This new year gave me occasion to remember a delightful tradition that many Spanish speaking homes observe: One minute before the midnight of December 31st each family member and guest begins eating a set of grapes, one for each month of the upcoming year. A silent prayer, wish or resolution is quickly brought to mind with each grape. The final ten second countdown prepares people to finish their grapes before the time comes for the celebrative hugs and music that mark a new beginning.
During 2021 a Discerning Team from within our Presbytery identified our goals for the next two years. As a community of faith and hope in Jesus Christ, we feel that God is calling us to focus our energy, attention, and resources into three areas: the vitality of our congregations; increasing the number of people that worship with them; and bringing broader ethnic diversity into our shared ministry and mission.
As the members, churches, ministries, and staff of the Presbytery of San Fernando work to see those Spirit-driven intentions fulfilled, some important questions need to be considered by everyone “around the table”: How do those goals resonate with God’s leading of every congregation? How will those shared goals be accomplished? Although the information here is serving us well as an in the implementation, those questions need to be answered by each one of us.
With our goals in mind, I have prepared the “What Kind of Fruit Do We Want to See?” conversation guide. It is designed help our Sessions and group promote dialogue around the specific areas that we feel compelled to be praying for and working towards. To access the conversation guide, click HERE.
Each one of us is part of our church and our Presbytery. You have been brought by the Spirit to be around the table of God’s bountiful grace set for us in the passing of minutes and millennia, moments, and generations.
We trust God for abundant and lasting fruit this year. And let’s not forget to celebrate every step of the way!