REFLECTING ON THE RECENT TRIP TO BELIZE

Sermon preached at Saint Anne's on Palm Sunday, March 29, 2015

It’s good to be back with you this morning. 

It felt strange to be gone for three Sundays in Lent. 

Being in Belize, where it was sunny most of the time, and hot, was a joy and a privilege — 

not exactly what one thinks of for Lenten penance or self-denial. 

And yet there were some things about the trip that truly were in the spirit of Lent. 

More time for reflection and reading. Slowing down the pace of life, getting away from all the distractions of normal daily life.

Working for the good of others.  Being open to surprises and practicing patience.

We got up early and drove on dusty roads, 10 mph over bumps and potholes, to reach remote villages where volunteers seldom go. 

Selfies

The people of the villages were surprised that we actually showed up!

The children would stare at us, with our strange pale skin and blue eyes and light-colored, wavy hair. They were curious about us and what we were doing.

Sandy Rude conducted teacher training workshops in the schools — each school with just 5-9 teachers including the principal, serving all the children of the village from 1st-8th grades. Many of the teachers have only a high school or associates degree education, with very little training in classroom teaching methods.  They had asked for help in teaching special needs children, and also methods for teaching math and language arts. Sandy put her 30+ years of classroom experience to good use, and did a wonderful job with the training. The rest of us painted a new wooden building, drew and painted a mural, sorted library books, repaired benches, and interacted with curious children.

If they had been sure we would really come, and that we were really willing and able to work, they would have had more work for us to do. It was a little frustrating for us at first. But it soon became clear that the most important thing that was happening was not the work we accomplished, but the building of bridges of trust and friendship.

Painting a Kitchen

Each day the work paused at noon for a shared meal. The people of each village provided lunch for us. The first day, in the village of Aguacate, we were served caldo — a very special soup, traditional of the Mayan people, made of chicken and vegetables. 

The chicken is cut up with a cleaver and all of it goes in — bony pieces and meaty pieces — and the vegetables are large chunks of potato and yam and a leafy green vegetable called calaloo. The broth is rich, but not thickened at all. It is served with corn tortillas — homemade and hot — but no spoon or napkin. We watched our hosts and learned how to eat soup with our hands. 

In the next days we learned to eat tamales with bones in them, rice and beans and chicken and pork, and more caldo (all with no utensils — a tortilla makes a great scooper!)

As we ate, we talked and got to know the teachers. They asked us about our lives and our culture, and we asked about theirs. 

Pueblo Viejo Teachers

We exchanged emails and Facebook information. They don’t have electricity in the villages — just a few individually-owned generators — and cell phones don’t really work out there in the remote areas. They have to get to town, hours away by bus, to make a phone call or use email. So communication takes longer — days or even weeks, for things we are used to have happening in minutes or at least just hours.

After a few days we found our pace and expectations slowing down too. What was our hurry, anyway?

In Pueblo Viejo, at the end of the second day, the principal, Stephen Sho, invited us to his house at the top of the hill. 

We walked through the village along the new paved road that is nearly finished, that has already changed village life by making access easier and bringing not only visitors but through-traffic as well. At his house he invited us to sit on the porch while he took a long stick and began to pull coconuts down from the tree. Two of his children ran to catch the coconuts, 

to keep them from rolling down the hill. Mr. Sho cut off the tops of the coconuts and gave us each one to drink the juice. Then he cut them in half and made a scoop from part of the green coconut shell, for us to scoop out the sweet juicy coconut meat.

Coconut Hospitality

Another shared meal, another sacred moment.

He showed us all around his house and yard. As we admired the view, overlooking the village, with the Maya Mountains in the background, he described the dream house he was planning to build there, next to the small existing house.

Then he pulled Mark aside, away from the group. “I want to ask you something,” he said. He knew we were a church group, and he wasn’t sure about our beliefs.  Would we be offended if he offered us a beer? Mark assured him we would not be offended.

So our next stop was the little village store, owned by his dad and his sister Dalia, where he bought us each a beer and we stood around talking. Dalia Sho took us behind the store into the house, introduced us to another sister, and invited us to stay with them next time we are in Pueblo Viejo.

