I’m not sure where the time has gone, but on March 1 I celebrated my one-year anniversary as Director at Galilee Ministries of East Charlotte. What an incredibly rich, fulfilling, and challenging year it has been. I am thankful for every moment. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been reflecting on what I’ve experienced and witnessed at Galilee. A few things come to mind:

As with any organization, there are many practical and tactical matters to manage in the daily operations of Galilee. But beyond the day-to-day, so much of the work is to always hold space for – and sometimes get out of the way of – the Holy Spirit. Being intentional about stepping away from fast thinking to listening in the quiet is counter to what society considers productive. To hold this Spirit space requires prayer, relinquishing the illusion of control (yes, this can be difficult to practice), having patience, and giving doing a rest now and again.

I cannot tell you how many times in the past year that I’ve said to myself, “What would Jesus do in this situation?” I’m reminded of the synoptic Gospel story of Jesus, Jairus’ sick daughter, and the hemorrhaging woman. What resonates with me is that Jesus, while on the way to Jairus’ home to heal his child, has an encounter with a hemorrhaging woman. She needed healing too. After she touched his garment, Jesus stopped and took the time to connect with her in the most life-giving way, then continued on his journey. This kind of situation happens at Galilee: multiple people or families in need of assistance arrive simultaneously. Dedicated volunteers and staff emulate what Jesus did by meeting people where they are with patience and compassion.

Last year, at the annual MeckMIN awards breakfast, The Reverend Glencie Rhedrick won the Community Leader Award. During her acceptance speech, she strongly and clearly encouraged the audience to think about this question in the context of serving and being in community: “Do we understand the assignment?” This question lit up the room and definitely got my attention. So much so, that when I returned to Galilee, I wrote it on a sticky note that is on my monitor to this day.

In my heart and mind as an Episcopalian, the assignment is to uphold our Baptismal Covenant to seek and serve Christ in all people, loving our neighbors as ourselves. This is not an easy assignment, and it is our charge as Christians. These are not just nice words we say. They are an invitation to experience and be part of the love of Christ in action.

In service,

Emily+