Meet Our Minister of Spiritual Formation
Dear friends in Holy Covenant,
It has been my great joy and privilege to be a student intern and then on staff at Holy Covenant for the last two years. Especially since I have been unable to avoid dreaming about what’s next for this community, I am so glad to be staying on with you in the new position of Minister of Spiritual Formation.
The new position includes the work I’ve been doing this year as worship leader for the evening service and minister of small groups. Happily, I’ll have more time to devote to each! Additionally, I’ll be working with children and families. Even many of you who know me may not know that before I moved to Chicago for Divinity School I spent years working with children — from infancy through adolescence — at summer camps, in classrooms, and on farms. I can feel that my face still lights up when I start to tell stories about the children I’ve known. I’m excited to build relationships with the children and families in our congregation (and those who’ve yet to arrive!) and to include them more fully in the life of the church. I’ll also be available for things like meeting over a cup of coffee for conversation and prayer and committee meetings where I’m needed, and I’ll be preaching a little more too.
As for the “spiritual formation” of the job title: I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a people of faith. What makes us any different from what we were when we had no faith? I know that in my own life, I’ve recently found myself caught up in school, work, and church to the point that I’m not practicing my faith. I forget to lean back on the faith that I claim to have. I don’t make time to pray. I suspect that I’m not the only one for whom this is true. Lots of great things happen at church, but there are some things that happen only at church: things like learning how to pray, how to read Scripture, and what difference it makes to be a Christian in how we care for others and the world around us. My prayer for all of us is that we would experience a deepening in our spiritual understanding and practices.
My new job begins July 1st. By then, the regular hours when I’ll be available to you will be figured out and made public. Until then, don’t forget to take a look at small groups! And consider visiting the evening service if you’ve never been – or haven’t been in a while. It’s a warm, intimate service that feels like the best parts of a family dinner. We sing songs in harmony; we pray for one another; we gather around the Communion table every week and are reminded of the truth that God breaks into our lives again and again.
In peace,
Rebecca Anderson
