Gratitude 2

As I regain my sea-legs for parish ministry after maternity leave I have so much gratitude for the teams that enabled important outreach ministries to continue seamlessly in my time away. The shared ministry of Beloved in the Desert with the Advisory Board thereof has been a place of much joy and growth over the past year, and the Board seems to have effortlessly (though I’m sure it was not effortless) provided stability and welcome for the third incoming cohort of young adults who have committed to prayer, service, and intentional community among us. This work requires forms, accounting, house repairs and updates, relational work with outgoing and incoming corps members, communication with the Parish, prayer, and grace.

Thank you especially to Alex Swain for coordinating this effort, to Liz Wood for her countless hours ensuring the Beloved house was ready for the new year and for coordinating with Alex the placements for 2021-2022, to Carol Jones for updating COVID protocols and ensuring the safe entry of the cohort, to Erika Johnson for her generosity and effort with installing new and much improved window blinds for privacy and cooling, to Jeanette Renouf for coordinating Spiritual Directors for the new year, to Chuck Kirchner for his photographic, interviewing, and organizational support, to Beth Brouillette for coordinating financial aspects of the outgoing and incoming year’s process, and to Eileen and Don Veitch for their prayerful and practical support of the vision of Beloved in the Desert even from afar.

Thank you also to the local alums of Beloved—Luke, Alex, and Sam—for your joyful welcome and participation in Orientation and the early weeks of life together for this cohort. 

The work of Beloved in the Desert is always layered—with a layer of detail, of partnership, of relationship, of practical questions like bus lines and bike routes, of prayer, and it is only possible through a web of relationships within Saint Philip’s, the Beloved in the Desert Community, and our partners in this effort, the Episcopal Campus Ministry and Saint Andrew’s in Armory Park. It makes sense that when I was away for 12 weeks everything went…great, because it is a ministry of shared vision and effort. Thank you for all the shared work visible and invisible that helps to create a vibrant ecosystem for young adult ministry in southern Arizona and to provide support to our neighbors through our partnerships.

With so much gratitude,
Mtr Taylor