A Patron Saint
Ed & I transferred our membership to St. Paul’s from St. Michael and All Angels—Mission, Kansas. I remember a conversation I had with my former rector’s wife (Nancy Lord) about the influence a Patron Saint has over a parish. She and her husband (Fr. Rob Lord) ministered at two different St. Michael and All Angels parishes, and she indicated there was a very similar Spirit between the two. That bit of conversation has stayed with me and now I am curious about how much influence our Patron, Saint Paul, has in and among our parish.
Before Ed & I moved to the Washington, DC area, we helped start a new feeding program for the poor (that is still ongoing today) called “Breakfast at St. Paul’s” in Kansas City, Kansas (KCK). Little did we know then that we were going to leave Kansas and join St. Paul’s K-Street!
When we were looking for a church in the metro-Washington area, we knew that we didn’t want a “cookie cutter” suburban church. We wanted diversity, a church that ministered inward as well as outward, with a great music program (we were both choir members at our former parish). When we were introduced to St. Paul’s (gently by parishioner Bill Ryon), we knew that we had come to a very special place. Ed and I both had come to St. Michael’s (a Rite II parish) from different religious backgrounds (he was a Presbyterian and I was a Disciples of Christ) where the Book of Common Prayer was used routinely. When we came to St. Paul’s K-Street, we didn’t know much about an Anglo-Catholic parish. And I must admit that for the first few months, I was lost: I tripped over my tongue with the Thees and Thous, didn’t know the proper times to kneel, cross myself, etc., and was at a loss when people were saying prayers (from memory) that I wasn’t familiar with—I felt like an outsider. Many of St. Paul’s parishioners and visitors have had similar experiences and that, I believe, helps create empathy. I think this helped influence Ed and me to become involved with evangelization at St. Paul’s and with the help of others, produce materials that would guide visitors and newcomers in a meaningful worship experience.
Every time we welcome someone to our parish church and make it more welcoming, we are—like St. Paul—ambassadors for Christ. I like to think that we are participating in St. Paul’s own special ministry of reconciliation with the Commissions on Mission and Evangelization: these were both close to his heart.
Fr. Greenaway’s heart-felt homily last Sunday speaks to the inclusiveness of the Episcopal church: we welcome all baptized believers to participate in the Eucharistic feast. This hospitality of Christ’s Table is the high point of the service and we are all invited:
“Come to this table you who have much faith, and you who would like to have more; you who have been to this Sacrament often and you who have not been for a long time. You who have tried to follow Jesus and you who have failed; it is Christ Who invites us to meet Him here.” (Invitatory from Fr. Rob Lord)
Before Ed & I moved to the Washington, DC area, we helped start a new feeding program for the poor (that is still ongoing today) called “Breakfast at St. Paul’s” in Kansas City, Kansas (KCK). Little did we know then that we were going to leave Kansas and join St. Paul’s K-Street!
When we were looking for a church in the metro-Washington area, we knew that we didn’t want a “cookie cutter” suburban church. We wanted diversity, a church that ministered inward as well as outward, with a great music program (we were both choir members at our former parish). When we were introduced to St. Paul’s (gently by parishioner Bill Ryon), we knew that we had come to a very special place. Ed and I both had come to St. Michael’s (a Rite II parish) from different religious backgrounds (he was a Presbyterian and I was a Disciples of Christ) where the Book of Common Prayer was used routinely. When we came to St. Paul’s K-Street, we didn’t know much about an Anglo-Catholic parish. And I must admit that for the first few months, I was lost: I tripped over my tongue with the Thees and Thous, didn’t know the proper times to kneel, cross myself, etc., and was at a loss when people were saying prayers (from memory) that I wasn’t familiar with—I felt like an outsider. Many of St. Paul’s parishioners and visitors have had similar experiences and that, I believe, helps create empathy. I think this helped influence Ed and me to become involved with evangelization at St. Paul’s and with the help of others, produce materials that would guide visitors and newcomers in a meaningful worship experience.
Every time we welcome someone to our parish church and make it more welcoming, we are—like St. Paul—ambassadors for Christ. I like to think that we are participating in St. Paul’s own special ministry of reconciliation with the Commissions on Mission and Evangelization: these were both close to his heart.
Fr. Greenaway’s heart-felt homily last Sunday speaks to the inclusiveness of the Episcopal church: we welcome all baptized believers to participate in the Eucharistic feast. This hospitality of Christ’s Table is the high point of the service and we are all invited:
“Come to this table you who have much faith, and you who would like to have more; you who have been to this Sacrament often and you who have not been for a long time. You who have tried to follow Jesus and you who have failed; it is Christ Who invites us to meet Him here.” (Invitatory from Fr. Rob Lord)