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It is good to be joining St. Luke’s for this coming year! It has been a fantastic first week getting to know the staff, engage in chapel with the kids, and a side quest on the roof of the church and the attic. There has been so much to do and learn. And I am only writing this on Tuesday, my second day in the office.
We are getting to the tail end of an amazing program year at St. Luke’s. Much has changed since this time last year, and we have welcomed in many new faces into our community. St. Luke’s began to offer new events and tweaked old traditions in order to build bridges between our longtime members and the next generation. Some of the new things we tried may make another appearance next year, while others will go by the wayside, so we can continue to try on new ways of creating a faithful community. One of the long-term things we have decided to do are Ministry Fairs in the spring and in the fall.
As I write this to you it is May the Fourth. Many of you are probably aware that Star Wars fans are interjecting “May the Fourth be with you” wherever possible. This is a play on the common greeting of the heroes of the franchise, “May the Force be with you”, and every year I get a kick out of the pun, and by the time May the Fifth comes along, I am ready for the joke to be over for another year, and thankful that Cinco de Mayo creates a hard stop to this annual tradition. For Episcopalians and other like-minded Christians, this season resonates with our commonly used phrase to begin a prayer, “The Lord be with you!” or how we begin the peace, “The Peace of the Lord be always with you!”
Dear St. Luke’s,
At this point, I think it is important to point out that I am a hypocrite. This should be no surprise. If we are honest with ourselves, we are all hypocrites at one point or another. The world changes, we do too, and sometimes we are flat out wrong and need to rethink our convictions.
It was not that long ago at the annual meeting that I told the congregation that I plan on keeping St. Luke’s a solo clergy parish for the foreseeable future. We’ve implemented creative and forward-thinking changes to the staff that have greatly improved the quality of our ministry, but we have the tremendously good problem that we are still struggling to keep up with our rate of growth. I knew that if we continued to grow at this rate, we’d have to re-visit the whole multiple priest thing, but I did not think we’d be here so soon.
Did you know that poison ivy is so globally prolific that no one knows where it originated from? In the end it’s kind of a moot point, because we know it is a valuable plant for wildlife, but we’ll kill it anyways because of the rashes they give people. My hobby since I have moved to the area has been reclaiming a vacant lot behind our house, and I’ve learned to fend off all sorts of unwanted vines and plants, along with the omnipresent poison ivy. There is one that looks like it should be wisteria that covered everything, but it never developed the massive bunches of purple flowers. In the opposite corner a thorny plant that looks like blackberries was dominant but it only produced pathetic tiny tart berries. Cutting the vines, and ultimately pulling them down was a very satisfying chore. Clearing the pseudo-blackberries was a bit more difficult and often revealed trash piles that had been there for decades, and considering the high concentration of liquor and beer bottles, I’m guessing it was a favorite hideaway for partying teens in the 60’s or 70’s.
Dear St. Luke’s,
So, these letters to you provide an opportunity to highlight some change happening in the Church, to help create excitement for some new program, or to thank people who have gone above and beyond. During slower times, sometimes I just talk about what’s on my mind, so don’t think too much into it if you don’t see an immediate connection. This week I have the good problem of having too much to talk about, so I am going to list of things that should be on your radar.
Dear St. Luke’s,
I am unbelievably thankful.
Two years ago, I celebrated my first Easter Vigil with you. Because of the pandemic, it was all outside, and I did not recognize most people. It was a joyful occasion, but everyone mostly kept their distance. There were a few baptisms, which were wonderful, and I felt thankful for the ability to be with you in person as we ushered in Easter. The next morning, we broadcasted the last service, and I went home feeling “done”. There was nothing pressing on my mind when I went home, and I enjoyed Easter Monday at home.
This year is different……
One of the things I love about how we do Church is our weird way of telling stories. You may have heard about the liturgical seasons, with the different themes, colors and whatnot. Call it what you will, but plainly, this is story telling. Every year, we tell the story of our salvation from Genesis 1 all the way through the birth of the Church at Pentecost and beyond. Every Sunday has a special name, with readings assigned that tell a little bit more of the story. If you get more into it, you can see that nearly every day has a saint assigned to it, along with scripture that exemplifies the Saint’s ministry. If you follow this calendar every year, you will learn about the history of the Church, and those who rose to the occasion in service of God and their neighbor. If you want to really get into it, there is a whole other system of reading scripture that is built around praying four times a day every day. I did this online during the height of the pandemic, and I loved it more than I thought I would.
