Dear People of St. James’,
I write this letter to you on the eve of my sabbatical (April 18 – July 15). I want to say that I am so grateful to you all for making this opportunity for rest and refreshment available to me. I have always thought it a strange and wonderful gift that clergy get sabbaticals from time to time, and I hope to make the most of this one.
I leave feeling that St. James’ is in very good hands with staff and volunteer leadership, your hands and the God who holds us! We have indeed gone through a difficult thing in this past week, but there are also some very exciting things on the horizon: a season of strategic planning and Master Plan work, the possibility of new campus ministries and young adult work, the completion of the signage project, the new legal and advocacy work that the Rev. Jim Harrington is working on. I am so pleased to have Rev. George Porter on staff and getting settled in. We are trying out doing the work of the Vestry bilingually in order to make Vestry service more accessible to our whole congregation. The work of God’s mission of grace and love guides us.
One of the things I love about St. James’ is that the energy of the community tends to stay high during the summer months, so let’s keep inviting people to show up for each other, to rejoice in the Easter season, and to walk together during that season after Pentecost! Let’s celebrate when people check in on each other because they care about one another, when people show up for our Freedom School scholars and our neighbors in need, when people graduate and retire from long service, and return from their travels in safety. We know there are going to be at least 5 new St. James’ babies in church this summer, a whole crew of 3 year-olds moving up into Godly Play, and a bunch of youth headed out on a mission trip in August. People will continue to seek and find welcome at the table, and we will have an opportunity to welcome and to know them and invite them into life together in the love of God.
Unexpected things will happen, but when they do, let’s allow our core virtues to guide us. Let us be formed by radical hospitality. Let’s be doers of the Word, and not just hearers. May we be reminded that we are rooted in the courage of our Founders, and we are called by God to belong to one another as a people in covenant relationship. We choose community. And may we also remember that we are on a spiritual journey, that we are not there yet, that we don’t know all truth, but are being led together by God’s spirit.
Here I am preaching to the choir, but I just wanted to say, “You’ve got this!” I can’t wait to see what we have learned when I return.
May the peace of God which surpasses understanding be with you,
Rev. Eileen
