Dear Friends in Christ,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since I arrived in Stockton, I have voted in one bishop\u2019s election (Sierra Pacific Synod of the ELCA) and will soon vote in another bishop\u2019s election (Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In both cases, I have been heartened to meet and get to know men and women who are eager to take on the challenges that face our churches in the 21st<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To a human being, they are smart, well read and compassionate. Their attitudes toward the Church have been forged by the many years that both the Episcopal Church and the Lutheran Church have wandered in the wilderness trying to find the illusive path toward long term vibrancy and growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They are nevertheless confident that God has not given up on us. That there is a future ahead of us. Thanks be to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yesterday was the 24th<\/sup> anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the plane crash in Pennsylvania. As wanton violence continues to haunt our world, this is a good time to pray for peace:<\/p>\n\n\n\n O God, where hearts are fearful and constricted, grant courage and hope. Where anxiety is infectious and widening, grant peace and reassurance. Where impossibilities close every door and window, grant imagination and resistance. Where distrust twists our thinking, grant healing and illumination. Where spirits are daunted and weakened, grant soaring wings and strengthened dreams. By the power of your Holy Spirit, grant us wisdom and a will to seek the common good. Give us ears to hear your voice in the midst of all that confounds. In Christ\u2019s Name. Amen (from the ELW)<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Faithfully yours,<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rebecca<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For the next 3 weeks, there will be no Friday Letter as I will be on vacation.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dear Friends in Christ, Since I arrived in Stockton, I have voted in one bishop\u2019s election (Sierra Pacific Synod of the ELCA) and will soon vote in another bishop\u2019s election (Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin) In both cases, I have been heartened to meet and get to know men and women who are eager to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stannestocktonchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stannestocktonchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stannestocktonchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stannestocktonchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stannestocktonchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2813"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stannestocktonchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2814,"href":"https:\/\/stannestocktonchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2813\/revisions\/2814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stannestocktonchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stannestocktonchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stannestocktonchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}