The Church of St Jude - Wantagh, New York

   Lately I’ve been feeling like a childeagerly waiting for Christmas morning. I can’t help myself as I prepare for mysabbatical/vacation.

   In case you are unaware of what is happeningthis summer, let me share what I said during this year’s Rector’s AnnualReport:

  “Since I was called, it has been understood that after my fifth year asrector, I would, per diocesan policy and Diocesan Convention resolutions, andenthusiastically encouraged by Bishop Provenzano, engage in a period ofprofessional development leave – commonly known as a “sabbatical” or “renewalleave.” Contrary to popular assumption, this is not a time to take six weeks tolie on a beach in the Virgin Islands, although there is re-creational timebuilt in including taking vacation time at the beginning and the end of theSabbatical. This period of only six weeks is well below the policies in everyother Diocese of taking three months sabbatical. It is a time to renew, reflectand study.

  While I will be sharing more about this renewal leave in future months,the important thing for me to share with you this morning is that if properlyapproached, a rector’s sabbatical time can and should be a time of growth,reflection, and re-commitment to ministry for the congregation as a whole andfor myself as your rector.”

    I’d like to take a moment to share with youmy summer plans. Beginning on June 16 and going through August 24, I will betaking a six-week sabbatical and four-week vacation. As I stated during myannual report, sabbaticals are a renewal period. Along with a period ofself-renewal, I will be going on a spiritual retreat and spending a significantamount of time studying the topic “Faith in Action” (how the Church Universalcan address individual faith issues in a world torn by war, strugglingeconomies and secularization).

   The bulk of my sabbatical time will be spentin the United Kingdom. I have been accepted to participate in OxfordUniversity’s Theology Summer School Continuing Education Program. I will beliving and studying on campus at Christ Church, home of such notables as JohnLocke, Lewis Carroll and W.H. Auden along with being the “Close” for the Harry Potter movies. Additionally, Iwill be taking a spiritual retreat on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, one oftwo Holy Islands in the U.K. (the other being Iona) and also visiting variousU.K. Cathedrals and holy shrines which are part of our Anglican identity.

   For my vacation, I will be touring andresting in Guatemala and Honduras and then concluding the summer touringScotland.

   You can probably guess why I have so muchhope for the summer in what I am praying will be a very fruitful, educational,spiritual and restful time.

   In the midst of my hopes, I do have someconcerns. As I have been at St. Jude’s for six-years entering my seventh, Ihave witnessed two things. First, during the summer months, attendance (as inmost churches) drops as parishioners travel or make other plans. Second, when Iam away, attendance also drops. My fear is that during this summer, with bothof these elements in play, our summer attendance will decline.

   This potential decline has me concerned fora few reasons. First and foremost, I’m concerned that if you decide not toattend worship this summer, you will be missing out on the chance tospiritually grow. Most of us know that “remember the Sabbath day and keep itholy” is not an option, but a commandment. That being so, we often fail to liveinto this commandment and don’t keep the Sabbath. For a Christian, worshippingon Sunday is an obligation of thanksgiving. Will God understand if we miss aSunday or two? Certainly! However, will we miss out on an opportunity to growspiritually if we don’t attend? Absolutely!

   Secondly, I’m concerned that if many decidenot to worship this summer because I am not here, the Church will be lesserbecause of it. We are a family. When one member of the family is missing, weall hurt. If you miss the whole summer, the family is hurt. As a parish family,we need to see one another, to pray with one another, to catch-up with oneanother.

   Finally, I’m concerned that with my beinggone, our contributions to our parish will decline. It is important to rememberthat in the midst of the summer, our parish expenses continue. I, for one, willbe certain that my contributions to the parish continue even though I will beaway as I believe strongly in the mission of this parish.