Dear St. Luke’s,
The last two years have been a time of learning and growth for me, the vestry and for the Church, and we have a good problem on our hands. We are growing at a faster rate than we had planned and we are not able to adapt quickly enough. We could see our growth eventually plateau, and things could stabilize with our current staff as we establish our ministry rhythm. Or, we may find ourselves in a position where we need another clergy person for us to thrive in our ministry and avoid burn out with our staff. Personally, I am skeptical about parish ministry models with multiple clergy, but I may have to get over it and find a way of doing this with integrity.
The vestry and I have been working on fully understanding our financial situation, and I am continually impressed with knowledge, dedication and professionalism of the leadership in the Church. St. Luke’s has set aside reserves from previous year’s’ surpluses. This serves as a safety net in case of emergencies or shortfalls in the budget. The past two years we passed deficit budgets, but due to growth in the Church and limiting spending, we did not use these reserves. These funds were collected with the intention that they would go to pay for the operations of the Church, though there is no rule to limit what these funds can be used for. I believe we should spend them as they were intended to be spent.
In order to support the ministry of the Church, the vestry and I are exploring a pilot program that would consist of hiring an additional clergy person for one year. The purpose of the program would be to help us stabilize, and allow us to carry out initiatives and start new ministries that we would otherwise not have the time to do. This position would also allow us to discern whether we are a Church that would benefit from more than one priest. After the end date, the vestry will be able to look at what went well and what did not. If we decide that we are able to support a future clergy person from our pledged income, then we will have more experience to draw from on how to craft the position to fit our needs.
This position will be paid for completely by previous surpluses. We will not be asking you for additional money to pay for this position, and there will still be enough in reserve if we find ourselves in an emergency.
I am writing this to you, so you won’t be surprised if you hear about this pilot program idea. With that being said, don’t be surprised if nothing comes from this. We will not hire someone unless we believe they are a good fit, and there is a chance there won’t be any applicants. Either way, we hope that you keep us in prayer, and do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Blessings,
Nick
I often find pet peeves about worship to be a bit off-putting and universally silly, but like everyone else, I have them. You’ve probably heard me hint at a big one that I have in a few services. I absolutely cannot stand it when priests or whomever say, “please stand as you are able”. I HATE IT!! It is well intentioned, and I imagine that a lot of you are asking yourselves, “does he want people to be in pain and stand when it hurts them?” Absolutely not. My point of view is actually quite the opposite. I do not think Church, baseball games, or anywhere should be places where posture is dictated, even when there are norms. We stand during the Gospel, and kneel during the confession, but you do not need my permission or anyone else’s to do something different. If I start tacking on “as you are able” to everything then it implies that I have some sort of authority that I simply should not have.
I graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2014, which is just fifteen or twenty minutes away, off of… well… Seminary Rd. My class has the distinct honor of being the only class to not have a chapel their entire time as students in the school, which could explain my general skepticism toward elaborate liturgy. The summer before I began my time at VTS, the historic chapel burned down in an incense accident. It took nearly all three years of my time there for the administration to work with insurance and the permit office to have the old chapel turned into a prayer garden and to begin construction on the new chapel. Almost my entire time in Seminary the charred remains of the Chapel lived behind a temporary chain link fence, and we worshipped daily in a very plain large meeting room. A chancel and altar were built for the space, and per the fire marshal’s orders a very visible bright read fire alarm hung on the ceiling right above the altar, seemingly a reminder of why we were there and not in a proper worship space.
I do not know about you, but it was hard for our family to get in the rhythm of socializing again after we spent so much time avoiding other people during the pandemic. Even now, it simply feels weird to share a meal with others, even though this was something that was part of our normal routine in 2019. I assumed life would naturally revert to old and healthier rhythms, but sometimes it takes intentionality and effort to bring things back.
If you are similar to me, then you are in luck, because Lent is just around the corner and this season is all about intentionality! Lent is a solemn time meant for self-reflection and discipline, and many take it as a time to practice living without the things that keep them from feeling the love of God and their neighbor. This year St. Luke’s would like to invite you to try something different for Lent, and to add a discipline to your life that might help you feel loved a little bit more. We want you to take on the discipline of getting to know your neighbor here at St. Luke’s.
Every Wednesday in Lent, starting on March 1st, we will have dinner and programming for children and adults. Much of this will be staggered, so it will be practical for those with young children and adults who don’t get home until later. Dinner will be available to eat between 5:30 and 6:30. Luca Holladay, one of our Day School teachers will lead children’s programming from 6:00 until 7:00. I will offer a Bible Study from 6:30 to 7:30. Both programs will be focused on the Acts of the Apostles, and children are welcome to hop in and out as it is convenient for their parents. The children’s program is designed with children aged two through second grade in mind. Do you have a baby and want a break from bouncing them while you eat? We will have designated experienced baby holders to help bear some of your load.
