When I was elected, one of the first dates put on my calendar was January 28, 2018. That seemed like a LONG way away in April of 2016 but as we know, time flies.

St. John, Wilson, was planted in 1918 by hopeful and faithful German farmers and ranchers who had moved to this area about 30 miles south of Lubbock in search of opportunity and hard work. They found both in Wilson. Over the next 100 years they learned the challenges of dry land cotton farming on the Llano Estacado. Built a lovely sanctuary next door to the Baptist church and have served faithfully all desiring hear the gospel and in recent years running a food pantry in this little town of 500 people.

We celebrated the day in grand fashion. Giving thanks for shared heritage and connections and the ministry of this faithful community. Since 2012 this congregation has been served by SAWL Tonda Freitag who grew up in the parish and attended our Parish Lay Ministry Academy. This willingness of the community to welcome Tonda’s leadership has enabled them to be financially stable while also seeing some opportunities for growth as Lubbock continues to expand. I was grateful for the time with this community and their exceptional hospitality. We are #InMissionTogether