Featured Article: Interim Updates

As many in the parish have noticed, this interim time has been one of many changes, all of which parishioners have handled with grace and optimism about the future. This Sunday, our Interim Rector, Gary Jones, returns to the Sunday Forum (9:10-10:00) and will speak about some of the work that is currently engaging the vestry and staff, in preparation for our rector search. Please join us with your thoughts, questions, and insights!
One area of our church life that has seen some change has been communications. As Caroline Johnson focuses more on Christian Education with the Rev. Catherine Powell, we have contracted with Bella Dolande, a former administrator with St. Paulâs Episcopal Church in Wilmington, to advise us on our website and other electronic communications, our welcoming process for visitors and new members, and to help us consolidate various data bases and mailing lists for more efficient operation.
In addition, we discussed that our weekly emails have become more robust with news. Our hope is to give a title and brief description for each article, so that anyone interested in that topic can âclick hereâ and be taken to the full article, often with pictures, on the website. This allows one to scan all the news and take a deeper dive into topics of special interest to them whenever they like.
With such a weekly format, the staff have decided that it is best for them to offer more in-depth articles not just at the beginning of the month but whenever such an in-depth article is called for throughout the year. Our âSoundingsâ mailing, therefore, might become a quarterly publication that would be posted on the website and mailed to parishionersâ homes, which would allow for more photographs, in-depth news, and spiritual sustenance. This is all still in the exploratory stage, but we are excited about the possibilities of increasing the effectiveness of our communications. Bella Dolande, our contract worker, has special gifts in graphic design, communication, and electronic media, and she is working closely with Judith Nichols and Caroline Johnson.
There is a strong and growing spirit of enthusiasm and engagement at St. Andrewâs On-the-Sound, with increasing numbers of visitors and new members, including children and young families. Spiritual and educational offerings for adults are being attended by large numbers, and our extraordinary vestry is hard at work reviewing parish operations and seeking more people to join in leading the ministry of our parish. And the overall ethos of generous welcome â at the Sunday continental breakfasts after the 8:00 service, the lovely coffee hour receptions after the 10:15 service, and at numerous special events like the wildly popular Oyster Roast â send a beautiful message to all.Â
St. Paul once remarked, âWhere sin abounded, grace abounded much moreâ (Romans 5:20). In a similar way, it is gratifying to notice that while stress and daily struggle seem to abound in our society today, grace, healing, and loving welcome are abounding much more at St. Andrewâs On-the-Sound for all who come â a beautiful oasis of kindness and love.