The third village we visited, San Benito Poite, was the farthest away, and we learned that we were the first group ever to volunteer at their school. Another group had offered to paint the school, but when they realized they would have to travel over 2 hours to reach the village, they cancelled. The single-lane, deeply rutted dirt road to San Benito Poite was created only 15 years ago — before that the only access was by horse or on foot, along a jungle path. There are women in San Benito Poite who have never been to town, 

never left the village. When we arrived, bringing 3 suitcases full of items you donated, they were very surprised, and a little nonplussed.  The children were dismissed and teacher workshops began, while the rest of us wandered around the village. 

We helped weigh babies in the medical clinic, took pictures of the free-range pigs and chickens, played baseball with a little boy, 

made plans to return the next day with tools and nails so we could repair some benches.

Free Range Pig

The principal, Domingo Teck, took us to his house for lunch, prepared by his wife, Anita. And then Anita took us to her outdoor, traditional-Maya kitchen, with a wood burning open stove, where she and some relatives were preparing a coconut pastry for our afternoon snack. She spoke about her work in the village, with the local Peace Corps volunteer, to encourage girls to go on to high school, instead of getting married when they finish 8th grade. She and her husband encouraged us to stay in the village community building the next time we come, rather than making the 4-hour round trip each day.

In the afternoon, Sandy continued her teaching while the rest of us read our books in the shade. By some measures it might have felt like a frustrating day. We were prepared to work, but there was little to do. But by another measure it was a very fruitful day. 

We were there. We showed up. We shared time. We brought gifts, and were open to the gifts of food and friendship that were offered to us. We heard about the good work that was already being done, and were invited to come back.

And we will.  

All three villages want us to return next year, and they will know this time that we are coming. They can make plans for work they want us to do. Sandy hopes to have another teacher to help her continue the workshops, which the teachers all found very valuable, 

and the government Ministry of Education has endorsed.

* * * * *

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the people had an expectation of him.

“Hosanna!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!

Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

They hoped for a leader to free them from political oppression, from the rule of the Roman government. 

They hoped Jesus was that leader who would get something done.

But that was not his agenda. The kingdom of God that Jesus talked about, and worked toward, and invites us still to be part of, 

is built of relationships, not accomplishments. Yes, it’s true that people working together can accomplish great things. 

And it’s true that God invites us to work together with each other and with God for the healing of the world. 

HOW we do this work is even more important than WHAT we do.

How we treat each other, and all our sisters and brothers in the human family, is more important than any accomplishment.

As we show up, and share our lives, and break bread together, and slow down enough to match our pace and our breathing to the heartbeat of God — then the barriers that separate us from one another break down.

Jesus rides in triumph and humility, and we find ourselves living in God’s kingdom — “The Beloved Community.”

Being Community

 Saint Anne's is an intergenerational community. We are people of all ages, all stages of life. All people, including children, are welcome in every part of our community life. The presence of children is a joy, and a sign of life. And it can also be challenging, as they bring their energy, and their noise, with them.

As the numbers of children at Saint Anne's has grown, we find a need to address in new ways how to be community together. How can we help children learn to pray in silence and stillness? How can we embrace the exuberance and joy of our youngest members? How can we support parents when they bring their children to church -- and also in their life at home? How can we help children grow in their faith, within the community? How can we ensure that our older members can hear, and find the stillness and reverence they need for their souls? How can we help everyone feel safe and included?

Lent is a good time to emphasize stillness and reverence in the sanctuary. Sunday Club will be helping children learn to quiet their bodies in worship. We'll be offering more and better quiet activities for children during worship, and help for parents.

Lent is also a good time for us to practice seeking and serving Christ in all persons, including each other. The Christian community is our practice place for learning how to do this in the wider world.

Blessings, Lydia +

Spring Cleaning for the Soul

Spiritual Spring Cleaning in Lent

A Note from Lydia

In the rhythm of our church seasons, Lent is an opportunity to focus on our interior spiritual lives.  The word Lent is related to “lengthen”, and refers to the lengthening of the days in springtime.  I like to think of Lent as a time of spring cleaning for the soul.  Dust out the cobwebs, clear out the clutter, get rid of old stuff that’s in the way, scrub and polish the things that are still good but have been neglected.  A Lenten discipline of self-denial or of renewed attention to daily prayer and Bible reading can help with the spring cleaning.  Such disciplines are a gift to oneself, not a way to earn God’s approval.  They are tools to help us refocus our hearts and minds, and make us more open to recognizing God within us and around us.

Show to me during these Lenten days

how to take the daily things of life

and by submerging them in the sacred,

to infuse them with a great love

for you, O God, and for others.

Guide me to perform simple acts of love and prayer,

the real works of reform and renewal

of this overture to the spring of the Spirit.

O Father of Jesus, Mother of Christ,

help me not to waste these precious Lenten days

of my soul’s spiritual springtime.

-- “Lenten Psalm of Awakening” by Edward Hays, from Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim

I hope you will find a focus that will help you grow spiritually during Lent.  I hope you will make Sunday worship a priority during Lent.  And I hope you will participate in the Lenten Wednesdays program, February 25-March 25.  The soup supper will feed your body and your soul too, as you get to know other St. Annians.  Three different classes will offer learning and spiritual growth for everyone age 3 and up.  Holden Evening Prayer will send you home with a prayer on your lips and a song in your heart.  Come for all or part of the evening.

Faithfully,

Lydia+

SERMON FOR SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014 -- SAINT ANNE'S DAY

A message from Saint Anne, upon her first visit to Saint Anne's Episcopal Church

Dear Ones, my dear, dear children,

My heart is so happy to be with you today! 

I can’t tell you how often I have longed to come and see you. 

Ever since you were born, 29 years ago, 

I have been so happy that you chose to be named after me!  

Anne... or Anna as I am often called...  

And it has pleased me through the years how many women named Anne have chosen this church!

There was Anne Miner-Pearson, your first rector.  

And through the years many Annes, some of whom are still here -- 

Ann Lanoue, Anne Bleecker-Snoeyenbos,  Anna Dupont, Anna Rexeisen,

Ann Malachek, Ann Schultheis... Did I miss anybody?

I’m especially remembering another Anne who was a long-time Saint Annian.  

Anne Hotchkiss died just a few weeks ago. 

Her ashes are buried in our columbarium.

Anne was 92 when she died.  She was such a funny, kind, energetic person.  

She had a large family, and when her family would get together 

she would sit and look at all of them and think to herself, 

“None of you would be here if it weren’t for me.”

And now, as I look at all of you, I am thinking the same thing:  

“None of you would be here if it weren’t for me.”  

Well, not ME exactly, but I did cry out to God for a child, 

and the child God gave me turned out to be one very special girl.  

And her son... well, I know every grandmother is proud of her grandchildren, 

but really, you know, Jesus was extraordinary.

And that’s not just my opinion. I know you think so too. 

That’s why you’re here -- not really because of me. 

You are here because you want to learn more about my grandson, 

so you can live a life of love and compassion.  

You want to be people who believe, and then ACT what you believe. 

You are here to learn from his life and remember his death 

and celebrate his resurrection.  

You are here because together -- as a community -- 

you can shine much brighter, making a difference in the world, than you can alone.

And I am SO PROUD of you!!!

Saint Anne’s Church.  Saint Anne’s.

I just like saying that.  

Saint Anne’s.  

You are 29 years old now, no longer a child or an adolescent. 

You are a young adult, and you have the energy and optimism of young adulthood.  

And you have some growing pains, as you transition into a more stable adulthood.  Don’t worry.  You are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses -- your faith ancestors, including me, and lots of other saints, and of course Jesus. 

He’s always here, when 2 or 3 or more of you are gathered. 

And he will help you, as you keep on turning to him and remembering him.

Let me tell you some of the really good things I see:

Lots of children. 

Children are a sign of hope and new life in a faith community.  

You need to have children, to help you remember what is really important.  

My grandson, Jesus, he used to love to have children around. 

If his disciples tried to keep the kids away, 

because they thought the adults needed quiet and seriousness to listen to what Jesus was saying,... 

well, Jesus would sometimes have to speak sharply and remind them that no, 

the children were always welcome. 

In fact, he used to say often that if we wanted to know how to be part of God’s kingdom, we needed to look at children, 

and learn from them about joy and curiosity and honesty and vulnerability.

Another good thing about this community 

is how much you care about the whole world, not just yourselves.  

You have been like a mustard seed of faith that grows into a large tree, 

offering shade and shelter to birds.  

I have seen the work you have done in White Earth, and Minneapolis, 

and in Belize, helping to build a school, 

and a Maya language radio station, teaching and mentoring, feeding, 

working side by side with people of different faiths, sharing the work to make the world better.  

I have seen you bringing food, and sharing Care Packages, 

and I am proud of how each month you give money to an organization doing God’s work in your community. 

Your “angel tree” at Christmastime gives me special joy, 

as well as all the thousands of little and big acts of generosity in your lives.  

I want to remind you -- as you are focusing on your building, doing the much-needed improvements for safety, accessibility, and beauty -- 

don’t forget to keep your vision turned outward.  

Another of your faith ancestors, William Temple 

(he was an English man, Archbishop of Canterbury during WWII) said, 

“The church is the only organization 

that exists for those who aren’t its members.”  

You are here to be light for the world, 

to continue the good work my grandson did in his life on earth, 

and to be his hands, feet, and loving arms in this world. 

Never forget that!

Another good thing I see is how much you love each other. 

You take care of each other in times of sickness and grief, 

you celebrate together in times of joy, and you pray for each other.  

But I have to say...  

I have also noticed lately that you don’t always notice the stranger or visitor.  

Back when you were struggling to grow, you were better at this.  

I want to remind you, when you go to coffee hour or to the picnic later, 

-- speak with at least three people you don’t know very well. 

Invite them to sit with you and your long-time friends.  

Ask them about their life, and tell them some of the stories about yourself, 

and about Saint Anne’s Church, so they can become part of the community too.

So let’s talk for a minute about this building. 

Your buildings and grounds.  

What a wonderful legacy! 

More of your faith ancestors, Minnesotans in the 20th century, 

envisioned this church. They donated the land. 

They gave money and sweat and they worked hard to build these buildings. 

You have inherited a good facility! 

And you have a responsibility to maintain it, 

and invest in it just as your forebears did, thinking -- just as they did -- 

about those who are not yet here.  

I am so proud of you, that you are doing just that. 

I can’t wait to see how it all looks when you are finished.  

New parking lot with more parking spaces, better accessibility for all people, beautiful new flooring...  It’s going to be great.

But never forget, it is just a facility.  

The building is not the church. 

YOU are the church. The building is a tool for ministry.  

Its condition is a sign of the health of your interior spiritual life, 

but it is not a substitute for that interior, spiritual life.

Fixing up your building will help it serve you, as you serve God.  

Taking care of the problems on it will mean less of your energy and attention will have to go to those little and big distractions -- 

like failing septic systems and icy sidewalks -- 

Oh yes, I’ve noticed all those things you’ve been dealing with!!

For a short while now, you have to focus hard on the buildings and grounds.   

Just like your faith ancestors did when they built this sanctuary, 

and the rest of what you have here.

But even while you are doing that, don’t forget 

to give thanks for the children... 

to welcome the stranger... to care for each other... 

to reach out in love to the world...  

I know you will do those things because you love my grandson.

Did I tell you how proud I am of you?  

Thank you for letting me speak this morning. I hope you will invite me again.

love, Grandmother Anne

Our Sanctuary Speaks. What is it Saying?

Moving the Altar After Easter

When you come to church the Sunday after Easter, you will find the worship space rearranged. The Worship Commission has recommended, and the vestry approved, bringing the altar into the midst of the congregation for a season before we begin renovation. This change is a step toward discerning how our sanctuary can be used most effectively and most beautifully embody our beliefs about God and ourselves as a worshipping community.

Back Story

Saint Anne’s has done this before. In the 1990s, with the Rev. Theo Park, the altar was moved into the middle of the nave.  The Rev. John Cowan, in the early 2000s, placed the altar in front of the altar rail.  Those who were here in 2007 will recall that we moved altar, font, lectern, and chairs for the summer.  Since 2009 our early Sunday service has, every Sunday, moved chairs and gathered around the altar inside the altar rail. For many of our special services, we move chairs, lectern, and altar.  Over and over again, since 1990, plans have been started to make these changes more permanent, or at least to give us better capability for flexibility.  We get stuck because of changing leadership.  We get stuck because of cost to do it well, and make it beautiful.  Now that we are embarking on capital improvements, inside and out, it is time to move forward.

