Earth Sunday
April 20, 2008
The Rev. James Richardson

Today is Earth Sunday. I guess that means this is a birthday party for the earth. So happy birthday, earth!

I’ve been thinking all week how to preach about Earth Sunday. But I am going to talk about something else today, so please forgive me. I have something to talk to you about.

As you know, I came here in July of last year as your interim rector. “Interim rector” means short-timer, the priest holding down the fort until the real rector shows up. As your interim rector I am not supposed to get too attached, and I am supposed to disappear – poof! – a few weeks before the new rector arrives.

What I did not count on is that I would fall in love with you folks, and how much I would enjoy being here on Sunday and working with this amazing group of people, and getting to know all of you.

Which why what I have to tell you is hard.

So here it is: I have accepted the call to be the Rector of a wonderful church in – wait for it – the far, far away Charlottesville, Virginia.

Where? Yes, you heard right – Charlottesville, Virginia.

It is a large congregation with an old building, St. Paul’s Memorial Church, right across the street from the University of Virginia.

For those of you who are geographically challenged westerners like me, Charlottesville is kind of near Washington D.C. on the other side of the country. You go to Reno, stop at Burning Man for awhile, and then you keep going, and when you get to Thomas Jefferson’s house, called Monticello, you are in Charlottesville.

Oh, by the way, before you say anything about how I am moving “down South,” look at a map. Charlottesville is actually north of Berkeley.

To be honest, I never would have thought in a thousand years I would be going to Virginia. But for the past six months, Lori and I have been in a conversation with the Search committee members from this church. We’ve been struck by their warmth, their courageously inclusive spirit, and their confidence in the future God is showing them – and us.

The people of St. Paul’s are actually very similar to All Souls, only there are a lot more of them. It is a progressive, inquiring group of people, with a lot of kids, and a deep commitment to service in the community. And they even have a really good banjo player!

St. Paul’s is filled with folks from the University of Virginia, and many of them are from somewhere else. In fact, one prominent member of the congregation is known to some of you: Charles Perry, the retired president of our own CDSP seminary just up the hill from here.

The St. Paul’s parish is deeply committed to serving the university community, and one of my new titles will be “chaplain of the university,” though they promise me I don’t have to go to faculty meetings.

The search team visited here in January, and then we visited Charlottesville last month. After much prayer and conversation, the only possible answer was “yes.” The only reason I could come up with for not doing this is I don’t want to clean out the garage. For me, this is the opportunity of a life time,

There is much more to tell you about all this, and all of it will unfold over the next few weeks.

For now, I want you to know this: You are really why I am being called. You gave me this wonderful place to be a priest, and when this search committee from Virginia came here, to be really candid, they were blown away by you – by your energy, and by your enthusiasm. There is a sweet sweet spirit in this place, and they caught it.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. But now look what you’ve gotten me into!

So here is what this means for you in the next few weeks:

First, my commitment is to be with you until the end of June. I will keep that commitment. I will begin my new ministry in Charlottesville in August.

Second, with concurrence of diocesan authorities and your wardens and Vestry, I am recommending that Kristin Krantz be appointed by Bishop Marc Andrus as your priest-in-charge until such time as a new rector takes her or his place among you. Kristin has graciously agreed to accept this appointment, so please support her and keep her in your prayers as she goes through yet one more transition.

Your Search Committee and Vestry are on schedule to make a call to a new rector by late June, and it is their hope that a new rector will be in place by Sept. 1.

Please keep your search committee and Vestry in your prayers, and especially, please keep the candidates for rector in your prayers. Trust me on this, the prayers are much needed and greatly appreciated.

In the meantime, we will not be standing still here at All Souls.

In the next few weeks, we have much work to do together – so no slacking off! On Pentecost we will highlight and celebrate all of the ministries at All Souls – and I do mean all of them – with a big worship service and a ministry fair. So for those of you who are involved in something – anything – around here, you best find Jack Jackman before he finds you to get your assignments.

I am also delighted to tell you that our Stephen Ministry pastoral care program is on track for launching. We have a committed core of leaders who will be trained this summer in Dallas, and that the program should get off the ground here in the fall. We are still about $3,000 short of fully funding the program – these are one-time costs – so any help with that would be great.

Your Vestry is also planning a farewell party for Lori and myself, and I guarantee I will be wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

If you are tempted to give me a going-away gift, here is what I would like: I would like you to write a generous check for our Stephen Ministry program. The best gift you could give me is to fully fund that program to ensure it launches on a solid footing.

Jesus says in the gospel today that he prepares many dwelling places, some are in heaven, and some are right here on this good Earth.

Jesus is preparing a new dwelling place for Lori and me. And Jesus is preparing this dwelling place right here at All Souls so that many new people who need to be here can be here.

We all have much to work to do tending to these dwellings. So let’s get going. This dwelling place in Berkeley, I assure you, is filled with grace and light and hope. And, I assure you, there are wonderful, amazing blessings soon to come, right here at All Souls.

Thanks for letting me be with you. You have a date to come see us in Virginia, and please bring the Angel Band with you.

Amen.