The Rector's Message for the Week of June 26th, 2022

Dear Friends,

In June, we have two of our summer Feast Days – the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, which we have just celebrated, and the Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, we will celebrate on Wednesday, June 29 with the Gentlemen of the Choir.  I do hope that, if you are in the city, you will consider joining us at 5:30 p.m. Our summer Feasts will all be followed by wine and cheese, and soft drinks for some fellowship.  Here is a list of the summer Feast Days that are coming up:

We were all shocked to hear of another mass shooting in a place of worship last week, this time in an Episcopal Church. The Rector of St. Stephen’s in Vestia Hills, Alabama, spoke movingly of the three victims who had invited the man to sit at their table at the monthly potluck. “Three of the most faithful people kept inviting this member of our community to sit with them and be with them and they loved him, and it cost them their life. And there’s not a doubt in my mind that they would do it again,” said Fr. John Burras, “they modeled how to live in love, offering food and companionship.” 

Standing so prominently on Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street, and open every day of the year, necessitates that certain precautions must be taken to ensure the safety and security of our physical buildings and the thousands of people who visit our sacred space, annually.

For many years, we have contracted security guards and medical personnel to help support our staff and volunteers to monitor, protect, and act in the event of an emergency. Many of you have come to know our security team and duty nurse well, and we are incredibly thankful for the vital role they serve in protecting us from harm.

As part of our Strategic Plan for the parish, the Standing Committee of the Vestry and a security sub-group of the Buildings Committee, have been exploring additional measures that we can undertake to ensure the safety of our worshippers, especially our vulnerable adults and our children.

Their recommendations could not have come at a more appropriate moment. Over the next year, enhancements to fire protection, building safety, and physical security will be undertaken as part of a comprehensive security and safety plan for both the Church and School. I will be writing to you about this next week.

Last Sunday, we were delighted to see the Chan family back in Church.  They relocated to London during the pandemic because of work, and are active members of St. James’ Church, Sussex Gardens, but have joined us regularly for Zoom Sunday School and Friday Bible Study.  It was lovely to have the children acolyte at the 9am service.

We have another family who are relocating; congratulations to Miranda, Nick, Jack, Cole, and Annabel Perkins who are also relocating to the United Kingdom because of work.  Miranda has been a loyal member of our Sunday School Volunteers for some years now, and the children have been acolytes and lectors at the 9am service, and two have sung in the Noble Singers.  We will miss them, but we wish them well in this new adventure.  The Sunday School said a big thank you to Miranda recently, and you can see a picture in the Children and Family Ministry article below.

Finally, enjoy the weekend, whether you are visiting family, at the Pride March in New York, or in beautiful Central Park, but I hope to see many of you in Church in the morning with our visiting choirs from Princeton, NJ, and Harleysville, PA.

Affectionately,

Carl
Your priest and pastor