September 1, 2025 in Bishop, Bishop messages
September: Embracing Change
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE BISHOP
A Message from Bishop Bryan Penman
Dear Beloved in Christ,
September is always a season of change. The air turns crisp, school doors open, routines shift, and the long days of summer give way to the colors of autumn. The world around us reminds us that change is constant—sometimes gentle, sometimes disruptive, but always present.
Change can be hard. Our church knows this well. We are living in a time when we are being called into new ways of being the body of Christ—experimenting with alternative leadership models, exploring life beyond buildings and budgets, and learning again how to be church with and for our neighbors. Change can feel uncertain and even frightening. And yet, when we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, we discover again and again that God equips us to do more than we ever thought possible.
The seasons themselves are a teacher in this. Autumn reminds us that letting go is part of life. The trees shed their leaves in a glorious display of color, and winter will soon follow. Death and loss are real. And yet, hidden in the soil is the promise of spring. Resurrection always has the final word.
We are also living through a season of change in our wider church. Soon we will give thanks for the leadership of Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and Secretary Sue Rothmeyer, and we will welcome Presiding Bishop Curry and Secretary Mills. These faithful leaders will bring new energy and direction to our shared mission as the ELCA. With every goodbye and every hello, the Spirit is at work, refining us, shaping us, and calling us forward in hope.
What if we began to see change not only as loss, but also as invitation? What if letting go is really about laying aside the grave clothes that hold us back, so that we can rise in Christ to something new, something bold, something Spirit-led? Change may always carry grief, but it also carries possibility—the possibility that God is drawing us closer to the kingdom, to each other, and to the fullness of life we are promised in Christ.
This September, may we embrace change with courage, with trust, and with joy. For the God who has changed us through the waters of baptism continues to make all things new.
In Christ’s love,
+Bishop Bryan Penman
