I watch as a woman approaches the communion rail, walking with pain, shifting a cane to the other hand to steady herself and receive communion. What is her story? How did she get here? She endured physical pain. She got up earlier than was comfortable. She arranged for a ride. I am humbled by all…
Each week, as we come forward to receive communion, some of us are carrying overwhelming burdens, incredible joys, life-shattering sorrows, and unanswerable questions. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our hands stretched out to receive, bringing our individual struggles, sorrows and joys together in the gracious act of sharing this spiritual meal. We share our…
How did you get here? Actually, an even more interesting question is, why did you come back? Each of us has as story of how we found our way to St. Dunstan’s Church for the first time. I remember one couple who were in the neighborhood to visit a different church and discovered that the…
This Sunday, September 9th, is our Kickoff Sunday and Neighborhood Picnic. I am delighted that the Ain’t No Heaven Seven will be here to help us launch another great year of worship, music, ministry and fun. We will sing great spirituals together, like, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” and “The Old Rugged Cross.”…
In the early ’90s, in a slow real estate market, we tried to sell our house and didn’t get any offers at all. After about five months, discouraged, we took the house off the market. A year later we decided to make some improvements and try again. We bought new appliances for the kitchen, installed new floors and carpeting, painted, and gave…
What is our vision for the future of church? Early this year we engaged in a Discovery Process with our vestry and members of the congregation asking this question and inviting people to share their visions. This process culminated in a summit meeting where we worked together to develop a vision for improving our worship space with a new organ, installing an…
Our Guest Columnist is Mother Carola von Wrangel On the opening day of General Convention, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry invited everyone to “Follow the Way of Love, Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life.” He encouraged us to adopt a rule of life so that we may participate more fully in the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus…
Our Guest Columnist is Mother Carola von Wrangel One of the highlights of my trip to General Convention was the Saturday evening Worship Service — not just any worship service but an old fashion revival service! Presiding Bishop Michael Curry led us with a rousing sermon. The music was astonishing. And we were then given…
Our Guest Columnist is Mother Carola von Wrangel As part of my work with Food for the Poor, I traveled to Austin, Texas for the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in early July. As an exhibitor rather than a deputy, I had the opportunity to meet people from all over the Episcopal Church, attend…
We have been talking about the kingdom of God as a movement for the past few weeks. The idea of a movement is more compelling to me than a kingdom. A kingdom is a place and seems somewhat static to me. A movement, on the other hand, is ideas and actions that we all get…