One of the gifts of cathedral ministry is that we tend to meet new people every week. Perhaps you’ve noticed, after church on a Sunday, that I am taking a moment to scribble on the back of my bulletin to write down the names of folks I just met. I get to do that every Sunday…indeed, sometimes I meet several people or families who are here for the very first time.
That seems like modest growth, but it’s really a picture of great abundance. Multiply that over a season, or a year, or even a couple of years, and we see that God is up to something in our midst. Each year we meet not just a handful of people, but dozens and dozens of folks who feel called by the Holy Spirit to visit Trinity Cathedral for the first time.
How do we receive them, and how do we welcome them into our worshipping community?
Not everyone wants to be ‘met,’ of course: some are here simply for an experience of God. But Trinity is a magnetic place, and many are drawn not only to liturgy and witness, but also to a rich community and a deeper life of faith.
There is no better way to grow our community and enrich our ministry than for the congregation of Trinity to make welcome and connection as high a priority as our programmatic offerings. This takes a little bit of extra intention and a little bit more work for each of us, but I assure you that we can do it and that it’s worth everything we put into it.
Remember, though, that growth comes not from us, but from God. Paul wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered it, but God gives the growth.” This tells us that growth is spirit-led and not something we can control.
But we can, and must, plant the seeds. And we can, and must, water them.
In the coming season we’ll be exploring ways that we can strengthen our welcome and plant seeds for continued vitality and growth. The seeds we plant are hopefulness and faith, and we water them with commitment and creativity.
God gives the growth. This is abundant good news!
Faithfully,
The Very Rev. Bernard J. Owens