I am thrilled to introduce our new Interim Rector, The Rev. Alexander (Lex) Breckinridge IV, who will join us beginning Sunday, June 15, and serve at Trinity until the time a permanent rector is identified and hired.
Thank you to the numerous folks who made this possible: the Diocese of Louisiana, the Interim search committee, our dedicated clergy and staff, and the network of support clergy who have stepped up to preach, celebrate and serve at Trinity during this transitional time. We will soon be sending out dates for opportunities to meet and connect with Lex, in the meantime, I know you will extend him a warm Trinity welcome.
Sincerely,
George Young
Senior Warden
Dear friends,
It was just a year ago that Zonnie and I bought a little cottage Uptown with the intention of spending the winter months here in New Orleans following my retirement as Rector of St. Thomas Church, Medina, in suburban Seattle.
The idea was to be closer to family and old friends and to escape the gloomy months in the Northwest where we would continue to reside. A bonus was that we could reconnect with our beloved Trinity, a place where we had worshipped and served as we raised our young family of three children. And it was in 1995 that Trinity sent my family and me off to seminary in Austin.
Now, 30 years later, after a long and winding journey as a parish rector and school chaplain in Austin and Seattle, here we are again. Home. The circle completed. We never imagined that an opportunity to serve our beloved Trinity might arise, but now that it has, it is with delight and a sense of great privilege that I have accepted the call to serve as Trinity’s Interim Rector in this season of transition and discernment.
For many of you, this may be your first experience living in an “interim time,” a time between the departure of one ordained leader and the arrival of another. So what exactly does an interim rector do?
It’s a bit like the role that John the Baptist played in Jesus’s life and ministry. John said his work was to “(p)repare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” In other words, to get the people ready for the coming Messiah.
Now, no one will ever confuse me with John the Baptist. After all, it’s too warm in New Orleans to dress in camel’s hair and my diet sure doesn’t include locusts and wild honey. And let’s also be assured that the next rector won’t be the Messiah. That role has already been filled.
What we will be doing together in this “in-between time” is prayerfully discerning who and what the Lord Jesus is calling this beloved community to be and do as we turn the page to the next chapter in Trinity’s beautiful story.
We will continue to build a community of compassion and connection among ourselves, a place of hospitality and welcome to the stranger in our midst and to those who are longing for a spiritual home. We will continue to grow as a learning community, a place where study and prayer and guided reflection will lead us ever more deeply into our faith. We will continue to reflect the Just and Peaceable Kingdom that God calls us to be, a place of witness to our neighbors, the City of New Orleans, and the world. We will continue to grow as a worshipping community, a place where faithfully curated liturgy and transcendent music will give us a glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven, refreshing and empowering us for the everyday work of ministry.
Of course, there’s a lot more to say and do and we will be spending time together in groups, small and large, imagining all of that. In the meantime, I’m eager to meet those of you I don’t know and to reconnect with folks I haven’t seen in many years. The Wardens and Vestry are planning some informal gatherings where we can greet one another and share our hopes for the future that God has for this place.
Please sign up for one of these times together when the dates are made available. I’ll look forward to seeing you!
Blessings and Peace,
The Reverend Lex Breckinridge
