April Issue of Zion Chimes

Dear People of Zion, It is with much joy that I write to you from my home in Augusta, GA. We have all been on a long journey, trusting that the search process would eventually come to an end, and that the Holy Spirit would guide our hearts and minds to choose unhurriedly and wisely. Our hard work culminated in an extended interview process where your search committee and vestry believed they were being guided by the Holy Spirit to call me as your new Priest-in-Charge. They were not alone in this feeling. I, too, believed that God was gently pushing me into embracing this new ministry with all of you. We are now, finally, entering the borderlands together. The moment we all agreed to begin this new ministry together we took a communal step into a new territory. This place has been called by many names - the borderlands, a threshold, a liminal place - with expectations, language, and behaviors that make us all very aware that we are not in Kansas anymore. What makes this time and place so very special is the knowledge that God desires nothing more than that we should get to know each other. Simply that. I told both the vestry and the search committee that the key to the future of Zion lies in the stories of your shared past. My job, in this new borderland, is to listen to your stories and get to know you. I cannot do my ministry without knowing who I am ministering with. And yes, you read that correctly. We are all called to be the ministers and missioners of the Word of God. Your job is to remember why you came to Zion, why you stayed, what you love, or loved, most about this parish, and what your dreams are for the future. We will remain in these borderlands of story-telling, dream-sharing, and communal worship and praise until God nudges us to begin using our gifts to spread the Gospel. I pray that God will guide us, care for us, and fill us with peace as we step into this threshold together and make a new community. In Christ, Magdalene+