Team Call: Love
one another
Click
here for Team Application
Click here for sponsorship and
weekender information
Just as I have loved you. On the Fifth Sunday of Easter
I found myself in Church at Holy Innocents in Beach
Haven, NJ. For those of you who know Susan and me, Holy
Innocents is our Home Church away from Home. I had little
expectation upon entering Church that I would find,
hear or be found by the theme for NewArk #32, but then
came The Gospel: John 13:31 - 35, followed by a Sermon
by the Rector, Frank Crumbaugh. In particular the last
three sentences of the Gospel Reading caught my attention
and called to me:
"I give you a new commandment, that you love one
another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love
one another. By this everyone will know that you are
my disciples, if you have love for one another."
How utterly simple! How beautiful! How tremendously
hard! These are some of the last thoughts shared by
Jesus with his Disciples before being taken to die on
a Cross. In his Sermon Fr. Crumbaugh spoke about our
needs as Christians to love one another in our diversity,
unconditionally and in spite of our selves. He noted
that there has to be room in our Church for everyone
and the need to expand to see just how really big, in
its love, our Church is being called to be. He also
noted that if we can park our collective egos at the
door we will be able to change the lives of unknown
numbers of people.
I found myself caught up in these thoughts for the
balance of the day and they have continued to echo within
me as I considered the process of calling the Team for
NewArk #32 and the Weekenders that will be called to
make the Weekend. It seems fit to me that I set as my
personal ideal for the calling of the Team of NewArk
#32 as well as the calling of Weekenders and the giving
of the Weekend: "Loving one another as Christ has
loved me."
I invite and challenge you to share in this ideal with
me as you pray and discern your call to apply to be
a member of the Team of NewArk #32. Applications for
Team are available by clicking
here and it is my goal to call the Team by late
September/Early October. I ask your prayerful consideration
be you Lay or Clergy Persons. Please consider prayerfully
the commitment of time being on Team will be as well
as you own personal needs. Will you be able to park
your ego at the door? Are you able to love another as
Christ loves you in an atmosphere of diversity, unconditionally
and in spite of yourself? After your prayerful consideration
I am looking forward to receiving your application and,
God willing serving with you on the Team of NewArk #32.
One last quick note, I have asked Susan to be Assistant
Coordinator of the Weekend, she has accepted and has
been approved by the Secretariat.
Ultreya!
Kurt
kurtgrue@optonline.net
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