by ccvadmin | Feb 17, 2026 | Letters
I’m looking forward to our Lenten Series starting next Wednesday, 25 February, at 6pm. We’ll begin with Eucharist and then move to the parish hall for supper and our discussions. I wanted to give you an idea of what we’ll be doing those evenings, but before I get into the “what” I want to give you the “why.”
When I was in seminary, thirty something years ago, I was introduced to the pattern of daily Eucharist every day in Holy Week. Prior to that my experience was Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and then Easter Day. Even then, Maundy Thursday quickly became my favorite service of the year. I began to realize how central the Eucharist was to my relationship with God, and Maundy Thursday is the celebration of Jesus’ gift of the Eucharist to us. It was my experience with Happening during high school that connected all the dots between Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil – what the Church calls the Triduum, The Three Great Days. Together they give us the real picture of Jesus’ profound love for us, and for a time, those three days were a sufficient annual replenishment for my spiritual life.
Then came seminary, and the field work parishes I served kept all of Holy Week, not just the last three days. I’ll never forget what my supervisor told the congregation on Palm Sunday that year – “If we all came to services every day during Holy Week, by Easter we’d have no need of a sermon. We’d have all we needed.” At first I thought he was just trying to drum up attendance, but then I learned better. The full course of services throughout that week, every day from Palm Sunday through Easter Day, offers us a chance to walk with Jesus every step of the way to the cross, the tomb, and beyond. I’m not exaggerating when I say it was life-changing for me. I didn’t realize how much, though, until years later, when I went to serve a parish in West Virginia. They didn’t keep the daily schedule. I tried that first year there to follow the pattern they used, but when Maundy Thursday came, I wasn’t ready. It didn’t help that we did a community Good Friday service, and so that year, I didn’t even get our Good Friday liturgy. Easter morning felt strangely empty and hollow; I’d missed too much of the journey.
The next year, I told them we were doing the whole thing, from Sunday to Sunday. Their response was less than enthusiastic, but we pressed onward. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week we saw maybe three or four people at the evening services. While that was discouraging, I knew that it was something I needed for my own spiritual health, so my mantra became, “I’m doing this for Jesus and for me.” If other people came, I considered that a bonus. Over time our attendance grew a bit – not as much as I would have hoped, but faithfulness is not measured in numbers.
I’ve kept to that practice ever since, and I am asking you to join me this Holy Week. To help us prepare for that experience, I want to use our Wednesdays in Lent series to introduce you to the Propers for each day in Holy Week, using an Ignatian method of praying with the Scriptures assigned for each day. While we might call this a Bible Study, it is not a scholarly exercise. The purpose isn’t just to teach you something about those scripture passages; we’re looking for an encounter with a person – with Jesus – as we engage the readings appointed for each day. Each week we’ll start with a brief large group discussion, but most of what we do will happen at the tables where we’re sitting. Then towards the end of our time, we’ll open the conversation back up to the group as a whole. I hope you’ll take part in as many Wednesdays as you can, but this isn’t an “all or nothing” sort of thing. Participate as you are able, and if you’re someone who would almost rather die than speak in front of others, just come and listen. Again, we’re looking for an encounter rather than a lecture or a lesson.
For the propers for the Monday in Holy Week, click here. That’s where we’ll start on the first Wednesday. Each week we’ll publish the upcoming readings in The Grapevine, so you’ll have them in advance. If you have the chance, read over them in the days leading up to our gathering, so they’ll be more familiar to you when Wednesday comes. That said, just come as you are, whether you think you’ve properly prepared or not. Jesus will be waiting to meet us either way.
by ccvadmin | Dec 12, 2025 | Letters
Dear People of Christ Church, In this holy season of Advent – a season about awareness, expectation, and preparation – I’m noticing how what’s happening in my own life mirrors the sense of the season. I am aware of how I am living in both the “what is” and the “what is to come,” as we wind down our time at St. Paul’s and in Savannah while very much looking forward to being with you in Valdosta. As we are getting ready for our own physical move from here to there I see the reflection of that part of Advent, and our anticipation of joining you at Christ Church makesreal that sense of waiting for what God is about to reveal in the celebration of Christmas. While I am grateful for these theological insights, the reality is that it’s really hard for me to be patient and stay present here. My family and I are anxious to start this next chapter with you. I do feel like a kid waiting for Christmas and thinking it’s never going to get here.
