New Fire

Pastor’s Epistle—September, A.D. 2016 C

Officially the Church’s liturgical year begins with Advent at the end of November. But for all practical intents and purposes, we run on an academic year. Like the public school that sits caddy-corner to our office, St Peter’s is an educational institution. Sunday School, Confirmation Class, St Peter’s Youth, Adult Education and Pub Theology all enjoy a summer break, to return ready and rested in September. Autumn is a second spring with every leaf a flower—and so it is in the life of the Church.

Our season of new beginnings kicks off with Rally Sunday on September 11. The classrooms are ready and our teachers are excited to begin new Sunday School lessons with our youth. Should you feel so moved as to volunteer your time, we would be happy to have members of the congregation teach one or perhaps two Sundays in the year. Not only does this show our kids the involvement of our entire congregation in their budding life of faith, it’s also a great way for us as adults to get to know our younger brothers and sisters in Christ. You can even pick a given Sunday based on the topic at hand. Don’t be shy; let us share the faith that is in us. And besides, the best way to learn something is to teach it.

Confirmation Class starts off every year with a Family Meeting at which confirmands and parents (or guardians or adult mentors), together with the pastor, go over the syllabus, schedule, requirements and expectations for the year ahead. That annual Family Meeting will be held on Rally Sunday at 11:00 a.m., after our brunch and youth activities. Regular Confirmation classes will then begin the following Sunday, September 18, and proceed as scheduled on the first and third Sundays of each month. We would be happy to address any questions, concerns, or suggestions at the Family Meeting. 2017 happens to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. What better time to study Luther’s Small Catechism together?

Thanks to the hard work and generosity of our members, we now have a beautiful Fire Pit on the north side of our property, which opens up all sorts of opportunities for worship. We will inaugurate the Fire Pit on Wednesday, September 14, with an outdoor Folk Service liturgy (a congregational favorite). Bring a lawn chair if you don’t want to sit on the grass. September 14 happens to be Holy Cross Day, or Holyrood, an ancient festival on the Church calendar that for Eastern Christians marks the new liturgical year. And given that we’ll have a lovely outdoor fire, I see no reason why we can’t enjoy s’mores following worship.

The Fire Pit will also come in handy for our annual Michaelmas celebration on Wednesday, September 28. For years our congregation has celebrated the feast of St Michael and All Angels with a potluck meal at 6:00 p.m. and fireside vespers at 7:00. The only difference this time around is that rather than driving out to Black’s Grove a dozen miles away, we can enjoy the potluck in the comfort of our own fellowship hall and have our Michaelmas fireside vespers right here in New York Mills. And if it rains, no problem—we’ll just come indoors.

This September we’re also introducing a new way to celebrate Communion. For the last several years we’ve knelt at the rail on the first Sunday of the month, and communed by intinction at stations on the third and fifth Sundays of the month. The advantage of the former is reverence; the advantage of the latter is simplicity. From now on we will gather at the rail every Communion Sunday (kneeling if able) to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord by intinction. This should give us the best of both worlds—reverence and simplicity—while also making things easier for our Altar Guild and less complicated for the congregation.

There’s much more to come. Youth the Younger resumes afterschool activities on the second Wednesday of each month, starting September 14. Youth the Elder will kick off with an event on the last Sunday of this month, September 25. Pub Theology gathers again at the bar come Thursday, September 15. Food for the Poor Ministries is sending us a guest preacher to help connect us to the needy in our community and around the globe. And Adult Education returns in October. But October, dear readers, is a tale for another day.

Suffice to say that the fire of the Spirit is alive and moving amongst us, renewing our life together and reinvigorating us in service for our neighbors. May St Peter’s stand, by the grace of God, as public witness to the Light and Life of Jesus Christ in our community, in our lives, and in our world.

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.