St. Patrick’s Day falls on this Sunday this year – Lent though it may still be, look for some fun reminders of the day sprinkled throughout the morning at Calvary. As our part of the world struggles between spring and winter, it’s ok, perhaps critical, to find some time of joy and merriment even as we try to stick to the Lenten disciplines in our own spiritual journeys. Wear green! I’m over a third Irish in my DNA, but it has been said that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day – enjoy it!

On a completely different subject, it is time for Calvary leadership to be very intentional and clear in our communication to the congregation with updates and information, as we have it, on Calvary’s work and response to the Mayo “Bold. Forward. Unbound.” initiative in downtown Rochester. We expect demolition of the Ozmun Building to begin before the start of summer, and therefore, your Calvary leadership team of Nathan Spillers, Kellie Mueller, Tom Abts, and Phil Einspahr are meeting very regularly with representatives of the Mayo Clinic, Gilbane Construction Firm (the overseers of the entire project), and other contractors. We anticipate meeting with city representatives again soon as well. We have been meeting once a month and soon will be meeting more often than that, as the needs arise.

Beginning next week, and continuing as necessary, we will be using an email communication, separate from The Visitor, to update on two fronts. The email will be called “Our Changing Neighborhood.” There will be updates called “Nuts and Bolts,” which will be about physical structure work and things that you will see, feel, and hear that are involved with our own work on our buildings and grounds, and the work that we will see reflected in barrier protective walls and road lanes closing and opening, to the best of our ability. The other front will be called “Stories of Hope and Healing.” That email effort will be a way to share the amazing stories that weave together the work of healing that happens at the Mayo Clinic, and the work of spiritual and emotional healing that happens in the welcoming oasis of Calvary. We will read stories of our mutual history and become (re)educated in the ways in which Calvary history and Mayo history connect, and the relationships that have sustained us both over the years.  These emails will be sort of experimental, in that we will see how effective and helpful they are, and tweak along the way. It is up to Calvary leadership and communications teams to send out the emails, and it is up to you all to read them!  Having said this, we will not be communicating information that is not complete, or data-based, or vague. I know that you will appreciate that.

After Easter, we will be planning congregational meetings, the purpose of which will be to talk about our mission and vision for the next months as we all enter this new space of our changing neighborhood.

An example of a Nuts and Bolts update is this news: Calvary’s security and surveillance systems have been upgraded, adding two internal cameras, six external cameras, and additional video storage to enable 24-hour recording and playback of camera footage. These upgrades were recommended through a review of our coverage by our insurance provider, for our staff, visitor and parishioner safety, and to better protect our buildings and grounds from vandalism and theft, as well as giving us a great view of our space during the Mayo demolition and construction work. We are well covered!

God is very present in our changing neighborhood, and it will be exciting and challenging to listen together to the call of the Holy Spirit here on our block, our sidewalks, streets and buildings, both current and new.

In gratitude for you all,

Beth+