Good morning. My name is Charlie Harris and I am your senior warden! How'd that happen? Who knew? "LOL." Only two years ago no one here knew me and I didn't know any of you or anyone in Brunswick for that matter. You might even say it’s a series of coincidences that brought me to this moment right here, right now, as I stand before you this morning.
Over the past year, I have frequently said that I have experienced an amazing set of coincidences ---- happenstances that I did not anticipate and could not have created. My journey here began about two and a half years ago, when Sherry and I made the decision to relocate and spend our retirement years in Brunswick, a community we knew nothing about and we didn’t know anyone living here. We made the decision to relocate and retire here after investigating about 15 planned communities in Maryland and northern Virginia. We discovered that Brunswick was the only community that checked all our boxes. And then the coincidences began: —after completing a homesite visit about a month before we moved here, we went for a spur-of-the-moment drive through downtown Brunswick and we made the discovery that this marvelous, historic stone church is home to an Episcopal parish and we are Episcopal! —that same day we discovered Anjel+ sitting out front painting an icon. After a lengthy discussion with Anjel+ that afternoon, we drove away and said to each other, "wow, what a wonderful coincidence!" Much to our surprise, the coincidences did not stop there. We received our first Grace newsletter about a week later and discovered that we knew someone on your parish prayer list. It was a friend from our old church. We contacted Anjel+ and learned that our friend had a daughter, whom we had never met, and that she lived in Brunswick and was a member of Grace! And then the very first Sunday morning we attended mass at Grace we met our friend's daughter. Since we were new, we arrived a few minutes early and sat on an empty pew near the back of the auditorium. The daughter came in a few minutes later and actually sat on our same pew --- and we knew her the moment we saw her (she looked just like her mother). Even though we had never met her before, we felt a connection immediately!! What a wonderful coincidence! Over the next several weeks we returned to Grace every Sunday morning, and our new friend introduced us to another person, who introduced us to another person, who introduced us to another person, and so on until we began to feel very much at home in our new community. And before a year had passed, we had made some of the best friends we've ever had in our lifetime! Who knew this would all happen, not us before we moved here!! What great good fortune! At the vestry retreat last March, Anjel+ asked each of us to tell about what brought us to Grace, and I told everyone about these wonderful coincidences. Anjel+ observed that these may not have been coincidences, but rather they were meant to be. Maybe God had a plan for me. I laughed nervously and casually dismissed her observation with “no, I’m not that special”. I would not think about this again for several months. Then something quite unusual happened during a sightseeing day trip that Sherry and I took in early August to the charming communities of Emmitsburg and Thurmont. I had an epiphany moment! As we casually drove along that morning, I saw a message board in front of a church that had a very unusual message. One that was so unusual that I drove past it a second time to make sure I had read it correctly. The message said: "Coincidence: when God chooses to be anonymous". Then all these “coincidences” flashed through my mind. And I found myself spontaneously saying a prayer: “O - M - G! I just received a revelation! Thank you God for not being anonymous today!” Now you know my journey. But you might be wondering, what does any of this have to do with our stewardship campaign: "journey to generosity"? These "coincidences" have taken me directly through the heart of this parish. The heart is where love resides, where hope springs eternal, and where you will find your joy. I have felt the generosity of God's love and your love. I have come to cherish my new adopted home of Brunswick, my new parish, and my new friends; and I have great hope for our future together. So when I turned in my pledge statement last week, it was with great joy in my heart. And as we transition to a new year, and a new reality for our parish, please know that my journey with you continues. Comments are closed.
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Ministry MinutesEach year during our Annual Giving Campaign, members of Grace Church tell their stories about why they love Grace Church and why they are involved. Each story is different in details but all reflect the love of Christ which is found in this community of faith. Archives
October 2017
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