One of the hats I wear as Rector, is "head of staff." That means I oversee all personnel employed by the church--interviewing and hiring, setting goals and evaluating, welcoming, and sometimes, saying goodbye.

     Today, I have the task of letting you know of two upcoming changes. First, as most everyone knows by now, Pat Terry will retire at the end of July from nearly twenty-five years of directing our choir. We will all miss her infectious spirit and love of her art and give thanks for what she has brought to us. No less, will we miss Joe Terry's assistance in so many ways--and hope that he will continue to play his cello for us. The good news is that they will not be leaving the church community!

      Arrangements have now been finalized for Robin French, who has served for nearly four years as our keyboard musician, to take on the additional role of Director of Music. She will begin officially in mid-August after a well-deserved vacation. Since she will be doing dual service at the piano and organ as well as the music stand, there are changes in store! Rehearsals, Robin's way of leading for certain. And, in a practical sense, some rearrangement in the rear of the church to accommodate her being able to direct from a piano or organ bench. I hope you will warmly welcome Robin to this new path in her service to Grace, its choir and its congregation.

      Also, four years ago, I was in the process of interviewing for a new parish secretary/administrator. As we were blessed in finding Robin, we were so very lucky to welcome Frani Beadle. She has served us so well. It is her good fortune--and our sadness--that she will be taking a full time position at the bank where she has had her second job for the past year or so. That will be a tremendous loss for us! The good news is, however, that she and her family will remain members of Grace Church and she will continue to serve on the Altar Guild and, perhaps, in other capacities as well. I hope you will join me in wishing her the best in her new pursuits and thank her for all that she has offered to Grace Church. When there is new to report on finding her replacement (is that even possible???), I shall let you know. Meanwhile, I am bereft, while knowing that the Spirit continues to move in our midst, and change keeps us vibrant by bringing us a new thing.

 

See you in church,

Gloria+ 

Psalm 16: Praise for the God who is a refuge to those who seek God, who provides good companions and a beautiful inheritance, and who makes known the path of life.

Galatians 5:1, 13-25: Christ gives us freedom, but not as an excuse to engage in destructive behaviour. Rather, through Christ we receive the life-giving fruit of God's Spirit.

Luke 9:51-62: Jesus calls many people, who all have reasons to delay or decline. Jesus proclaims that God's Reign calls us to choose now - to live it and proclaim it.

This week the focus shifts to God's call for us to embrace the positive power of God's reign, and the difference it makes in the world. Elisha is called to be a prophet and follow Elijah's ministry. The Psalmist recognises God's saving work, and the way God leads God's people into the ways of life and life-bringing. In Galatians, Paul contrasts the destructive ways of evil and sin with the life-giving fruit of God's Spirit. And in Luke's Gospel, Jesus urgently calls all people to follow him and to live and proclaim God's reign immediately - not as some after-death hope, but as a world changing reality that we can experience and share now, right where we are.

The thumbnails and reflections excerpted from sacredise.com