by Sarah Squire
This past Sunday, right before I stood up to sing the anthem, I saw my niece Abby Trott standing there as an acolyte, taking a crack at being a server. I was absolutely beaming that Abby has been taking on the reigns of our self-confessed hardcore acolyting family tradition. My two sisters and I grew up as acolytes and my mother was the acolyte master. So, if an acolyte didn’t show up on a Sunday, guess who would be “voluntold”? But I loved it. And it is great to see the torch carried on. Pun intended.
And then I was fortunate to sing William Henry Harris’ glorious anthem “Faire is the Heaven” with the Calvary Choir. It’s not only beautiful music but how the words are set makes it even more breath-taking. And on All Saints Sunday, when we were remembering those who have gone before us and who are at rest, the words by Edmund Spenser were joyful and hopeful:
“Faire is the heaven, where happy soules have place,
In full enjoyment of felicitie,
Whence they doe still behold the glorious face
Of the divine eternall majestie….
…how then can mortall tongue hope to expresse
The image of such endlesse perfectnesse?”
After church, I was the doorkeeper for Godly Play for the pre-K and Kindergarten classroom. And then I was back for Evensong later that afternoon. As I left, volunteers were welcoming guests for Room in the Inn.
All of that and so much more is why I love Calvary. You are my family. And it’s not just because my literal sister Laura and her family, my best friend Robyn, and numerous other friends attend. It’s because Calvary is home. And because of that, I want to help support Calvary’s programs, mission, and staff, so every year around this time, I decide what I can give to Calvary. My pledge to Calvary is a meaningful and significant part of my budget. And I feel good knowing that even though my pledge alone won’t support Calvary, all of our pledges together can and will make a difference to this community I love and call home. Make your 2020 pledge.