[Magdalen] Please pray for Ascension, Chicago

[Marion Thompson]

As I recall from Scott's post, the rector has been there nearly a year.  
Hardly just arrived.

Marion, a pilgrim    ... today my sail I lift ....
On 1/17/2015 3:28 PM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford wrote:
> I missed that this is about a rector who has just been hired.
>
> I have been at one parish since about 1975. In that time we have had a
> number of rectors, and not one of them ever dismissed anyone when they
> arrived.
> The only time a musician left was when the musician needed to move on for
> some reason.
> We have had a few parish administrators, and some have been really good and
> some not so. We have always been happy to get someone to agree to work for
> us.
>
> So the concept of some twit arriving and firing, effective immediately, his
> parish administrator just struck me as the height of incredible stupidity.
> If we all worked according to what someone describes as SOP, it would not
> be long before we would not be able to get anyone to work for us at all,
> and rightly so.  Only a fool would take a job, knowing that it could end
> instantly based on some nimrod's whim.
>
> If this was the only pattern someone observed, there would be nothing to
> prevent them concluding that church is toxic.
>
> James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
> *“If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better
> for people coming behind you, and you don’t do it, you're wasting your time
> on this Earth.”  -- *Roberto Clemente
>
> On Sat, Jan 17, 2015 at 8:26 AM, Lynn Ronkainen <houstonklr at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I understand your point more than I did at first David. Were this a
>> cathedral there might be more chance of retaining status quo in some areas.
>> It is always possible that there are other details in the mix unknown by
>> many. Change IS hard. Being able to see the vision of someone new is often
>> difficult especially when it seems incongruent.
>> Lynn
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Jan 17, 2015, at 12:21 AM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <
>> magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> In a message dated 1/16/2015 9:21:50 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
>> jguthrie at pipeline.com writes:
>>
>>
>> One  would pray for the success of the new direction for the parish, while
>> wishing Godspeed to those not part of the new  regime.>>>>
>>
>> Not at the cost of diminishing what is probably the top Anglocatholic
>> liturgy and music in the Midwest.  A specialty parish like  Ascension
>> is never going to be the cup of tea for every one in the  neighborhood.
>>
>> Yes, of course there should be outreach, but there is Evangelical
>> outreach in the high drama of the Liturgy and the unexcelled quality
>> of the music, too.  I don't see how any Episcopalian would fail  to
>> appreciate this aspect of appeal!
>>
>> Ascension has always been my idea of ideal worship in the highest
>> Western Tradition, and I've worshipped there on occasion since
>> I was a youngster.  That's through the regime of several  rectors.
>> The idea that someone would come in and screw around with a
>> legendary worship tradition is very upsetting to me.
>>
>>
>> David Strang.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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