Seven Ways To Lift Public Worship

Tip of the hat to Robin G. Jordan of Anglicans Ablaze for this posting

Question: What can our church leadership do positively to improve the quality of the weekly worship?

TO BEGIN WITH - even if you do not use the term 'worship' to describe your weekly church gathering (some will call it simply a 'meeting', others an 'assembly') - let's recognise that worship of the Lord Almighty is indeed going to happen on the part of numbers of people when they meet together in his Name.

If we fail in that recognition, then the 'preliminaries' in any service are no more than that; a slightly tiresome exercise to be conducted in perfunctory manner..until 'The Word'. And this will show . Better to ensure that the entire event is polished until it shines - to the glory of God and the building of faith.

This is not an exhaustive presentation on worship in general; the aim, rather, is to put forward some ways of improving the way we do things in our public gatherings:

To read more, click here

An Archbishop and a Baptism on Successive Sundays and Florida

An Archbishop and a Baptism on Successive Sundays and Florida

Today the Archbishop of the Southern Cone and Bishop of Chile, Hector “Tito” Zavala, preached at our three weekend services. Tito and his wife Miriam have been Gale's and my friends since their days in seminary in Ambridge 1986-1989. Last week our ACNA Archbishop and Bishop of Pittsburgh, Bob Duncan, came to St. David’s for his annual episcopal visitation. Wow! Two Archbishops, two weeks in a row. Aren't we the cat's pajamas! And we had a baptism last Sunday and on Saturday night this weekend. We return to normal next Sunday with just plain old Lent 2. Hallelujah! Whoops, my bad!, no Hallelujahs allowed in Lent. Gale and I will be at New Smyrna Beach Florida at a condo on the beach for eight and a half days of R & R --- but who’s counting! We fly to Miami tomorrow at 5 PM. BTW, No further postings until March 24 at the earliest.

Shrove Tuesday

As I was thinking of a title for this piece, I came up with “Yes, the Fire Detection System Works” or "Ash Wednesday Comes a Day Early" or “The Case of the Burnt Pancakes” or “Never Let the Men of the Church Have Run of the Kitchen.”

At 1:15 AM this morning a phone call awakened me. It was the alarm company. A smoke detector had detected smoke in the kitchen area of the church and Peters Twp VFD was on its way in answer to the call.

I arrived at the church shortly thereafter and a fire truck and two police cruisers greeted me in the parking lot. The lot was lit up like Christmas! I let two firemen clad in Scott Air-packs and facemasks, looking like aliens from Mars, in through the front door as the alarm system was blasting like a loud claxon throughout the building. In short order they arrived in the kitchen and found the culprits – two large trays of blackened pancakes smoking away in the oven!

The firemen turned off the oven, disposed of the two trays outdoors and with two large fans cleared out most of the smoke. The kitchen and downstairs will smell like burnt pancakes for a few days. By 2:15 AM I was back in bed, smelling like burnt pancakes and with the adrenalin flowing full tilt, I listened to Gale and Sherman blissfully breathing in rhythmic sleep as I stared at the ceiling for the next hour!

Yet it was a very successful Shrove Tuesday Pancake and Sausage Supper ---- over 65 attendees, with lots of help and great fellowship. And one I will never forget!

Being Ourselves At Our Best

St David's Day 2011 with the Episcopal Visitation of Archbishop Duncan. This is an email I sent to the parish


Many years ago our bishop, Bob Duncan, challenged each of our parishes us to "be ourselves at our best". Yesterday was such an occasion. St. David's shined. Our worship was heartfelt and spirit-filled and reflected the diversity of who we are, traditional, contemporary, liturgical and free-form with bagpipes,organ, piano, keyboards and praise band. Baptism, Confirmation, Reception, Re-affirmation of Faith were all celebrated with joy. Alexandria Kleinschnitz and Chester Lang were honored for their service to our parish and, the Acolytes, Stephen Ministers, Altar Prayer Ministers, Lay Eucharistic Ministers, St John the Apostle Grief Ministers and 2011 Vestry were all commissioned. Archbishop Duncan also announced that the Standing Committee of the Diocese voted to remove the Transitional Parish designation from St. David's and restore us to full parish status. This opens the way for the vestry to elect a rector ( me or some one else!) rather than be served by a priest-in-charge appointed by the Bishop. Following the service we adjourned for lunch in the Parish Hall. Many hands made the work light as we gathered together to eat -- a big thank you to all who contributed to the excellent fare and especially to the Circle of Sisters for the final prep and serving.

