I hope and pray that you are well. This week at St. Martin's has been an amazing week filled with prayer, dreaming, and planning for the upcoming program calendar. It has been both difficult and exciting work.

I had to swing by Target this week for a few things. As I passed an aisle, I saw an animated little girl debating the merits of the pink-striped folder and the pink folder with Jojo Siwa on it. One was very chic and matched her backpack and new favorite shirt. The other was her favorite singer who all of her friends also loved. What would her folder choice say about who she was in this new grade and new year?! Would it say she's cool and really loves pink? Or would it be "cringe?!" Her dad listened with the expression of a grownup trying to understand the inner politics of 3rd grade -- perplexed.

This past week our Youth Group has also been away on their mission trip to New York City. They have participated in feeding ministries, learned about the service and mission of racial reconciliation in places whose bricks were laid by enslaved peoples, learned about how our sacred spaces tell our stories, and how beauty points to God. All the while enjoying good NY pizza, Highline tours, and a little fun. Please pray for them as they travel back home to us this Sunday.

I pray that you are well and that you have found ways to beat the summer heat. This week at St. Martin's has been a week of Bible stories, laughter, games, and play. Thank you to all of the amazing volunteers from youth to adults who have made this week happen. The pictures on our Facebook page and Instagram page are amazing. I encourage everyone to take a look.

The sounds of children playing, singing God's praises, and praying make me smile. I love Vacation Bible School for its tradition, its silliness, and its dedication to teaching the love of the Lord. If you want to see that the church is alive and well, swing by sometime next week before noon.

Starting at the end of July, work will begin to solve these issues and restore the beauty of these spaces. For the next two weeks, I will be holding space between services to answer any questions you may have. Since becoming a priest, I have tried my best to treat every funeral I have done like I was doing a service for my own family. The work in and around the memorial gardens will be done with the same respect, dignity, and love.

Each of us is called on to be a voice of welcome and/or a smiling face of invitation. Being a loving and welcoming community requires the individuals of that community to be loving and welcoming. It requires us to see the folks around us as the honored guest at the eucharistic feast we are hosting. From this hosting, bonds of friendship and affection can and will grow.

At St. Martin’s, I want to celebrate summer with you. From frequent snowball Sundays to lunches for seniors, I look forward to seeing you. I look forward to celebrating God’s love with you as we make summer memories.

This week Christopher Johnson will serve at the altar and preach as one of the newest deacons in the church. Chris, who is the lead chaplain at Heathwood Hall, has a unique calling. He is a chaplain. A chaplain at a school or in the military or even a hospital is in the unique position of supporting others through the love of God in their primary purpose. For Chris, his role in an Episcopal School is to support students, teachers, parents, and administrators in their callings to teach and to learn. It's a special job that I believe exists in the questions.

For our parents, I know that you may be busy, and summer childcare is always a challenge. Nonetheless, I encourage you to try to take some time to connect with your children. Bring them to church and sing with them, color with them in the pews, put church art up on your fridge.

To ask the Holy Spirit for guidance is to admit that we can't do everything alone, but with God's help and guidance we can do much more than ever thought we could. When we pray to the Holy Spirit, we rest our vulnerabilities inside the loving arms of God's invulnerability and for me that is more than enough.