St. Paul’s is Family

By Father Ryan

I was talking with Deacon Judy before church on the Sunday before writing this article, and we were both in agreement that we hoped it will be a good long while before we have to do another funeral in this parish. We have lost three long time members in the last seven months. Mary, Ruth, and David will all be greatly missed, as they all contributed in numerous ways to the parish over the years.
One thing that struck me about all three funerals is what I was told by various family members independently who returned for the respective services of their loved ones. Many came back from different churches in different places, but each family in its own way told me that coming back to St. Paul’s was like coming back home to family. They knew they would be treated well by St. Paul’s hospitality and liturgy, and it was a great comfort to them knowing that in their time of grief that the St. Paul’s family would be there for them.
I write this not to suggest that we are a perfect community or that we should simply rest on our laurels, but to remind us that our presence as a church family is indeed a very powerful ministry. We often want to gauge effective church ministry by what the corporate world judges as the only indicators of productivity: how much profit is made, how many new investors we have recruited, and how much tangible growth our company experienced in the last quarter.
Being called to be family is truly a gift. While we should be concerned with paying the bills and growth because we are called to be good stewards, effective Christian ministries such as hospitality, reaching out to visitors, and stability in the greater community are hard to gauge and even harder to replicate. Let us always be mindful of the need to nurture that gift so that if we die years from now in this parish community, St. Paul’s will still be here to pass on that great gift of presence and hospitality and family to those who come after us.