Padrecita's Ponderings

Greetings from Padrecita Jeanne Lutz

As I write this, I am in the midst of cleaning out my office at Peace Lutheran Church, Las Cruces, and saying goodbye to the congregation I have served for the past eight years. St. Christopher’s is also in the midst of saying goodbye, not only to your beloved rector, but to two members of your congregation who are now part of the Church Triumphant. Goodbyes are not easy, change is not easy; but we have our Lord’s assurance that, “we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life, may rest in [his] eternal changelessness” (Compline, BCP 133).

I look forward to being your priest-in-charge at St. Christopher’s. While our time together will begin at the start of the Epiphany season, in an interesting way, St. Christopher’s will continue to be in an Advent mode. The next year to fifteen months will be a time of expectation and excitement, perhaps even a bit of apprehension, as you begin the process of calling a new rector. I plan to say more about transition in my first sermon at St. Christopher’s on January 8th. Meanwhile, allow me to introduce myself.

My husband, Bill, and I are both graduates of the University of Texas at Austin. We moved to Las Cruces in 1969, where Bill joined a law firm and I earned a degree in teaching at New Mexico State University. That’s right—I am an Aggie. Please try not to hold that against me! We have two grown sons. One is a journalist in Austin and the other works in the law firm with his father. Bill served as United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico under President Ronald Reagan, which necessitated a move to Albuquerque during most of the 1980s. While there, I was ordained an Episcopal priest and served St. Matthew’s and St. Mary’s churches. We returned to Las Cruces in 1991, where I went on staff at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. After a brief stint at the Cathedral Church of St. John in 2003, I was called as associate pastor of Peace Lutheran Church under the full communion agreement, Called to Common Mission.

I have benefitted greatly from my somewhat confusing ecumenism. At one time I laughed about being an Episcopal priest serving a Lutheran congregation and attending a Presbyterian seminary (Austin Presbyterian, where I received my Doctor of Ministry in 2008). This past January, I took the beginning course from the Interim Ministry Network, an interfaith body which trains pastors in the art of shepherding congregations through periods of transition.

St. Christopher’s will not be the first congregation I have served during an interim, but it will be my first opportunity to do so as priest-in-charge. I suspect I will learn much from you as we work together. The Interim Ministry Network lists five developmental tasks for congregations during their times of transition. They are: (1) coming to terms with your history; (2) discovering a new identity; (3) allowing and empowering new leaders; (4) renewing denominational linkages; and (5) committing to new leadership and a new future.

We will explore these tasks further, but suffice it to say for now that we can start immediately with the first one (coming to terms with your history) by holding a “Celebrate St. Christopher’s” night. For details, see the separate article. I already have a splendid impression of St. Christopher’s as a church community; it will be my joy to get to know you as individuals during the coming year. I have no doubt that God will be with us on our journey—to strengthen us, to guide us, and to lead us in his paths of service as we live and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Blessings,
Padrecita Jeanne