January 17, 2024
Beloved in Christ:
The “we are all in this together” saying is no more true than in a classic Minnesota winter. After being lulled into a false sense of a mild winter, we are now dealing with reality. I keep thinking about how happy all of those plants that need cold winters to thrive are right now, how many bugs are being killed, how many folks with allergies are finding relief. Hope and gratitude, right? We know that this brutal cold won’t last forever, and in fact, looking into next week, we see a thaw. It will feel great! Looking into next week, we also see the Annual Meeting of Calvary Episcopal Church on Sunday, January 28.
Once again, we will be incorporating our business meeting into our community worship. Last year, this format was well received. We will begin our worship service at 9:30 am that day, in Brackenridge Hall. We will sing and pray together, hear scripture, and then the meeting will commence. After the business of the church is done, we will have the Prayers of the People and then celebrate Holy Eucharist together, ending the time with joy and gratitude. Everything we do in our faith community springs out of our worship of God, and our sharing of the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the thanksgiving of Holy Communion. Having the annual meeting within the context of our worship service reminds us of this truth – all that we are and all that we have comes from God. Even, dare I say it, our 2024 Budget. During the meeting, we will vote for our next vestry members, celebrate those vestry members who are retiring and those who are continuing, celebrate the many resources and blessings that Calvary has, accept the 2024 budget, then return to our worship. After the whole morning is done, the vestry will stay for 30 minutes to take questions and comments.
Why Brackenridge? This is a critically important annual meeting, and the vestry passed a resolution to have the meeting in, next to our worship space, the most accessible and commonly used space at Calvary. We will be taking a hard and honest look at our finances. We will be touching on the upcoming “Bold. Forward. Unbound.” in Rochester project. We will be asking every member of Calvary to become involved in the vision discernment work that we will be doing in the months ahead as we face into our new reality and partnership with Mayo. There will be coffee and extra snacks, and our children will be well entertained and taught during the meeting by Michelle McKean and some volunteers in the Sunday school rooms. All members of Calvary from age 16 and older are invited to attend and to vote.
The meeting will be livestreamed, and the Motet Choir will lead our music along with Austin Ferguson. A link for the livestream will be in next week’s Visitor. Together, we are Calvary. Together, we will thrive. Together, we will love and support one another in the hard times and in the joyful times. We are God’s Beloved Community, together. Please attend our annual meeting either in person or online. You don’t want to miss it.
In deep gratitude,
Beth+
