As you have heard and read over the past weeks, the Annual Meeting of Church of the Holy Apostles is scheduled for this Sunday, January 29. It is a general expectation that all parishes in the Episcopal Church hold a meeting open to members of the congregation at least once per year, and the bylaws of most churches (including ours) codify this expectation and make it a requirement.

In worshipping communities, where mystery is assumed and faith provides the foundation for action, annual parish meetings are very businesslike affairs. Vestry members are elected. Budgets are presented. Projects are discussed. Reports are offered, and the Rector tries to sum everything up in a “state of our church” address (I will deliver mine in place of the sermon during the 11 am service). All of this is very important—essential, actually. Not everyone serves on every committee, and we all benefit from being able to hear the same information at the same time, and from the opportunity to ask questions in an open forum….

On Sunday mornings this Epiphany season we are offering an Adult Forum series called, “Eco Saints.” We are highlighting people of remarkable faith who have particularly raised our consciousness about the sacredness of the universe, our world, and all of life – the sacredness of earth and birth….

It’s easy to dismiss dreams. While we may find them interesting, we rarely take them seriously. If our dreams have been pleasant, we smile to ourselves as we wake, realizing that what had seemed so real in our sleep fades quickly as we regain consciousness. Or, if the visions we experienced were unsettling, we sigh with relief when we wake up and comfort ourselves by saying, “it was just a dream.”…