Dear Friends,
After all the excitement of a wonderful Stable Tour weekend, we move to a new month. Although June often seems to mark the beginning of a slower pace for the summer, this month is also a time of important activity. Our primary goal for the year is to prepare you for the next era of ministry with a new Rector. The Discernment Committee is working deliberately and thoughtfully sustained by the prayer we all say together each Sunday. They will present an update on their process at a Forum on Sunday, June 23, between the 8:00 and 10:30 am services. I hope you will stay after the early service or come early for the later service to hear from the committee and to ask questions.
During the summer, the Vestry and I will be planning for the fall and exploring ways to refine our efforts to be as effective as possible in leading the lively collaboration of volunteers and staff. I notice enthusiasm and dedication every day, and we seek to translate that energy into opportunities for newcomers and long-standing members to be engaged more deeply in the congregation.
The Vestry voted at the May meeting to elect Melissa Neal as our Delegate to Diocesan Convention and our Region and Becky Hoecker as the Alternate Delegate. We are grateful to them for serving in these important roles.
The other day, I received Mission Vouchers for the young people who were Confirmed on May 12. These vouchers are to be used before their 19th birthday to support mission experiences. The vouchers represent the interest in the people of the entire Diocese in the activities of our youth.
I plan to be away on two Sundays in June for weddings. I’m grateful to Jim Hammond for leading worship in my absence, and I am thankful daily for his friendship and wise counsel. The two Sundays I expect to be here are important because they direct us to the foundation of so much that defines us.
June 9, is Pentecost with the celebration of the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is the custom here for you to wear red to match the red on the altar. It is also the custom of the church to view this day, one of the seven feast days of the church year, as a time to renew our commitment to the mission of the church.
June 16, is Trinity Sunday, the only one of the seven feast days devoted to a doctrine. It is our special privilege to focus on the meaning of the day in the context of the name of our congregation. It is a Sunday to renew our commitment to the mission of the church through this particular church.
I look forward to June with you.
Faithfully,
The Reverend Edward O. Miller, Jr.