Basic Christianity

I have been doing the Fr. Homer Rogers "Basic Christianity" course here at church for several weeks and find it to be too pedantic and boring. I went out on a limb trying - I usually just develop my own studies - but this came so highly recommended that I decided to try it. What the heck... nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Overall the course is is very Catholic and highly intellectual, which I personally like, but it is just a little heavy for a church class. It assumes a familiarity with philosophical language that most average people just do not have. And the lecture format is just plain boring. After a long lecture most people are too glazed over to offer any positive or negative feedback. Interaction is the way to go.

But the topics of the series and the order in which he covers them are good, so what I will probably do is follow his format but develop my own outline for the remaining classes, drawing on Fr. Rogers here and there as necessary.

Statue of BVM

This is the very statue that used to be above the front door of St. Francis when it was St. Mary's Catholic Church. They took it with them when they left and just had it installed on their new building. I don't know if they used it in their interim building.

It was suggested in an earlier comment that St. Francis is an art deco style building. I think that this statue certainly is, which would lend credence to that theory, as would some of the lines and other architectural details.

On a side note, one of my art professors in college, commenting on art deco figurative art, said that in that era artists painted people that look like machines, whereas now we paint machines that look like people... "man" is a machine that looks like a person (e.g. the Terminator).

Old St. Mary's/St. Francis

I am sort of an arm-chair architectural historian, and I love discovering the history of buildings - especially churches - and finding old photos of how they looked back in their heyday. I also like preserving the original design of buildings, right down to the decorations and accouterments, as much as possible so as to maintain its integrity. So recently I have been looking into the history of our building.

Some people think our church looks a bit strange, but really it is a perfect example of late 40's American Catholic Church architecture (current picture to the left). There was originally a statue of Our Lady in the niche over the front door, which is now in a niche in the newest incarnation of St. Mary's a little ways away. This parish had always intended to put a statue of St. Francis up there but never got around to it. I hope to get that done while here. (Anyone out there have 5k to donate to our cause?) Really, though, it needs a statue up there to soften the exterior.

I spoke with a Fr. Gallagher recently who served this parish in the 60's. He told me that the same architects designed a very similar looking Catholic church in Charleston, but I have not been able to find pictures of it. He also told me that they designed Our Lady of Lourdes in Richmond, which I did find a picture of (to the left). You can see the similarities, though the scale is very different.

As for the interior, I have only been able to get photos of it from the late 70's which I will post later. I have some calls into the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, which this parish was in till the mid-70's, to see if they have anything in their archives. The local Catholic congregation and priest have also been very helpful in getting me old pictures. I am looking for stuff from the 50's and 60's.

In searching the web, though, I did find this church built around the same time. It has lots of pictures, and I imagine that St. Francis/St. Mary's looked a lot like this place on the inside. I know that the floor and the lighting fixtures are the exact same. The confessionals and holy water fonts are the same too. In restoring our building it is critical that we do so in a way that compliments and pays homage to the original design.

The Continuing Anglican Churchman Endorses...

ACE BOOKBINDING

I just had three Prayer Books rebound by these folk, and they did a bang up job. One was my small travel Prayer Book; the other was my Sunday mass Prayer Book/Hymnal; and the other was my bedside Prayer Book. (I also have my "Daily Office" Prayer Book/Bible that I still need to get rebound.)

They use really nice calfskin leather that smells quite good and is very durable. But the best thing is their turnaround time. They get your books back to you in about one week. I had each BCP done for $75, which is a good price, especially for the fast service and top-of-the-line leather.

Blessing of Animals

We had the blessing of animals for St. Francis' day (Oct. 4th). This is a parish tradition. We were the first to do it in Blacksburg. Now every parish does it! I blessed mostly dogs, but also two cats and a parrot. A reporter saw the sign I placed in the church yard advertising the event and came and did an interview which will air on local television this Friday! All told we had about 15 people - including several visitors. Not a bad start. Maybe down the road we will turn this into some sort of fall festival.

Two Wayfaring Strangers

A couple weeks back as I was preparing for daily mass I was thrilled to be visited by two "pilgrims", Mr. Chip Byers, and his dad. They were not making a pilgrimage to St. Francis Church alone, but were on their way to their REC synod, and just decided to drop by. So they stayed on for mass, and we chatted for a long while afterwards. As they are of the "high church" party in the REC they had no qualms with reciting the Angelus, which I begin every weekday mass with. Thanks to Chip and his dad for visiting us and blessing us with their presence.

Church Nightmares

Lately my wife and I have taken to watching "Kitchen Nightmares", starring chef Gordon Ramsey (great name, by the way). It's really interesting and funny. He goes to these dysfunctional, failing restaurants, where everyone on the staff is fighting, and has lost their passion to cook decent food, and then he analyzes the whole situation, and provides them solutions on how to move forward and have a successful restaurant. There are clips of the show on "You Tube" which give you an idea of what it's like. Unfortunately since chef Gordon has something of a "potty mouth" I cannot link to one of the clips here, but if anyone if interested in looking at a clip I suppose he could find one on You Tube.

Anyway, as we were watching it the other day I thought about how fascinating it would be to have a show like this about continuing Anglican parishes (or dioceses, or provinces). I can see it now: some really successful godly, but tell-it-like-is priest, who has had years of great ministry and done lots of phenomenal work goes into some struggling, dysfunctional parish that's run by a grouchy old, misanthropic, micromanaging rector, and rakes him, and everyone else in the place, over the coals.... explaining, between all of the cursing, why no one wants to come to the church. It could be a really riveting show, but somehow I don't think TBN, EWTN, or any of the other religious broadcasting networks would carry it!

One Month

It has almost been one month since we've moved to Blacksburg. Already this city and the church has become home to us. As I mentioned earlier (I think), I am the first full time priest the parish has had in almost 10 years, so there is tons of work to do. During this first month I have gotten a lot done here, and in the next month I hope to do more. The goal, however, is to develop lay leaders to expand the work and ministries of the parish. I would also like to get more sacerdotal help as well at some point. The reason I want to do this is that work of church cannot expand with one person doing it. Leaders have to develop other leaders.

We live in the church - in the parish hall, actually (pictured above). It is called "Rutherfoord Hall", named for an ACC bishop who was instrumental in helping start the parish and also an accomplished fine artist. It is not a classic parish hall, with one large room, and several smaller ones. Instead it consists of a bunch of small rooms. When this was St. Mary's Catholic Church, the hall was where the clergy (up to three) and the housekeeper lived. So there are three small rooms with their own bathrooms and showers; an office; a parlor; and the apartment where we live (where the housekeeper once lived) - which consists of a bedroom and bath, a kitchen, a living room, and a sun room (one of Valerie's offices - she has another where she works at VA Tech). The building is divided in half by a long hallway, so it is rather dark. There is no a/c in the building, and the windows are these large, metal casement windows. It has hardwood floors, but they have been covered up by carpeting except in a few places. As an apartment and offices, it is a fine hall, but as a "dinner/gathering hall" it is not functional. There is no place where everyone in the parish can eat together for dinners, and such. We need, down the road, to knock down some walls, or add a level to the hall if we hope to grow. We also need to dramatically improve the lighting. A comprehensive parish vision and strategic plan that I hope we can develop will help us in deciding what improvements to the existing facility need to be made and when.

Some may wonder what it is like to live in the church. Well, I love it! It's small, but I like the concept of always "being there" and "being available". Interestingly, the church has done a complete 180 with me: previously they had a priest coming in once or twice a week, so the place was always closed. Now, the priest is always here, so it is always open. I can walk down the hall to my office whenever I want, so no worries about "remembering to bring something home from work". The hall connects to the sacristy and church, so, of course, I can go in and pray whenever I want. There are also no worries about getting to church late, or having to get up at the crack of dawn to drive to church for an 8:00 mass. No one really bothers us by coming by all the time, but honestly we are the type of people who love it when folks just drop by (some people are not), so it wouldn't bother me if people came by just to hang out. In fact, I hope to encourage that in order to build community.

Since we live here I am able to get to know everyone in the neighborhood (residents and students). I see them walking around, and I always stop to chat with them. It is a way to build bridges and relationships for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have recently begun going to the neighborhood association meetings, which also helps me get to know people. I want to make sure the parish and her interests are represented in this neighborhood. Also, when the church expands and grows, I want the people in the neighborhood to be on our side.

The church has been without a full time priest for so long that it has not had an "advocate" when it's needed one. So for example, a sign of ours on Main Street was torn down a few years back, and it was never replaced. And also, the city changed our parking signs, and no one ever did anything about it. And on, and on. But now that I am the "father" of the parish, and live here, all of that is going to change. I will fight for this church and these people, and for the faith once delivered to the saints.

(Note: The parish has had dedicated laity over the years, including one man who was very devoted to the parish and did a lot for them, so I do not want to downplay their contributions and leadership. The commuting vicars also were as dedicated as they could be considering the circumstances, so neither do I want to downplay their important contributions.)

Being the "father" of the parish is my central metaphor or slogan, or what have you. This parish is my family, and God has placed me here to be their spiritual father. Thus, as I would fight for my own family, and care for them, so I will do that for St. Francis. That is how every priest needs to view his ministry, I guess. It really transforms the reason and way you do your work. Many parishes, just like natural families, suffer from "absentee fathers"... men who aren't around, or just aren't engaged, or are merely collecting a pay check. Even in some of our continuing parishes!

Well, have to run and shower and pray. Today is my day off, and as usual all I am thinking about is church, church, church! I promise I will post pictures soon.

Clarification on the APA's Diocese of the West

Dear friends,

The area dean here in Virginia asked if I would post this on my blog.

JGA+

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A Letter to All Saints & the Deanery of Virginia
The Very Reverend Glenn M. Spencer


You may have heard or read about the events that have occurred over the past several days within the Anglican Province of America’s Diocese of the West [DOW]. On September 4, 2008, Bishop Richard Boyce, long-time Diocesan Bishop of the DOW, announced to Bishop Grundorf his intent to leave the APA effective immediately, and to merge his entire diocese into the Reformed Episcopal Church [REC], subject to the REC’s approval.

This action has been publicized on-line and has generated much discussion, not all of it fruitful or accurately presented. Based on the articles available on-line, one might conclude that the APA is splitting, or at least facing a significant crisis. I can tell you without hesitation that this is not the case. However, I would like to address these legitimate concerns, and to provide a more accurate explanation as to what is happening, why I believe it is happening, and where we at All Saints Anglican Church and within the APA’s Deanery of Virginia stand.

What Has Happened Over the Past Several Days. By way of background, the APA is a canonical jurisdiction that consists of three dioceses: The Diocese of the Eastern United States [DEUS], the Diocese of Mid-America, and the Diocese of the West [DOW]. We in Virginia are a part of DEUS, and our Diocesan Bishop is Bishop Grundorf. In addition to his role as our Diocesan Bishop, Bishop Grundorf also serves as the Presiding Bishop of the APA.

On September 4, 2008, Bishop Boyce of DOW wrote a letter to Bishop Grundorf. Bishop Boyce stated that he intended immediately to leave the APA and to transfer not just himself individually, but his entire diocese, consisting of maybe twenty parishes, into the REC. Bishop Grundorf correctly responded to this letter by informing Bishop Boyce that an orderly and canonical procedure exists for any such transfer, and that Bishop Boyce had not followed that procedure. Based on the extraordinary circumstances with which he was faced, Bishop Grundorf, as provided by our canons and as shepherd of our church, immediately relieved Bishop Boyce of his position as Diocesan Bishop and appointed an interim administrator for the DOW. Further, he explained the mechanism whereby individual parishes and priests within the DOW, if they wished, could transfer into the REC. He reaffirmed that all DOW priests, clergy, and laity remain in good standing with the APA and have its full support.

While Bishop Grundorf is disappointed with Bishop Boyce’s decision, he has not forbidden a transfer for those desiring it (contrary to what some on-line articles have suggested). Instead, he has insisted that proper procedure be followed for any parishes and priests of the DOW wishing to transfer to the REC. He has reiterated the canonical impermissibility of a bishop unilaterally removing his entire diocese from the APA’s jurisdiction. His goal is an orderly transition in a charitable manner that does not bring scandal on the church.

Bishop Grundorf is absolutely correct in his response. Dioceses cannot, as a body, leave the jurisdiction of the APA. There is simply no canonical mechanism whereby that may occur. Instead, the canons allow for individual parishes, and individual priests, to transfer to another jurisdiction based upon their individual requests for transfer, or “letters dimissory.” As the several articles on-line indicate, Bishop Boyce insists that canonically he retains the full right to move his diocese into another jurisdiction; he is simply incorrect in his reading of canon law. I would be happy to discuss this further with any one who wishes to discuss canon law in more detail.

