A New Ministry on Long Island
A NEW MINISTRY ON LONG ISLAND
A thirteen-year-old vision for a ministry on Long Island is coming to fruition this fall. In 2007, Revs. Sean and Kate Norris were living on Long Island. They had interrupted their seminary training to seek the Lord’s direction for their vocational lives. They both loved the arts – Kate a visual artist, Sean a musician, and both writers - and both had gifts for ministry. It was in this time that the Lord confirmed their call by making his radical grace known over and over to them and through them.
They began to realize that there were places of deep pain in their lives that not only prevented them from living into the fullness of who God had created them to be, but also led them into unhealthy patterns. As the Lord opened these areas of pain up to them, they came to see that his grace extended even into those dark places, and they began to experience profound healing. But that wasn’t the end. The Lord has continued, even to the present, peeling back layers of pain and dysfunction and administering His radical grace there as well. As a result, they have been set free to become the people God has called them to be and are being enabled to live authentic lives in Christ.
Sean and Kate had a vision in 2007 to establish a community where others who are experiencing deep pain and are unable to experience an authentic life in Christ could experience that radical grace. At the same time, the Lord had confirmed their call to ordained ministry, so the vision had to wait. Now, these many years later, having completed seminary, been ordained, planted a church, and served in a large parish, they feel the Lord telling them it is time to act on that vision.
Most of us have found that it‘s not easy to share the Gospel. People often put up various defenses when we try. Kate and Sean have found that ministering through their artistic gifts allows them to go deep with people, to where the real pain lies, and to speak God’s word of radical grace and hope there. So, as artist missionaries, they have recently moved to Long Island to create a missional arts community that can be a place of retreat, sabbatical, recovery, and incubator of new ministries. Under the name Dandelion Ministries, they hope to gather a vibrant arts community around the good news of God’s grace, regularly worshipping together, and raising up others to go and begin their own missional communities in other neighborhoods. They will be hosting arts and worship evenings, leading Bible studies, and facilitating recovery groups. They also hope to lead retreats for people from all walks of life: the person who has never heard the gospel, the burnt-out pastor, the failed church planter, or the tired congregant who has not yet heard her pain described in the light of grace and is about to give up on Christians all together. If you want more information about this work, feel free to contact Sean (sean.r.norris@gmail.com) or Kate (kate.m.norris@gmail.com).
Kate and Sean have two children, Rhyan and Skylar, who have joined them on this adventure. We are excited for their vision and ministry and pray that the Lord will bless them and bless those to whom they offer God’s radical grace. Please welcome them to our diocese.
– written by Rev. Canon Ross Kimball