Dear Friends in Christ,
This letter comes to you with prayers for you all as we celebrate the birthday of the church and look forward to our Summer activities.
By the Grace of God, the Covid pandemic appears to be in decline. We all pray that the difficulties we have faced during the past year may diminish as well. Fortunately, our churches are now open and most have weathered the Covid storm. Many of our parishes have, during this strange time of pandemic, grown stronger in numbers and commitment. In many ways, this is hardly surprising: when great challenges confront us, we almost always realize the vital importance of the church. God's church provides the spiritual shelter that is essential during those times when temporal storms assault us. We need God in our lives, just as we need the communion of friends and faithful Christians. How many times during the past year have I heard the phrase, “I miss being together with my friends.” While virtual technologies like Zoom have given us the opportunity to conduct meetings remotely, it is certainly not the same as being together with each other in the same room.
It is important to remember the words from The Acts of the Apostles: “When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” These are words we know well. They set the scene for the birth of God's Holy Church clearly and precisely. When the Holy Ghost descended at Pentecost, the people of God were together; the people of God were in one place; the people of God were of one accord. This is how the church came into being. May we all experience the joy of being to-gether once again, within the sheltering embrace of His Holy Church.
At this time, as travel restrictions have eased, your bishop is resuming episcopal visits and ecumenical activities.
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