Prayers and Invitation – St. Nick’s News Oct. 18, 2024

Full St. Nick’s News for October 18, 2024

Dear Friends –

We are connected to and a part of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. This weekend we are electing a Suffragan Bishop. A suffragan bishop is an assisting bishop who helps the diocesan bishop in ministry, in vision, and in pastoral care of the clergy and lay leaders in the diocese.

Please pray for Lee, Matt, and Angela, the nominees for Suffragan Bishop. They are all faithful clergy in our church and have opened themselves up to discerning this call to leadership. It is a public and lengthy process. All three candidates have incredible gifts in ministry and clearly love the Lord.

In talking to one of the candidates, I had the chance to find out how they came to belong in and to the Episcopal church. They shared, “I was invited. I was twenty-something and I was invited to church. I had never heard of the Episcopal Church but was drawn in by the welcome people shared with me and the generosity they had with others. I was also invited into ministry. I was asked to help. My gifts were important. It changed my life.”

Wow. Right? Wow! We have the power to change people’s lives by inviting them to church or into helping us with our ministry. How incredible is that? With each passing day, I am convinced that we are all seeking meaning and belonging. We all want to be in a place where we are cherished and belong – loved and valued for who we are, who we have been, who we are becoming.

I can’t help but wonder where I would be today if it had not been for the people inviting me to church and bible studies and women’s retreats. I’m pretty sure my life would look a lot different. And today, being reminded by a candidate who is both courageous and full of God’s grace, I give thanks for all the people in my life who had the courage to invite me to churchy things. So many different people helped me have experiences of God and made the way for me to come to know the unconditional love of God in and through Jesus Christ. Maybe that is true for you too…

I shouldn’t be surprised by the power of an invitation. I mean, Jesus invited the disciples into ministry personally – we see that throughout the synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke. And in the first chapter in the Gospel of John, we see the ripple effects of invitation. John the Baptist engages with Andrew and John, Andrew invites Peter, Jesus invites Phillip, Phillip invites Nathanael. Invitations mean something. They say, I want to spend time with you in this particular way. I want to share this important part of my life with you.

I hope and pray you know the power of your invitation to others. Your words, your willingness to include someone into your life of faith matters greatly. It could be the thing they need to see they have a place and a people who value them. They can have a people and a place where they are loved, cherished and belong. Who knows, they may be your bishop someday.

God’s Peace, Love, and Blessings,
Beth+