December 14, 2011
Reflecting on the last year or so in our church life has become for us a study in contrast and meaning.
Our involvement in the Fellowship of Blessed John Henry Newman feels so much more meaningful to us than what we felt of our participation before September of 2011. Because we are part of the “port-a-church,” so aptly dubbed by one of our fellow congregants, we have a chance to experience firsthand what the preparation for services requires, what an involved congregation feels like, what it takes at the most elementary level to form a viable worship format, in short, what it means to be a congregation which has nothing, yet at the same time, has everything.
No, we don’t have all the vestments and additional accoutrements necessary for Bishop Moyer to wear and use for each of the liturgical seasons and weekly services, but more importantly we do have a friend at The Saint Jude’s Shop who has willingly loaned us what we need but cannot afford.
No, we don’t have the many inspiring stained glass windows which drew us into meditation about their meaning, but a few weeks ago Michael Cannon delivered a facsimile thereof which every Sunday is installed temporarily behind the altar and reflects the history of our Church and Anglican heritage for us all to contemplate.
No, we don’t have the donations of past generations on which to rely for our financial security, but we do have a majority of our congregants willingly contributing by digging deeply into their treasure, not only to tithe, but also to provide the additional financial support to quietly make certain that our fellowship will not only survive, but will grow.
No, we don’t have a Parish House for Bible Study, the teaching of Catechism, Sunday school, or Council meetings; nor do we have a permanent sanctuary for our Sunday worship. Instead we have members of our congregation willingly opening their homes on a regular basis so that all those important and meaningful traditions of our heritage can continue. In the unlikely event that Susan Cannon cannot find a suitable place for our Sunday Services, we know that Mary Ann McCluney will again open her house so that Bishop Moyer can say Mass and Donna and Tom Wells can create their unbelievable Coffee Hours!
No, we don’t have the most wonderful organ to assist us in continuing our liturgical services, but we do have an inspiring musician in Bill Gatens, whose amazing talent comes to light every week when he mesmerizes the congregation at the end of each service with his incredible skill on the piano, playing the inspiring music of the masters in his own masterful way. (Yes, we will admit that we still have our unbelievably talented choir under the direction of Bill Gatens. They have not skipped a beat over the years in performing for us the very best renditions of our Anglican hymns!)
No, we don’t have so many things that we always felt were necessary, if not essential to our meaning as a church. What we have is incredible people from within the ranks of our faithful who have been able to create beauty, happiness, and a sense of purpose in spite of all the obstacles that confronted us last September. Thank you, everyone, so very much for all that you have done to make our Fellowship the viable entity it has become.