This page gives us a chance to fill you in on some of our history, and the current exciting gamble that we've undertaken.
Some history:
St.
Mary's began worshipping together 122 years ago, just down the street.
In the early 1920's, they built on the corner of Laurel and Howell and
began holding
services.
During the depression they banded together, hosting neighborhood
theatre shows to keep the church doors open and shoes on their
children's feet. For decades they were faithfully served by
well-beloved priests, Frank Zoubek and Sam Cook. People
flocked
to church after WWII, prompting them to add on to the facility to
accommodate the overflowing Sunday schools and children's choirs. In
the 60's and 70's St. Mary's experienced rocky times, with some
conflict around a couple of the rectors, and declining membership that
mirrored the shrinking that occurred in mainline denominations all over
the
country. Financially times were rough, and to avoid closing the doors
the remaining members worked very hard, giving sacrificially and
personally putting much sweat and tears into the maintenance of
ministry. Their devotion paid off and not only did they survive that
time with affection and humor, several families gave substantially to
an endowment fund. Things smoothed out in the 80's and 90's under the
leadership of the Rev. Russ Johnson.
It
is said that tough times don't build character, they reveal character,
and St. Mary's ought to be proud of what is revealed about them. They
are faithful, hardworking, loving, generous, and kind. They gathered at
that altar Sunday after Sunday, through war times and peace times, lean
times and full
times,
offering their prayers to God and receiving the mystical grace of the
Holy Bread and Wine. They were baptized and married and buried from
here. They took good care of the building and offered it to the service
of God, housing a Leisure Age center, a center for mentally ill
teenagers, adult retreats called Cursillo, and the first ACA group in
the country (which still meets here weekly). They relocated over 60
refugees, served free community dinners, and gave much money away to a
variety of charities even when they needed the money themselves. They
were among the first to encourage women in all roles of church
leadership, including ordination, and have similarly welcomed gay and
lesbian people into the full life of the community.
If
you glance around the congregation on a Sunday and notice those faces
that look like they've seen some years, I ask that you toss up a prayer
of thanksgiving for all they have done and who they have been that led
us to this day. They are honorable people.
Next, the Present
It
is such an exciting time at St. Mary's!During the last 9 years much
thought has been given to how we can use the gifts we've been given by
God to share the Gospel message of love and compassion with people
craving to hear it. Seven years ago a special Task Force charted a
direction that the vestry (elected leadership) and the finance
committee endorsed. It was clear to all of us that we had to make a
choice:either continue on the same course of shoestring budgets,
minimal programming, and a steady decline of
membership;
or take a gamble. The gamble involved spending our financial reserves
to pay for a full slate of high quality programming and becoming wildly
creative about inviting other people into the life of faith as we live
it here. To that end we increased our music director salary so that we
might start a children's choir. We hired a part-time, highly qualified
office person to remove some of the administrative burdens from my
shoulders (which I wasn't ever very good at anyway) so that I might
focus my attention on Christian Formation and Worship (things I enjoy
doing very much). We then added another 10 hour a week Desktop
publisher position (Courtney Juvland). We put attention into making our
building more user-friendly and hosting events intended to welcome new
people into our midst.
The
great news is that we exceeded our financial goals 2 years ahead of
schedule, with a surplus budget in 2006 instead of the predicted
2008!Plus the energy has only increased, which if you come you can see
for yourself. The adult choir and bell choir both have new members. We
have 11 adults who committed themselves to serious weekly Bible study
called EFM. Our Sunday schools are well run with excellent teachers. We
host the largest youth group this parish has seen since the early
1960's, and this year we had so many kids go on the annual ski trip we
needed to rent 2 houses! Our Sunday attendance is about 140 people,
which doubles the attendance figures from 1998. The food drives have
produced more bags of groceries than I have ever seen gathered before.
We have an enthusiastic commitment to the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) which will cut global poverty in half. Plus there is that
intangible sense of excitement and humor that feels good and speaks
unmistakably to me of the Spirit. These are good-good times.
Finally, The Future
This
steep rate of growth and energy comes with challenges-we're not
complaining of course, but acknowledge the challenges none-the-less. We
have taken another gamble and are voting in a deficit budget again in
order to hire staff to help administrate, care for the building, and
further develop our children's and youth programs. (1/3 of our
congregation is under the age of 18!). Our nursery is so full of small
children we need now to find more space and people to care for them.
And with more people finding their way to this community, we need to
find ever-increasing opportunities for people to make friends. The
economic downturn has been difficult for everyone, and yet St Mary's
still remains very generous. In spite of some lost employment,
congregational giving did not drop.
And
of course our goal is to invite ever more people into a life in Christ
lived through community. There are people in this world who die lonely
or afraid because they do not know that they will be received by a
loving God and there is nothing to fear in death. There are people who
long for a community that knows them by name and who will be their
friends in good times and bad. There are children out there who do not
yet know that they were created by a God who delights in them and
respects them and hopes in them. Some of these people will only hear
this Good News in the particular way we can offer it to them, through
our liturgy and through our character. It is our vocation and privilege
to invite them to a life lived in thanksgiving for the graces of God.
Challenges, yes. Deficit budget, yes, but this goes back to the core
character
of this place-still we stand by the gamble. We will continue to offer
the best we can in service of the God who has given us so much.
I'm
proud of them and their conviction and their gratitude. I'm honored to
be the priest chosen to lead them, and promise to be here to see this
latest gamble through.
God is good! Welcome!
-The Rev. LeeAnne Watkins
