The End of the Year

Dear Friends,

Like so many of you, the last week of the year is bringing me to a reflective place. I am both remembering what has been, with all the joy and pain that 2021 brought, and I'm pondering the road ahead. There are, of course, many things to think about.

I'm so thankful for the way our church has held together through this difficult year. It's been a joy to gather with so many of you in a more normal way. I'm grateful for the way we've been able to join in times of community, worship, and formation together. I'm amazed at the way we have met our pledge goal for 2022—a goal that I'll admit I thought was just too high. And we've done so with 65% of those pledges either being brand new or increases over 2021.

I'm excited about the year to come. I believe it will be a time of great renewal in our life together. Some of us, I know, are still being very cautious because of COVID. I understand that, and we will continue to try to improve our digital offerings in the days to come. However, if you are just waiting to get back into the swing of things, or if you are growing very comfortable watching church in your pjs—which, I admit, is nice—why not consider using the new year as a time to get back to church? Join us for breakfast, for class, and for fellowship. It will be great to see you!

I'm also, of course, unable to look back on this year without the pain of sadness because of the unexpected death of my dad. It is hard to consider that we're leaving a year in which he was so alive and entering a year in which he won't be. It is heartbreaking to even think of that, but I will confess that that is one of the thoughts very present to me these days. But another thought is one of thankfulness. Thankfulness, of course, for the man my dad was, the way he loved me and my family and so many others so much, and the ways he taught me to be the man I've become. Yes, I'm grateful for all of that.

But I'm also so very grateful for you and your care for me and my family in the midst of it all. You sent cards. You brought meals. You cried with us. You prayed for us. You were our community when we felt so very far from our family in Jacksonville. I keep telling myself that we'll eventually get around to thank you cards. Friends, let me be honest—I'm not so sure that's going to happen. So please, as we close out this year and look toward the next, know how incredibly grateful the Parman family is for the St. Peter's family.

May God continue to bless you during this holy season of Christmas, and may you know God's goodness and love in the year to come.

Grace and Peace,
Fr. Quinn+