Pastor’s Letter
Summertime is the Best Time … to take care of yourself.
For a lot of people that means becoming more physically active and spending more time in nature. That’s great because the sunshine reminds us of the light within us and how we are called to “let it shine”! And this summer, I want to encourage us all to focus on our spiritual care as well. This is a good time to focus on the inner you and reflect on your life. It’s a time to devote more energy to repairing old emotional wounds and “reclaiming” our true selves.
I hope that makes sense to you because I want to encourage you to take this summer to do some soul searching for yourself.
We’ve all had experiences in our lives that left us feeling damaged or traumatized – the effects of which can stay with us for a long time, affecting everything else. We carry it around like a spiritual backpack that burdens our hearts and tamps down our inner light. It doesn’t matter who caused the damage or trauma because once we put it in our backpack it belongs to us - we own it. And that might sound blaming the victim – but the point is – if we own it, we can get rid of it whenever we want.
So, to help us, here’s a spiritual exercise I discovered, and I’ve tried myself with good results. It’s a very simple exercise – sit in a place where you feel safe and you will not be disturbed – this is a time for peace and quiet to focus on you. Now take a few deep breaths and use your imagination to “go back in time” to the person you were in a situation where you experienced a great challenge or even trauma.
Some of us might go back to the COVID pandemic – and why not – if any experience left us with a sense of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) it was that one. But others among us might need to go further back – to our childhood or teenage years where we experienced a more private kind of trauma. Maybe there was an incident in your adult years that has left a negative mark on your heart or mind or soul ever since. Whatever the time or situation, imagine being there and talking to that “you” to affirm them. If the situation calls for it, imagine a different outcome where you stand up to the one doing the damage and protect yourself from being harmed.
Tell yourself – “you’re safe now, you don’t have to be afraid. Look at how far you’ve come through all those storms and you’re still standing – and still healing. That place that once hurt you – you’re free from it now. And you don’t have to carry those old wounds anymore. I’m here with you and I’ll be with you for always.” Promise them “I’ve got us now” – both the “you” that was and the “you” that is. You’re okay – you are safe and loved and stronger than that hurt and frightened person in your past ever dreamed you might be. Now it is time to move on, reclaim your inner light and let it shine! And never let anyone dim your light again.
I hope you make time this summer to take care of yourself – both past and present, so that your future might seem brighter and the blessing of 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.