The Work of the Vestry since June 16: A Letter from the Sr. Warden
Dear Saint Stephen’s,
In the early hours after June 16, our rector, the Rev. John Burruss, pointed us to the Gospel of John to remind us that, “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Early that next morning, our vestry met and agreed that our work going forward in helping our parish manage the crisis would be guided by that truth. Our prayer was that we would continue to walk in Christ’s love in the dark times we were facing, and to actively look for and to see Christ in all that we would encounter. That remains our guiding force and we have truly seen the love of Christ shine in so many wonderful ways and from so many different directions. Thank you all for walking this path together!
I write to give you an update from the vestry. Since June 16, the vestry has continued to meet regularly and has worked to organize ourselves to support the church staff as they lead and carry out the parish’s regular work as well as respond to the tragedy. They all have done and continue to do an amazing job and we parishioners are blessed beyond measure to have them leading and caring for us.
Working with many of you, the vestry has also been responding to other particular needs created by the June 16 tragedy. Those efforts have included expanding the focus of our existing ministries and creating new opportunities. Going forward, an important aspect of those committees will be continuing to make grief and trauma counseling available to everyone within the parish. We have worked over the past several weeks to secure funding for the counseling so that the costs will be covered. More details on the counseling program and all its offerings will follow soon, but if anyone has any immediate needs or questions concerning counseling, please do not hesitate to contact the Rev. Katherine Harper.
We have also formed a committee to consider how we might further honor and memorialize Jane’s, Sharon’s, and Bart’s lives and their wonderful contributions to our church family. Wonderful ideas are emerging, and ultimately more beauty will shine from the darkness. Additionally, our staff are working to quickly break ground on our much-needed Memorial Garden update. You will receive regular updates about all projects as that work continues.
Finally, a vestry committee for safety and security was formed early on and has engaged a security consulting firm who has been working with us and have begun to advise us on safety measures as we go forward. The committee has now been expanded to include additional parishioners. You will learn more about the work of this committee in the coming weeks. If you have any questions in the meantime, please feel free to contact me directly.
I continue to be overwhelmed by the love and support our parish is receiving both from within our community and from beyond. I am extremely grateful for being connected to you all through our church family. It is truly a blessing. Thank you for being part of Saint Stephen’s!
Peace,
Michael Yancey
Senior Warden