As I have told several people who have asked how the installation service went, I shared that I am still beaming from happiness about it.

Even with the weather trying to ruin the party, many people still came and were so excited to be there.

It was a joy to have everyone there and so excited both about my coming to the church and the future of the church itself.

The happiness came, especially in seeing the joy of the faces of those gathered. See below: first, the group picture of the women from Duke Divinity School gathered to support me and then, the three speakers and I who shared their wisdom about the calling of a pastor with me and the congregation on Sunday.

More pictures and reflections to come soon!

I am bursting with excitement it seems as I look forward to this coming Sunday and all of the installation activities.

Kevin and I are excited to have both sets of our parents in town, from Georgia and Tennessee.

I'm excited that friends from as far away as North Carolina are coming to play a role in the service.

I'm excited to have such respected colleagues all in the same room together.

I'm excited for Washington Plaza Church to feel the energy of this new beginning coming from the support of our friends and family.

I'm excited for the buzz of happiness that has been around the church for weeks-- that something new is happening and that we have a good future together in the works.

I'm excited for the church to have a day to truly feel proud of the intentional process it underwent to hire the 4th minister in its history.

I'm excited for the church leaders to see the sanctuary full again after years of wondering if it would ever happen.

I'm excited to hear the joy in the voices of the choir after all the planning our choir director has put in.

I'm excited about all the great food I know the cooking teams will turn out for the lunch and also for the reception afterwards.

What a joyous time for all of us!

As many of you know, I have recently moved into a new home and community as part of the transition to Washington Plaza. While I'm thrilled about where life has taken me, there is always a transition period no matter how much you like how things have turned out.

I didn't know where the community offices were like the all important DMV.

I didn't know where the closest bank and post office were.

I wasn't sure where I wanted to shop for groceries.

It is kind of stressful to have to make so many decisions at once. While I have solved these dilemmas by now, there is one I haven't master yet: exercise.

I was a member of a great little community gym in Gaithersburg. It was cheap and didn't have monthly membership fees. And, I loved it.

But now in Virginia, I can't seem to find something that really meets my needs.

I want a gym that isn't too expensive, close to my house (or on my way home from work) and has interesting classes to meet other people (or at least that I can stand to work out for an hour in).

I was trying out a new exercise program a couple weeks ago and realized what a church nerd I am because all I could think about was what finding a gym had in common with finding a church. I realized that some people hate finding a church as much as I hate exercise. And suddenly, new waves of compassion came over me.

The class I was attending that day was not meeting my needs and I haven't been back to it yet.

No one spoke to me. Everyone assumed that I knew what to do when the class started (yet I had no clue). No one asked me for money (what the class cost-- so in the end I got it for free, which was good I guess). No one seemed to notice when I left early. No one has called me since I left. I'll probably never go back to a gym of this kind solely based on my 25 minutes there.

Do you think this is fair? But, really why would I want to go back?

I think what I am learning as a "newcomer" in my community is how important the first impressions are. And, how much we as city-dwelling commuters really care about convenience. If something is not easily accessible to us, we can easily find an excuse not to do it.

My hope is that as Washington Plaza continues to grow as a community of faith, we will become a people who are always at our best when newcomers meet us. That we go out of our way to encourage first time visitors to return. That we so love what we are about at this congregation that we might even make the commitment to membership even if we have to drive a significant distance to get here on Sunday mornings.

For me, I'm still looking for a gym or something to do that is exercise based in community. Hopefully, I'll find it soon.

If you are reading this blog, consider this your formal invitation to my Installation Service on Sunday, March 1st at 4 pm at Washington Plaza Baptist Church. We'd love to have you and meet you then if we have not already done so.

We are getting excited about it around here-- folks are making plans to have extra food, we've been cleaning out the balcony in expectation of the extra guests, and thinking about the ways we can be most welcoming to those who visit us. Not to mention, the work has been begun on how to print the worship guide.

But the larger question that many have asked is: "What is an installation?" and "Why are we doing it now? Haven't you already started?"

