August 31, 2007

Dear Members and Friends of Holy Apostles:

     Sunday, September 9, marks the beginning of a new fall season at Holy Apostles—our wonderful choir is back, the church school begins its new year, and our hospitality teams return to make our coffee hours truly special.  I hope you will make every effort to be in church as we kick off a new season.

     The times seem so strange and full of contradictions.  There is near unanimity that the war in Iraq has been a colossal failure of huge proportions costing untold lives and treasure—and yet we seem incapable of extricating ourselves from this terrible quagmire.  The earth groans in travail as we continue to poison our air and water—even as there is renewed consciousness and hope that we can do something about it.  Our Anglican Communion’s future seems deeply uncertain as we look to September’s meeting of our House of Bishops and the Archbishop of Canterbury—yet life at Holy Apostles continues on its rich and wonderful way.  The list could go on and on.

     This is a time when we need each other, when we need the community that is the mark of this wonderful parish family.  It is a place of pastoral concern for all our hurts and frailties.  But it is a place of celebrating joyously and with abandon the faith that is God’s gift to us.

     On October 22, we mark 25 years of the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen and more than 6 million meals served to the hungry and homeless of our city.  A short-term emergency response has grown into one of the largest programs of its kind in our country and in our church—and the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen is known and admired across our entire church.  We will mark that anniversary with a range of special events, and on All Saints’ Day, Thursday, November 1, we will welcome the Rt. Rev. Cathy Roskam as our preacher and celebrant as we give thanks for this wonderful witness that Cathy was so much a part of from 1984 to 1989 during her tenure at Holy Apostles.

     The Fall 2007 Dates to Note (click here) gives a summary of the major events planned for this fall.  Please note these events on your calendars and plan to be a part of as many of them as you are able.

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     As most of you know, I have been away on sabbatical, leaving after our glorious Easter Day celebration and returning just three weeks ago.  (I will have a few more weeks of sabbatical and accrued vacation to take after our Annual Meeting next January.)  I am deeply grateful to our wardens and vestry for providing this time of rest, renewal, and refreshment.  After this time apart, I want you to know how eagerly I have returned to Holy Apostles.  I continue to feel it is an extraordinary gift to be called to serve in this place.

     I was privileged to spend a number of weeks in Thailand, Hong Kong, and China.  I want to thank Dr. Michael Gilligan for connecting me with a number of institutions and persons in Asia.  As my formal education and general orientation have been almost exclusively Western or Eurocentric, I had a number of challenging experiences which I am still trying to assimilate.  I will be sharing some reflections (and pictures) of my journey with you after the coffee hour on Sunday, October 21.

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      As we begin a new fall season, it is important to recognize that Holy Apostles is a beacon in so many ways because of the work and dedication of many people.  It is also true that we are who we are in large measure because of the financial support we give to the parish.  Our stewardship committee this year consists of John Covington, Beth Diefendorf, John Grammer, and Richard Longinetti.  This fall, Tom Cunningham, Barbara Davison, and Patti Owen Schaffer will be delivering our lay stewardship homilies.  And we look forward to commissioning another large group of canvassers who will be asking you to do what they themselves have already done, namely, pledging to support Holy Apostles in 2008.  It is not too early to consider increasing the amount of your pledge if you possibly can.  If you are not currently pledging, please consider making a pledge for this coming year.  I pray each of you will be moved to continue to support Holy Apostles with your time, talent, and treasure.

     May God continue to bless us and keep us in our life together.

     See you in church!

                                                  Faithfully yours,

                                              

                                                  The Reverend William A. Greenlaw
                                                  Rector

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