Parish Ministry has been tough these past two years! These circumstances have highlighted long-standing tensions—and opportunities—in congregational life. Older patterns and assumptions have been challenged and new glimpses of grace have been seen. Through it all, perhaps we have learned how essential it is to ground the entirety of our parish ministry in prayer, paying close attention to the presence of God in our lives. We learn that prayer is not a program to offer; rather, it is a posture we nurture that enables us to live our transformed lives.
Each and every parish and context will look different—it has to! Each community is an embodiment of the Spirit of Christ, and we can celebrate this and wonder how we can strengthen our hearts by cultivating our practice of prayer. In a day and time when we all want an easy fix or a ready-to-implement program that offers a solution to our anxious problems, we are instead called to pause and listen for the Spirit’s voice that invites us to trust God’s presence at work in our communities. Given the challenges we face, perhaps it would be meaningful to form a fellowship of colleagues, clergy and lay, in different denominations and contexts, who can support one another as we are curious about what the Spirit is inviting us to explore.
In that vein, The School for Christian Practice at Grace is offering a special online conversation on Sunday, March 20 at 6:30 PM for those who may be interested in exploring the prayerful grounding of parish ministry.
Dear friends, we received notice this week that Brenau is quite short-staffed and is struggling, understandably, to meet our catering needs for Wednesday night dinners. We have reached out to a few in the parish who have helped in years past, and they are unable to assist with set up and clean up as well. At present, we have only 25 who are signing up for meals, and, while it is important to offer something, we simply cannot find a way on short notice to make the meals work. That being the case, we need to cancel the meals going forward from this point—at least for the time being.
Given where we are, I ask you to let us know 1) if you really feel strongly about investing in Wednesday meals, and 2) if you would be willing to help invest in this for the wider community. The staff and vestry are always looking for ways to offer spaces for the community, but we want to focus on what is most meaningful for the wider parish.
Stuart+
We are looking around the corner at Easter! (It’s still Lent, so keep it quiet). This year, we have had to shift our planning a bit for the brunch because of staffing shortages. We have a caterer coming with fantastic food, but we need a group of people to work with our Participation Ministries to set up and clean up. We’re hoping that some from the wider parish might be able to help! If you would be willing, please email Fr. Stuart and the office will be in touch with details.
Look ahead to upcoming opportunities for prayer, worship, and community!
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