Summertime is upon us. The four days of Spring graciously bestowed upon us by Oklahoma weather have come and gone and now we all look toward summer trips, shade dwelling, sun bathing and—for some—vacations. It’s interesting how the school year affects our liturgical year, and our church attendance for that matter. I don’t know what to expect concerning attendance this summer, but I’m not naïve to the amount of travel and ‘other’ things that will inevitably take some of you away more than usual.
But before we get swept up in summertime, I wanted to share with you some joy of Spring.
Spring is a time of life, of rebirth for the world. After a cold, hard Winter, saplings bud and flowers bloom; the rain comes and nourishes the hard soil, bringing life and vitality back to it. Sure, we have to go out into our gardens and till, dig, replant, and water but for the most part, our job is made easier by the changing of the season. As long as the earth is prepared for summer during spring, the hot days will yield more than just a suntan, they’ll produce fruit from the labors of spring.
The Church is much the same way, these days. Resurrection has fought a long, hard, and cold Winter for the last few years. But you’ve maintained a Spring mentality—always cleaning, improving, planting, and never giving up. Now we’re walking into a new Spring. We have more people attending every week, more ministries growing and thriving, new children among us, returning friends from long ago. All of this is wonderful and indicative of what Spring brings: life. But we still have to work for it. We still have to plant the seeds, till the ground, and pour water on our foundation to keep it thriving.
Vacations are fantastic—I encourage you all to take as much time as you can and go see other places!! But remember that your church relies upon you to practice good stewardship and maintain the course. Very seldom do I speak of giving in the church; but occasionally it’s necessary to gently remind ourselves that the Church relies upon each of us to continue the ministries that we so dearly love.
If you are going away, or plan to take some extended time in another state—we’ll be here when you return, with arms wide open. All I ask is that you remember your pledge to this place and that you know how important it is that we keep practicing good stewardship, year-round. If you’re curious about ACH (it’s an automatic bank draft, done weekly or monthly) please reach out. If you’d like to know where you stand currently, we’ll be sending out statements of giving very soon. We are not sending out these statements to guilt anyone!!! It’s simply a way in which to track your giving alongside your pledge.
I appreciate all of you, dearly. I have grown to love this place and the people in it; Nicole and I are home. If you do go, know that the rest of us will keep the lights on for you while you’re gone; but don’t forget that your help helps us to do that. We’ve done the work of Spring, let’s continue that pledge through Summer, so that Fall isn’t a fall at all…just another season within which we grow into a stronger and more beautiful community.
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+