Some people love attending high school class reunions, others not so much. Some of us are in the middle; we could be happy going or staying home. However, now that I think about it, I don’t remember seeing an invitation to a reunion this year, which is strange because 2026 marks 30 years for our class of 1996. The fact that society today is hyper connected by social media may have zapped the motivation for class presidents to take up the task of planning a shindig. We’ve all seen each others vacation photos, career milestones, heartbreaks, and triumphs, even if only from afar. Facebook has helped us see who has gone bald, who has died, and who has been remarried once or twice (or not at all). And to be honest, it’s all been a little wonderful and a little bit bizarre. None of us had this on our bingo card, that’s for sure!

This September, as our students head back to Pullman, or Stanwood High School, or wherever they attend, the relationships they will build, the memories they will form, and the hard won lessons they will gain are top of heart and mind. Many of us know how formative those experiences are, and the way in which God uses them to launch us on a path through life that helps us discover joy and meaning in pursuits that reflect his love working within us.

The journey students take is a great reminder that none of us can do it alone. It takes all sorts of people coming into our lives at different points to give us what we needed at just that moment. Recently, at a forty year wedding anniversary party with friends (of an older cohort) from my childhood church of St James, Kent, I rediscovered this truth. Whole swaths of people were there who were not on Facebook. I encountered familiar faces I had not seen in 30 years, but that were just as bright and warm as they were when I was sixteen. They were a slightly older generation who loved and mentored those below them with faithfulness and patience. While sipping rose wine and catching up on the details of their lives I realized the impact they had made and it was tremendous. The importance of community and the spiritual grace inherent in the Body of Christ is incredible and in some ways immeasurable.

This is one of reasons I (and many others) was drawn to St Aidan’s. Many feel the presence of Christ alive in the community here, a community that is intentional about be in each other’s lives. There is a quiet knowing that none of us can do it all by ourselves. We need each other’s prayers and presence. These simple things can literally be healing balm.

With this in mind a public service of healing is planned for Sunday, September 20th at the eight and ten o’clock services. This is a service where all are welcome and encouraged to come forward and receive the laying on of hands and special prayers for healing — whether physical, emotional, spiritual, or otherwise. It is a time for the whole community to receive the healing balm of Christ that is present among us and available to all. I urge everyone that can attend to do so, if possible. Your presence as a member of the Body of Christ brings grace and power with it!

As you make your way through September may you find joy with friends and may you know the love and healing grace of God.

Yours in Christ,
Drew+