As we make our plans, pack the house, and finish up all the details that go along with a move, I want to take a moment and introduce you to our family. You’ll see some of us a lot more than you will others, but they’ll be around from time to time, and we all want you to know who we are. We snapped this photo while everyone was home for Thanksgiving – it was my first time propping my phone up on a tripod and using the timer from my watch to take the picture. I have to say I’m pretty pleased that it worked.
Top right of the photo is my mom, Bonnie. My dad died a few years back, and not long after that, mom moved in with us. Shortly before the move, she retired from her lifelong career as a church organist. She and Dad met when they were students at Valdosta State and even before she graduated, she was the organist at First Presbyterian downtown. Since then she’s played in Baptist, Lutheran, and Episcopal congregations, along with one other Presbyterian church up in West Virginia. Mom loves walking, yoga, Xi gong, and gardening, and she was a vegan before that was even a word.
Next to mom in the photo is our oldest son Jack. Jack is a graduate of Georgia Tech (yes, we are a house divided) who lives in Decatur with his wife Gracie (seated between Christine and me in the pic) and their dog Lottie. Gracie is from Hawkinsville, Ga, and because life is a funny thing, Gracie’s older sister Sarah Kate is the first person I ever baptized after I was ordained 31 years ago.
On the middle step are our son Sam and our daughter Kate. They both are currently living in Athens. Sam is a UGA grad working in Athens, and Kate is a sophomore at UGA. Christine and I are on the bottom step. You already know a bit about me; Christine has been a public school Speech Language Pathologist for her entire career. She’ll be working at a nearby school district once we get moved.
At this point we’re up to our ears in boxes and packing tape. There’s a lot still to do, but we’re making good progress, and we will be with you soon. Until then, we do what we always do in Advent: we wait, we watch, and we prepare, always trusting that the Light of the World shines upon us and upon our path.
Kevin+
by ccvadmin | Oct 24, 2025 | Letters
October 24, 2025
Dear People of Christ Church, I am profoundly grateful to be writing to you as your next rector. I scarcely have the words to describe the sense of joy and wonder I feel about coming to serve at Christ Church, Valdosta. When I first walked through the doors of that sacred space some 47 years ago, I did not realize what I was walking into. I had no idea how that moment would shape the rest of my life, but I believe I am who I am today because of the ways in which I encountered and came to know the Risen Lord there. Christ Church was my first true spiritual home, and I am so thankful to be coming back to the place that formed me.
Christ Church is a remarkably fertile part of God’s vineyard. You have raised up more folks – both lay and ordained – for ministry than I can count. If the apostle Paul were to write a letter to you, I suspect it would start with something like “I continue to give thanks to God for you always, for your faithfulness in prayer and good works, for your proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and for your love for one another and for all the saints, as you work to build up the Body of Christ.” Maybe I shouldn’t try to put words in Paul’s mouth and should just say that this is how I think of you. Thank you for inviting me to share in this ministry with you. I am humbled by the trust you have placed in me, and I am eager to be with you as we start this part of our journey together.
You have been in my prayers throughout this time of transition and will remain in them from now on. I ask your prayers for me and for my family as we finish our ministry here in Savannah and make our way to you there. I hold firmly to the idea of vocation – that God calls people together in a particular place and at a specific time to accomplish the work that God sets before them. All three of those components – people, place, and time – matter. I believe now is the moment that God is calling us to labor together at Christ Church (if I can go back to Paul again) to do the work of ministry, to equip the saints, and to build up the body. I am excited to see the fruits of our labor. I look forward to being with you and to worshipping and praying with you. May Almighty God continue to bless us with His Grace and to guide our feet along the path He has set before us.
The Peace of Christ,
Kevin+
