July 14, 2022

That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

Romans 8:28, The Message

At our State of the Church forum on Sunday, April 24, we shared with you what we see as emerging priorities, and the following discussions served as terrific input to our vestry retreat at the end of that month. My last article in the Three Crowns covered some aspects of our vestry retreat, and this one continues that thread.

As a quick recap, our priorities for 2022 have been reconnecting with each other, increasing our staffing capacity, and expanding our digital ministries. While those priorities continue, our emerging priorities are:

• Supporting a renewed culture of welcome and invitation to newcomers
• Creating capacity and resources to enable small groups to help connect us to God and one another
• Building awareness and commitment to grow our endowment so that its interest funds all our property needs, and 100% of our annual pledge dollars are directed toward growing our ministries.

During our retreat and in the ensuing time, the vestry has been engaged in a visioning exercise to create “Provocative Proposals” for each of these emerging priorities. Adapted by Rev. Nick from materials and techniques developed by The David L. Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry, Provocative Proposals is an effective technique to stretch us to think beyond our current constraints and to imagine what could be. The proposals we created are available for you to read here.

Rev. Nick, Nelia, and I discussed these proposals earlier in the week. While on the surface, they may appear to be separate, they are interconnected. I volunteered to create a first-pass graphic to illustrate the interconnected aspects of the proposals.

Through Labor Day weekend, the Summer Choir will assist in leading the music at our 10:00 am services, and anyone entering second grade or older is invited to sing. Simply be in the choir loft at 9:00 am on any Sunday you choose, and we will prepare the music for that day. Contact Jeremy at jbruns@3crowns.org with questions. 

Join us in the Cloister Garden (weather permitting) after the service for hospitality as we enjoy conversation, fellowship, and our Summer Punch.

On Friday, July 29, 80 kids and staff from B-SAFE, the summer program run by St. Stephen's Youth Programs (SSYP), will visit Winchester. We will play, splash, run and create in the morning at Shannon Beach on Mystic Lake and then we will eat, laugh and witness some amazing magic at Epiphany in the afternoon.

We will also provide 50 bags of groceries for families facing food insecurity. Your donation of time and food will help make the magic happen. Click here to donate food and click here to volunteer your time.

Please contact Betsy Walsh with any questions. Thank you!

We will be enjoying punch, popsicles, and other light refreshments at fellowship hour after the 10:00 service in July. Please consider signing up to help serve or to bring a snack to share: