In January of 2008, St. George’s found itself at a critical juncture as it considered its future. Thus began an important process of discernment – prayerfully listening for who God was calling St. George’s to be and what God was calling St. George’s to do.

To begin, Parish members raised up the names of people they felt were appropriate for the task of discerning God’s will. In response, fourteen members joined and met faithfully for two hours a month over the span of several months, listening to God and to each other, through extended periods of silence and thoughtful discussion. The group struggled with the questions “Who is St. George’s now?” and “Who is St. George’s called be?” As the group approached its self-defined deadline of June 2, 2008 it was not at all clear that we would have consensus about what exact words would uniquely and fully express our many thoughts. And then, at our last meeting, we were gifted with the words below.

We feel this statement captures the essence of St. George’s. Further, it calls us to grow in our corporate and individual spiritual lives. We share these words with you now. We hope that you find your place in this statement, and that you will prayerfully consider the implications of this call for yourself and for St. George’s.

When we sought a new rector, this expression of our call was incorporated in the materials which were part of the search process, to indicate how we at St. George’s go about making God known.

We would appreciate any thoughts or remarks you have as you meditate on this statement and its meaning for you and for the parish. Please send any comments to angelachurchill@mac.com.

 St. George’s is called to feed God’s people

We do this because God loves us, Christ leads us, and the Holy Spirit moves us.

We do this by:

• Building a joyful and nourishing community
• Feeding the hungry and working to prevent hunger
• Welcoming all to God’s table and sharing our sacramental life
• Fostering all types of spiritual growth

When we face challenges we ask:

What is the most nourishing thing we can do at this time?

When we need to give up things we ask:

Which of these things are not feeding our community?

When we are personally invited to do something for the community we ask:

Will this nourish me and others?

“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

From Frederick Buechner’s definition of “vocation” in his little book Wishful Thinking