   To ease some of my personal concerns, manythings have been put in place. Some of these things include: 1) Amazing priestscoming on Sundays and Wednesday nights to officiate at the Holy Eucharists andpreach including Fr. Gable, Mother Broderick and our own Mother Bennett (whowill be at many Wednesday nights). 2) Summer Sunday Childcare will be offeredfor small children during worship to assist families who would like to come toworship but are fearful about providing childcare during the services. (I’mvery happy this is happening because one of the biggest lessons parents canteach their kids is by attending worship throughout the year and not just whenSunday School is in session. It shows that worshiping God is a priority). 3) Incase of emergencies, the Wardens and our Parish Secretary have names ofcompetent clergy to assist should the need arise. 4) There are many eventsplanned in the summer to provide fellowship and education including VacationBible School, Christmas in July and Coffee Hour. I hope and pray for yourspiritual wellbeing and the parish’s health, you will partake in many of theseopportunities.

   Without a doubt I am very hopeful for thesummer. I am confident that our parish family will thrive in the summer becausewe are the people of God following God’s call for us. I am confident that I willcome back refreshed and educated to continue to live into my calling as apriest and as your rector. I am confident that come fall, we will be in a veryhealthy place to move forward into the next year.

   I will be praying daily for you during mytime away. I ask that you will keep me in your prayers, too, asking God toprovide me with that renewal time I need. Let us do so together . . . along theway.

   In prayers,

   Fr. Christopher

   Spring has sprung!

   As certain as the robins are mating and thecrocuses and daffodils are blooming, the certainty that spring has arrived hasfinally sunk into my brain. Dark nights have been replaced by long days. Wintercoats have been replaced by light sweatshirts. A sense of dread for the nextsnow has been replaced by the anticipation of days at the beach.    Spring has sprung!

   Our minds have a wonderful way of preparingus for what is coming next. We know it is spring by the things we witness.Sometimes, we just know.

   Likewise, in our faith journey andliturgical year, we know, after we make it through Holy Week, that Easter hassprung. Gone are the minor-toned hymns, gone are the lessons focusing upon theneed for reconciling our life to God and gone are the fasts. Instead, we havetriumphal music, lessons of hope and great feasts. Easter has sprung!

   As a meditative practice, I daily pray “MorningPrayer,” part of the Church’s Daily Office (see The Book of Common Prayer, pages 75-102). In the service of MorningPrayer, there are certain canticles assigned each day. For instance, I know itis Tuesday when I read Canticle 13, ASong of Praise (BCP, pg. 90).Week-in and week-out I know where I am based upon the readings. However, everyso often, Morning Prayer throws me a curve ball. From Easter Day through EasterSaturday (or daily until Pentecost), readers are to pray a new song – the Pascha Nostrum (BCP, pg. 83).

   When I get to the Pascha Nostrum, I know – I just do – that our Lenten journey hasended. Easter is here. Christ is risen! Easter has sprung!

   During this Easter season, I pray that youwill live into the truth of this song. Know that Christ is risen! Believe . . .along the way!

          In Christ,

          Christopher+

   I love a good challenge.

   There is something life changing abouttaking an apparent impossible situation, putting my blood, sweat and tears intoit, and seeing the impossible turn into something remarkable. Although it mightbe painful in the process, the rewards are often too numerous to count.

   I’ve faced a lot of challenges in my life.Whether it be moving from state to state as a child, developing a summerreading program for area youth, or entering seminary, all of my challenges havehelped mold me into the priest I am today.

   Perhaps of all the challenges I faced in my39 years of life, the most challenging has been running the Long Island HalfMarathon not once, but two years in a row. As someone who used to weigh over250 pounds, I would have scoffed at the idea that I would run a long race.However, through diligence, practice, some pain and perseverance, I was able torun those races which proved to be relatively easy.

   Each year during Lent I face a new challenge– how to live my life in a disciplined way to live more fully into the lifethat Christ wants me to live. Some years I give things up. Some years I take onadditional spiritual practices. Regardless of what I do, the challenge ofliving into my Lenten pilgrimage the whole 40 days (plus Sundays), is oftenextremely difficult. Yet, in spite of the challenge, I push forward because Iknow the challenges I face are nothing compared to the challenges Jesus facedliving among us.

   This Lent will present its temptations andits straying moments. However, I know that with Christ on my side, thesechallenges will be good ones . . . along the way.

         Faithfully yours,

         Fr. Christopher

Rector’s Annual Report

January 24, 2010

Jesussaid, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me tobring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captivesand recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaimthe year of the Lord's favor."

