FROM THE EDITOR

HELLO! My name is Greeter Steve!

For those of you that were able to join us for the outstanding MICHAEL, A MUSICAL recently at McFarlin Auditorium, that phrase will hopefully bring a smile to your face as you recall, well, the entire night!

There was so much that went in to that 75th Anniversary production, led by the outstanding leadership of our own Lydia Addy, Nancy Skochdopole, and Jeff Rice, that it wasn’t until after it was over that I had a few moments to view it from a different perspective. For so long, it seems to me—since oh, about March 15, 2020 when the closure began for us—that most every moment to some degree has had an element of reserve. That small portion of our psyche that was still on alert. But I’ve heard from no less than 10+ people that they experienced an overwhelming sensation—for at least one bombastic, festive moment—that we we’re back; back to the full-bore, festive family that we’ve all been missing!

That special evening, filled with all those Hello’s, serves as a reminder to me that God has, and is, blessing us and bringing us through, and that we are marked by a certain quality: being a community of people who show up, who care, reach out, help others—people who say hello. I love what former Saint Michael Vice Rector, the Rt. Rev. Dean Wolfe, had to say about that “quality”— that all that was needed for us to mobilize and launch on some immense tasks was to ponder aloud that perhaps it couldn’t be done....

Part of my personal process of writing this column is scanning back through previous editions and revisiting my perspective on where we were each time. I see a clear journey into the unknown of the pandemic, through the fear, struggle, and frustration, but what a thrill now to be writing about the joy of seeing the light—of feeling that light—at the end of the proverbial tunnel. That we can with renewed grit and determination get back to the “Saint Michael normal” rich and legacied business of worshiping and caring for one another and those around us in need, perhaps without as much distraction as we’ve had these last couple of years.

Rector Chris Girata writes in his article beginning page 7 that, “Now, it’s time we pivot forward as we become the church we are called to be in the future ... Together, we can move confidently into a future that is bright and hopeful, and as we do, spread the Good News to all we meet.”

It’s easy to see some of that future speeding toward us as our staff family welcomes the Rev. Robin Hinkle, Associate for Mission & Outreach, Erin Osborne, Coordinator of Small Groups, and Rob Springer, Director of Engagement, all focused on key areas of SMAA ministry that continue to grow our relationship with Christ and ability to care for others. Saint Michael is blessed to be a proving ground for many who continue on life’s journey elsewhere. Learn about other staff changes on page 54.

I always try to highlight special upcoming moments—but as I look through this issue there are too many. Instead, I challenge you to look at the life that is happening here. Revel in it. It’s time to say Hello!— because we’re back!