This week, several news outlets reported an incident at a Dutch museum where a celebrated painting was damaged during an “unguarded moment.”

The work—Rothko’s Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8—was on display in a special “Depot,” an open-storage annex of Rotterdam’s Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.

These publicly accessible spaces allow for expanded exhibition capacity and a closer, more intimate experience of extraordinary art – without the usual barriers and tight security of traditional galleries.

In this case, a child inadvertently touched the unvarnished painting, leaving light scratch marks on the €50 million masterpiece.

I hope that child has received a lot of grace. Accidents happen—even to masterpieces!

And still, perhaps there’s a case to be made for the protocols and safeguards museums usually enforce. Those of us with anti-authoritarian streaks may not love rules and ropes. But they exist for a reason: to cherish and care for what we value so that it can endure—so it can be received by those who come after us.

Over the past year, I’ve come to embrace part of my call to St. Michael’s as helping to renew and secure the organizational structures that support our life and ministry. We’re in a season of doing this work together—not just for now, but to ensure a legacy for those who come after us.

Things like good governance, systems integration, facilities assessments rarely get much attention, especially in a world that feels like it’s unraveling. But they are essential to living out our mission. (And if you’re not sure how vital these systems are, just look at the current efforts by so-called DOGE to dismantle them across the national government!)

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Please join us Sunday afternoon!

This Sunday, 2:30-5:30 pm, is our next All-Parish Event in the Strategic Vision process. This Vision will get written down and become our roadmap for developing and resourcing ministry over the next five years.

To ground our planning in who we are today, we’ll ask you to share your experiences—what has drawn you in, what you’re passionate about, and where you’ve been involved. We’ll reflect on ministries “IN” the parish (formation, worship, care), “OF” the parish (outreach, advocacy, service), and “FOR” the parish (committees, building care, worship support).

It matters. And we need you to be involved! Please join us in Parish Hall, 2:30-5:30 pm, and add your voice to this important work that we are undertaking.

With you,

The Rev. R. Scott Painter, Rector