Mysisters and brothers in Christ, it is my blessing and honor to share with youmy sixth annual report to you as your rector. Yet even more of an honor is the ongoing privilege to share in the goodnews of God through Christ as we work together as a community of faith toproclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. And what a year it has been!

2009continued an ongoing growth pattern in the spiritual life of this parish andits members, growth in the size and ministries of this parish and growth in ourcommitment to those who are oppressed. I could read to you list of manySpirit-filled reasons to rejoice today at the various mission and ministries ofour parish as there are many. Much of what I could say would be a duplicate ofwhat is in our parish’s Annual Report which you will receive at today’s AnnualMeeting. Thus, for the sake of brevity, I encourage you to read the AnnualReport, to thank God for our ministries and rejoice in our parish’s leadership whowork diligently and unselfishly to bring about the growth in these ministries.

Thismorning, instead of looking backwards at 2009, I would like to take a fewmoments to look forward and begin the process of discerning where God might beleading St. Jude’s this year and beyond. Specifically, I’d like to addressthree opportunities we as a parish face. The opportunities include discerninghow we might best utilize the space freed-up by the leaving of the MidshoreMothers’ Center for ministry, how we might discern ways of continuing to growspiritually and numerically through, what church growth experts would call a “seasonof plateau,” and finally, how we might ready our worship space, which will be 40years old next year, for the next 40 years.

Asmany of you are aware, this past October, the Midshore Mothers’ Center, whichutilized much of our classroom space and parish hall, decided to leave foranother facility. With the leaving of the Mothers’ Center, much needed spacewas freed-up for our Christian Formation programs and other ministries of St.Jude’s. The leaving of the Mothers’ Center, while freeing up space, also put afinancial burden on the parish as the Center donated $13,000 a year to ourparish ministry plan. Combined, the freeing up of space and loss of $13,000 tothe parish provides us with an opportunity: to discern how God might be callingus to utilize our space to “bring good news to the poor. . . proclaim releaseto the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, [and] to let the oppressedgo free.”

Inthe midst of this opportunity, Bishop Provenzano, the Diocesan Bishop of LongIsland, is encouraging and mandating that each and every parish discern ways toaddress the concerns of our local community and to work with other congregationsfor Regional Mission Plans. As we have the space and are a preeminent parishwithin the Diocese, Archdeaconry and Deanery, we have been blessed with awonderful opportunity to explore ways to reach out to those who might needreaching out to, to utilize our space for that work, to work with our sisterchurches and, if we discern correctly, to quickly make up for the budgetaryshortfall left by the Mother’s Center.

Eachof us will need to be part of this discernment. To that end, at today’s AnnualMeeting, I have asked Brian Quinn, Chair of the Mission and Ministry Committee,to work with us to begin the process of discernment. I pray and ask that youtake this work seriously so we might fully live into the calling of God today,tomorrow and beyond.

Inaddition to the opportunity of utilizing our space, we have an opportunity tolook deep within ourselves and explore ways to move beyond a season of slow andsteady growth to one of ensuring that those who need to hear the Good News ofGod through Christ are able to hear it within this parish. As you will see youin the Annual Report, St. Jude’s has once again grown in membership andattendance over the past year. However, the growth, as expected, was small asour parish has reached the “plateau” period of church growth.

Thosewho study church growth patterns will state that this period is perhaps themost important period for a parish. What happens during the “plateau” willdetermine whether or not the parish will face a cycle of growth or asignificant cycle of decline. It is a normal period for churches in growth andnothing to be fearful of. In fact, I rejoice that we have grown so much that weare at this normal period in the cycle of a growing church. Your Wardens,Vestry and I have been in constant conversation about this specific growthperiod and have committed ourselves to proclaim the Gospel.  This essentially means that a period ofsignificant decline is not an option.

Tomove from a period of plateau to a period of more steady growth will meaninvolving all of us and utilizing all of our resources. It will mean each oneof us being committed to inviting friends, coworkers, family members andstrangers to our parish worship services and activities. It will mean buildingupon our Christian Formation programs to provide more opportunities forchildren and adults alike. It will mean developing small, faith formationgroups to enable each member of the parish to feel part of a close-knit familyunit. It will mean developing Committee structures built for growth and for leadershipdevelopment. It will mean finding new worship opportunities for our currentparishioners and those seeking a worshiping home.

