February 2, 2022
Message From the Rector

Dear Ones,
Thank you so much for another wonderful Annual Meeting! In spite of our “virtual” format we were able to vote on two fabulous slates, one for Vestry and one for Convention delegates. Additionally, we had a very informative budget presentation and a fun, productive conversation about Invite, Welcome, Connect. Special thanks to all who helped run the meeting and gave presentations (Bob, Julie, Stan, Jessie, Maria, and Casey), all who facilitated discussions (Margaret, Casey, Janet, Helen, Joannie, and Lynn), all who provided technical support (Gabe and Janet), and to all of YOU who participated!

I’ll make one more plea for you to read through the Annual Meeting reports carefully, if you have not already done so. They reflect the many ways that our members are sharing in the ministry of Christ’s church and deepening our connections to God, to creation, and to one another. We are truly rooted in faith, growing in hope, and reaching out in love. The Annual Report packet and my sermon from Sunday are available on our website.

Speaking of our website, you’ll want to take a look at some of the improvements Gabe has made to it. Like the parish itself, the website is always going to be a work in progress. We have learned that we’ll soon have to give it a major upgrade (due to technical reasons that I don’t understand well enough to explain!), but meanwhile this little facelift is lovely, in my opinion. I hope you think so, too!

Your Worship and Formation teams are already hard at work preparing for Lent, which is only four weeks away. Mark your calendars now for Ash Wednesday services on March 2. We’ll have services at 7am and 7pm, as well as an interactive Prayer Walk at noon. More details soon.

Finally, please reach out if you’re interested in getting involved in launching Invite, Welcome, Connect here at St. Martin’s. We have several people signed up for the Feb. 9 event and are happy to pay for your registration. It’s at a tricky time for many of us, but if you register for it you’ll receive a recording of the event, so don’t worry about not being able to make it in the middle of the day.

As always, my heart overflows with gratitude for this parish and our life together.

Blessings,
Pamela+