September 12, 2018

Life is changed, not ended. -- Commemoration of the Dead, BCP 382

There are lots of quotes about endings and beginnings. There are reflections on endings that are beginnings. Closed doors and open windows. Friends for a season. Good while it lasted. Moving on. And I'm sure you can think of many other quotes and thoughts about endings and beginnings.

But this line from the BCP has always resonated with me; probably even more so now as a clergy person who has dealt with my fair share of transitions – from moves to new people to funerals and much more. Change is inevitable. Anything that is alive experiences many changes. So carrying that understanding forward through our faith can can allow us to see not an ending but a change.

Which brings me to my most current “changed but not ended.”

In two days Joelene and I will sign papers and close the deal on our new house. This is both exciting and terrifying.

It's exciting because we are thrilled to have found a place that symbolizes our comfort and love of being here. It's a symbol of a sense of permanence that we feel about this place. And saying, “We bought a house,” means that looking forward doesn't necessarily entail looking west.

It's terrifying because I can no longer call the landlord/owner and say, “Hey, the garbage disposal is broken, can you please fix it.” I'm reminded of Red Green, who said, “If the women don't find you handsome, at least let 'em find you handy,” and am awfully glad my wife finds me handsome. And I wonder if “righty-tighty, lefty-loosey” changes if I'm looking at the thing from up top or from my back.

We have some big changes ahead. We have been renters for so long that this really is the end of life as we know it. But it's not really the end, it's just one more change in a life of changes.

So the next time you think you're facing the end, I encourage you to recall these words from the BCP: Life is changed, not ended.

Blessings,

September 5, 2018

Some things change, and some things remain the same

Toward the end of July I made the decision to terminate the Youth and Young Adult Minister position primarily due to budget issues. I never like it when things come down to money and the budget, but sometimes they do and decisions need to be made.

For a short period after that many of us were wondering where we would go from here with the parish youth program. While Joelene and Paul have done great things with the teens and J2A, there is more to our overall youth program than just that, and there was a period of uncertainty as we pondered our future.

Right about in the middle of that pondering I received a message from Heidi wanting to talk with me about this very thing. We set up a meeting, along with Susan (current Chair of the Christian Formation Commission), and talked about what we would like to see happen.

In the time that Heidi has been “on staff,” she has done some very good things with Children's Chapel and Sunday school. She will be taking over the acolyte program in October (following her wedding and honeymoon), and she is making plans for coordinating some youth group activities.

Some changes she has made have been good and necessary. Other changes have been simply minor tweaks to things here and there. What has remained the same is that we continue to have an active and engaging Children's Chapel program, and our Sunday school classes continue to be staffed by dedicated and loving volunteers who enjoy working with our children.

In her time at this position, Heidi has also been actively recruiting people to help with Children's Chapel and as classroom aides. I would expect that once October rolls around, she will be actively looking to recruit acolytes and people to help with the youth group.

If you would like to help, or if you would like to contact her to offer encouragement, you can do so via the Youth Minister e-mail. What has changed with that is who it goes to and who will respond (Heidi). What remains the same is the address: youthmin.stjohns@myactv.net

St. John's is blessed to have many people of many talents who volunteer their time and energy to the many ministries we provide, including Heidi. At this particular time, I am very thankful to have her step up and into a ministry she clearly enjoys, and I am looking forward to working with her in this role.

Again, feel free to contact her at youthmin.stjohns@myactv.net if you would like to participate in the youth program, or just to say, “Thank you.” And feel free to say that in person the next time you see her.

Blessings,

August 29, 2018

Pressure, pushing down on me

The opening line to the classic song, “Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie have been on my mind and a part of my life recently.

Today's Wednesday Word is a little different because it's mainly about me. I generally don't like to talk about me or things that keep me up at night with people, let alone a broad audience such as those who read this weekly missive. There are a lot of reasons why this is so, but only one that I will share with you here.

One of those reasons is that I am no different than you. You all have jobs and children and hobbies and responsibilities that push and pull you in many different directions. For me to complain or whine about things going on in my life only serves to minimize and/or devalue what you all experience.

That said, I realize it's also important for you to know what is going on, to a point, with me. It doesn't do anyone any good to spend time wondering what's wrong or why I've suddenly disappeared.

That said, here is some of what is causing some of that pressure in my life at the moment:

September.

September is pushing down on me. Purple events throughout the month, a special focus on opioids on 9/16, a movie, parish picnic, the resumption of Monday night classes, a confirmation class, a bishop's visitation, a wedding, and premarital sessions for an October wedding. Individually these aren't all that big of a deal. But, as I looked at my September calendar, they've manged to stack on top of each other very quickly.

