Letter from Amy: October 22, 2025

The 6th century Saint Kevin's monastery in Glendalough, Ireland, a reminder of the enduring beauty of the church. My family hiked here this summer.

Dear Incarnation,

Several of you have reached out to ask me about last week’s statement about the reordering of the Anglican communion, the global church to which we belong. I appreciated our bishop’s invitation in response to the news:

This moment of reordering within the wider Anglican Communion is historic and will be significant for us all. While it won’t affect the day to day operation of your church or our diocese in the short term, it will shift Anglican understanding over time. . . . I want to invite us to approach this time with humility and grace—to listen deeply, to pray carefully, to engage slowly, and to seek together what the Lord is doing in our midst. Let us hold fast to the unity we share in Christ, and may our response be shaped by prayer, peace, and love as we continue to follow Jesus faithfully, side by side.

Humility and grace, listening and praying, engaging slowly: yes. May we all heed this invitation.

I will likely write more about this matter after I have had more time to sift my own thoughts. In the meantime, I simply encourage all of us to keep being the church, day in and day out, right where we are. The winds of change may be swirling around us, but the work Jesus has given us has not changed. We are to love God, love our neighbors, and love our enemies with a self-giving love. We are to gather each week to remember that the gospel is true, that God is in the business of resurrecting dead things, and that God has called us — this messy, divided, maddening, saddening, beautiful, beloved body called the church — to be the bearers of his light in a dark world. None of that has changed or will change until the day Jesus returns and renews all things, including us.

One way to faithfully keep "being the church" is to pray for our vestry election. We have three wonderful candidates who have humbly stepped up to serve: Andy Lau, Emma Wen, and Nancy Sung. I am honored by their willingness, moved by their stories, and grateful for the many ways they already share their gifts with us. I encourage you to read their bios and celebrate the wondrous ways God works in our lives. And then prayerfully consider whom God might be calling to our vestry. Please also pray for these candidates through the process (it’s a vulnerable thing to stand for election)!

Another way to "be the church" is to plan to attend our parish meeting on November 9 immediately after the service. We will hear reports on our 2025 finances (our fiscal year ended Sept 30), our 2026 budget, and on our church plant, Holy Comforter. At a time when bad news proliferates, I am grateful that we can gather to share and celebrate very good news of the work God is doing in and through this church. I hope you'll plan to stay!

I am grateful to be your pastor, and I am here to listen, talk, answer questions, and pray if you feel unsettled by the swirling winds of change.

Warmly,

Amy