New practices that nurture

Dear friends,

A number of weeks ago, St. Andrew’s own Courtney Robinson Hastings posted on social media about a new practice she and her husband Todd have been following:  getting up very early in the morning in order to attend to important but often neglected practices like exercise, prayer, or learning a new skill.  Inspired by the Hastings, I too have started arising earlier in the morning. 

Suddenly having “extra” time has been a blessing.  I have begun working with a book that’s been on my shelf for nearly 30 years:  The Artist’s Way, described on its cover as “a course in discovering and recovering your creative self.”  The author, Julia Cameron, insists that all human beings are creative, and that using our creativity is a gift we give back to God.  The two basic tools to develop creativity that she insists on are morning pages (three pages of free-flowing writing to be done first thing in the morning); and a weekly “artist date.”  Cameron explains that the artist date is for our inner artist, the child within us who wants to create.  Artist dates are to be done alone, with the sole focus on letting the child within explore and play—by taking a leisurely walk through a garden; exploring a museum; finger painting; or anything else that allows for creativity and enjoyment.

It has been fascinating—and helpful!—for me to be introduced to artist dates in the midst of this pandemic.  I started the book only a few weeks ago, so thus far I’ve only had two artist dates.  Both of them involved reclining on our living room couch for an hour or more, Diet Coke in hand, poring over a book of Biblical art through the ages, a volume John and I recently received from a favorite relative.  I am 54, and I have never before in my life made time simply to sit with a book of artwork and enjoy its contents.  I liked it.  We have a number of other art books in our condo, and I am looking forward to upcoming artist dates exploring those as well as I wait for cooler weather and lower infection rates before venturing outside home for an artist date.

How is your inner child?  What kind of care and attention might that child need right now—especially in the midst of the pandemic?  How might you spend some quiet time alone this week, nurturing your creative side and remembering that you yourself are a beloved and creative child of our loving Creator God?

My prayers are with you as you do so. 

Blessings,

Anne

Message from a member of the Response to Racism Team

Our team has had two meetings together so far and I am inviting you to join us in our quest to examine our own experiences and perceptions about racism. We are finding our way to our response to this long-term challenge. At our last meeting we decided to think about our past experiences from childhood to the current time that reflect our feelings about racism. Each of us has written our thoughts and sent them to other members of our team. We are learning that we have diverse backgrounds and we are getting to know each other. There is a lot of depth to our conversations which should lead us to new ways to understand those who are different from us. We invite you to join us as we explore ways to understand and communicate with our new awareness of people who are different, yet similar to us. We will meet again this coming Thursday, July 30 at 7:30 on Zoom. Contact Ron Graves at rgraves15@cox.net to get the connection. 

Peace, 
Helen Mitchell

Another Word from your Vestry about Regathering: The What Still Matters More than the When

At our 21 July “Virtual Vestry Meeting,” we continued our discussion about the how, what, and when of regathering in our building.  Thanks to so many of you who responded to our parish-wide survey, we now have a much better sense of parishioners’ motivations and sentiments regarding regathering.  At the same time, we also have “new” information in the form of recent public health data revealing a concerning uptick in cases of COVID-19 in the Tidewater area.  With this information in mind, and parishioner safety still a primary concern, we marked our calendars to revisit the regathering decision at our 15 September vestry meeting.  By that time we hope to have additional data from the reopening of Christopher Newport University and local public schools (assuming they hold in-person classes upon opening in mid-August and early September, respectively.)      

In the meantime, the life of the church continues as we develop new ways of honoring the deeply felt yearning for worship within our sacred space.  First, your vestry and staff will continue to work under the leadership of Parish Safety Officer Joel Duregger as we craft our carefully considered plan for regathering.  We plan to monitor and learn from the experiences of other churches and larger social gatherings.  We will educate ourselves with the most current information about coronavirus, specifically its transmission.    

Second, we will share plans for “pilgrimages” in which parishioners may schedule time in our beautiful sanctuary for individual prayer and reflection.  The space will be sanitized before and after each pilgrimage, and all applicable social distancing guidance will be followed.  This offering responds directly to the motivation highlighted by so many in the survey -- to “be in our space” once again!  (Look for details in your newsletter.)

Third, in response to the desire to regather for the purpose of “seeing good friends” (as revealed in the survey results), we will seek ways for small groups of interested parishioners to gather (fewer than 10 persons, outdoors, supplying their own refreshments, etc.) for the purposes of fellowship.  This plan is still in draft form.  Watch for updates in the weekly newsletter. 

Finally, the church remains “open.”  The pandemic forced us to stop gathering in the physical building.  Virtual services will continue every Sunday (with some taking place in our sanctuary!)  Online videos continue; in addition to Anne and Marc, parishioners continue to lead online services; daily prayers continue on Facebook and Instagram; daily emails and weekly newsletters continue; “check-in” phone calls continue; prayer chain continues; Christian Formation continues; Outreach Team continues serving the community; and Brad continues his music ministry. 

Our mission -- “Building God’s Kingdom through Worship, Outreach, and Fellowship” – carries on, regardless of “where” we worship.  We ask for your continued prayers of support and understanding -- for clergy, staff, vestry, and each other -- as we develop a successful regathering plan.  We remain grounded in and guided by the knowledge that God has been and will continue to be with us.

Promises to Internalize

From Romans 8:

…we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God…

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life…nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers…nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Much of the world is really going through it right now; everyone is affected in some way.  Watching the news or reading the paper is an exercise in anxiety.  St. Paul has words for the ages.  Look at the tone of his writings in Romans 8 – from his deep personal experience, he emanates peace from his trust in God’s lovingkindness.

That peace is absolutely meant for us as well.

Brad Norris

Minister of Music