Saturday, September 29, 2007
The Feast Day of St. Michael and All Angels

Dear Friends in Our Lord Jesus:

             A few weeks ago, a young graduate student attended Gethsemane Cathedral for the first time.  It was her first visit to an Episcopal Church, and she telephoned a few days later to talk briefly about her experience.
            “I have never felt joy like this in a church,” she said.  “People were so friendly.  And a lot of them were actually smiling!  I have never seen so many people smiling in church!  It was great, and it was fun!  Thank you for such an upbeat experience.  Thank you for making me feel welcome.”
            Her words echoed what I have heard in the last few weeks from several others -- young and old, male and female, introverts and extroverts, newcomers and long-timers.  Something is clearly happening here, and people are starting to notice.
            Can YOU feel what is happening in our Cathedral?
            Can you feel the JOY?
            Can you sense the EXCITEMENT?
            Dixie and I have been with you for barely a month now, and we can feel it.  We can sense it.  We can touch it.
            Without question, IT is all around us.  IT is in the midst of our Sunday morning worship services, in our midweek services of the Daily Office and Holy Communion, in our Sunday School classes and programs, in our coffee hour and pre-church gatherings, and even in our ministry and committee meetings.
            IT radiates in our singing, in our praying, in our sharing.
            IT is unmistakable.  IT is undeniable.
            IT is, of course, the gentle, joyful, energetic and life-giving PRESENCE of the Holy Spirit of God.  The Lord is in the midst of this place, and His presence is real, tangible, and contagious!  Those coming to us for the first time can sense it.  Those returning after vacation can sense it.  Those who come every time the doors open can sense it.
            We have been given a great gift -- the gift of the Lord’s own JOY -- a gift described in Holy Scripture (Nehemiah 8:10) as the primary source of our strength.  Because of this great gift, we are able to reach out in love and compassion to others.  Because of this great gift, we are able to share our experience, strength, and hope with those around us.  Because of this great gift, we are able to lift up those who are falling, strengthen those who are hurting, and enlighten those who are enveloped in darkness.
             Yes.  We have been given a great gift.  And as the Lord always does with His chosen people, He expects us to share this gift with others.  And especially with those who are trapped in the darkness, chaos, confusion, and despair of the world.
            During the month of October, we will spend time each week looking closely at the work the Lord is doing among us.  We will examine our ministries and programs to see what we can do better, what we can expand in new directions, what we can adjust to fit changing circumstances and situations.  And we will hear from week to week -- at our Sunday morning worship services -- the brief stories of  those who faithfully take part in the life and work of this Cathedral.
            The purpose of this letter is to invite everyone to SHARE THE EXCITEMENT!  To SHARE THE JOY that the Lord has showered upon us!  With new ministries and programs on the horizon, we will need everyone to pull together to make a difference in our city, our community, our world during the coming year.
            Enclosed with this letter is a pledge card for 2008.  As you may already know, pledge cards are the primary tools we use in preparing the Cathedral budget for the coming year.  Pledge cards are not legal documents.  They are, in effect, prayer cards -- cards that testify to our spiritual life, our life in faith.  And our ongoing prayer is that everyone will join us in the sharing of our time, our talents, and our treasures during the coming year.  Without question, we are making a difference in our community!  And the Lord is calling us to make an even bigger difference in 2008.
            I invite you, in the name of the Church, to spend some time in prayer before filling out your pledge card.  If you have questions, please call me, or please call any of the members of the Cathedral Chapter, who are serving this year as our Stewardship Committee.
            Our goal is to gather all pledge cards on Stewardship Sunday, October 28, at our three worship services and offer special prayers for the work that God is doing in and through us.  Please bring your pledge card with you that day, or at any other time before then.  As always, all amounts listed will be kept in strict confidence.
            Let me close by saying THANK YOU and GOD BLESS YOU to those who have supported Gethsemane Cathedral so faithfully over the years.  And to those who have not taken part in a stewardship campaign before, let me officially invite you to SHARE THE JOY!
            The coming year promises to be a JOY-FILLED year for all of us!
            May the Lord bless us and keep us, this day and always.

                                                             -- The Very Rev. Dr. Steve Sellers+
                                                                 Dean