Update From Tom McCart - January 26

Following the festivities of re-dedicating the Parish Hall on December 2, I boarded a plane for Los Angeles on Saturday morning to begin my sabbatical. During my time there, I spent two days talking with staff from All Saints', Beverly Hills, and All Saints', Pasadena, about their new member ministry programs. Our conversations were productive, and I am looking forward to sharing some ideas with our committee. I also was able to attend two extremely beautiful, and very different, services of Advent Lessons and Carols (St. James, Wilshire and All Saints', Beverly Hills), and enjoyed the opportunity for daily walks, being with good friends and sharing fine food.

From Los Angeles, I traveled to Indianapolis, where I was treated to a splendid birthday party and then on to Oklahoma for Christmas with my extended family. Clergy usually don't get to spend Christmas Day with family, so it was a very special time to be with everyone.

January found me traveling to Jackson, Mississippi, to plan for the Mississippi Church Music conference to be held in August. The other faculty for this annual event are Richard Webster, Trinity Church, Boston, and John Repulski, Christ Church Cranbrook, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. This meeting also allowed me to talk with several clergy about new member ministry, and I took away several creative ideas from the conversations.

On the way back from Jackson, I stopped in Dallas to visit with the staff of the Church of the Transfiguration, and, again, I gained increased understanding of the varied aspects of this vital ministry.

One key element, certainly, in all my conversations has been that this is a ministry that everyone must be involved in - each member of the parish has a responsibility to welcome people. This was demonstrated in each of the parishes I've visited, and especially at the "Fig" where more than a dozen people made a point to welcome me and ask if I were visiting.

My time so far has not been "all work and no play" - I've enjoyed long walks, trying new recipes, movies, and reading. If you are a fan of murder mysteries, I recommend highly Elizabeth George's "With No One As Witness."

You are in my daily prayers, and I trust that I am in yours. Thank you for this opportunity for refreshment and renewal.

Thomas McCart