Dear Friends,

You’ve been hearing a lot about our Celebration of New Ministry that’s coming up. The whole staff, along with lots of other members of the leadership at this parish have been working hard for weeks (some of us months!) putting together a day that will truly celebrate the diverse and important ministries and people that make this worshiping community so special.

Celebrations of New Ministry are a tradition in the Episcopal Church to mark the ways that ministry is new and renewed for the whole congregation when a priest is first called to a parish. There was a time in the history of this tradition where the whole event began to be very much centered on the ministry of the priest. Sometimes these services almost looked like enthronement ceremonies for Rectors!

The truth, however, is that ministry for the whole congregation is renewed when there is a new Rector. It is the culmination of many months of work on behalf of the vestry and search committee; and, it is the latest capstone on the ministry of the church that has been growing throughout its history across all of its leadership. So, we have been intentional about making sure that this service on Saturday, November 8th represents a celebration of our ministry across this beautiful parish, not just the particular aspects of this ministry to which I’ve been called.

There will be many beautiful things and joyful moments that day. One that I wanted to share with you today: as a part of our joy in celebrating this ministry that we share, Michael and I have commissioned a new, custom set of white vestments and hangings as a gift to the parish that will be used for the first time that day. We’re very excited to share this with all of you, and to use it together for years to come as a reminder of this exciting time in Trinity’s history.

I look forward to celebrating all that we’ve already built together and all the potential that is still blossoming here in this community. See you on Saturday, November 8th at 10:00 am!

Blessings,
Jon+