Below you can find a message from the Very Rev. Pamela. These are sent out most Fridays in our newsletter and updated here.

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Message from the Very Rev. Pamela from February 14, 2025:

Dear Ones,

Some of you have asked about what it means to be Dean of the Wingfield Deanery—what do I actually do? So I thought I’d give a bit of an update. One of my primary duties as a dean is to participate in the work of the Board of Trustees. When I was at the annual retreat in January, I joined a team working on the important goal of Lifting Up Lay Ministry. It has both lay and clergy members.

Our first order of business has been to identify some of the obstacles that stand in the way of laity becoming more involved in the ministries of the Church. We can’t add more hours to the day, or shrink the geographical distance between our congregations. But we are looking at things like required trainings and a perceived culture of clericalism. Our team is meeting monthly and working closely with the Bishop’s Office staff. I hope we’ll have some updates to share before the Bishop goes on sabbatical this summer.

Additionally, I’ve been asked to serve on a task force that will review the Diocesan assessment process and structure. This is a big task and we are in the very earliest stages of figuring out how to go about it in a thorough, thoughtful way. Once I’ve settled into these tasks, my hope is that I’ll get to dive into the relational part of the work, which means spending more time with my clergy colleagues within the Deanery, getting to know them and their congregations better, and working on ways we can collaborate more. 

It’s important to know that the work I do “for the Diocese” is really work that is for you, and done on your behalf. Supporting and enhancing lay ministries and having the financial side of things run more smoothly will be good for the whole Church, including St. Martin’s. We all have a role to play in building up the Body of Christ—even if sometimes that role looks like a lot more Zoom meetings and a busier calendar.

I’ll be away at a conference this weekend and on retreat with the Vestry next weekend. So it might be a couple of weeks before I see you, but the people of St. Martin’s are on my heart and in my prayers, wherever I go.

Happy Valentine’s Day and continued blessings,

Pamela+