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For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, … to give you a future and hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

 

Dear People of Christ Church Cathedral,

Sometimes the plans we discern for a point still in the future require preparation in the present. So it is that I have communicated to Bishop John, Dean Chris, and parish leaders that I have accepted a call to serve as Rector of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, California. My final Sunday at Christ Church Cathedral will be our celebration of Candlemas, February 5, 2024.

It has been, and remains, my profound honour to serve you as a priest, pastor, and teacher. Our life together is full of both joys and challenges as we strive to deepen our Christian community with one another and act as agents of God’s mission in the world. To do so among such a faithful community is a privilege beyond the telling.

Adam and I arrived in Vancouver shortly after I graduated from seminary and was ordained a transitional Deacon. Since then, you have embraced us as members of the Cathedral family and the broader community. You have welcomed my dear mother with open arms. We have celebrated and wept together; we have worshiped together, learned, and served together. You have loved us, and we will always love you. As I prepare to take my leave of the Cathedral, I carry each of you in my heart, knowing that I am a better priest because of you.

In our remaining time together, we have plenty to do. Discerning priorities for a new season in the Cathedral’s life; hearing and discerning the Spirit’s call to faithfulness in a changing world; promoting deeper collaborations with one another and our community partners; engaging broadly with acts of service; serving as more faithful stewards of creation; all of this demands our best efforts, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and will not be put on hold.

As we give thanks for all that has been and all that will be, I conclude with St. Paul’s affirmation: Glory to God, whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to generation in the church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever.

Faithfully yours in Christ,

The Reverend Adam L. Dawkins