Dear Sisters and Brothers at Christ Church,
Our vestry spent last weekend together up at the Bishop’s Ranch. With the cows foraging the rolling green meadows and oak trees dripping in the downpour, we could well have been in Shropshire County, England. It was beautiful! We sheltered from the wind and rain by the fireside where we plotted the transformation of the entire earth in Jesus’ example. Christ Church is blessed with a strong and talented vestry, and great leadership with our Wardens, Melanie McMullen and Harrison Hamill. Together we wrestled with that question I keep pestering you all with: Who is God calling us to be? We got pretty specific in our responses though, focusing on small group ministry, our youth and children’s program, the homeless shelter, and in-reach here at the church. We also told stories, shared good meals together, and created our own church service. Christ Church is in good hands with these good people.
I was also delighted to be able to announce that Christ Church has hired a new Parish Administrator. Her name is Tracy O’Shea, and she’s great. Some of you may recognize Tracy as a volunteer at our homeless shelter. Tracy recently retired from a long career teaching elementary school and she’s ready for a new challenge. She will begin the job on Wednesday, March 1, so it will be a few weeks still before we find our new normal. Because we Episcopalians are so particular about the way we do church, operate photocopiers, organize files and pay bills, Tracy will have a learning curve when she comes on board. But please drop by the office in March to introduce yourself.
Lent is approaching, so say “hallelujah!” as many times as you can in the next week and a half before the liturgical calendar frowns on that practice for 40 days. God bless you!
-Stephen