On September 25, we celebrated the ministry of the Rev. Colin and the Rev. Laurel Mathewson among us. They came to the Cathedral as young laypeople in discernment; we sent them off to seminary; and we welcomed them back as transitional deacons, celebrating their ordination to the priesthood and the growth of their family over the last three plus years. Colin and Laurel have contributed immeasurably to our life at St. Paul’s, and we now have the privilege of sending them forth to their next adventure in ministry at St. Luke’s. As you know, Colin will continue to serve as the pastor to our Spanish-speaking members for at least the next six months.
As we live into the Vision for Mission we continue to develop two critical ministry areas: Outreach and Mission is a significant part of our life with a lively and devoted committee of true servant ministers; while Formation, particularly for children and youth, has flourished over the last couple of years, taking its place as a multi-generational dimension of our life together. Colin has overseen our Outreach and Mission ministries as well as the Children, Youth, and Families ministry area, while Laurel has been the go-to person for adult formation activities. Who will succeed them in these roles?
Happily, the Holy Spirit seems to have provided for our needs. Over the summer I became acquainted with a young man, recently arrived in San Diego, who was seeking a call to serve the church in this area. David Tremaine holds a Master of Divinity degree from Virginia Theological Seminary; however, he is not at this time planning to be ordained. David is discerning his call to ministry and is currently exploring the possibilities of serving as a lay teacher and leader in the Episcopal Church. He has significant experience with outreach ministries, having worked for the best part of a year in an outreach center in Florida; and he has planned and taught adult formation classes as well as overseeing a Sunday School program for children. David is excited about the ministries we are developing here at St. Paul’s, and he brings a reflective, theologically informed approach to his work. I am delighted that David has accepted my invitation to serve as our Director of Outreach and Formation. He will be here about three days a week and will report directly to me as a member of our executive staff. Robin Taylor will report to him (although Robin is such an outstanding director of CYF ministries that she hardly needs oversight!).
David will work with our Outreach committee and will take on the task of planning, recruiting, and implementing our adult formation activities. He is able to start work before Colin and Laurel leave so that he can spend time with them and provide a seamless transition.
I have every hope that with David on our team, our outreach and formation ministries will continue to go from strength to strength. I hope you will offer him a warm welcome on his first Sunday with us, October 2.
This transition means that we will have two priests full-time on staff, myself and Jeff Martinhauk. Jeff will continue to oversee community life activities, which will include evangelism. Canon Brooks Mason will oversee pastoral care. We will all take a turn with preparing families for baptism as well as the regular liturgical roles of presiding and preaching, and we will have a monthly guest preacher spot, allowing us to develop our relationships with other churches and the broader community. The Mathewsons will be part of that guest preacher program, and with the Bishop’s permission David Tremaine will also preach from time to time. Please pray for us all in this time of transition and possibilities!