Why Bishop Boyce has Taken This Action. While I cannot read into the heart of Bishop Boyce, I believe it is fair and appropriate for me to address why I believe he has attempted this maneuver. My impression is that two factors have contributed to his decision.

a. Common Cause Partnership. First, and perhaps most apparent, is Bishop Boyce’s stance, vis-à-vis Bishop Grundorf’s, on what our relationship should be with Common Cause Partnership [CCP]. As you may recall, in January 2008, Bishop Grundorf made the decision to adopt a “wait and see” approach to the APA’s possible affiliation with Common Cause Partnership. This decision was wise, pastoral, and correct. While we share many goals and beliefs with members of CCP, the majority of those jurisdictions who belong to CCP approve of women’s ordination and include women whom they believe to be validly ordained to the priesthood. The issue of women’s ordination goes to the heart of the priesthood and to the validity of the sacraments; it is a position with which we cannot in good faith align ourselves. This issue is still being sorted out within CCP, and Bishop Grundorf believes that the best approach is to let it become settled, and then make a final decision as to whether alliance with CCP is in his flock’s best interest. Further, while CCP currently is only an alliance of various Anglican jurisdictions, it has all appearances of the precursor to a jurisdiction. Many of its leaders have made clear their intent to make it one giant jurisdiction, the North American Anglican Province, under the oversight of the Global Anglican Fellowship Conference (GAFCON). Its members would thus lose their own identity, their individual canons and Constitution, and become a part of the jurisdiction of CCP. This is no small matter, particularly if that giant jurisdiction contains women “priests.” We all desire unity and a common cause with other Anglicans; the question is at what cost, and at what point do we slip into heterodoxy under the purported banner of “unity.”

Bishop Boyce, unlike Bishop Grundorf, has for years strongly supported alliance with CCP. Without question he believes that Bishop Grundorf made the wrong decision in adopting a wait-and-see approach. The REC, unlike the APA, is a member of the CCP. Therefore, one reason I believe that Bishop Boyce is attempting to merge into the REC is so that he can become a member of CCP.

b. Inability/Unwillingness to Comply with APA Canonical Requirements. At the most recent APA Synod, in July 2008, our national registrar, Fr. Bill Perkins, announced that he had never received from DOW the canonically-required credentials and documentations from the diocese’s priests, and from the bishop himself. Properly documented credentials are the prerequisite for a priest to minister within the APA; yet this diocese under Bishop Boyce’s leadership simply had never provided that information. At this past Synod, it was made clear to Bishop Boyce and to all clergymen in the APA, that no one will be permitted to continue as a clergyman-in-good-standing without presenting his required credentials and documentation to the registrar. Bishop Boyce’s inability or unwillingness to correct this disorder, as well as several other irregular practices within the DOW, may have been another impetus for his action last week.

Where We Now Stand. First, the DOW has not left the APA. No canonical method exists for a diocese to leave our jurisdiction; it simply cannot by law occur. Instead, two bishops (Diocesan Bishop Boyce and Bishop Mott) have left the APA, and likely at least some of the DOW parishes will follow. Others will remain within the APA/DOW; several parishes have notified Bishop Grundorf that they have no intention of leaving the APA or the DOW and feel that they were left out of Bishop Boyce’s decision-making process. For those that do depart, where they end up (the REC or another jurisdiction) remains to be seen, as the REC has not yet addressed Bishop Boyce’s request. Only time will tell how this issue settles. Bishop Grundorf intends to give parishes adequate time to determine where they stand, then to call an extraordinary Synod to reorganize and elect the appropriate officers.

Second, Bishop Boyce’s unfortunate action, while disrupting to some extent the peace of the church, has no palpable effect on All Saints or on the deanery of Virginia. We remain, as do all member of DEUS and the great majority of parishes within the APA, committed to our Presiding Bishop and to our church. We do not see this event as an emergency or as a crisis. It is, as I said, unfortunate; however, Bishop Boyce’s departure, and the departure of any individual parishes and priests who may wish to request transfer, may in the end be better for all concerned. We do not count our strength or our success by numbers, but by our feasting on the sacraments, commitment to the creeds, and faithfulness to the Prayer Book. There will be times of numerical growth, and there will be times when our numbers may dip. This is a natural part of life in the Church, and nothing to fear. Our jurisdiction is not splitting or fracturing. Some parishes from DOW will request to transfer. But others will remain. The APA by God’s grace is strong and solid; we are, and will be, fine.

Third, as many of you know, we are in communion with the REC. I do not know whether that will change, though I doubt that it will. Quite frankly, the REC has yet to comment or take action upon Bishop Boyce’s request to join them. It is probable that they had no notice of his action ahead of time and, as several of Bishop Boyce’s own parishes, were caught by surprise. Regardless, we remain in communion with the REC, and within a few days Bishop Grundorf will issue a joint statement with the REC concerning this matter. I will provide that to you when it is released.

