What‘s Happening at St. Paul’s 11-05-2021
Once, during the long contemplation phase of my discernment process, I asked Chick Carroll, Deacon Emeritus, if he thought becoming a Deacon had made him a kinder person. Chick, being Chick, thought for a moment and then, nodding slowly said, “I think it did.”
I don’t remember what prompted that question and it sounds, on some level, very naïve. But much to my surprise, I am finding that my formation has inclined my heart toward kindness in a way that I never expected but had always prayed was possible. And although I can’t say that I have become kinder, I think much more about kindness as a manifestation of the love and grace of God.
Long before I ever considered becoming a deacon, I was drawn to the Church because I was looking for a spiritual home. I joined the Church of the Holy Spirit in Gallup, NM in my late twenties and was the youngest member by several decades. What I found was a group of people representing broad swaths of the economic, cultural and political spectrum- Anglo/Native/Hispanic, Republican/Democrat, redneck/cowboy/pillar of the community, etc. But they had one thing in common- they were kind and they loved God. Despite our differences, I felt at home.
Ever since that first foray back into the fold in 1976, I have belonged to the Episcopal Church. As many of you know, I have my differences with the institutional church but what I have always found is a community of loving people who love God. I hope I don’t offend anyone if I say that, for me, that alone makes it worth staying.
Fast forward to formation and my question to Chick. Formation has been like an intensification of the experience I come to St Paul’s for. I have felt a deepening of my faith and a deepening of my relationship to God/Jesus. I am more aware of the love and grace that God has given us through Jesus and, yes, that has inclined my heart to gratitude, and kindness.
Thanks, Chick, and St Paul’s.
Andree