A pilgrimage is an intentional journey into the sacred, an embrace of the holy ordinary of life. Often, I have heard and know I believe that life is a pilgrimage. It also is a deeper engagement of God through holy places that help us to know God better. Christian pilgrimages first were made to historical sites connected with the birth, life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and to specific places where Christian foremothers and forefathers have walked by faith. Today, youth and adults through formation programs such as Journey to Adulthood (J2A) make pilgrimages primarily away from familiar cultural and national contexts after several years of togetherness in a parish church community.

I am privileged to be one of five adults to lead fifteen youth from St. Peter’s in Italy (Milan, Assisi, Rome) from June 25 until July 4. More, I am grateful to our parish church family for the prayers and provisions that will make possible our journey. Let us all hold one another in prayer wherever our daily pilgrimages take us and remember that God is present in all things, especially as we walk by faith.

Blessings and peace on the way….

The Reverend Ollie V. Rencher, Rector

For the fruit of all creation, thanks be to God. For his gifts bestowed on every nation, thanks be to God. For the plowing, sowing, reaping, silent growth while we are sleeping, future needs in earth’s safekeeping, thanks be to God.

In the just reward of labor, God’s will is done. In the help we give our neighbor,

God’s will is done. In our worldwide task of caring for the hungry and despairing, in the harvests we are sharing, God’s will is done.

For the harvests of the Spirit, thanks be to God. For the good we all inherit, thanks be to God. For the wonders that astound us, for the truths that still confound us, most of all that love has found us, thanks be to God.

Blessings, peace and grace as we journey together into Christ.

In the gift, abundance, glory, and craze of every new day, you and I are invited to immerse ourselves in God – more than anyone or anything else. In thought, word, and deed, we are called to delve deeper into our discipleship. In the mystery of love, as faithful followers of Jesus, we are given the daily opportunity to be all about God, even as we might struggle with the meaning of this.

Today, I am reminded of a collection of prayers and worship resources developed in Salisbury, England, during the 13th century, called the Sarum Primer. It was used throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, as well as some parts of continental Europe and continues to be a gem for daily devotion. May the following words from the Primer bless our journeys with the Creator and devotion amid the fullness of life.

God be in my head, and in my understanding;
 God be in mine eyes, and in my looking;
 God be in my mouth, and in my speaking; 
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
 God be at mine end, and at my departing.

– The Reverend Ollie V. Rencher, Rector

As summertime approaches, school years come to a close, and our lives might have new variety including travel, let us “remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.” Not only is this the fourth of the Ten Commandments, it is imbedded in the Baptismal Covenant: Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? I will, with God’s help. Every Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. and on third Sundays at 5:00 p.m., all who are able are expected to worship God in Word and Sacrament. If Sunday schedules might not permit, St. Peter’s offers Tuesday and Thursday 12:00 Noon worship in the chapel. If you are away from Charlotte on a Sunday or weekday, please worship at any Episcopal or other church and bring me a copy of the worship service leaflet. (I like to see what others are doing and it will remind me of my childhood visits to all sorts of places!)

God always is faithful to us and never takes a break from us. Let us strive, as followers of Jesus, to remember the Sabbath Day in Ordinary Time, and keep it holy.

The Reverend Ollie V. Rencher, Rector

Dancing with God. The first Sunday after the Day of Pentecost commemorates and embraces not an event, but the reality of the Holy Trinity. It is one of few celebrations of the Church Year that commemorates a reality and belief rather than a specific event or person. On this day, Christians remember and honor the eternal God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Symbolic of the unity of the Trinity, it lasts one day and continues to be a both fascinating and controversial dogma of the faith. The mystery of the Trinity does not mean a riddle, but rather that the Trinity is a reality above our human comprehension that we may begin to grasp, but ultimately must know through worship, symbol, and faith. It has been said that mystery is not a wall to run up against, but an ocean in which to swim.

I offer that the Trinity is a three-person dance with God, whereby no partner of the dance can ever break away, loose step or fall out of sync. Instead, every partner remains perfectly in step and bound even as the music inevitably will change. The partnership circle cannot be broken. Every day, we are called to dance with God. Now, let us work on our dance moves and remember always to let God lead.

– The Reverend Ollie V. Rencher, Rector

Regarding staff transitions shared by me at the Annual Meeting of the Parish in March: Executive Assistant to the Rector Mary Virginia Woodall will transition into the new staff position of Director of Ministry Development in early to mid-June. After nineteen years of dedicated service as the administrative assistant to the clergy, Mary Virginia will serve four days per week in the strategic role of working proactively with current and prospective members to connect them with the specific and broader parish ministries, provide them assistance with deeper engagement of parish life, and assist me with certain special projects. Currently, I am interviewing replacement candidates and together, we are working on the official date of when this change will occur. Her successor, when hired, will serve five days per week and undertake a variety of new duties to assist me. Mary Virginia will move into an office formerly occupied by a diocesan staff person around the corner from her current office. I am honored that she and I will continue to work together closely, albeit in a different role benefiting the parish in new ways.

