provides pro-bono law consultation for those unable to pay for a lawyer. Approximately once a month for four hours, a few volunteers will host a volunteer lawyer from the community for appointments set up through Administer Justice - we're looking forward to continuing to use River Glen space and hospitality to help others in the community.

I always hope for a 2-hour Session meeting - as you can imagine, we stretched out to three this month, and I wouldn't trade a minute of our discussion, discernment, and celebration of the kingdom of God at work. Speaking of celebrating, don't miss the party on Sunday with the confirmands and the youth - see you in worship! Peace, Jess