October - November 2025 Salem Scene

I'm Proud of You!

​Congratulations! I’m not sure I tell you this enough, but…”I’m so proud of you.” It may be no surprise that my congratulations and pride stem from the good news about being awarded a Clergy Renewal Grant (see page 3)...but it goes so much deeper than that. I am so proud of this community of faith and its story. Grant writing is not something I have ever done, so collaborating with some of you to write the Clergy Renewal Grant was quite an experience. But what struck me at the end of the process, when we put all the pieces we had written together into a cohesive narrative—is that the story it tells of Salem is extraordinary. So, congratulations, I am so grateful that CTS and the Lilly Foundation chose our story to honor this coming year with a period of renewal for our entire community.

Read Full Newsletter Here

​As I said though, it goes deeper than this. I am so proud of this congregation for so many amazing reasons...these are just some (and they are in no particular order.)
I’m proud of your willingness to jump into a Faith & Neighboring Practices cohort that was brand new and to take seriously the things we learned.
I’m proud of your ability to be nimble. To be able to change worship times on occasion, to go with the flow when we aren’t sure how things will work, and to be willing to meet our partner congregations in the middle, make you unique in the world of “church”.
I’m so proud of the way you are willing to engage with scripture in different ways all the time. Your ability to try to understand even the hardest parts is to be commended.
I’m proud of the welcome you are able to extend to those who walk through our doors for the first time. It never ceases to amaze me when a visitor will stay till the end of fellowship time because they have been so welcomed and engaged. (Often without ever talking to the pastor!)
I’m proud of the way you love the children and youth of this congregation. To have a place that not only doesn’t rebuke, but embraces Kjell running up in the middle of worship to give me a hug, Wesley looking for his ball under the altar and that treats Ingrid and our other children like full members of the body of Christ, warms my heart.
I’m so proud of your willingness to share. Whether it’s during conversation after the sermon or at fellowship hour, your willingness to share your understanding of faith, the Bible, or theology...as well as your own stories, humbles me.
There are so many reasons I’m proud of you and I’m not sure I tell you this enough. But at the very top of the list…
I’m so proud of the community you are...of the tight-knit, loving, compassionate, intentional, and caring family of faith you are. I have watched you, as a community, walk fellow members through all the stages of grief, over pastries. I have witnessed you caring for each other by stopping by to visit, sending notes, or simply making a phone call. I have given testimony to how well you celebrate the joys in each others lives, lift up those who are struggling, and remember those who aren’t at the table.
This church knows what building beloved community is all about. This church understands tenacity. This congregation cares about what’s happening outside its walls from uptown to the other side of the globe. You are passionate about the things that keep people on the margins and you take seriously your call as disciples of Jesus.
I am so proud of you...and congratulations. I truly am grateful that our story together has been honored by CTS and the Lilly Foundation and can’t wait to see what this next year of ministry brings. Thank you for being the church in a world that needs it. Thank you for being my church...a church I’m so proud of!
Peace,
Pastor Rhonda