Pastor's Life - You're Grounded

You're Grounded — In a Good Way by Rev. Chris Dela Cruz I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, God may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. - Ephesians 3:16-17 Whenever I start youth group with a “spiritual grounding,” I often get a chuckle out of middle schoolers in particular, one of whom may take the opportunity to respond, “Why are you grounding us? We didn’t do anything wrong!” Ha! Of course having to be anchored in your home as a consequence so that you can’t go out and have fun with friends outside is a total bummer. On the other hand, I as a pastor often feel so untethered mentally and spiritually (and physically, according to my gas mileage sheet…) as I’m pulled all over the place, wearing all the many hats pastors do. In the span of one day, I could jump between being an event planner and pseudo-counselor and bookkeeper and leader of an organization and volunteer coordinator and community organizer and room decorator. Amid all this, I yearn for a feeling of a sense of rootedness and grounding — perhaps even feeling a sense of home or home base. I wonder if all of us in ministry could do for more regular check-ins within our own lives as to what grounds us as we do our work. Let’s call it the “You’re Grounded” inventory. Having awareness of where we can find grounding — and where we have already been grounded — can help center ourselves, help us connect to the Divine Presence in a regular, habitual way, and move toward being the non-anxious presence we tell ourselves we need to be as someone in ministry.

Rev. Chris Dela Cruz was called to Westminster Presbyterian Church in Portland, Oregon, in September 2020 as the new Associate Pastor of Youth, Young Adults, and Community Engagement. His background includes newspaper journalism, youth and college ministry, and community organizing. He is an adjunct professor with Warner Pacific University. He organizes with multiple local coalitions, including the BIPOC Faith Leaders Council for Black Lives in PNW, Leaven Land and Housing Coalition, IMIrJ (Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice), Portland Jobs with Justice, and the Together Lab organizing cohort.

Featured Resources

A Source of Hope In the lectionary preview for October 2023, Rev. Dr. Cynthia Campbell discusses how the October lectionary provides an anchor in the midst of change. Small Church Spotlight: First Presbyterian of Springfield, NY Founded in 1796, the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield has had a long history in the rolling hills of rural Upstate New York. Read this story about how church leadership is seeking new ways of being a church in and for the community.