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Dear Friends ,  
This Sunday marks a New Year in the Church’s calendar. The First Sunday in Advent for me has a real back-to-school kind of feel. I find myself making ready and collecting supplies for the season knowing how rich in meaning this time of year is. This is a time of year when we make ready for the indwelling of God among us. It’s Advent. We are making ready for a God who makes time for us, shows up for us, comes alongside of us, and models for us how to show up and come alongside one another. This is a “God who climbs down to us because we couldn’t climb up to God. Ready or not, God is on the way.”1 


It is with that in mind that I write the first of two pastoral letters this season. Coming alongside the most vulnerable is a critical part of our ministry here at St. Paul’s Cathedral. We have done so from the time this parish began nearly two hundred years ago. Coming alongside of one another has also been key to building a strong a vibrant worshiping community in the downtown core for the last couple of centuries. This remains critically important today. I want to encourage us to reflect on how we might recapture that spirit.  


We are striving to return to being a vibrant community where the indwelling of the Spirit is made visible in our gatherings. We will not get there on Sunday mornings alone. There are some key events in the weeks ahead that I hope you will make time for. I write today to encourage you to lean in to deeper engagement in your community. I am inviting you to come alongside one another as a thankful response to God coming alongside us.  

Read the Full message in the attached document.

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