Dear Parishioners,

One of the perpetual struggles within the church has been, and continues to be, the notion of change. We rightfully want to know which aspects of the church may change and which aspects may not. In a more specific inquiry one could focus on the church’s beliefs (creed), or on its ritual practices (cult) or on its moral demands and expectations of behavior (code). These “3 Cs” are common to all religious traditions and to most secular organizations and societies as well. What aspects contained in the church’s creed, cult and code are able to be changed and which must be forever constant?

Dear Parishioners,

You may recall that on the weekend June 7/8, the feast of Pentecost, I spoke at all the liturgies asking people to increase their weekly Offertory Gift if this were possible. We had incurred a significant deficit which we did not want to carry into the new fiscal year. This deficit resulted from the general inflation we are currently experiencing as a nation. I believe it is important to identify the source of the deficit to avoid creating or blaming other factors such as the capital campaign, the school or frivolous spending.

Dear Parishioners,

Having reached the summertime apex of July 4th , it won’t be long before we begin seeing the gradual descent from this plateau into the late summer weeks of August. I once read that August is summer that has heard the rumor of fall. -- a lovely poetic description for the month that offers us a seamless transition into the season of autumn. In Ohio, (and perhaps elsewhere too) farmers measure the present time of year by the height of the sweet corn. I grew up hearing, “Knee high by the Fourth of July,” not only as a measuring concept, but also as an expressed hope for the bountiful crop needed to sustain the farmers’ livelihood. Roadside stands punctuated the rural roads on Ohio where one could purchase freshly picked corn as well as a wide variety of homegrown fruits and vegetables that found their place on countless dinner tables.