Dear Sisters and Brothers at Christ Church,
As you read this note I'll be leading a group of priests through the wild and rugged Escalante National Monument. Journeying into the wilderness, away from e-mail, staff and parishioners feels like a strange way to prepare for Christ Church's Faith Full Giving campaign. After all, I won't be able to edit things on Google Docs, or coordinate with our bookkeeper, or even dial in to a zoom meeting with our great leadership team. How can I possibly do ministry when I'm off in the desert?
Counterintuitively, and also self-servingly, it actually makes sense to me. I seek the solace of fierce landscapes, in part, to work on my own identity. Those long miles on the trail are a great way to sit with our Faith Full Giving question for the year: Who is God calling you to be? Of course, I won't be alone out there. I'll be with my tribe of Faith Full priests, and I'll certainly be asking each of them who God is calling them to be as they help steer their congregations into the brave new world of life in the shadow of Covid-19. I'm very curious about what I can learn from them.
Answering this question well as individuals and as the community of Christ Church is a prerequisite for everything we do around here. How can we raise money, raise energy or gather newcomers to our church without a clear sense of who we are and who God is calling us to be? So, at risk of sounding like a broken record, I continue to invite you to ask the question: Who is God calling you to be? Listen for God, listen to your hearts, and to listen to each other.
God bless you and stay safe out there.
-Stephen