Dear Family & Friends,
I am writing to you all with excitement, joy, a certain amount of fear, and a large amount of trust. I am thrilled to say that I have been recommended for ordination as an Anglican priest in the PEAR-USA (a missional church plant of the Anglican Church of Rwanda in the U.S.), and will begin a two year process of ordination that will involve me devoting my time to a curacy under Pastor Tommy Hinson at Church of the Advent, in Washington D.C. I want to tell you a little bit more about the church, the denomination, my role, and the future of my ministry growth and pastoral work.
Church of the Advent is an Anglican Reformed church that worships with the ancient and beautiful liturgy of the Anglican Church, but does it in a modernized context. I can say, having not grown up in a liturgical church, that I was skeptical at first, but have fallen in love with the beauty and rhythm that liturgy provides as each worship service offers an opportunity to enter into and walk through the whole of God’s story in the world: creation, fall, redemption and renewal. Weekly partaking in the sacrament of communion has become a blessed and life-giving part of my weekly worship, and being given the opportunity to lead others in this experience of worshipping the triune God is an honor and a privilege. Advent’s vision is to “seek God’s renewal of ourselves, our city, and our world.”
The denomination carries this same vision and lives it out through a commitment to plant churches that plant churches that plant churches. The model and method is be outward-facing, missional communities that exist for those who do not yet belong. The churches are intended to be and commit themselves to being neighborhood churches that exist for the blessing of their specific neighborhood, and for the members to live in the neighborhood and live life in a intentional way of blessing the community with their lives and love. Through this vision the denomination has made a commitment to training and raising up leaders to pastor in this model and mission of church life. It is through this that PEAR-USA has recommended me for ordination to the Anglican priesthood under Pastor Tommy Hinson and Bishop Steve Breedlove.
As for my pastoral growth, it has been leading to this path for the past year or so. I have been a part of the pastoral residency program through PEAR-USA called the Simeon Fellowship. This is a two-year residency, not unlike medical residencies intended to help teach on the job and instill pastoral values and wisdom in rising pastors. It has been through this and my seminary training that God has called me to ordained ministry, and specifically in this particular church and denominational context.
My role and ministry path from here is why I am writing you as well. I am accepting a position as a curate and pastoral assistant for at least the next two years. Due to the missional nature of the denomination, and the passionate devotion to training new pastors, PEAR-USA and Church of the Advent needs assistance to be able to fund the position of curate. So my writing to you is three-fold: pray, learn, and give if you are able. I am so humbled by the thought of being ordained and the joy and responsibility that comes with a lifetime of ordained ministry that the most needed thing right now is your prayers. Pray for guidance, discernment, and growth for my ministry, God’s church, and me personally. Learn about what Church of the Advent and I are doing by following my blog at joshtruiter.tumblr.com and through email newsletters I will be starting in November.
Lastly, is the giving, which is usually the most difficult part in these types of letters and invitations, because in all honesty no one likes asking for money! But alas, church work is a communal responsibility and opportunity to journey together in chasing after Jesus. So, actually, I am excited to ask you to deeply consider and pray about giving to the "Curacy Fund" of Church of the Advent, which is not only necessary for my curacy, but the very system by which a sustainable flow of pastoral development is rooted. If you would be willing and feel called to join me in this journey of ordination through giving of your financial gifts, you can do it in two ways. You can do a lump sum donation of the amount of your choice, or (as it may be easier and more sustainable) you can do a monthly contribution on a two-year commitment. The goal is to get 30-40 families to commit to $100 or $200 a month for the next 24-36 months that can sustain my ordination costs and living expense as well as help in church planting in Washington D.C.
If you can give then you can make any checks payable to Church of the Advent and memo-line “Advent Curacy Fund”. The mailing address for Church of the Advent is: 2000 P St. NW | Suite 410 | Washington, D.C. | 20036. You can also donate through the church website at www.adventdc.org (just make sure you clarify that it is for the “Advent Curacy Fund”.
Thank you so much for every prayer, encouragement and gift you give, and please know that I am humbled not only by the call to ordained ministry, but by your love for God and his church and continual part you play in His kingdom.
