Dear Friends,

In 2012, our children planted a dogwood tree at the front entrance to our garden, in thanksgiving for the nearly decade-long ministries of Art Schnitzel and Simon Ringrose, our Godly Play teachers. It was a beautiful addition to the garden, and a lasting way of saying “thank you” to two dedicated teachers.

The winter of 2014-15 was not kind to the tree. Massive amounts of snow caused considerable damage, and some feared that the tree would not survive. But a tree grows in Charlestown! Bowed but not broken, the tree is recovering and blooming for us this spring. Our gardeners,  especially Francie Malo and Rosemary Kverek, have lovingly tended to the tree, and its blossoms have been greeting us for the last week or two as we have arrived at church.

“Resilience” is a word that comes to mind as I look at that tree. Buried under feet of snow, many of its branches were broken. Some of the harm came from persons unaware of what they were doing. One morning, I hurried out of the office to stop a young couple who was digging out their parked car. They had no idea that they were piling snow onto a tree that had already mostly disappeared. They were quite apologetic, but some damage was done.

“Resilience” is a word that come to mind when I think of our lives as Christians. To be a Christian and commit ourselves to Christ does not mean that we will some be protected from the challenges and vicissitudes of life. Just read the book of Acts, and you will see how quickly Christians can get into trouble. Yet down through the centuries, from those earliest followers to martyrs of today, followers of Jesus have found again and again a kind of resillience to live out their lives, not only with endurance, but even with joy. The late William Sloan Coffin was fond of saying, “God promises us minimum protection, maximum security.”

When the blooming dogwood greets me as I arrive at the office, it brings a smile to my face. I give thanks for its beauty, and for its resilience. And I hope that my life can offer a sign to the world of what faithfulness in the midst of it all can mean.

Faithfully,

Tom