Goodbye

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  Amen.

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

Matthew 17:19-20 NRSV

          Last year at this time this parish was faced with the very real possibility that the doors of the church would be closed sometime within the year.  With the increase in the cost of keeping our buildings open and the continued drop in the number of practicing Anglicans in our community, we were very close to being in financial crisis.  I am happy to say that this is no longer true.  This does not mean that the road forward will be easy.  This does not mean that the financial troubles of this parish are over.  But it does mean that the current crisis is past.

          How did this happen?  It happened because the two churches in this parish were able to come together, to work together for their common good.  It happened because you were able to look past the crisis to what you want for the future.  It happened because you had faith in yourselves, faith in each other, and faith in God.  It happened because you looked at this parish which God has placed in your care and you said to yourselves that it would not disappear on your watch.

          As you go forward into this new year you will be deciding your immediate future.  You will be asked what you see as the primary ministries of this parish.  You will be asked about your needs and the needs of this community.  You will be asked about your strengths and your weaknesses.  You will be asked to match those needs and ministries with the gifts that you are looking for in a new rector.

In years to come, you will continue to have financial challenges and you will face new challenges.  In the future, the next time things begin to look grim, I pray that you will be able to look back at 2012, at the challenges that we faced together, and that you will continue to have faith.  There is such strength in this community.  I am sure that when you look to each other and say “I believe” you will find the strength and the ability to face whatever challenges come your way.

          And above all else:  remember, this is the church that God has placed in YOUR CARE.  You have much to be proud of, but it will take the work and dedication of everyone to make it to gift that it could be for this community.

May we all face our challenges with grace and faith in the One who supports all of our efforts.