Conclusion. While this matter has been presented on some websites as a crisis or a threat to the APA, it simply is not. It is unfortunate, but it will be resolved. I hope this letter has shed some light on these issues and has answered some of your questions. As always, I am available and would be happy to talk to any person or groups about this matter further. My new email address is frgmspencer@gmail.com.

Fr. Glenn Spencer
All Saints Anglican Church
Charlottesville, VA

Student Organization Showcase @ VA Tech

The other day we had the student organization showcase at Tech, so VTAU ("Anglicans United at VA Tech) was there in all her glory! To prepare for the event, people from the church baked and bought gobs of cookies and purchased several cases of bottled water. We got our big tri-fold sign out of storage and I updated it, replacing some bad verbiage with some better stuff. We printed up tons of Holy Cross tracts on various subjects, and printed a flashy new brochure about the parish. All in all it was a great event. We got to talk to lots of people about the Church, our student ministry, and the parish.

Every student group on campus was represented. They seemed to place most of the Christian groups in the same area. To our right was some Baptist group, to the left were Adventists and more Baptists. Then there was some group called Alpha Chi; Campus Crusade, InterVarsity, and more. The Episcopalians were there too, and I guess the Roman Catholics were somewhere, though I didn't see them.

Towards the end I got into discussion with a nice young man about baptism and the Church. He was newly baptized, and part of a group called the International Christian Church, or something like that. He asked why we baptize infants, and that lead to all sorts of other questions about basic fundamental theology, such as how we are to read and interpret the scriptures (with the Church), what sacraments are and do, why we have the liturgy, and so on. It was a good conversation, and hopefully it expanded his mind a bit. It helped me see that when discussing that doctrine, to explain myself better, it is probably best to first establish what baptism means and does, and then go on to discuss who then qualifies to be baptized and at what age. If we believe that it is a free gift of God's grace, and the means by which He grafts us into the Body of Christ, and unites with Christ in His death and resurrection, then it is much easier to see why we believe in "baptismal regeneration". Anyway, so I gave him a Holy Cross tract on the Church and sent him on his way after a bit.

But there was something more important going on while we were discussing baptism. What did I use to explain the teaching of the Church? I went to the BCP and explained the sacrament from there, using the rite itself and scriptures that are read during a baptism. When other questions came up about related doctrines we looked at the rite for confirmation. And we ended up looking at Psalter, the Order for Holy Communion, the Ordinal, etc. In short, we ended up doing a tour of Catholic theology through the BCP. That was all I needed! And that is what Anglicanism is about: lex orandi, lex credendi. You know, I have to feel sorry for "Anglicans" who are not wed to their Prayer Books. They can sit through a thousand High Masses and know absolutely nothing about the Catholic faith, all because they do not know the Prayer Book. If we know or Prayer Books we know the Bible and the Catholic faith. The reverse is also true. Anyway... I think VTAU is going to be doing an in depth study of the Book of Common Prayer this fall!

There were a few other interesting things too:

1) In our immediate area, even with two Baptist groups, we were the only one that had a King James Bible prominently displayed... in fact, I didn't even see any of the others with Bibles at all! I made sure to bring several BCPs and a Bible to the table, because that is what we are about.

2) These evangelical mega-"churches" refer to themselves as "inter-denominational" now... not "non-denominational".

3) These same groups have a new "game show evangelism" strategy. One was doing a thing where if you came to their meeting that night you had a chance to win an I-Pod. Another, run by a church in town, offers you $10 for visiting their church on Sunday and filling out a comment card! (I kid you not... I have a copy of the flyer.)

4) I noticed another disturbing trend with some people from these evangelical campus, inter/para/non-denominational groups: several folk that I spoke with questioned the doctrine of Original Sin! Yikes. What have we come to? See what happens when people stop reading the Bible and the Fathers and give away I-Pods and listen to U2 instead?

5) I had my picture taken with the Hokie Bird.... I'll post it soon.

Lots of literture that no one is reading...

So when I moved into my office at St. Francis I immediately began clearing out the twenty tons of junk that had collected over the years... old Almy catalogs, unused offering envelopes from 1990, tons of old bulletins, off-centered Christmas cards, and more. Tons of useless debris. It was awful. I ended up with three huge (lawn and leaf huge) trash bags being hauled out to the curb. The few things worth saving in terms of parish history and archives ended up fitting into one cabinet!

