Next Steps for St. Matthew’s

The Rev. Robert Fruehwirth, Rector

Since I announced that I would be stepping down from my ministry as your rector, a wave of goodwill has swept the parish. People are rolling up their sleeves in confidence and with some enthusiasm to care for the parish and to plan for the next chapter in this parish’s life. St. Matthew’s has a great staff and a deep bench of skilled, compassionate, and energetic lay leaders. I want to assure you that your Senior Warden and the Vestry are on top of things and doing great work to insure the parish’s health through this transition. You have an extremely capable Senior Warden and Vestry; the parish is in good hands.

In the past few weeks, a number of you have come forward offering yourself for service (thank you!) or with ideas about the transitional period and the calling of a new rector. I’m super grateful for these signs of enthusiasm and goodwill. However, the Vestry can make no steps in planning clergy leadership for the parish or in mapping out the search process for your new rector until they meet with the Bishop and the Canon for Transistion on July 15.

In the meantime, let’s enjoy these last weeks together, and celebrate all the good things God has done for us and with us and will continue to do in the years to come. God is good, let us rejoice in God.

Lord, make us at St. Matthews instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; wherethere is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek tobe consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that weare born to eternal life. Amen.