Dear saints,
This Sunday we celebrate the culmination of several months of discernment as a church about the next few years of our ministries and life together. Following the 9:00am service, I will make a presentation in Ellis Hall of our strategic plan for mission for the next three years. As you will hear, the plan invites us to widen the circle of what it means to be the church.
We wish to make the most of the lessons of the past few years and grow into being a truly hybrid church: in-person and online; on and off our block. We seek to become even more a community that makes space for all sorts of people at all stages of their journey of faith, deepening our relationship with God and with one another as we do. Once again, we hear a call to embrace change and hear in that invitation the Spirit's work in and through us that promises to make all things new.
Change has also been in our life as a staff in recent weeks with the retirements of Maurice Reddick and Lori Guarisco, and the departure of Katie Presley for her first call as an associate rector in South Carolina. That change continues this week with the news that Kirk Rich will be leaving All Saints' this summer to take up a position as Music Director in his home state of Kentucky where he will also be closer to his family there. You will see from Kirk's letter below that this is a wonderful opportunity for he and Laura, and we give deep thanks for all Kirk has offered in music leadership here over these past five years. Kirk's final Sunday will be July 2, from which point our Associate Music Director Brendan Conner, will become Acting Music Director for the next several months. We will begin a search for a new Music Director in the early fall, and we have a strong plan in place for the smooth management of our adult music program for the months ahead.
'There is a time for everything', the scriptures tell us. As the times change in this parish community, may we trust that the One who calls us onward is and will always remain faithful. As we draw the circle wider let us give thanks for the gift of this church.
Peace,
Simon+
