Our September meeting started with a reflection from Thomas Merton about our need for relationships. Due to the myriad ways the pandemic has led us to acknowledge and treasure our interconnectedness, this reflection resonates with us deeply. Merton understands that we do not and cannot exist in isolation and that it is precisely our relationships that give our lives meaning. He writes: “we do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone—we find it with another.” This statement speaks to us of how fellowship with other people brings us closer to God and helps us to know God better. Our relationship with God is then a way to find our true selves. As we continue to reflect, Merton’s use of the singular word “another” instead of the plural “others” gives us pause. Perhaps the “other” that Merton refers to here is God, meaning that the relationship each of us has with God is the most important one we can cultivate. Merton also specifies that we find meaning with another. This unassuming preposition sums up Merton’s point: that “another” is not itself the meaning of life and does not simply give us meaning. Rather, “another” journeys with us in the search for meaning because this meaning is something that we find through our being together.
To continue the theme of relationships, John P then visited our meeting to give us a sneak peek of this year’s upcoming pledge drive and its theme: “Knitted together in love.” We are excited to explore the literal and figurative ways this theme expresses togetherness, and we look forward to the pledge committee’s delightful creativity this coming season. We send a big thank you to John for his incredible leadership with the annual pledge drive and his gifted enthusiasm for fundraising. John – every time you come share with the Vestry, your overflowing love for St. Mary’s is palpable and your desire to always grow in faith and ability is inspiring. Thank you for all you do!
We also had a visit from John S, who explained a bid we’d received for our ventilation system upgrade and offered his advice about moving forward. We are happy to report that we accepted the bid and that work is starting! We are of course excited, but we understand the reality that there are still equipment delays and long lead times. We are currently looking at around 12 weeks for certain parts to arrive, and so, while the work will get underway, it won’t be finished for a little while yet. The light at the end of the tunnel here is that we can now, finally, see that light, and we will reach it.
In addition to John P and John S, we want to thank our curate Ryan Baker-Fones for all the ways he has been supporting our ministry. It is a joy to have you with us Ryan, and we look forward to the many other ways you will help St. Mary’s to grow and flourish. We thank Ellen C and Jane M for their work leading the Altar Guild and for graciously extending their terms an extra year. We also thank Kim D and Anna L for stepping up to lead Altar Guild this year. As we move into this fall season, we continue to be thankful for all of the life-giving relationships that knit our St. Mary’s community together, and for the ways they enable us to move closer to God. While Merton speaks of relationships in the statement above about the meaning of life, he actually prefaces it with the phrase: “Love is our true destiny.” So then, let us work this fall to strengthen, renew, and even create relationships that express our love for God through our love for one another.
