Good morning! My name is Kyle Bruce, and I have been asked to give the sermon for today's service.
I came to Trinity Cathedral in the summer of 2002. My first experience with Trinity was the Episcopal Youth Fellowship's annual pool party they have every August. I was really nervous going to the pool party not knowing a soul, but everyone was so friendly and welcoming that I knew Trinity was the place for me to be in the years to come.
As time passed, I became more and more involved here at Trinity. I became active in EYF, going to Cazadero, going on the ski trip, and attending a Sierra Service Project session. I started participating in Children's Chapel in the fall of 2002, and have been doing that a various times since. In the summer of 2003, I was a counselor at Camp Noel Porter in South Lake Tahoe. I joined the Youth and Family Ministry team in the fall of 2003, which started my "grown-up" experience at Trinity.
By "grown-up" experience, I mean taking the desire I had to be involved in church activities to a more grand scale, a scale in which I could interact with both youth and adults. My "grown up" experience continued when I was nominated and elected to the Vestry in the winter of 2004. Being on the Vestry taught me a lot about the importance of listening and compromising, as everyone came to the Vestry with different backgrounds, ages, and experiences. Perhaps the most important thing I learned while on the Vestry was the idea of discernment. It not only provided me with a new way of looking at difficult situations but also worked as an answer to a college application essay prompt that hopefully had something to do with my getting admitted to UCLA. For that I am eternally grateful.
Yet the Vestry and college essays were not the only places I used discernment. The most important case was during my tenure on the same Dean Search Committee that brought the Rev. Brian Baker from the ski slopes of Sun Valley, Idaho, to the flat plains of Sacramento, California.
The members of the Dean Search Committee, Candace Taylor, Al Lammers, Bob Gaines, Ted White, and Chris Lee, made being on the committee a blast. Being the only youth on a committee such as this made me very nervous. But from the outset, each member showed me so much respect and allowed me to give my opinion on every issue. In fact, they treated me like an adult. This I am most grateful for. The committee might have been horrible for me had I been stuck with people who did not let me ask questions, go on visits, or give my opinion. I think the members of this committee truly embraced having a youth as a member instead of questioning the validity of his young opinions.
Being treated like an adult was not the only blessing I incurred from being a part of the Dean Search Committee. I was also very impacted spiritually. As I mentioned before, the practice of discernment was an integral part of this committee. After each visit, we sat down and talked about the previous candidate's strengths and weaknesses, and tried to find which way God was calling us. It was during these times, and especially the final discernment that led us to call the Rev. Baker, that I felt the closest to God that I have ever felt. I do not know whether it was the significance of the mission we were undergoing or the realization that I truly played a part in the future of my church. All I know is that God was with me, guiding me, through those times. That spiritual connection is one I will never forget.
This leads me to the Gospel reading of today. Jesus says that the Father "Prunes every branch that bears fruit to make it bear more fruit". This, in essence, is my experience at Trinity Cathedral. I started out with one "fruit on my branch" meaning EYF. God then began to prune that branch, giving it more fruit to bear, like the Youth and Family Ministry Team, the Vestry, and the Dean Search Committee.
I have numerous branches in me. Family, school, and work have all provided me with much fruit. Yet, without the branch of Trinity, the vine that is, I would not be complete. As I continue my life, I may become detached from certain people and experiences. But the people I met and the experiences I had at Trinity Cathedral will be with me my entire life.
I would now like to thank the members of the Dean Search Committee for making it such a memorable experience. Candace, Al, Bob, Ted, and Chris, thank you for everything. You listened openly, respected all opinions, shared the enormous responsibility, included me in everything, and represented Trinity Cathedral outstandingly and professionally, all while maintaining a sense of humor that was contagious. Thanks again for everything.