From the Dean
Delegation to Durgapur
On January 25, four persons from All Souls, Millie Elmore, Sallie Hart, Rosemary Selles and I, will travel to our companion diocese. We have never sent more than two persons in the past. While there we will engage with young children who participate in their school, will engage with seminarians from their diocese, will be present and preach (me) at their Annual Thanksgiving Service which is attended by some 3,000 plus persons who travel a great distance at great risk (one person died en route last year) to be there, and will be present to other work that the diocese and their people are doing to create life in what The Economist and others rate as one of the lowest regions in India for quality of life (economic, health care, education and other infrastructure). Our trip will take us through Delhi and Kolkata (Calcutta) where we will continue to engage the vastness of India’s cultural, economic and spiritual life.
During the recent visit of Bishop Dutta and the others from Durgapur, we heard about aspects of their work, particularly with young girls. Their report has sparked desire in many parishioners to be more deeply engaged with our companions. Our visit will allow us to see where this may lead.
On Sunday, January 23, this team from All Souls will be prayed for during our liturgies. Upon return we will report (Sunday, February 27) as to what we have experienced and how we see All Souls being engaged with Durgapur in the future.
An “Engagement” Database
On Sunday, January 16 in the Adult Forum, Virginia Teel and I will begin a process of gathering information about ministries, agencies and works in the wider community with whom parishioners at All Souls are connected. We will ask questions like: What groups in Asheville and beyond do you serve and in what capacities (volunteering, boards, promotion, on staff)? What specifically about this ministry, this work motivates you to be engaged with it? If someone wished to participate in this work, how would they get involved and in what ways? We will offer other opportunities for members to answer these questions and the collated information will be made available parish-wide.
Each Sunday the Deacon sends us out ‘into the world’ where we live out our baptismal covenant: seeking and serving Christ in all persons, striving for justice and peace among all persons. We are conscious that many parishioners offer themselves through All Souls based work such as Room in the Inn and Church of the Advocate. We are also conscious that a large number of parishioners offer themselves through a vast number of groups, ministries and agencies, both in Asheville and world-wide, which seek to bring life, health and reconciliation to all people on this planet. It is our belief that this information will help us not only be aware of and prayerful for the vast work being done in and through our community, but will also help those wishing to be more involved find ways to do so.
“…whose life is shaped by our engagement with the world about us.”
As we continue in this new liturgical year, as we gather for our Annual Meeting (Sunday, January 23, 10 a.m.), we continue to see how it is God comes to us through “the world about us.” It is in this engagement where the Christ speaks, is silent, is obvious, seems absent and keeps gathering us; gathering us to know more deeply those in our world, more deeply our selves, and more deeply God. In this season of light, may we continually find ourselves shaped by these engagements.
Blessed Season of the Epiphany,