Land and Work Acknowledgment: MNYS offices are located in Manhattan, which was once home to the Lenape and the six Haudenosaunee nations—Seneca, Cayuga, Tuscarora, Mohawk, Oneida, and Onondaga. Also acknowledged is the work of approximately 2600 enslaved residents of African descent living in Manhattan, as those who were bound by indentured servitude.
Dear Siblings in Christ,
One of my favorite songs of all times is The Heart of the Matter, written by Don Henley, Mike Campbell, and JD Souther. It is a song about heartbreak and how we move forward from there. While that song did not make it into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, Don Henley did earn that recognition for another song. Personally, I think The Heart of the Matter should be in the Hall of Fame because it speaks to the human condition, regardless of the relationship in which it is applied. It one of the best songs ever written. I am favorably biased!
My favorite lyrics of this song are:
“These times are so uncertain, there’s a yearning undefined, and people are filled with rage; we all need a little tenderness; how can love survive in such a graceless age?”
We know the answer. God is love. This love endures the ravages of time, distance and circumstance because God sent Jesus to remind us of that love and teach us the way of compassion and reconciliation. Love is our calling and is the work of MNYS in the world.
Bishop Egensteiner’s vision for the calling and work of LOVE is summarized in MISSION FORWARD:
- Our PURPOSE is to live like Christ in our communities
- The PRIORITY of our synod is to have community-oriented pastors in all viable congregations
- A key PRINCIPLE is to ensure reparative justice and advocacy
Implementing the gospel of Jesus Christ is no small task However, MISSION FORWARD has provided a road map to implementation with God to illumine our path as we follow walking by faith. The second bullet has been a priority for me, as an Assistant to the Bishop, in that I have managed to place twelve “community-oriented pastors in viable congregations,” for the sake of the local congregation, as well as for the greater glory of God. Bullet points #1 and #2 have been expressed in myriad ways, in that they are the commission and call of each baptized child of God.
As such, I have co-labored with many of you by interacting with conference deans, local pastors, synodical deacons, and lay leaders to find viable ways to “live like Christ in [their] our communities;” worked with the MNYS synodical team; prayed; worshipped; and celebrated with many of you. Though the times are uncertain God remains our “Blessed Assurance” and our constant.
May of 2025 concludes two years since I began work at the Metropolitan Synod office. I have learned much. I have learned new ways to apply Luther’s statement: “We serve God and the neighbor.”
None of this is possible without God, who is love (I John 4:8), and who is at “The Heart of the Matter.”
One with you in Christ,
The Rev. Angela Shannon (she/her/hers)