Summer Break

In the gospels, Jesus often steps away from the crowds, going out somewhere by himself to collect his thoughts, to pray, to rest, to consider the work ahead.  This practice is good for the rest of us to remember, especially when our lives are busy.  Time away from regular activities and schedules can be restorative, giving us the mental space to appreciate again the ordinary blessings of everyday life. Of course, time away can also sharpen our focus, helping us see which customary routines and tasks have become unmoored from their original purposes and no longer meet anyone’s needs. 

As you can read below, the E-Courier is taking a summer hiatus for the next several weeks. We are doing this to manage staff responsibilities around vacations and other obligations.  But this newsletter break also presents an opportunity to consider how the E-Courier first came to be and to wonder if it’s still meeting our communication needs. I remember Pastor Dianne working hard to transition St. Stephen’s from a printed, mailed paper newsletter to a digital newsletter that could be sent electronically. That innovation happened nearly a dozen years ago! Since then, the world—and our congregation—have changed. While the E-Courier is on break over the next few weeks, we have the chance to think about what we need and what we want for this chapter in our story.

If you are still reading, maybe you ALWAYS read the blog. What do you like about it? What could be better? Do you like to hear from a variety of writers? Would you be willing to write occasionally yourself?  More generally, do you read the E-Courier every week or only when you are looking for specific information? What would make it more useful or interesting to you? What’s missing? What do you especially like about the E-Courier, as it is now? What would you hate to see change? And, maybe most importantly, does the E-Courier advance our mission as a congregation? How does it do that?

However you spend these last weeks of summer, I hope you have a chance to step away from your usual routines, even for a short time. You might be surprised by what you learn. If you have a minute and thoughts to share about the E-Courier (or anything else at St Stephen’s), send me a note! My inbox is always open.

May our summer plans and schedule changes renew and reinvigorate us for the work ahead: to love, to invite, to serve.

Gratefully,

Pastor Sue