[Note:  The decline in the number of services over this period is due to the intentional decision to have fewer “special” and holy-day services, which were poorly attended, in favor of being able to schedule more pastoral visits to homes and have more slots open for personal appointments.]

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MINISTRY PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Once again, being the host parish for the Honduras Medical Mission of the Diocese of Mississippi took the lion’s share of planning, hours, and energy for special events at All Saints’. Under the most faithful leadership of Jim and Alice Gordon, with treasurer Vicky Vance, this very large ministry has seen some conspicuous operational improvements and has had some much-needed new blood in the ranks. The Mission was ahead of the curve for this year’s trip come February, which will again include a good number of our parishioners. I’m very proud of them, as I am grateful to Jim and Alice for their strong commitment to this effort (you should know that it has often been a trial for reasons outside of this parish!). Since hosting the Mission is a two-year gig, we’ll be handing it over to Trinity, Hattiesburg after this year’s trip. They’ll get it in good shape—all the more so if our de-briefing with the Bishop and the diocesan board can be persuasive enough to implement some other adjustments our team will be proposing.

In our congregation’s own program life, I remain quite proud of the growth and improvement seen in our Christian Education. Especially notable here during 2004 were our adult classes, both in larger numbers participating regularly and in the vision for new offerings. Two of the Episcopal Church’s premier programs in Christian formation, the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Education for Ministry (“EFM”), are well on-track here. EFM, an adult class, is now in its ninth year, with Steve Cooper in his third year as Mentor. Since EFM is the program that tends to separate vibrant congregations from the “wannabes,” I’m especially invested in its ongoing success and proud of its record here. We’ll have four graduates from EFM this year, and so Fall semester slots will be open for first-year students (EFM is a four-year course with a maximum of 12 participants). I urge you to give it your serious consideration.

Catechesis is the great new success story at All Saints’. This standard-setting program for our preschoolers combines education with spiritual formation, and is by national consensus the best children’s Christian education program going. Like EFM, Catechesis shows what a congregation is made of. With coordinator Mary Howard King at the helm, Catechesis here is booming and has created a great deal of momentum for its expansion into the primary grades. Having outgrown its “Atrium” facility in only one year, and with funding in place to train Level II teachers, Catechesis is really raising the bar here. I have no doubt that this wonderful program will attract a good many new families to All Saints’.

For our youth groups, I’m delighted with the participation (what numbers!) and the volunteer leadership for our revived Jr. EYC during 2004. I think that this has been something of a surprise for many of us. But with Jill Hart and Kevin Broom spurring it on and coordinating a rotating group of parental supervision, it’s par for the course. This bodes very well, indeed. However, I’m a bit worried for our “Sr.” EYC. Their popular leader, Natalie Sparks, got a new job in the workaday world and had to resign as EYC Coordinator as of year’s end. How the EYC and the parish staff will miss her! Natalie is a natural, with just the right hold on the reins in her leadership style. It is proving rather difficult to find someone else for the job. Fortunately, we’re having some success in recruiting a support team of supervisors who can keep things going until we do get someone into place (at present, our #1 program priority), who then will remain on board as support for the new leader. This is yet another example of why I’m determined to get a paid “Youth Activities Director” onto our staff. It is very disappointing to me that our pledges couldn’t allow this for 2005. Our teenagers are one of the very best things about All Saints’. They are faithful parishioners who make a difference here in several ways, and some are proven leaders at the Diocesan level as well. It would be a crime not to provide the leadership and guidance that the EYC deserves. All Saints’ needs them and they need us—it should be a perfect fit. No rest in this congregation until this is where it should be!

Something that is about where it should be is our ECW. I say “about” because we’re now trying to increase participation by moving the meeting day from a weekday to the third Sunday of each month. Hopefully, this will make the difference for a good number of our congregation’s women. Even with smaller numbers being able to attend weekday meetings during 2004, the annual Food Fair was a very strong success (one of the best ever), due to broad participation in donated foods for sale. As the ECW gains strength in regular numbers this year, there’s no telling how far they can take their particular ministry. I’m proud of this group and grateful for the many projects they bring about that certainly would not happen otherwise. Now, how ‘bout a Men’s group . . .?

This past September, we got some glimpse of what can happen from our Neighborhood Life Committee as the first-ever picnic for our area neighbors was held on our grounds. Turnout was really good and so further efforts to build mutual life in a truly connected area community will be promising. This will become a front-burner ministry as our new Parish Hall becomes a reality. It is an exciting prospect to make something happen here that would be unique for a church anywhere in Northeast Mississippi! For openers, just think what we could do with a Vacation Bible School. Our “regular” VBS remains strong, thanks to a history of great leadership, including Jill Hart and Kevin Broom this past summer, as well as to lots of make-it-happen volunteers.

