Weekly Clergy Letter From Mother Anne Turner
Dear Friends in Christ,
A friend of mine recently moved her mother into a rehab center after a fall. Her mother was anxious, and so my friend spent a great deal of time answering her questions. Who would bring her food? Who would come help her if she needed to get out of bed? Who would be there if she needed help with the phone?
It was only after all these questions that my friend’s mother asked, with candor and astuteness: Who will my community be?
I am coming to realize that this question is fundamental for all of us. Who will my community be?
At all stages of life, we seek community. Children and teens build circles of friends as they learn about belonging. Young adults, geographically mobile, search for relationships with meaning as they move to a new place. New mothers and fathers look for a tribe to know that they are not alone. Empty nesters, missing the camaraderie of parenting, hunt for new relationships. Seniors, with a lifetime of wisdom, have learned that connection is the way to health and fulfillment.
One of Grace Church’s most powerful ministries is its simplest: the ministry of belonging. We create and sustain a place that fosters inclusion and combats isolation and loneliness.
This ministry of community will be on display this Sunday. We will have one service at 10:30 a.m. (No 7:30, 8:45, 9:00, or 5:00!). At that service, we will worship in both English and Spanish, celebrating the bonds of faith that transcend language. Celebrating Youth Sunday, we will be led in by our young people, many of whom have been raised their whole lives in this supportive and loving environment. Grace Church is in their DNA.
After the service, we will gather behind the church for our Parish Picnic, for the chance to continue the ministry of the table with our own potluck bounty. And at the picnic, we will kick off registration for our Parish Shrine Mont weekend, looking towards September when we gather together in the mountains to enjoy the gift of unhurried time together.
The church word for this kind of connection is “fellowship.” Fundamentally, fellowship means belonging. I hope you will come share that sense of belonging, and I hope you will offer it to one another.
Yours in Christ,
Anne+