Kate's Musings

June 9, 2022

Rev. Dr. Kate Conolly

Dear Friends,

Back on October 31 in worship, Rev. Donna announced what would be happening during the interim period between her retirement on January 15th and June 30th. She shared that there would be a part-time interim Senior Pastor appointed; Ethan and Andy would be given enhanced responsibilities, including Ethan being the pastor in charge of worship; and Kristina Gonzalez, the Director of Innovation for an Inclusive Church for the Great Northwest Area would be working with the leadership on intercultural competency. Rev. Donna shared that Kristina’s work was in the hope that a person of color would be appointed as the next Senior Pastor.

Fast forward to today. Rev. Karyn Kuan-Richards, along with her husband Paul, is on her way from Houston to Portland as I write. Ethan and Andy have done a terrific job with their enhanced responsibilities. The interim Senior Pastor is about to return to her witness protection program in Albany. And we are having a celebration on Sunday right after church of the transformational work Kristina has started with us. Please plan to stay after worship where the celebration will be held in the sanctuary. It will also be livestreamed. The plan is it will last no more than an hour. Kristina will be sharing with us and several members of the Portland First leadership will share what the process has meant to them. We will conclude with the election of officers for 2022-2023. I want to strongly encourage you to attend!

Wait – there is more! I have had conversations with several of you that have led me to suggest a way for us to “extend the conversation.” This would be an opportunity both for those of you who have gone through the process with Kristina and those of you who did not. I have talked to Rev. Ethan about leading a study of the book “Anxious to Talk About It: Helping White Christians Talk Faithfully about Racism.” He is excited too!

Let me share what is on the back cover of the book: “Wait…We’re talking about what? I’m not so sure I want to do that.” When it comes to discussing racism, many white people are overwhelmed with anxiety, leading to the fight-or-flight response. In Anxious to Talk About It, pastor and professor Carolyn B. Heisel draws on her successful experiences with white congregations to offer us tools to embrace and explore these anxious feelings and more faithfully engage in these crucial conversations.

Ethan and I would like to invite you to a chance to learn a little more about the book, the format of this six-week class, to ask any questions you might have and determine the time that works for the class. It will be on Tuesday, June 14th, from 6:30 PM – 7:15 PM.

If you have any questions or are interested but cannot make the meeting on Tuesday, please feel free to contact me at KConolly@fumcpdx.org.

In ministry with you,

Kate