Elevation: From Discernment into Action
Of the things that were immediately clear to me about St. Paul’s,
nothing was clearer than that we are a church that hungers for action.
We are doers. Lenten Lunches, Micah, Emmaus, Mwitikira, Haiti, Lay
Eucharistic Visitors, Altar Guild, Tour Guides, and the list goes on.
And this has always been true. It is in St. Paul’s DNA.
Just the other day I came across reference to a paper being published
this summer, “Bringing Social Christianity to Virginia: Walter Russell
Bowie, 1912-1923,” which will present a study of how, during Dr.
Bowie’s tenure as Rector of St. Paul’s Church, our parish became a hub
of spirited progressive ministry, and how, during that time, the
parishioners of St. Paul’s “launch[ed] a city-wide campaign for better
housing conditions.” This is just the latest example I have learned
about, of St. Paul’s long, strong tradition of Christian action,
stretching back over generations.
From Discernment
During our recent Such Great Heights movement, we spent several months
in discernment, focusing on two central questions, “Who is God calling
us to be?,” and “What is God calling us to do?” Naturally, and not at
all surprisingly, as we prayed and studied and reflected our way
through the summer and fall, our longstanding commitment to action
shone through steadily and clearly. St. Paul’s Church is as committed
as ever to action in the name of Christ.
What also emerged very clearly through our Such Great Heights movement
is that, even while we are determined not to miss a beat, in terms of
outwardly-directed Christian action, there is, at the same time, a deep
desire to see our parish do some interior work, if you will; or, to put
it another way, borrowing from the language of fitness, there is a
sense that this a time for us to build our “core strength,” so that, in
turn, we are all that much more prepared to carry on with the
outwardly-directed action to which we are so dedicated, and for which
we are so well known. We want to go deeper together; we want to grow
closer; we want a fuller, warmer sense of belonging to and caring for
one another.
Into Action
On the sidebar of this page, you will see a link to “Elevation: 1.0,"
which lays out a plan of action for 2010. Most, but not
all, of the plans for this first stage of Elevation are dedicated to
the building of our core strength. It is important to understand that
this is only the first stage in a series of stages. (“Elevation 2.0,”
“Elevation 3.0” will come later.) It is also important to understand
that this is a plan of action for the whole of St. Paul’s Church, for
every single member.
On Sunday, March 14, we will celebrate “Elevation Sunday.” The sermon
and the entire forum for that day will be dedicated to rolling out
Elevation. Specifically, the day will be dedicated to making sure that
all the people of our parish are engaged in the plans for the coming
year: What sort of small group might you be interested in joining?
Would you be willing to welcome visitors to St. Paul’s, and, not just
greet them, but actually help them find their place in our midst? Have
you ever considered that you might have a call to pastoral ministry?
Would you consider joining a “mission team” dedicated to taking the
Gospel to the growing number of people now living in downtown Richmond?
Those are just some of the plans that we will be putting into action in
this first year of Elevation. What part will you play? What ministries
will you claim for yourself? What is God’s call for you, for the coming
year, at St. Paul’s Church?
Please mark your calendar for Sunday, March 14, and please plan to be
in church that morning, as we move from the discernment of Such Great
Heights into the action of Elevation. I know God has great things in
store for St. Paul’s Church, and great things in store for each and
every one of us as we claim our part in God’s future here on Grace
Street.
With prayers, and with thanks,
your brother in Christ,
Wallace+