A couple of years ago, a group of 16 Saint Annians read a book together about church buildings.  Re-Pitching the Tent by Richard Giles led us through the foundations and development of Christian worship, and helped us tune our eyes and ears to how church buildings speak.  Everything about a building tells something about the values and theology of the people who use it.

Giles asks, “How do the followers of Jesus of Nazareth today organize themselves in such a way as to make his continued living presence a reality for them and for the world?  To be more precise, what are the distinguishing features of the followers of Jesus when they meet as a community, and how can they best use buildings ... to express their life together and the message they long to share?”

The Outward and Visible Sign (O&VS) initiative has helped us think about this in terms of the approach and access to the building, and the space we use for fellowship. Another important part of the work we will do this year will be the worship space.  Rearranging this spring will help us as we plan to refurbish and renew our sanctuary.

How does our sanctuary “speak” about what we believe? 

1. Worship is participatory, for the whole assembly.  When the altar is at a far end of the worship space, up some steps, behind an altar rail, the message is that clergy and other worship leaders are more important than the congregation.  It also implies that they are performing for an audience.  Placing the altar more in the midst of the congregation speaks a message of participation, and important roles for everyone.  Soren Kierkegaard once said that many people believe worship to be the responsibility of the clergy, who are prompted by God, and the congregation is the appreciative audience.  Kierkegaard said that really, the whole congregation is responsible for worship. They are led by the clergy, and God is the appreciative audience.  

1. Eucharist is a joyful feast, not a solemn sacrifice.  This shift in thinking was an important part of liturgical renewal in the 2nd half of the 20th century.  Older altars are solid, shaped like tombs, emphasizing the sacrifice of Christ.  Modern altars are more like tables, emphasizing that we gather to eat a sacred meal, as Jesus directed his disciples.  As we gather around the altar, we are reclaiming an understanding of Eucharist from the early time of the church, when Jesus’s first followers gathered at table after he had gone back to heaven, and found that he was among them as they broke bread.

1. God comes into the midst of the people.  God is not aloof but among us.  God is not only in the “Holy of holies”, behind the altar rail, up some steps, but in our midst and accessible to all.  At every baptism, the whole congregation welcomes the newly baptized:  “We receive you into the household of God. Confess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share with us in his eternal priesthood.”  All are worthy. All have access to God.  

1. The best we can afford, for that which we value most highly. Worship is at the heart of our life together. Shabby flooring, frayed and stained carpeting, chipped veneer, and mismatched furnishings do not speak well of the value we place on worship.  Organ pipes that are for show but not function silently speak of what is missing in our musical praise.  Chairs should afford flexibility, but ours are unwieldy, with difficult or missing kneelers.  Our O&VS work will address all these things, so that our sanctuary speaks loudly, without words, of what we believe and what we value.

So be ready. The Worship Commission will do their best to make the church beautiful, and to address issues of traffic flow.  There will be opportunity for evaluation and feedback.  More changes will be made as we learn what works, what is helpful, how our building speaks what we believe.

Remember: “Praying Shapes Believing.”  Our worship is both an expression of our beliefs and also shapes and forms what we believe.  Our building speaks -- not just to us, but to all who come.  May it express clearly our faith in God who loves abundantly, who welcomes all, who dwells among us.

Faithfully,

Lydia +

Blessings in Africa

Haraka, haraka, Haina baraka.  It’s a Swahili proverb meaning “Hurry, hurry does not bring blessing.” Mark and I recently had the blessing of being able to slow down, not hurrying through our days, as we spent two weeks in Tanzania.  We traveled with former Saint Annians Mark and Julie Cutler, who had lived for 2 years in Tanzania about 15 years ago, as volunteer teachers in the village of Monduli.  Our trip included safari, interactions with students and teachers, worshiping in a Tanzanian Lutheran church, and rest at a secluded resort on the Indian Ocean.  

And blessings, lots of blessings. 

The blessing of people. 

It was wonderful to reconnect with Mark and Julie.  Through them, we got to know some local Tanzanians who teach and administer the schools where they had taught.  Our first week in Tanzania was spent living in a guest house at the MaaSae Girls School, helping out in English and Mathematics classrooms at MaaSae and at Moringe Secondary School, shopping at the market in the village of Monduli, being welcomed into Tanzanian homes.  During the week in Monduli we were invited for dinner with friends of Mark and Julie. One invitation was to a Maasai boma in the hills outside Monduli. 

