Let me say first that I am overjoyed to be with you. You and I have awaited this time for months, and I am delighted that our ministry together has finally begun. There is so much good work to be done! From my very first encounter with Good Shepherd, I have been moved and excited by all that God has done, and all that God will do, in your midst. The resurrection is alive in you! I am so grateful to join your beloved community.
You may know that I grew up, and later served as a priest, in a parish which weathered many of the same challenges that Good Shepherd has experienced. In the years of recovery after schism, I remember feeling like we were holding onto something precious and fragile. With every change – each new priest who joined the staff, every new challenge before us – I worried that we might lose the essence of what made our parish so special, what made it feel like home. Perhaps you might be wondering some of those same things as we step into the future.
And so, I thought that I would share with you some things that I might like to know if I were in your shoes:
First, I believe that all clergy are called to be stewards. When we come to a new parish, we are entrusted with the gift of the community’s identity, liturgy, customs, and culture. We are not called to change those things and mold them into our own image. Rather, we are called to love them, to nurture them, and to help them grow, in order that we might pass them on to the saints who will come after us. I will do my very best to be a good steward of the remarkable gift which is the Church of the Good Shepherd.
Second, in my discernment process with the vestry and advisory committee, I was most excited by your passion for growth. I will never forget the first time I prayed Morning Prayer here in April, hearing the officiant pray for all those yet unknown to us whom God will draw here and for the growth of ministry here for the sake of the Gospel. It brought tears to my eyes. Your prayers reveal a faithful commitment to follow Jesus’ command to go and make disciples of all. Together, you and I will live out Christ’s Great Commission. We will continue to grow this parish. We will welcome new members and expand our ministries. We will serve our neighbors with love and compassion. We will raise up leaders for the Church and for the world. We will love our children well. All the while, we will remain faithful to our Anglo-Catholic identity.
And so, the question remains, how should we begin this work?
I will begin by listening. To serve you well, I ought to know you well. To that end, I would like to invite you to dinner! Beginning later this month, I will host a series of small group pot-luck dinners in the Rectory. I have scheduled a few evenings to get us started, and I will certainly add more as we need them. You can sign up at the links below or by emailing me directly. And, as the Prayer Book says, “all may… none must.”
The first round of dinners will be:
Wednesday August 12 at 6:15 pm
I am excited to hear your hopes and dreams and ideas about how God might be calling us to serve. I am look forward to our first Sunday together. And, I cannot wait to see all that God will do through you in the season ahead.
See you in Church!
Mthr. Maddie