Tuesday thoughts from Baltimore

Hello from Baltimore!

I’m here for the next couple of days for the first meeting of my Lewis Fellows cohort. The Lewis Fellows program brings together young clergy (under 35) who have already been serving a congregation for a couple of years, with the aim of developing leadership skills. Already, I’m so enjoying spending time with these colleagues from around the country and from a mix of denominations. Our ministry contexts vary greatly, but we share a lot of the same joys and challenges in our ministry. I’m really looking forward to learning with and from these folks over the next year. I’m grateful to the Lily Endowment, which makes this program free for all of us and our congregations, and for you all for giving me the study leave to be able to do things like this!

I had a great time worshiping with you all on Sunday.  I’m having so much fun working through Esther. It’s really encouraging to hear how many of you really resonate with this story, and I especially love hearing the ways you’re seeing God’s fingerprints in your lives right now, or discerning what that unique position is that God has placed you in to be part of his Kingdom-building work.  God is doing amazing stuff in and through you all; it’s an honor to get to be witness to it.

And it was great to have our own Lucas Koach as worship leader and celebrant on Sunday! The next two weeks we’ll have the chance to be led by two other gifted leaders in our congregation, the Rev. Julie Cate Kelly and Jesse Blaine. It’s amazing to me how richly blessed we are as a congregation with leaders of all kinds, and it’s a real treat to get to be led by them and benefit from their great gifts!

I’m eager to see you again on Sunday. Til then… stay cool!

– Erin