The blessing of rain.

We had been expecting hot, dry weather, but the “long rains” came early while we were there. Local people said the rains were a great blessing. For us, it meant mostly thick dark mud that clung to the soles of our shoes; long sleeves and umbrellas; and timing our travel --always by foot-- to take place in between the long spells of heavy rain.  But we also were aware of how precious rain is, and how needed for crops and animals and people.  We saw people lined up at village water stations. We saw women carrying 3-gallon pails of water on their heads as they walked miles back to their homes. We saw donkeys and bicycles and motorcycles loaded with 5-gallon plastic containers of water, for a family’s use.  In each home where we were invited, the first thing we were offered was water to wash our hands. Precious water, collected and carried and definitely not taken for granted. 

The blessing of animals.

We got to see lots of animals, including elephants, giraffes, lions, rhinos, hippos, zebras, wildebeests, many varieties of antelopes, monkeys, and lots and lots of birds.  One place we visited was Ngorongoro Crater, a self-contained eco-system that is home to thousands of animals.  It looked and felt like the Garden of Eden. In the Ndutu region we stayed in a 3-room canvas tent, with a morning view of giraffes and sunrise through acacia trees. During the night we could hear lions roaring a kilometer away. 

The blessing of safety.

We are grateful for safe travel, safety in the midst of an unfamiliar environment, safety while still being near the wild animals. 

The blessing of time.

The pace of life in other places truly is slower, easier, than the pace most North Americans live by.  It was a blessing to slow down, to not organize our days according to a To-Do list. We are grateful for the blessing of time for spiritual renewal and physical rest. We are grateful for the blessing of being reminded of what is essential in life -- connections to people and to nature, gratitude for safety and for the hours of each day

  

Vestry Leadership: Is It For You?

Saint Anne Needs YOU!

LEADERSHIP: Someone’s gotta do it.  The vestry is the governing lay board of the church. I won’t lie to you -- it’s work, and our vestry members give hours and hours throughout the year to meet and pray, dream and vision, call and cajole, and even roll up their sleeves to do much of the work in and around Saint Anne’s.  Have you thanked a vestry member lately? (You will find their names on the back of the Sunday worship bulletin.) Have you considered that they, too, lead busy lives and somehow manage to make church leadership a priority?

It’s work, but it’s also fun and rewarding.  And here’s the thing. We need vestry members. Not just anybody, but people who love Saint Anne’s and who want us to thrive.  People with ideas and follow-through.  People who have tried to follow Jesus and people who have failed.  People who will make God’s mission through Saint Anne’s a priority and will give their time, talent, and treasure to be part of the exciting mission we are on.

Vestry members are elected in January at the Annual Meeting, to serve a 3-year term. Each vestry member chooses an area of church life to focus on.  Vestry members recruit and encourage others to join in carrying out the tasks and programs involved in their ministry area.

Qualifications include but are not limited to:

• Must have been a member of Saint Anne’s for at least a year
• Be regular in attendance on Sundays and other events
• Be at least 16 years old; no upper age limit
• Commit to attending 1 vestry meeting per month (2^nd Tuesdays, 7-9 PM) and other work in between meetings
• Have access to a computer for communication between meetings
• Be able to drive at night, for meetings
• Be passionate about at least one area of ministry/church life, and be willing to gather others to work in this area
• Be a person who already works, prays, and gives for the spread of God’s kingdom (Book of Common Prayer p. 856)

We are in the midst of an exciting time at Saint Anne’s. Our pledges have come in stronger than ever.  We are welcoming over 20 new members.  We have an excellent staff and meaningful programs. We have money in the bank, and enthusiasm for moving forward with capital improvement. There will be fundraising and planning and lots of prayer as we discern how to make our “Outward and Visible Sign” more congruent with our “Inner and Spiritual Grace.” WE NEED LEADERS OF VISION AND COMMITMENT!!

If you know someone -- even maybe yourself -- who meets these qualifications, I URGE YOU to speak with me or one of the wardens.  If you have already been asked but have said “No,” I URGE YOU to reconsider.  If you have not been asked yet, please don’t be shy.  Your name has probably been put forward but our nominating process is a little broken.  The church requires and depends on the leadership of its members. 

Prayerfully, Lydia +