As follow-up to my early May announcement during worship and via the weekly eNews, I am pleased to announce that our new Associate Rector for Formation and Pastoral Care Joslyn Ogden Schaefer will begin service on June 20, following recent commencement from the Episcopal Divinity School at Cambridge, Mass. Joslyn will relocate to Charlotte from Morehead City, N.C. with her husband Brian and four-year old son Elias. According to diocesan custom for newly graduated seminarians, she will be ordained Transitional Deacon on Saturday, June 29, 11:00 a.m. at Church of the Good Shepherd in Raleigh and a St. Peter’s delegation is being organized to attend. Stay tuned for news about joining the road trip to Raleigh. Approximately six months later, Joslyn will be ordained Priest here at St. Peter’s. Stay tuned for the occasion of a summer Sunday that will allow many to welcome the Schaefer family after 8:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. worship.

I also am recruiting a part-time Director of Children’s Formation for strategic support of part-time Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Coordinator Anna Hurdle. (Anna serves ten hours per week, primarily on Sunday.) This new staff person will develop formation, fellowship, and incorporation programs for parents of households with children and collaborate with the soon-coming Associate Rector for Formation and Pastoral Care, Director of Youth Formation Lyn Holt, and me to provide a rich continuum of offerings for and connections among our growing community of children, youth, and adults.

I am honored to serve as your Rector and grateful to all who have pledged at any giving level to the 2013 operating budget of St. Peter’s. If you have not pledged yet as a member or newcomer among us, your financial support would be a priceless gift to empower the Vestry and me to continue development of staff and programs necessary to undertake the work of God’s Church through this beacon of hope in center city Charlotte.

The Reverend Ollie V. Rencher, Rector
Updated May 29, 2013

Spirit of the Living God, Fall Fresh on Us. As we celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of God’s Church, I am reminded of a certain breathtaking red vase that lives on a window ledge in my office. This pottery piece was crafted and gifted to me during my seminary years by children of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd from my sponsoring parish in Jackson, Mississippi. It was given as a reminder that the Spirit of the Living God lives within every human being and that we are to share the Spirit with any and all around us.  More, its rich redness is a symbol of blessing and prosperity for the journey of faith.

The Day of Pentecost strikes me as the perfect day on which you and I are either to restore old or to make new covenants of faithfulness with the Creator who gives us breath.  More than two thousand years ago, our Christian ancestors embraced and celebrated the God within and were united because they were able to speak a common language. They were able to speak the hopeful language of one holy, catholic (universal) and apostolic church. Through them, God’s Church was born and the message of God’s love became widespread. Today, we are the heirs and stewards of the redeeming work of Christ to be proclaimed and done in the world at this time and in this place.

May we daily seek ways to be stretched by the Spirit of God and open our hearts increasingly so that we can go where God might lead us. The Spirit of the Living God already has fallen fresh on us. Let our new life with God in Christ begin today. Since Pentecost is our birthday as the body of Christ, let us celebrate and grow together.

– The Reverend Ollie V. Rencher, Rector

The Last Steps of Eastertide. As we journey from the Ascension (May 9) to the Day of Pentecost (May 19), our common prayer is that God will never leave us comfortless and that the Holy Spirit will be revealed as a source of strength. As an Easter people, a people who believe in new life, a people who believe God has the capacity to do the impossible, do we know that God lives within us?

You and I are called daily to go to God in prayer (conversation) so that the presence of God within us will make our paths clearer and the world might become better. Through weekly engagement of life at St. Peter’s and the various offerings for worship, formation, and fellowship in this incredible place, the God within will become increasingly known. Transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit is bound to happen within and all around us, especially when our hearts are open and we pray without ceasing. May the last steps of the Eastertide journey bless us “real good” and prepare us for even richer lives in Christ.

– The Reverend Ollie V. Rencher, Rector

Since my early twenties when I was a J2A mentor in Jackson, Mississippi, I have witnessed the powerful impact that J2A can make on the lives of those youth and families who engage the program at its fullest and unique degree. And on Sunday, April 28 at 10:45 worship, St. Peter’s will have an opportunity to share in one aspect of J2A called the Rite-13 Liturgy. Grades six and seven celebrate the individuality of each young teen and their creative potential, while exploring Biblical stories of God and God’s people. The Rite-13 liturgy is the community expression of this and serves as a rite of passage from childhood towards adulthood; it will occur during worship before we greet one another at the Peace.

On behalf of the Vestry, I give thanks for our youth, their families, and all who work with them, especially Lyn Holt (Director of Youth Formation) and the J2A mentors.  May our April 28th celebration be one way to meet and connect with our young people and to honor their invaluable gifts as faithful members of the body of Christ.

– The Reverend Ollie V. Rencher, Rector