My brother and sisters, every Christian is called to follow Jesus Christ, serving God the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit. (The Book of Common Prayer, Liturgy for the Ordination of a Deacon, p. 543)

Dear good and faithful people of Epiphany,

Thank you so very much for making the Diocese of Virginia’s ordination of ten new deacons in God’s Church such a splendid, glorious day that we, the newly ordained, our friends, families, sending parishes, and current parishes will cherish for the rest of our days! Epiphany blazed with the radiance, light and warmth of the love of Christ on Saturday, so generously flinging open the doors to welcome and host 600-odd people from around the Diocese of Virginia. The Body of Christ at Epiphany was truly emulating the ministry of the deaconate (which means servanthood) to which we are all called in our baptism. The back of the house was joyfully and generously serving the front of the house as Bishop Jennifer so artfully described in her sermon about Unnar Helgi’s Icelandic Street Food restaurant. You all worked so very hard to create a warm welcome and generous hospitality to all of our guests. Major thanks to the parking team, ushers, altar guild, choir, acolytes, fellowship team, the Boy Scouts, staff, vestry, and our beloved rector who put heart and soul into professionally and graciously orchestrating the movement of so many people through our campus! Everyone commented to me how welcome they felt at Epiphany and how impressed they were with the people, the beautiful sanctuary, and the kindness they encountered. Please know the depth of my gratitude for your time, energy, and effort to make the ordination such a special occasion!!! 

A few words on my next steps. I am still in school, finishing up my last semester at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. God willing, I will graduate from VTS with a Master in Divinity on May 14th. As is the case with all seminarians in the churches they serve during seminary, I must leave Epiphany at the end of my semester. I will serve Epiphany as your deacon until May 3rd, my last day. In the meantime, I am in the process of interviewing for positions at several churches in the Diocese of Virginia. Once I have been officially called to a new congregation, I share with you where I am going. The last and final official rite in this astounding journey toward ordained ministry is that, God willing and the people consenting, I will be ordained to the priesthood six months from now in early September, 2020 (exact date and location TBD). 

Several of you have asked me why the Episcopal Church ordains people as deacons and then priests. This is a good question! First, it is important to remember that according to the Book of Common Prayer’s catechism on p. 855, the ministers of the Church are defined as “lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons.” Notice the laity is listed first because the laity forms the Body of Christ as its most important ministers who are called and empowered with spiritual gifts by virtue of baptism to fulfill the Church’s mission to reconcile and restore all people to God in Christ. Ordination of bishops, priests, and deacons is not meant to be a hierarchy of holiness, status or importance in the Church, but rather it is about differentiation and clarity of the roles among the members within the Body of Christ to ensure effective order and organization of our common life. As you know, the Episcopal Church has a long tradition of valuing order in worship, liturgy and church polity. The tradition of orders of ministry arises from a desire to glorify, honor and praise God to the very best of our abilities. From the time of the early Church as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles 6:1-6, the Church has ordained and set apart certain people into different roles to serve, lead and organize Church governance but never to rule over others! Having said all of that, the deaconate is the foundation of all ministry in the church, from the baptized to the bishop! Therefore, it is tradition that those who are called to the priesthood must first be ordained as deacons as the heart of their priesthood to be a perpetual servant to Christ in others. This six month period of my deaconate serves an important sacramental role in my ordained life that will continue to shape my priesthood forever. 

Finally, I will sadly not be with you all in person for the next two weeks due to a positive case of the coronavirus diagnosed in a part-time employee of the seminary. In addition, several seminarians and a couple of professors are quarantined (with no symptoms!) due to their exposure to the rector at Christ Church Georgetown over the last two weeks. Our dean and president Ian Markham has requested that all seminarians at VTS refrain from being physically present at their parishes during this time. Rest assured, I am fine and have no symptoms. However, out of concern and respect for the members of Epiphany who are vulnerable, I am staying home for the next couple of weeks and will be with you in spirit and over Zoom or Skype. 

I am so very proud that I have been raised up, shaped and formed for ordained ministry by such a stellar, shining, beautiful and lovely Body of Christ that truly lives into the baptismal covenant to seek and serve Christ in all persons. I am so incredibly blessed by each and every one of you and all you have done to teach me and support me in my journey to the priesthood. Thank you Epiphany!

Blessings,

Gwynn