September 21, 2022

Beloved in Christ:

Bishop Loya declared, after confirming and receiving 19 people at Calvary this past Sunday, “That’s a whole lotta Holy Spirit up in here!” And he was so right.

What a glorious feast of Holy Cross we had. A full church. A new bishop along with an archdeacon and 16 people scheduled for confirmation, reception, and reaffirmation.  Glorious and uplifting music. The bishop’s honest and affirming gospel-filled homily. And then the confirmations, after which Bishop Loya invited any who wanted to be reaffirmed to “come on down!” And three more people did. It was spirit-filled, spirit-led, and holy chaos for a little while.

It took a while to offer all of the bread and wine… because the church was packed and people were even in Brackenridge Hall watching on the TV monitor. We were all reminded of the life-giving power of being together, physically, even a little crowded, in this deeply spiritual and sacred space. Even so, we were grateful for our live-streaming capacity so that people could participate from wherever they were!

After everyone got the pictures they needed of their family members and the bishop, it was time for a feast!  The Fellowship Team provided a banquet, along with a wonderful punch (it’s always fun to use our punch bowl) that was a huge hit. People stayed a while, visited with one another, laughed and took more pictures. It was good to be together in fellowship, the common worship of God, and the celebration of such a special day.

This wonderful day and worship service couldn’t have happened without the help of so many people: all of our worship volunteers, the huge work of the Altar Guild and Motet Choir, our Fellowship Team, Sexton Stuart Gage, and so many who just pitched in when they saw a need.

My heart is full of love and deep gratitude. To God be the glory.

Beth+