Friday Festival ~ Transitional Edition

It’s summer; it’s fall.  People around here are back in school; people around here are back out of school.  (Heat days!  Who knew?)  Change!  Transition!  What’s a pastor to say?

Marci Glass offers us a baptismal reaffirmation service for transgender individuals not baptized with the names with which they identify, with great sensitivity toward the hopes and dreams surrounding their first-given names and great elegance affirming their claim of the genuine identities.

Rosa Lindahl is transitioning between congregations, and takes the time to tell us the story of a family for whom she has care and their grace as they transition and care for their vulnerable daughters, again and again.

It’s Suicide Prevention Month, and it’s Faith, Hope, and Life Week-end of Prayer sponsored by the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, and Rachel Keefe has written a beautiful piece about responding to suicide as people of faith, giving particular attention to the LBGTQ community.

Oops.  I’ve just discovered that the above post was highlighted last week!  That’s ok; it bears a second reading — and preaching.  I hope Rachel will be good with me borrowing a bit from it next Sunday.  The church itself is transitioning in how it addresses this crisis in people’s lives and in the world.

Liz Crumlish writes about transitioning out of and into the call to preach, and what that means for the people and communities in transition whom we accompany.

And I’m not gonna comment, except to say that maybe we all need to deliver this post by Jan Edmiston to our congregations, whether they are “officially” in transition or not.  If we don’t say this, or something like it, the sins of the fathers and mothers will be visited unto future generations.

As always, add your own links in the comments if you’ve got something you’d like us to read!

The Rev. Mary Robin Craig is a Presbyterian pastor in Independence OH, a spiritual director, and a contributor to There’s a Woman the Pulpit.  She blogs at www.maryrobincraig.com.