Dear Friends,

Please join me in welcoming Aidan Stoddart to Manakin Episcopal Church. Aiden will join us as a lay pastor, preacher and teacher starting on June 9. He will be with us full-time through the summer and will start a resident chaplaincy program through Bon Secours in the fall.

Aidan grew up in Charlottesville. He went to college in Boston, where he first discerned a call to ordained ministry. From Boston he went to New Haven, CT, where he completed a master’s degree at Yale Divinity School. He comes to Manakin directly from Yale. He is excited to be ordained in 2025, and in the meantime is looking forward to serving at Manakin Church. He is also excited to return to Virginia after being based up north for seven years.

Aidan previously served St. Paul’s Parish, Brookfield, CT and St. Barnabas Church, Greenwich, CT. He also had a stint as a hospital chaplain in Bridgeport, CT, and once spent a summer living with Trappist monks in South Carolina.

Aidan’s academic background is in Christian theology and he is particularly interested in ancient and medieval theology, the theology of prayer and liturgical theology. His favorite theologian is Julian of Norwich. Aidan also has a fondness for all sorts of church vestments and will be happy to talk to you about it.

In addition to Jesus, Aidan has many interests, including: reading fantasy novels; going on long walks with his partner, Peyton, and her dog; journalling; playing games; and practicing guitar. Aidan also loves visiting tea shops and microbreweries, and he always welcomes recommendations.

I look forward to having Aiden with us this summer and for all that we will be doing together in ministry.

Blessings,
Gini+

Dear Friends,
“Let us welcome the newly baptized.” (BCP p. 308)

We will have the opportunity many times over the next few months to welcome the newly baptized into our community. Through June, we have six baptisms that will take place in our congregation. Each time you will hear me state what an exciting day this is for our congregation. As we increase our fold, the entire church celebrates.

What does it mean to welcome the newly baptized? I believe that it starts with our commitment to these persons who have made vows to do all in our power to support them in their life in Christ. (BCP p. 303)  We will be their church family in every sense in that we will lift them up in prayer, encourage their Christian formation and growth, offer support in times of need and be a listening friend as desired. When absent from our presence, we will inquire as to their well-being and when present, we will thank them for all that they offer.

These baptism services will also give us the opportunity to renew our own Baptismal Covenant. (BCP p. 304) We will be reminded of the five promises that we made or that were made on our behalf. We can assess how we are lining up in keeping our covenant and see what areas may need refreshing.  All the while we will remember that in keeping these, “we will, with God’s help.” Alone we cannot possibly do it all and with God’s help we can.

Yes, this is an exciting time for our congregation and for the body of Christ. Please join me in the celebration.

Blessings,
Gini+

Dear Friends,
During the Lenten season, we began each service with the Penitential Order and included the Decalogue, which is the Ten Commandments. One Sunday, a parishioner asked if 6 out of the 10 commandments were properly observed would that be considered passing and did I think that God grades on a curve? I laughed assuming that the inquiry was in jest, but then I thought there probably are some who think this way. Is God holding a checklist and marking off pass or fail?

This is what Easter is all about. God loves us so much that he sent his son to live and die as one of us. The resurrection is proof that Jesus overcame death and the grave to save us all. Salvation is a free gift and thankfully we are the recipients. Living a life with belief in this doesn’t make us wonder if we are doing enough to get in, it gives us hope in knowing what is to come.

Once we have a true understanding of this, our lives naturally reflect our relationship with God through Christ. The Ten Commandments are easier to observe because we desire to love God and to love our neighbor.

Yes, I believe that God grades on a curve and it is one so broad that when we are marked as Christ’s own forever, we pass. That’s living an Easter life, one that is lived in belief of the resurrection.

Blessings,
Gini+