|
October 2004 |
|
Issue 179 |
|
Dear St. Philip’s Members and Friends, Monday, September 20, 2004 Yesterday at both services, I announced that my family and I are leaving St. Philip’s. I have accepted a call to serve as Dean of the Cathedral of St. James, in South Bend, Indiana. I believe that this is God’s call, and I am very excited about it. Yet like Abraham and Sarah being called to leave home for a place they did not know, I am also sad and this is all a bit scary. Please know that we have been very happy here at St. Philip’s. I have for awhile been seeking God’s guidance as to how I may best serve God’s people. A key part of this present call and decision has been the invitation of the Rt. Rev. Ed Little, Bishop of Northern Indiana, whom I have known and admired for a long time and who urged me to enter their discernment process. We founded this church together 17 years ago. St. Philip’s has grown to be a healthy and diverse congregation, united by your trust in God, your focus on Jesus Christ, and your foundation in the Bible. You are committed to families, children and youth, and you welcome visitors who are searching and questioning. You are honest about your own humanity, and able to work together on challenging tasks. You have good leaders, an excellent Bishop’s Committee, and the support of the Diocese. You are ready to move ahead yourselves in mission with a new Vicar. My last Sunday as your Vicar will be October 24. (We will move in November and begin serving there on the First Sunday of Advent.) This announcement and transition brings up a lot of varying emotions for all of us. That is OK. Be open with one another, with me, and most of all, be open to God. As we trust God, hold on to our Lord Jesus, and rely on the Holy Spirit, we shall continue well in the ministries and the community that God intends for us here and wherever we go. As a congregation, led by the Bishop’s Committee, you will form a Search Committee, engage in a self-study, and with the help of the Diocese, consider candidates for Vicar. I hope that you will have a trained Interim Priest, a special kind of consultant pastor. In all this, the Holy Spirit will guide St. Philip’s. This will be a creative time of growth. Everyone’s help will be needed in seeking the way ahead, and in supporting St. Philip’s various ministries. While the sale of the Johnston Way property will greatly improve St. Philip’s financial situation, I urge everyone to be generous and serious stewards as you move ahead. Regular participation in Holy Communion will not only help with the range of emotions being stirred, but will strengthen our church in this transition time. I look forward to sharing with as many of you as possible over the next five weeks. I am so thankful to have served with you these many years. And I trust God’s guidance for you here and for our family as we follow the Lord’s call into a not too distant mission field called Indiana. Yours in Christ, |
|
Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age and in the age to come, eternal life. (Mark 10: 17 - 30) |
