Dear People of Saint Paul’s,

First, my family and I thank you for the wonderful welcome we have already received. We arrived late Friday night to a stocked pantry, a made bed, and an equipped bathroom. Since then, you’ve provided a steady stream of excellent food and smiling faces. The legends about the hospitality of Saint Paul’s are true! We are deeply grateful.

For me, this has been a week of new things: new home, new church, new job, new school for our first grader, new weather (do you get used to it, eventually?). It has been a week where I have been new, where some of you have encountered me as a new thing. The scripture I haven’t been able to shake this week is from that much misunderstood and sometimes maligned book, the Revelation to John: “And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new’” (Rev. 21:5). It’s a passage that is echoed in one of my favorite Collects from the Book of Common Prayer: “O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new; and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

This scripture and Collect are echoing in me this week as I greet so much that is new, and as I feel like God is making me new. But I think that they can also be helpful to all of us. In addition to being exciting and part of how God works in the world, the new is also a little scary because it is, of necessity, uncertain. We don’t know it yet, and that makes us a little uncomfortable. Now, let me be clear that I’m not trying to be grandiose. I’m not saying that my arrival as your new rector heralds the rejuvenation of all things. Nor am I saying in any way that Saint Paul’s has grown old or been cast down, although in the last year and a half we have all been cast down. I am saying that God is at work to reconcile and renew us and the world, and to send us out into the world to participate in that work of reconciliation and renewal.

But a new rector is a significant change. In a historic church like Saint Paul’s, where the prayers of two hundred and seventy years are seeped into the walls, change is both inevitable and always going to cause some anxiety. Yes, friends, some things will change. I am not and cannot be any of the priests who have ministered with you before. Nor can we faithfully proclaim the gospel to the people of 1750 or 1820 or 1970 or even 2010. We have to share God’s love with the world we live in now.

But I want you to note something about that passage from Revelation that is preserved in the Collect. The one seated on the throne, or in the Collect God through Jesus Christ, is “making all things new.” Neither the Bible nor the Prayer Book says “Behold, I am replacing this old stuff with new stuff that I’ll need to create.” We are among the most important things that God is renewing. But also, neither the Prayer Book nor the Bible says,

“Behold, I am making things like they were back in this person’s favorite time period.” When the gospel is the driving force of change, change is a threat to those parts of ourselves that have become stagnant or hardened. But by God’s grace, it can be hope and comfort to those parts of ourselves that are thirsting for new life.

So, if you’re a little unsure about this young (by Episcopal priest standards, but few others), wild-haired (by, I admit, all standards) priest coming down from Chicago, know this: change is inevitable and can be faithful. It is my hope to be transformed with you by God, to be made new with you to join God’s reconciling and renewing work in Augusta and the world. We’ll have some hard work to do in the coming years, but we have every reason to approach this work together, with joy and hope.

My family and I are so pleased to be part of Saint Paul’s and living in Augusta. Thanks to your Christian kindness and skill, we have felt cared for every step of the way. God bless you, and I’m looking forward to getting down to that hard work together.

In Christ,

Eric+

In June 2020, Ramzi Assad, Julie Badger, Hava Chandler, Melissa Heckathorn, Meg Horton, Wright Montgomery, and John Robertson all accepted the call to serve Saint Paul’s through the Rector Search Committee. Our team formed in the time of social distancing and virtual meetings and did not meet in person together until April, 2021. We were tasked with doing much of our critical work together while we were physically separated. Although building community was more difficult online, there was a deep commitment to the process by each member. LaRue Downing, retired canon and priest, served as a chaplain to the committee. His prayers and devotions helped to form a strong foundation for our work by serving to remind us that this was not merely a hiring process but a spiritual discernment process.

Our Saint Paul’s community is made up of people at different stages of life with various ministry focuses, life experiences, priorities, and expectations. It was recognized that representing different voices in the church would make us a richer team and also help us to understand that our team would need to work together in a way that would honor and value different perspectives. This committee has spent countless hours over the past year working together faithfully. The members have listened to each other and demonstrated thoughtfulness, empathy, respect, honesty, and a deep commitment to discerning God‘s will for our church family. We have shared our hearts and minds, struggled through hard conversations, grieved losses together, and also laughed and enjoyed each other‘s company. It has truly been a spiritual experience and one that has been transforming to us, individually and collectively.

Our committee would like to thank our senior warden, Ashley Wright; the vestry; and all of Saint Paul’s Church for entrusting us with this important work. We thank Canon Loren Lasch, Bishop Frank Logue, and the Diocese of Georgia for their guidance and support. The staff of Saint Paul’s has been amazing, and we are grateful for their efforts in this process.

There has been so much that has happened in our world, our country, and in our own church community since our search process began. Honestly, there were moments when it felt like the physical separation, the divisiveness, and the conflict were going to create barriers that would be impossible to work through. But there was always faith. In one of Father Biddy‘s sermons, he said, “doubt is not the opposite of faith; doubt is part of faith.” Through everything, this committee was able to stay faithful to this process and to each other and also faithful to listening for God’s voice and direction.

We give thanks that the discernment process has led us to a person that we feel is a faithful and compassionate priest and pastor who will walk with us, listen deeply, and serve as a leader who will empower our ministries. We celebrate the arrival of the Rev. Dr. Eric Coleman Biddy and his family in Augusta and look forward to the beginning of his ministry at Saint Paul’s next week.

Yours in Christ,

Brad Sandbach and Kim Butler

Saint Paul’s Rector Search Committee

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This Sunday, our fall semester of formation begins for children and youth. This is a special Sunday for all of us as we return to in-person formation. As we prepared for classes this week, we reflected on the impact of formation of our own children and offered thanksgiving for the gifts that community brings.

Formation happens bit by bit, moment by moment over a lifetime. It is in the retelling of the story, the Sunday communion, the wondering out loud about the mysteries of our faith, and most of all in the community of faith that surrounds you reminding you of your belovedness and helping you live out our baptismal covenant.

We are excited to begin a new year with your children. It is a blessing to have them to help us continue our formation too.

If you have not completed a pledge card, please complete this year’s annual stewardship appeal and return it to the church as soon as possible, or pledge online on our website at saintpauls.org/pledge-card/. If you did not receive a pledge appeal in the mail or have simply misplaced yours, please email the parish office or contact by telephone at (706) 724-2485 ext. 225.

as of 9/1/2021

Offerings received this Week $5,853.90

Operating Expenses to Date $541,700.59

Total Income Received to Date $582,255.36

Please contact the Parish Office to update our files.