Blessed is St. Philip’s Church

On February 11, 2007, the people of St. Philip’s gathered as one worshipping community, ate brunch, and celebrated our “blessings” as we met for our Annual Meeting.  The sermon, “Blessed Are You” was inspired from Luke’s version of the “Beatitudes”--the blessings Jesus offered all sorts of people who were following him.  Jesus offered God’s blessing, not strict rules, to those who would open their hearts to God’s presence.  Usually a church Annual Meeting tends to be a business meeting, poring over financial worries and woes—not this year! Thanks to the willingness of many talented people of St. Philip’s, my first year to have such a meeting with you was a time of joy and, yes, “blessing.”  We were truly blessed by God and each other in Christ as we gathered in our community to reflect upon the year and “count our blessings.”

“Blessings” abounded during our Annual Meeting: A bountiful brunch was provided under the leadership of Lucy Gowan and her team of helpers.  The delightful music of Tamah, Tod, and Bill H. serenaded us through lunch, after which we gathered together for singing at the beginning of the Meeting (oh, yes, and the Vicar on flute…). Bishop’s Warden, Tod Connor, did an excellent job using his talent for creating Power Point presentations. Tod led a lively, visually appealing meeting, which kept our interest. Finance Team members, David Sanguinetti as Stewardship Chair, Bill DeRouchey as current Treasurer, Steve Dodds as future treasurer and Marcus Granger-Jones as Bookkeeper, gave thanks for the generosity of our community, and explained the use of our funds both past and future.  Vicky Granger-Jones managed the process of producing our Annual Report, and various members offered brief oral reports.  Outgoing Bishop Committee members, Bill DeRouchey, Vicky Granger-Jones and Barbara Lyon were thanked and new Bishop Committee members were voted in: Brenda Hillier, Dennis Potts, and Camilla Shaffer.  Susan Seaburg was appointed our new Bishop’s Warden.  Additionally, our Delegates to the Diocesan Convention were elected: Cindy Hershberger, Jim Sotelo, and Donna Seelbach.  Scot Olivier has “retired” from service as a Delegate to Convention. He shared with us that he was first made a Delegate at age 17, in 1980, when our diocese was being formed as the Diocese of El Camino Real, and he had the opportunity to vote for our very first Bishop. A few days after our Annual Meeting, Nathaniel O’Brien, 17 years old, accepted an invitation to serve as Delegate—he, too, will have an opportunity to vote for our next Bishop, an historic time for our Diocese and our Congregation.

When all was said and done, numerous people exclaimed with joy:  “that was the best Annual Meeting ever!”  Thank you to all who contributed to this joyful day of blessing!!

Keeping in the “spirit of sharing our blessings”, there is a book I discovered a few days following our Annual Meeting, published by the Alban Institute, which I am going to use as a guide and the basis for our spiritual growth during this next year: 

Becoming a Blessed Church: Forming a Church of Spiritual Purpose, Presence, and Power :

“What is a blessed church? It is a church uniquely grounded in a relationship with God that allows blessings to flow through it. It is a church with a vibrant sense of faith, hope, and love. It is a church that embraces the sacred and that is not afraid to serve God in its own way. Pastor and author N. Graham Standish describes how a church that is open to God’s purpose, presence, and power can claim God’s blessing.” (From Alban Institute website: http://www.alban.org)

My prayer for St. Philip’s is that we can continue to be a source of God’s infinite blessings not just to one another, but to the greater community of Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz County and the world.  Through our participation in faith, hope and love as lived in the life of Jesus Christ we will be blessed and be able to share God’s blessing with others.

One of the ways I invite you to share God’s blessing right now is to invite your family, friends and neighbors to join us this Lent for Wednesday evening simple soup suppers, with fellowship and prayer, 6pm-7:30pm. Begin now to plant the seeds of invitation to our Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Saturday Easter Vigil, and/or Sunday Easter Services.  Even if you have invited your friends in the past and they turned you down, give them another chance—remember how God continually invites us back, always looking for that “lost sheep”, and lovingly returning each and everyone of us who are willing back into the fold.  Share with your family and friends how you have been blessed here at St. Philip’s, so that they too may know the blessing of God’s love through Jesus Christ abundantly evident right here!

May you have a blessed Lent,

             Pastor Mary and Jim Blessing