This year
I’m celebrating 30 years of being a Congregational minister and now have been
given the honor and privilege of being your Moderator. It is a joy for me to
serve you in this way and it is my hope and prayer that this upcoming Annual
Meeting and Conference in Minnesota 2012 will be a true blessing to all who
attend.
I am fortunate to live in the
beautiful State of Minnesota with its multitude of rivers and lakes; clean
fresh water is a gift from God that we all too frequently take for granted. So
as I began preparations for this year, I knew that “water” had to be part of
our theme; but I also know that Christ’s
grace and love need to under gird everything we do, so I have chosen for my
scripture theme John 7:38 & 39 which seems to encompass both:
“While Jesus was standing there, He cried out, “Let
anyone who is thirsty
come to me, and let the one who believes in
me drink,” and as the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall
flow rivers of living water.” (NRSV)
You are invited to come to
Minnesota, to the 2012 Annual Meeting and Conference, to be renewed and
refreshed as you drink in Christ’s love and mercy, and as you find renewal and
grace, I know we will all be blessed as
we pass it on. This year our Association is looking to the future with
creativity and enthusiasm for a new plan with a new structure. I believe all
this flows from God’s Spirit through our Leadership to our Churches to our
World with the intent to share this life-giving water with all. We come from a
tradition of pioneering through God’s
Spirit to bring faith and freedom to new worlds and all peoples. We are
called to be “rivers of living water”. Let us join in our new ventures in order
to do so.
I hope to see you this June in
Minnesota and I pray you are filled each day with God’s blessings.
Your Moderator,
Rev. Patti Dando Haaheim
