Loading...Dear Friends in Christ,
Happy New Year!! I pray that the New Year brings you happiness, joy, and many blessings. We have experienced many new beginnings this past year. In March we elected a new bishop with a lot of new ideas and energy. On Dec. 1 we began a new church year, Year A in the Revised Common Lectionary. We all have celebrated the beginning of a new birth year. For me it was my 69th. Getting old is not for sissies, but it is a lot better than I thought it would be.
My sixty-nine years have been filled with a multitude of blessings. Just to name a few, I was blessed with being born into a loving family. My mom and daddy were strict, but always put my brothers and me first. They taught us manners and good old family values. I couldn’t ask for better brothers. They have been there when needed and always supportive. I have been blessed with music all my life. I think music is probably one of the best gifts God has given to humans. My best blessing God has given me has to be giving me Debbie to share my life. I have often said it is the best thing that ever happened to me. Really close to that is the gift of Allen. He is my best friend. We have lunch every week and then help each other with tasks that come up.
Being the rector of the Tazewell Cluster is filled with stress, but I have been very blessed in this calling. I am so thankful that you have accepted me as your priest and that God trusts me to do His will. May will mark my fourteenth year of being ordained and the thirteenth year of being your priest. We have lost some dear friends through moving away and death, but we are still a vital Episcopal presence in our communities. And we have new friends to share our ministry.
Bishop Mark has come to us with a call to mission. I have been asked what is the mission for our diocese and for our Cluster. Right now we are still studying what it might be. We are called to be a people of vision. In our study of the book Bishop Mark recommended to us, People of the Way, we are learning about mission and vision. There have been some good discussions with lots of input from many of those attending. I wish more people would take the time to give us their ideas, too.
There has been a lot of discussions of how we can help our church grow in numbers and spirit, and there has been a realization that one way is to find ways to serve our communities. Someone said that she thinks she will give herself a discretionary fund that can help those in need that she comes across. Another suggested a youth choir. Other good ideas have been proposed.
Two that have the Stras vestry excited is a prayer box and a labyrinth. Whenever anyone is worried about something an illness, a trip, a big decision, they would “turn it over to God” by writing it down on a piece of paper and putting it in the prayer box and then forgetting it. Once a month we would pray over those prayers. The prayers would not be read by anyone but God. The prayer box would primarily serve the people of the parish. The other idea from Stras was to help construct a Labyrinth in Tazewell for a place that people could meditate. For many decades, labyrinths have been used as a meditation and prayer tool and represent a spiritual journey to our center and back into the world again. We can walk the labyrinth as this is a metaphor for our life's journey, and it allows us to have a direct experience. Walking the Labyrinth while saying a prayer or a phrase can bring peace to a troubled soul. The labyrinth would be accessible to the whole community.
I hope that you can come to our next Book Study session and help us find a vision for mission. We have two meetings a week. On Sunday evenings, we meet at Stras and on Wednesdays we repeat that session at St. Mary’s. Your input is important for the health of our parishes.
May all your dreams come true this coming year. Remember, you are loved.
In Christ’s Love,
Father Russ