The food will not be solemn, and I hope our dinner tables will be filled with laughter and conversation. This is not the Lenten Programming you’ve seen in the past, because we have recently been given more than our fair share of solemnity, so much so that isolation feels normal. The Church is fundamentally about people, so I hope you join me in take on getting to know our people during Lent.
We hope to see you March 1st!
Blessings,
Nick
A long time ago, I had the privilege of attending a talk about the history of female clergy in the Anglican Church, and I remember one portion being particularly compelling and poetic. The speaker was Rev. Dr. Judith McDaniel, then a recently retired homiletics (preaching) professor, just returning from a retreat in Iona where she was working on her book about the history of ordaining women in the Church. Iona is legendary for being an intensely sacred and beautiful Abbey on a small island off the coast of Scotland. While she was describing the intense beauty of this place, Rev. McDaniel spoke of walking through ancient grave markers of the Monks and Nuns that occupied the island when the British Isles were still largely pagan.
Well, here we go.
I try not to listen to Christmas music in my office during Advent, but the season is contagious and I have caved. Sufjan Steven’s Christmas Album is booming while I write this, and my soul seems to be trying to escape the chrysalis of preparation that is Advent, so it can go and revel in the world that has been leaving us waiting.
We have been taught by Matthew and Luke and two thousand years of discernment that this joy and anticipation we are feeling is the coming of the incarnation of God. The same God we see in Genesis 1 now dwells among us, and we are known and loved. The fabric of how life works has shifted. We don’t have to understand it in order to feel it in our bones, and we are compelled to hang boughs of holly, kiss under evergreen parasitic plants (mistletoe), and exchange gifts in a brightly colored paper in a world that demands a palette of grey.
The very world is changing. It is not bright yet, but it is getting brighter, and suddenly I feel that I can endure anything. In the coming months that are dark, and the unknown challenges we have yet to face, do not forget to revel in the world that is waking up. Show the darkness that it has no hold over your soul by waking up to usher in the light.
Merry Christmas.
Blessings,
Nick
Christmas is coming at us like a freight train, and it is coming on time whether or not we are ready for it. I shouldn’t be that stressed. Like anyone else, I worry about getting shopping done and all of that. In addition to normal Christmas stress, there is the whole Church thing, but at this stage of the holiday, it is the rest of your staff that is pulling the extra weight. Sue and Victoria have been on top of getting the word out and making sure the bulletins are done well in advance. Kate has not only been planning and practicing music for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but she also wrote and produced her own unique Christmas Pageant!!! If you are wondering, this is not normal, and we are remarkably lucky to have her talent and dedication.
Dear St. Luke’s,
I wanted to preface this by saying that I believe the content of this article to be true, but I know myself well enough to realize that subconsciously I am mixing up details, so if you take the time to fact-check me you will likely find many errors. I could take the time to review my sources and offer citations, but like many of you this season, time is something I don’t have. However, even if I had all of the time in the world, I probably still wouldn’t check, because I am more interested in telling a good story.
Have you ever seen one of those crazy street preachers with signs that say, “THE END IS NIGH!”? I thought those were mostly made-up troupes until I saw one in downtown Atlanta. That day I learned a valuable lesson, if someone is yelling to you about Jesus, don’t respond. The fact they shout means they are not interested in listening. Why does preparing for the end seem to bring out the worst in people? You’d think if he really believed what he was preaching, he would reconcile with loved ones and try to bear fruit worthy of repentance, but he certainly did not ask me.
Around Thanksgiving, I think of Interstate 75. Three times a year we would wake up at 4:00 am, get crammed into the family minivan, and head North from Georgia to see family in Ohio. We would sleep under heaps of blankets and pillows and generally wake up somewhere in Kentucky. For the rest of the trip, we would struggle to entertain ourselves. We would bicker, play car games that would last for hours, tell stories, and laugh. Being a child stuck in a car for that long felt like torture, but I longed for those long car trips. There was something beautiful about being held prisoner with the people I loved while being bored out of my mind, and on either end was a house full of love and food.
I am writing this on the eve of the Diocesan Convention. I am overjoyed that I am now your rector, but now that I am official, I have to go to these things, and I hate them. Waking up early on my days off is a bummer, but it is not the end of the world. I actually like making small talk, but the amount of small talk that will take place will be no fun. I absolutely do not like it when a small handful of priests repeatedly go up to the microphone, but we now have smartphones to distract us from such departures in good taste. What really makes my skin crawl is being held hostage in a crowded room not knowing when we will be free from the presentations, discussions, and Robert with his cruel rules of order.
Tomorrow night we will celebrate with the new ministry that has been growing between us! There will be a family-friendly reception at 5:00 in the grove, with the service at 6:00 and the big reception to follow. I sincerely hope you can make it.