Anything we do in this building, or to this building, should reflect that relationship. We are not in a museum or a social club. We hold concerts here, but this is not primarily a performance space. We are in a sheepfold - a shelter that has been hallowed to hold us and designed to point us toward Christ - Christ, who is the gate to abundant life; the way to a life that has depth and meaning. Just as the Altar Guild cares for the linens on the altar out of reverence for God, so too should we all care for the fabric of this sheepfold around us.

Time, weather and termites have taken their toll. The termites appear to be gone but the damage remains. Now that we are through the three years of transition that spans between two Rectors, it is time to turn our attention to the care of our sheepfold once again. We have already begun receiving funds but more are needed. Our current Junior Warden, Ed Tillman, has built on the research done by our former Junior Warden, Tom Twells. Between them we have generated a scope of work and received clear estimates of what it will take to discharge it. It is always wise to build in a factor for contingencies in an older building, and Ed has done this.

If our sheepfold were built of sticks and mud, we would gather volunteers and a few dollars and be done in an afternoon. But we have been gifted with the beauty of brick, plaster and woodwork. It will cost $200,000 and the work will be done over months.

We have built up a reserve of tens of thousands of dollars in the repair fund in anticipation of this work. We have enough to start. We need the means to finish. We are not mounting an extended formal campaign but we need gifts large and small. Some of you had returned a survey to the Academy that indicated your willingness to give for repairs to the church. Now is the time. Others of you have heard directly from Ed. I have spoken of these needs to the whole congregation in the newsletter, at the annual meeting and from this pulpit. Now is the time to act. Put your check in the plate or send it in to the office. Mark it Church Restoration Fund. This is the sheepfold that encloses us we need to keep it sound.

We will begin the restoration and replacement of wainscotting and wiring this summer. This will require the temporary removal of some pews. The work will be done in phases to minimize the disruption. But you can count on having some surprises and adventures along the way. Do not let the cost be an obstacle, or the construction be a distraction. This is work that needs to be done and it will not get any less expensive. But let us remember the reason we are doing this work: this is the sheepfold, Christ is the gate, and we want future generations to be able to come here and learn to listen to the sound of Christ's voice.

A week from Monday a new shepherd will be joining us. The Rev. Loree Penner is coming from Saint James Church in Sewanee, Tennessee. That St. James is not far from the School of Theology from which both Loree and I received a Master of Divinity degree. Sewanee is also the seminary to which our own Laura Brecht will be going in a couple of months in her preparation for the priesthood. And it is the seminary at which Loree, Debra and I are studying for our Doctor of Ministry degree. We have an ever deeper connection between St. James, Monkton and Sewanee.

Loree's acceptance of my call to come and be my new Associate is the end result of a search that included advertising in a national magazine, putting our information on the National Church deployment web page, and making use of our Diocesan deployment officer at regional conferences. We have proceeded quickly, but without haste. I included lay leaders, Vestry people, my wife and Nathan in the interviewing process. We had many candidates to consider, and I believe we got the best fit. I am excited about the potential for Loree's ministry here.

Nathan and I are both very ready for Loree to join us. We have been happy to serve you but after carrying the work of three people between the two of us since last September, we are grateful that there will be three people once again through most of the summer.

This overlap will give us the time to do the planning that will get us ready for fall. Nathan and Loree will have until the middle of August to discuss the details of the past and the dreams for the future. These three and a half months will be time for Nathan to begin to transfer leadership to Loree and assist her as she connects with the lay leaders that make our youth programming possible.

Loree is a musician, a teacher, a preacher and a priest. She has many other gifts that we will discover over time. She will help us listen in new ways for voices on the wind, wisdom in the word, and the wonder waiting to be discovered by those who draw near enough to hear.

Have you ever noticed that when a new person joins a group, in time, the group picks up new phrases and expressions? Our language will be expanded by Loree's presence among us. As we learn the sound of her voice, our vocabulary will change. As we share our days we will pick up practices and ideas that are new to us and from which we can learn.

Loree will also learn from us. This is how healthy communities stretch and grow. This is how a flock stays together even as it discovers new places in which to graze, and maybe even new things to taste.

Learning to discern what will provide nourishment at different times in life is part of growing up - for sheep, for children and for churches. We are changing. Just as we need to work on the walls of the church, we need to continue to work on the structure of the parish and the nature of its programs

Prayer, study, stewardship and action are all part of a healthy diet for growing Christians. When we were babies we ate milk, and stained peas. But now we need different food - solid food - food that will strengthen us for the work ahead.

We have hired a new Associate whose job description was configured to recognize the current needs and limits. As Loree, Nathan and I work together, the next steps will become apparent just as new pastures become visible when shepherds come to the ridge of a hill.

Your vestry and I are creative people who want the best for Saint James. We are all actively looking for what might be over this next rise. One must consider the entire landscape. John Westerhoff III, a Christian Educator and writer, says that the church is an ecology. Shepherds and sheep, sheepfold and gate - all are in interdependent relationship and part of a greater whole.

Let us listen for the voice of Christ. Let us pool our strength and our resources. We will be led to still waters, green pastures and life abundant. This journey will not always be smooth but the destination is certain. We know both these things from our reading of scripture.

The Twenty-Third Psalm, for example, sounds very idyllic in a quick reading. But it is actually an eyes wide-open assessment of reality. It admits that the world includes predators and the possibility of an unexpected death. It names the presence of evil and enemies and trouble. But the Twenty-Third Psalm also guides us to the truth that can uphold and sustain us - God, himself, is our guide, our shepherd. With our eyes on God's presence, and our hearts tuned to God's voice, we shall not be in want.

No matter what crosses our path we remain part of the Good Shepherd's flock, part of the family of God. This relationship encloses everything else and changes the context of our lives. The walls of this sheepfold around us are but a pointer to the house of the Lord. That is our real dwelling place, and we shall dwell there forever. AMEN