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July, 2010
Dear Friends and Companions in Ministry,
On June 24th, I celebrated the 10th anniversary of my ordination. In the Episcopal Church, all priests are ordained as deacons first and must serve as such for at least six months before they can be ordained to the priesthood. I was ordained a deacon on June 24, 2000; I was ordained to the priesthood on February 6, 2001. I’m not sure but I think often priests tend to focus more on the anniversary of the ordination to the priesthood rather than that of deacon. But I was struck by the fact that this is also the 10th anniversary of my ordained service in parish ministry…and that seems like a big anniversary to me. I continue to love what I do. Serving in parish ministry gives me joy; it fascinates me; and it challenges me.
One of the things I love about parish ministry is how it is ever changing. I’ve been at St. Paul’s on-the-Hill for seven years, but our community is never the same from year to year. New people come to us every month, and what they bring to our church changes us: they bring their stories; their experiences; their abilities; and their faith. Often they tell me that they join SPOTH because they can become involved quickly. Many families, sadly, are with us for a year or two and then they have to move because of a change in their jobs. One of the calls of our church is to be a welcoming and embracing community for those who are in transition. Others, of course, move to the Winchester area and are here for a long time. On Sunday August 15th at 11:30am in the library (which is next to the main office), I am holding a “Welcoming Newcomers” meeting for all who would like to help me with this important ministry. As well, this meeting is for all newcomers who would like to have a chance to meet some people, and share with us their experience of being welcomed and any suggestions they have about how we can be more welcoming.
Everything that is wonderful about parish ministry is also challenging. We want to serve God, each other, and the wider community well, and that takes constant attention to the details of what we do. The vestry is currently focused on improving the organization of our committees/ministry areas so that everyone, even the newest among us, can know how they can be involved. Serving God, each other, and the wider community also requires us to turn to God and be nourished by the grace God so desires to share with us. In the best times and in the most difficult times, we are well served to remember that this ministry, is God’s ministry through us. That makes us crucial to the church’s purpose, and at the same time, keeps us humble and focused on God. I love those words from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians (4:1, 5-7):
Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.
The extraordinary power that has brought you and I together to share in this ministry comes from God. May we always be aware of the gift we have been given, the treasure that it is. How will we continue to proclaim the love of God we have known in Jesus Christ? It will be an adventure; it will be a challenge; it will be an experience of unimaginable grace for those who dare to dream.
Faithfully yours,
Hilary+
June, 2010
Dear Friends and Companions in Ministry,
We have entered the season of Pentecost! On the Day of Pentecost, we celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit, who led the first Christians and continues to be active in our lives. How is the Spirit leading us today? One notable development has been the addition of a priest to our community. The Rev. Dr. Ellen Richardson and her husband, Dr. Mark Richardson, joined us in March. Starting at the end of June, Ellen will be taking a more active role by becoming our priest-in-residence. Her full-time job will continue to be as a Hospice doctor. Please see the article that she wrote in this newsletter for more information. While I am on vacation in July, she will lead all of our services. I hope that you will get to know her well in the next few months.
During my silent retreat at the Jesuit Center in Wernersville PA in May, I prayed with these verses from the Gospel of John (7:37-39): On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” Now he said this about the Spirit, which the believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
The source of our life is God and through Jesus Christ we are able to return to that source often and drink deeply. On the retreat, I had a strong and clear sense of God wanting to support me and us all. When we open ourselves to the presence of God who is already at work in our lives, through the power of the Spirit, we find the strength we need for our journey. And more than that, we then become a source of grace for others: “out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” My on-going prayer is that our church will continue to be a place of grace for you and for others. We are the church, the body of Christ, and you make all the difference in who we are as a community and the character of the grace we can share with others. Yes, you are that important to God and to God’s desires for our world!
I hope that as we head into the summer, you will have some time to rest and be refreshed. If you have school aged children, or even if you don’t, perhaps a few activities will come off your calendar for the summer. While some people have been known to take the summer off from church, I have always believed that this is a great time to start coming to church or to come more often, making it a normal part of your week. That way when school starts again and the autumn activities are in full swing, church will continue to be part of your week. Let’s grow together in faith and love to the glory of God.
Faithfully yours,
Hilary+
May, 2010
Dear Friends and Companions in Ministry,
I hope that the Easter season is going well for you! We had a great parish potluck dinner on April 23rd in celebration of the Easter season and Earth Day. The stewardship of God’s creation is an on-going concern; we try to do our part here at church by recycling and taking care of our building and grounds in a way that honors and respects that with which we have been entrusted. The day after the potluck was our spring parish clean-up day. Many thanks to all who helped with the potluck and clean-up day – in both ways we celebrated our community life.
On May 13th, a Thursday, at 7:00 pm. we will have the opportunity to worship with others from our region as we celebrate Ascension Day. This is the day we remember that Jesus, after his resurrection, ascended into heaven. While there are those who debate what that may have looked like or how that was experienced at the time, we focus on the fact that the Risen Christ is not limited to a place or time. All members of our region, Region XIV of the Diocese of Virginia, have been invited to join us at St. Paul’s on-the-Hill for Ascension Day. By sharing our worship on this major feast day of the church year, we affirm the importance of our diocesan community to our parish life. Region XIV includes the Episcopal churches throughout the Valley. I hope you will be able to attend our Ascension Day service.
On Sunday May 23rd, we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost (on Saturday the 22nd at 5pm as well). The gift of the Holy Spirit was a dramatic moment as described in the Book of Acts – the disciples were able to speak in various languages and understand each other in a new way. The gift of the Holy Spirit brought those first followers of Jesus together and united them in a new kind of community, just as today the Holy Spirit brings us together to be God’s people in this place. We are God’s people in this place, a community of people not because we are all alike, but, in a sense, because we are different in many ways. The Kingdom of God is known in diversity…and when we, who may speak in different ways about various matters, are able to take the time to understand each other, we know that it is the Holy Spirit that brings us together. Such is the gift of the Spirit.
Faithfully yours,
Hilary+ |
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