Dear Friends, 

On Sunday, July 7, we celebrated the baptism of baby Anders. Many have shared that it was a deeply meaningful and moving experience. And I share those feelings. As I said then, baptism “is pure gift for this child of God: nothing professed or proclaimed or accomplished to earn it. It is the beginning of a life nested in God’s love, marked as Christ’s own for ever, beloved by a community of deep commitment and care.”

What a joy it is to celebrate the rite of initiation into the life of God and the Church. And what a great honor and responsibility it is to walk together in our common life: learning and sharing, caring and growing, loving and being loved as we are and as we shall become.

In this spirit of love and community, there is more welcome to be extended.

I am excited to share with you that Lenia Salas has accepted the call to serve as our Missioner for Youth at St. Michael’s. In this role, Lenia (lin-ee-uh) will work with us to build connectivity among our middle- and high-school youth, plan and organize programming and activities across the spectrum of our multicultural youth community, and provide care and support for our youth and their families during these pre-/teenage years. The title for this position is Missioner, because it indicates the movement and responsiveness that is involved in dynamic youth ministry. These days, ministry is less about building and tending than it is journey and accompaniment. Lenia will be a wonderful companion and guide for all of us, and our youth in particular. Please check out the introduction from Lenia below. When you see her in the coming days, I hope you will introduce yourself, get to know one another, and offer to help support our youth ministry as it grows and develops over the coming year. Welcome, Lenia!

As anticipated, on Sunday, we will also welcome James Walker for the first time. James will be our long-term substitute organist for the duration of Hannah’s parental leave. Brian Fairbanks and I look forward to collaborating with James and welcoming his presence and gifts among us during the coming weeks. Please join me in extending a warm welcome to James.

Finally, I want to share that The Rev. Canon Christopher Craun and her family will worship with us this Sunday. Many will know that Chris+ served as my immediate predecessor, Rector of St. Michael’s, for nearly 12 years. She departed near the end of 2021 to join the Bishop’s staff and now serves as Canon to the Ordinary in the diocese.

I have invited Chris+ to worship among us and participate in the community.  The timing is keeping with custom, allowing at least a full year for a new rector to establish relationships and ministry identity within the parish before a former rector returns. At St. Michael’s, many clergy who formerly led or served in the parish are now embraced and enfolded as participants in healthy and celebrated ways. We will be blessed to see Chris and her family from time to time, and I invite us to express our welcome this Sunday. As a bonus, Chris and Jack will host coffee hour this week, so there will be a good opportunity to greet one another there.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

With you,

Scott+

The Rev. R. Scott Painter, Rector
Email: ScottP@stmaa.org