In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul writes:

He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord… And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.

As a 32-year-old unmarried man, I’ve been reflecting on whether I’ve been taking advantage of this season of my life “for the things of the Lord,” serving the Church “without distraction.” Reflecting on the lives of the Apostles, Saints, and martyrs throughout history, and those missionaries domestic and abroad in the Church today, I can’t shake the feeling that I should be giving more of myself to the Lord, living a much more missional life than I have been much of my adulthood. Within the first couple years of coming to Christ, I had gone on a mission trip to Lakartinya, Kenya, with a group from the church I was attending in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, at the time. There was a sense of risk, adventure, purpose, and mission for the Gospel of Jesus Christ during that trip that I haven’t quite felt as strongly since.

Over the past year, serving at the Saint Andrew’s church mission here in Phoenix, along with beginning the seminary program at Cranmer Theological House, my desire to live a missional life for the Lord has reignited stronger than ever before—to such a degree that I must respond to the calling. In the past, I’ve been able to distract myself, but the Lord has presented an opportunity that makes inaction impossible.

St. Andrew’s Church, Academy, & College, located in Lake Almanor, California (Yes, they share the same name as our Phoenix mission), offers a Bridge Year program where I will spend a year worshipping and living in community, being trained and spiritually formed for the service of the Church and the surrounding community in various ways, including:

Daily morning and evening communal prayer
Academic and pedagogical training in classical Christian education
Administrative service and fundraising experience for churches
Content creation and publishing experience for Christian missions
Theological and liturgical training
Daily fellowship with a wonderful group of Christians
Learning how to be of service to others and to be all things to all people
Discernment for holy orders (deacon/priest)

I visited St. Andrew’s Almanor in early July, and it was both the hardest I’ve worked and the most peaceful I’ve felt in a very long time. And ever since I’ve returned home, I haven’t been able to shake the sense of purpose I felt serving and communing with those wonderful people. Therefore, I’ve decided to commit to their Bridge Year program and move up to Northern California by September of this year.

First and foremost, I absolutely need your ongoing prayers for not only my relocation process but also during my time there so that I may be quickened to the call for the entire duration of the program, overcome fears and distractions, and faithfully rely on Christ for whatever He has in store for me. If the Spirit moves you at all to support me financially, that will make it easier for me to focus on the program without having to acquire some part-time work to satisfy housing and food expenses for the year. Also, I plan to give you regular digital updates—via blog or something similar—to keep those interested in supporting me updated on my time during this program.

I’m excited to serve the Lord in this way with you and look forward to the contributions we’ll make to the Church together.

God bless,

Joseph Pietro

Joseph Pietro – Lindisfarne Fellow

By St Andrews Academy

Joseph Pietro – Lindisfarne Fellow

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