Christ is our light and beacon for the future!

Along the white sterile walls of Methodist Hospital in Houston my mother walked side-by-side with me on a rolling gurney.  Wishing us well the nurses waved a sad “see you soon” dressed in white knee length skirts, stockings, and what I called the fortune cookie hats.  The orderlies pushed on through doorways and endless halls on the way to the operating room.  Holding my hand along-the-way, my mother cried. 

It was the summer of 1978; we had reached the conclusion of a five year struggle of what to do about my birth defect.  After years of wearing leg braces, plaster body casts, a bone graft and a partial amputation surgery we had reached a fork in the road.  We could decide to spend my adolescent years in surgery after surgery missing school and socialization trying to fix my deformed leg.  Or we could amputate the lower part of the leg, be fitted with a prosthetic leg, and be on our merry way.

Faithfully walking by my side, tears rolling down her face, I offered a question:

“Mom? Why are you crying?  They’re just going to cut off my leg.”

Words from a five-year-old boy intended to comfort probably cut deeper into the pain.  I’m so thankful that I have not had to make a similar decision for my own children.  God allowed my mother to make that difficult choice and she made it as faithfully as she could. 

Since the time I was very young, I’ve been aware that when it comes to crisis situations I frequently have had a positive outlook.  My attitude tends to reflect the old saying, “Things could be worse.”  And even though I tend to stress over change I know that God’s blessings always follow the storm.

In many ways I’ve tried to tackle problems with the idea that we can conquer anything that the world throws at us.  But our abilities are so small when compared to the power of God.

When we know Jesus that power and optimism is amplified infinitely.  When he spoke to his disciples saying, how hard it would be for a rich man to enter heaven they didn’t understand what he meant.  They believed wealth was a sign of God’s favor toward someone.  They believed that someone who was poor or sick had received divine punishment, and therefore was less likely to enter heaven.  They were confused and asked how this is possible.  And he said to them, “with man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

St. Paul shares a similar sentiment after suffering through arrests, stoning, floggings, shipwrecks, snake bites, and all manner of perils for the sake of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus, he wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

I like to apply this way of thinking to our life together in the All Saints family.  As we continue to focus on knowing our gifts and encouraging each other to live the Good News of Jesus in the world we can be confronted with set backs.  There will be things that discourage you at work or at home.  People can rub you the wrong way, you can get sick, there are so many ways that the world can try to distract you from believing that you overcome and conquer with the Love of Christ.

But really I want you to think differently.  Indeed it is not you who conquers.  But it is Christ living in you that conquers these struggles.  And because of that we have nothing to fear.  Looking to him for strength in each moment of the day will help you to overcome those hurdles and live fully into the Kingdom that he is preparing us for.

As All Saints continue to discover how we are called to bring more people into our fellowship we will be confronted with barriers that keep us from fulfilling God’s will for us.  There will be hiccups, difficulties, struggles, tension because our selves will get in the way of his plan.  But he wants for us to be a thriving branch that bears much fruit in his Kingdom.  And to do that we must look to Jesus.  Jesus is our lighthouse on a rocky shore, shining light in the dangerous areas and guiding our way saying to us, “Do not cry; do not be afraid. I am with you.”

All Aboard the All Saints Mission!

Left of Center is our Cruise ship

On our recent excursion to Alaska we sailed the inside passage along coastlines of snow capped mountains, glaciers, and icebergs.  Viewing the landscape and wildlife God made it clear to us that he makes beautiful things.

Happily I discovered there was a chapel on board our ship. Since I brought my prayerbook and daily office readings, it seemed good to take advantage of a quiet place to say morning prayer each day.


One morning I grabbed my book and set out to find the chapel. Passing casinos, occasional piano bars, gift shops with an assortment of alluring booze, and night clubs, I found what I was looking for.

Tucked away but clearly marked on the port side amidship sat the quiet sanctuary.  An elegant set of double doors with a pointed arch communicated that this is the chapel.  The ante-room floor was adorned simplistically with a rose pattern mosaic tile and nothing on the walls to distract.  Entering the chapel I wondered if I would be the only one in attendance.  I was.  I sat down to the traditional office and read my prayers and readings as I do in the chapel in church.  This chapel hosts on-board weddings for guests is adorned with some non-descriptive stain-glass windows. The false windows had the look of shepherds in an attempt at traditional religious imagery.

