"Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." - Hebrews 12:1

 

I'm a walker not a runner. When I was much younger I tried running for a time, but it was never my style. I far preferred the slower but steady stride of a long-distance walker, and for decades now I've made a point of walking at least six miles a day. It's probably for this reason that I have come to see life more as a pilgrimage than a race. For me, it's not about the destination, and it's certainly not about how fast you get there. It is instead about the journey itself. It's about knowing the right road. It's about going the distance one step at a time.

 

That's the way I see the life of our church community too, as a pilgrimage, a journey that we all undertake together. In this case our goal is the Kingdom of God, but it's how we get there that counts. We have to modulate our pace, for example, so that no one is left behind. We also don't want to lose our way or, nearly as bad, lose our momentum so that we find ourselves at a standstill. That can happen to a church, but that is definitely NOT the case at St. Stephen's.

 

We at St. Stephen's are moving forward in clear and positive ways. There is real energy here, real excitement and enthusiasm about what we can accomplish - things that we can accomplish right now. At the last meeting of the Vestry and Search Committee (what we're coming to call the Leadership Group) there was a real sense that what St. Stephen's is about is renewal. It's about moving forward. When we shared this with Bishop Mary, she agreed, only cautioning us to also include discernment in the process. The group agreed: discernment too is part of the next chapter.

 

Much of this is happening below the surface, and yet the growth is both concrete and specific. We're dealing with such things as St. Stephen's identity and its governing structure. We'reexamining what it means to support each other and what it means to welcome others. One small indication of the fact that things are moving ahead is that the Vestry has requested, and Bishop Mary has granted, that my title be changed from Interim Priest to Priest in Charge. In many ways, this change is a minor one. It does not alter my temporary status, for one thing. It is a signal, though: we are not simply in a holding pattern. This is a time of discovery. It's a time of growth, of renewal, and of innovation. It's a time when we are seeking to identify who we are at our best in order to become the best that we can become.