Here is an odd paradox.  Looking at the calendar, we can see that I have been living among you for just a matter of weeks.  And yet, in my heart I feel like I’m at home.  That is because of who the people of St. Mark’s are.

Your gracious welcome and warm embrace have given me a sense of belonging.  It is beyond me how someone could resist falling in love with you.  That’s because you love first.  This is Christ at work among us, and it brings us again to our vision statement:

To love and serve Christ,

To love and serve one another in Christ,

To love and serve the world for Christ.

Christ’s love is at the heart of all that we do.  And in this installment of our reflection upon our common mission, I want to focus on the second phrase of the mission statement: to love and serve one another in Christ.

Remember that we want to use our mission statement to keep us focused on our common ministry.  In each and every heart the love of Christ is at work forming bonds of affection between us.  These personal relationships are central to the joy and comfort of being part of our faith family.  Of course these bonds will form informally in many ways for each of us.  But as a community we express this affection principally in two areas of ministry: pastoral care and fellowship.

Pastoral care at St. Mark’s is something that we all do.  Clergy certainly play an important role, but all of us are involved in caring for one another.  Let’s think about the liturgy for just a moment.  The Prayers of the People are a pastoral act by all of us each Sunday.  We hold loved ones and strangers alike in prayer.  Our liturgy reminds us who we are and what we are to be about.  We are to love one another as Christ loves us.

Clergy and laity alike visit the sick and the homebound, bring the Sacrament to those who cannot attend on Sunday, provide food, and offer rides.  The clergy celebrate the Eucharist monthly at local retirement centers and provide pastoral counsel and spiritual guidance to individuals.  To better serve the pastoral needs of St. Mark’s I have asked Fr. Comeaux to provide ongoing training for Eucharistic Visitors and also to coordinate visits made by the clergy and laity so that our visits compliment each other.  If you are hospitalized, undergoing treatment, or scheduled for a surgical procedure please let me know! I am the chief pastor and want to make sure that everyone receives the prayerful, loving care that is so characteristic of St. Mark’s.

Each clergy person takes a turn being on call for pastoral emergencies.  However, I have instructed Deacon Millard and Fr. Comeaux that, on their rotation, they are to notify me immediately of any emergency.  In a genuine crisis I will respond at any time of day or night.

Fellowship is just as important as pastoral care.  Gathering to enjoy each other’s company and to get to know each other better makes a family strong.  We already break bread together as a faith community at several parish dinners each year.  We will continue to do that.  Many of you have expressed to me a desire to have more, and more varied, occasions to make connections and to have fun together.  This is something that I will be focusing on in the coming weeks and months, and I will need your help.

Next week, we will turn to the final component of our vision statement: To Love and Serve the World for Christ.  In the meantime, know how blessed I feel to be the Dean of such a loving community.   It is a great joy hearing your stories and getting to know you.  There are many, many more stories for me to hear over the coming months and years.  I look forward to hearing them.