The wondering eye also fell on chintzy frescoes of naked cherubs and something that looked like a Greek god with dragonfly wings.  Some of the design was comical but looked like a sincere attempt to cover all the religious bases.  I appreciated the attempt.  After all, the ship designers could choose not to have a chapel at all.  On a cruise ship whose primary purpose is to make money every square foot counts.

Although it was quiet, the chapel was not spiritually moving, so the next few days I opted to say the Daily Office on the balcony of our room.  Each morning I grabbed my prayerbook and made way five feet from the bed to the deck chair.  Proximity makes getting up for prayer very easy.  I looked out over the sea and watched as we passed those snow capped mountains and valleys carved by glaciers.  I took note of the occasional whale rolling across the surface of the water.  As I prayed one of my family would come out, sit in the other chair, and listen as I recited  the prayers.

Surrounded by the beauty of creation and hearing the Scriptures I felt God's presence.  Thinking on these three things: the Scriptures, the ancient prayers, and God's creation, I had this clear sense of the vastness and timelessness of it all.  These three things were here before me and will be here after me.

I stopped to consider that these glaciers are living ice sheets constantly being formed and eroded; you can't tell how old they are.  But for thousands of years they rub back and forth on the mountain valleys that they chisel out.  They are the handiwork of God.

As Kate and I watched one humpback whale in the distance splashing his fin over and over again on the water, I asked "What is he doing?"  I could only think that he looked to be playing.  What a life he leads.  He worries not about what he will eat, what he wears, nor where he will sleep. The Father in heaven provides for him.  His whole life is a series of eating, mating, migrating, sleeping, playing and singing his whale songs.  And this goes on and on from one generation to the next.

And so it occurred to me how out of touch we humans are with the created order.  We have so complicated our world that we forget that life is to be enjoyed in the presence of God doing what he made us to do, to love him, one another and bring others into that relationship.  The mountains and glaciers function the same way.

Everyday new snowfalls pile on at the top.  Under the weight of thousands of years of accumulation the compacted ice cuts through rock and shapes a landscape.  As the glacier recedes it leaves a hard surface prepared to recieve molds and spores blown by winds that travel around the world.  When the spores finally manage to stick to the face of the rock they create soft landing surfaces of plant life.  All this takes decades.  Seeds land on the molds and then root into the rock to grow plants and finally trees begin to appear that completely change the landscape again.

It takes time and tenacity.  At each stage of change the landscape changes from barren rock to furry moss to plant life. And the whole project can't be sped up because it's all in God's time.  Considering the time it takes I am both in awe and impatient about the process.  I want to see the beautiful thing that is coming next.

When it comes to this church I feel the same way.

Here we are toiling away.  We make adjustments to the staffing to help us focus in areas that have needed nurturing such as communications and family & children's ministry.  We've approved resources to be put forward in nursery and children's ministry. We've put resources to fix up the bathroom facilities.  It's been a slow process of trying to figure out what really needs to happen.

We have in place the tools we need to incorporate new friends, brothers and sisters into our parish family.  And so we wait patiently.
 

It occurred to me that as God was making all of these beautiful things around us, he had in his minds eye what the mountains and sea, birds and fish, would all look like.  And he had in his minds eye how he was going to do it.

And then I realized...At church, we have the, "How we're going to do it," part.  But we still haven't grasped the vision of what we want to look like.  "What is our vision?"  We know our mission is to "touch lives for Jesus..."

But why are we doing that mission?

Touching lives for Jesus means that our own faith reaches out to allow others to come to know him as well.  We are Touching lives for Jesus so that those lives might be brought into the family and adopted as children of the Father.

We have put the instruments of effective ministry in place to help us plan and implement for the vision.

As I said in my address at the annual parish meeting we quantified that vision to make our Sunday attendance 200 so that we can more freely support the ministries of All Saints and live out our Christian values of Worship, Love, and Service.  More invitations means more lives touched by Jesus.

