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Rejoice and be glad now, Mother Church, and let your holy courts, in radiant light, resound with the praises of your people. (Excerpted from the Exsultet of the Great Vigil of Easter, BCP p. 286)

Dear Siblings in Christ:

God’s grace and presence be with you during this Holy Lent and your journey of faith.  

On behalf of the Vestry and the Densons, thank you for the ways in which you showed up and shared your talents to make the “good goodbye” a truly special moment in our parish life. Last weekend marks the beginning of a new era for St. Paul’s Indy. It is on that topic that we write to you today.

Our Book of Common Prayer reminds us throughout the year that we are an Easter people – that in our lives, we will experience cycles of pain, loss and renewal. We celebrate the empty cross and tomb as signs of hope and our belief that, through Christ, all things will be made new (Rev. 21:5). This moment in the life of St. Paul’s Indy is, in a sense, our Holy Week. We exist between the thin space of Good Friday’s wrenching sadness and the clamorous, joyful hope of Easter Sunday. In our faith and hope, we find our strength and anchor of the soul (Heb. 6:19). Hope in a future equally as bright as yesterday. Hope in feeling evermore God’s redemptive love of us (BCP, p. 861). Hope in discovering our call as a church for this next chapter in our parish life.  

While we still have much work to do as we begin our discernment journey, we are excited to share that we will be in good hands along the way. The Rev. Devon Anderson has accepted the Vestry’s call to be our interim rector. Devon plans to join us just prior to March 23 (her first Sunday with us) to acclimate to Indianapolis. As you’ll see in her letter below, she is no stranger to interim ministry and she has excellent experience with large, complex parishes. We truly are blessed to have her. 

We hope you will join the Vestry in offering a “warm welcome” to Devon, including her in our parish life, helping her learn about us, and inviting her into our radiant light. By doing so, we will not only support her efforts to help us continue with our mission but also give ourselves the space to discern where God is calling us as we prepare for our next settled rector. Please join us in celebrating Devon and offering her our warm embrace – she is eager to meet you and learn what makes St. Paul’s Indy so special to you. More details on opportunities to connect with Devon will be forthcoming.

Our deep gratitude goes to the clergy, staff and ministry leaders for their unwavering support and dedication these last few months. We also thank everyone for their patience as we continue our discussions with the Diocese about discernment. The Adult Faith Forum on March 9 will provide an update on the transition and discernment: our intentional, steady march toward our own Easter and paschal celebration of new ministry.

Until then, may Christ, who out of defeat brings new hope and a new future, fill us with His new life and unending light; and bless us all evermore. (Church of England Common Worship, J85)  

 Jeff Kelsey, Senior Warden

Shane Hatchett, Junior Warden

Dear Friends in Christ:

I am so very grateful to the St. Paul’s Vestry for calling me to serve you in the year to come as your Interim Rector. I look forward to learning about your inspiring ministries, your faithful worship, your relationships with each other, and, most importantly, your sense of call for where God is calling you next in your lives together. 

While times of transition can be anxiety-producing and unwanted, they are, at the same time, abundant with possibility. The vast majority of our sacred, biblical stories concern people and communities in some kind of transition or significant change. In these stories, the past has fallen away but the future has not yet presented itself. It’s an in-between time, a liminal time, a space between the “now” and the “not yet.” And into these tenuous, often chaotic, liminal moments God shows up and ministers to the people, again and again. God sends rainbows and angels, parts oceans, and explodes bushes into flames. God lavishes parched and discouraged people with manna from heaven. God dispatches leaders and shepherds and seers and prophets to guide and buoy. And into the darkest era of an imperialist occupation, God sends a Savior to show the way with stories and blessing, healing and sacrifice. 

Liminal time is an opportunity to go deeper, learn and feel more, grow stronger in relationship and community, minister boldly. Mostly it’s a time to be open, to do our very best to receive the Holy Spirit in our midst, especially if it presents itself differently from what we want or imagine. Each of us is part of God’s evolving story, an essential piece of the community of saints. Like our spiritual forebears, we can expect God to show up for us too in this time of change and liminality. In the next year we can safely expect epiphanies and small graces, healing and manna in parched places, life, love, belonging, and celebration. I’ve seen it happen; I’m a believer. 

A little about me: in my 27 years of priestly ministry, I have joyfully served congregations in Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. Alongside parish ministry has been a passion for serving the wider Episcopal church at the diocesan, provincial, and “national” levels, including a just-finished six-year term on Executive Council (essentially the Episcopal Church’s “Vestry,” chaired by the Presiding Bishop). I’ve served at the General Convention as a six-time deputy from Minnesota, and in between General Conventions I have chaired numerous standing commissions, taskforces, and legislative committees – including those focused on liturgy and worship, churchwide leadership, global poverty eradication, governance and finance, stewardship, and more. 

A few things not found in my resume: our home is in southwest Minneapolis on the majestic Lake Harriet. My husband Michael McNally is a professor in the Religion Department, and also the current chair of the American Studies Department, at Carleton College. Our daughter, Svea (25), will finish up her Masters in Social Work from the University of Minnesota and our son, Coleman (22), will graduate from Tulane University in May. As a family we spend inordinate amounts of time in hockey arenas. And our lives are collectively controlled by Milo, a 9-pounds-of-steel Chihuahua/Pug mix. I read voraciously, am passionate about open-water swimming, cycling, and hiking - and I can’t wait to explore Indianapolis bike paths. 

So, into liminality we go. The Good News is: we go together. We go with a God who will hold us close and never let us go, and with a Savior who will show us the Way. 

May God’s peace be yours today and always, 

The Rev. Devon Anderson, Interim Rector