From our August 2009 "print" monthly newsletter.
This month marks the one year anniversary of my arrival at St. Francis Anglican Church. It has been a challenging and exciting year for both Valerie and I personally and also for the parish. I am still amazed at how God worked everything out for us to come here. God enabled us to sell our house in Florida in a mere two months, got the parish the funding necessary to support a full time priest, provided housing, provided a job for Valerie, and more. These were signs that God indeed wanted us to come to St. Francis. During this past year we have seen some hopeful and exciting changes. Our attendance, membership, and giving are all slowly going up. Our average Sunday attendance is the highest it has been in a few years, and attendance at several important holy day services (e.g. Ash Wed.) were also at their highest in a few years. We have the largest number of students attending services here that anyone can remember. I am meeting more and more students who tell me how much they appreciate St. Francis in their spiritual lives; how they wished they knew it was here earlier; and how much they have learned about the Gospel and the Catholic faith through this parish. We have gotten a great deal of good publicity through two newspaper articles, joint activities with other churches, and activities around town. We have expanded our outreach to the community by ministering to those in hospice care, allowing community organizations to use the building, trying to build on our college organization, offering various classes and studies, and supporting local ministries such as the Caring Pregnancy Center, Montgomery Co. Emergency Assistance, and the Interfaith Food Pantry. More outreach activities and ministries are currently in the works. With the generous help of parishioners and friends we have begun beautifying and updating our facilities, giving them a “new look” to go along with the new attitude and life the parish has. This includes restoring our nursery, refinishing our wood floors, improving our lighting, and more. The liturgical life of the parish is at the fullest it has been in years, with daily services being offered, and all of the Prayer Book holy day services being celebrated. The church has been given some nice new, and much-needed liturgical appointments, such as sanctus bells, a thurible and incense boat, candelabra, and more. And we have been blessed to have Fr. David F. Coady join our pastoral staff. He brings years of pastoral and life experience to our parish and community, and is a joy to know and work with. We have withstood some very serious risks that arose including the loss of our longtime organist in December 2008 and the demise of our old furnaces in January 2009. In years past things like that could perhaps have destroyed the parish. But God enabled us to get through those difficult times without too much difficulty and trouble. So all in all things are looking up for us here at St. Francis. These are signs that despite suggestions by some in the past to close up shop and call it quits that God still has something for St. Francis to do for His kingdom here in Blacksburg. Still, there are significant challenges that lay ahead. St. Francis is in the red financially. We do not yet bring enough in each weekly offering to make ends meet. The church is need of a new roof (we are still relying on our the leaky original 1947 roof, patching it here and there as needed). The building needs air conditioning, not only to keep us cool, but to keep moisture down, and mildew out. The size and design of the parish hall is inadequate - we do not have a large room where we can eat together, and the way it is connected to the church is impractical and confusing. Our restroom faciltities are outdated and substandard. Our electricity needs to be upgraded. We need to increase our organists’ pay, and give Fr. Coady compensation (he currently works for free). And we need to do some renovations in the nave and sanctuary to beautify them and make them more attractive. It is important to emphasize that these physical improvements to our property are not an end in themselves, but serve a greater purpose - reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When we get visitors it is vital that our building be warm, inviting, up-to-date, and comfortable so as to encourage them to stay. So while we have made much progress, there is still more work to be done. Let us keep at, and not get faint-hearted! God has brought us this far; He will carry us along as we try to be faithful to Him. Overall I have been very pleased with the level of support and enthusiasm from everyone in the parish, and from the vestry. As we go forward I would ask us to be mindful that our number one priority is not “growth in numbers” but being faithful to God, and being a healthy parish that is Christ-centered and proclaims His redeeming love in word and deed. If we are a healthy parish growth will come naturally, just as the human body, when it is healthy, grows naturally. I would also ask us each to remember that we are Christ’s hands and feet here on earth. It is our solemn duty to be missionaries, evangelists, and teachers, and to take the Good News of Jesus Christ to all nations and people. In other words, it is not only the clergy’s job to grow the church, but every believer’s job. The mission of the Church, and of each parish, is the salvation of souls through Jesus Christ. Every single thing we do here at St. Francis is directed toward that end. Let us never forget that, and let us be faithful to Our Lord Jesus Christ!
