The proposed revision of our parish Constitution and By-laws has been approved by a vote of 28-1. This immediately affects the way we hold elections for the Parish Council. Under the new By-laws, nominations are received, the candidates are given an opportunity to present themselves to the parish, and members of the parish vote on the candidates. 

Other changes to the By-laws include provisions that make compensated staff members ineligible to serve as voting members of the Council, and increase the number of voting members to nine. The impact on this election is that we have five openings on the Parish Council, and we have received four nominations. 

At its meeting on June 20, the Parish Council decided to not postpone the election any longer, but to proceed with the parish vote on the four current nominees. The fifth slot will be filled later in a separate election.

Four of our fellow parishioners have been nominated for membership on the parish council. As part of our discernment process, each of them was asked to respond to two questions:

1. What drew you to our community?
2. What do you vision for our community?

What drew you to our community?  

I was raised Catholic and have had both a difficult and blessed journey in my Catholic faith.  I was extremely involved in my faith and parish growing up in Catholic schools.  When I entered St. Louis University I went through a transformative experience where I realized that all I was practicing and repeating back wasn't authentic.  It didn't come from within; it had come from what others told me to believe.  So I began my own journey to discover who God was to me and what that would look like in my life.  Through experiences during those 4 years at SLU I developed a strong passion for theological discovery and discussion, working for women's equality in the church, and was particularly inspired by liberation, feminist, and eco-feminist theologies and theologians.  I went abroad for a year after graduating, and I knew when I came back I wanted/needed a faith community that I could freely and openly celebrate what I believed in, in a way that was inspiring, challenging, and uplifting.  I also knew I would not find that within the Roman Catholic Church anymore.  I attended mass at Sts Clare and Francis one of my first weekends back in St. Louis and knew immediately during that celebration this was my home, I had found a family with whom I could celebrate, question, and live life's mystery.  I love that this is a community that IS the church we want to be.  We don't have to waste time and energy fighting to break down a brick wall that isn't going to move anytime soon.  We get to just come to the table, as we are, everyone welcome, and break bread together celebrating the mystery of our faith.  I love that I can hear my own theology reflected in the homilies and in the prayers.  I appreciate that everyone has a valued voice, and that the larger organization of churches is continually meeting to review and revise each year, open to the movement of the spirit.  I am continually drawn back week after week because my spirit seeks to unite itself to the larger spirit present when we can all gather and take sacred time to connect to our "source."  Sts. Clare and Francis is where my spirit is both at the same time at peace and on fire. 

What do you vision for our community? 

From my own experience and from listening to others, what I hear is that Sts. Clare and Francis is "home."  I think there are a lot of spiritually homeless people right now who have come from the Catholic tradition and can no longer stay because it is not a nourishing or healthy community to remain in.  I envision Sts Clare and Francis reaching out to these spiritually homeless, and inviting them to find a home here, to celebrate in a way that will nourish their spirits and stay connected to God through community.  I also value the intimate-ness of our small community and recognize there will be some challenges to face as we grow. I vision us working together in prayer and discernment to grow through whatever challenge presents itself.  I see us continuing to uplift the gifts and talents of the community to always seek new and creative ways to live out our faith together.  I can see Clare and Francis in the future also envisioning and building its own unique space of worship, reflecting the myriad of traits that make our worship services so special and powerful: with ample space for all to gather around the table, space for music and dance, in a way that still maintains our intimate and communal sense of celebration.

What drew you to our community?

 The warm invite from Sue, Paul, Therese and Judy over two years ago brought me to the Easter Vigil service.  It has been the unconditional love and acceptance of the community which keeps me returning to SCF.   When I first heard Frank announce that everyone was welcome to partake of communion I knew from the depths of my being I belonged here and a search of over twenty years had ended.  Each week the celebration of the liturgy with prayerfulness and relevancy renews the soul.  SCF's  focus to not only grow closer as a community but to be of service to the larger community increases my desire to be more involved. 

What do you vision for our community? 

I certainly would like to see SCF grow in membership since we have so much to offer, but it is important that we continue to discern our direction and focus.

What drew you to our community?

 

I was raised Roman Catholic by extremely religious and conservative parents (mostly Dad whose brother was a priest). I did my best to live how I was taught, but knew for years that I was unable to embrace RC beliefs across the board.  This was most evident for me after my divorce and annulment process in 1977.  Fortunately, I was soon introduced to "Frank Krebs" at Sts. Peter and Paul in Soulard where titles were unnecessary.

Frank was very open and receptive to all (yes, even back then)! He was a breath of fresh air after all the conservative priests that I grew up around. Acceptance of all was key at SSPP; that is, until Frank left in the early '90s.  Our new pastor said things would stay the same, but over time, the rules and exclusions of some crept back in and was so distasteful that I felt that I had to leave to be true to my beliefs.  Leaving nearly 30 years of friends was very difficult, but made so much more palatable after meeting new friends at SCF who were accepting of all people and all beliefs.  That truly felt like I had come home!

 What do you vision for our community? 

I see us as a people of prayer with a personal relationship with our God in whatever  way is meaningful to each person. Although I like the ritual of the Eucharist, I also feed my relationship with God by hiking Pickle Springs or sharing a Saturday evening meal or being in small group or

helping to rehab the dining room at Karen House....all with others on the SCF journey.  We are many people with many different, valid ways of relating to the God that we encounter in each other.  I believe that it is acceptance
of our differences that draws us together.     

Also, I believe we have been gifted with the ability to hear what the Holy Spirit has to say to us through the Words of Jesus.  I see us as a Community striving to grow in our knowledge and desire to live the way Jesus teaches us in the Gospels.  We are a dynamic Community, open to change and growth in our faith.     

I believe that SCF is the "seed Church" for our region to grow the ECC. I think that as we grow slowly and steadily, that we will then be large enough to start more ECC parishes in areas that are seeking our type of Church.  I know that there are many of us that don't want to think about 'splitting up', but as we outgrow our intimate size, we may be more open to saying yes to whatever we may be called to do to grow.  It won't be easy, but it will probably be exciting......just as starting SCF probably was!  

What drew you to our community? 

I would like to see continued growth in our community to maintain its viability through whatever steps we can take to make our existence known to allow those to join us who are dissatisfied with what they see in their present church.  I also believe that while we work to achieve the previous mentioned goals that we never lose sight of our Catholic roots and to work to maintain this important aspect of our Catholic heritage.