Greetings to the People of St. Andrew's Cathedral! Gay and I are filled with enthusiasm as we prepare to join you in Jackson. The Senior Warden, Charles Johnson, Canon Paul Stephens, Bishop Brian Seage, and others, have generously extended the warmth of your hospitality and have described the wonder of the Holy Spirit at work among you. And we know that is just the appetizer course!
St. Andrew's Cathedral is entering the second stage of transition between the departure of one dean and the calling of another. I will be with you as dean in the interim and as an intentional transition specialist. I look forward to walking with you in intentional ways so that this time may be one of discovery and preparation.
Experience has demonstrated that making the best possible use of the interim period will offer a rare opportunity for you to reexamine the legacy that has been entrusted to you by those who came before, to clarify who you are at this point in history, to strengthen your leaders and raise up new ones, to continue to connect with the diocese and the wider church, and to prepare to commit to a new era of fruitful mission with your new dean. My primary mission will be to guide and encourage you as you do those things.
I have been told how much you have accomplished under the leadership of Dean Elliott. Your leaders have spoken with one voice in expressing the conviction that the vibrancy and momentum you are experiencing must continue. That conviction is one of the most attractive things that have drawn us to you. And, what is more important, such conviction and vibrancy in your life together is what will draw others who long for a community in which to know and serve Jesus Christ.
My work at Saint John's Cathedral in Denver will conclude on July 16. Following a few weeks of rest at our Arlington, Texas home, we will be moving into our downtown Jackson apartment August 21. Our first Sunday in worship with you will be August 27. We look forward to rolling up our sleeves and getting to work with you. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will prepare the way so that this time of transition may continue to be a fruitful period in the ongoing work God has prepared for St. Andrew's Cathedral.
I'll see you in Church!
The Very Reverend Ron Pogue