From the Rector | September 2026

by Br. Aelred Dean, Rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

Anamnesis – To call back into the present

Every September, the old song drifts back into the air: “Try to remember the kind of September…” Even without singing the full lyrics, the tune nudges us toward a gentle truth — that remembering is not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It is a spiritual practice. It is, in the language of Scripture, anamnesis — the Greek word meaning “to call back into the present,” to remember in a way that changes us now.

In the New Testament, anamnesis is not about replaying the past like a movie. It is remembering in a way that makes the past active again. When Jesus says, “Do this in remembrance of me,” he is not asking the disciples to think fondly of him. He is inviting them to let his life, his love, and his self‑giving become present and powerful in their own lives. Anamnesis is memory with momentum.

From the Rector | August 2026

by Br. Aelred Dean, Rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

Theology of Change

Change is rarely a single moment; it is a slow, holy unfolding. Thomas à Kempis, the quiet medieval voice behind The Imitation of Christ, understood transformation not as a dramatic conversion event but as a lifelong pilgrimage of becoming. In his world, growing in sanctification (to set apart for special use or purpose) was not lightning but steady fire—a daily consenting to God’s shaping love. For the church, this lens offers a way to understand change as both inner renewal and social transformation, braided together in the Spirit’s work.

From the Rector | July 2026

by Br. Aelred Dean, Rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

St. Paul’s at 150: Moving Forward in Faith, Strength, and Ship‑Shape Readiness

As St. Paul’s Episcopal Church celebrates 150 years of worship, service, and community in Columbus, Indiana, we find ourselves standing in that sacred space where gratitude meets responsibility. Anniversaries are never just about looking back — they’re about asking what kind of future we are preparing to hand to the next generation of disciples. And this year, your vestry has taken that question seriously.