Friends,

There’s already an announcement about our Welcome Sunday event in the e-news, but I wanted to pause and give you some more thoughts on this event. First and foremost, I hope that you know this event is for you, if you are looking to get more involved at St. Luke’s or just want to know about about our community. It is clear that St. Luke’s gets a gold star for drawing people into Church, but we could do a better job of incorporating new members into the life of the parish.

Once in a blue moon, you get someone like James Reily or James Schwartzman who just start showing up to everything and ask to join up. If you’re curious, this is the correct approach. For others, the idea of taking on another commitment when they are already so overcommitted is so daunting that it’s safer just to stay at arm’s length. For others, there might be a perceived barrier to becoming involved. Yes, you attend Church, but what is required of you to become official? Maybe once you get confirmed, you’ll get that invitation. Other’s might have trepidation around ideas of competency or worthiness. For the vast majority of people there is a reason not to dive into the wonderful and meaningful life of St. Luke’s.

My goal is to make you feel comfortable in worship and for that time to be sacred for you. If worshipping with us a couple of times a years works for you then we will be prepared to welcome you whenever you can make it. I suspect that most of you who have join us in the last year might feel a mix of caution and curiosity about what you could get up to at St. Luke’s. Even if this strikes your interest in the smallest way, come join us on Sunday after the 10:00 am service. We won’t do pressure tactics to steal your time away, nor will we turn this into a way of asking for money (speaking of that, have you submitting your pledge card?).

If you show up you can learn about what the vestry does, what we do for outreach and how you can play a leadership role in worship if you are so called. You will also hear something about grill nights, which require no commitment or RSVP. You may even get a peak at the faces behind the mysterious altar guild. You can sign up to teach Sunday School, which is a big commitment, or you can just come to learn. For all of these things there is no pre-requisite other than the expectation that whatever you do, you will do it faithfully and with charity with your neighbor.

My hope is in creating connections in our community that we will be strengthened, and I am more and more convicted that the Holy Spirit can dwell in the spaces between us, and that when we strive to be the Church in love, we are greater than the sum of our parts.

So come. Dive in, and help us do the messy work of Church.

There will be snacks.

Blessings,

Nick