Dear Cathedral Family,
Seeing so many of you back in the pews on Sunday mornings—seeing your smiles and hearing your voices—has been a great joy in June. The past fifteen months of our life together have been the most challenging time imaginable in ministry. Thank you all for your faithfulness and your good care for each other, which have allowed us to come through this time strong and with hope for a brighter future as we look forward to our 200th year at Christ Church.
There is much to anticipate eagerly as we begin planning for a fall return to full and active life together. In mid-August, we will welcome The Reverend Eric Zubler and his family, as he begins his new ministry as clergy assistant to the Dean for formation and pastoral care. We will chart new paths in many of our ministries, making a truly fresh start in the program year ahead.
But first, we rest. I hope you are finding this summer a welcome respite from this past year of unprecedented demands in work, school, and family life. As part of our formation in Baptized for Life, we have come to appreciate active rest as an essential component of the healthy spiritual life, just as it is a crucial element of physical health and development. As the body heals and strengthens through rest, so too in rest the spirit fine-tunes itself to listen for God’s message in our lives.
During the month of July, members of the Cathedral staff will be taking vacation time at various points, and I will be away from my Cathedral duties for a time of rest and renewal. This Sunday’s worship will be “virtual” only, recorded earlier in the week for streaming on July 4. The other Sundays in July will also be Morning Prayer, both in person and streamed, led by capable lay minsters from the Cathedral Family. Also in July, VBS kits will be delivered to our families with children for their use as best fits the context of their summer lives.
My own plans for July are simple—reading, time with family, plenty of fresh air—in order to return to work in August rested, energized, and excited to take up the planning and beginning of our new program year.
My weekly messages will resume in August, and until then you all will remain in my daily prayers and in my heart. Stay safe, get good rest, and get ready for the new life we will soon share together.
Faithfully, Beverly+
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