Pastor's Page

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Greetings Friends!

   Pastor Sam here, I pray that the beginning of spring is treating each of you well and you are not too troubled by allergies and

pollen to enjoy the blooming of God's creation. I am always amazed at the fresh beauty God unveils during the springtime, and this year

is no exception. 

   This year the month of May ends with one of the greatest celebrations of the Christian year, that of Pentecost. This is a Sunday where we commemorate the sending of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and the leaders of the early church, and pray for God to do the same for us the

Church of today in a new way. This time between Easter Sunday and Pentecost centers itself on the creation of the Church, which is brought into its fullness on Pentecost itself. Considering the theme of this season my mind is drawn to the familiar words of Jesus teaching on the true vine from John 15: 1-4

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every

branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he

prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because

of the words I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you.

No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can

you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

   The faithful must remember that we are bound to Christ not just in our conversion but in the living of everyday life as well. As we look

forward to the celebration of the creation of the church, the Body of Christ in this world, we must also be attentive to ways that we can continue to participate in that same Body.  We, like the disciples of old, must consider again how connected we are to the life-giving and ever sustaining Body of Christ that we call the Church. All of us are called to spend this season not just looking for ways to live out the faith in our own individual lives, but to strengthen our connections as families and communities to one another and to God. In the ministries of the early church and in our lives today we see that the most fruitful efforts, the most loving witnesses, and the most gracious acts are almost always born from connections we make to one another or from those who are in deep and abiding ways connected to their church family.

   As we look forward this month to the day of Pentecost, let us pray for the sending of God's Spirit upon the Church anew. That all of us who enter into this mystical Body might remain faithfully connected to one another and to God who first gave us birth.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Sam Mitchell