Thursday, May 13, 2021
Randy Carey
Ministries of SJC—Watch Team and Ushers
For those who know me, and for those who don’t know me, I have been a Parishioner at St. John’s for the past 30 years, and what a journey it has been for me, both spiritually and serving our church community along the way. Prior to our Pandemic sojourn from live services, I always disliked missing a Sunday Service at St. John’s. Not because I felt guilty, but more so that I might be missing something inspirational at church that day that would help put my life in perspective and what god wishes for me.
Which brings me to why I am here. I’ve had the distinct pleasure and honor to lead the St. John’s ushering team for the past few years. I have also been a volunteer usher off and on for much longer, dependent on my other roles here at church. I’ve served on the Vestry, Building Committees, Sunday School Teacher, and as a Youth Group Mentor. My newest role came into being a few months ago when I met my good friend Reggie Baird in the parking lot below Thaxter Hall one day. He asked me if I would be interested in pulling a team together to do a daily walk through of our buildings. Reggie knew that there was a need to check on the health and security of the buildings while they are not being occupied. How could I say no to a guy who leaned precariously off of a 10 foot ladder in the middle of a church service a couple of years ago to fix a bell ringer, just in time for us to ring the bell for the Communion service!
Each time I get involved with activities at St. John’s, I’ve been truly humbled, but more importantly in awe of the people that I have worked with in these various roles and how quickly people stepped forward to volunteer their time and many gifts and talents to these “Ministries”. When I have started these endeavors, I’ve gone in with fear and trepidation of whether I can get enough people to participate, and if we can do this with joy, have fun, and not have it feel like an obligation for the team members. I am happy to share with you, that everyone to a person, has been such a joy to work with and my fears have been proven unfounded every time.
I’m sure everyone feels the same way as I do, but I am constantly amazed at what happens when there is a need at St. John’s for our many projects and outreach in the community. There seems to always be the perfect person or group of people with the specific talent, skill sets, passion, and love for our church community to be able to make these miracles happen and get them across the finish line to completion. These wonderful folks do this, not to get recognition or credit, but because they truly love helping our church and each other.
There are way too many people to mention in this reflection to give thanks and appreciation, but I am so proud to be a part of this loving community. There are many parishioners, clergy, staff, choir, students, and others that work quietly behind the scenes every day to make sure that we are able to keep our doors open, make an impact in our local community and also out in the world. And for this I am truly grateful!
“We had a good friendship and walked together to God’s Temple”
Psalm 55:14