[Magdalen] Prayers for Ascension, Chicago

[Lynn Ronkainen]

speaking from the experience of leaving my church of 22 years 2 years into 
our new 'call', I will say that the new priest began changes immediately 
(they seemed to be a NEED for him and he's never stopped). Many people did 
not find this objectionable at first, buoyed by his youth and young family. 
His race to re-form the parish after his own needs (apparently quite high 
church) has finally taken it's toll. Various bequests to the church have 
been used to completely remodel and then several years lager re-outfit the 
chancel with heavy, Victorian looking altar, pre-du, and seating... this 4 
years after he had the entire chancel tiled in marble... and all of this in 
a modern '70s era building.  The tried and true who said when I left that he 
would never make them leave 'their church' have finally bailed. I am 
wondering if enough people have been drawn in to his style to continue to 
support the parish in a viable way. Perhaps. I did see a bill board 1/8 mile 
up the road from the church with a giant arm pointing to the right and a 
brief statement about building Christians @ St. XXX  ... all this 1/8 mile 
before the campus that you can't miss anyway with a huge expanse of green 
lawn right up to the road and a huge electronic sign with the church name on 
it... this billboard has been up for 6 months now.

It is hard to know the tipping point when people 'bail' or conversely people 
create so much dissention that the new priest can  no longer exist in a 
poison environment.  Sometimes when the call really is/was a good one, even 
those who support the call have a hard time working through the incredible 
negative things that we churchers can do to one another and to our leaders.

sighing and still praying for Ascension.
Lynn



website: www.ichthysdesigns.com

When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I have not a 
single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave me." 
attributed to Erma Bombeck
 "Either Freedom for all or stop talking about Freedom at all" from a talk 
by Richard Rohr

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Jim Guthrie" <jguthrie at pipeline.com>
Sent: Monday, September 14, 2015 3:03 PM
To: <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Prayers for Ascension, Chicago

> Catherine Phillips  remarked:
>
>> As a priest who has served many interim situations... this may be a 
>> signal
>> for some/many that there is work to be done.
>>
> I suspect that a trained interim who could handle a spikey high parish 
> like Ascension is a rare bird indeed.
>
> And from anthony clavier
>
>>I have no idea what changes were made or how they were made. Except in the
>>usual changes that inevitably occur when a new priest takes over my 
>>general
>>observation is that the first task is for the priest to become comfortable
>
> IIRC, the changes were made a year into his tenure, which should have been
> enough time, I think.
>
>>Patience is so important.
>
> I suppose one could wait 10-20 years waiting for congregational turnover, 
> but
> that seems to be beside the point.
>
> Anglo-Catholic Parishes (especially but not exclusively <g>) tend to have 
> Know-It-All
> Clergy or Know-It-All Congregation leaders, and sometimes like charges 
> repel.
>
> Cheers,
> Jim