Archbishop Duncan addressed us and shared in great detail where we are on the litigation front and about property issues. It was eye opening for many of our folks. One parishioner sent me the following email message following our meeting. What an encouragement! "My mother stood up and asked her Church ( Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church) to put St. David's in their prayers. She also told me that a small group has committed to be intercessor's for St David's during this trial. I did not ask her do this and was surprised when she told me her actions. My mother is baptized in the Holy Spirit and told me God has moved her like Daniel was asked to stand for Israel. I am not sure the verse but that is was she told me. An eye opening meeting today, I look forward to filling out survey but my feelings are simply that we should be actively pursuing another place to worship. I am also going to keep my eyes open for a residence for you and Gale. Just in case we need to do an emergency move. We can always rent a place quickly but I would prefer to own something and remove the expense of rent. Wherever God takes us I will follow. I don't fear anything when it comes to St. Davids. I am actually excited to see where God will lead us.

Our Task Force on the Future will be developing a survey to ascertain your thoughts on a way forward. We are also forming a negotiating team and have signalled our desire to begin conversations with the TEC diocese about the future of our property. Please keep the St. David's Clergy, Wardens and Vestry, Task Force on the Future and all our people in your prayers

Faithfully in Christ

David+

A4D Men’s Weekend

From last Thursday evening until late Sunday afternoon, I was sequestered with over 40 other men at the Bishop Connare Center in Greensburg PA at the Anglican Fourth Day (A4D) Men's Weekend #96. We were either team members or candidates (new term: pilgrims) on a men’s retreat formerly known as Cursillo. I have been on eleven of these weekends since 1987 and I find them to be a great time of fun, fellowship, ministry and spiritual growth in the life of men. These forty men were a diverse lot --older and younger; married and single; white collar and blue collar and they came from 19 different parishes from as far away as Erie. We had seven men on team from St. David’s including the rector and one of the two assistant rectors of the weekend. Three of the eighteen pilgrims were from St. David's as well. And our parish was responsible for the agape meal on Saturday night. Thirteen folks drove to Greensburg to do that ministry. Well done, good and faithful servants!

Probably the greatest joy I experienced was that my son Greg (age 33) attended the weekend. I had been asking him for ten years to attend to no avail but someone else asked him and he said yes! I am so glad he has rediscovered his faith in Jesus Christ these past few months. He has begun to attend church once again, albeit a big-box non-denom church, study the Bible and pray. Many of his fellow school teachers with whom he is closest are Christians so he has an instant support group per se.

Another pilgrim was my former Senior Warden at St. Paul’s Kittanning –now a vestryman at St Andrew’s New Ken. He was another one I encouraged to attend for ten years to no avail. It was a real joy to be with Jim once again.

I almost forgot to mention, as far as worship and music goes --- we had the dream team: Mark Kwolek, Brooks Whipple and John Stanley. They just rocked. I'll never forget singing "Amazing Grace" to the tune of "The House of the Rising Sun". Even the Archbishop was impressed!

On reflection it was good to get away from all the mess we are in with the TEC diocese at this time, from the problems and challenges of the parish and just from life in general and I can’t think of a better way to do that than one of these weekends,

"Useful Idiots"

SFIF blogger Matt Kennedy posts the letter all the Pittsburgh clergy received from Bp Duncan last week and then he offers his comments on it. I agree with him fully. Probably what disturbs me the most about the St Philip's and the Somerset settlements is the fact that two of our parishes have placed us in a more difficult situation than we had been in for what they see as their own best self-interest. They have allowed TEC to use them to set a precidence that can now be used against us. The Soviets used to call people like these "useful idiots".

Dear Friends,
Attached is a letter describing an agreement made by Somerset Anglican Fellowship with the TEC Diocese. Some of you have already read about this in the newspaper or received an email; many of you have communicated with me your concerns that there might be many “secret deals” being made which will leave many congregations “on their own.” Here is some information about the agreement, and our current situation, that we thought it would be helpful for you to know.
1) Somerset Anglican Fellowship negotiated this settlement without the input or approval of the Diocese. In fact, we have reason to believe that the lawyer representing SAF advised them not to inform the Anglican diocese. We are very concerned that a congregation thought itself to be so in jeopardy as to necessitate secret legal action.
2) St. Stephen’s, Sewickley and Church of the Savior, Ambridge have consulted legal counsel with regard to individual settlements with the TEC Diocese. Both parishes informed the Anglican Diocese at the time and both parishes have decided not to participate in any settlement without the involvement of the Diocese.
3) To the best of our knowledge, there are no other parishes which are unilaterally attempting to make a settlement with the TEC diocese.
4) The Anglican Diocese remains committed to finding the best solution for each of its parishes in light of the recent legal decisions. We also continue to hope for and look for some kind of settlement that would benefit all of our congregations.
5) Please do not hesitate to email or call Canon Mary, Geoff Chapman (Chair of the Standing Committee) or Jonathan Millard (Standing Committee member) or me if you have further questions or concerns.