In order to do that we all have to be on board with that plan.  It takes you volunteering for community events and services and participating in our family activities. Our Jazz fest and other musical offerings are an example.  Our Christian Education opportunities are faith-filled and fun. It takes you serving with our children's ministry. We've had to postpone our Vacation Bible School because we needed 15 excited volunteers to participate to help touch children's lives for Jesus.

God is chiseling and cutting us into a beautiful landscape.  It will not take a thousand years like mountains and valleys.  But in God's time and by your faithful ministry we will live into the mission and fulfill the vision! What role will you take in the shaping of this church family?

Around the Office Update #2 March 28.2013

As every Christian has heard, the church is the Body of Christ.  That means we embody Jesus in this world.  We are his hands, legs, mouth, eyes, and ears.  Just like Jesus we utilize the senses of the body to listen to and observe the needs of our local community.  Our legs carry the spoken words of hope to the people around us.  Our hands lift up the broken-hearted and bring a healing Touch to the lives of people in the name of Jesus.

You are all familiar with our service ministries: to homeless families with Family Promise, to the hungry with Emily’s Pantry, and to those in prison through Kairos.  These faithful efforts are bearing fruit and fulfilling God’s call to serve Christ in all persons.

All Saints is working to extend its name into the local community in new ways.  Years ago I attended a conference on ministry.  The lecturer asked the question, “If your church no longer existed would the community notice?”

So I asked that question of us.  Today, the answer is, “Yes. People would notice!”  And I believe God is calling us to open up our resources in ways that our local community will really notice.

You are aware of the need to replace our current piano.  We discovered recently that it has a cracked pin block.  It is becoming increasing difficult for this instrument to stay in tune and lead our praises.  So we are acting now to raise funds for a new piano that will last one hundred years. 

Our July 6 Jazz Festival will raise a portion of the funds but the majority of the cost will come from donations.  A high quality instrument will enable us to invite community members into our church through concerts and recitals which gives us an opportunity for invitations to our parish family.

A second way we are trying to become more visible locally is through a community garden. We are working with our Montessori and ESL/.GED school friends to begin the process.  It will be a place that will beautify our property and make it useful.  We have the land; the community provides the effort.  You may even want to help out!  As this opportunity grows, we’ll see new faces and have the opportunity to invite them into our parish family.

A third initiative started in prayer three years ago.  I asked God, “How can we make better use of our back property for children and families?” Through our ESL program we met someone who is creating a youth sports academy.  He will be focusing on tennis and soccer.

Through negotiations and donations with the city contractors, we are working to reshape our property to get it ready for children and youth to play on it.  Donations toward this effort are welcome.  Again these efforts will present opportunities to invite our guests to be a part of the All Saints family.

Through these efforts we are living into the mission and values of the All Saints family.  As we continue to walk this path, your invitations to our guests will be the same as Jesus touching lives!  And you will see the Kingdom of God grow in your life and in the life of our parish family! Consider how you will support these efforts with your donations and your time.

Around the Office Update #1 February 13, 2013

Where did January go?!

Worship
Lent is upon us! Lent is the season of recalling and repenting of our sins and striving through renewed disciplines to worship God from Monday to Sunday.  Remember that as your pastor I am hear to help in that capacity.  If you need spiritual direction, listening, or help with prayer give me a call or come by the office.

Also keep in mind that during Holy Week I will keep hours in the chapel for the Rite of Reconciliation (p. 446 in the Prayer Book).  This service is our ability to confess our sins privately to a priest.  Sometimes getting things off your chest is the only way to move from feelings of guilt to forgiveness.  If you would like to offer your confession privately I am always available.  But also be on the alert for special hours for this sacrament during Holy Week.

As we walk together through this Holy Season remember that now is a great time to be listening to the spiritual concerns of friends and families.  They need the Love of God as much as you do.  Encourage them to worship!  Invite them to worship with us.

Love
Our Lenten program telling God Stories and Jesus Touching our Lives is gearing up.  Beginning Wednesday, Feb. 20th at 6:30 we'll meet in the parish hall for soup (a light meal).  Then adults and children will part ways for different programs.  Children will strengthen friendships with one another and their relationships with Jesus!  While adults will head to the church nave to share in music and ways that Jesus has touched their lives this week.  I feel the awesomeness already!  Soup is free for everybody, so bring a friend and share God's Love.

