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Reflections on the Journey by Abner Genece
This year brought a wonderful blessing for our family - one that significantly alters the direction of our path. Soon our family will be relocating to Northern San Diego to take advantage of a bounteous opportunity. As we may not see each other for a little while, I'd like to take this occasion to share some of my reflections with you, and to offer my heartfelt thanks.
It's been ten years since I first walked through the doors of St. A's. Freshly relocated from New York, I was eager to plug in to an environment where I felt at home. My grandfather had been an Episcopal priest in Haiti, and the church's faith traditions have always been strong in my lineage. I found the familial environment I was looking for in St. A's. It's funny; what strikes me now, as I think back, is how my focus at the time was largely on myself. What could this church do for me? How could it help with my feelings, my hopes, my dreams and my goals? How could this church serve me? Little did I know that the prizes I sought would be realized by focusing outward toward others. You see, what I've come to understand is that though St. A's would certainly provide nourishment for those more "immediate" hungers - the real gift, the real blessing, would be found in the opportunities it would provide to serve, and the joy that I would learn to recognize in the act of ministering to others. As I see it, this gift was actually there all along, just under the surface – an undercover blessing, if you will.
Darlene and I were married here in 1999. I remain humbled by the deep, unyielding support that the church provided before, during and after the wedding. When we hit the occasional rough marital patch, the church was right there. In both the bleakest moments before our son Jayden's conception and the most beauteous moments at the time of his baptism, this community's steady arms of support and sheer power of prayer was so evident that I am convinced that his very existence is testament to God's abundant love and the divine spark that infuses St. A's. So many selfless acts of kindness (we'll never forget the post-birth food tree). Then again, that's what a good church is supposed to do, right? Feed those "immediate hungers." Yes, we were grateful recipients of that nourishment. But there were even more blessings, just under the surface - ten years worth…
Whether it was through occasions like the genesis of the St. A's website, the creation of brochures and documents for various ministries, singing in the choir, serving on the Vestry, raising funds for the new organ and roof, participating in Corazon, committing to annual pledges, lay reading, giving a spontaneous smile or hug, performing or even wearing the big red suit during the holidays, I've come to understand that on a deeper level, these events were all opportunities for me to develop my spiritual life in a way that would strengthen and embolden me for my encounters later in the journey. I hope each of you finds what you seek here and that your immediate hungers are indeed satisfied. But be careful. St. A's is out to give you undercover gifts as well.
I have no doubt now that my spiritual life profoundly informs my life as an actor, as it does my work as a legal services and identity theft consultant. It is the rock on which I build my marriage and my role as a father. It is my manual for operating in a sometimes skeptical world. Ten years ago it was about me. It's now become about reaching out to others and being of service. It's become about spreading the good news in my words and more importantly, my actions. It's become about walking, stretching, living and loving in faith. St. A's has covertly given me the tools and taught me how to use them. And now I get the opportunity to continue this journey into the mission field, using what I've learned with courage, conviction and generosity of spirit. I, we, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You've blessed us more than you know.
Copyright © 2008 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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