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Rector’s 2016 Annual Report and Sermon Epiphany 2, Year A; January 15, 2017 Full disclosure: I’ve never combined an annual report with a sermon before. But I’ve also never been presented before with this particular gospel passage on the Sunday of the Annual Meeting –John’s account of Jesus calling his disciples. It’s a very different “call” story than what we hear in Matthew, Mark, or Luke.In those accounts, we have the image of Jesus calling Andrew, Peter, James, and John from their jobs as fishermen and telling them that they will fish for people. But as John’s gospel tells it, it was John the Baptizer who set it all in motion by pointing Jesus out to John’s own followers. He says, “Look, here is the Lamb of God.” And at those words, they leave John to follow after Jesus. It’s remarkable that John’s testimony carried such power. He saw Christ, and pointed him out to those he was closest to. That was his calling.That was his purpose. Hmmm. Hang onto that for a moment.The gospel then goes on to tell us that Jesus asked John’s followers, “What are you looking for?” Andwhen they didn’t know how to frame an answer, they responded with a question of their own. And Jesus followed up with a compelling invitation, “Come and see.” Let’s put that all together. Pointing out the presence of Christ to people who wouldn’t otherwise have noticed. Asking the question, “What are you looking for?” And when the response is predictably hesitant, issuing the open-ended invitation, “Come and see.” I suggest that there is no process more important for us St. David’s folks to be doing in 2017 than this: Pointing. Asking.Inviting.“Here is how Christ is changing lives. Right here, right now.” “What are you looking for in your life?”“Come and see.” A year ago this time in my Rector’s Report, I shared these words: “Churches that look primarily inward are not likely to be sustainable in the long term. What “worked” to build ministries and fund them forgenerations no longer works as well for a variety of reasons. So though St. David’s does extremely well what it has done for decades, we will need to do some things differently because we live in a world that views church differently than it did in 1996 or 1966.” I then went on to say: “Our existing Vestry structure of committee chairmanship is not set up to do the work of vision or discernment or big picture planning toward which all St. David’s ministries should be pointing. Instead, energy gets directed toward hearing reports, giving permission, and solving committee problems. Though this model for Vestry governance sought to provide accountability in ministry, it effectively blocks vision and planning and tends to keep ministries locked in ‘silos.’” In 2016, we re-configured our Vestry governance to address this issue. We moved to a consent agenda format, meaning that committee reports are submitted ahead of time and reviewed – because the Vestry needs to be informed -- but that our working time together was freed up to focus on visioning. We launched the Church Assessment Tool Survey, in order to find out what was important in the lives of St. David’s parishioners. We asked, and you answered. We learned that, as before, we want to grow and specifically we want to grow with families. We found that we are willing to make necessary changes to attract families. We found that as a congregation we are actually more adaptable than we thought we were, though what we are willing to change varies tremendously from person to person. We found that there is a hunger, especially among the Under 60 crowd, to create more opportunities to form meaningful relationships. We also learned that fewer than half of those responding feel comfortable sharing faith stories with persons in our community. We learned that fewer than half of us believe that St. David’s members spend time listening to the needs of people in our community so that we can respond to those needs as a Christian witness. My friends, we are far more likely to accomplish the former – growth numerically, relationally, and spiritually – when we lean into the work that gets us out of these walls and into our communities where we point out, and ask questions, and invite. There is so much that St. David’s has to offer! There is so much that St. David’s can learn from those whom Christ himself, I believe, longs for us to engage in conversation. We became disciples of Jesus when we are baptized. That means we are called both to worship Christ and to follow him. We Episcopalians revel in that “worship” aspect of discipleship. But we are also called to follow. And I believe, now more than ever, this means watching for those opportunities to point out the presence of Christ to those around us who are not already part of the St. David’s family. To take a page from John the Baptizer and see this as our calling, our purpose.And not to stop there. To also engage the people in our communities in the faithful question, “What are you looking for?” And not to stop there. To invite -- in the spirit of hospitality which St. David’s does so well -- “Come and see.” The Vestry will be focusing on specific strategies that reflect the priorities you all identified for us. That’s their role as parish leaders. But they cannot devise and implement these strategies alone, nor should they. It will take the gifts, graces, and skills of the entire St. David’s membership to lean in. They are counting on each one of you -- your support, your ministries, your enthusiasm, and perhaps most especially your prayers. I look ahead to an exciting, challenging year at St. David’s as we put flesh around our emerging vision of growth and relationship building. In this, I am enormously grateful for the faithful leadership of the wardens, Scott Howie and Cathy Underwood. They are not only wise leaders, faithful Christians, and good friends, they are also provide important counsel and advice to me. One of the things I value most in them is their capacity to speak the truth in love. I am grateful also to a wonderful, hardworking Vestry, to worship and ministry leaders and the staff who keep this place ticking. I am grateful to my family – Rick and Cady – whose support of and patience with this vocation of mine continues to awe and humble me. And finally, I am grateful for all of you, whose ministries enrich and enlivened our corner of the world. It is a privilege to serve as your Rector.