The last two weeks in our Family Formation hour we've seen more church family members show up; y'all keep coming.  Last Sunday we were visited by a prison guard and cell mate of Joseph's.  We're expecting a visit from Joseph anytime now, don't miss it.  Along with these visitations we're learning about how God was ever present with Joseph through his tribulations and blessings.  Just as he is present with us today in our struggles and joyful moments.  The arts and crafts have also been a lot of fun.  We'll see you there!

Service
As the semester continues on we've invited some new friends from Dulles High School National Honor Society to help us in our Emily's Pantry renovation.  Don't worry they're not painting or reflooring.  They will be helping us move food and furniture to another room while we paint and re-floor the pantry.  All this is in an effort to have a facility that meets with the standards of the Houston Food Bank.  We're excited for them to join us.  And we are hoping to take the opportunity to extend invitation for them to fellowship with us.

Blessings, Fr. Stephen+

Around the Office Update #4 (12.18.12)

A lot to do this week,. I can't wait for Christmas to come!

Worship
We're working on Christmas service sheets.  We're very excited about the emphasis on children and youth for the early Christmas Eve service.  While both services are open to all generations we hope that parents will feel that the early service will be engaging for the younger children.  The Island carols are lively and fun to sing.  And of course we'll include our traditional carols as well.

Also relating to worship, I've been asking around about ways to make our worship better.  Trying to balance musical and liturgical tastes within the structure of Anglican worship is a daunting task.  But there is flexibility within the structure.  We are looking to find the balance of these things that makes our worship so beautiful.  I'm always open to your feedback, so send me an email with your thoughts or grab me for a conversation.

Love
Get on board with us!! After months of faithful prayer, planning, and preparation Kari Richardson has joined our staff to help us with our Family Ministry.  We have mapped out a plan for Christian formation for children, youth, and adults.  Family ministry is a multi-generational faith formation that will enrich the lives of our children and parish family!

Kari has prepared a written protocol for our nursery.  This is help that ministry continue to be a safe and enriching environment for our youngest disciples.  For our families with older children and youth, we'll spend January orienting everyone on how this new ministry will unfold.  Family Formation will take place on first, second, and third Sundays.  Fourth Sundays are our service day at Emily's Pantry.  It's a great time to be at All Saints!

Service
Last week Sarah, Miguel, and I drove over to Dulles Middle School to pick up a first attempt at the school's food drive.  The offering from the middle school was well received.  I've written thank you notes to the departments in appreciation from the church.

Also, Tracey Spiller and I visited the Houston Food Bank for an orientation.  We'll have to go back in January to complete our paperwork. By teaming with the Food Bank we're going to be able to stock Emily's Pantry for drastically reduced prices on food.  We're still needing more volunteers.  We encourage everyone to invite a friend to help stock or distribute food.

Thank you for the continued support.  Blessings, Fr. Stephen+

The Narthex: First Impressions

Next to the parking lot, the narthex at All Saints is the first place of contact for our guests.  When they come to worship with us the narthex is a lively place, and as most of you know it is the focal point of information for and about All Saints.

Pronounced N (are)- thex (thex) like the letter "X"  The word is Latin for "great fennel" or seed.  As such the word is fertile with meaning.  A quick study of the word finds that it's meaning had to do with organic growth.  In ancient and medieval church architecture the narthex was the entry point of the church. It was a place for people outside of the community to catch a glimpse of what goes on inside.  In that way the people in the narthex themselves were seedling plants looking for spiritual nourishment.

People preparing for baptism (catechumens) or penitents (people ex-communicated for a time) were allowed to listen and participate in church services from the narthex.  At an appropriate time baptisms would take place at the door between the narthex and nave and new believers were welcomed into the family of Christ!  Likewise those penitents who had separated themselves by notorious sins could also be restored through penance to the community of the faithful.

Things have changed in the last few centuries; the narthex has become simply our front door.  We no longer restrict guests from entering into the nave and so the narthex takes on new purpose in our time.