Stay Blessed,
Your Brother in Christ,
Joshua T Ruiter
I am writing to you all with excitement, joy, a certain amount of fear, and a large amount of trust. I am thrilled to say that I have been recommended for ordination as an Anglican priest in the PEAR-USA (a missional church plant of the Anglican Church of Rwanda in the U.S.), and will begin a two year process of ordination that will involve me devoting my time to a curacy under Pastor Tommy Hinson at Church of the Advent, in Washington D.C. I want to tell you a little bit more about the church, the denomination, my role, and the future of my ministry growth and pastoral work.
Church of the Advent is an Anglican Reformed church that worships with the ancient and beautiful liturgy of the Anglican Church, but does it in a modernized context. I can say, having not grown up in a liturgical church, that I was skeptical at first, but have fallen in love with the beauty and rhythm that liturgy provides as each worship service offers an opportunity to enter into and walk through the whole of God’s story in the world: creation, fall, redemption and renewal. Weekly partaking in the sacrament of communion has become a blessed and life-giving part of my weekly worship, and being given the opportunity to lead others in this experience of worshipping the triune God is an honor and a privilege. Advent’s vision is to “seek God’s renewal of ourselves, our city, and our world.”
The denomination carries this same vision and lives it out through a commitment to plant churches that plant churches that plant churches. The model and method is be outward-facing, missional communities that exist for those who do not yet belong. The churches are intended to be and commit themselves to being neighborhood churches that exist for the blessing of their specific neighborhood, and for the members to live in the neighborhood and live life in a intentional way of blessing the community with their lives and love. Through this vision the denomination has made a commitment to training and raising up leaders to pastor in this model and mission of church life. It is through this that PEAR-USA has recommended me for ordination to the Anglican priesthood under Pastor Tommy Hinson and Bishop Steve Breedlove.
As for my pastoral growth, it has been leading to this path for the past year or so. I have been a part of the pastoral residency program through PEAR-USA called the Simeon Fellowship. This is a two-year residency, not unlike medical residencies intended to help teach on the job and instill pastoral values and wisdom in rising pastors. It has been through this and my seminary training that God has called me to ordained ministry, and specifically in this particular church and denominational context.
My role and ministry path from here is why I am writing you as well. I am accepting a position as a curate and pastoral assistant for at least the next two years. Due to the missional nature of the denomination, and the passionate devotion to training new pastors, PEAR-USA and Church of the Advent needs assistance to be able to fund the position of curate. So my writing to you is three-fold: pray, learn, and give if you are able. I am so humbled by the thought of being ordained and the joy and responsibility that comes with a lifetime of ordained ministry that the most needed thing right now is your prayers. Pray for guidance, discernment, and growth for my ministry, God’s church, and me personally. Learn about what Church of the Advent and I are doing by following my blog at joshtruiter.tumblr.com and through email newsletters I will be starting in November.
Lastly, is the giving, which is usually the most difficult part in these types of letters and invitations, because in all honesty no one likes asking for money! But alas, church work is a communal responsibility and opportunity to journey together in chasing after Jesus. So, actually, I am excited to ask you to deeply consider and pray about giving to the "Curacy Fund" of Church of the Advent, which is not only necessary for my curacy, but the very system by which a sustainable flow of pastoral development is rooted. If you would be willing and feel called to join me in this journey of ordination through giving of your financial gifts, you can do it in two ways. You can do a lump sum donation of the amount of your choice, or (as it may be easier and more sustainable) you can do a monthly contribution on a two-year commitment. The goal is to get 30-40 families to commit to $100 or $200 a month for the next 24-36 months that can sustain my ordination costs and living expense as well as help in church planting in Washington D.C.
If you can give then you can make any checks payable to Church of the Advent and memo-line “Advent Curacy Fund”. The mailing address for Church of the Advent is: 2000 P St. NW | Suite 410 | Washington, D.C. | 20036. You can also donate through the church website at www.adventdc.org (just make sure you clarify that it is for the “Advent Curacy Fund”.
Thank you so much for every prayer, encouragement and gift you give, and please know that I am humbled not only by the call to ordained ministry, but by your love for God and his church and continual part you play in His kingdom.
Stay Blessed,
Your Brother in Christ,
Joshua T Ruiter
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