October 3, 2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

May God’s grace and peace abound to you through our Lord Jesus Christ!

I was prayerful returning to my bed following a midnight antibiotic infusion earlier this week. In the still of the night, the Lord calls to my mind a phrase from Psalm 84: “...they go through the valley of Baca…”. I quickly turned to read this Psalm again even as God’s Spirit was revealing the “state of my soul” still weak in recovery, longing for renewed strength, and anticipating our time together at Mission Conference and Synod in a few weeks.

My heart resounds with the pilgrim’s anticipation of arriving among the congregation of the Lord:

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!

My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD;

my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God…

Blessed are those who dwell in your house,

ever singing your praise!”

(Psalm 84:1-2, 4)

After weeks of recovery isolation, I can hardly wait to be with you in worship, fellowship, and the work of the Church. This will certainly not be business as usual in my heart. May God increase our desire for his courts filled with his Spirit as we gather.

My heart joins the pilgrim in yearning for God’s strengthening touch for the blessings to come: 

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs;

the early rain also covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.”

(Psalm 84:5-7)

May God strengthen each of us day by day for our “pilgrimage to Canton”. May he transform our “valley of tears” with the refreshing pools of his presence. May we arrive together graced to “appear before God” with renewed vigor of body and soul to worship him in Spirit and Truth.

I pray with the pilgrim with confidence in God’s goodness and singularity of focus:

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor.

No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!”

(Psalm 84:11-12)

May we trust deeply in his goodness to bestow his enabling favor upon us. While we prepare our hearts, plan with care, and commit ourselves to arrive as a fellowship of good-hearted brothers and sisters in Christ, may our deepest trust be in Christ alone to bless us together for our good and his glory!

Please pray with me:

“O God, by your grace you have called us in this Diocese to be

a good and godly fellowship of faith. Bless our Bishops, and other clergy 

and all our people. Grant that your Word may be truly preached

and truly heard, your Sacraments faithfully administered and faithfully received.

By your Spirit, fashion our lives according to the example of your Son,

and grant that we may show the power of your love to all among

whom we live; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.“

Your servant for Jesus’ sake,

+Mark

———————————————————————————————————

POETRY BY BISHOP ALLEN

I drive past the swinging church bells often enough

to note the bend in their sound waves

--They bunch up faster and sound higher as I race towards them

and spread out two tones lower as I drive away.

Not so with waves of light.

If I attained half of light's speed,

to try to catch it leaving,

it would never slow down for me

nor greet me faster

if I ran towards it.

Light

always comes at you sideways

like a wrestler you didn't know was there.

What else would you expect

to come from that one

who is perpendicular to our plans

and always light himself.

—————————————————-

not a sour, dour, glowering Lord,

nor a merchant frowning at figures,

nor a wharfman who lowers the bale

with a lurch;

with eyes of light 

you bless

and hands of love 

you lift

your beloved: the church.

CHURCH PLANTING

Always Forward Podcast Interviews with The Very Rev. Brian Wolthuis and The Very Rev. Kris Rolls

NEXTGEN MINISTRIES

IN OUR CONGREGATIONS

RESOURCES AND MORE

RECOMMENDED TEXTS