Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

I’m not gonna lie. The idea of turning 40 sucked.

I spent some time moping last week. It didn’t help that my kids started teasing, calling me oldy-moldy or old-and-crusty. Then a co-worker prefaced a question to me with “O, ancient one.” He was referring to my 10 years on diocesan staff (I think), but I was feeling a little raw.
But on my birthday – and throughout the weekend, somehow the number didn’t bother me at all.

Without a few years behind me, I wouldn’t have old friends to remind me how the smell of tomatoes made my stomach turn when I was pregnant with my first child. There wouldn’t be a table full of parents and in-laws, my children and nieces and nephews, talking over one another as we share schnitzel and spatzle at my favorite German restaurant.

Without growing older, I couldn’t witness my 10-year-old daughter crossing the finish line of her first 5K or feel my son’s arms wrap around me, his head nuzzling in the hollow of my neck. I couldn't lace my fingers through my husband's, absently holding his hand, knowing each callous and scar.

I stopped feeling old and started feeling blessed. 

This past week, two organizations with a similar life approach joined forces. Unapologetically Episcopalian, the popular Facebook page that lifts up the joys of life in our church, celebrated its second birthday. To mark the occasion, founder Ron Pogue asked the 20,000+ fans of Unapologetically Episcopalian to make a thank-offering to Forward Movement. 

In case you don’t know, Forward Movement began some 75 years ago. The Episcopal Church was facing a crisis of faith and financial worry. During a General Convention, one group called to hold the line when it came to budget and ministry. Another person countered: God calls us in times of fear not to stand still but to be bold, to embrace forward movement. 

The organization was born. Today, tens of thousands of people grow in faith through content created by Forward Movement, from the Day by Day daily devotionals to the wildly popularLent Madness series this spring. 

Unapologetically Episcopalian sprang from the same spirit. Pogue, an Episcopal priest, wanted to offer a place free from the rancor and discord found on so many list servs and blogs. Unapologetically Episcopalian celebrates the best of what we do and who we are. 

Donations from this birthday thank-offering won’t go toward paying the rent or publishing the latest tract. This money will in new and creative ways live fully into the ethos of both organizations: it will help fund dreams. Perhaps the campaign will raise enough to pay for a missioner for social media or a creators’ conference for younger writers, poets and bloggers. Maybe there will be money for a smart phone application or daily audio devotionals by young adults for young adults. 

We have choices in our lives. We can be burdened by the press of time, the reality of diminishing funds, the pain of tough decisions. 

I’m 40. But I get to determine what that looks like, just as we in the church have the choice to mope about our problems or dream about new ways of being. 

As for me, I’m moving forward. Unapologetically.