The Episcopal Church of the Advent      

After summer vacation, the children are back in school, and it was such an incredible joy to see them in church the past two Sundays. Last Sunday, in appreciation of their delightful presence the church extended a round of applause! Children are a beautiful reminder of new life and a glorious future!

Several years ago, Anita and I spent our vacation with a small community of Episcopalians at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky.  What we heard and saw was a story of a profoundly dedicated group of old coal miners who loved their church but who are growing older, and know the church is unlikely to grow.  Someone even said to me, “Fr. Collins, the members of the congregation are getting older and are well-past childbearing age, so there aren’t going to be any younger children in the congregation to become the next generation.”

Honestly, it sounded depressing to me.  All I could think of was someone asking the last person to die to please turn out the lights. That experience stays with me forever.

I often wonder, is the Episcopal Church on the decline? No….no….no!  Nevertheless, the birth of new babies in the families of our parishioners and the presence of the children in our worship bring us great encouragement and a voice of hope all around us.

We are a growing parish. We have children to prove it.  As we were reminded in our sermon last Sunday, Time is so precious. Time with children is even more valuable. Children, as I see it, are not just the future of the church; they are the present church as well. Therefore, it is quintessential that we try to invest our time bonding with them, playing with them, and listening to them. I read somewhere, “The work will wait while you show a child the rainbow, but the rainbow won’t wait while you do the work.”

“Jesus loves the little children

All the children of the world

Red, brown, yellow

Black and white

They are precious in His sight

Jesus loves the little children

Of the world.”

Our Sunday School begins on September 8, 2019 and will continue on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. Registration forms are available in the Narthex, or click here to register online!

Blessings!

Father Aaron Paul Collins

Anita and I are glad to acknowledge the incredible opportunity of serving Christ with you at the Church of the Advent.  It is our new season of ministry where we appreciate new possibilities that Christ would bring forth in our midst.

As you may know, at the very outset that the love of God should be our motivation to stay as a church and invite others to join us to grow.  We, the people of Advent are loved and touched by God.  We need to commit ourselves to share God's love with the world that is hurting by sharing our personal stories and welcoming others to experience God's love with us.  God loves all of us, no exception!

I deeply, deeply appreciate the opportunity of listening from several of you, your love for the church and various suggestions that you have, how we two together in close partnership, guide our congregation in the task of spreading God's love in our community.  It is a good thing.

During this new season, let us remind ourselves the words of the Apostle Paul,

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body,
though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
(1 Corinthians 12:12)

We all are one body in Christ.  At this season of a new ministry, we do need every member of our church firmly to bond together, with peace and reconciliation get involved in the life of the church.  Fortified with these spiritual qualities, I am optimistic that we can say with Saint Paul, "I have the strength for everything through Christ who empowers me" (Philippians 4:13).  In God's love we are well and wealthy and there is enough to go around and embrace all in Christ.  Christ is all and in all!

As your priest family, Anita and I, love this our beautiful church, and we know you do too.  Let us be a church to one another and together strive to reach the un-churched.  All hands on deck, let us thrive!

Father Aaron Paul Collins