Bishop Kee Sloan will be at Trinity Commons on Sunday for our 6pm service. While that news is exciting, many of us enjoy a chance to visit with Kee, it’s also really important. When I’m often asked, and I’m often asked, what the Episcopal Church is or is about the answer usually centers back to bishops. We are a church of bishops; the bishop is the leader or head of a diocese, around which you and I make up as members of parishes or, in our case, a student center. All of us, from whatever parish church you grew up or got confirmed as a part, gather together under the guidance and direction of a bishop. It’s what makes the church the community it is, what holds us together, whether we live in Birmingham, Montgomery, or Huntsville, is our worship, ritual, and tradition, all of which is guided by a bishop who unites us. This unity is important in an age where institutions are prone to being fractured when our demands to get our way can leave us divisive when it’s easier to walk away from people we disagree with or don’t like. The church, at its best, exists to remind us that we belong to God, not the other way around. We’re not the center of the universe, we’re not even the center of our own world, so when we gather with the bishop we can be reminded that what holds us together in prayer, ritual, and tradition is the one who comes to remind us of a larger connection, a wider circle, an embrace as large as the world. I hope you’ll come this Sunday to join us in prayer, ritual, and tradition; to hear what Bishop Kee has to say to us, and to find yourself in the long story of scripture that points us to realize that we still seek God and God always loves us.

Pasta Night – Tuesday, 11/13 @ 6 pm. On this cold, wet week we’ll enjoy Gnocchi with a Butter and Sage Sauce. It’s the perfect pasta for comfort on a week like this.

On Campus this Week

Tuesday – BSC
I’ll be hanging out in the front of the Caf around 9am. You’re invited to come join me, share anything that’s on your mind, or just say hey on your way to class. Our short Eucharist will take place in Yeilding Chapel at 11:45 am and I hope you’re able to make it this week. I’ll be in the Caf after the service for lunch, so you’re welcome to join me then too.

Wednesday – Samford
I’ll be hanging around inside Einstein’s around 9 am, ready to talk with you and hear all about your week. Then join us in Reid Chapel at Noon for our short Eucharist. This is a chance to join in prayer and worship, and you even get convo credit. I’ll be in the Caf after the service for lunch, so you’re welcome to join me then too.

Thursday – UAB
Come by and see me at the Hill Center. I’ll be hanging out at a table in the dining area near the doors to Univ. Blvd around 10 am.

As we go through this last week before Thanksgiving we hope to see you on campus and at Trinity Commons.