Change is hard.

This can be true whether the change is unwelcome or welcome, unexpected or planned for, big or small, costly or free. There’s something powerful about that moment when things as they were are no longer accessible, because a new reality is taking place.

I acutely remember feeling this at the start of my boarding school career. I had been excited to join St. Thomas Choir School where I would make music constantly while living in the heart of The Big Apple. But after moving into the dorms, and during the inaugural service, my heart sank because I knew that the life I knew was no more. My next words — “I want to go home now” — capture our yearning for things to stay the same, and the loss we feel, even in the midst of change we may really want.

The Vine has been going through change — new faces, settling into our church home at CCF, seeing friends depart, welcoming new staff and new roles, and receiving our new denomination’s welcome to name a few. As David Bowie rightly encourages us: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, turn and face the strange. The Vine has “faced the strange” with faithfulness and trust in the Lord who is Lord over any change — this is not easy work.

And the work continues…

WHAT’S HAPPENING?

On Sunday, July 28th during our 4:00PM worship service, I will be installed as your new Rector*. Owen, our faithful founding pastor of 22 years will become an assisting priest at The Vine for the remainder of of 2024. In 2025, he will retire here in Haywood County, and discern what the Lord is calling him into for his next season after some much deserved rest.

May we remember The Vine’s hard work of listening for God’s leading as we gather for this service. Owen and the Vestry recognized the need for a leadership transition. You listened and planned, only to discover that others — namely Bishop Terrell and the King family — were hearing the same thing.** God is pretty great that way.

And so, on July 28th — in the midst of a worship service — The Vine’s Vestry will officially commend me to the Bishop. He will in turn delegate his spiritual authority as “chief pastor” of The Vine to me. Then the part I am most eager for — you will pray for me, and we will worship the Lord as usual, as a family.** Then, we will picnic and play in the green space at our church home for the first hours of this new reality.

THIS WILL FEEL, WELL, STRANGE.

This day represents a whole year of leadership transition***. But it will still feel strange, and that’s ok!

Owen has pastored you for 22 years, a faithful shepherd and friend. The myriad emotions of this particular change are things we must allow ourselves to feel, even if (perhaps especially if) they are uncomfortable. Think of Jesus on the Emmaus Road, drawing near to two disciples who were in the middle of their disappointingly uncomfortable feelings: “We had hoped…he would Redeem Israel!” Jesus walks with them for so long, just listening. He honors our need to feel what we feel even as he is mysteriously blessing us in it.

So here is my invitation to you: when you encounter the strangeness of change, receive it. You do not have to pretend you feel something if you do not. You do not have to pretend you don’t feel a certain thing if you do. Receive your true self amidst this change, and imagine you are walking with Jesus — talk with him, and listen to him.

WE’RE HERE FOR YOU.

You can talk with us also. I know I can speak for Owen on this point: each of us would love nothing more than to simply be with you with your joys, sense of loss, fears, expectation, questions, or whatever you’re feeling as this change (or other changes in your own life) takes place.

Let’s turn to face the strange. But let’s make sure to do it together.

*Rector: read “head pastor”, in the Anglican tradition called Rector because he or she is the appointed “spiritual di-rector” for the life of this particular church, under the spiritual oversight of our Bishop.

** You can see this addition portion of our service here in the Book of Common Prayer PDF, beginning on Page 513; and if you’re interested, the outline of our Sunday mornings service beginning on page 123.

*** See Pastor Owen’s description here.

Photo by Ross Findon on Unsplash