From the Vicar...

Recovering the "cure of souls" model that historically served us so well

Last of a four-part series

During this Epiphany season, we are giving some thought to the invitation of Jesus to his potential followers to become "fishers for people" - not just as regards the "fishing" but what the implications are once folks we touch with our ministry are "in the boat."

This week: my final column in this Epiphany-season series - some thoughts on our response to the pastoral needs of our people and the communities we serve.

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Responding to the pastoral needs of our communities

In the face of the changing nature of both Church and society, one of our knee-jerk reactions has been to assume that the Church of tomorrow won't need full-time priests. Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, we need the Church to return to an older model of what it means to be priest and congregation together as the body of Christ.

First, we must always be reminded that there is one shepherd of the flock, and that is Jesus Christ. Second, we have to move beyond the idea that only those who are ordained are called to ministry and mission. This clergy-centric way of doing things has to change. The Episcopal Church teaches the ministry of all the baptized and we must learn to live more fully into the reality that all of us are being empowered by God for the healing of the world. Bishops and priests have a very specific role to play in the common life of the Church, but we clergy can only do a small part of the work of the body of Christ. It requires all of us to be faithful to do the full work that God has given us to do.

There are two equally unhelpful models of priest that have become endemic in the Episcopal Church, and mainline Protestantism, today. The first is the therapist/life coach model, whereby the priest is simply there to lead you along the path to self-actualization. Equally problematic is the idea of the priest as the social justice advocate. The Gospel is neither self-actualization nor social advocacy, though it certainly brings these into being when lived faithfully.

Pastoring is about the "cure of souls," to use an old term rarely heard these days. A priest's primary job is to know the Scriptures intimately through a life of study and prayer; to provide teaching and counsel; and to usher all of God's people deeper into their life in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. The pattern of pastoral ministry since the early Church has been communal - to make the congregation the center and focal point of a common life in which we are shaped into disciples. We have lost so much of our effectiveness by embracing the false belief that we are primarily individuals rather than a community. This, along with a profound materialism in our culture, has done more than anything I can think of to diminish our Church.

How the Church can or will recover a healthy understanding of its pastoral ministry remains uncertain. Some careful thinking must go into this problem. But the one thing that is certain is that we cannot afford to allow priestly ministry to go by the wayside or to be transformed into something done by proxy rather than in the context of relationship. The standard tenure for a rector now in the Episcopal Church has become five years or less in many places, hardly enough time to even begin to build the kind of trust that is needed. Many parishes opt now for part-time priests since they can no longer afford full-time, but that is an oxymoron. How can you pastor people only part of the time? Thus, many "part-time" priests are part-time in name only.

There is no single method for returning the Church to this kind of central place in peoples' lives. But as we continue to grow in our faithfulness in proclaiming the gospel with love, passion, and clarity, we have the opportunity to create a loving environment where we can meet God in transformative ways, and see God bless our church. The pastoral focus of which I speak is not ultimately about methods for reclaiming the Church but about how God has promised to reclaim us and thus build the Church.

Fr. Chip

Mardi Gras is coming! Have you signed up to help yet?

This coming Tuesday evening, our joint Mardi Gras celebration will take place in Hobbs House. The plans are set - the band is set - but we need YOU to make sure the tables are set...and that we have a great meal to put on them! This Sunday is the last day to sign up to offer such Mardi Gras specialties as jambalaya, gumbo and pancakes - and all the fixins' that will make for a fun evening. Then join us Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. and have some fun!

Vicar's Discretionary Fund needs your help

Our joint Vicar's Discretionary Fund has been set up to serve the pastoral needs of both of our churches. This fund exists to quietly and confidentially assist people in need either through direct personal aid (helping people with utility bills, rental and heating assistance, etc.) or through participation in community-wide charitable efforts.

If you are in a position to help bring this fund to full operating strength, any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Please make your check payable to your own church (Trinity or Christ Church) with a memo, "Vicar's Discretionary Fund." Even better: why not consider making a quarterly (monthly?) contribution? Calls for assistance come in throughout the year and it would be good to know the fund is ready to meet these needs at any time.

The Vicar

Our Shared Ministry Cycle of Prayer

Each week, in both of our churches, we pray for one ministry we share and one or two households in each church. About once every six weeks, we will instead using the Shared Ministry Collect we prayed throughout the opening months of our Shared Ministry.

In our prayers the next two weeks, we give God thanks for...

Ash Wednesday Liturgies

On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, Holy Eucharist, with the Imposition of Ashes, will be offered at 12:15 p.m. at Trinity Church and at 7:00 p.m. at Christ Church.

Our Ash Wednesday services invite us to reflect on our lives and relationship with God, to bring renewal in our lives. The Imposition of Ashes reminds us of our mortality. The Eucharist reminds us of Christ's sacrifice for us and our new life in Christ. All baptized Christians (including children) are expected to attend one of these services. This is why we offer it in both churches, and invite "cross-attendance" based not on location but on convenience to the worshiper's schedule.

Fr. Chip

Our Lenten worship

Sunday services throughout the season of Lent strike a simpler, more penitential tone than those normally offered through the rest of the year. By changing the liturgy in different seasons of the Church Year, our worship will be deepened as we experience different windows that are opened to God by our service.

At Christ Church... There will be no sung liturgy from the conclusion of the Great Litany on the first Sunday in Lent until the Liturgy of the Palms on Palm Sunday. By offering the Eucharist in a more austere setting through the remainder of Lent, we will be reminded of that "stripping away" that is at the heart of the season's self-examination and repentance.

At Trinity Church... At Trinity Church's 8:45 a.m. Eucharist this Lent, the Penitential Order with Holy Eucharist, Rite One, will be offered. Like the liturgical setting we are using at Christ Church, this liturgical setting reminds us, through its penitential language and tone, of our call to prepare our hearts for the Paschal feast.

Episcopal Relief and Development Sunday

Feb. 22 at both churches

We invite you to join us as we commemorate Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday on the first Sunday in Lent, Feb. 22, 2015.

At the 2009 General Convention, Lent was officially designated as a time to encourage dioceses, congregations and individuals to remember and support the life-saving work of Episcopal Relief & Development. We invite all Episcopalians to join together on Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday, and throughout the Lenten season, to pray for those living in need.