rebounding
For Christ Church Denver, 2022 was a year of doing what Dennis Rodman did best: rebounding.
After all of the struggles and setbacks of the coronavirus pandemic, both in our personal lives and as a parish, 2022 marked the beginning of recovering our core mission and purpose as a faith community––as we transition to endemic and that perhaps cliché but still-true phrase, “the new normal.”
In many ways, we are still not where we were before the pandemic. In some ways, we’ve discovered new ways of living life and faith together––and we won’t be going back to what once was. In all, the Holy Spirit has been faithful to lead and guide, comfort and correct, as we discern our way forward.
On a personal note, beyond my general parish involvement, it was a joy to be involved in numerous activities outside of the parish––chairing our diocesan Board of Examining Chaplains (the committee tasked with assessing diaconal and presbyteral candidates’ theological competency and readiness for ministry), serving on the Executive Committee of the High Plains Region (a collection of 26 parishes in the greater Denver area who pool resources and collaborate for evangelism and outreach), participating in the national ecumenical dialogue aiming at “full communion” between The Episcopal Church and Presbyterian Church (USA), co-teaching a summer course at Denver Seminary on formation for Christian leadership with Dr. Kathleen Mulhern, joining the inaugural Practicing the Way Pastors’ Conference at Bridgetown Portland (September 2022), and serving as a keynote speaker at the Scientific Research and Christian Faith Convening hosted by the Murdoch Trust (Vancouver, WA).
Most significantly, though, was that November 2022 marked my transition to a full-time associate to a part-time, temporary, remote member of the Christ Church Denver staff as my wife accepted a call as rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church (Medina, WA) and my family transitioned to our new life in Seattle, WA. It is impossible to adequately state, with any brevity, how much Christ Church has meant to me. It has been a parish where I have grown both pastorally and personally, working with Fr. Terry and the rest of our incredible, dedicated, joyful staff. My time at Christ Church has been nothing short of a joy, where I experienced a deep sense of renewal in my priestly vocation, and an expanded vision of what pastoral ministry in the Episcopal Church can be. Alongside the lifelong friendships I have formed, perhaps most significant to me was how Christ Church was a place where my kids were welcomed like family and grew in their faith.
I cannot thank Fr. Terry and the Vestry enough for calling me to Christ Church in the first place, with all the ministry and laughter that ensued. And to our whole Christ Church family: thank you for your warm welcome, love, intercessions, and support. I just pray that, in God’s good providence, our paths will continue to converge.