March 2018
From the Rector’s desk by Rev. Anthony MacWhinnie, II We’ve just come back from a fantastic Diocesan Convention! While there are many things to like about convention, from attending with parishioners to seeing old friends, the thing that I really love is this overwhelming sense that we are a part of something much bigger than ourselves. During a discussion break at convention, I explained how the smallest unit of the Episcopal Church really is the diocese (as opposed to the parish), so we are one massive church with 62 campuses in the Central Gulf Coast. Not three minutes later, from the podium, the next speaker spoke about someone who had referred to our diocese as a “mega-church with 62 campuses.” Providence? I think so. It seems to me that so many places in our diocese are experiencing similar, providential happenings. One word that keeps coming up all over the place for me and others is “invite.” Most people that come to church are invited to come to church at some point. A statistic that came up at convention was that the average Episcopalian invites someone to church once every 37 years… Yeah… That has to change! Part of inviting folks to church is getting to know them. Your CEV team is working on figuring out what that looks like. How do we get to know our neighbors? Well, first off, it starts with a genuine desire to get to know them. As much as we want it to be, it’s NOT about getting them to come to church. It’s really about talking to them and getting to know them. That’s how relationships are born and maintained. When we get to know our neighbors then we get to know what they need. Then we figure out how to be that for them. We can’t do these things without getting to know them! Convention also brought to the fore the importance of our youth. The phrase “the youth are the future of the church” kept coming up over and over. I have a little different take on that. The youth are our church NOW. The distinction I’m making is born out of the fact that when we relegate their importance to some far off future event or place, then we’re basically saying that they aren’t important now. And that’s just not the case. They are an im-
Our Staff & Vestry Rev, Anthony MacWhinnie, II, Rector Vestry: Beth Woods - Senior Warden, Jim Warner - Junior Warden Dora Giles—Treasurer Susan Early & Margaree Mills-Fitchett Twinette McDonald - Music Director Sally Putters - Parish Nurse
portant and vital part of our church, one that needs to be heard more. Think about it, when you see a healthy youth population at the church, doesn’t that make you feel good about the condition of the church? It’s pretty simple math, really. One thing that I want to reassure you about is that all this talk about youth and new people doesn’t mean that the focus of our church is going to change to the exclusion of the aging or long standing members. Far from it! Our seniors are super important as well, as are our longstanding traditions. You’ve got a lot to teach and show the new folks and youth! You are the backbone of this whole thing! And without you from whom will they learn? On the contrary, I see our seniors as being just as vital a component to the overall health of our church as I do youth and the newcomers. We’re in this together, y’all! Convention is a great reminder of that fact. We are one, though many. Let’s reach out together this coming year. Let’s make this church a stronger one, better able to meet the needs of the future while honoring our past. Peace. Anthony+
Wednesday, March 28, 6:00 pm Taize Thursday, March 29, 7:00 pm Maundy Thursday (w/ Stripping of the Altar) Friday March 30, 7:00 pm Good Friday (starting with Stations of the Cross inside) Saturday March 31, 7:00 pm, Easter Vigil Sunday April 1, 7:00 am Easter Sunrise (at the Pond) Sunday April 1, 10:00 am Easter Service Egg Hunt following