Sisters and Brothers,
There are many things going on this weekend. Marke and Gary will be tying the knot on Saturday; Bishop Rick will be our guest preacher on Sunday at 11 a.m.; and our Second Spanish Mass will be held at 1 p.m.
In addition to all this, the Scout Pack 226 leadership has been gearing up for a successful launch coming up at the end of the month. Douglas May, Br. Ray and I met with two scout leaders this week and I shared with them our parish's unique history - letting them know that "inclusion" is our hallmark characteristic and thus our Pack should be an extension of who we are.
We should receive our official "Charter" soon and then we can advertise in earnest. We already have kids from the neighborhood signing up, and we haven't even begun our recruiting from Emerson School. In early September, we'll be blessing our kid's uniforms and the Pack flag.
Lastly, I want to briefly discuss our Latino outreach. We are happy to announce that Coco, our babysitter has agreed to serve as an interpreter. She is certified in that area. This will help me engage with our newcomers more effectively and to offer pastoral care as needed.
As you know we've conducted a survey and the results seem clear to the Vestry that an overwhelming number of folks want us to remain together rather than developing two separate worshiping communities. We will continue to offer a Spanish Mass each month, (which also allows us to offer a Mass in only English), but the main focus will be on expanding our diversity and becoming one united family of faith. This desire to be more diverse and inclusive makes us even more unlikely and unique. What a wonderful message to be sending out into our community and our world.
Blessings!
Fr. Dewayne
