Pentecost – 8 June 2025

Moving Forward Together
When I interviewed to be St. George’s vicar, I said that my job was not to tell you what to do, or give you a plan for the future, but once you had decided where you wanted to go, my job was to help you get there. Over the past 6 months we have begun taking steps in that direction.

On March 16 we had a big parish meeting where everybody had a chance to share their priorities and concerns: we talked about music, money, seniors, families, outreach and generated a big list of things we could do to move towards the future we believe God wants for us. In May, parish council looked at this list and asked, “What are our shared priorities? and What can we realistically achieve?”

We were excited to discover that we are already doing some of the things you mentioned: like more clergy pastoral visits, varied music choices, children’s participation in worship.

After considering all of your input, we came up with three big priorities that the whole parish can work on together and that will guide our decision-making over the next year.

Nourishing Worship
to offer meaningful participatory liturgy, joyful music, and engaging preaching that attends to the diverse needs of our community and equips us for ministry in the world.

Deepening Relationships 
to strengthen our existing relationships, grow new ones, and nurture resilience, with particular care for the needs identified by isolated seniors, children and families, local Indigenous communities, and LGBTQ2S+ neighbors.

Financial Sustainability
to improve the financial literacy, stewardship skills, and ultimately the fiscal health of the parish so that our income is able to sustain our ministry
Well done us! We have done some excellent work, we have more work ahead of us, but we truly are moving forward together.

With Gratitude,
Rev. Laurel