A house.

You may have heard that we are looking at buying a house. I spoke with my loan officer yesterday and they need a few more things to get final: three additional bank statements, two letters explaining things that make them uncomfortable, and how we're going to deal with a needed repair. We're close, very close. In fact, he told me that it's basically a done deal, we're just crossing our t's and dotting our i's. And then, of course, the actual move from Point A to Point B.

Again, individually, probably not all that worrisome. But added all together, and on top of September in general, and there's a bit of pressure pushing down.

In the words of Julian of Norwich, “All will be well and all will be well and all manner of things will be well.” This I know to be true.

But I'd still appreciate your prayers this month.

Blessings

August 22, 2018

Thank you

It has been busy around the office over the past few days. We are gearing up for September which will see a silent movie in the nave, the parish picnic, a presentation on the opioid crisis, St. John's Day, the return of our education offerings for all ages, and I can't remember what else.

Football season officially begins next Friday for me with a game at Clear Spring.

Commissions are working on their budgets, and I'm supposed to be going over our employee handbook.

And on and on it goes, the business of the church never ending, and the busy-ness of the church sometimes overwhelming.

Yesterday, amid the business and busy-ness, amid the meetings and writings, amid the various worries of one kind or another, I turned another year older.

And amid all those things I received many birthday greetings, most of which came from the people of this parish. Let me state for the record: one of the best birthday gifts I've received is the gift of you, the people of this parish. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your lives. Thank you for making me and my family feel at home. Thank you for making this job as wonderful and spiritually fulfilling as almost anything I've ever experienced.

Thank you for being with me on this incredible journey.

Blessings

August 15, 2018

The Response

As expected, the priest of New Creation Anglican Church, Fr. Justin Clemente, responded to my letter to the editor which I included in my Wednesday Word from two weeks ago. I have been asked by a few parishioners if I would respond. My answer is, “No, I will not.”

I won't respond because, among other things, I will not engage in a war of words or religious disputes via 270-word limited personal opinion pieces. Nor will I engage in yet another battle that people on the outside can point to as a reason why they won't attend church.

That said, there is one thing Fr. Clemente said in his letter of last week that I do want to address here: “I do not love what your church has become. And indeed, I would urge you to consider what it has become very carefully.”

What has our church become? After careful consideration, I believe our church has become:

a place that finally realizes there is no more Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, gay or straight, black or white, for all are one in Christ;

a place that values men and women equally (or at least tries to);

a place that engages scripture critically in an effort to learn how God is speaking to us today;

a place that understands the societal context of today is different from the societal context of the ancient near east;

a place that is focused less issues of purity and more on issues faithfulness;

a place that works to include those whom society and religion would work to exclude;

a place that is comfortable with uncertainty and doubt;

a place that welcomes questions over blind adherence;

a place that knows it's easy to enforce laws and difficult to live with nuance;

a place that values inclusion over exclusion;

a place that understands God shows no partiality.

These are but a few ways in how I see our church. And from where I sit, we have nothing of which to be ashamed.

Blessings,

August 8, 2018

Hobbies

I've mused on hobbies before, so forgive me if this is familiar.

I really only have one hobby – officiating football. The season itself is relatively short; two months and maybe ten Friday night games. Other weekday and Saturday games dot the schedule from late August through October. If one is lucky, a playoff game or two is given as a reward and recognition for a job done well.

Before the season begins, though, the officials meet. Here in Maryland we meet much sooner than anywhere else I've been, with our first meeting in May. We discuss plays and rules. We take tests. We go over mechanics (where to stand and move). And then sometime in late July the current rules books are issued and in August the national test is given. Once the new rules book is in my hand, I begin again the familiar task of reading, highlighting, and making notes. My book is a color-coded series of cross-references and notes in an attempt to have a deep knowledge of what to do when all hell breaks loose on the field.

And over the years I've spent my fair share of money on officiating accouterments: hats, shirts, pants, winter gear, flags, whistles, cards, buzzers, shoes, and more.

I'm not alone.

Many of us have hobbies which we do for fun or sanity, or both. Many of us spend time learning the breadth and length and height and depth of that which we love to do. From badminton to tennis, golf to skiing, quilting to knitting, baseball to scrap-booking, we all have something which we enjoy doing and which we will willingly put our time, talent, and treasure into.

What would happen if we treated church and God as a hobby? Not a hobby that we have on the side to which we simply use for distraction; but as a hobby which we loved, as a hobby which we willingly poured our selves, souls, and bodies into.

I think too many people see church as an obligation, as one more thing that we have to get done during an already busy week.

