Sunday is the Annual Meeting. It is a time for us to look back over the previous year and towards next year. It is a time for discernment – where is God calling us and how can we serve God’s mission as the church of St. Mary’s. It’s a time to celebrate and to mourn. It’s a time to come together and reaffirm our commitment to “invite and welcome all people to experience the new life promised in the Gospels. … [And to] celebrate faith in Jesus Christ through worship, support of one another, and service to others.”
This year we will be able to have our Annual Meeting in person, for which I give abundant thanks. It’s harder to feel like we are coming together to help guide St. Mary’s for the coming year when we are all little squares on a screen. That said, if you would like a Zoom link to the Annual Meeting, please email me before Sunday. We have members who travel or who are otherwise unable to attend in person, and one advantage of Covid is that we learned how to offer distanced options.
Thank you to everyone who offered their thoughts and insights on parish life at St. Mary’s. While you are always welcome to talk to me or to your Vestry members about your ideas or concerns, I really appreciate those who took the time to fill out their surveys and return them. Your Vestry are your elected representatives, but it is all of us together who make St. Mary’s the vibrant and faithful community that we are.
On Sunday we will have the opportunity to publicly thank people for their work and leadership at St. Mary’s, and I encourage you to lend your voice. I would surely overlook or forget people if I were the only voice thanking people, so please stand up and offer your thanksgivings for the parish. Looking to our strengths is one way we can continue to grow and share our faith, and be faithful disciples of Jesus.
Prayers and Blessings,
Mother Pippa