Dear One’s of St. C’s, 

Thank you to all who participated in the sending of Alissa and her family on Sunday.  While, there were a lot of tears there was also a lot of love for Alissa and more importantly for this place where we are lucky enough to gather and learn how to love God and one another.  Sunday happened (and also always happens) because people showed up to care for this place and for one another.  The food, the drinks, the dessert, the bread, the Pentecost decorations, including the flowers, the sound, the music, the greeters, the acolytes, the kids processing, the kids programming, the lawn being tidy, the singing, the bowing, the conversation, the hugs, the laughter, and the tears, all of these things were made possible because of community.  And especially to all of those who stayed after to sweep and do the dishes.  

I am hopeful that if you participated in any of these things on Sunday, that you left filled to the brim with gratitude.  Gratitude for Alissa, and gratitude for what can happen when people work together to worship God and create goodness and connection.  To be reminded again and again that God calls us to Godself within community. That God is found in the breaking of the bread, this meal that Jesus asks us to remember him by.  Grace and love show up when many hands make light work and we are reminded once again that we are not alone, that we do need each other, and that we do have each other.  This is my constant prayer for you, for St. C’s, and myself that you would know there is a place, that is more than a place, that you can go and find God is present and that we have one another to journey through this life together with this connected purpose of creating a more loving and accepting world for all. 

This hope of ours that we carry together, is no small feat, but I truly believe the only chance we have for this hope to be realized is by searching for God in community and discovering love and compassion for all people.  This is our work, and while it is never done in our lifetimes, the possibilities for what we can create together towards this shared purpose are endless.   I am excited to be on this journey with you, now as your Vicar, and figure out what we will create together next!

with gratitude and hope, 

Meghan