From the Rector

Dear Friends in Christ,

The article that follows mine this week announces news that will come as a surprise to some and as a sadness to many. Fr Peter has accepted a call to serve as Rector of St Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

His last Sunday here will be All Saints Sunday, the first Sunday in November. Of course, All Saints Sunday follows closely on our marking of All Souls Day.

The Spirit lets us know when it is time. I knew at my last two calls when that time had come and the Spirit has moved in Peter’s heart too. God needs him elsewhere and this has been a place of preparation for that new work.

It seems fitting, somehow, for Peter’s last day with us to fall during those celebrations and solemnities. His time here has been marked by the patient work of equipping the saints. His time here has also been marked by his patient care for so many in their final days and hours.

As I write this, he is on his way back from Phoenix visiting a parishioner who has been gravely ill. Many of you have been similarly cared for by him. He’s visited you or your loved ones, baptized your children and grandchildren, and married so many too. His time has been one long act of prayer and care.

Few of you will know the long, numberless hours he puts in to make sure every liturgy here comes off just so. You won’t know the tireless energy it takes to care for so many in myriad ways. The work he has done is not just about hours worked, but how he carries the sorrows and joys of each of you.

From his first day here and, I know, until his last, he has given every bit of himself for the sake of the Gospel and for each of you.

When I call people to work with me, I look for people who will make me better somehow. I look for people who are smarter, better organized, and more widely skilled. When I talked with Peter, I knew I had found the person who would make me a better priest simply by being here. The way he prays, cares, and serves are all gifts that he lends to each of those with whom he works.

Unlike secular fields, clergy are not compensated for the number of widgets they produce—we’re not the Activities Directors on cruise ships or line workers in a sacramental factory. Clergy are supported by the congregation to live the Gospel amongst them. We help people find Christ in Word and Sacrament. We help people encounter Jesus in acts of living and loving care. We nurture the faith planted in Baptism so that we can all strive to grow into the full measure of Christ together.

That work is the work of All Saints and All Souls. We labor together to grow into sainthood and strive knowing that we leave a legacy for the next generation. So it is fitting that Peter goes to his next call leaving us on All Saints Sunday.

There will be more information in the weeks ahead about how we’ll handle the transition. I often jokingly say that no one is indispensable—graveyards are full of indispensable people! But there are people we miss immensely and whose absence leaves a mark. That mark is the impression left by the strength of someone’s love. Peter’s mark will be left. Let’s take the weeks ahead to say thank you and goodbye with all the good wishes, love, and appreciation we can.

Yours in Christ,

—Fr Robert