Vestry Retreat at Penick

This morning, your Vestry gathered at Penick Village for our annual retreat—a time dedicated to prayer, building relationships, assessing our vitality, and creating a roadmap for the year ahead and beyond.

In 2026, our parish will celebrate its 100th anniversary on this block, marking a century of faithfulness and service.  This milestone places us in a pivotal season of visioning for the future.  Over the past 18 months, we have seen remarkable growth: more people coming through our red doors, more groups forming and maturing deeper into Christian discipleship and ministry, and increased financial support fueling the life of our parish.

With this abundance of growth and the approaching centennial of our church, we are excited to launch The Emmanuel Century Project—a strategic visioning initiative to explore the opportunities before us and chart a course for Emmanuel’s next chapter.  To shape this vision, we need to hear from you!

This spring we will host five parish gatherings each focusing on a different aspect of our church’s life and future:

1.     History: February 9th

2.     Ministries, Part 1: February 23rd

3.     Ministries, Part 2: March 23rd

4.     Space + Accessibility: April 27th

5.     Possibilities: May 18th

These Sunday events will take place after the 10:00 a.m. service, beginning at 11:30 a.m.  Each gathering will include a meal, presentation, and discussion.  Together, we will explore Emmanuel’s origins, evaluate our key ministries, and dream about the possibilities for our future by considering our strengths, challenges, and opportunities.

I am thrilled to begin this exciting chapter of Emmanuel’s story with you.  As we reflect on our history and envision our future, I look forward to the discovers we will make together.  This is a momentous time to be a part of Emmanuel Episcopal Church!