Installation . . . it is just one of those words that not many people understand or have heard of before. (Actually someone asked me on Sunday "When was my coronation?" To which I replied, "I'm not becoming your queen, but your pastor, even though my name just happens to be Elizabeth." Very funny mix-up-- we all laughed for a while.)

The dictionary defines it this way: 

The act of installing or giving possession of an office, rank, or order, with the usual rites or ceremonies; as, the installation of an ordained minister in a parish.

Or in simpler terms, an installation is a formal new beginning.  It is an occasion where we as the congregation and I as your pastor make promises to each other. It is an occasion to stop and consider again how our journeys have brought us together for this partnership in the years ahead. It is an occasion where all invested parties can gather and celebrate the journey that led WPBC to call its 4th pastor in its history.

In our case, invested parties in the life of our congregation are friends and family of mine, churches where either my husband or I have spent time with, area denominational leaders, local pastors and community members. So, when you think about it, it is quite the exciting occasion! It will be a gathering of people who are all as excited about our future together as those of us who worship here each week.

And, even though, my first Sunday was in January, the installation service has been schedule for a later date so that as many people could be gathered and invited to the service as possible. This way it is an event for the entire community, especially for those are part of other local churches but who want to come and wish us well.

It will be a big day in less than two weeks now. I can't wait for all the fun of togetherness that it will be!

The best wedding gift I received, hands down!

The youth at my previous church and their families gave it to me as a gift because I was always seeming to get lost when I took their kids home.  Several of them frequently told me, "I've never been anywhere with you without getting lost."

Even though I usually begin to find my way around after a while and do just fine, the whole sense of direction skill does not come to me naturally. I can easily turn left sometimes thinking I've turned right. Sad, I know.

Especially now, working  and living in a new part of town that I can not go anywhere without it.

I realized last night how addicted I had become to the GPS when I was trying to find a meeting at a church member's home that I hadn't been to yet. I got directions the "traditional" way- turn left, turn right here, etc and I just couldn't do it. My paying attention skills were worse than I thought! What has technology done to me?

I think that GPS for cars were made with pastors in mind. At a moment's notice at any given time you have to be somewhere you've never been before. Not that there aren't always better ways to get around than what it tells you to do, but sticking to it guiding voice means you will always get there eventually.

It gives me great peace of mind that with the address in hand, I could pretty much find my way anywhere. Well, unless it takes me through a tunnel . . .

Until then, I'll stick with my important sidekick with hopes I'll be at my next meeting on time.

Yesterday at church, we had our first new member join in my tenure. I was really excited because I am a believer in church membership as a statement of "I'm here,  I'm committed to your mission and want to do what I can to help" but also because of who joined. The new member was my husband, Kevin.

To some of you this may not sound like a big deal. It seems pretty customary that a spouse would be a member of their partner's church, right?

In this day and time, getting "two for one" is not always the case. There are tons of interfaith clergy marriages. I know clergy who are married to a person who doesn't do the God or church thing at all. I think it is fine if the spouse of a pastor doesn't come to church. I mean, you are only actually paying the pastor to come . . .

Yet, I feel lucky that in my situation, Kevin is a Jesus-loving kind of guy who believes in the church. He grew up in the Baptist tradition like myself but has come to be the strange "different kind of Baptists" like those found at Washington Plaza and other like minded places. He cares about the relevance of the church in an age when so many people think the church is unnecessary.

But yet, Kevin and I have never gone to church together on a regular basis. While I served as an associate pastor at First Baptist Church of Gaithersburg, Kevin continued in leadership at Calvary Baptist Church (the place that actually connected us to each other originally). While it would have been nice to have seen Kevin at church on a weekly basis, we both felt like we were best used at different places.

However, the whole conversation changed when I received and accepted the call to pastor at Washington Plaza. Without my asking him to, Kevin volunteered that he'd like to transfer his membership to support me and the congregation I was so passionate about building up. While it would be hard for him to leave his roles and friends at Calvary, he felt this was the best thing for us.

Needless to say, I was overjoyed and even more excited yesterday when it was all official.

