So then how is your heart? Are you grieving? Of course, yet you are resilient. Are you frustrated and angry? There are ways to express that well. We are encouraged to take time to see how we are as we look back over the last year and ahead toward the next one. We are

learning to listen, to hear, to witness to God’s love, and to grow.

It's all about discernment. Following Jesus is all about discernment. Among all the other voices of our world, all the other noise of our life, can we hear the call to follow? Do we see Christ come among us? Are we ready to drop our nets ... and join Jesus to fish for people.

We have a bit more time these days to discern. Time to notice what is essential. Time to wonder what is necessary and what is crucial to becoming a beloved community. Following Jesus this year has special joys and challenges.

Back in June, we began to calculate and explore the cost of installing faster internet throughout the building – this is key to being able to live-stream, for us and every other business in the world, so that process has been slower than anticipated. The city supported

the cause and helped to fund 1⁄2 of the project, the Diocese of Oregon granted us another $10,000 to support the project, and right now we are nearly ready – save the training, to push out worship from the nave every Sunday! I know we are anticipating that.

Julie Mankin cannot be thanked enough for pulling all this together. She has since last May ran the operations of the building and communications. She is the go-to person for the city and works to maintain that very healthy relationship. She also supervises our sexton, Mark DeFazio, who is gifted in the ways of maintenance and people, a wonderful combination for the church. Julie’s work is a lot for one person, and she does it with joy and grace. She is also a great support to me. Paul Sauer, gets the award, along with Don Caldwell, as

volunteer exemplar. Paul’s work on REALM and in the finance office is nothing short of a miracle. Record-keeping doesn’t sound very glamorous but I think his work is beautiful. The steadfastness of Paul and Don and the care and love for the parish are seen in all their

hard work.

We miss lain, since his departure in July, and Linda, although seeing her preach every month or so is a delight. Aubrey Stevens joined the staff in the late summer to work with youth and we are so glad to have her. Her ideas and the willingness to follow through on them is pure pleasure! Susie, with a new name, continues to bring content and fun to

families and kids. From vacation bible school to Sunday school and a pageant that far surpassed our wildest imagination, she finds the best ways to keep us learning and connected. Susie is also on Zoom every Sunday assisting with worship and filling in everywhere we need it.

Another silver lining of Covid is Tiffany Carter and Michael Sanchez joining us for staff meetings almost every week. They both bring talent, energy, and creativity to worship, planning, and implementation. Our liturgy, no matter the format, reflects their careful curation. I know that organ music is not everyone’s favorite, but Jane Mendenhall makes

me forget that we are not in the building for worship. her presence each week gives me hope. Chelsea Paxton continues to produce both the bulletins and slideshows for all liturgies. She has graciously added the scheduling of readers to her tasks every week. The attention to detail she brings means a smooth Sunday experience for us all.

Our Vestry brings a wide skill set and many gifts to the leadership of the parish as they worked steadily over these last months. This was a Vestry that felt the brunt of that struggle and change. There were quite a few resignations, for a variety of reasons, but folks stepped

up and filled those vacancies. Richard’s amazing guidance as Senior Warden these last two years brought good, healthy change. Thank you! The Finance Committee under the leadership of Brian French, Charyse Bigger, and Don Caldwell, Treasurer is also nothing short of miraculous. Parish finances ought to be a spiritual exercise and yet it is a rare thing. However, over the last year, they have become just that and all the while moving the parish back to financial health.

The advancements we were able to make in technology will assist the parish in her ability to reach beyond Lake Oswego. This means folks can join regardless of geography or mobility. The increased ability to record and capture gatherings and classes for playback at other

times is crucial for worship and formation and fellowship.

Our diocese has undergone a few changes in these past months with the election of a new bishop. The relationship of this parish to the diocesan is an important one and it is exciting to see what our next bishop has planned.

The leadership I’ve seen demonstrated in pastoral care, in outreach, and in faith formation all point toward ongoing healing of the parish.

Over these last months, we have labored together to find ways to be church without a building, to be church without weekly communion, to be church without hugs and without passing the plate, to be church without a nursery. And we have together figured out some of

that. We have also labored to be inclusive, accepting, open, affirming, helping bridge the gaps that face our world. Following Jesus even when uncomfortable. We are learning.

Following Jesus is hard work. Listening to God and to those with whom we differ is slow and often difficult work, we all know this firsthand. I feel like I’m tidying up a bit. Tying up the loose ends of my time with you as we move toward handing over this parish to another

clergy’s care. Here is a small piece of what I’ve learned; you are a parish of tremendous heart and potential, but not in the way you might think. You are learning to move in the way of grace and love. You are people wanting to learn and to grow, continually searching for ways

to serve God and the community. That is never easy, and there is still occasional conflict. We are about having important conversations, that many of us haven’t ever had before. It has been a privilege to work for you and with you. So, beloved for the time remaining, I hope to continue to be a source of challenge and comfort. As we notice and wonder together about what’s next, as we strive to be a beloved community, there are still challenges. I believe if we stay awake and persist in noticing and wondering, we will know

the places where God is calling us. Amen.

Alison +