Good morning. I was asked to reflect on the time from about 2000 to 2013 and share a story or a few memories that capture how the Spirit was moving at PMC during that time.

Our family first came to PMC on our very first Sunday in Pasadena in August of 2001. We visited a couple of other churches but after 9/11 we knew we wanted to process that time with anabaptists. We went through the membership class led by Jim Brenneman, the founding pastor of PMC. I was captivated by several stories—the commitment of the early anabaptists including the secret baptisms in Switzerland and the story of Dirk Willems. I don’t think it was too long after that class that we got our very own copy of the Martyrs Mirror…! I was also amazed in those early days by the ways Jim showed up as a strong leader, but just as often you could find him sitting back letting others take the lead. I was surprised at our first PMC retreat, Jim didn’t have anything to do with the planning.

So it was a significant change during those years when Jim left PMC to take the role as president of Goshen College. Jim had been such a central presence in the life of our community, and his leaving marked a turning point. It could have been a time of real instability. And yet, the Spirit didn’t leave with him. In fact, in that time of transition, I saw the Spirit showing up again and again—in new voices, new leaders, and in the steady commitment of our community to grow and listen together.

We were not without leadership during and after that transition. In addition to pastoral leadership provided by Jennifer Davis-Sensenig, Katherine Pitts, and Joe Roos we were blessed to have many others bringing leadership from within PMC. And I think that’s one of the ways the Spirit was moving: inviting us to trust that God’s presence wasn’t tied to any one person, but to the priesthood of all believers—something we had always espoused.

During this decade, PMC revisited its membership policy to move toward becoming an open and affirming community. It was a tense and challenging period, and the initial outcome was to be somewhat open and affirming. As a result, we lost some members of our community along the way — some who thought we were going too far and some who felt we didn’t go far enough. Thankfully, over time, our LGBTQ+ members and allies continued to lead us forward, helping us grow into the fully open and affirming congregation we are today. As the parent of a trans daughter, I am especially grateful that Ezra was raised in a community that not only accepted her but also genuinely loved, cared for, and continues to support her. 

During that same time, our children were deeply involved in PMC’s children’s ministry. The “Children in Worship” program was such a beautiful expression of our commitment to nurturing young faith. It wasn’t flashy—it was slow, thoughtful, and rich with meaning. It taught children not just how to sit through a service, but how to enter into worship—how to understand what we do and why we do it. At one point, our community grew such that we were able to hire someone to lead an arts and worship program for the children that met during most of the worship service.

Another place I saw the Spirit at work was in our youth group, especially during the time when our congregation was working on the issue of inclusion. Angela Gorrell, our youth pastor at the time, modeled a kind of spiritual leadership that I think was—and still is—profoundly Spirit-led. She didn’t give our youth answers. She gave them tools to think, pray, and discern. And in a time when families had different opinions and tensions were real, Angela helped our young people stay grounded in love, curiosity, and trust in God. 

I’m so thankful for the years our three children were formed by PMC. I’m sure I’ve told many of you the story of someone asking our oldest Samuel when he was about middle school age, what he liked about PMC and he said, “They love kids.” 

So if I had to sum up how the Spirit moved in those years, I’d say this: the Spirit moved through change, through children who learned to worship, and through young people who were trusted to ask hard questions. It wasn’t always easy, but it was faithful. And it shaped not only our kids—but me too.