As I've observed our narthex over the last few months there has been this emerging definition of space.  I've noticed that certain tables and walls are evolving into specific purposes that fall under "Worship, Love, & Service."  I want to encourage this to continue!  And I want to join in on what God is revealing in this very simple process.

Narthex Schematic: All Saints Episcopal Church

Our name-tags, the Sunday prayer sheet, and our new Parish Bible all sit underneath the heavy wooden cross.  Worship! The first of our core values is the one that is seen first as guests enter the door.  The open bible proclaims the primal authority of God's Word and name-tags declare our willingness to know and be known by our guests.

Over the last few months another area has become the focal point for our many Service ministries.  In that location we've been dropping off food for Emily's Pantry.  We've used that table to sign-up for Family Promise and the CPS Christmas gifts.  As we approach the time for Kairos prison ministry there will be a designated place to buy tickets for the barbecue chicken.

Finally, as we have renewed our emphasis on Christian Formation and Fellowship a space is emerging as the focal point of Love. Sign up sheets for Lenten suppers and information on Family Formation are coming and are already here.

Along with our core values we are experiencing the need to have a focal point for our guest ministries.  When you invite friends and acquaintances to visit us we will be ready to greet them and orient them to All Saints.

As these things have emerged we are beginning to give them a more defined place.  The attached schematic above shows how the architecture of the narthex is beginning to be shaped by our core values.

As we continue to thoughtfully use our space in ways to reach out and welcome our guests this layout may change.  We're always doing it in an effort to use our space more efficiently and to the Glory of God!

The Courage of Youth

God sends little moments of grace on our walk with him.  A few Sundays ago I arrived home in the afternoon, after a conference. Kate handed me a visitor card from a young girl that had been our guest at All Saints.  She was invited by one of our youth.

The young lady wrote her name on the card but left all of the contact information blank.  On the back she checked only the box marked, "I'm visiting" and crossed out the rest of the sentence which read, "...from out of town."

In the "I have a question:" box she wrote this:

How come girls get to carry things?  Like Sarah? [name changed]  My church is only boys.  I wanted to but they said no. [sic] Just wondering.  (sorry if my hand writing stinks. I can't write on my knee)

What a simple question that requires a simple response, I replied and have had  the note delivered:

Dear Elizabeth, [name changed]

Thank you for filling out a visitor card when you visited our church with [Sarah]. We're glad you worshiped with us!  You asked the question...I assume you mean why do we allow girls to be acolytes who carry the candles, crosses, or gospel book in our service.  This must be different in your church.  The answer is that in some churches only boys are allowed to become ministers or priests.  And so then only boys are allowed to carry the crosses or candles, because some of them may want to be priests some day.  Although that is different from our church we all love Jesus; we just have different customs.  In our church the children may or may not become priests when they grow up.  So it does not matter if they are boys or girls.  If you would like to come and visit our church and be trained to carry the candles and other things we would be happy to let you try.  You will need to talk to your parents though to make sure it's okay.  We hope that you'll give it a try. God bless you, Fr. Stephen+

You never know what questions people have.  This encounter makes me thankful for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, I'm proud of our youth who are unafraid to invite their friends to All Saints, even if the friend has her own church. An invitation is evangelism.  Just because someone says they are from a different denomination doesn't mean that deep down there isn't an Anglican trying to get out!

All Saints is a great Christian community and worthy to invite your friends.  Adults! this is an inspiration to you.  You have friends who say they are one thing or another.  Don't let that stop you from inviting them to worship with us.  You never know, they'll probably like it!  There are lots of barriers that keep people from coming to church.  The first barrier is not being invited.  Only you can remove that barrier.

Second, I appreciate the young lady's question.  She wasn't afraid of asking the priest a very simple question.  It takes courage to acknowledge that we don't know something, and it takes more courage to step up and ask questions.  There's probably something that you don't know and that you're not asking.  But you want to ask.  So ASK!  Send me an email, write me a note.

Finally, I am grateful that this young person came to visit us.  There are lots of wonderful things happening at All Saints.  We want to include new friends to be a part of our fellowship.  Keep up the good work!  God blesses us with the visitation of strangers.  They see God and our church community with new eyes.