Associate Priest's Report, Annual Meeting 2020

At a recent staff meeting, we took a pause before heading into that week’s business to go around the room, reflect, and share with each other one moment from the past two weeks in which we had seen God at work in and through Holy Trinity by the Lake. The sharing seemed to come easily:

In the singing and prayers of our children and youth, gathered in a mostly unlit church to pray Compline after Sunday dinner. In the joy of the choir. In the full participation of our children in worship. In the surprise of a mysterious knock at the door of a parishioner’s home, which turned out to announce the arrival of thirty something carolers making their joyful noise. In trying new things. In an exchange with a parishioner in the office hallway at the end of which both parties’ eyes were filled with tears, joy, and an awareness of the Spirit’s speaking to them both. In continuing and strengthening efforts to make visible the love of God beyond the walls of this place, in the larger community, and the grace that has found us in these efforts. 

Unsurprisingly, more than a couple of us had trouble keeping ourselves to just one moment. 

As the meeting went on, in the middle of our shared excitement for what can be and the work lists necessary to steward this shared ministry well, another moment of grace emerged: a profound gratitude for the gift it is to be a part of what God is doing in this place. “A holy privilege” were my words. And it is.

As a big part of a long, long list of gratitudes, I thank God for 

• the call to join you in this ministry, beginning this past August,
• the strong and heartfelt leadership of our rector, Fr. Keith, 
• the otherworldly care and diligence of our off-going senior warden, Terry Tunks, 
• the brilliant mixture of committed leadership, love, and laughter that exists in the vestry, 
• the incredible, hardworking, and selfless staff with whom I share the offices every day,
•  and - best for last! - each and every one of you, sealed by the Holy Spirit, marked as Christ’s own, exercising the gifts God has given you for the glory of God and the building up of God’s church in this place. You are the church, and I thank God for you.

As associate priest, I am present to and for the gamut of ministries in this place, but particularly ministries of Christian formation for children, youth, and adults. From Theology on Tap to bingo at Rock Ridge. From adult formation on Sunday mornings to our first ever and highly spirited all-congregation hymn sing with Bishop Sumner. From Bible studies to 5th Sunday game nights, and back again. In each of these, the goal is always integration over isolation, facilitating learning and conversations across generations and in ways that help each person find her voice and experience true belonging in the community of faith. One of the first great gifts of God to Christians is one another, holy friendship, and I am heartened by the warmth and open-heartedness with which HTbtL practices holy friendship together, welcoming new people into this family of faith and entering the lives of others with love and interest.

Nowhere is Holy Trinity’s openness to holy friendship more visible to me than in the group that gathers at the Book Club Cafe on Monday mornings at 10am. Incredibly, this group of 10-14 folks has never been the same twice and (as of this writing) has always included at least one first timer. That’s wild, and wonderful. I’ve been blessed to hear your stories and share ordinary life with you there. It’s also a small but good practice at being the church in public!

Speaking of holy friendship, I am so grateful to have been received as an adopted member of Yahweh Yarn and for the invitation to accompany the Outreach Committee on one of their field trips to better understand the work of local shelters for women and children. The space Holy Trinity’s many ministries have made for me to see what God is showing you is a gift I cherish.

I am not in charge of children’s and youth ministry, but I am a weekly part of the team, so I think it is appropriate to recognize Amanda Chance and Amy Pennell for their close coordination of Lil’ Saints, EYC, and our growing group of leaders. We are intentionally approaching these ministries with a team mindset this year, and the ministries are flourishing with the team’s shepherding. Youth attendance is strong, along with the desires both to gather together and to reach out in love to people beyond these walls. The monthly outreach component of EYC was a new thing introduced this year, and Julia Braaten has done great work to make this new thing a strength of the program and a source of diverse experiences for the youth of Holy Trinity. 

Looking further ahead into 2020, I am beginning to gather a group of welcomers, to explore our existing welcome practices and how we might grow them. Additionally, I am looking to gather a similar group to explore ecology and the environment, how Christians think about these things, and how Holy Trinity might develop practices for the flourishing of creation. I don’t know that the impact of the church’s visible witness to care of creation can be overstated. In other words, to live our faith in these concrete ways is proclamation, is evangelism. If either of these projects sound exciting to you, please let me know!

I am particularly grateful to Fr. Keith and the whole staff for inviting me to make comments, observations, and to suggest new ways of doing things, from my first day in the office. To work with a leader who exhibits this trust is a gift I don’t take lightly. Neither do I take lightly the holy privilege of entering the life of a congregation fully focused and committed to growing ever deeper and wider in the love of God. It’s a gift to support the vision of a caring priest and friend.

To all of you: Rebekah, the kids, and I have been so grateful for the warmth of your welcome. Thank you for opening your hearts to us. We are excited for the new things God will do in our midst as we take - individually and together - daily steps forward in the love of the one who gathers and sends us. May the rhythms of God’s love be the drumbeat for our movements, more and more, and always. When it comes to the new things of God, we are always just beginning, we are always growing, and this is God’s gift.

Submitted by the Rev. Jonathan Melton, Associate Priest