[Magdalen] "leaving church" was -->Re: Prayer request

[Marion Thompson]

I know a church that really is highish middle.  They've got a fine 
priest who came from the Presbyterian Church where he had ministered for 
some years but left that because n his heart he is uber Anglo-Catholic.  
Much of the congregation is dismayed -- he's so Ca-a-athlick..  But as 
he says, he was very up front with the committee who simp;ly were too  
lazy and ignorant to explore and understand what he was saying. "He 
never said," they wail.  Oh yes he did! I was there for a memorial last 
Saturday and there was nothing untoward, unless you count the lace :-) 
and that he chanted the Kontakion while facing her urn.  He also gave a 
wonderful homily that was way beyond the usual run of funeral stuff.

Marion, a pilgrim

On 4/28/2015 4:48 PM, Jim Guthrie wrote:
>> that has not happened,
> and recent developments, which we did not discuss,
>> have sent people jumping overboard in droves.  Is what it is. I was 
>> able to
>
> Do you think that wasn't the goal of the vestry and search committee 
> they appointed?  Or would both have been completely incompetent in 
> carrying out what they thought was the right call?
>
> It's far to easy to say it's all the new (or old!) Rector's fault, 
> rather than the vestry and search committee that put him/her in place.
>
> Then there's the idea that sometimes members of the congregation need 
> to be thrown overboard. Consider a parish of my acquaintance that had 
> an ASA of about 80.The new PIC worked to bring it into the "modern" 
> Episcopal church, including welcoming LGBT people. When when such 
> people came into the church, a half dozen "Old timers" worked had to 
> be rude and nasty to them, and worked to drive them away. Finally, the 
> PIC laid down the law, and told them that there were churches down the 
> road where kicking LGBT people out was basic to their belief system, 
> and if they agreed, they should go there.
>
> Some of the leadership went bonkers "We can’t afford to lose anyone." 
> but the PIC stood her ground. And within a year, AS.A was up 
> considerably -- and in two years was 135.  And the parish was on solid 
> enough ground to actually call a Rector.
>
> And there are lots of stories about people "sadly" leaving their 
> parish after 40 years because "They made a homo a bishop in New 
> Hampshire."
>
>>> without any feelings of deep sadness. Time and life since then (on 
>>> the 'other side' of MANY life changes since '06) have eased the 
>>> divide.  I think
>
> In most parishes=, for sure. I doubt that there are any TEC parishes 
> outside, perhaps a few places (mostly in the south?) where, say, a 
> lesbian couple with two kids and a seven-figure family income would be 
> turned away because some old-timers might walk out if they came in, as 
> I once witnessed on Long Island.
>
> Cheers,
> Jim Guthrie
>
>