I am constantly amazed at how quickly time seems to pass. Yesterday the staff put together a brief video showing the past year. As we put together the video, I was forced to take a moment and look at all of the pictures of events since our last Annual Meeting. Holy Wow.

Maybe you really want to come back to church, but you're nervous about the virus that is still so disrupting our lives.

We understand, which is why we now offer a hybrid form of outdoor church at our 10:30 a.m. service. We believe this way of "being church" allows folks to re-enter the St. Martin's community with an extra sense of safety.

In addition to being that time of year when we celebrate homecomings and bless our pets, it's also stewardship season, the time when we consider what we will give to St. Martin's. I ask you to look at your church and see the healthy youth programming, safe and holy worship and ongoing mission efforts like Habitat for Humanity, the Crayton backpack program, Harvest Hope, Family Promise and so much more. I ask you to re-read articles in our "faith!" magazine or perhaps to look back at our E-Messengers. Look, see and feel how we have stayed connected. And then pray about the future of your church.

It is no secret that the pandemic has forced us to consider deeply what church means to us. We have had to decide whether we feel safe coming or not. We've had to learn how to do online worship, trying also to do it well. The learning curve has been as steep as it has been expensive. We've had to deal with folks being mad. Some have been upset, saying that we have been too cautious. Others have said we have opened too fast. Others, I think, also thought the shut down would be temporary, and they quit coming to church, thinking it would be for a week or two, which stretched to four weeks, then four months, and now its approaching two years. To these folks I want to say, come back, you've been missed, and you are loved!

Just over two years ago, we completed the donor solicitation phase of our Building on the Legacy Capital Campaign. Led by Neil Rashley, this campaign was extremely successful. We raised $2.2 million in pledges. Little did we know how much life would change in the months following our celebration dinner. And yet, despite the craziness of the past two years, the Capital Campaign has continued to do well. Thank you for your commitment to keeping your pledges.

If COVID has taught us anything, it is that our life is filled with pivots. The Delta variant of COVID-19 is once again forcing our church to pivot. This latest pivot comes in the form of our Jazz Mass. After speaking to the choir last night, we have decided to postpone it, moving it to a later date.

“After listening, we will find an opportunity to help. It may be through a one-on-one relationship with an affected church and their parishioners, or it may be through Episcopal Relief and Development. I am not sure where it will be, but the opportunity will present itself. We are pursuing it. In the meantime, we will keep air in the disaster relief trailer tires and the equipment in working order. It's a long hurricane season and, at some point, our role as responders for Episcopal Relief and Development will be called on again…It is inevitable that our trailer will be deployed again. ”

You might have heard announcements from our church or from the diocese that we’re preparing for an “episcopal election” or “bishop election.” But what is a bishop? And why does this matter to our church? How does this work? Well, you’ve come to the right blog post.

Sometimes a lot happens in a week. This week has been one with both tremendous highs and lows…There have been several other positive COVID cases either in or close to our community. For this reason, last week we went back to everyone wearing masks indoors at every service or church meeting. Please continue to be safe. If you have not been vaccinated and you can be, please get the shot. It can save your life and the life of another.

Our church has done a lot. We're currently partnering with Episcopal Migration Ministries and Habitat for Humanity in a critical house rebuild. We've hired a full preschool staff who did their CPR training today. We've worked to re-open all of our worship opportunities and we have hired a youth minister slated to start in just a couple of weeks. The stage is set for an amazing year. In order to live into this year and all of the many opportunities that we have, I ask for your cooperation as we seek to be safe, loving our neighbors as ourselves.

There is much to give thanks for as our new school year and program year begins. Where do you see joy? Hope? Expectation? Blessing? How will you pause and offer to God thanksgiving in all times?

As parents/mentors/coaches, we must trust we have done enough. We pray to God to protect those we love, and then we pray for the strength, courage, and grace to trust those whom we have raised. We are asked as families to trust faithfully both what has been done, and trust what will be. In that trust, we say "Godspeed." I pray that our youth go with God and that we can hear what they learn each time that they return. I pray that our relationship with them will continue to grow. And, finally, I pray that one day, when they return home, we will see them as friends and not children, as peers -- as the generation of both tomorrow and right now.

In many ways, I feel like St. Martin's has been in the midst of a period of practice and preparation. We have worked hard and we have planned. As the start of our program year approaches we have HUGE projects on the horizon.

Despite the pandemic, we are growing. Growing in ministry, growing in love, and growing in numbers. It is my belief that as long as we stay faithful to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, this growth will continue. It was faithfulness that led volunteer after volunteer to help at the vaccination sites; it was faithfulness that kept worship happening even when it was forced online and outside; it was faithfulness that kept our Community House open and our feeding ministries alive, and it is faithfulness that leads us in a spirit of joy and love to these exciting new opportunities.

This summer at St. Martin's has been one of preparation and work. Looking back, three projects have taken a large amount of focus. Our Capital Improvement Committee, Preschool Advisory Board, and Youth Minister interviews have been our priorities. In each, we have made tremendous progress that we’re excited to share!

As I was driving home, I recall thinking about how bright the future is for St. Martin's. As I look toward the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year, I am filled with hope. The story of 2021 is only half over. The second part of the year has begun and it looks like it is going to be a wonderful journey. With God's help and an open heart, I believe the Holy Spirit will lead us to something wonderful.

Tim's vision for the garden is to have a place of growth, fellowship, learning, and fun. It's a long-term vision, but it has taken root. If you can, drive by the back of the church and take a look, or better yet, volunteer! It's a fun ministry and an exciting one to watch.