Father Jim's Easter Letter

"Tis the spring of souls today, Christ hath burst his prison, and from three days sleep in death, as a sun hath risen. All the winter of our sins, long and dark, is flying from that Light, to whom we give, laud and praise undying."

John of Damascus (8th c.), tr. John Mason Neale 

Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

It has been a long, cold winter. Into April, we still have much snow on the ground, and are just seeing the first tentative signs of spring. Though we know that spring is coming, and we are deeply longing for it, it is often hard to keep up our hope.

But we can't rush Mother Nature. We have to keep slogging through, and do what we can when we get yet another d,Irp of snow. And as much as we might want to hibernate until all the snow is gone, we have to keep active, going about our daily routine and preparing bulbs and seeds for planting.

We have had our own rough winter at St. Philip's. A rusted heating pipe sprang a leak, the furnace burner motor gave out, new leaks appeared in the hall roof, an electrical surge fried the phone system. The cold weather, combined with rising energy costs, caused our heating bills to soar, and income has not kept pace with expenses. But we have hope of spring, of rebirth.

The redevelopment task group is working hard to put together a plan for a redevelopment of our campus that will reduce the financial burden of our buildings and provide for an expansion of our mission. But it will take time, probably several years, for a plan to come together, and to line up the necessary financing and municipal approvals.

In the meantime, we must be patient in waiting for spring, and we must continue to live in the moment, keeping faith and hope and continuing the mission God has given us.

Yours in Christ,
The Rev. James B. Pratt