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by Rev. Kim Wood, Conference Minister
One of my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals is The King and I. As I child, I loved the brightly colored costumes, the dancing and singing, and the exotic setting. Songs like “I Whistle a Happy Tune,” “March of the Siamese Children,” and “Shall We Dance” stuck in my mind for weeks after I watched the movie. My mom had music collection with hits from several of Richard Rodgers’ and Oscar Hammerstein’s creations, in the piano bench, and I would proceed to pull it out and work on learning these favorites and others on the piano.
As I grew older, I found myself focusing more on the story line – the struggle and importance of different cultures to find places of connectivity, and of individuals to find ways to honor one another; the importance of having ways to cope and give ourselves and one another courage and support in unexpected and, sometimes, difficult situations. The songs speak to these things.
My favorite song, though, was and still is “Getting to Know You.” Aside from the joyful lilt of the notes that are both friendly and tender, the lyrics provide a reminder of how important listening and learning and engaging are to building relationships and helping them to thrive. Words such as:
Getting to know you, getting to know all about you
Getting to like you, getting to hope you’ll like me
and
Haven’t you noticed, suddenly I’m bright and breezy?
Because of all the beautiful and new things I’m learning about you
Day by day
Getting to know one another is such a vital part of partnering together, working together, ministering together. I want to know more about you! And so, I am initiating a “Getting to Know You” tour. Over the next several months, both virtually and, when feasible in the context of keeping people safe during this pandemic time, will be reaching out with invitations to converse or meet with:
- church leaders and leadership teams and/or congregations
- authorized minister in specialized ministry, local church settings, and those not actively serving a ministry setting at this time
I also invite you, if you are so inclined, to initiate a connection by emailing me at kwood@secucc.org. You may also text or call me at 404-615-2492. Please be sure to identify who you are in a text as I may not have your number in my directory yet and leave your information if you get my voice message.
I look forward to listening to you, learning from you, and answering questions you might have for me along the way. Getting to Know You is a top priority for me as we partner in ministry together in and as the SECUCC! Thank you in advance for your willingness to connect you’re your assistance in making this tour happen!
