In the Godly Play curriculum that we use for Children's Formation, there is a story called "The Great Family" that tells of Abraham and Sarah: how they wandered in the desert, meeting God in all sorts of strange places, and how God eventually led them to a new home. Of the several stories I have encountered as a nascent Godly Play teacher, I think this one is my favorite so far. Maybe it's because I have seen God in my wanderings too.

Although I was officially received into the Episcopal Church about a year ago in November 2025, my first visit to Good Shepherd was actually in November 2020. Between those two Novembers, I earned a master's degree, moved across state lines three times, and changed jobs twice. I also lived in a Quaker intentional community for a year and a half, then spent a period of time in the Eastern Orthodox catechumenate. I was learning how deeply I yearned to be rooted in the long tradition of Christian liturgy and doctrine; at the same time, I was also straining to see what sort of hope or future I could have as a queer woman within this tradition. For a while, it seemed as though I'd have to leave a part of myself at the door whenever I entered a church. When I eventually found my way back to Good Shepherd and began attending regularly, I encountered a faith that was capacious enough to hold everything I brought with me. Looking back on the past six years, and particularly on my experience with Good Shepherd, I see God leading me to a place where I could finally pitch my tent.

At the end of "The Great Family," we learn about Abraham's children and his children's children, who eventually became a great family that now includes you and me. In the liturgy at Good Shepherd, I perceive the bond that I share with my ancestors in the faith; at the same time, during these months of transition, I have seen God at work in our discernment and in our confidence that we have been given something worth sharing with future generations. In this place, I have learned to trust that God has welcomed me into a family with a past and a future.

Courtney Dalton,
Vestry Secretary