Dear Friends,
I’ve been here at Epiphany a grand total of one week. It’s been excellent, meeting lots of new people, being brought up to speed by the Wardens and the staff, and joyfully celebrating the Eucharist with you this past Sunday.
Still, it’s a little bit overwhelming when one comes to a new place, whether it is a church or a secular job or a new school. Where do we begin in our work together?
The good news – and with Jesus beside us, there’s always good news – is that our first task is the one that’s most interesting and pleasurable: getting to know one another. I look forward to hearing your stories and learning about you. I’ll share more of my own story as time passes. We’ll talk about where you find Jesus in your life – usually somewhere or with someone unexpected – and where there are questions in your heart that we can ponder together.
The task of the interim rector is to prepare you for your next permanent rector. Sounds simple and complicated at the same time, doesn’t it? Some of the tasks of the interim minister are these:
- to work with the congregation to heal past unresolved conflicts
- to work through griefs
- to imagine what the future (a different kind of future with a different ordained leader) that God is calling us to might look like
- to consider what best practices in ministry are today and how they might influence how we are church
- to continue to strengthen our ties to one another and to the diocese
These are in addition to the normal work of pastoring a parish. The good news here is that Epiphany is in very good shape in many ways. One thing strikes me, though. For some, the double-whammy of Hilary’s retirement and the pandemic has been an ongoing source of a sense of grief and loss. That’s natural. But I’m chewing on the idea of doing some work with you about working through the grief – what are the ways we can name it, what is our theology of loss as Christians, what can we do to comfort each other and find a place of peace and acceptance? Expect to hear more in the days and weeks to come on this topic. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.
In the meantime, be gentle with yourselves. It’s hot. Some of us are just starting back to in-person work. The kids are busy. The traffic is picking up again. Breathe in and out. Ask Jesus to walk with you, to breathe with you, to put his arms around you in a hug. And come to church on Sunday, either in person or online, where you’ll hear a little bit about what Jesus did in a new place with a new group of people.
Be blessed and be a blessing, dear ones-
Mary+