\u201cIt\u2019s all about the call. It\u2019s all about the message. It\u2019s all about the people.\u201d Those were words the Very Rev. John Burwell, Rector of Church of the Redeemer, Orangeburg, stressed in his sermon at the ordination to the priesthood of the Rev. Matthew Rivers, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 at St. John\u2019s Chapel in Charleston.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a job. You can\u2019t treat it like one,\u201d said Burwell. \u201cIt\u2019s a calling.\u201d He noted that though the ordination itself would be \u201cglorious,\u201d the ministry entails hard, often thankless work and clergy rarely see the result of their efforts.<\/p>\n
He encouraged Rivers, using words spoken to him personally by the late Bishop Terry Kelshaw, saying, \u201cPreach the Word \u2013 the good news \u2013 every Sunday and your church will grow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burwell also encouraged Rivers to focus on the people. Quoting his grandmother, he said, \u201cThey don\u2019t care what you know until they know you care.\u201d \u201cLove the people the Lord puts in your path,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n (Diocese of SC) Matthew Rivers Ordained to the Priesthood https:\/\/t.co\/rfMxlyuuY5<\/a> #anglican<\/a> #parishministry<\/a> #southcarolina<\/a> #lowcountrylife<\/a> #charlestonsc<\/a> @HolyCitySinner<\/a> \u201cThey don\u2019t care what you know until they know you care\u201d pic.twitter.com\/KrB7ZtNsE0<\/a><\/p>\n — Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) December 6, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n