But amongst all of the garbage I found some treasures. I found a bunch of classic anglo-catholic tracts, Mandate magazines, Touchstone, and Christian Challenge magazines that could all be put to good use. They were obviously procured at one point with the intent on handing them out because they had many copies. But what were these fine materials doing? They were languishing on a shelf! All of this great educational and promotional material was just languishing on a dusty shelf in a dirty office with a bad, rusty lighting fixture! A lot of good that does. So tonight I got some inexpensive tract and magazine racks from Staples, and all of this stuff, freshly organized and dusted, will serve as the centerpiece to a new "information corner" in the parlor. The parish will grow if people knew something about it, and about classical Anglicanism in general!

When will the leaders of our churches and the parishes get this through their heads? People need information. We can't expect people to join us if they don't know anything about us and can't get information on who we are and what we believe! If you have information - use it. If you don't have any - get some! There wasn't even any literature in the parish I attended in seminary! Nothing. No information. And we wonder why we're so small.

And don't even get me started on what I found (and didn't find) in the "parish register" and "register of services". Gosh... for anyone out there who is mad at organized religion come to a continuing Anglican parish! It is sometimes the most DISorganized religion I have ever seen!

Maybe so many of our continuing Anglican parishes have been faltering because there has not been good lay and ordained leadership. There has been no one to set up a vision and plan for the future, and get the materials and items needed to make that happen. There have not been enough "leaders" who want to lead.

"Re-post" from August 2006

The Anglican Federation

Here is a link to the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas which is an umbrella group to promote communication, fellowship, and cooperation among the various Anglican bodies in the states. I would encourage everyone to have look at this.

On another note, I was looking at 'members' section, and went to the AMiA's website, and it is very nice looking. Why do so many other Anglican jurisdictions have such bad looking websites? The best that I have seen so far are the AMiA's and APCK's (a big improvement over their last one). The APA's, REC's, ACC's, and ACA's are really bad and unprofessional looking. They reflect badly on our churches. The continuing churches might not be able to errect a bunch of stately new parish churches everywhere, but we could at least hire professional web designers to make a nice looking websites for the national church instead of all of this "mom and pop" stuff.
++++++++++++

Why re-post this? Because the APA's provincial site has actually gone from just "pretty bad" to "awful" since then. If you don't believe me just go to it and look at it. It looks like a liquor store window.

There seems to be some confusion about what constitutes a good website. There is the idea that if it has "lots of information on it" it is "good". Then there are those, usually professional designers, young/technology-savvy people, and others who realize that it is not just the amount and type of information that makes a site good, but how it is arranged for maximum use and benefit.

Let's look at an example of this. Say we took people from the first school of thought and asked them to open a modern, functional library or bookstore. What they would do is collect a massive amount of good books and throw them in a pile in the middle of a room in a large building. Then, they would immediately declare the library to be "good" because it has lots of "good books" in it... even though it is messy, sloppy, and ugly; and even though you couldn't actually find a book that you wanted to read.

People from the second school of thought would get all of the same books, and the same building, but have them arranged according to the Dewey Decimal System, some computers to look everything up,, have some chairs to sit in, and an information desk. It would look good, be well-organized, and you could find stuff you were looking for. You might even stay around and read some books that you didn't initially want to read!

There is the difference.

The moral to all of this? People do judge books by their covers, and when someone, especially a young person, comes to a site like this it communicates to him or her that the organization is run by hobbyists and moms & pops.

Isn't it awful how we always manage to give God second or third best... even in the realm of technology. Miserere Nobis!

Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen

This is one of my favorite Bach cantatas. It is one of the most profound and beautiful combinations of words and music I have ever heard. May these words be burned onto our hearts.

"Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen" BWV 12 Cantata for Jubilate
1. Sinfonia	1. Sinfonia
2. Chor Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, Angst und Not Sind der Christen Tränenbrot, Die das Zeichen Jesu tragen.	2. Chorus Weeping, lamentation, worry, despair, anguish and trouble are the Christian's bread of tears, that bear the marks of Jesus.
3. Recitativ (Arioso) A Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen. (Acts 14:22)	3. Recitative (Arioso) A We must enter the Kingdom of God through much sorrow.
4. Arie A Kreuz und Krone sind verbunden, Kampf und Kleinod sind vereint. Christen haben alle Stunden Ihre Qual und ihren Feind, Doch ihr Trost sind Christi Wunden.	4. Aria A Cross and crown are bound together, struggle and reward are united. Christians have at all times their suffering and their enemy, yet their comforts are Christ's wounds.
5. Arie B Ich folge Christo nach, Von ihm will ich nicht lassen Im Wohl und Ungemach, Im Leben und Erblassen. Ich küsse Christi Schmach, Ich will sein Kreuz umfassen. Ich folge Christo nach, Von ihm will ich nicht lassen.	5. Aria B I follow after Christ, I will not let go of Him in prosperity and hardship, in life and mortality. I kiss Christ's shame, I will embrace His cross. I follow after Christ, I will not let go of Him.
6. Arie (mit instrumental Choral) T Sei getreu, alle Pein Wird doch nur ein Kleines sein. Nach dem Regen Blüht der Segen, Alles Wetter geht vorbei. Sei getreu, sei getreu! (Instrumental Chorale: Jesu, meine Freude, meines Herzens Weide, Jesu, meine Zier! Ach, wie lang, ach, lange ist dem Herzen bange und verlangt nach dir! Gottes Lamm, mein Bräutigam, Außer dir soll mir auf Erden nichts sonst Liebers werden.) ("Jesu, meine Freude," verse 1)	6. Aria (with instrumental Chorale) T Be faithful, all pain will yet be only a little thing. After the rain blessing blossoms, all storms pass away. Be faithful, be faithful! (Instrumental Chorale: Jesus, my joy, my heart's pasture, Jesus, my treasure! Ah, how long, ah long has my heart suffered and longed for you! God's lamb, my bridegroom, besides You on earth nothing shall be dearer to me.)
7. Choral Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan, Dabei will ich verbleiben. Es mag mich auf die rauhe Bahn Not, Tod und Elend treiben. So wird Got mich Ganz väterlich In seinen Armen halten: Drum laß ich ihn nur walten. ( "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan," verse 6)	7. Chorale What God does, is well done, I will cling to this. Along the harsh path trouble, death and misery may drive me. Yet God will, just like a father, hold me in His arms: therefore I let Him alone rule.

Settled in Blacksburg

We have officially landed at St. Francis Church. My wife and I have gone from the lovely Treasure Coast to the gorgeous mountains of southwest Virginia so I can be vicar of this parish. Since we're waiting for the sale of our house in Vero Beach to go through, we are living at the church in the apartment.

St. Francis is the original St. Mary's Catholic Church, so there is an apartment where the priest lived, as well as a few rooms where nuns lived way back when. The building dates from the mid to late 40's. It is right in downtown, and in walking distance from Virginia Tech (go Hokies!). The Anglicans bought it in the early 80's, and it was an ACC parish until a few years ago. Over last few years the congregation has shrunk, but the small, devoted core that remains is excited about growing the parish and ministering the thousands and thousands of students at Tech as well as in the community. A few "vultures" (one Anglican group which shall remain nameless and a Protestant denomination called the ARP) circling overhead have made offers to buy the building in recent years because of its great location, but that will never happen on our watch. This place shall remain what it always was: a catholic parish in the classical Anglican tradition.

It is a great physical plant. I have a nice large office, and the church is fully functional with confessionals, a baptistry, a choir loft, space for side chapels, nice stained glass of various saints, and more. It seats close to 300. There is room for classes and such. It is lacking in fellowship hall space, but we'll have to work around that for the time being. Because of its age
it has other idiosyncrasies as well (like those annoying two-prong electrical outlets), but all of that is a very small price to pay for a such a great building, in a cool town, and neat neighborhood.

We are going to be ministering at Virginia Tech, and trying to do some outreach in the town. We will also try to minister at Radford I imagine. We will be offering the full round of liturgical services and classes: daily offices, daily mass, bible studies, and more. The church is across the street from a frat house, so I will be paying those gentlemen a visit at some point to let them know I am keeping an eye on them!

Please keep the work in your prayers. I want to see this church full of people singing praises to Jesus Christ, praying, serving others, and partaking of the sacraments. If I do not write for a while, it is because I am busier than I have ever been in my life!

The Practicing Congregation

I just finished reading an interesting book called "The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church" by Diana Butler Bass. She's a church historian who writes a lot about the renewal of mainline Christianity. One of the ways that many mainline congregations are renewing themselves is through adopting "monastic" disciplines, and emphasizing the spiritual journey and practice of the faith rather than parties, clubs, etc. (gee, imagine that). She has numerous examples of parishes from a variety of traditions that were on death's door in terms of membership, money, and everything else, but that turned around and are now thriving congregations. And one of the things that all of the churches that did this have in common is that they emphasize practicing the faith - daily services, quiet days, following the church year, fasting, labyrinths, social justice, etc.

