The Fabric of Church Life
Dear Ones,
As I prepare to leave my role as your rector on June 2, I have been “walking down memory lane,” as the old adage goes. Remembering so many meals with parishioners and chats over coffee. Thinking about tender moments in the lives of so many of you as well as our collective life as a community. And all the Sundays and Easters and Christmases. Eight years holds so many memories that will forever be etched on my heart. I’m a grateful woman.
In all of these memories, the pieces that come strongest to my attention are like threads of a fabric – communication and care.
Communication is how we know we are in relationship with another person. I recall a bishop talking about this and she said that, when we stop to think about it, our entire relationship with a person is built on the interactions we’ve had with them. I, for one, know that I am always incredibly grateful when someone takes the time to communicate something to me – whether that be appreciation/gratitude or even fears/concerns when they help to communicate a deeper desire. We humans need to communicate because we need to know who we are for each other.
Caring, like love, is an active verb. I think we best demonstrate our care by showing up – participating in worship, social hour, planning, helping with projects. These are all ways we demonstrate our care for one another. And, of course, offering a caring word or just listening when someone is having a difficult time or celebrating something that’s meaningful.
Communication and care are the weft and warp of the fabric that is our common life as Church. Without them both, community falls apart. With them, community can never be broken.
As the community of St. John’s begins to move through this transition, I ask that you keep both of these as a focus. And please stay tuned to this Newsletter as the primary tool of communication from the Vestry.
In God’s love and mine,
Rev. Michelle |
