From the Rector

Dear Friends in Christ,

Over the last few years, in working with young adults, seminarians, and those considering ordination, a few things of note have emerged.

First, there are many, many people looking to have their faith not be something apart from the rest of their life or a distraction amidst a panoply of distractions. They are seeking a way for their faith to form their life and for their life to matter in the deepest ways possible.

Second, many of these people have been told “you should become a priest” or the like because they enjoy serving others or they have a way with people or because they are kind—all good traits in a priest.

Third, the Church does not have the capacity to employ, full-time, the many, many caring and wonderful people who feel a call to ministry. 

Fourth, our communities are longing for a relational model of Church that blends depth of tradition with the strength of real relationship and authenticity.

It seems to me that we are in a cultural moment in which young adult intentional communities, like Beloved in the Desert, are the ideal means to form leaders equipped to engage the realities of contemporary society. To prepare for the Church of the future we have to pray, work, and be formed alongside the leaders of the future.

The need is for missionary communities of prayer, service, and sacrificial giving where we are the Church in the world—not expecting the world to come to us but preparing the Church to be out, visible, and welcoming people to know Jesus in new ways.

In a culture in which fewer and fewer people will simply wander into our churches to check us out, it is vital that we build up and equip a generation of missionaries whose work is to make the Gospel known as a lived experience of joyful offering and not simply something to be read or heard. This may be a way for the world to see and know that Christ is raising up a Church that will find its locus and heart in the communities all around us.

This work begins with daily prayer and the Sacraments—but the churches that serve as the heart of this kind of disciplined approach to engaging the Holy would not be the final destination but, rather, the launching point for those trained and equipped to be the presence of Christ for those they meet and serve.

Episcopal Service Corps programs like Beloved in the Desert bring together people who have a passion for proclaiming the Gospel and for serving those whom society would ignore. Those who come out of such communities, like our own Bishop here in Arizona, become the leaders and catalysts for evangelical and missionary service in our communities.

They are also the conscience of our churches as they call us to ever deeper companionship and self-offering—helping us to see needs we might never know about and preparing us to respond to them.

Many in our communities are yearning for a deeper connection to other faithful people and are longing for their faith to ground their approach to work, relationship, and service.

There are many for whom the full-time ordination process and seminary are not the appropriate route. There are also those being fast-tracked to the priesthood who have little sense that they want to preach, teach, and administer the Sacraments. They do, however, have a powerful and holy desire to live and serve with faith and passion. We do them a disservice by funneling them into the priesthood because we have falsely equated ministry with priesthood alone.

We need passionate and powerful advocates for Christ in the communities around us—we need young people equipped for holy living no matter their vocation. They can be, in our communities, the kinds of Christians that people never knew existed; whose concern is not institutional maintenance or Church membership, but is a faith lived so eloquently and authentically that their very being is evangelical.

These communities often become not just projects of parishes, but the heart of them and serve as an inspiration for the congregation’s deepening sense of their own vocation as evangelists and servants.

If you care about the future of the Church—you should learn more about supporting Beloved in the Desert. There is no better way to ensure that the life, witness, and faith of Saint Philip’s continues to form the next generation not just here in Tucson but far afield—wherever these young adults will pray, work, serve, and study for the rest of their lives.

I am so grateful to the folks who have dared to become Beloved members—who have dared to live their faith in a radically different way. They are models of what it means to live a life of faithful witness, generous service, mutual support, and authentic love. They show us, in so many ways, what it means, and what it will mean in the future, to be the Church in a changing world.

I am also grateful to the leadership of Mother Taylor, the board, and so many others who have helped make Beloved in the Desert possible. Their faith and vision has helped plant this community here that continues to grow deeper roots and bear wonderful fruit. No new ministry just happens, and this one has come to being and continues to thrive, because of their faithful hard work.

I hope you will take the opportunity offered this Friday, March 18, to learn more about Beloved and to support their life and ministry. Their work is our work. Their life is ours. Their thriving is ours, too. That is what it means to be community, to be the Church, and to live as the Body of Christ.

From 6:00pm-7:30pm this Friday, March 18, Saint Philip’s will celebrate Beloved in the Desert—the Tucson chapter of the Episcopal Service Corps. This event will offer a closer look at the program and its impact on the young adults and the Tucson community. Non-profit leaders will share their experiences working with the Beloved corps members and speak about the difference they make through their service.

You’ll also get a glimpse into what day-to-day life is like for these young adults, hear about opportunities for increased connection with them, and learn how you can support this program.

Register for the event by clicking here. If you have questions, email Alexander Swain, Assistant for Community Life—Beloved in the Desert Episcopal Service Corps, at alexanderd.swain@gmail.com.

Yours in Christ,

—Fr Robert