All my hope on God is founded; he doth still my trust renew, me through change and chance he guideth, only good and only true. God unknown, he alone calls my heart to be his own.
– 1982 Hymnal (Robert Bridges based on the German by Joachim Neander)
110 members of four continuing congregations met recently in a retreat to share stories, ideas, and faith, to seek healing and to look ahead. Emily Cherry reports in a special edition of the Virginia Episcopalian
For the 110 Episcopalians who shared their stories at “The Abundance of God’s Love” retreat at Shrine Mont in Orkney Springs, Va. October 7-8, their tales were not entirely unique. Unhappy with the actions of The Episcopal Church at General Convention in 2003 and 2006, their leadership decided to reconsider their membership in The Episcopal Church and The Diocese of Virginia. Parishioners noticed a shift in the climate of their congregations: Episcopal flags were removed, or rectors focused their preaching primarily on “the issues.” They entered into “40 Days of Discernment”–in hindsight, with a sense of naiveté, said some participants. And they all entered into a journey categorized by confusion, frustration and, for some, hopelessness. “It’s like the stages of grief,” said Church of the Epiphany Episcopal, Herndon parishioner Suzanne Fichter. “Denial, anger, acceptance.”
In the Diocese of Virginia, a total of 15 congregations would vote by majorities to quit The Episcopal Church and The Diocese of Virginia. But in several places loyal members of The Episcopal Church remained, and in four of them – St. Stephen’s, Heathsville; St. Margaret’s, Woodbridge; The Falls Church, Falls Church; and Church of the Epiphany, Herndon – those loyalists reorganized….
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These were the stories shared by the individual churches. But the two-day retreat was not just dedicated to telling stories. It was about sharing ideas. Over a plate of Shrine Mont fried chicken, members of Epiphany and The Falls Church discussed logistics: Where do you worship? How do you provide music for your Eucharist services? A group of parishioners from St. Stephen’s Episcopal brainstormed the best way to build and support their internal church family.
And time was set aside for healing, too. Mr. Anderson, president and warden of the Cathedral College of the National Cathedral, asked attendees to look inwards, to examine their hearts. “How many of you feel like your heart’s been broken?” asked Mr. Anderson. Hands were raised. But for the attendees present, it wasn’t just a question of broken or not; it was an examination of whether or not their hearts were open. “I’m convinced my heart is open,” said Winifred Gilmore, a parishioner at St. Margaret’s Episcopal, Woodbridge.
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While discussing the past, participants looked toward the future of their parishes, too.
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“All Will be Well”
Reconstituted Congregations Retreat at Shrine Mont
By Emily Cherry
For the 110 Episcopalians who shared their stories at “The Abundance of God’s Love” retreat at Shrine Mont in Orkney Springs, Va. October 7-8, their tales were not entirely unique. Unhappy with the actions of The Episcopal Church at General Convention in 2003 and 2006, their leadership decided to reconsider their membership in The Episcopal Church and The Diocese of Virginia. Parishioners noticed a shift in the climate of their congregations: Episcopal flags were removed, or rectors focused their preaching primarily on “the issues.” They entered into “40 Days of Discernment”–in hindsight, with a sense of naiveté, said some participants. And they all entered into a journey categorized by confusion, frustration and, for some, hopelessness. “It’s like the stages of grief,” said Church of the Epiphany Episcopal, Herndon parishioner Suzanne Fichter. “Denial, anger, acceptance.”
In the Diocese of Virginia, a total of 15 congregations would vote by majorities to quit The Episcopal Church and The Diocese of Virginia. But in several places loyal members of The Episcopal Church remained, and in four of them – St. Stephen’s, Heathsville; St. Margaret’s, Woodbridge; The Falls Church, Falls Church; and Church of the Epiphany, Herndon – those loyalists reorganized. They called congregational meetings and elected new vestries and new delegates to diocesan Council. They have returned to weekly Episcopal worship, albeit in exile from their church properties, and returned to mission and ministry in their communities.
At this weekend’s retreat, members of the four continuing Episcopal congregations gathered for sharing, fellowship and to foster further their sense of hope for the future. As keynote speaker the Rev. Howard Anderson said of their stories in his sermon at the evening healing service in the Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration, “I watched as you spun out a future that’s so bright it will glow.”
Their Stories
For St. Stephen’s Episcopal, Heathsville, their church’s reconstitution started with an alternate coffee hour at a local tire and auto shop. “We were shocked at how many people showed up,” said vestry member Dawn Mahaffey, who stood in the church and addressed the congregation after the December 17 vote to leave the Diocese, telling them, “If there’s anybody who would like to remain Episcopalian, come see me.” Starting with a core of about 30 people, St. Stephen’s has grown to a congregation of 61 who worship temporarily at the United Methodist Church in Heathsville.
