Wednesday Word from Rev. Grace
Friends -
It is good to be back! My husband and I enjoyed a delightful two weeks away - ten days in Stuttgart, where he spoke at an international worship conference, and three days in Paris. I am so grateful for all who led and cared for St. Thomas so well while I was gone. We have a strong and reliable team of staff and lay leaders.
That team is working together beautifully to prepare now for two funerals. A very unexpected service for Spence Sealy will be on Friday at 2. More details are below. A service for Joe Fischer was planned while I was away for next Tuesday, All Saints' Day, at 5:15. We will come together with thanksgiving for these friends who graced our lives, with grief for their loss, and with confidence in God's all-embracing love, for this life and the life to come.
We are always working at St. Thomas to proclaim and enact the good news of God's love for all. To that end, we shared on Sunday a phrase developed by our Stewardship Committee and endorsed by our Vestry and Strategic Planning Committee. It describes our mission and life together:
Love God
Love Every Person
Learn and Serve Together
We will use this on our website and on promotional materials to help people hear about St. Thomas. We Love God - through worship, sacraments, prayer, attention to the scriptures, and how we live. We Love Every Person - all people everywhere and the individual standing before us. We Learn - taught by scripture, tradition, and reason through the work of the Holy Spirit. We Serve Together - through St. Thomas and in the wider community, seeking to follow Jesus in works of compassion and justice.
Thank you all for living this good news. Peace be with you all in this time of grief for our community.
Blessings -
Grace
