Spread Kindness

Beloved saints of Trinity, 

My heart is filled with gratitude at the outpouring of care and compassion as my family navigated some challenging medical issues over the past few weeks. 

Through all of this, I was thinking and praying for you all, that the mission you all discerned together would continue to deepen your sense of belonging and community. 

This new mission is “To be a welcoming, inclusive community of faith grounded in the Episcopal tradition that looks to the future where Christ’s transformational love inspires every generation to care for one another and serve the wider world.”

One of the first discernments we do as a community with regard to being a welcoming people is to consider what it’s like to be the “new person” among us. What does it feel like to walk through these doors on a Sunday, to pass the peace, to pick up a bulletin, to brave the (sometimes) chasm between the nave and fellowship hall for coffee hour?

To that end, as part of my hopes for what I can offer in my short time among you all, I’ve made a few tweets to the bulletin for the 10am service. On Sunday, take notice of the new front cover, the new welcome page, and front and center, this bold new mission statement that you all worked on over these past months prior to my arrival.

I also invite you to, this Sunday, pay attention to your experience of praying in this community. 

Think about what it was like the first time you came to Trinity: Who greeted you? How did you find us? Did anyone introduce themselves to you before the service, during the peace, or after the service?

This is one small step each of us can take, to use these moments to be intentional with the way we welcome our neighbors braving the waters of finding a new church, or sometimes even church for the first time.

Who is the Christ that they will encounter when they sit near you or meet you?

And then make one small commitment: consider introducing yourself to someone you haven’t met when you’re passing the peace this Sunday. Ask them how long they’ve been a part of Trinity. Ask them what brought them to us, and commit to introducing them to me or CJ after the service, invite them to coffee hour where they can meet a few more lovely folks and have some treats before they head back home, or to wherever their journey takes them next.

Beloved, in the coming weeks we’ll be exploring aspects of this new mission and what we might be invited to do, be, or change to live more fully into who God is calling us to be.

In peace,