The View from Here
By Rev. Adam Blons, Lead Minister
I had the privilege of attending the 150th Anniversary Celebration for Wyoming (MN) United Methodist Church last Sunday. My mother, Rev. Susan Blons, served as pastor there from 1982 through 1991 during my prime but awkward teenage years. They invited all the former pastors and their families to attend worship and an ice cream social afterwards (complete with anniversary placemats!) The experience stirred up many emotions.
There was excitement as I thought about a couple of folks I guessed were still around 30 years (gulp) later. There was pride in driving up to the building that my mother helped them build in 1990. There was surprise in seeing many familiar names on name tags and the memories of these people that came flooding back--my Boy Scout Master, the man who took me ice fishing for the first time, the family that took our youth group canoeing. There was gratitude for the heartfelt ways people talked about my mother's ministry and the lasting impact it had on them. And there was grief. There was grief in missing my mother and receiving all the love and appreciation on her behalf.
The preacher for the day was Rev. Laurie Kantonen, Superintendent for the region around the church. Her message was about change. She beautifully outlined some of the changes in our world and their impact on church life. She drew inspiration from the story of the Samaritan woman at the well with Jesus, which invites us to seek out what is life-giving and share that with others. And she charged the congregation to take risks and try new ways to connect with people, even if they don't work out. Much of what she said resonated with the conversations we are having about our future. Our work and witness is needed, even though fewer and fewer people are looking for churches. We must continue to find ways to show up authentically and purposefully in our community.
It was a powerful day capped off by the realization that through this little church and its good people God began preparing me to be a minister, to be your pastor here at MPUC, long before I ever recognized the call myself. God is good.