Dear People of St. David’s,
Since Frank’s retirement, I’ve been leading the Tuesday Morning Bible Study and we decided to read all of Exodus. It’s been a blessing to study Scripture with this group of people. This week we began reading Joshua to continue the story of God’s people as they journeyed into the promised land. One of the big takeaways, as we transition from Exodus into Joshua, is that Moses, God’s chosen leader, didn’t make it into the promised land. He died at the end of Deuteronomy, just before the Israelites crossed the Jordan River and entered Canaan. The Israelites didn’t stop their journey when Moses died. It continued under new leadership. Joshua was now the one to lead them, chosen by God to lead God’s people.
I keep emphasizing to those in the Tuesday Morning Bible Study that it’s especially important to recognize this shift of leadership for our understanding of the Old Testament. God is the main character in the story of the Bible. God is leading us. We are characters in a much larger story. Moses, a great prophet and leader, was a character in the larger story as well. Even after Moses’ death God remained with the Israelites because there was still more work to be done.
Here at St. David’s, there have been shifts in leadership. Not only have we welcomed our new rector, the Rev. Rick Morley to our family here at St. David’s, but we have also said goodbye to the Rev. Sarah Dunn and we will soon be saying goodbye to the Rev. Emily Given. A lot of transition is taking place. However, just like the Israelites, the Lord our God is with us, everywhere we go. As Christians, as Episcopalians, as the body of Christ here at St. David’s, God is walking alongside us. We are characters in a larger story that has not ended because of leadership change, we are in a story that continues to be written. We have been made better because of leaders such as Emily and Sarah and we take those experiences and love with us on our journeys.
St. David’s is in good hands. Last weekend, we had a vestry retreat. It was a wonderful opportunity for these leaders of the church to pray together, share ideas, and look toward a future at St. David’s that is very bright. I walked away from last weekend feeling very hopeful for what’s next, with the Rev. Rick Morley working side by side with a very talented vestry, and a staff that has been guiding us through this transition. God is with us.
With all this transition taking place, there is no better time for the St. David’s Country Fair, which continues to be a part of our story. I say this because it is the event, every year, that brings us all together. We are a large community with five different worship services and robust programming, so we do not always get a chance to interact with one another. The Fair brings us all together. It unites us for a common cause, we are the hands and feet of God, because each year 100% of the Fair’s proceeds are donated to deserving Delaware Valley and Philadelphia organizations, as well as our international partners in Cuba, Guatemala, and Uganda.
Thank you in advance for all that you do to make the Fair such a special event. If you aren’t already signed up to volunteer please do so by clicking here. We can’t do it without you. Thank you for being a part of the story here at St. David’s as we are a church on a mission to know God in Jesus Christ and make Christ known to others.
See you all in church!
Blessings,
The Rev. Thomas Szczerba, Jr.
Associate Rector