Last month, I went for my annual eye exam with Dr. Tom Rossi. It was his last week in the office before retirement, so I was glad to see him-for many reasons. During my exam, he told me that my vision had slightly improved. Apparently, this can happen with folks as they turn forty and so on. Apparently other things happen as well, which are ongoing conversations with Cynthia and the others who hold me up like Old Moses on the mountaintop. I asked Tom if my vision was going to continue improving until it was perfect again. He said it doesn’t work that way. Sigh.
That visit with Tom got me thinking about vision, about what we see and how we are aware of what we see-or are not. I’ve been thinking a good deal about the struggle to pay attention to what we pay attention to. What catches your eye and heart, to either uplift you or bring you down, if we’re honest. Vision is key in our Christian practice, the call to see the world as God sees the world and co-create the Kin-dom of God here among us and within us. It’s no small thing, is it?
As we looked toward the upcoming annual stewardship campaign for 2020, I was very aware of all of those who are sharing in the leadership for the broader Bicentennial Capital Campaign: over fifty people on the Finance Committee, the Campus Vision & Development Committee, the Bicentennial Stewardship Committee, and the Vestry. I am in awe of their leadership. I appreciate the time dedication and love that they are pouring into the parish, and I wondered about being good stewards of their time. To that end, I asked Polly Jones, my current Senior Warden, and Dan Scott, my incoming Senior Warden, if they would work with me on this year’s stewardship campaign. I saw a need and wondered if we could work together for the benefit of the broader community.
This year’s focus or theme will be vision, the vision we share and the way we are called to participate in God’s vision for this community and the world. And with next year being 2020, it was too good an image to pass up.
We will email out (and post here) a series of short videos, each of which will explore a different angle on the image of vision. The first is below: a reflection I filmed in the basement. There are monsters down there.
Following videos will be variations on a theme, with a deep prayer that we can indeed catch a glimpse of God’s vision for this place and have the spiritual courage to answer the call. Like we have said for the past two years, it really is alright to talk about money and to encourage giving resources. We are an incarnational faith which celebrates how God entered into creation and uses creation to fulfill God’s dream for us all.
So, let us all hold this before our eyes: an image of God’s hopeful presence in our lives that continuously transforms us and brings us into a deeper awareness of God’s love within this community-and the entire world.
Pledge cards will soon be mailed but you may make your pledge to the 2020 ministry budget online using the Be Thou My Vision button below. Our new website really helps us engage with one another more easily.
Blessings to you all,
Stuart