Pastor’s Letter
These Are Holy Times
This month we celebrate the most holy events of the church year. And the best part is that we have God to guide us and one another for company along the way. These are special times when the shadowy atmosphere of Lent gives way to the excitement of Palm Sunday – followed by the emotional roller coaster events Holy Week - and finally culminates in the resurrection joy of Easter morning. This is it – the big show, the main event of our yearly Christian journey.
It’s the same every year – the same scriptures, the same stories, the same themes - and yet every year is different because we are in a different place in our lives. Take a moment to consider where your heart and mind are focused at this time. How will you experience the journey this year? And how might your faith be strengthened and improved because of it? Won’t you join me on this journey from Lent to Easter and the challenges it brings to us as brothers and sisters in Christ.
To prepare our hearts and minds, let’s take a look at the reading from Isaiah 43: 15-21 where God declares: “I am the Lord, your Holy One - the Creator of Israel, your King. I will make a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters. I will make your enemies lie down and they cannot rise against you. Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old, for I am about to do a new thing. Now it springs forth - do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild animals will honor me and it will give drink to my chosen people - the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.”
This scripture is reminding us that God is in charge – that no matter how bad things get in our lives – when we put our faith and trust in God – God, in his own time, will make a way to make things better. And we can’t expect solutions from the past - for our God is a god of new things, new ways, new energy that he is happy to spend on doing good things for our benefit. In return, we are called to stay close to God at all times and pay attention to how he is directing our lives. He has promised to hamper the efforts of our enemies and make a way for us to overcome all obstacles – as long as we continue to act like his chosen people and praise his holy ways of doing good and spreading love.
The experience of moving from the Season of Lent through Holy Week and into the Season of Easter is a roadmap to fulfilling this challenge. We leave the shadowy times of Lent’s self-examination and reflection behind us, move through the ups and downs of Holy Week, and then enter into the light of Easter with joy and hope – that makes this time “Holy” – for we do not make this journey alone – we make it with God and with one another for company. Let us go forth with God as our guide and love as our purpose to make these holy times last us for all time. 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.