The Joy of the Lord is your Strength
The Rev. Joseph Wolyniak
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to witness firsthand the joy of Vacation Bible School at Christ Church, with Tammie Sawicki and a veritable army of volunteers working tirelessly, around-the-clock, day in and day out, for weeks over the summer to welcome neighbors into our faith community and share the love of Jesus with kids of all ages. My award-winning acting debut as Cam the Engineer was undoubtedly a highlight for all.
Whenever I think of Tammie, I think of that verse: “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10) And that scripture isn’t just a nicety or platitude; it was a prophetic promise to Israel during a time of challenge and rebuilding. Surely the Lord has gifted Tammie with that infectious fruit of the Spirit––joy––to help our church continue to blossom amid hardship.
Another highlight of the year was starting a monthly instructed Eucharist with Brady TenBarge and the youth. Following rigorous games of kickball at nearby ‘Dinosaur’ (Robert H. McWilliams) Park, it was a privilege to celebrate Communion with our youth and talk about not only what we do by why we do it––with passerby onlookers wondering what in the world we were up to (and how a priest can be so mind-blowingly good at kickball). I was amazed by our youth’s ever-deepening maturity of faith, rich and insightful questions, and retention regarding the what-and-why of the holy mysteries. Brady has done an incomparable job with our youth over the past few years. The affection and appreciation for him, from both our youth and their parents, is a testament to the seeds he has sown in their lives. As he transitions into a new role at Christ Church in the coming months, he will leave not only big shoes to fill but also an indelible impact on the present and future of our church.
Mention must also be made of Phil Sorensen who continues to work unremittingly––often behind the scenes––to bring relevance and coherence, spiritual depth, and scriptural grounding to everything we offer by way of discipleship and faith formation at Christ Church. His work not only helping to guide Tammie and Brady in their ministry but also developing our curriculum and teaching our children and youth, is of surpassing value to us all.
For adults at Christ Church, Bruce Dunn and others helped to unpack the Scripture and apply it to our everyday lives. With lingering COVID complications, much was offered via Zoom––from our Lenten ‘Zoup’ suppers to our book study on Thomas à Kempis’ Imitation of Christ. While we would all undoubtedly prefer face-to-face conversation, it is incredible to witness how a community can be fostered and faith deepened online.
And as COVID restrictions were eased, we were able to offer a new ‘Coffee Talk’ forum following our 8 am and 10:30 am services to offer conversation and deeper connection on the sermon and appointed Sunday Scriptures, with the added bonus of me and Fr. Terry channeling our inner Linda Richman and using words like “verklempt” with impeccable New York accents.
Thankfully, significant progress was also made in our efforts to relaunch an ecumenical campus ministry––The Foundation at the University of Denver (DU). Coronavirus remains a complicating factor in offering on-campus worship and events at DU, but we’ve made headway in this ecumenical venture with our Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Methodist sisters and brothers. We hired three DU students as “Dyer Fellows”––named after Father Dyer, the itinerant Methodist minister who planted churches throughout Colorado––and they have helped to revitalize a dormant ministry, including our first public worship service in Evans Chapel attended by undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and staff. I am excited to see what God will do in the upcoming quarters of this 2021-2022 academic year.