Reviewing the Start of a New Year

Every year, we start with several events that are signposts for the life of the parish and the diocese. Those events include a parish forum, a Deanery pre-convention meeting, the parish annual meeting, the Diocesan convention, and the Vestry retreat. It has been a busy and full month, which has energized me and I believe gotten us off to a good start for 2010.

The Diocese became the first Diocese within TEC to affirm the Windsor Covenant. The Covenant is a limited tool to assist all Anglicans in learning how to better work together as the Body of Christ within the global contexts of today. It has theological implications--ways to discern good and bad theological developments. It also has missiological implications--ways to affirm the advance of the Gospel among new peoples (remember that still today at least 1 in 5 people has no access to the Gospel or the Church in their own heart language.) The Covenant will take a big step forward in April when the lead bishops (called Primates) of twenty different provinces gather in Singapore. They are expected to adopt the Covenant--that's twenty out of thirty nine provinces worldwide.

Here in the Parish: we have identified three focus areas for 2010: simplifying our ministries, celebrating our outreach and missions, and embracing our multi-generational efforts. We are a very energetic parish with lots of activities: but sometimes that amounts to plain old busy-ness and stepping on each other's toes. Therefore, we will explore how to team up clusters of ministry (e.g. all of the evangelism efforts) so that by working together we actually make it simpler for all of us--and for our newcomers and guests who might be joining us.

We are involved with mission efforts in Liberia, Honduras, China, Thailand, the Dominican Republic and now Haiti. Most of what we are doing however is hidden and un-celebrated. You could say we are being humble and discreet. Maybe. But in doing missions and outreach the way that we are, we miss the opportunity to celebrate and to praise God for what He is doing across the world--in part, because He has invited us to support and pray and encourage these efforts.

Lastly, we are seeing the beginnings of change within the parish. Some of our families have just come together to jump start our family ministry: we are thinking of calling it Jacob's Family Fellowship. Over the course of 2010, God is going to re-shape Our Savior. For the last number of years we have been an older congregation with a few younger families. By the end of this year, I expect we will begin to say that we are a multi-generational congregation, eagerly welcoming young families and seniors alike. This will take some work--but it will also be exciting.

In the Vestry, we initiated some new changes at the retreat designed to build leadership year after year. Beginning this year, each year our Junior Warden will become the next Senior Warden--thus helping us to intentionally build continuity in leadership. That involves making some other changes--for example, empowering a building and properties committee. Part of simplicity is sharing ministry. Jethro told Moses to share his responsibilities. The changes in the Vestry encoruage me as Rector to share some of my ministry with the Vestry which they in turn can share with others.

There's been no bells or whistles this past month: but it has been a significant time of setting things in motion that prepare us to respond to God's call on us more effectively and confidently. "Aslan is on the move."