Rector’s Update: 3 Quick Hits
Hi Restoration,
Spring is here! And our calendars are filling up! I love seeing so many of you on Sundays and then through the week. Thank you for the updates, the warm encouragement, and the friendship as we bear each other’s burdens. It’s a joy to live life alongside you.
3 Quick Things:
1. Our confirmation class starts this Sunday, May 15. The deadline to sign up is this Friday, May 13. Remember our 3 invitational questions:
- Were you baptized as an infant and now are ready to confirm those baptismal vows in front of your congregation?
- Are you new to Anglicanism and want to hear what we believe and how things work for us as a church?
- Are you curious about your spiritual gifts and how you can use them?
The class will meet over lunch from 12:30-2 on May 15, May 22, June 5, and June 12. We know you might not be able to make all of them, but if you can make most of them, we’d love to have you! It will be a great way to grow in your relationship with Jesus. Got questions? Shoot ’em over to Beth.
2. Living God’s Story at Restoration is a dinner event for those who are new to Restoration and curious about membership. The deadline to RSVP is Sunday, May 15th. Then we will see you on Tuesday, May 17th at 7pm for dinner and conversation about Restoration. Childcare is provided. Please indicate that you need it when you RSVP.
3. Last night, Scott and I, in partnership with Anne Cregger and Navs20sDC, hosted about 80 people for Pints + Perspectives. It was such a fun conversation. We talked about abortion, life, leaked memos, God’s will, church history, differences between Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican practices, the exclusivity of Jesus, and the hope of restoration. Scott is a great facilitator and the crowd had lots of thoughtful questions. There were all the indicators of a good event- we ate all the food, we had to cut the questions off because they were shutting down the venue, and the conversation spilled over to Trader Joe’s and The Renegade Bar across the street. People are sincerely seeking and asking about God.
We are in one of those moments. It doesn’t take much to get below the surface with people, to ask those core questions: Who are we? What is our fundamental problem? What is the solution to that problem? What is our primary moral obligation? How should we live?
Everyone is asking those questions. They are the questions we talked about last night. They just have different drapes of presentation, but they map on to the core questions: How do we think about race? Who does God want me to marry? When does life begin? Aren’t all religions the same? How do I balance my career goals with my relationship goals?
We are in one of those moments of uncertainty and anticipation. Everyone is asking questions. It wouldn’t take much for you to ask a question and have an opportunity to describe how ‘times of refreshing have come from the presence of the Lord…’ (Acts 3:20) It wouldn’t take much for you to have a conversation of deep significance with someone who is asking these questions.
I hope you will. I’d love to hear about it.
See you on Sunday,
-David
