Church News – September

Much has been written lately regarding the current condition of our church sanctuary building. And much more is to come, as this is a costly repair/renovation. There’s much to tell of our history and our place in the social and cultural as well as spiritual life of Point Roberts.

But what we haven’t spoken much to lately is the future of our little church. To be honest that hasn’t been top of the list, since the top position is currently occupied by finances. But it is worth consideration, since our hoped-for outcome is a building that will stand confidently for another 100 years! To wonder what kinds of programs and services will be in place in 2121 is a little far-fetched, but, hey, we can all dream, can’t we?

Some things to consider: since the repair work will have little to no impact on our acoustics, we’ll continue to be a venue for concert music. Our social hall is still in great shape – in fact, we will be worshiping there during the renovation – and it serves as a meeting and eating place. Before the pandemic/collapsed building times, we offered our monthly Power of Music program in the social hall, with fabulous food and fabulous music (not to mention fabulous attendees), and this will likely resume when the borders are safely open. Also, post-pandemic, we plan to host our Summer Kids Music Camp again, an annual favorite!

Some things to dream about: Trinity is historically Lutheran, but it’s the only “mainline” church on the Point. So what do we have to offer Presbyterians, United Methodists, Congregationalists, Baptists, Anglican/Episcopalians, etc?

Currently, a basic Lutheran liturgy, presided over by a retired Episcopal priest and a retired United Methodist pastor. But, hey, we can adapt. How will that look? I know we’ll figure that out together.

We don’t have a church choir, but we do have a lot of beautiful voices. We don’t have a baseball team, but we do have a healing ministry! Pastor Gina (that’s me) is a certified healing touch practitioner.

We have several members who are versed in other modalities. Some of us really do love baseball ... a team would be cool. Being a tiny church in a uniquely remote location has made us less a political or justice-minded group (more a ‘survival-at-sea’ group, truth be told), but the tools of communication and media technology can enable social change, even from here.

We are a uniquely international church, with access to clergy clusters in the U.S. and Canada, and members who are active in Canadian churches as well as Trinity Community Lutheran Church (TCLC). But perhaps our greatest asset is the people of the Point.

The notoriety our community received during the pandemic put us on the map. We’ve seen a real boost in interest in the Point lifestyle, with new faces gracing the environs. The situation is rich with challenges and possibilities.

It is exciting to think, “here is a church that is looking to the future with a new lease on life!” You have a unique opportunity to be on the ground floor – the new ground floor – of a church that is excited for the future and ripe for renewal.