[Magdalen] End of an Era.

[H Angus]

From: Ann Markle

>It says pretty clearly in the BCP that HE is to be the main Sunday
service. 

>From Jim G

>Is that why it starts on Page 355?

I remember when I first came into the Episcopal Church. It had been so long since a new person came in (I guess) that the bulletins had no BCP page numbers to indicate to this bewildered stranger exactly where  all these words were coming from that I was supposed to be saying. I asked an Episcopal friend at work where in the world the service was to be found in that red book, and she said, "You start on 355." "OF COURSE!" I semi-shouted. "NATURALLY! How could I be so stupid?! It simply stands to reason that when you begin a printed church service, you start on Page 355!"

I learned to love the BCP, and my now-fellow church member started printing page numbers in the bulletins.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Guthrie" <jguthrie at pipeline.com>
To: magdalen at herberthouse.org
Sent: Thursday, April 2, 2015 12:39:53 PM
Subject: Re: [Magdalen] End of an Era.

From: Ann Markle

>It says pretty clearly in the BCP that HE is to be the main Sunday

Is that why it starts on Page 355?

service.  Therefore MP is unrubrical and not in compliance with the DDW of

And MP is the First Rite in the BCP? First things first, I think.

>TEC.  Bishops are usually pretty forgiving of small parishes who do this on
>rare occasion because they can't afford supply clergy - but the policy of
>the church is clear since the 1979 BCP.  One more reason people were
>infuriated by "the new prayer book."

Who agreed to impose the policy? Not General Convention, certainly.

Individual Bishops did so -- often in not too pastoral a manner, I must add.

The BCP's first paragraph says the Eucharist is the Principal ac of Christian 
Worship on the Lord's Day-- and most parishes have always observed that as the 
first service of the day as principal service. and that Daily Morning and 
Evening Prayer are the regular services appointed for public worship.

If you're to take that paragraph at face value as **requiring** the Eucharist, 
then it would seem incumbent upon any TEC cleric to  make sure there's MP and EP 
as public worship daily as well.

Coincidence is not Causation, but the steep decline in TEC membership seems to 
coincide with the demise of MP as Principal Service..

Cheers,
Jim Guthrie