Dear friends,
I am writing to share the news that this morning I was elected to serve as University Chaplain at Sewanee: the University of the South. I have accepted the invitation of the Trustees and the Vice Chancellor, which means that my time at Nativity is coming to an end. I share this news with excitement and sadness but above all with gratitude for the seven years of ministry we have shared in Greenwood.
As you may know, Sewanee is an liberal arts university atop the Cumberland Plateau, owned by Episcopal dioceses throughout the southeast. In addition to serving undergraduates, Sewanee is home to a School of Theology that trains Episcopal clergy. The role of the Chaplain, then, is unique. The Chaplain helps meet the spiritual needs of an increasingly diverse student body while also maintaining and articulating Sewanee's Episcopal identity. The Chaplain serves as a senior member of the Vice Chancellor's cabinet and serves a Sunday morning congregation of students, faculty, and staff. I am excited to offer my gifts to this unique position.
Sewanee is a place that has been dear to me since childhood. When my grandfather was elected bishop, he and my grandmother built a house on the mountain as a place for retreat and retirement. That home is where Giulianna and I had our honeymoon, where we've shared many vacations, and where I stayed when the Nativity crew first came to be trained in Godly Play! When my family moves there, it will be the first time in our marriage that we will live within a day's drive of Giulianna's family.
Last Wednesday, I received word of my nomination, and Perry Whites, Bishop Seage and his staff, and I began planning for a transition. I was a bit surprised that the election occurred so quickly. Sewanee is open to me starting any time between now and mid-summer. However, because the University will announce the Trustees' decision today, the Bishop, Perry, and I thought it best that my time at Nativity end sooner. My last Sunday at Nativity will be Easter Sunday, April 12. On Wednesday, April 15, Bishop Seage will be with us in the evening for a special worship service in which our pastoral relationship will come to an end. Joseph and Francesca will finish the school year at Pillow, and Giulianna's time at St. Stephen's will end May 17.
The next six and a half weeks will give us ample time to say goodbye and celebrate our ministry together while allowing Nativity to take steps toward a search process. The vestry will meet next Monday, and we will be joined by Canon Paul Stephens, a member of the Bishop's staff who assists with search processes. Canon Stephens also will be present with the whole congregation as our preacher and celebrant on Sunday, March 8, a day I was already scheduled to be away for a family wedding. Nativity enters this season of transition with excellent leadership at every level and poised for further growth on the arrival of a new rector with different gifts and a fresh set of eyes.
It was seven years ago today that I arrived in Greenwood. Max Shaw met me at the rectory, and the movers and I shared Stephen's BBQ for lunch. In these seven years, much has been done. The Day School is thriving under Landi's leadership. Our children's faith is nurtured by a committed group of Godly Play teachers. We have welcomed world-renowned speakers, and we've read the Bible cover to cover. We built a memorial garden. We have worked together to nurture a multi-racial, ecumenical fellowship in Mission Mississippi. In churches, hospital rooms, and softball fields we have laughed together, played together, wept together, and grown together.
Most significantly, we have worshiped around Nativity's altar nearly two thousand times together. There, we have grieved loved ones, celebrated marriages, rejoiced over baptisms, and welcomed new members. Each week we have returned to the same altar, sharing the bread and wine that has transformed us into the Body of Christ. There, in a fellowship that transcends our many differences, we have been a living, breathing witness to the truth that we who are many are one Body because we all share one bread, one cup.
I am profoundly grateful for the Episcopal Church of the Nativity and for each of you. I am a better priest and a better person because of the seven years we have spent together in God's kingdom. I invite your prayers during this transition; know that you surely have mine.
Peace,
Peter