A bright blue sky and the rising sun greeted Gretchen’s and my early morning departure for St. Mark’s, Augusta, home of Attie’s Attic and numerous community ministries.
We arrived to meet with three confirmands from St. Mark’s, Waterville, and a candidate for reception from St. Mark’s Augusta. It’s always fun to add folks from a neighboring congregation for a service, and I’m grateful that our churches seem comfortable in reaching out to another for confirmation when that’s convenient. It gives us all a sense of being a part of a larger body – both the Episocpal Church and the Body of Christ.
The service itself was great fun, with lovely music and enthusiastic participation. And I’m almost to the point where I can say the sentences of confirmation and reception without looking! I was joined in the celebration by the clergy, the Rev. Elizabeth Miller, rector, and the Rev. Richard Bamforth.
After church we gathered for coffee hour and a time of conversation. First question out of the box had to do with merging or combining congregations. The recession has put financial pressure on many of our communities, and congregations are looking for ways to be more cost effective and to strengthen their ministries. I responded that I was open to those conversations, but wanted to make sure that congregations were coming together out a shared sense of mission rather than mere convenience. We also talked about the upcoming state legislative hearings on marriage equality and the participation of Episcopalians in that process.
The Vestry and I then joined for some serious conversation about ministry and money. St. Mark’s needs to make some significant budget decisions and to make long term plans over the next year. The beautiful Gothic church requires a great deal of work and an unsustainable financial commitment. It was suggested that we might call the Greater Augusta Area churches together again for some followup conversation. The Vestry is deeply committed to ensuring that its clothing and feeding ministries continue. Something like 10% of the population benefits from those ministries, and they are essential to the community.
Our visit ended with lunch at the rectory with clergy and spouses and some time to talk with each of the clergy. It’s amazing how much can be packed into a single visit!
+Stephen