Dear St. Paul’s family,
Many of you attended at least one of our lovely Summer Social gatherings last year. They were hugely successful and now it’s time for the next step.
We are already seeing some construction around the cathedral campus, and it’s going to become more and more important to bring cathedral folks together as we go through the next 3-4 years of dust, inconvenience, and reduced parking. We need to find ways to “Love, Learn, and Live in Community” during a time of change and transformation.
Once again Jen Jow and Susan Jester have stepped up to coordinate a series of gatherings in parishioners’ homes over the summer. There won’t be as many as last summer, but I hope that you will still have a chance to attend one. Several parishioners have volunteered their homes again and there are still some open dates, if you would like to join them. And they don’t have to be limited to the summer!
Signups for this year’s series of Summer Socials will open this week, with a table in the Queen’s Courtyard during coffee hour. Space is limited at each location, so don’t delay if you would like to attend.
As good as the socials are, they are just a foundation for the birth of an ongoing ministry. My dream for the construction period over the next four years is that we will develop “neighborhood hubs”, finding parishioners who are willing to host not only summer socials but also occasional gatherings throughout the year such as book discussions or prayer groups – whatever appeals to the cathedral households in that neighborhood. This could lead to carpooling and all kinds of mutual support and encouragement. Of course everyone would be encouraged to invite a friend or neighbor! This will take the pressure off the cathedral campus while space is limited and also build our community.
If you’d like to host a gathering, please contact Jen Jow at jenjow7@gmail.com to learn more. I look forward to spending some informal time with you this summer as together we seek to Love, Learn, and Live in Community at St. Paul’s.
Your sister in Christ,
Penny
