March: The 166th Diocesan Council

DEACON'S DIALOGUE, THE REV. PORTIA SWEET-

It was my honor and blessing to be with the delegation from St. Andrew's at the 166th diocesan Council in February. Not only was I in the company of congenial people, but I was also in the midst of people from a parish which is on the leading edge of our bishop's vision for the diocese. How exciting is that?

I am grateful that we embrace our diversity and understand that God is empowering us through it. I am excited that there is generosity in outreach - and in many different directions. I am also excited that new people continue to grace us with their desire to become part of this community and that they are engaging in both new and old ministries. I recently had lunch at, for me, a new sandwich shop called the Which Wich. Their service goal is to have all customers say "WOW"! About St. Andrew's, I say, "WOW!", remembering it is God who is working through us.

Our bishop has once again called us to be church beyond our walls by establishing relationships with folks wherever we are in our daily activities, taking the Good News of the Living Christ through our words and our actions. This has been the goal of Common Mission. We have worked through several hurdles in attempting to find a single mission to follow among the many possibilities and have opted to start small after all. Everyone who feels a tug to step boldly, speak lovingly, and enjoy greatly is welcome to participate in Blessing of Soles on the Boulevard in front of the church. Several churches are planning to participate in greeting and blessing the soles of the runners and walkers who spend Sundays on the esplanade to let them know we are here and that we care about them. Further, we hope to learn something about how they think we can serve them in their lives. This event will take place after Easter, and further details are not available at this writing, so please contact Megan Parks, Steve or Catherine Runner or myself if you are curious and want to join in.

We also invite all who wish to plan and carry out other ways of engaging, relating to and serving our neighbors to let one of these folks know. I can guarantee that this approach to ministry will make you exclaim, "WOW!"