Dear Friends in Christ,
What a day! I am thankful to have heard many All Saints parishioners' stories today. There has been tragedy, deliverance, and grace. We have helped our neighbors, and more than anything else we have waited and endured the hardship of not knowing.
Tonight, All Saints' building still stands at the corner of Benton & Quartz Hill. Though it's inside the evacuation area, firefighters and law enforcement officers confirm that it's undamaged. In a time of such shocking destruction, we
all want the reassurance of seeing that what is holy endures: so it is very important to remember that
you are holy,
you are made in the image of God,
you are a member of the Body of Christ. Please take very good care of
yourself.
If it is possible for you to evacuate the area, I hope that you will not wait for an official order to do so. Salvation history is full of stories about the People of God being forced to leave home. They never want to go, and they face fierce trials along the way, but they go with God. It seems we are always being sent out to seek and find God in ways and new places.
Where will
you
seek and worship God tomorrow? Where will you celebrate the Paschal Mystery of death, resurrection, and waiting for Christ's coming again?
Wherever you go, communities of Episcopalians will be praying for us.
- I will worship at St. Michael's Episcopal Church, in Anderson, at 9:30am tomorrow, along with the Very Rev. Richard Yale, Rector of St. John's, Chico, and Dean of the Alta California Deanery.
- For those who need to stay in Redding, (first responders, and Red Cross volunteers, et al.) our friends at St. James Lutheran Church invite you to join their abbreviated service of Holy Communion, at 9:30am
With every passing hour, we hear of another parishioner whose home has been lost, and we give thanks for all who escaped harm. We do not know what tonight will bring; only that an uncontrolled fire continues to burn in and around our city, and that our God is an awesome God of love and mercy.
I urge you
not to delay evacuating the area. If you are able to leave, and to find safety elsewhere, please do that as soon as possible. While the cost of an unnecessary evacuation is modest, the cost of staying too long is intolerable. It takes at least as much courage to leave as to stay. So, with the support of the Office of the Bishop, we can offer assistance, financial or logistical, if you need it.
No matter where you are, I am available to you by cell phone or by email, at any hour. Please don't hesitate to reach out. This is the week of our All Parish Conversation on Community: nobody would have wanted it to unfold like this, but the experience of community has seldom been so profound.
Whether you evacuate the area or stay in Redding, God is with you, and you are in my prayers. Please keep in touch, and let me know how to pray for you.
-Carren
707.363.4294 cell