It is nice to read, because the conventional wisdom is that liturgical/mainline churches have to give up elements from their tradition, or from the medieval/ancient tradition of the church, in order to be "relevant" to people, and to attract people. She does emphasize that some traditions have to be "re-imagined" in certain ways, and that sometimes people need to be educated as to what constitutes "tradition" in the theological sense rather than in the social sense. (She tells an interesting story of how there was a conflict in a parish where she was asked to teach an Advent study on peace, and how she had to take over a room that had, for decades, been used for the parish "Christmas Sale", and how the people who ran the sale were indignant that the "tradition of the church" was being cast aside for something as useless as an Advent study!)

Even though she's concerned mostly with the mainline churches, she does touch on evangelicals, and other groups, like the catholics, from time to time. I found a lot of her ideas and observations to be quite relevant to continuing Anglican parishes, which are often very "mainline" and classically liberal in their ethos (e.g. the parish serving as an extension of the country club, and the parish hall being the most important part of the church). There is often in our parishes a sense of: "Why should anything change? Who cares if people join us or not? Let's not do that thing you are suggesting because it is 'too catholic'. Let's have community at the expense of worship, prayer, and devotion." And so on. Also, because these traditional Christian practices are being adopted by more and more Christians of all stripes and labels, I think it shows that, with some changes here and there, we continuing Anglicans will have our day in the sun the yet. People will be attracted to (our) churches where they can grow spiritually and have devotions - and explore and practice their faith. This instead of joining a place that is more concerned with having "English Garden Parties", dances, and cocktail hour.

It is a good, short, thought-provoking book to read by some who has been studying this for years. It is not programmatic, but the examples of various turn-around churches she's given do list some of the things they did/do.

The Perfect Bulletin: A Deep, Thought-Provoking Theological Reflection

I have been reworking the bulletin of the church where I'll be going in a couple weeks, and like most rectors/vicars I am trying to create the "perfect" bulletin. But honestly, I don't know if it can be done. In fact, I think it would be easier to find Bigfoot (see photo to the left) or the Loch Ness monster.

To me the perfect Anglican bulletin is one that helps people not get lost during the service, does not replace a Prayer Book in the pews, is not a multi-page extravaganza, and gives the parishioner something to do during the week (not a crossword puzzle, but something to pray for, or a list of daily parish events).

But really, I don't know if such a bulletin could possibly exist. Yes, maybe it would be easier to find Bigfoot. The reason I say that is this: in my mind a good bulletin has all of the above attributes. But I have seen parishioners who are lifelong Episcopalians, who grew up on the 1928 BCP, who attend absolutely straight-28 Prayer Book services, who still get lost during mass! So honestly I don't think there is a foolproof bulletin design/model.

Maybe we'll just have to use an overhead!

Spiritual Direction

I will be sad to leave behind a good spiritual director when I move up north. I have had to leave them behind before, but a new one was always available to take his place. At this point I do not have any contacts for a new one, but I will keep looking.

Spiritual direction is very important - especially for priests. Priests have no pastor. It would be quite easy for a continuing Anglican priest to spend his whole ministry with no spiritual father in God! And I'm sure that that's the case for most of the priest out there, which is probably why the church is the way it is. So what is one to do? I guess you just have to go out and look for a starets. Leave no stone unturned. Go outside of your tradition if you have to. Find someone. Find anyone. But be sure that you will be searching by yourself.

Salve Regina

"Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary Most Holy."

The rector recently had this lovely statue of the Blessed Mother installed in the chapel at St. Mark's. It originally comes from an old Roman parish somewhere in Baltimore, but came to us via the Conrad Pickel Studio here in Vero Beach. A devout couple purchased it from the studio and generously donated it to the church.

Now when we pray the Angelus there will be a statue to look at! Thanks be to God.

Coat of Many Colors

Okay, so the Roman Catholics are not the only ones who can play schmaltzy tear-jerkers. This is me doing a cover of Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors" during my last visit to the local homeless shelter, The Source. I have had the pleasure of ministering there for the last two years, going once or twice a month to play music and preach.

Modern Day Erastianism?

The World Youth Day coverage on EWTN was just too much to bear. I though I could handle the awful "show tunes"used at mass. And I though I could handle the "chip & dip"/self-intinction being done by priests and deacons coming up for communion (not just laity, but clergy who should know better). But when I saw the tacky "Australian flag" vestments being worn that was just too much. I had to change the channel. It's not that there is anything wrong with that great country, or its gorgeous flag. I just don't think design elements from flags look good pasted onto vestments.