Pastor's Letter for November
Kindness Kards
I’m sure you’ve already guessed what I mean by “Kindness Kards”. You’re already familiar with the concept of “Kindness Rocks” – we’ve been making them here at our church for years. You take a small rock, you paint
a picture or use a marker to write a positive message on it. You put a sticker on the bottom of the rock and seal it with acrylic spray.
Then, when you travel whether it is near or far, you take one of those rocks with you and leave it in a place where you think someone may find it, pick it up, and have their heart touched by your kindness. And maybe they’ll feel kinder to others because of you. That’s the purpose – passing the good feelings you have along to someone who you don’t even know. Your kindness makes a positive difference because the spirit of a good and gracious God went into the creation of that rock and then it was blessed by your beautiful spirit. Do I get an Amen?
Now, this idea of Kindness Kards came to me as I was thinking about how I want to observe the holiday of Thanksgiving this year. Of course, I’m going to cook a big meal and invite my extended family to come celebrate with us at our house. And I am really looking forward to that day.
As usual, the day will begin with Doug conducting his church’s annual “Blessing of the Hounds” service in the field behind his church. A lot of people come to this service and bring their dogs to receive a special blessing from their pastor. I watch it all unfold from my kitchen window as I prepare the turkey and make the homemade stuffing. This is the only day of each year that I make every dish for the meal from scratch just like my mother taught me back when I was a young woman. And I love it - I’m exhausted the next day, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. Would you?
But, I don’t get to see everyone I care about on Thanksgiving anymore. Family members go their own way or travel at this time of year. It seems our dinner table gets smaller every year. So, I wanted to find a way to reach out to those people in a special way so that even if we are apart on Thanksgiving – we’ll be connected by heart. That’s where the Kindness Kards come in.
I’m printing cards that look like the one at the top of this page. The inside is blank so you can write a personal message. In the spirit of Thanksgiving you could start with “I’m thankful for you because ….” or just write whatever is on your heart and mind to the person to whom you are sending it. I’ll be sending my cards out in time for the holiday to the people I won’t see on that special day. And I’ll have copies for each of you to take home with you at our Nov. 24th service to give to your family and friends. Kindness is a gift that keeps on giving – so this Thanksgiving - share yours by thanking others for theirs. And may your day be blessed with all good things. Love, Pastor Susan
About Our Pastor
This is our pastor, Reverend Susan Hanson,
She was ordained in the United Church of Christ at her home church, St. John's UCC in Lansdale, PA on January 9th, 1994 in the middle of a winter weather event of snow and ice. That storm didn't stop their celebration that day - and she hasn't stopped serving in the ministry since then – no matter what. We like that about her - and you will too when you get to know her.
Pastor Susan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development from Florida State University; a Master of Divinity degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary; and a Master of Arts
degree in Pastoral Counseling from Moravian Theological Seminary.
And she completed her certification as a Reiki Master in 2013 – the same year she came to our church. She's also participated in specialized training through the United Church of Christ to serve as an intentional interim minister to churches while they are in transition from one settled pastor to the next.
Early in her thirty year career as an ordained minister, it became her calling to assist churches during these times of transition, taking her to twelve different settings in local churches, as well as chaplaincy positions in nursing home facilities. She'll tell you that she “has seen it all, heard it all, been through it all” with the people she's met – and even so, she still likes people and loves working with them in ministry settings.
That love is what brought her here to St. Vincent UCC – her “lucky number 13” setting as she likes to call it. When she arrived, it was to serve as a temporary supply pastor while we were in transition. But, we liked each other so much, we decided to just stay together on a permanent basis. In April, 2018, Rev. Hanson was installed as our settled pastor.
Our pastor believes that ministry is something we all do when we strive to be like Jesus and follow his ways. Her job, as she sees it, is to help all of us be the heart and hands and voice of Jesus in our own time and place and in our own way – so that we will do good; make a positive difference; and leave the world a better place for us having been here. She says, “That's the way real ministry happens – one gracious thought, one good word, one act of kindness - one moment at a time”.
Susan and her husband, Doug, who is also an ordained pastor at St. Peter's Pikeland UCC, live in Chester Springs. They have three grown children – their daughter Laurabeth and son Eric live in the local area. Their daughter Lindsay and her husband Charlie live in Alabama where they're raising the two grandchildren of whom Pastor Susan will be happy to show you pictures and tell you how wonderful they are – just like any other proud grandparent.
Come, join us – and meet our pastor. If you are looking for a worship experience which makes you feel good for having been here – then, come and meet us. We worship together every Sunday to share the spirit, the light, and the love of Jesus and become empowered to take it with us when we go back out into the world in which we live and for whom our ministry really matters.