SAINT PAUL EPISCOPAL CHURCH
"A Jubilee Ministry Center"
P.O. Box 96
340 Locust Street, Columbia, PA‚ 17512-0096
717-684-8496
717-684-2560 (fax)
In the name of Christ, we offer you welcome to our church. May those who sorrow find comfort; the weary, rest; the troubled, peace; the stranger, friends; the unhappy, joy; and to all, the sense of God's presence in this Holy Place.
Please note that the next scheduled times for Baptism are the Celebration of the Easter Vigil (April 3), Easter Sunday (April 4), Pentecost (May 23), and when the bishop visits (June 6). Please call the parish office (717-684-8496) to schedule a meeting of the parents and, if possible, the godparents, with the Rector.
March, April, May 2010
Rector's Note:
Lately in conversations with people (mostly clergy) around the church the phrase “Episcopal (or Anglican) Polity” comes up frequently. It mainly occurs in the sentence, “You don’t understand Episcopal (or Anglican) Polity.” Since I became a member of the Episcopal Church in 1996 I have tried to get a coherent definition of “Episcopal (or Anglican) Polity.” What I get is the definition of the person using the phrase and very often these definitions don’t match or even come close. I have also found that the phase is a very popular response when you say or propose something that the other person does not approve of – “Oh, Patrick, you just don’t understand Episcopal (or Anglican) Polity.”
So just what is Episcopal (or Anglican) Polity? The online Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “polity” as: 1) a political organization; 2) a specific form of political organization; 3) a politically organized unit; 4a) the form or constitution of a politically organized unit; 4b) the form of government of a religious denomination. So, first of all, we have to get to the second half of the fourth definition to even have a mention of a “religious denomination.” All the other definitions relate to “political organizations.” I am not sure that the word “polity” should even be used when discussing the Body of Christ as represented in the Church.
This is an important issue because this phrase is bandied about as if it were as unchanging and as immutable as the Word of God. Somehow, the way the church is currently constituted (in its parishes, dioceses, and provinces) is the only way, the best way, and the unchangeable way. To recommend a change – that those in power don’t like – you are then told, “You just don’t understand Episcopal (or Anglican) Polity.” It’s the “rabbit out of the hat” trick when rational logic fails. It is especially useful against those who are not cradle Episcopalians. I am suspect, because I was a Roman Catholic so that makes me a closet Papist who – drum roll please – does not understand "Episcopal (or Anglican) Polity."
Any living organization must change or it simply will die. No one likes change. Change threatens people. It threatens their power, their authority, their way of life, their rule, their – just fill in the blank. But what happens when an organization does not change. Just ask the GM workers who are out of a job! Ask anyone who lives in Detroit! Change can come gradually – with a strategic plan or vision. Or change can come radically as a result of an organization’s refusal to see change as necessary. Our church – at all levels – from the local parish right up to the Archbishop of Canterbury must change if we are to survive as a living member of the Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
In our own diocese we have gone from over 17,000 active members to about 14,000 active members (as of the end of 2008). Average Sunday attendance has dropped to just over 9,000 (as of the end of 2008). This data is not made up; it comes from the Parochial Report of the Diocese to the National Church office. Yet, we continually run the diocese pretty much as we always have.
Good change comes from a plan – a vision! As someone certified in Strategic Planning, I know that a good plan or vision begins at the bottom – not the top. Saint Paul’s has a Strategic Mission and Ministry Plan – not because I wrote and imposed one. Not because I had some ideas and got a small group together to write a plan. Not because I hired a consultant to write one. We have one because each one of you, as a member of Saint Paul’s, expressed your ideas of what we ought to be doing in our part of Christ’s church. Not all the ideas did I agree with or even like; but this parish is not mine. Sure, I shared my ideas, my vision, my goals, but I shared them in the context of all of us. It took us a little more than two years to bring our Mission and Ministry Plan to fruition; but because of how we did it, there is almost unanimous buy-in. It is the blue-print from which we work – by which we preach the Gospel. We were able to do this as a Parish Family because we all recognized, in some way, the urgent need to change how we did things. We were a dying and shrinking parish that is now growing because we knew that to continue to do the same things as in the past – would only get us the same result – shrinking numbers, shrinking money, less evangelization and outreach, and eventually – death as a parish. We did not care about “Episcopal (or Anglican) Polity" – we had bigger needs and more daring goals.
The cry of “You don’t understand Episcopal (or Anglican) Polity" is the last gasp cry of those who see their way of doing things changing. Given the fact that close to half of the Episcopalians in the church today come from another tradition / denomination it is inevitable that the polity of the Episcopal Church will change – and that is a good thing. Making an idol of our political structure simply does not work – just check out some of the underlying reasons for the Reformation.
Peace and Blessing to each of you as we enter the holy Season of Lent – Easter is coming! Praise God!
Patrick+
An additional thought:
THANKS, THANKS, THANKS
The Toys for Tots campaign this past Advent collected over 150 toys for needy children.
Our Advent Angel Tree Project collected over 200 pairs of socks and underwear and 25 blankets for the Columbia Clothing Bank.
Our Advent Folders raised $839 for our evangelization and outreach ministry efforts
During January we collected almost 50 coats for the Columbia Clothing Bank.
Your generosity knows no bounds! God be praised! You be Blessed!
If you are a member of Saint Paul's, we hope that you find this web site useful and helpful to keep up-to-date with what is going on in the parish. If you are a non-member, we hope that our web site will entice you to come and pray with us and find out what really makes Saint Paul's such a great place - it's warm and loving people. If you are searching for a church, we hope that you will join us on our faith journey.
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