A note from the Senior Warden (8/17/22)

The New Church

As members of the Episcopal Church in Almaden, we receive “Real Episcopal” which is a publication from the Diocese of El Camino Real. It contains informational articles which Bishop Lucinda and her staff believe are important for us to know. This past month there was a recognition for Canon Brian Nordwick who has retired. For years, he played an important role in the lives of the people of our diocese. The magazine cited words, created by him and Bishop Lucinda that define what is the New Church. This resonated deeply with me, and I want to share the words with you in case you haven’t read them: “The church (is), mobile and adaptive, as it moves forward in faith, decreasing reliance on broken or cumbersome structures, while fostering dependency on relationship with God, equipping courageous leaders, and nurturing meaningful, creative gospel encounters with God’s
creation.” I implore you to think about these words as they relate to our ECA/CCAV,UCC/JV Church of the Future. For over 50 years, our churches have been mobile and adaptive as we have been in the forefront of what a church of the future should look like. Since
inception, we’ve been a different kind of church. We’ve supported each other through ups and downs and have become better churches as a result. We’ve reached out to our community with meaningful projects that have helped the homeless in so many ways; supported teenagers as they grow into adults; provided children a safe place for camp experiences; supported the members of our congregations as they have struggled through life changing situations; provided many NPOs a place to meet and enrich their members. I could go on and on, but you can add so many others. All the while, both churches have provided the sweet and loving place to hear about God and follow His/Her ways. We have been and continue to be mobile and adaptive. During the past few years as we have contemplated our future, courageous leaders from both churches have been working tirelessly to decern the necessary direction. They have led with faith. They have questioned with faith. They have been discouraged, but their faith has given them strength to continue with a very difficult process. They have asked the Lord to
guide them. They have been open to listening to each other and all of you, to decern the future direction. As of now, no one knows
what the New Church will look like. In the next few months, the “courageous leaders” will work in faith to listen and make hard decisions and they will need everyone’s prayers.

With a grateful heart,
Nancy Romer, Senior Warden