This Week from Mitch
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This Sunday is Christ the King Sunday. In the scope of the wider church, Christ the King Sunday is the last Sunday of "ordinary" before we turn our attention to Advent and the coming of Jesus.
In the life of St. Martin's, this weekend represents the time of year when we have our Annual Meeting. This year my annual address will happen during the sermon. After the Eucharist, we will make our way to the Parish Hall where, after getting a cup of coffee and a tasty snack, we will:
Vote on our Vestry slate
Thank our Vestry members who are completing their terms of service
Hear a Treasurer's Report about the finances of the church
Hear from our Junior Warden
And, finally we will hear from our Senior Warden.
Since the last Annual Meeting, we have accomplished much. Our attendance has returned to pre-pandemic numbers; we have welcomed newcomers; we have sent a group of youth and adults to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain; we brought back our Kanuga Parish Weekend; started new Bible Studies; welcomed two new deacons into our Sunday services; started monthly parish breakfasts; fed hundreds through our feeding ministries; sent a plane full of clothes and and supplies to Ukraine; brought back our Christmas pageant and Vacation Bible School; talked with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on our podcast; won national church awards for our magazine "faith!" and our parish newsletter and podcast as well as the online piligrimage we produced during the pandemic. And these things just scratch the surface -- 2022 has been an adventurous year.
In Celtic spirituality, the following of the Holy Spirit is often referred to as "chasing the wild goose." I cannot imagine any other group I would rather chase this goose with than St. Martin's. Come on Sunday and hear what we have done and where we are going.
In Christ,
Mitch+
