On the Runway

With the deaths of Sue and George last week, being on national television on CBS on Sunday morning and our upcoming Christmas services, we might easily lose sight of a huge and successful shift we just made as a community. I invite you to slow down for a minute and consider two other events from the last few days.

We just did two things that decisively put us on the runway for growth.

As you may remember, on August 1st parish leadership called us all to imagine that we are now on a runway for growth. That month I began having a monthly meeting with a clergy coach. Furthermore, meetings of the the Vestry, the RenewalWorks Group and the staff all began to center on growth.

We just had our first two explicitly growth focused activities, and they were both tremendously successful. We got Christmas gifts for 81 children from De Colores and about 20 of those gifts were purchased by neighbors, not St. Paul’s parishioners. Last night, we had our first annual Christmas Singalong for Saints and Sinners. Of the approximately 100 people there, about 70 were neighbors and 30 were from St. Paul’s. Furthermore, last night both bins for food for Ritter Center were filled to overflowing with donations from attendees.

For both events, we were doing things that we love to do and that are core to our identity. What’s new is that we are finding ways to invite our neighbors to participate and so receive an indirect invitation into the life of our community.

In the new year, there are four things to look forward to. On Thursday, February 3rd, we will offer Evensong in our sacred space. At the Annual Meeting on, Sunday, February 6th, leadership will be offering a more fully fleshed out plan for Mission and Growth. On Tuesday, March 1st, we will offer a Fat Tuesday Party for Sinners and Saints and on Sunday, May 1st, we will offer a May Day Celebration of Flowers in our courtyard, where we plan to make bouquets and take them to senior centers.

We offer these things- Evensong, Fat Tuesday and May Day- as gifts to Marin. We offer these gifts just because they are a joy to share and because we believe that, by people getting a taste of our common life, they are going to want to know more. Remember, God made each human being for human community and to be in personal, loving relationship with God’s own self. In 2022, let’s build on our Christmas-time successes and share our life even more with the good people of Marin.

Follow up announcements are coming soon with Christmas service times and protocols.