Can you feel it, friends?
The air is cooling, the light is shifting, and summer’s deep greens and bright florals are giving way to the golden glow of autumn.
Even as we move through “Ordinary Time” in the liturgical year, our Fall church calendars are anything but ordinary—filled with studies, shared meals, programs, and rehearsals. This season always feels like a second “New Year,” full of fresh beginnings and the return of the rhythms and rituals we love.
Here at the Iona Collaborative, we’re beginning our academic year with 88 bi-vocational priests, deacons, and lay leaders who are joining one of our eight Continuing Education cohorts this semester. We invite you to celebrate these faithful leaders as they deepen their skills in preaching, pastoral care, spiritual formation, justice work, and church administration.
And of course, we have more good news to share with you in this issue: a special announcement from Iona’s Theologian-in-Residence, John Lewis, a Small Church Spotlight from the Diocese of Olympia, and a reminder to mark your calendars for next summer’s Annual Retreat.
Read on for more! Small Church Voices, July/August Edition