In light of these very serious developments, I feel compelled to issue a godly directive to all of the clergy of the diocese not to engage in, conduct, or conclude negotiations without first discussing such actions with me, or with Canon Mary, and with our chancellor.
Faithfully,
The Most Rev. Robert Wm. Duncan

I think this is an unfortunate but necessary admonition. Having been through litigation, I certainly understand and think it often necessary to settle at some point. But no Christian church should enter into a settlement in which the Episcopal Church dictates a congregation's ecclesiastical loyalties and commitments. We should be willing to lose our property and assets and all things before giving in to such demands from heretics. Christ alone ought to be given the sort of authority that some churches seem to be willing to give to Episcopal Church in order to save their buildings. The very reason we have chosen to leave the Episcopal Church is so that we might worship God in freedom and truth. These egregious settlements compromise both.

And what is more it is a compromise made at just a time when TEC has had to change tactics because their previous slash and burn policy was producing so much internal and external backlash. With this new tactic, the TEC, if we allow them, will continue to rake in some cash, damage competing orthodox dioceses, and falsely present themselves as the defeated parish's benefactors. The only reason this tactic has succeeded so far and the only way it can continue to succeed is if orthodox congregations count their physical properties and assets so dear that they are willing to cooperate with heretics and relinquish Christian allegiances in order to save them.

Realignment and St. Paul’s Kittanning

St. Paul’s Kittanning PA
Its Been Three Years:
Reflecting Back


Three years ago next week Gale and I were called into the Bishop’s Office. It was a dreary, cold, damp, gray Tuesday morning when I received a phone call from the Bishop informing me that charges of “sexual harassment” had been leveled against me. I was shocked and stunned. I hadn’t a clue of who could have said such a thing and what I had done. Confused and fearful, Gale and traveled to Pittsburgh for a 4:00 PM appointment. We entered the Bishop’s office to find Bishop Duncan and Canon Mary Hays. The bishop handed me a cover letter written by the Senior Warden and a listing of eight examples of how I had failed as a pastor written by the church organist. Included were two instances of my using “inappropriate language” with the organist during private conversations at lunch. He claimed I had challenged his sexuality. Oh well –so much for joking around with the organist. As a result I was asked to take a three month paid leave of absence from the parish for reflection, healing and, hopefully, restoration.

I felt betrayed by the Senior Warden whom I had just appointed three weeks before. Why didn’t he come to me first before going to the bishop? I felt “sucker punched” by the organist whom I had hired just five months before. Fortunately most of the list of pastoral failures were items in which the bishop and the canon were already aware of from my perspective well before Gale and I came to the meeting. They were conflicts or challenges of which I had been involved in pastoring a highly dysfunctional parish with a long troubled history of dysfuntionality.

What has become clear to me over the past three years was a lot of this was a dysfunctional way of working out fear of realignment in a divided parish. I was a strong proponent of realignment and a leader in the diocese to do so. The Senior Warden was torn about it. In fact unbeknownst to me at the time, he had contacted one of the prominent “conservative” clergy who was part of the opposition to realignment for advice. The organist and the Senior Warden had become fast friends at this time and so they “cooked” up a plan to stop St. Paul’s Church from realigning by sidelining me, the leader of the parish. And it worked!

During my three month leave of absence, it became clear to the bishop and to me that my time a rector of Kittanning would be coming to a close. I resigned effective June 1, 2008. I had served over ten years as rector. Of the 28 rectors in the parish’s history I had the third longest tenure in service and was about a year shy of having the second longest tenure. Sadly most of the renewal of the parish of which I had labored for years and years was undone by the organist as soon as I departed. The projector and screen were removed from the nave. The electronic keyboard was removed from the chancel and all the praise music was exorcised from the music files.

In October 2008 the vestry fired the interim rector appointed by Bishop Duncan and appointed a TEC loyalist ensuring their fate. Early in December on the strength of a 4 to 1 vote, the vestry voted to remain in TEC and not realign with the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh. I found it ironic that the future history of St. Paul’s was decided by four people in the parish. Within months of the vote the Senior Warden, the organist, the TEC appointed interim, a third of the vestry and 50% of the congregation left the parish including many of the strongest leaders, the young families and the newest attendees.

Had I been able to stay would the parish have realigned? Possibly but with some of the same loss only from the other side. One positive result is that my friend the Rev. John Bailey at St. Andrew’s New Kensington has gained many new members and at least two vestrymen from the exodus at St. Paul’s

On June 15, 2008 I began as priest-in-charge of St. David’s Anglican Church in Peters Township PA. It has been a parish with much different challenges but it has been a great blessing in our lives.

Has realignment cost me? Yes it has, but it is worth every bit of the cost knowing I have followed where God has called. In my darkest days in the spring of 2008 I took strength from Romans 8:28. “All things work for good for those who love God and are called according to his purposes.”