Iask all of us to be part of this journey. We need to move from sitting in theoften easy period of plateau and move into a period of spirit-filled discomfortto reach beyond ourselves to ensure that all who seek a home in Christ may findone.

Thefinal area of opportunity we face involves this space itself. Next year, thisworship space, like me, will be forty years old. As any building forty yearsold, it is starting to show its age. The pew cushions have seeing better days,the carpeting is starting to fray and has numerous stains which will not goaway, the windows need addressed, the wall paint is fading and, perhaps mostimportantly, our electronic organ, which is over 40 years old, can only bebandaged so much before it meets its own maker with the other great organs inthe sky.

Asthe building turns forty next year, we have an opportunity to “spruce-up” ourspace. It will mean seeking volunteers, finances and visioning. If you have aninterest in helping in this exciting “spruce-up,” please speak with me, one ofyour Wardens, or Chris Wright, our Buildings and Grounds Committee Chair.

Theseare just a few of the opportunities we face this coming year. As we movefurther into the year, there will be many more. As we pray and break breadtogether, as we listen to the Holy Spirit and with Christ on our side, there isno opportunity too great for us to tackle.

BeforeI finish, there are two more brief items I wish to address with you. The firstinvolves your Rector’s spiritual wellbeing. As I mentioned at the verybeginning of this report, this is my sixth annual report as your rector. SinceI was called, it has been understood that after my fifth year as rector, Iwould, per diocesan policy and Diocesan Convention resolutions, andenthusiastically encouraged by Bishop Provenzano, engage in a period ofprofessional development leave – commonly known as a “sabbatical” or “renewalleave.” Contrary to popular assumption, this is not a time to take six weeks tolie on a beach in the Virgin Islands, although there is re-creational timebuilt in including taking vacation time at the beginning and the end of theSabbatical. This period of only six weeks is well below the policies in everyother Diocese of taking three months sabbatical. It is a time to renew, reflectand study.

WhileI will be sharing more about this renewal leave in future months, the importantthing for me to share with you this morning is that if properly approached, arector’s sabbatical time can and should be a time of growth, reflection, andre-commitment to ministry for the congregation as a whole and for myself asyour rector.

Iwill be taking this renewal time in the height of the summer so as not toaffect our parish ministries. Thankfully, our friend Fr. Gable has agreed tosupply for most of these Sundays along with our own Mother Broderick for acouple of the Sundays.

Youmay well be asking, “So who is paying for this?” That’s a good question. Asthere is nothing in the Diocesan policies to plan for a Sabbatical, althoughthey are encouraged if not mandated, your Vestry, working along with myself andthe Bishop have provided for the costs to be split about 1/3 by the parish andthe remainder between Diocesan educational funds and my own resources. Theadditional costs for the parish are for supply clergy for six weeks andWednesday nights and some additional monies for continuing education.

Ithank you in advance for your prayers during this Sabbatical to allow me torecharge my energies as your rector to better address the opportunities we faceas a community together for the future.

Finally,I would be remiss not to spend a moment to thank your parish Wardens andVestry, the committee chairs and all who are involved in ministries within thisparish. Your work this past year has been selfless and Christ-centered. I dailythank God for all of you and we all should rejoice in their hard work.

Specifically,I would like to thank our outgoing Warden, Jan Commentz, and Clerk, RichardReid, for their devotion to you, this parish and their loving Lord. There isnothing that Jan or Richard would not do for St. Jude’s. They are wonderfulexamples of “church-folk” through and through and I thank them for theirservice.

However,just because they must rotate off of the Vestry due to term limits, it does notmean their commitment to the Church is done. You see, they understand that ittakes each of us – some Vestry members, some altar guild members, some micemakers, some youth group leaders, some Sunday School teachers, some choirmembers, some ushers, some counters, some to fold bulletins and newsletters,some to work with and among seniors, some Eucharistic Ministers and Visitors,some linen ironers, some shawl makers, some designer of flowers, some quilters,some readers, and many, many more to make our parish a parish where God isalways good. Their work on the Vestry might be over but their work for God hasjust begun.