Thank you!
Dear Ones,
As I hope we understand, church is not a one-person show. I may be the one talking a lot… and I do really go on sometimes. But there are so many people who step up – especially during this time of year – to do a little more (or a lot more!) to make our Christmas celebration a truly festive occasion.First, I offer my thanks to Terry Earles our Director of Music and the entire choir who lead us in song. Terry loves his work and I am grateful for his dedication. They will be resting their “pipes” this Sunday morning, as we have a spoken Eucharistic service without hymns, so their voices will be nice and refreshed for Christmas Eve.
Next, I offer thanks to all who helped to spruce up our worship space and who stayed after worship on Dec 17 to decorate our Sanctuary – especially the Sacristan team led by Lynn Dennison. It makes a huge difference to us every year that the Sanctuary is decorated so beautifully.
I also offer thanks to our Pastoral Care team who also stayed after worship to write Christmas cards to people who are new or who may be in need of a reminder about just how much God loves them. Laura Ricci leads this effort every year and Cathe Decker makes the beautiful cards herself.
And I offer my deep thanks to the members of the Vestry – Claudette Ford and Leah Siuta as Wardens, and members Paula Wisneski, Sara Hutton, Nilsa Rodriguez-Jaca, Kathy Burdick, and Keith Ferber. They do so much of the “heavy lifting” behind the scenes, making sure that the building functions, and our financial assets are looked after.
And also our staff! Brian Silver has been doing amazing things in tending to our rental clients and being the point person for maintenance of the building. And Pat Allen makes sure that all our bills are paid. They are both terrific at their jobs.
Of course, I give unending thanks for my wife Ana. Ana has her own responsibilities as the music director at Santa Cruz, plus her own work as a retreat leader, composer, and musician… but this time of year, she always makes sure that I have what I need and she gives of herself to this community of St. John’s as much as she is able.
Finally, I thank all of you for coming to worship with your community at St. John’s. It means something to me every time I see your face in the pews and I know for sure that it means so much to everyone else who worships alongside you.
Oh… and thank you, God, for all of this.
May our final days of Advent be blessed with the hope we need in our hearts and may our Christmas be festive and joyous!
In God’s love and mine,
Rev. Michelle |
