Arriving in Virginia, I was met with the warmest welcome from the whole congregation at Corpus Christi. I remember specifically my nervousness melting away after the first Sunday. I was able to stay at the houses of parishioners and was invited into their daily lives; they accepted me as their own and had a genuine desire and interest in getting to know me. It was the best possible welcome I could have received.

I wanted to take a moment this week to pause and do three things: 1) follow up on a portion of my sermon from last Sunday (you can listen to it here), 2) process the recent mass shooting in Nashville, TN, this week in light of what I preached on Sunday, and 3) give the text of Jacob of Sarug that I have found so helpful and quoted in my sermon.

It is still miraculous to me when I think that we began online in March 2020. In our first 3 months we could only meet virtually and then finally in the summer of 2020 we were able to meet for the first time in person for a monthly Eucharist outside. We have now been meeting for weekly Eucharist for about 18 months. In this report I'll share some of the ways that our church has grown.

Grab coffee or tea, sit down, and read this summary report of the good things God has done over 2021 and our hopes for 2022!

The summer at Corpus Christi gave me an imagination for the future that is grounded in lived experience. As I helped with administrative tasks, participated in Sunday services and church events, and even got to preach, I found that many of the things that I had dreamt of doing were not only real parts of ministry, but also things that I enjoyed doing.