Mickey Connolly and Tana Cochran | Rob Andrew | Andrew Morley | Dot Jackson | Phil Ecklund | Michelle and David Webb | Charlie and Lauren Hager
None of us raised ourselves. Our families and communities like school, church & neighborhood all play a part. Some rearing happens by heritage, some by accident and occasionally we get to put ourselves in a relationship that shapes who we are. Tana and I have had the wit and good fortune to put ourselves in a relationship called St. John’s and that choice shapes us profoundly.
Thirteen years ago we came here searching for a spiritual home. We had visited other churches and felt like we had to fit a mold in order to belong. With Fr. Rol we experienced an unqualified welcome and we heard our lives in what he said not just the rubrics and rules of a church. St. John’s became home.
Our children, EmmaRose and Guy were baptized here. Mother Nancee, Cathy and Merritt touch them quite directly. Brian and Tom taught them to celebrate music and trust their voices. We thank each of you who have given your time to their spiritual education: they are better people for knowing you.
Tana has been able to express her love of God, beauty and music here. We both have been shaped by many of you and are better parents, spouses and individuals for the experience. We are more rooted in a relationship with God that makes sense everyday, not just Sundays. The only danger I see is that we may take all this benefit for granted. That’s why I like the blessed discomfort of stewardship when we stop to ask, “Will we invest equal to the difference St. John’s makes in our lives?” It is an important question because we don’t raise ourselves. We’re exploring that question at our house because the Cochran-Connolly family wants this remarkable community to keep helping us each become who God intends for us to be.
