Friends,

It is that time of year again when we recognize our graduating seniors. We pray and give thanks for all of those who are graduating from high school, college or graduate school, and for those who may or may not be directly part of our community. Personally, I am intensely proud of my cousin Joe who graduated from Law School. The world is a better place with him in it, regardless of what his politics may be (Joe, I’m kidding…mostly). I am also in awe of Edward Wallingford who is enlisting into the Marine Corps. Edward may not be a member of St. Luke’s, but he is part of our family, and I am thankful for his courage and character, and he will especially be in my prayers. Other seniors, such as Blake Brantley, have led Eagle Scout projects through our Church, helped run the pumpkin patch and taken part in our youth programs. The fabric of our Church is shifting after this cycle of graduations, and we should pay attention.

There are three graduating seniors who have gone above and beyond for St. Luke’s. They are preaching at our 8:00 am and 10:00 am services this Sunday and I would be remiss if I missed an opportunity to talk about their ministry, faithfulness and character. Phoebe Shultz, Charlie Lamb and Lizzy Moorman stepped up in a number of ways, and played a pivotal role in getting our senior high school verger program off of the ground along with High School Junior, Sam Glassman. At St. Luke’s the vergers essentially run our acolyte program and make sure that everything goes off without a hitch.

Please keep in mind that I started in the middle of the pandemic and the only church members I saw for my first few months were the AV people who wore masks. During this unprecedented time one of these masked cameramen told me that his step-daughter Phoebe absolutely hated acolyting, so she was going to start helping with the AV stuff. I have no idea how it happened, but Phoebe, this disillusioned acolyte, went from being militantly anti-acolyte to being our first Verger. On Sunday mornings you can see her calmly managing the chaos, poking new acolytes to do their duties and to help them feel confident behind the altar. I am fairly certain that Phoebe started with our AV ministry just to get out of serving as an acolyte. Even though that plan failed, she continues to serve behind the cameras and is a big reason people are able to watch from home. All of our vergers are talented, but each has their unique talent. Phoebe’s is having the whole, “calm presence” mastered.

Charlie Lamb is unique. St. Luke’s once had the expectation that a youth representative would attend vestry meetings and share in some of the duties. Just over a year ago someone asked if we were going to bring it back. I said we shouldn’t force it, and that if someone said they wanted to do it, I would be all for it, but I don’t want to compel a high school student to attend meetings they don’t want to go to. I said this with the thought that no one teenager would volunteer for this position, but then Charlie Lamb stepped right up. Don’t get me wrong, I actually like vestry meetings, and I think our vestry is high-functioning and actually quite a bit of fun, but it is not always the case at every Church. The fact that Charlie took the initiative to ask to be part of our governing body, attended meetings, and always looked for places to help speaks volumes about his character and call to serve. There is no doubt that Charlie’s unique talent is his maturity.

Lizzy Moorman also serves as a verger alongside Phoebe and Charlie, and like Phoebe and Charlie, she has been intentional about making the most out of her Church outside of her role as a verger. Lizzy graduated from St. Stephen St. Agnes Episcopal School and felt called to visit people who live in retirement communities. She went to Paul Springs with me alongside my dog, and showed poise in situations that would have made someone her age very uncomfortable. Even in an unfamiliar environment, Lizzy shows innate calm, maturity and compassion. Adults even have a very hard time with jumping into situations like that, and Lizzy acts like she was born to do it, which is a gift. Lizzy’s unique talent is definitely her compassion.

The psychologist Erik Erikson described a stage in development as an “identity crisis” which most teens find themselves. Crisis doesn’t necessarily imply crying on the floor, but more of a dominating issue during a phase in life. Teens are excellent at trying on different identities while they discover what feels right and what does not. There is a culture at St. Luke’s of giving those trying to discover who they will become the space and opportunities to figure it out. The worship committee, AV crew, vestry and pastoral care team all enthusiastically embraced having a high school student in their ministries, as they should, and it made a world of difference. There is always room for improvement, but the fact that these three senior high school students were active in many different facets of our community means we have done at least something right.

This is also a chance for them to teach us something. When you’re seventeen or eighteen you are expected to feel out your roll in a community, and nothing seems to be off of the table. As we age the organizations and opportunities around us seem to have more barriers, and there are fewer and fewer paths before us. Some of this may be true when it comes to careers and other opportunities, but when it comes to ministry at St. Luke’s, there is no reason we cannot embrace our own identity crisis, and just start trying on different hats. Why not try reading during the service? You may mispronounce a word or two but we are going to love you anyway. Join the outreach committee, organize an event, make meals for the needy, read scripture in worship on Sunday morning. When it comes to serving Christ faithfully, let this place be your playground.

-Nick