William Lauring Somes
Fall of 2022, I attended my first service at St. John’s. As I sat in my pew, fumbling through the Book of Common Prayer, I remember feeling a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see the smiling face of a woman, hand outstretched, offering a prayer book she had graciously opened to the right page. In the moment, this seemed a mere kind gesture. But I have since realized its metaphorical significance to the much grander work God is doing at St. John’s. In the weeks that followed, I became immersed in the spiritual life at St. John’s: I was given a cassock, bread and wine from God’s table, and a prayer book of my own which I now read every night. I have volunteered at various events, carried furniture and crates of books from the stores of the parish house, provided food and nourishment to parishioners at coffee hour, and assisted in the annual hanging of wreathes during the Christmas season. Most recently, thanks to the guiding influence of the Spirit, I have become a baptized and tithing member of the church for the first time in my life. The seasons are changing at St. John’s, as are the hearts and minds of its members. The Lord is calling each and every one of us to go deeper, to bow our heads lower, and to maintain the unity of the Spirit in His eternal bond of peace. I look forward to serving a church where God moves; where the inspiration of the Holy Spirit renews and transforms; where the pews are filled with smiling faces and outstretched hands.