Finding a New Bishop

As you may know, I'm one of the 21 clergy and lay leaders who constitute the Bishop Transition Committee. (Bishop Ian Douglas announced his coming retirement back in April.)

But the process of discerning who God is calling to be our next Bishop Diocesan begins with each of us. Our bishop will be part of our community, and their role grows out of the distinctive qualities which make up the Episcopal Church in Connecticut.

With that in mind, I want to invite you to join one of the Bishop Transition Committee's listening sessions on Zoom. They began on August 30, and there's still time to sign up for one! The sessions are designed to encourage us to share from our own unique contexts and experiences. We will gather together to pray, share, and discern together our current strengths and areas of growth as ECCT, as well as where we sense God inviting us next. These holy conversations will then form the backbone of our Bishop Profile.

All the listening conversations are held in a spirit of confidentiality and anonymity. You can see a list of them all and register here. The one that is particularly relevant to members of St. Paul's is:

Thursday, September 16, 2021

Bishop Search and Transition Listening Session: North Central Region

6:30pm-8pm

Register here to receive the Zoom link.

We look forward to our time together as we pray, listen, share, and discern God's calling as we search for our XVI Bishop Diocesan.

Whether or not you join one of the listening sessions, please keep the Bishop Transition Committee in your prayers. We have shared the following prayer for people to use:

God, Grant the Bishop Transition Committee the gifts of wisdom, humility, and empathy as they discern your will for a new shepherd, inspirational leader, and willing advocate as we further your work in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. Amen.

Ode to Father Kevin

As we come to the end of August, the time has come to say goodbye to Fr. Kevin Olds. He's been serving as our Priest in Charge since September 2020 and has also been a wonderful mentor to me over the past year. On September 1, I'll become Priest in Charge of St. Paul's, and Fr. Kevin will move on to mentor another newly ordained person in the Missional Curacy program.

This past year required all of us to tackle challenges we couldn't have imagined. The realities of COVID-19 are ever-changing, so our responses had to be similarly dynamic. When Fr. Kevin and I arrived, we had never met each other in person, had never set foot in this building, had never met the wardens or vestry except on Zoom. We weren't sure what to expect!

At St. Paul's, we found faithfulness, generosity, and devotion to God. We found strong lay leadership— and an ability to find fun, even in the most challenging circumstances. We found a vibrant community that was excited to welcome new ordained leaders into the fold. We found a home.

Fr. Kevin and Rev. Helena in Spring 2021

We'll miss Fr. Kevin's many gifts: his humor, his liturgical precision, and his gentle but firm leadership. His greatest strength this year was the way he equipped me to take on more responsibilities as time rolled on. He knew we were all hoping I could become Priest in Charge this fall, and he did everything in his power to help that dream come true.

A highlight for me was the 4pm drive-in Christmas Eve service. It was snowing, so we had the altar set up inside with our FM transmitter, and everyone sat in their warm cars outside, facing the doorway. My phone hung perilously from the door hinge so others could watch on Zoom. I was still a deacon, so Fr. Kevin distributed the bread by himself in the snow. When he came back in, he and his vestments were quite wet, and we just laughed. None of it was what we'd imagined when we began our path to ordained ministry!

On a personal level, I'm grateful to Fr. Kevin for sharing his passion and for his quick responses to my million text message inquiries. His experience, reassuring demeanor, and mentorship have constituted the mast on which I hung my leadership this year, and I'm so grateful to have learned from him.

So, let's recognize this transition with a resounding and exuberant THANK YOU, FATHER KEVIN!

Our Newest Ministry: a Little Free Pantry

Living in a town like Southington, many of us can easily forget about food insecurity. Although many of our neighbors struggle to make ends meet, access to food feels like a “given” for many others.

Yet, food insecurity is an ever-present reality for too many in our town. In Connecticut, the percent of school-age children who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches grew from 25.4% in 2001 to 37.9% in 2015. Experts say that these numbers are almost certainly worse due to the financial crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Southington has many services addressing food insecurity. Bread for Life offers hot lunches six days a week and take-home bags for dinner, family dinners on Wednesday evenings, meal deliveries, food pantries, and snacks and meals for schoolchildren. Southington Community Services stocks a food pantry, where we at St. Paul’s have adopted a shelf.

In July, St. Paul’s launched our own addition to these services: a Little Free Pantry. Like the Little Free Libraries, people leave and take donated food whenever they want. Our pantry is open 24/7 to everyone! More information about the pantry is available here.

Ceremony to install the Little Free Pantry at St. Paul's

On Tuesday evening this week, we celebrated this new ministry with Bishop Laura Ahrens and Maggie Breen, North Central Region Missionary. It was a blessing to be together with them to recognize the ongoing need for food access in our area.

Our church’s driveway is already a prominent turnaround point in town. Now, people turning around can also quickly drop off a donation or pick up one of the provisions already in the pantry.

Please spread the news that our pantry is open for business. There are no requirements people need to fulfill before using it. That’s why the motto is, “Give what you can, take what you need.” This week, I'm offering this prayer:

Almighty God, we thank you that you have put it into the hearts of your people to make offerings for your service. Be with us now as we set apart this Little Free Pantry to your praise and glory. Bless all who provide for this pantry, and all who are fed by it. We pray this will be a sign of the nurturing of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.