Annual Report 2024-2025 - Flipbook - Page 7
ASSOCIATE PASTOR
LUKE STRINGER
Dear Plymouth,
Six months goes fast! Writing up this annual report at the
quarter mark of my TiM pastoral call, I am struck by how
much happens at any given moment in and among our church,
and how lucky I feel to be a part of the beautiful, layered life
happening here. I had a hunch that my first pastoral call would
be full, and challenging, and that it would ask me to grow in
ways I could not fully anticipate. All of that hunch has proven
true, and then some. Thank you for being a community of people
that allows newbie pastors like me to grow and experiment and
test out our gifts and callings in such a supportive, welcoming,
affirming community. It is a privilege to be your pastor!
Warmly,
Pastor Luke
Leading in Worship:
Formation and Discipleship:
• I have had the privilege of preparing my first four sermons at
Plymouth, and have felt so encouraged by the ways you have
approached me and engaged with me in the ideas and challenges
and encouragement I have been wrestling with in God’s word.
• It is exciting to see spiritual formation and discipleship
happening at all ages in our church. I have really enjoyed
spending these six months participating in Confirmation as
an honorary guide for one of our 7th Grade groups and as a
chaperone on the 8th Grade retreat. I have also found so
much joy and community with the regular suspects at our
Wednesday Morning Bible study, digging into the weekly
teaching passages.
• Each time I am slated to prepare a pastoral prayer, I get excited.
I have loved getting to expend writerly attention and care on
how we as a congregation address God and each other. It is an
honor to discover new ways to name hurt, speak hope, and
reflect something of God’s beauty in our shared sacred speech
in prayer.
• I am learning that I love creating liturgy! Imagining our
Good Friday and Easter Sunrise services, and collaborating
with Chris, Sohee, and the pastoral team on the Palm Sunday
“Illuminare” poetry readings are highlights that will stick
with me. Similarly, creating the liturgy for the vigil service in
March to lament the Iowa state government’s attack on trans
civil rights helped me appreciate that even when the reason
for gathering is awful, it is good to be together. Seeing an
order of worship come alive in the particular voices and bodies
and stories of our community is deeply moving to me.
• I am looking forward to our upcoming Pride service with the
Rainbow Faith Coalition for Capital City Pride (and keep your
head on a swivel for something exciting around All Saints Day).
• I see Plymouth as a congregation that really knows how to
sink y’all’s teeth into a book study. The Lenten Being
Christian study with the pastors and Pastor John and Karen
Downing’s Anti-Racism As Daily Practice study were
instances of learning with and from that I hope to emulate in
future studies while at Plymouth.
• Plymouth already has such a robust appreciation for the ways
art and beauty are important parts of our spiritual live and
formation. Exploring a new expression of this kind of creative
faith in Plymouth Artists Circle has been really exciting for me,
and I’m excited to keep getting surprised by the Holy Spirit’s
still-speaking voice in the imaginations of our congregation.
Pastoral Care:
• A highlight for me in this recent season has been getting to
follow along with the newest cohort of Stephen Ministers
training to become lay leaders offering care and support to
our church. I had heard about the ways Stephen Ministers
step into people’s lives in crucial moments when I was
interviewing for my TiM position. Seeing the trainings and
care and calling of Jesus so evident in our peers here at the
church who are equipping themselves to love and serve is
even cooler in person.
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