Dear people of St. Andrew’s,

“These are the times that try men’s souls….” Yes, Thomas Paine, how right you were, and how true are your words today! Paine wrote these words during the bitter winter of 1776 – 1777 when the continental army was struggling for the cause of independence. And any random fifteen minutes of news today confirms that these are indeed trying times that we are living in.

So where is the Church in these trying times? What is the role God is calling us to live into? What can we do as a small church on an island off the coast of Massachusetts to reach out to those souls, regardless of political persuasion, to bring comfort, solace, reconciliation and peace?

The Church – capital C church—is struggling through its own growing pains at the moment, as it does every 500 years or so, trying to figure out what our place is in society, what our role might be and what our message is to a very hurting and broken world. Well, actually, the message hasn’t changed, at all in 2,000 years. It’s still all about love and how we care for those who are different from us, who are lonely or suffering or in need of God’s love for whatever reason during the trying times we all experience. I believe the Church still has a role to play, but it may look very different from what we grew up with or what we have known in recent years.

St. Andrew’s is about to enter into a time of transition – a time to reflect on who this community is as the Body of Christ, what your role is or might become on this island, and beyond, and who will be best suited to lead you into the next phase of St. Andrew’s journey. Transition is not easy; change can be very difficult, but most of my ministry has been about transition. In fact, for 6 years, I worked with wonderful Bishop Bud, overseeing all the parishes in the Diocese that were in transition, and it was the best years of my ministry. I am passionate about change and transition, as scary and unsettling as it can be.

During the next year I look forward to being part of your journey of transition – of trying out new things, exploring different habits of the heart, making the Good News visible and available to folks and discovering new ways of being Church. It may not be easy, but with God’s help and by listening to the nudging of the Holy Spirit, we can make it happen. We can discover what in God’s name is going on at St. Andrew’s, and no, that is not profanity, but a very real question. What is happening at St. Andrew’s that has God’s name written all over it and how can we make more of that happen?

Looking forward to our time together.

Cynthia