Dear Ones of St. Columba's,

 It's hard for me to believe that in just a couple of months I'll have been with you for four years. That doesn't seem like a very long time, and yet so much has changed in the life of our community in those four years. We are almost twice as large, as a congregation, than we were. We average 15-20 children and youth in attendance each Sunday, with more than twice that many having some sort of regular participation in the life of our congregation. We are not only a community of Anglo people, anymore. Among our cherished and valued members are families from Sudan, Congo, Kenya, and more. 

In the past few weeks and months your wardens, Bishop's Committee, and I have begun to talk more about how these wonderful and positive changes affect our identity as a congregation, and how we can continue to support growth and make room for more people, more families, and more cultures here at St. Columba's. Over the summer months and into next fall we want to engage more and more people in this discussion of who are we now, who is God calling us to be and become together, and how can we best communicate and share the gifts of this unique faith community with our neighbors and with those who God is calling to us in all the various ways God calls people into relationship with church, with each other, and with God's own self. 

As we approach our Bishop's Visitation on Sunday, June 24th, we are putting together a truly celebratory day where we can revel in our new members, our children, the diverse cultures who take part in life, love, and worship here, and the neighbors whose presence among us enriches our lives so much. It will be a wonderful, celebratory day, concluding our program year and kicking off a summer of rest and recreation for many of us, both separately and as a community. 

As we rest and "re-create" this summer, let's start talking more deeply about the unique identity of this place, and how we can express it, grow it, and continue to find both challenge and community here as one beautiful local expression of the body of Christ on the West Hill of Kent. 

I am every grateful to be in this with each of you, walking this path of discovery and love.

with care and gratitude,

Alissa