Washington Plaza folks, you need to know that you have a gem in your newest member, Kevin Hagan. Though it will take him some time to adjust to this whole "pastor's spouse" thing, in due time you might find that you like him more than even me. He is a compassionate and wise soul that really does want good things to come to the Plaza. He looks forward to feeling even more at home with the congregation in the days ahead.

Know that Team Hagan is glad we are here and that we are here for the long haul!

In my little over a month tenure on the Plaza, I have learned how easy it is to stay focused completely on church affairs. . . for there is always something INSIDE the building to be done. Newsletter articles to be written, bulletins to put together, phone calls to be made to church members, and of course the ever pressing need of sermons to be written.

I could spend all my time doing these things and still not get everything done. And, not to say that all of these things aren't important organizational tasks.

But, the faith that excites me is not always about being inside a building. And, Jesus, who the Christian faith professes, had a lot to say about getting out too. Maybe it was something like "Love your neighbors as yourself..."

This is why I am trying to discipline myself to find as many opportunities as I can to meet neighbors, to get to know the community in which I work and connect with people who know more about neighborhood than me.

What I am finding is that there are a lot of people in the Lake Anne community who want to cheer us on! Just today, I attended the monthly Lake Anne Merchant Association Meeting at Jasmine Cafe (who provides great coffee by the way). When I provided an update to all the business owners about our upcoming concerts and our desire to open up our space to the community through our rental policies, they were so excited! They gave me some really interesting and doable ideas about how the church and the community can work together even more in the future.

I came back to the church this morning with a spring in my step knowing that our time is now to really open the pages of a new day here at Washington Plaza.

Wanta chat with me about how you can get involved in my "meeting neighbors" project, Washington Plaza folks? Let me know.

So, if you don't find me in the church during my office hours, you know where I'll be .

I have to say that I'm a bit tired this morning. Not just because Sundays are the most intense day of the week for ministers and it's the day after, but because of all the adventures Kevin and I had this weekend. We experienced God in three unique expressions and were quite the blessed as a result.

On Friday night, we were invited to attend the installation service of my cousin's partner and our dear friend, Jessy, who is the rabbi at Beth Chaverivm Reform Congregation in Asburn, VA. We sang and listened to prayers in Hebrew and listened to Jesse's mentors and teachers say really nice things about calling and hopes for his ministry in the future. The mood of the congregation was quite celebratory and made me excited about a similar service Washington Plaza will have on March 1st for me.

The funny part was that we got caught in traffic on the Toll Road and were 15 minutes late. We hoped we'd sit in the back and no one would notice our tardiness. But, not so much . . .

We walked in just as the ENTIRE congregation was doing some sort of four corners of the room prayer so that right as we opened the doors everyone was turning to face us! I quickly tried to hide Kevin behind the door hoping they would finish soon. Luckily, we didn't have to stay behind the doors for long but soon learned that Jessy wanted us to be on the front row with the family so we quickly made a processional to the front. We were glad to be there and sink into our seats a little after the embarrassment. . . .

Then, Saturday morning, we were up before 7 am to meet up with several of our friends to carpool to Roanoke, VA. Our dear friend, Bhavik's mom died on Monday evening and her funeral was on Saturday afternoon. Bhavik's religious tradition is Hindu.

None of us really knew what to expect at all but quickly did a lot of research last week about the funeral rites associated with Hundu cultures and India. We learned that white, not black is the color of mourning and that funeral rituals take place over several days instead of in just one event like the Christian tradition.

When we entered the funeral home, we were soon asked to take off our shoes and to enter the chapel respectfully. Around 40 or more family members and friends were already there (even though we were 25 minutes early this time!) chanting and singing.

By 2 pm when the service was to begin, the room was full, even with all the family members sitting on the floor. The chanting contined with none of us "Americans" having any idea what was being said. . . It was hard not to zone out (as much as I wanted to really be engaged in the moment) and get really sleepy.

