Author: The Rev. Andy Greenhow

Pastors, especially interim ones like me, step into stories that began long before they arrived in a congregation and will continue to be told long after they leave. Why things are done in an idiosyncratic way, why certain people or committees are at odds, or the fabled origins of a beloved tradition are common stories pastors must navigate. Of course, this can be challenging, but other times, it is a delight to step into a story that started before you and will continue long after you. The annual youth Thanksgiving Pancake Breakfast, occurring next Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. in Congregational Hall, is one such delightful story.

I have heard the breakfast described as a homecoming of sorts, where the kids whom we have sent off into the world return home as young adults or where families that have moved away return to see old friends. One colleague told me the breakfast pretty much runs itself as people of all ages pitch in to decorate, cook, eat (that part is important), wash dishes, and clean up.

We’re heading into a season that, for many of us, is a time of joy. For others, it is a season of dread that we’re just trying to survive. As relationships change or loved ones pass away, traditions that were once delightful become melancholy. Likewise, sad stories we didn’t realize were keeping us stuck can be told in new ways to become a source of new life and hope.

Whatever else Thanksgiving looks like for you, joyful or otherwise, I hope you start your day by joining us in telling the longstanding and delightful story of the Thanksgiving Pancake Breakfast. Bring a friend. Sign up to volunteer by clicking here. Throw caution to the wind and go for the chocolate chip pancakes. By the way, this event has morphed from fundraiser into funraiser recently… and that’s a tradition I wouldn’t mind changing! Please consider donating beyond the $5/person or $20/family to support the Youth Ministry at BMPC.

This year, I’m thankful to be part of the story being told at BMPC. I look forward to seeing you next Thursday.

One of the great delights of moving back from a faraway place is reconnecting with old friends and discovering that they’re even better than I remember. High on that list for me are some dear friends who serve as the Presbyterian chaplains at Princeton University. While visiting a local bakery, they shared some difficult stories of the spring semester, fraught with campus protests, and about their desire as chaplains to live up to their students. “Huh,” I thought and returned to my cannoli cronut, thinking mainly of how good it was to return to a land of reliably good bougie pastries.

Shortly after that, I received a call from a young clergywoman, who was entering her first call, asking if I would consider working with her as a coach. I hesitated, thinking I had nothing to offer until I realized that, when I was her age, I looked to people my age now for mentorship and coaching just as she was doing with me. I had been looking for people to live up to. Cue the mid-life crisis… and then commit to being the best coach I can be for her.

And, amid all this, there were providential conversations with BMPC about the position of Interim Associate Pastor for Youth & Their Families. I’ve been so impressed with the other pastors, lay leaders, Youth Council members, and families. However, in my short time in this position, the youth of BMPC have impressed me the most. They are committed to environmental justice, showing deep compassion to others, stepping into leadership positions, and taking risks. During the week with 15 middle and high schoolers from BMPC at the Montreat Youth Conference, my friends’ insights from the spring semester hit me anew. So often, we think we need to live up to the ones who came before us, but isn’t it the task of a college chaplain to live up to the students, the task of a coach to live up to the person being coached, and the task of a youth pastor to live up to the youth in their care? Likewise, I would add that the task of an interim is to live up to the person soon to be called to the permanent position.

This will be my approach to being your Interim Associate Pastor for Youth & Their Families. I’m looking forward to getting to know you!