October 15, 2021

Beloved in Christ,

First, my apologies to those who tried to access the streaming service last Sunday. The equipment decided to install upgrades at the most inconvenient time, and I was not getting a picture from the camera when it was time to go live. I wasn’t able to diagnose the problem quickly, so I made the decision to simply not broadcast.  This is an opportunity for someone to learn (it’s fairly easy, I promise!) how to set up the live-streaming equipment. It is difficult for me to be in charge of live streaming as I am busy getting ready for the service. I would be extremely grateful for others to take that on as their ministry.

I do hope we can get the equipment to work this weekend as we have 3 – yes 3! – baptisms on Sunday! It is very exciting to welcome these children into the Body of Christ and the families to St. Peter’s. We hope that as the burden of the pandemic begins to lessen, more of our families will return to participation at St. Peter’s. I miss our acolytes! I miss seeing and hearing the kids in the services.

In my personal study, I’m recognizing that the Church (as a whole), which offers expertise in matters of faith and spirituality, is not connecting with the needs of younger people (essentially anyone 35 and under). As much as I love our liturgy, it may not offer everyone the entrance into experiencing God’s presence as much as going for a walk in the woods. I see this as an opportunity to have a conversation with each other of how I, as your priest, and St. Peter’s, as your church, can offer the resources needed to help build our "spiritual muscles."

If the pandemic has taught us anything it is the need to have some personal resources to care for our mental and spiritual well-being. The Church has relied on liturgy as that resource, but when those were not accessible, I think many were "lost at sea." That says to me we need to learn how to pray in ways that feel authentic and maybe less stylized. We need to develop spiritual practices that work in our lives and offer opportunities to think about how we use our faith in "real life."

For instance, in moments of crisis, do we think to stop for a moment and breathe slowly? Some call this "mindfulness," but as a person of faith, I consider it time to allow the Holy Spirit to flow in and through me, allowing that wisdom and strength to inspire my actions. Some of this is reframing our intentions so that we bring our faith into our lives even when we are not in the church building. And this is how we start to teach our children how to use their faith in healthy and productive ways.

I would love to talk with others who are interested in helping me and the church leadership understand how to fulfill these needs. If you are interested, please let me know. It may be best to have this conversation over Zoom so parents with young children are able to participate more easily. I would like to schedule the start of this conversation in November.

I pray the Spirit will guide all of us as we work together to grow in faith and love.

In Christ,

Rev. Valerie+