But, after maybe 20 more minutes of chanting, the eulogies were said in English by our friend Bhavik, the eldest son, Mr. Patel, the husband, and Bhavik's younger brother. They were moving accounts of how much Mrs. Patel had meant to this family as a woman of great hospitality and love. We were all in tears seeing our usually unemotional friend, Bhavik in great pain.

The most touching part of the service came at the end. As funeral rites were performed on Mrs. Patel, the master of ceremonies (who I think was a family friend) explained to everyone in English what was occurring. (The priest continued to chant and do things to the body to prepare it for the next life). It would have been so easy for the funeral service to proceed without paying the non-Indians in the room any attention. It showed signs of great hospitality to me for the translation to occur out of such a gracious spirit. It was the definition of respect for religious traditions is about.

We all left the experience very sad for the Patel family but so rich in having the opportunity to share in such sacred moments with our friend.

But, I have to say that I was happy to go to a Christian church on Sunday. It was great to sing hymns that I knew and loved and to pray in English. It was good to celebrate the faith tradition that means to much to me and to lead others in the hearing of the word and taking of communion. But, I'm also happy that I am in a place that respectfully acknowledges other faith expressions too as we work with our neighbors to meet the needs God has given all of us to address in our community. I'm in the exact place I belong. Thanks be to God for this and some a good night's sleep.

I am sure this is blog title that I could repeat it again for years to come, but I just had to make mention of it today because of what I witnessed this afternoon.

It is a cold and icy day in the DC area (for those of you who do not live here). Schools were closed in all counties in the surrounding region. Tons of people didn't go into work. It is the kind of day that you stay in without much thought because you would rather risk falling on some slippery patch.

Forgetting my laptop at church and needed to get to some vital planning resources, I traveled to the church later on this morning. Arriving at the Plaza, I found the sidewalks to be icy and quite dangerous leading to the back steps of the church near the parking lot. After safely reaching the door, I didn't really expect anyone to be at the church today beside, Deb, the Office Administrator and myself.

However later on in the day, when making a trip down to the Plaza Room (our meeting room space on the bottom level), I heard voices and walked down the hallway. I followed the laughter coming from the far corner of the room. And, what did I find?

Four women with an assembly line going of ham and cheese sandwiches, applesauce, cookies and drinks. They were preparing bag lunches, for the Hypothermia Project sponsored by Reston Interfaith which our church participates in each winter.

Homelessness abounds in Reston. Even though the community is relatively affluent, many of those who have come to this region to work are not. On cold nights like tonight will be these folks have no where to sleep.

But, this was until Reston Interfaith and the county partnered along with the support of several local faith communities and decided to do something about it. Between December and early March, each night there will be a huge crowd of folks at the local community center with a warm place to lay their heads, facilities to take a shower in and will receive a hot breakfast and a bag lunch for the next day.

The mission committee folks at Washington Plaza were serving a hot meal tonight and providing the bag lunches for tomorrow. Even though they had to fight the frozen precipitation to get into the church.

They will do this again at the end of February.

As I sleep in my warm bed tonight, I will be thankful that some truly needy folks in Reston had a place to sleep tonight and that my church folks did something to aid in this gift . . . even with the ice! I'm so proud of what we are about at WPBC.

This week, while at my Lewis Fellows meeting, our group had the opportunity to dialogue with Olu Brown, senior pastor of a new church start in Atlanta, Impact Church which has experienced explosive growth during its short tenure of two years.

Impact church meets in an junior high school and is averaging a weekly attendance of over 1,000. (It is a United Methodist congregation, but without the name on its logo). Even as there are five other UMC congregations in a couple mile radius of its meeting place, this church has done well says Pastor Brown because of its willingness to take risks in design and its boldness in marketing. Impact aspires to be a church for those in the neighborhood that others are not reaching.

One of these unique strategies involves being a “cell phone safe zone” congregation. By this they mean that cell phones, pagers, palm pilots, computers, etc are all welcome in the worship service. Noise devices are asked to be silenced, but  no one is looked down on for getting out their computer in the middle of the service.

All of us quickly wanted to know why because the scene Pastor Brown described sounded like a worship disaster.

