In Search of a Tribe

In January of 2009 I was experiencing a lot of change in my life. A few months earlier I had just moved my wife and three children to Fleming Island, Florida, to serve at Grace Anglican Church. In this transition we left behind our beloved Texas, our extended family, a familiar culture and landscape, and the denominational family both of us had been formed in. That sense of change and loss, however, was part of our birth into a new family that God had prepared for us. And I realized this new provision as I attended my first Anglican Mission Winter Conference, a gathering of leaders, parishioners, and prospective church planters. 

At this gathering I encountered God in powerful ways in the most unlikely of moments. One such moment was during the recitation of the Nicene Creed. This is the same creed we say each Sunday, and you may recall that despite the profound eternal truths it places on our lips, it is not typically experienced as beautiful or inspirational moment. Nonetheless, God met me in that moment, and as I looked around I realized that the group of people I’d come to serve alongside had become my people. I had been a man in search of a tribe, and God had led me to this tribe. 

Next week the Anglican Mission will gather again for its annual Winter Conference right here in Dallas at the Marriott Quorum at the Tollway and Beltline.  This event is an exciting moment each year in the life of our mission society.  Clergy, parishioners, and mission partners from all over North America and the world will gather to celebrate God’s work in our lives and mission, to be refreshed and recharged by the Holy Spirit, and to look ahead at the opportunities for the Gospel of Jesus in the coming year.  

Because Winter Conference is in Dallas, I’d love all of you to attend at least a portion of the event.  Two easy opportunities to participate are theWednesday evening Opening Worship at 8:00 pm, and the Friday eveningPrayer and Healing Service at 8:00 pm. Both of these events are free of charge. Follow this link for more details. 

I hope to see you soon. You’re in my prayers -

Jay+