November 2021
Dear People of St. Paul’s,
Are you tired? You’re not alone.
A recent survey from Indeed reported that burnout is up 10% from pre-pandemic life, to 52%. More than half of Americans in the workforce are experiencing burnout and I see it at church as well. Volunteerism is down, people are not ready to come back. There is collective fatigue in the system.
So what is it? What is causing this fatigue?
Grief. So much has changed this past year that our collective foundations are weary. If you are like me, you might instinctively pull back and give less because one might perceive that there is less to give. The problem with that is that it starts a self-defeating cycle. Generosity can be restorative. Healing. St. Francis was right when he said, “it is in giving that we receive.”
On November 14 we celebrated In-gathering Sunday, the day where we offer our financial gifts for 2022. From these pledges, the Vestry creates a budget that determines how we will live out our calling as a community in the coming year, which coincides with a pivotal point in the life of St. Paul’s; over the past year everything has changed. We have changed.
What will God be calling us to do in the new year? I believe that depends on you.
We are a community that believes in resurrection. Over the past two years, St. Paul’s has not just survived but thrived despite the challenges placed before us. It hasn’t been easy but we have worked together and with God’s grace, have kept sharing God’s love with the wider world.
As the pandemic hit, we knew it would be a struggle both financially and physically. Our Vestry took quick action. With rental income making up 30% of our budget we needed to find innovative ways to stay afloat. We closed the financial gap by delaying hiring decisions, asking for and receiving assessment relief from the diocese, and receiving two Payroll Protection grants. Thanks to the Vestry’s quick action, we were able to do amazing things.
We found ways to stay connected in the midst of the shutdown. We prayed together over the phone, Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook. We were one of the first churches in our diocese to combine the beautiful voices of our chorus online, resulting in an amazing online choir. We used our parking lot to hold drive-through food drives, pet blessings, and even a drive-in Christmas Eve service.
As the world was shutting down, we were opening up. We welcomed Trinity Center and the new residents of St. Paul’s Commons. After years of collaboration, we were able to finally give keys to formally homeless and low-income families at a time when our homes were the only thing keeping us safe from a virus we didn’t understand.
We are a people of hope. Over the past few months, we are slowly coming back, working through the surprises and surges of this pandemic. We began hybrid worship and welcomed a new middle school to our campus. Over the past month, our staff grew with the welcome addition of our new music director, Eric Newell, and our Associate Rector, The Rev. Lynne Sharp.
The world needs the message of God’s hope. Now. As the shackles of the pandemic loosen, the grief and loss remain. We are slowly returning to find the world and ourselves have changed, but what hasn’t changed is our call to be a faith community that proclaims God’s love and hope. This next year is a defining year for us, as it will be a financial leap of faith, trusting that we will have the resources needed to lean fully into being a space where we may find God’s message of restoration, hope, and resurrection.
You are part of what happens next. We can’t do this without your help. How will you participate in this next era? How will you share your time and talent?
November is a month where we focus on gratitude, generosity, and how we, as a Christian community, want to live out our call in the world. During this giving season, in the midst of so much loss and grief, St. Paul’s plans to give more, not less, to the larger community, but we can only do this with your support.
Thank you in advance for your faith and generosity of spirit. Together, we will achieve our goals in the year ahead and indeed be the light and love of Walnut Creek.
Blessings,
The Rev. Krista Fregoso
Rector, St. Paul’s, Walnut Creek