This week brings another milestone in the Prior family. For the last 16 years I have without fail taken the obligatory first day of school picture. Not unlike the annual picture with Santa these photos tell a story unto themselves of the growing up years of the Prior boys.There is really nothing like the beginning of the school year. Sure, kids outwardly complain about the end of lazy summer days and educators stress about the long list of last minute details. But amidst it all there is the inevitable excitement with starting a new year.
It’s not just the new school clothes or gear that some are blessed to get but there is an inherent feeling of fresh starts filled with potential that elevates everyone’s spirit.
I am also very aware that most of our faith communities are on the verge of launching into a new program year. Like their counterparts in education, our clergy and lay leaders have been preparing for quite some time to start the year off with a bang. And likewise, many who have been “up north” or “at the lake” will soon be returning with greater regularity.
All is also true for the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. As many of you are aware we have shifted our functioning to more closely match and hopefully greater serve our faith communities. The plan is to begin ECMN’s program year with our Annual Convention in late September and to carry it thematically through post Pentecost with our early June meeting of our Elected Bodies.
Our programmatic theme for Convention, and thus this year, is “Who Is My Neighbor?” Our Mission Project 2013, our Elected Bodies and many of our faith communities will be engaging God’s mission through focusing, reflecting and responding to this critical biblical question, “Who is my neighbor?”
It’s an exciting time of year and an exciting time across the Episcopal Church in Minnesota!
