Staying Connected

by the Rev. Darrel Peterson

Remember the days when if we were in an airport, we would call our friends from a pay phone? I even remember growing up and seeing in our local newspaper that someone had received a telegram or a long distance phone call. It usually was a message that some relative or friend had died.

We now live in an age where we are incredibly connected. Cell phones, Blackberries, Facebook, Twitter, email, even traditional voicemail make it possible for us to keep in close contact around the clock and around the world. After our recent synod Leaders’ Convocation, I mentioned to a pastor who had not attended that Dr. Susan McArver had made some excellent presentations. The pastor responded, “I know - 'So-and-so' was tweeting me during the presentations.”

Some months ago, trendy 88 year old actress Betty White appeared on Saturday Night Live, largely because of popular demand on Facebook. In her opening monologue, Betty thanked Facebook, even though she admitted she didn’t know what it was until recently. Now that she knows what it is, she quipped, “It sounds like a huge waste of time.”

Those of us on the staff of the Southeastern Synod are very aware of the challenges of staying connected with our colleagues and congregations across our four-state synod. We are reminded that we really only have two annual gatherings for colleagues, the synod assembly and the leaders’ convocation. Thankfully, it is convenient to pick up the phone or to send an email. Most everyone agrees how important it is to have valued face to face visits from time to time. Yet we are acutely aware of comments like, “I didn’t know that was happening” or “Is Pastor 'So-and-so' still serving St John’s by the Lake? I haven’t seen him for years.”

Even though we have new tools to be relational, it requires intentional effort to stay connected with one another. For our work in being the contemporary “Book of Acts”, we need both the epistles and the missionary visits. We need to make the efforts to attend the Dean Cluster meetings. We need to check in with our brother and sister pastors. We need to crawl out of our “silos” and work collaboratively with one another, for the sake of the gospel and the Lord’s ministry. We need the support of one another.

Having said what I have, I do believe that our coming together around word and sacrament at worship is our primary connectedness. I can’t envision virtual sacramental elements. But the other connectedness as a church: We need to work at it. The Lord’s ministry depends on it!