“May God give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.”

Psalm 20:4

Today is a very big deal in the life of our presbytery. We are no longer the Sacramento Presbytery. As of today, we have combined with the Stockton Presbytery and we are now officially the North Central California Presbytery. This has taken years to form and countless committee meetings and votes…and today is the official day. Our presbytery family has become larger as we enhance our connectional ministry with one another. We received an email from our General Presbyter, Mary Westfall, this morning celebrating this announcement with this lovely poem included. New beginnings abound!

Beloved Is Where We Begin      

If you would enter
into the wilderness,
do not begin
without a blessing.

Do not leave
without hearing
who you are:
Beloved,
named by the One
who has traveled this path
before you.

Do not go
without letting it echo
in your ears,
and if you find
it is hard
to let it into your heart,
do not despair.
That is what
this journey is for.

I cannot promise
this blessing will free you
from danger,
from fear,
from hunger
or thirst,
from the scorching
of sun
or the fall
of the night.

But I can tell you
that on this path
there will be help.

I can tell you
that on this way
there will be rest.

I can tell you
that you will know
the strange graces
that come to our aid
only on a road
such as this,
that fly to meet us
bearing comfort
and strength,
that come alongside us
for no other cause
than to lean themselves
toward our ear
and with their
curious insistence
whisper our name:

Beloved.
Beloved.
Beloved.

—Jan Richardson
from Circle of Grace