August 1, 2024

Discernment Conversation
Last week, at our gathering between the services, the Capacity Discernment team offered a brief description of the pathways that are available for Resurrection as we move into an uncertain future. Now that we’ve had time to pray and think things through, this Sunday, we will have more time to discuss what we’re thinking and feeling, what a different path might mean for Resurrection, and where we feel God may be leading us. We will again begin promptly at 9:10, and, like last week, we’ll have coffee and muffins to strengthen us for our work. God speaks through the voice of God’s people, and we hope you will come and join the conversation.

Sunday Forum
At this week’s forum after the 10:30 service we will be taking on a big topic and examining a question with lots of answers: How to pray and hear God. There are almost as many ways to pray as there are people, and God’s self-revelation is infinite, but we will take some time to talk through several traditional ways to pray, beginning with the Lord’s Prayer, and we’ll explore what it means to hear God and to discern God’s desires. Please ready to share how you have prayed and heard God in your own life.

Special Guest
When I first was ordained as a Deacon, my Bishop in the Diocese of Lexington took me with a few other clergy on a pilgrimage to Haiti. There we saw what life was like in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Our hearts broke every day. We also saw the work that is being done there by the Episcopal Church and by other agencies, chiefly an outreach called Food for the Poor, that had arranged the pilgrimage. Amidst scenes of utter and unimaginable misery, we still saw the hungry fed, the lame walking, the naked clothed, and good news proclaimed to the poor. On Sunday August 11 at both services we will welcome Deacon Frederico Garza, a speaker from Food for the Poor, who will tell us about their ministries in Haiti and other places and offer us ways we can help. As we read these weeks about the feeding of the 5000 and Jesus as the true bread, it will be good to have a reminder that God’s children are starving and that we can help.

Administrator Time
Through this year, Tina has served Resurrection effectively, efficiently, and gracefully as our parish administrator. Looking at all she does, it is sometimes hard to remember that she does it all in just 8 hours each week. Being used to an administrator with 3 times as many hours, it is tempting to go to Tina with all the same requests that we took to her predecessors. Her cup, however, is overflowing and her 8 hours are not sufficient for all that we expect. When you have an administrative request, Tina will likely answer the telephone, and she does know many things, but please remember that two thirds of administrative responsibility falls to me, and ask if the Rector can help you.