From the Rector | 6.30.26

It’s hard to believe 2026 is now half over. Thank you for your witness and fidelity. Prayer continues to be the rhythm for our Christian heart. So far this year, we have prayed the Daily Office publicly 249 times and we have celebrated the Holy Eucharist 253 times. Every day of the year, the church is open for prayer and the celebration of the mass. This commitment keeps your clergy grounded in all the right things and it sensitizes the community to the voice of the Holy Spirit. I hope at some point in July we can have a mid-year parish meeting. There will be nothing official or anything to vote on, but a conversation about where we as a parish and what opportunities and challenges we have ahead.

We are grateful the Veram Vitam youth have returned safe and sound. By all accounts, it was the best Veram Vitam in NYC to date. For me, proof of the week’s success was the number of youth in mass on Sunday (after arriving late in the evening the night before) and those who attended mass for the Feast of SS Peter and Paul on Monday. They had a lot of church the previous seven days and the rhythm was still strong.

Thank you to all who attended Sunday’s evensong highlighting the Guild of Bl. Alcuin. The past two evensongs have seen the attendance quadruple. It really is a wonderful way to end the Lord’s Day and the inclusion of fellowship and festivities at the “Club and Stone” bar in the ECW Hall makes it all the more enjoyable. This Sunday we have Evening Prayer and Benediction with the same fun afterwards.

The Vestry met this past Sunday. We are still waiting on two bids for the chapel air conditioning. Once we have those bids, we will start the fundraising. We also have a unique opportunity to place an organ in the chapel. More information on this possibility will be coupled with the HVAC appeal for the chapel. The Vestry voted to place $200,000 of our reserves into CDs. This is a wise and low risk move. We can withdraw the full amount after seven days if we face an emergency. Obviously, the more we keep our giving at the level of our budgeted expenses, we can generate some income from that investment.

We are returning to the Holy Land in 2027! God willing, we will depart from Charlotte on June 7 and return on June 19. The cost for the trip (excluding airfare) is $3,250. This covers everything: lodging, food, transportation, admission to the sites, everything but souvenirs and alcohol. We have a good group already interested in going, so do be in touch if you’d like to go or would like more information.

Our seminarian, Simon Bland, arrives on July 10. I am so very grateful for Joey and Ashley Robbins. They have graciously opened their home to host Simon for the month. This is a huge gift. If you would like to help, consider taking him to lunch or dinner while he is here. If you would like to help during his stay, why not purchase an Uber gift card (available at most grocery stores)?

Finally, Dr. George Ellis died on Friday, June 26. Dr. Ellis was a devoted member of this parish and I will always be grateful for his kind and constant support during COVID. He would send notes to tell us he watched every week online during lockdown and how appreciate he was for the church’s efforts. During a time of great stress and uncertainty, his kindness and support gave real pastoral care to the pastoral team. His requiem will be Friday, July 10 at 11am in the Church.

Fr Steve Rice