Some Good News

Dear Friends,

I know that the world feels like a lot right now. I know that we are living in a time when we are longing to reconvene and worship together again. I also know that the systemic racism we've witnessed and the resulting civil unrest that's been present for weeks now means we are longing to understand how we can be a more actively anti-racist church. I also know that many of us are feeling all kinds of closer-to-home sadness and loss because of illness, disappointments, and death. It is a hard time.

These questions and problems require our best efforts, which spring from our best prayers. But I want to hit pause on the weightiness of these present days to do a little celebrating, which I think we can all agree we need.

First, I want to celebrate that this Sunday, which we'll celebrate as St. Peter's Day, will also be the annual visit of our Bishop! Bishop Cole will be our preacher at Morning Prayer, and he will join us for our digital coffee hour. So, if you've been waiting to try out what coffee hour via Zoom looks like, make it happen this Sunday! It will be a joy to spend some face-to-face time with Bishop Cole. You can find the link HERE and we'll gather as soon as Morning Prayer ends, around 10:30.

Second, I want to celebrate some exciting work that we'll be undertaking as a parish in the coming months. Generous gifts from our Bishop and from the bequest of Barbara Painter have enabled us to move forward with a consultant who will help us discern what the mission and ministry of St. Peter's will look like in the coming years. The vestry has agreed to move forward with a contract with Leslie Manning, who has a long history of helping churches listen for and hear the call that God is giving them. Leslie is a good friend and an inspiring leader, and I am excited to have her with us for this work.

All of you will have a role to play! All of us will have a chance to answer a survey about our hopes and dreams for our life at St. Peter's. Some of you will be invited to participate in focus groups via Zoom in the coming weeks. And a few of you will be invited to participate in some on-site conversations later in the fall. Please be on the lookout for communication from Leslie about ways that you can be part of this process!

Perhaps it seems a strange time -- in the midst of a pause in our common life due to a global pandemic -- to do this sort of work. But I disagree. Rather, my belief is that we are at a critical time in our common life, and that we have to use this time of suspended gathering in a way that will empower us to grow into the future God has for us.

So there's some good, exciting news for you. Take that and use it. Use it to love and serve. Use it to empower your work of ministry in the world around us.

God bless,
Fr. Quinn+