Wednesday Word from Denny | St. Thomas Episcopal Church

Since last May, my wife Toni has been working for FEMA on the island of Saipan, an island in the Pacific Ocean that is about 5½ x 12 miles in size. Four years ago, Saipan was devastated by super-typhoon Yutu, a Category 5-equivalent storm. Since then, many families have been living in tents, and FEMA has been building typhoon-resistant homes to replace them. Saipan is part of an American territory, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and likes to brag that it is “Where America Starts Its Day,” 15 hours ahead of U.S.’s Eastern Time Zone! After six months apart, I joined Toni on Saipan the day before Thanksgiving, and I have been here ever since (giving thanks!). In just one more week, though, we both depart Saipan and head home. It will be good to “be together” with you all once again! This tiny island has been a good place to ponder the relationship between ‘being alone’ and ‘being together’ – the problems of each, and the benefits of each, and the necessity of a rhythm between them.

We of St. Thomas Church have had a lot of opportunity to think about these dynamics as well. ‘Journey Groups’ began at St. Thomas a year and a half ago, as we eagerly yearned to resume a sense of ‘normality’ in congregational life, after many months of separation and isolation during the pandemic. But in that same period, many positive things had also happened, e.g., the real benefits of remote working, new routines, and new ways of thinking & acting. We’d changed! We had discovered additional dimensions to ourselves in our aloneness. Journey Groups have provided a new way to share our individual gifts and to care for our unique needs – a way to value our individuality as well as our connection with one another.

A new Journey Group series, “Exploring the Nicene Creed,” begins the week of Sunday, February 26, with groups meeting in person and/or online on Sunday at 4:00, Tuesday at 1:00, or Wednesday at 6:30. Our unique, differing individual experiences of the Nicene Creed and of life itself are the gifts we bring to our Journey Group, and the means by which we learn from and care for one another. Even the gift of “Huh??” makes a difference! We may not all share identical views as the result of our Journey Group sessions, but we all will be stretched to think more deeply, value one another more lovingly, and live more faithfully. We of St. Thomas Church value both ‘individuality’ and ‘togetherness.’
I invite you to:

Sign up for a Journey Group right away through this link, indicating your prioritized list of times. This helps us plan and provide for the proper number of groups.
Order the book Loving the Questions: An Exploration of the Nicene Creed by Marianne Micks through Amazon (in paperback or Kindle formats, $10-$13), though possessing the book is not absolutely essential to participate meaningfully in the series – just highly recommended.
Invite your friends to sign up – whether they are part of St. Thomas or not. They have insights to share which we need – and vice versa.

Happy exploring on the Journey!
Denny

Tags: Learn / Bible Study / Adult Formation / Voices