This Sunday, 15 October, we will Celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism, NEW LIFE, for our sister-in-faith to be, infant Clara! Come and join us as we gather around the font and the altar and welcome her into the community of followers of Jesus. We will prepare ourselves, and all are welcome, at our regularly scheduled Sunday School session in the parish hall beginning at 9:30AM. There, we will study about Baptism as well as our other Sacraments in the Episcopal Church.

I have now been at Holy Spirit as your Interim for one month. What a month it has been! I remain delighted to be here and even more interested in what we might be able to do together in the upcoming months. I have addressed some of the requests made to me by the Vestry, especially focusing on our common Liturgy and Christian Formation. I’m delighted in the participation on Sunday mornings in our study of the Beatitudes as well as Wednesday morning’s Isaiah Study. It’s been wonderful to gather and share our faith together.

On 4 October the Church celebrates the Feast of St Francis. We here at Holy Spirit will remember him as we do the “Blessing of Animals” during the 5:00PM Service this Sunday. I have been associated with the Franciscan movement and Franciscan communities since high school. I love the Spirit of Francis and Claire of Assisi and have spent much of my life studying and attempting to emulate that spirit in my day-to-day life and in my prayer.

Peace and every Blessing to each of you!

I just want to take a moment to thank all of you for the great work that so many of you did to make our Ministry Fair a wonderful experience for our Parish Community. A special thanks to those who generously offered their TIME and TALENT as we begin our STEWARDSHIP program at Holy Spirit. We first, most generally, think in terms of a pledge amount (which is important, of course) when we think of Stewardship. I think we do ourselves a disservice when not recognizing all the talent that resides among us as a fundamental gift to each of us from our Creator. These many talents, unless shared in community, can be taken for granted, or worse, be forgotten. Our giftedness is given for the Kingdom, as scripture teaches us, and so, to share time and talent is a fundamental Christian obligation and a way of making God’s Love known. We still need ministry assistance in many areas. After just a couple weeks here I have noticed that a lot of the organization of parish activities as well as the ordinary management of many of these ministries has fallen to the staff. I pray that folks who are gifted and feel called will continue to come forward to help lead some of our vital ministries. I thank those who have committed themselves over the years to such a call here at Holy Spirit. Please contact Suzy Spencer or me if you have interest in volunteering in any of our Family or Liturgical Ministries.

My Dear Friends,

Greetings in the Lord as we move into our Fall season here at Holy Spirit together.  I have completed one full week here and still feel as though I am on a treadmill that is moving about ten miles an hour faster that I can run.  I am sure I will gain traction soon but this is a really busy place!  I love it and am very happy to be among you all as your Priest and minister.  I especially love when we gather on Sundays to pray in our different forms and fashions. Thanks again for your kind welcome.

We will gather this Sunday for Sunday School at 9:30 AM.  I was happy to glean ideas from parishioners last Sunday and we will begin this Sunday.  All are welcome and encouraged to join us in the parlor as we begin our Adult Sunday School programming.  This Sunday we will talk about Prayer, primarily about our Liturgical Prayer together, as I want to teach and also solicit ideas from everyone about how it is that we want to Celebrate together during the rest of the Fall.

First thing, I just want to thank each and every one of you who has been so incredibly welcoming to me in the week or so that I have spent with you all. I am overwhelmed, really, on so many levels (all good)! I thank the Vestry, particularly, for the kind and careful guidance that they have so far provided me as I work it integrate into the culture of this, great, faith community. I look forward to spending time with you all in a more social setting this Sunday for the Vestry’s “getting to know you” time between the morning Eucharistic Celebrations. Surely, we will have many months to further our friendships as we move forward.

The Holy Spirit Parish Choir is back for the 2023-24 “season”. The first rehearsal is on Thursday, September 7 at 7:30 pm in the choir room, generally lasting until about 9:00 pm. The choir is a group of true amateurs in the literal sense – people who do something because they love it.

Did you know that there are scientifically proven health benefits to singing in a group? It is good for your cardiovascular system and helps maintain mental acuity. Most importantly, the choir is a community that looks after and supports each other, all the while making beautiful music.