This week at Community: Epic moments!

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This past week at Community was EPIC!

This past week at Community was nothing short of EPIC!

On Friday, Pastor Carla and I, along with Katie and Mark Zahner (our military veteran members with service in Iraq and Afghanistan), met with the leadership of the Georgetown Veterans Administration. Together, we explored meaningful ways Community can serve and support our local veterans. Ideas included creating a safe space where veterans can be included to gather and access a variety of essential services—ranging from tax preparation and counseling to benefit application assistance. It was a powerful reminder of how we can be God’s loving presence in a hurting world.

Then on Saturday, we had an incredible Council and Ministry Team Leader Retreat, hosted by Pastor Eric Johnson from Thrive Solutions. The day was filled with energy and purpose as we explored the core ministries that will shape Community’s strategy moving forward. These ministry pillars were defined through Pastor Eric’s interviews with members of the congregation, listening to your hopes, dreams, and visions for Community’s future. Stay tuned—there’s much more to come as we lean into this new strategic direction. A culture of generosity, not scarcity, will guide us forward.

Behind the scenes, Pastor Carla and I have also been prayerfully brainstorming our next Community satellite location. As the fastest-growing congregation in the Delaware-Maryland Synod, we feel called to expand our reach while staying rooted in God’s abundance.

Then came Sunday morning—a true celebration of God’s presence! Bishop Gohl and Pastor Carla joining Community in the worship service filled with spirit, inspiration, and breathtaking music from Diana Wagner. The sanctuary was alive with joy and gratitude.

Then, by unanimous congregational vote, Pastor Carla received the call to be the new Lead Pastor of Community Frankford beginning October 1, 2025. I’ll be supporting her Community Frankford efforts while focusing on growing Community’s next satellite location in the Milton/Lewes/Rehoboth Beach area. As Pastor Carla says, “Fro and Spike are working together to bring God’s presence into the greater geographic Community.”

With intentionality and purpose, we remain a safe, welcoming community—committed to staying spiritually, emotionally, and missionally healthy both inside and outside the church walls. Guided by God’s abundant grace, we walk boldly into this next chapter with joy and excitement.

In faith and gratitude,

Pastor Karis

Healthy boundaries, safe spaces, and cultural competency

Mark your calendar: An important Community conversation
Wednesday, September 3 | 7:00 p.m. | Zoom

What to Expect:

Cultural Competency

Pastor Carla will guide us through the importance of understanding and navigating cultural differences within our faith community. We’ll explore practical strategies to avoid misunderstandings, foster mutual respect, and communicate more effectively across cultures.

Healthy Boundaries & Safe Spaces

We’ll spend intentional time framing boundaries that protect our well-being while supporting safe and healing interactions. This includes discussions on:

• Trauma-informed care
• Healing church trauma
• Safety and respect in our shared spaces

This will be a brave, honest space for mutual learning and support.

Join via Zoom:

Click here to join the meeting

Let’s come together as a community of faith, committed to growing in love, understanding, and justice.

Seeking justice, walking humbly: A new ministry takes shape

Dear Lord,
Please help me remember not to be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief.
Do Justly Now.
Love Mercy, Now.
Walk Humbly, Now.
I am not obligated to complete the Work,
But neither am I free to abandon it.
Amen.

Taken from a mashup of “Moving Beyond Individualism in Pastoral Care and Counseling” by Barbara J. McClure, drawing from Micah 6:8 and Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Fathers) 2:16, and a modern text from Rami Shapiro, Wisdom of the Sages, 41, a translation of Rabbi Tarton’s work.

Thank you to all who have expressed interest in Social Justice. Many of you have brought up great questions and suggestions. Let’s start meeting by Zoom

on Wednesday, Sept 17, at 7 p.m. More details to follow. Check in on local news in your area. We will be discussing locations for both protest and information booths.

For those of you in Ocean View, DE, an ordinance, 405, was enacted by the town council in July, which is very detrimental to 1st Amendment rights. The ALCU has sent them a letter explaining this. The next meeting is scheduled for September 9th at 3:00 p.m. Can any of you go to that meeting and take notes? I will be away, but I am very interested in this outcome. The location of these meetings has not been disclosed yet, but I hope to have that information for next week’s newsletter. Email me if you are interested.

Thank you for your interest. Remember to pray for our local, state, and federal leaders, as well as for the Social Justice Ministry as it is being formed.

Pam Pedersen

What’s Happening at Community