However, Pastor Brown said he felt such a practice was people friendly. In the technology age where so many of us function with our hands tied to a computer or blackberry to receive and process information, Pastor Brown and his team felt that church should be no different. If a piece of technology helped a church attendee pay better attention to his sermons or prayers, it would be welcomed. Plus, he said, so many people these days enter “official” institutions and are greeted by an unfriendly sign to put away their technology. He hopes that having a “cell phone safe zone” would go the extra mile to show that Impact Church was a different kind of place where people were welcome wherever they were.

But, I ask, how many people know the score of the football game when church is over? How is this helpful to the larger cause?

So, I’m interested in your thoughts on this? Would you want to go to a church with this policy? Do you think this is  contributing to a worshipful environment or distracting from it?

All of these considerations are important as technology is not going away anytime soon. Our new President got to keep his blackberry after all!

While I have several memorable moments of celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, especially when I lived in Birmingham, AL (singing "We Shall Overcome" alongside people of all races at 16th Street Baptist Church in 2002 is a lifetime moment I'll never forget), this week has been for me one of the most MLK focused weeks I've ever had.

This eventful week began as I attended the MLK Community Celebration in Reston on Sunday afternoon. Washington Plaza choir was asked to participate along with several other community members and two other church choirs. (I have to stop here and brag a minute about our choir- they are really good! Their pastor is so proud of them as seen below).

As testimonials were shared and spirituals were sung, what stood out to me about the program was the spirit of the gathering. Everyone was so happy to be there. And, while I know all of the mood could be contributed to the upcoming inauguration, I think it was about something more. The community came together to talk about justice and the hope that is found for our nation when we work together. People greeted one another afterwards in the spirit of MLK. After being introduced as Washington Plaza's new pastor, I received hugs and well-wishes from all kinds of new friends. Great stuff!

But on Tuesday, after watching the historical events of the day unfold in my backyard, I was on a plane headed to Atlanta to participate in the third installment of the Lewis Fellows meetings along with these colleges pictured below. (To read more about what this is, click here).

The theme of this gathering has been on being a leader of change. How is that we as pastors lead congregations into becoming their best selves in healthy ways? Several of the experiences we have studied have gone back to the pastoral leadership found within the Civil Rights Movement, especially as Atlanta provides us with so many great resources.

As part of the activities, this afternoon my pastoral colleagues and I had the opportunity to tour the King Center and a group of us were also lucky enough to tour Martin Luther King's childhood home. We also met with the church senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church and talked with him about the legacy of faith MLK has left his congregation and how he is working on leading effective change now.

In all my MLK related learning moments today, I was impressed by how many ways the movement of Civil Rights lives and must continue to live on. While there is equality in voting, bus seats, education "on paper," there is still so much to be done. It was good to hear how Ebenezer Baptist is continuing to live into its historical roots as an social justice driven church through projects such as Katrina relief, for example.

All in all, I am thankful for the many ways, I've been reminded of saints of the past and the struggles yet to come.  It has been good to thank God for such pillars of faith like MLK who courageously spoke the truth even when the promise land of justice for all seemed like an impossible dream.

I am looking forward to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day next year already!

Today has been a huge day for all of us.

The emotion, the beauty of it all is more than many of us have seen in a long time.

People of all walks of life coming together.  Cheering!

Communities standing together with joy.

Hope born again for our nation.

All I know how to do is pray-

President Obama:

May the grace of God be on you. May the light of Goodness shine on you. May the love of your Creator surround you.

May you know that there are so many of us that are proud of your courage, your strength and your perseverance.

May those who you lean on give you great encouragement for the challenges that lie ahead.

May your honeymoon period be long. May harmful words not discourage you.

May you have power to lead that can only come from humble insight. May you use your power to help our country become our better self.

And, may we as your fellow citizens always remember to lift your name in prayer-- for the burdens you bear are not yours alone, for they are ours as well. To work we will all go with God as our ever great source of strength so that all people will know that there is a love in this world stronger than anything we'd ever know on our own.

AMEN