Who We Are, What We Are About

 “Welcome!” That is the bedrock, the grounding of our identity at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter. I watch it every week with the Food Pantry, as our volunteer team does all it can to make our neighbors as comfortable as possible while they wait their turn to “go shopping” in the pantry. When visitors come on Sunday mornings, I watch many of you make an effort to greet and talk to them. Michael, Randy W, and the people who officiate Compline online every Monday evening are warm and gracious, making sure to greet people as they come online. There are so many other examples of small scale hospitality.

On the 20th of April, hospitality meant so much more. Within 24 hours of Randy’s death, Terri and I began to figure out that we needed to plan for a lot of people to attend the service. After the service, our ushers reported that there were 347 people in attendance that afternoon. When I checked the livestream post of the service just a few minutes ago, 758 people had opened the post. While I don’t know if all of them watched the entirety of the service, I do know that video gave people a true sense of our parish, of who we are, what we are able to do to welcome anyone and everyone to celebrate, to grieve, to pray, to be with us. 

Now, we are preparing to host an interfaith prayer service for the victims of Social/Sexual Violence. The opportunity presented itself because another congregation that had originally planned to host the event was not comfortable proceeding as planned when they realized clergy of the Jewish and Muslim communities would be raising some of the prayers. Please understand—all of us in faith communities must discern what it means to be followers of the Way so the above is simply a description of the circumstances that led to us being able to host this prayer service. For us here at Holy Comforter, the call is very clear: We are called to follow the way of Love and respect the dignity of all people. All people. Full stop.

Several of us have commented on the sense that in some unexpected and unplanned ways, we are getting to do what I have prayed for since the day I got the call from Susanne Trest, inviting me to come be Priest-in-Charge at Holy Comforter: that we could fling our doors open even wider, allow our light to shine brighter, make sure we were salt that was still as salty and briny as the sea itself! 

Our next opportunity to stretch will come as we explore and make decisions about the music program at Holy Comforter. I don’t expect that we will find a person as deeply steeped in Anglican liturgy and music as Randy. It is getting harder and harder to recruit organists—organ playing is a dying art and the organ programs at universities in Alabama have all been closed. There is real loss in accepting the changes Randy’s death has brought. AND—you know AND is one of my favorite words!  And, this is also an opportunity for our music provided to stretch in ways that allow the door of hospitality to open wider. I am excited to explore what that might mean!

We are marching in the light of God, following the Way of Love. To God be the glory!

With prayers for the blessing of deep joy and renewed hope, Rosa+

SUNDAY, 10:00 AM

HOLY EUCHARIST

also streamed live on our Facebook page

 Michael Paul • Randy Woodland

Weekday Worship  

MONDAY

Compline | 7:00 PM Facebook

WEDNESDAY

Morning Prayer | 10:30 AM Facebook

A Star Amongst Us!

May

Watch over thy children O Lord, as their days increase; bless and guide them wherever they may be. Strengthen them when they stand; comfort them when discouraged or sorrowful; raise them up if they fall; and in their heart may thy peace which passeth understanding abide all the days of their life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 Birthdays

Lee Wilkins, McRae Peavy, Kinsley Barber, Mason Barber, Maria Mallow, Todd Pruitt, Gwen Northcutt, Kathy Barrowman, Dorothy Gidiere, Lea Russell, Leigh Davis

Anniversaries

Paul Hard & Jonathan Guyette, Denny & Bev Brown, Billy & Leigh Davis,

Alden & Mary Lois Monroe

 Please pray for

Parishioners — Ann Carlton, Barbara Dailey, Rob Dailey, Fred Earle,

Dennis Endicott, Sidney Hennessey, Jason Hicks, Lamar Higgins, Scott Lollar,

Alden Monroe, Eddie Norred, John Parker, Lea Russell, Claudene Thomas,

Judith Granger Ward, Randy Woodland, Barbara Zdanis

Friends — Gay Curlin, Kathryn Dorlon, T.J. Esco, Wayne Goble, Jack Harris,

Sharon Kelley, Jon Kusa, Linda Watson

Students — Matthew Franklin, Will Franklin, Addie Hoffman, Anna Hoffman,

Sam Lee, Michael Moore, Rachel Moore, Charles Speaks, Thomas Speaks, Aiken Via

In loving memory

Randy Foster