A Season of Gratitude, A Calling to Connect
November has a way of drawing us toward the table. We gather around tables crowded with familiar dishes, pass plates from one set of hands to another, pull up an extra chair, and make room for one more. Outside, the Kansas fields grow quiet, the trees release their last leaves, and the air reminds us that one season is giving way to another. In the middle of all this change, we pause to give thanks for what sustains us: the people who walk beside us, the communities that hold us, and the God who continues to call us forward.
I wonder what might happen if we carried that same spirit of gratitude and welcome into the life of our churches—not just during Thanksgiving, but throughout the year. What if we made room for one more conversation, one more relationship, one more opportunity to learn from a neighboring congregation? What if we remembered that the table of Christ is wide enough to hold our celebrations, our questions, our uncertainty, and our hope?
As I reflect on the life of the Christian Church in Kansas, I am grateful for congregations and clergy who continue to show up, serve their neighbors, care for one another, and faithfully share the love of Christ. Across our Region, ministry takes many forms. It happens around communion tables and fellowship hall tables, in conversations with neighbors, through community partnerships, and in the quiet acts of compassion that may never make the headlines but make a lasting difference in people's lives.
We were never meant to do ministry alone.
As Disciples, we gather at the Lord's Table, where we are reminded that we belong to Christ and to one another. Our shared table is more than a symbol of unity; it is a reminder that we are part of something larger than any one congregation. We have gifts to share, wisdom to offer, and encouragement to give. When one congregation discovers a new way to reach its community, another congregation may find inspiration. When a pastor faces a difficult season, a conversation with a trusted colleague can make a difference. When churches work together, new possibilities for ministry can emerge.
One of the privileges of serving as your Associate Regional Minister is the opportunity to walk alongside congregations and clergy in different seasons of ministry. Every visit, conversation, and relationship reminds me that the Spirit is still at work among us. Sometimes that work looks like celebrating a new beginning. Sometimes it means sitting with difficult questions. And sometimes it begins simply by listening to one another and asking, What might God be calling us to do next?
This month, I invite every congregation to take one intentional step toward connection.
Reach out to another congregation or clergy colleague. Share a meal, exchange ideas, pray together, or explore a way to serve your community in partnership. You do not need a formal program or a large budget to begin. Sometimes the most meaningful ministry starts with a simple conversation and a willingness to learn from one another.
I also invite you to share your congregation's story with the Region. What are you celebrating? Where have you seen God at work? What is your congregation learning, trying, or discovering? Perhaps you are building a community partnership, finding a new way to welcome your neighbors, supporting families in need, or faithfully navigating a season of change.
Send your stories and photos to the Regional Office so we can celebrate the many ways God is moving through congregations across Kansas by sharing them in the Kansas Messenger. Your story might be the encouragement another congregation needs. We cannot learn from one another if we do not share with one another.
As we approach Thanksgiving, may we remember that gratitude is not only about naming our blessings. It is also about putting those blessings to work for the sake of our neighbors and the world God loves.
I am thankful for you—for your faithfulness, your questions, your courage, and your willingness to keep showing up for the work of the Church. May we continue to encourage one another, strengthen our relationships, and trust that God is not finished with us yet.
There is still good work to do, new relationships to build, and room to make at the table.
May we give thanks for what God has done, remain faithful to what God is doing, and step courageously into what God is calling us to become together.
With gratitude and hope,
Rev. Dr. David Dubovich
Associate Regional Minister