MAKING DYNAMIC WORSHIP HAPPEN

It is deeply satisfying to me that our worship is often reported to be the most valued part of being a parishioner at All Saints’. From my very first Sunday here I made it clear that this is how it should be: first things first. But of course, that doesn’t just happen because I think so. Watching this take shape over the past ten years has been a very deep joy. Our music program has made exponential strides in real accomplishment. Our adult Choir and handbells, under Music Director Ellen Johnston with faithful assistance from Peg Oakes, are truly extraordinary, living up to the incomparably rich Anglican musical tradition and being a real part of the worship of God, not just an adornment. Parishioners and visitors tell me this over and over. Moreover, our Children’s Choirs (including their own quite precocious bell ringers) are really something to be proud of, thanks to pied-pipers Jeanne Lagrone (original inspiration and program Mother), Mary Lou Parks, and Ruth Hardin Bryan. In fact, during 2003, they asked Ellen to take over for more advanced training. Now they are working like a well-oiled machine and it is very fulfilling work. The great thing about this program is that our children are really learning about music as an art and discipline as well as how it works in the Church. This program is not, as is so often the case, about being “cute.” Our Acolytes are a most faithful and pleasing crew; I only hope that they know and feel how important this ministry really is! It is truly a case of “the total being greater than the sum of the parts.” I am proud of them all, and very much enjoy being around them. Let’s be sure our new ones keep coming up. Altar Guild folks are particular favorites of mine—precisely because good worship literally begins with them. With very attentive leadership from Cathy Sparks, assisted by Pamela Cox-Tims, the Altar Guild has such a faithful (indeed, devoted) set of teams, but they need some help, especially from you “younger ones” [since I’m 46 I’ll say those of you who are under 50!]. Seriously, whatever your age, if you’re not now serving in the Guild, please consider stepping up. Besides being important work in the Church’s ministry, it can be quite meaningful spiritually to you. The ministry of our exceptional Vergers is also one close to my heart in gratitude. The congregation doesn’t really see how much they actually do, but believe me they keep things running like they should. Head Verger David Sparks, Nathan Duncan, and Tommy McGlothlin (new to the team) are truly fine examples of real, working Vergers, and one side effect of this is that they take great care of me as a priest leading worship.

“TURN AND FACE THE CHANGES . . .”

2004 was a real roller coaster staff-wise. After years of a remarkably stable staff, no less than four of our eight paid staff changed hands (five-of-nine counting the EYC Coordinator)! Our Secretary for the past eight years, Nancy Sweat, moved to Louisiana to be with husband Joel at his new church pastorate. It was a tough farewell. But we were happy to welcome Madonna McClain this past summer. As the only full-time staff here other than the Rector, the Secretary’s job is more than a handful and Madonna is staring it down with personal and professional conscientiousness. Mandy Atkins signed-on as our new Director of Christian Education, since Mary Howard King resigned to devote her time as a volunteer leading the demanding Catechesis program. Already a pro in several other aspects of our congregation’s life, Mandy brings much commitment and faithfulness to this work. She is looking to the exciting changes on the horizon as our program grows and the vision for our new education facilities takes shape. At the end of the year our Bookkeeper, Paige Harris, resigned to be a full-time Mom for her three young children, but she stayed on long enough to bring her successor, Beverly Williams, on board. Beverly is a CPA who prefers to work her skills part-time—a perfect match for everyone. (Paige is also a CPA, and so we have been extremely fortunate with this staff position.) Considering the addition of the capital campaign’s work to an already exacting task, we are especially pleased to have a pro like Beverly to join the All Saints’ team. Lastly, our Organist for the past seven years, Dr. Tom Ed Moore, resigned in the Fall. How pleased we have been that Jenae Weeks was able to serve as our Interim Organist until a replacement could be hired. Jenae has brought a wealth of talent, devotion, and graciousness to All Saints’ during her time here. She has truly been a godsend.

This has been a lot to manage (and in the midst of the capital campaign, yet!), but we were able to do it largely because of our remaining staff. Program Administrator Tommie Moore [the absolute BEST, and that doesn’t even begin to come close], Director of Music Ellen Johnston [talk about a godsend!—but then, that involves more than one story], Associate Clergy Gene Asbury [I hope he doesn’t become like me when he gets to be my age], and Sexton William Kitchens [worth his weight in gold and all around great guy] make me the most blessed Rector in the Diocese. I don’t think that very many of you know just what All Saints’ has in our Staff, but I sure-as-God’s-grace do!

MINISTRY BEYOND ALL SAINTS’

2004 was the first year since 1997 that I didn’t have a major Diocesan Committee position to fulfill. I intend to continue that through this next year; it is a welcome respite. However, I do continue to serve as Dean of the Tombigbee Convocation, something that doesn’t take very much time but is nonetheless an important role in support of the Bishop’s ministry. I really enjoy the things that a Dean is asked to do and I grow as a priest because of this involvement. Additionally, this year marks my sixth as President of the Board for the Family Resource Center here in Tupelo. What an irony that this organization was conducting its own capital campaign for major facilities expansion during 2004! We concluded a successful effort and more than doubled our program and administrative space on Magazine Street. This is an amazing organization that literally serves thousands; I don’t know of a single operation anywhere that provides such a broad range of fully professional services assisting families and children. The FRC received still more national and state awards this past year, and I proud and happy to be a part of it.

SO MUCH “THANKS” TO GIVE!

If only it didn’t seem so canned and insufficient to say “thank you” to the Warden and Vestry leadership when their terms expire. But, there it is, and I am indeed so grateful for the leadership these folks have brought to All Saints’ on our behalf, not to mention the support they have given me. In this historic and very demanding year, Sr. Warden Lloyd Gray has brought hard work, good humor, and wise counsel to me as Rector, to the Vestry, and for the parish at large. What a reassurance to know that he was there for us. Vestrypersons Henry High, Lou Remmers, Vicky Vance, and Marrion Winders retire from their terms after exemplary service and commitment. I can honestly say that I really enjoyed working with them over these past few years. We’ve shared momentous times together, and that’s a special bond between a Rector and parishioners.

Speaking of special bonds, a part of me will always be buried with McGwire. We lost our “official church kitty” [and one of by best buddies] on October 7, 2004. I still miss him deeply. He had been a remarkable part of All Saints’ (and something of a local celebrity) since 1998. It is true that All Saints’ is just not the same without him, but it is equally true that we are better for having had him with us. It’s all part of the richness of this being a real church home that I treasure.