Report of the Pastor
By Pastor Wesley Ellis
You know what? I think 2021 is really underrated.... I mean, 2020 gets all the credit for being pretty much the worst, but if you think about it, 2021 really gave 2020 a run for its money. The mask wars seem to have continued, the country is still divided, we’re fighting about vaccination mandates, and worst of all, the Padres didn’t make it to the Postseason! That’s a pretty rough year, if you ask me.
Our church family has been through so much this year. I’m new here, as the pastor, but this has always been my home church. So, I know what you’ve been through. We still have some healing to do. But what 2021 was for us is yet to be determined. 2021 might just be another bad year in the books. But it might also be the year that First Congregational Church really got started in a new and right direction.
Even during all the struggles we’ve faced, this church has not ceased to serve others. We continued ministering to one another. We distributed food to people in need. We met financial needs for people under hardship. We provided Christian education to children and families in our community through the Congregational Children’s Center and our Children’s ministry. We cultivated community amongst our young people through our youth ministry. We provided scholarships to students. We gave Christmas cookies to people for whom it may be difficult to get out. We supported Samaritan’s Purse, Serve Ramona, In His Steps, The Ramona Food and Clothes Closet, and Feeding San Diego. We provided pastoral care to people who were grieving loss. We gave gift cards to seniors. We collected coats for people in need. We worshiped God as a church family... we did all this and more! Even in 2021!
In the short time that I have been your pastor, I have sensed an eagerness and an anticipation. We are ready to move forward, ready to recommit ourselves to our mission, and anticipating what God has in store for us. Yes, we are still healing, but we’re also ready to partner with God in ministry. The fact is, we’re already on the path forward. The ministry we’re doing is already God’s ministry. Our new direction may not be new at all! It may simply be finding new ways to invite more people to join us in this direction.
It is my sincere hope that we can look back on 2021 with fondness, remember that God did something in our midst. It is my hope that 2021 was the year when we relearned who we are and discovered anew who we’ve always been—the church that helps, the church that lives a life of love.
Pastor Wes Ellis has been a member of First Congregational Church since he was Confirmed in 1994. He served as the Director of Youth Ministry from 2008-2012 and has been the Pastor of our church since October 11, 2021.
