The Installation of the Rev. Lenny Duncan
To the Office of Mission Developer Pastor
Beloved.
Today I am being installed as Pastor of Mission Development at Messiah Lutheran Church. This is my sending or Mother church for the new community I am launching in Vancouver WA.
Today was supposed to be a day with up to a thousand friends and some dear family. It was supposed to be a highlight in a short, but already exciting, ministry I have had the pleasure to be a small part of. An affirmation of call. A hearty hell yes from the folx who called me.
It is still all those things.
It is also utterly different.
I won’t pretend to not hear the deep sorrowful mourns and cries rising from the collective consciousness of this world right now.
It’s a deeply sad time full of “could have beens” and “should have beens.”
I want to allow space for that in my life for once. United States of Grace has some deeply personal and heart wrenching stuff in it. It has awakened deep sadness in me personally that was always been there and compassionate social distancing ( credit @TheRevMDM for that term) has helped us all perhaps see our world, for good or for ill, for what it is.
Today Jubilee Collective has a leader named publicly.
We are a new gathering of faithful and not so faithful disciples trying to muddle our way through the mess that is the 21st century. We are trying to find meaning through community and connection together through the acts of sacred storytelling, breaking bread, and gathering.
We believe in the ministry of Jesus Christ and the radical good news that it has for humanity in troubled times. We gather with Jubilee as our name because we believe the Gospel is liberation, we want to see the prisoners set free, good news proclaimed to the poor, we want to declare a year of the Lord's of the favor in downtown Vancouver WA. (Luke 4:16-21)
That’s worth celebrating. My friend Nadia is preaching. You should subscribe to her newsletter “The Corners”solely for the prayers on Sunday morning in this time. They have saved our household.
My friends the Many are offering music. You should use their dope queer affirming justice centered music in your church.
Finally, at 3pm PST you should attend. Here is the link.
God bless you Pastor Lenny and community. May you feel the holy presence of the Spirit and all the souls that love and support you today.
Congratulations Lenny and community! May God’s Spirit bless and guide you one day at a time.