A Word From David
Grace and peace to you all.
I am excited to join the saints at Western Presbyterian for these next few months as your bridge pastor. I want to share a few observations, a thought or two, and some specific invitations with you as this time begins.
Listening to your session members, staff, and several long-time members of the congregation a couple of things are clear to me:
First, Western is like the disciples in the boat in Mark 4 (which we’ll reflect on together this Sunday). Though the story doesn’t specify the time beyond “evening,” I have always pictured that scene as happening in the dark of night when it’s difficult to see beyond the faces right around you. A little light would help.
Second, y’all have more than a little light. After all, you’re a More Light congregation! Western has gifted members and staff, a proud history, and, I believe, great hope for the future.
But you need some focus. We’ll talk a lot about that over the next few months. More than talk about it, we’ll try out some things, too.
The great thing about a transitional time with transitional leadership is that we can try all kinds of things. If new things help illuminate the way forward, hold on to them. If they don’t, blame it on me and know that I won’t be there in the future compelling you to keep doing them! Seriously. This time is yours to explore and experiment with. I’m with you to light a few lamps that may help you see more clearly where God is leading you next. I don’t know about you, but I hate driving across a bridge that is poorly lit.
The more chances I get to sit with you and hear your stories, your hopes and dreams for Western, the better equipped I will be to support you in your collective discernment, and the more useful this time will be for you. Toward that end, I invite you to get a cup of coffee with me, or go to lunch together. Hit me up! I love exploring new coffee shops.
More than connecting with me, though, the more often you connect with each other the stronger you will become. So do call me (better yet, email me), but better still, connect with each other over cups of coffee or meals or ballgames or whatever. Your CAT study underscores some missing pieces, some missing connections, so missing trust, some missing energy and enthusiasm. The best way I know to build and sustain all of that is through sharing your stories with each other.
So here’s my first strong suggestion to each of you: do lunch!
I plan to be at Western most Mondays and Tuesdays, and working from home in Arlington Wednesdays and Thursday mornings. I’m happy to get together. Like most folks in these days of relentless phone scams, I don’t answer my phone unless the number is already in my contacts. But I do return calls promptly when a caller leaves a message.
Having mentioned scams, it’s worth noting that there’s already a phising expedition going around using a fake gmail account that has my name on it. I will never send you a note telling you that “I’m about to go into a meeting, but I need to talk with you …” or similar such nonsense. If I need to talk with you urgently, I will call you. I will also never send you a note asking for gift cards or emergency funding. I will also close most emails with my initials – dee. I began doing that back when email was brand new to my 1980s office and it became a habit.
I will happily send you stewardship letters, and invite you to support the ministry and mission of WPC generously. In fact, I just did!
I will try to use only the David@westernpresbyterian.org email address. I invite you to use it to connect about coffee or lunch or anything else that’s on your mind. My personal email accounts are revdocdee@gmail.comand rev.dr.david.ensign@gmail.com. I set up the second of those to channel the various pieces of gig work that I’m doing these days in music, advocacy, and service to the broader church in retirement. Western is part of that gig time, and you might wind up receiving a few things through that account. No other sender email address is me.
Despite the fact that the full-on title and credentials are in the gmail address, I am a resolutely informal person. Please feel free to call me David, or, if it feels more comfortable to you, Pastor David. I only throw around the credentials in letters to public officials or nastygrams to noncooperative vendors. It’s only in the gmail account because there are more David Ensigns out there than you’d think and they beat me to the account name.
I am happy to be with y’all for this season. I look forward to getting to know you, to hearing your stories of your time at Western, and your dreams and visions for what might be next as together you discern God’s calling to the church.
Peace,
David