Whaddaya Know About Bruno?

Anyone under the age of 10 knows that we don’t talk about Bruno.

Do you know why?!? That, my friends, is something you find out when you watch the movie Encanto. If you don’t know why, then you need to come join us for our movie night tonight! Encanto is a fabulous movie for kids and adults alike, with lessons and meanings with every new scene and song. Join us tonight and we will even share pizza and popcorn with you!

In Encanto, the main character, Mirabel, begins to question things. What happened to Tio Bruno? Why didn’t she receive a gift? Why is the candle burning out? All around her, the family would look the other way, but not Mirabel. She got the courage to ask questions, to name the things that were happening around her, and to seek answers. As a result, the delicate balance in the family was thrown off, and they responded with stress. Suddenly, relationships were questioned. Powers weren’t predictable. Feelings were hurt. Chaos ensued.

This movie is a great example of the stresses that occur when there is change in a system. There’s a wedding in the family, and suddenly the family dynamics shift to include an outsider at Christmas dinner who might be used to other traditions and foods. Your oldest leaves home for college and there is an empty place at the table. You hire the new guy, and he’s a little louder than the last guy or a little less responsive with his emails or has young kids to juggle. Anything that questions or changes the status quo can bring chaos and stress to a system in big and small ways.

Honestly, I anticipate this happening here at St. Mark’s in the coming year as well. As Ministry Architects listened to the church over the last several weeks, they began asking about Tio Bruno and the candle and the gifts. They have seen our gifts and our weaknesses, our expectations that are spoken and unspoken. As they begin the next stage of this process with our Renovation Team, we will address some of our growth areas, which will lead to some chaos and some flux. Perhaps some relationships will be questioned. Perhaps some things will become unpredictable. Perhaps some feelings will be hurt. Then again, some of the shifts will be so subtle that you won’t even notice, and some will be so helpful we will all question why we didn’t do it before! I encourage you to hang on for the ride. It might get a little bumpy, but it’s part of our process of growing into our future.

In the movie, Mirabel’s questions led to a new normal that saw more people’s gifts being recognized and celebrated, to the townspeople getting involved, and to a stronger family bond that welcomed back those who felt like outsiders. Overall, the community was strengthened.

I am confident that will happen to St. Mark’s as well. As we do this work with Ministry Architects, we will continue to be St. Mark’s, worshiping and serving and learning and growing together. There might be some shifts in the dynamics as we embrace the future, but I am confident that in the end, we will discover a stronger community, like Encanto. We might even see more gifts being recognized, community members getting involved, and others joining into our church family.

See you soon.
Pastor Lynn

 

WORSHIP SCHEDULE

• 8:30 a.m. Traditional service in Sanctuary and child care in Rm 15
• 10 a.m. Traditional service in Sanctuary and child care in Rm 15
• 10 a.m. Youth and children’s Sunday School and child care (except fifth Sundays)
• 10 a.m. Livestream premieres on YouTube and Website

To access our livestream service:

• From the main menu on our website click “Worship.”  -OR-
• Go to YouTube and search for UMC St. Mark’s Oro Valley or use this link.