WOW!

Last Sunday, at the 10:00 a.m. service, we had a wonderful worship experience. The fact that we held a baptism and welcomed Nolan into the Body of Christ ought to have been enough to make it a truly wonderful service. But the Holy Spirit is moving amongst us, so much so that several people spoke with me afterwards about being significantly moved by the worship. And I have to wonder, in how many churches would a visitor feel comfortable and accepted enough to pull out her violin and play along (without invitation)?

Now, I know that our worship isn’t perfect, but whose is? And those who say we have nothing unique to offer, in terms of our worship, are simply wrong. With over 160 people gathered at the 10:00 a.m. service and a palpable sense of God’s Holy Spirit I think we need to celebrate and give thanks for God’s love and for one another. A couple of us even jumped and clicked our heals – now if that’s not the Holy Spirit, I don’t know what is.

It is good for us from time to time, without filling ourselves with too much pride, to accentuate the positive. Too often, when we hold a fund raiser we focus on how much money was made. Recently, the focus has changed and all I’ve heard about was how much fun people were having. That’s the Holy Spirit.

The feasibility study done in the summer showed that some of us have been hurt and frustrated by St. Paul’s Church over the years. Our hope is that we will hear about these things so that we can respond in a way that will help us move on as a parish community without being encumbered by our past mistakes. I invite you therefore to make an appointment with me and the Wardens before January 31, 2011 and let us know about your hurts and frustrations. If you want to talk about these things in a confidential way then pastoral care is offered by the clergy of the parish. In February 2011 there will be a service of Reconciliation and Healing for the whole congregation.