new call

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Photo by Sarah Searight
So, just to be clear, I'm not going anywhere. I'm very excited to have been called as the first rector of Trinity by the Sea, Port Aransas! (God willing, and effective at Diocesan Council when Trinity becomes a Parish) If that barrage of Episco-speak is completely unhelpful, let me try to decode.

Trinity by the Sea is an Episcopal Church, and in the Episcopal Church, the Diocese is the basic unit. All the individual churches you see in cities are, as Bishop Payne put it "missionary outposts." When a new church is started, the Diocese supports it as a mission. Then at some point in it's journey, when it becomes a sustainable community, it graduates to being a parish. The head priest (pastor) of a mission is called a vicar, and the governing board is called a Bishop's Committee (both assigned by the Bishop of that Diocese) and as a parish, we elect our governing board, called a Vestry, and they call the head priest, called a Rector. And that's exactly where Trinity is. Becoming a parish, having elected it's board, the first Vestry, and last night, they called me (thanks be to God) as the first Rector.

I was excited about it, but I was surprised by sense of joy I felt when it was official. I really love this church and community, and I feel more deeply connected here because of these steps we are taking together. If by chance, you can come party with us either at Diocesan Council (Feb 23, we process in at 1:00!) or in Port Aransas on Sunday Feb 26, please do. We will have one service at 10 a.m. (with Baptism!) and then a lunch with live music following (around noon.)

I'm very proud of what the Holy Spirit is up to through this church. I'm proud of the dedication, perseverance, and joy of this community, and I'm so grateful to have this new call to be the rector of Trinity by the Sea, Port Aransas!
Photo by Joe Gant



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