Sign Up for Capital Campaign Discernment
THE REV. BETH FRANKLIN
I’m excited to invite you to sign up for a discernment session for our Capital Campaign. Collectively, we are stewards of the holy grounds of St. James’s. Our spaces have the potential to enhance how we minister to Richmond for generations to come. Your feedback will shape how we move forward into a feasibility study, and ultimately into a Capital Campaign.
These sessions will be an opportunity to engage in conversation with a small group of parishioners. My sincere hope and expectation is that we will have a high level of congregational participation.
Please sign up for one sharing session about protecting and reimagining the campus we share in preparation for a Capital Campaign. There is no difference in the content of the sessions outlined below, other than the dates and times.
Wednesday, November 4 from 5:00 to 6:00 PM
Sunday, November 8 from 11:45 AM to 12:45 PM
Wednesday, November 1 from 7:00 to 8:00 PM
Sunday, November 15 from 11:45 AM to 12:45 PM
Wednesday, November 18 from 7:00 to 8:00 PM
Sunday, December 6 from 11:45 AM to 12:45 PM
In preparation for these discussions, participants are encouraged to take part in a campus tour to become familiar with the current state and uses of our spaces. These tours will be available on Sunday mornings after worship, and will begin in the Memorial Garden.
As a reminder, in our Sunday morning Adult Forum, participants have been hearing from Blake about the role of discernment in the life of Christian community. He suggested,
Discernment is “listening for and responding to/participating with God.” The primary theological assumption in this definition is that God is already at work speaking and acting in our lives, in our community, and in our world. In other words, if the future is a song, God is already singing it into existence. The work of discernment then isn’t to compose our own music, but to, in the words of the old hymn, have our hearts tuned so that we might hear God’s voice and sing along. Discernment is learning to sing with God.
The tune that is clearly taking shape to my ears is full of harmonious layers, resonant scriptural lyrics, and inspired joy! During this season of discernment at St. James’s we are being prayerful and intentional about aligning our own dreams with God’s kingdom vision. We are asking strategic questions about how we are directly in service of God’s mercy, compassion, and grace through the life and ministries of St. James’s. These intentions are bigger than one person or initiative. They require all of us to listen with curiosity and prayerfully attend to the spirit in our midst.