What if we saw church (in general) and St. John's (in particular) as our hobby? What if this hobby was where we came to have fun? What if this hobby was where we came for some sanity and spiritual recharging? What if this hobby was the place we paid as much attention to as a current rules book or magazine on new knitting patterns?

Do you need a hobby? Try church.

Blessings,

August 1, 2018

Welcome to the spat

Forewarning: Today's Wednesday Word is much longer than normal.

I was approached by several parishioners over the course of this past weekend asking, “Did you see the article in Friday's paper?”

Unfortunately I don't currently receive the paper, and I don't often browse through what's available on their internet site. So, no, I didn't see the article; but I did find and read it on Sunday.

The article in question was written by Janet Heim and told the story of Fr. Justin Clemente, a 35-year old priest serving the evangelical congregation of New Creation Church. You may have seen their billboards that were up along Leitersburg and Sharpsburg Pikes for several months. You may also have noticed that it billed itself as an Anglican church.

What especially brought this article to these parishioners attention (which then was brought to my attention) was this line: As the founding pastor and parish priest for New Creation Church on Leitersburg Pike north of Hagerstown, the Rev. Justin Clemente leads the only Anglican congregation in Washington County.

That was news to us.

The article also states that they are members of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic and the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).

In short, ACNA was created after the election of Bp. Gene Robinson (the first openly gay man to be so elected). What arose was a family spat about who could and could not be a bishop in the church, who could and could not get married, the place of women in the church (Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was a particular thorn in their side), who took Scripture more seriously, legal battles over who owned the property, and a whole host of other issues. Several dioceses voted to remove themselves from the Episcopal church (San Joaquin, Ft. Worth, and S. Carolina were three).

ACNA was primarily based in the Global South (Africa and S. America), led by African bishops several US bishops, and funded by the Americans. It began to claim itself as the rightful heir to Anglicanism since we (the US and eventually Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, and even England) were “walking away from the plain teachings of Scripture and traditional Church teachings.”

Part of their plan was to claim the name “Anglican” in the hopes that people would either confuse the two churches or at least see them as legitimate heirs of that name. Another part of their plan was to establish “missionary churches” in the United States, thinking that if they could establish enough churches then the Archbishop of Canterbury and the rest of the Anglican Communion would have to recognize their validity simply by sheer numbers.

You can see this in the article when it is claimed that New Creation Church is the “only Anglican congregation in Washington County.” You can also see it when Fr. Clemente states, “I said I think the Lord is calling me to service in a certain way – planting Anglican churches,” as well as his goal of moving NCC to downtown.

I don't begrudge anyone for finding a place where they are fed spiritually and where they can worship God faithfully. However, part of my job is keeping the people of St. John's informed, and I feel that you need to be informed about this particular priest and parish – a group that sees themselves as the only valid Anglican church in the area.

The article can be seen here: https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/instant/founding-pastor-helps-hagerstown-area-anglican-congregation-grow/article_83292c52-91f4-11e8-a052-975553c38692.html

We are Episcopalians. We were formed by missionaries of the Church of England. We continue to be a sister church of the CofE and remain in full communion with her. Our bishops trace their lineage back to the Archbishop of Canterbury and beyond. We are Anglicans in every sense of the word.

I hand delivered a letter to the editor yesterday morning, and have included it in full below. Among other things, it is intended to inform the readers of the Herald-Mail that the six Episcopal churches in Washington County are, indeed, Anglican.

Blessings,

Todd+

To the Editor:

In Janet Heim's article of July 27, 2018, about Fr. Justin Clemente, this statement was made: “New Creation Church . . . [is] the only Anglican congregation in Washington County.”

Whether made by Ms. Heim or Fr. Clemente, this statement is factually untrue.

Anglican refers to those churches in communion with, and recognizing the leadership of, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Anglicanism is the system of doctrine and practices possessing a religious and theological outlook differing from Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, or Protestantism. An Anglican church, therefore, is one of a particular theology and polity which has roots in, and is in communion with, the Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

There are six Anglican churches in Washington County, as well as one school and chapel: St. John's, Hagerstown; St. Andrew's, Clear Spring; St. Thomas, Hancock; St. Mark's, Lappans; St. Paul's, Sharpsburg; St. Anne's, Smithsburg; St. James' Episcopal School, Hagerstown. All seven congregations were established in the 1800's and continue today as members of the Anglican Communion in what Presiding Bishop Michael Curry calls, “The Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement.”

Words and definitions matter. On behalf of my fellow Episcopal clergy and all those who worship with us, I felt it necessary to bring this to the attention of you and your readers, especially in these current times where lies and untruths are spoken with unchecked regularity.

Sincerely,

The Rev. Todd Young, Rector

St. John's Episcopal Church, Hagerstown