So much good news As we announced earlier this week, we are so thrilled to have exceeded our goals for our Network of Networks Major Gift Campaign. I join with Haley in thanking everyone for their generous giving and for the energy so many of you have infused into our networks this year. We were also over…
GOL in the New Reality Our theme for this year’s Gatherings is “Mission in the New Reality” and just like life in the church, life at GOL continues to be flexible and nimble. The concept of dynamic stability came up at this past week’s Annual Board Meeting and I haven’t been able to get it…
The Seasons Turn After a long and busy summer for our family, I’m hoping to sort of slow down and breathe as we approach the season of Autumn. We live in West Michigan, and the days here are starting to cool from summer highs. The nights are downright chilly, and the leaves on the trees…
Canon Katie Clark offers this insightful reflection after attending the Chicago Lay Leader Gathering. “How did you get invited into the secret society?” This question came from a clergy colleague who has always wanted to attend Gathering of Leaders. While we both had a great laugh about her question, I had to admit that I…
The Rev. Jen Fulton offers this essay on her experience at the 2023 Kanuga Clergy Gathering: A wise woman once said to me, “I love Jesus, but I don’t always care for His fan club.” It is probably not very priestly to admit this, but I completely empathize with this sentiment. I don’t care for…
At breakfast the morning the conference started, those of us who had arrived the day before gathered at tables and began the joy of what I call ‘Episcopal Tag’, our version of the Kevin Bacon game, but with usually no more than two degrees of separation. When Presiding Bishop Curry came into the dining area…
Epic Hospitality Haley and I are in Jacksonville this week at the Episcopal Parish Network Conference. Day 1 was filled with planning, brainstorming and setting up our table. Days 2 and 3 are flying by, and so far we’re meeting old friends and making new ones, so many of you have stopped by to…
As cliché as it sounds, January is the time of year that we catch our breath, re-focus our energies, and take stock of the world around us. It is also the time every year when I get to thank God for the blessings that Gathering of Leaders has brought to my life. GOL is so…
(Written as the Curator’s letter for the August 2022 GOL E-News. Read the full newsletter here.) Throwing Open the Doors When my alarm went off this morning, I noted it was just a little darker outside that I’ve grown used to. In my town we celebrate the United States Coast Guard with a week long…