Aspirational Unity and Annual Meeting

Dear Saints,

Many of you saw that the Episcopal Church made national news from the sermon given by the Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde at the National Cathedral earlier this week. If you haven’t heard the sermon, I highly recommend listening to it in its entirety.

In a “culture of contempt” that threatens to destroy our country, she spoke about the need for "aspirational unity" in our prayers and actions. Such unity is what helps us transcend our differences and hold each other with compassion even where we disagree. Its foundations, she said, are "Honoring the inherent dignity of every human being... Honesty… to speak the truth, even when, and especially when, it costs us... [and] Humility…. when we are persuaded without a doubt we are absolutely right and someone else is absolutely wrong, because then we are just a few steps from labeling ourselves the ‘good people’ versus the ‘bad people.’”

The angry responses to her sermon exemplify why unity, mercy and compassion are so needed right now, and why it is so important for us and our church to be clear about following Jesus in the Way of Love and being a place where people feel radically welcomed, safe and loved. This week's Social Justice Corner gives us several practical ways to show this love for our neighbors through advocacy.

Annual Meeting

This Sunday is our Annual Meeting! We will reflect on the blessings of this past year and look ahead to the next holy places God is calling us to as a faith community.

We will also vote on our elected representatives for the Vestry and Diocesan Convention and do a brief review of the parish finances. Please bring a potluck item for the lunch or help with set up or cleanup if you can.

Also, we will not be printing Annual Meeting booklets this year. Please read the 2024 Annual Report FINAL and the candidate bios below.

Looking forward to another great Annual Meeting and year ahead with you all!

Andria+