And I hope that you are as excited about our future as I am. Our church is healthy and our future is bright. I believe that as long as we keep Christ as the center of our common life together, the Holy Spirit will continue to bless us with remarkable fruit.

On Aug. 14, we will have a parish breakfast between services. During breakfast, there will be time to talk, eat, and have some fellowship time together. Also, during the breakfast, we will start to share the calendar for the upcoming program year, including new Bible studies, programs, and service opportunities. This upcoming program calendar is going to be packed for people of all ages.

It's ALL HAPPENING. Yesterday and today, St. Martin's staff have been meeting, planning and getting ready for our upcoming program year. We have been putting together a full and exciting schedule.

Our Gospel is a Gospel of love and acceptance. It is a Gospel where Jesus literally says, "Let the children come to me." Vacation Bible School is a way that we live into that call. Thank you to all who have taught our children about the love of Christ, and God's presence in their lives. It has been a special week.

As the upcoming school year approaches at breakneck speed, I find myself inexplicably feeling a bit rushed. After two years of not traveling, I feel an urge to make up for lost time. I want to take my family to the beach and to the mountains. I want to go on hikes, fish, and enjoy an adventure. I am sure I am not alone in this. If you have the time, I encourage you to explore, but as always, I invite you to come back.

I have such great memories of Vacation Bible School. I remember playing games with friends. I remember the older students I looked up to with such awe, wondering in my mind, "Will I ever be big like them?" I remember VBS-themed snacks, meals, and even some of the songs and prayers. I wonder, do you remember?

I pray that you all are well and that you are able to enjoy some summertime adventures. Taking time for rest and self-care is important. If it has been a while since you have been to church, I invite you to come back. I believe maintaining our spirit is as important as maintaining a healthy mind and body. Have you taken some time to nurture your soul?

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. On this day, we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit given to each and every one of us. During this celebration we also will baptize six people into a life in Christ, into the shared baptismal waters of our faith. After the baptisms, we will commission our pilgrims as they prepare to head to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago. I hope that you will each have the opportunity to attend.

I pledge to try to be a part of a solution that saves lives, but like many of you, I feel helpless. I pledge to try to move from beneath the pall. I lament my anguish to God because I am angry. I pray that this time the voices of the victims will be heard, for it is only in that hearing that the stain of the sin of inaction can be washed away by the waters of our baptisms. Perhaps then the pall can be lifted and the vanity will be gone.

I want to take some time as we celebrate Youth Sunday to say thank you to our many, many youth volunteers. Thank you to our Godly Play teachers, Children's Chapel leaders, 4th and 5th grade Sunday school teachers, middle school and high school teachers, youth group volunteers, Royal School of Church Music volunteers, acolyte masters, and the many of you who work behind the scenes to ensure that we have a Christ-centered, safe, and fun environment for our youth. The youth are not the future of our church -- they are a part of our present.

Next Saturday the 14th we will have a chance to break bread together and have fun! We will celebrate our youth program with a parish party and dance. I hope that you will dress up and come. I hope that you will play and dance and enjoy. I also hope that you will come prepared to donate to the youth program! A parish can not be healthy without a healthy youth program. The two go hand and hand. Our commitment to our youth now is an investment in our church's future.

As a fundraiser for their Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, our youth are throwing us a parish-wide dance party. It will be a chance to simply come together, raise some money for the pilgrimage, and have fun doing it.

The St. Martin's pilgrimage to the Camino de Santiago represents for us a step forward in our post-pandemic lives. It also represents our commitment to children and youth ministry. It is not a tourist trip; it is a pilgrimage -- one in which people will have an ample amount of time to walk and to pray. Time to be shaped by the roads that pilgrims have traveled for over a thousand years.

Thank you to all who worked so hard to make Easter and Holy Week happen. Thank you to our volunteers, our choir, our altar guild, our auxiliary altar guild, our readers, our staff, and our clergy. If I am missing someone, please know I am grateful. My heart is truly filled with gratitude. Thank you!