Keep the Faith

Dear Cathedral Family,

Our hearts and minds and prayers this week have turned to the people of Israel, as violence and war have unfolded there once more. We pray also for the safe return home of travelers there, especially for our sisters and brothers of St. Paul’s, Daphne. Amid the challenges, uncertainties, and even sometime chaos of our world, the grounding force of faith is a sustaining gift from God. It is most palpable and strong when we gather for prayer and worship as the Body of Christ.

The celebration of our bicentennial year, beginning November 5, will be a reminder of the generations of Christians who have gathered in this place for prayer in times of uncertainty and need, of upheaval and war. We will give thanks for their faithfulness in giving themselves to service, in forming the faith of children and youth, in caring for the sick and the elderly, in building bonds of unity within the wider Church. And we will dedicate ourselves to continuing their commitment in our time, looking forward to the generations yet to come.

If you have not yet completed your R.S.V.P., for yourself or guests, please do so, as we enter our final weeks of preparation. There are two more workdays for those of you who would like to help with hands-on sprucing up of the campus.

We will also begin our annual stewardship campaign in the weeks ahead, so look for more information about “Continuing to Grow” coming soon. The ingathering, Giving Sunday, will take place November 19.

In this Sunday’s reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he writes, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” To this, Paul adds the importance of keeping “on doing the things you have learned and received and heard and seen.” Keep going. Keep doing. Keep the faith.

Faithfully,

Beverly+