In the fall of 2006, the concerns of parishioners at St. Margaret’s, Woodbridge were not completely focused on thoughts of leaving The Episcopal Church. Their thoughts and prayers were with their interim rector who was involved in an automobile accident while on a church mission trip, and with their search for a permanent rector. After passing through the “40 Days of Discernment” in just 20, said senior warden Alton Tucker, “I was tired.” But exhaustion and frustration aside, 55 people gathered in January to discuss reconstituting the church, and 75 members continue to worship temporarily at the former Christ Our Lord church building in Woodbridge. The membership of Christ our Lord, a parochial mission of All Saints’, Dale City, voted to quit The Episcopal Church but in addition to leaving the Church also left their property to the Diocese.
For The Falls Church senior warden Bill Fetsch, The Falls Church was a very loving place when he and his wife were raising their family as members of the parish in the 1980s. But he started noticing changes in his church in 2005, culminating in the creation of the “40 Days of Discernment” program and the December 17 vote to leave the Church. Like St. Margaret’s, The Falls Church started meeting in January to discuss reconstituting, first at the Fetsch household and then at the Falls Church Presbyterian Church, where they were “welcomed with open arms,” said parishioner Debby Miller. Today, The Falls Church Episcopal continues to worship temporarily in the Presbyterian loft space, and hopes to secure a priest-in-charge by January 2008.
For Epiphany, Herndon, the path of reconstitution was a slower process. They started their “40 Days of Discernment” in October, and didn’t announce their vote to leave The Episcopal Church until January 14, 2007. Parishioners who wanted to remain Episcopalian but were no longer welcome at the now Nigerian church formed weekly caravans to visit different Episcopal churches on Sundays. “But other churches didn’t seem to be the answer,” said parishioner and now senior warden of the reconstituted congregation Gabe Paul. So, after consulting with the Diocese, they reorganized the Episcopal congregation, meeting two times a week: once at St. Timothy’s, Herndon and once as a home Eucharist. Today, with a membership 25 strong, “our journey continues,” said Mr. Paul–and this Sunday it will continue in their new “permanent temporary” home at Oak Hill Elementary School.
Sharing and Healing
These were the stories shared by the individual churches. But the two-day retreat was not just dedicated to telling stories. It was about sharing ideas. Over a plate of Shrine Mont fried chicken, members of Epiphany and The Falls Church discussed logistics: Where do you worship? How do you provide music for your Eucharist services? A group of parishioners from St. Stephen’s Episcopal brainstormed the best way to build and support their internal church family.
And time was set aside for healing, too. Mr. Anderson, president and warden of the Cathedral College of the National Cathedral, asked attendees to look inwards, to examine their hearts. “How many of you feel like your heart’s been broken?” asked Mr. Anderson. Hands were raised. But for the attendees present, it wasn’t just a question of broken or not; it was an examination of whether or not their hearts were open. “I’m convinced my heart is open,” said Winifred Gilmore, a parishioner at St. Margaret’s Episcopal, Woodbridge.
The Healing of Music
For some of those present, music played a large role in the opening of hearts during the retreat. When the retreat reconvened on Monday morning, music director Dr. Ray Glover had a special hymn in mind for morning prayers, which he described as “a hymn that encapsulates everything that you are doing.”
All my hope on God is founded; he doth still my trust renew, me through change and chance he guideth, only good and only true. God unknown, he alone calls my heart to be his own.
Members of St. Margaret’s conveyed a similar sentiment when they sang a song for attendees: “We’ve come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord.” And Mr. Anderson used a melodic chant to further that healing process, one that carried with it a message of comfort and hope: “All will be well. And all will be well. All manner of things will be well.”
Looking Ahead
While discussing the past, participants looked toward the future of their parishes, too. Mr. Anderson led the group in exercises to explore the congregations’ gifts and potential for mission work. “I see the abundance in relationships that have grown out of the struggle,” said George Mahaffey, a parishioner at St. Stephen’s Episcopal, where members have already started ministering at a hospice and delivering potable water to some of the 4,000 homes in the Northern Neck who are without that resource. For ministry, noted Mr. Anderson, is at the heart of the parish healing process. For St. Margaret’s parishioner Gregg Reynolds, healing is “When I get the sense that I can help somebody else,” which Mr. Anderson pointed out can “shift our vision from scarcity to abundance.”
And it’s this God of abundance who was at the heart of this retreat, as participants looked for healing by recognizing that extravagance of God’s love. As St. Stephen’s parishioner Rocco Tricarico said, “We’re healing, we’re going forward, we’re reinventing nothing. The Episcopalian wheel continues.”
Contact the Continuing Episcopal Congregations
While the continuing congregations are very strong and deep in their faith, their journey through their exile is not without considerable opportunity to lose heart. Send your letters of support, encouragement, offers of assistance or material goods to them at the following e-mail addresses. They would also love to welcome you to their worship.
The Falls Church Episcopal: tfce@thediocese.net
St. Margaret’s Episcopal: stme@thediocese.net
St. Stephen’s Episcopal: stste@thediocese.net
Epiphany Episcopal: gabepaul@cox.net