Be Persistent, Pray Always, and Do Not Lose Heart

I first spoke with a bishop about my ordination process over fifteen years ago and I’ve now been ordained as a priest for more than ten. In my entire life as a Christian and as an Episcopalian, I’ve never known a Church that has not been existentially terrified. Before I was ordained, I was told again and again that I could not count on a full-time job or a job at all or even the survival of The Episcopal Church. When COVID hit in early 2020, many thought that the Church’s ultimate demise was only becoming more imminent. Not many of us would have believed then that we would soon see multiple years of double digit growth, that in person attendance on some Sundays would exceed pre-pandemic levels, that children would again be teeming down our aisles, that young people in their 20s and 30s would be flocking to church at rates we haven’t seen in decades, that through the combination of virtual and in person attendance we would be reaching more people than we ever have before. What we are currently experiencing at St. Bart’s is a testament to the power of perseverance, to the importance of persisting through both favorable and unfavorable times, to the significance of holding on—even when it seems like other forces will prevail, to the necessity of praying always and never losing heart. from “Be Persistent, Pray Always, and Do Not Lose Heart”, Sermon preached by the Reverend Peter Thompson, Vicar and Interim Rector, on the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, October 19, 2025.