It isn’t an uncommon thing for clergy to gather together, sip coffee, and share ideas about what is happening in their church contexts. I was having one of these meetings with a few other local clergy earlier this week, and when I mentioned to them how wonderful our Kick-Off Sunday was. I got to brag about hearing so many voices singing back at me from behind the altar, about smiles on the faces of our youth as they hurried away to Sunday school – and came running full speed back into the sanctuary, and about meeting and greeting so many returning faces.
As is often the case in these meetings, the question of “so what did you do to make that happen” came up to which I was able to respond “I didn’t do anything, I think the people of St. David’s really just value each other as a community, and are really going out of their way to invest in their spiritual health.” What I didn’t add at the time but wish that I would have was “and they’re choosing to invest in the spiritual health of their children, too.”
On my second Sunday as your Priest-In-Charge, way back in July, I mentioned during service that it felt as though we were on the cusp of a season of abundance. This last Sunday, with over a hundred congregants joining us either in person or online, I felt more confident in that statement than ever. We are a spiritually healthy community, we are a community that is generous in the giving of our time, talents, and finances, and we are a community that has sustained through the worst that COVID had to throw at us, and we are a community that cares genuinely and deeply about one another.
We’re restarting our Youth Group, we’re finding new ways to engage in worship and Christian education, we’re focusing on the right things – loving the Lord our God with all our hearts and loving our neighbors as ourselves. It is a season of abundance indeed.
Beyond grateful,
– Joe Kennedy +