A Meditation on the Third Anniversary of Ordination

I remember visiting them in my youth, those magnificent churches with the vaulted ceilings, the stone pillars reaching upward seemingly to touch the heavens, and the long aisles that would deliver me to the very throne of God. Later, I would read how the architects and builders of these monuments had hoped to give us a foretaste of the grace and grandeur of heaven itself.

The Sunday worship that I remember was vastly different but it warmed me no less. I would sit Sunday by Sunday in what I learned was an upturned boat complete with a keel running from stem to stern. I would count the rows of dark wood that made up the plank on frame construction and be reminded that the Church was a lifeboat for people like me. We would ride out the storms of our world huddled together in a boat Jesus himself made for us to carry us safely to the heavenly shores.

I’m just now learning how deeply this image lives within me as I struggle with others in the work of visioning a new image of Church. I can’t help but think that much of my time is spent bailing that fragile boat, plugging leaks, and mopping up messes. I wonder what message our tired old buildings give to those who come to worship on Sunday mornings.

Perhaps the builders of these upturned ships were not building lifeboats, but arks? Arks built to carry us through the storm searching for a place to land and to disembark? Maybe instead of being run aground like a poorly captained ocean liner, we are finally making landfall in a recreated world that we hardly recognize, and there is only an olive branch to remind us of what was and to point us to what is to come.

I can’t imagine what that first pitiful ark must have been like after forty days and nights on the windswept ocean packed to the gills with everything and every being needed to sustain life. I don’t want to think about the devastation and destruction they found amid the sprouting new life. Perhaps it was not coincidence that they were moved to look upward to God’s sign – the bow – in the sky above them.

Outside my window, folks are lining up in a neat line that wraps around the church buildings. Men and women, grandmothers and sons, workers and old folks are waiting for the arrival of food that will carry them through the weeks ahead.

It is time for us to get off the boat.

Missioner's Report for 2011

Dear Friends,

Looking back on the past year I am reminded of Jesus’ words, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” Trust in God, and also trust in me. Jesus said this to his disciples just prior to his going to the cross. He knew his disciples would face perilous times; life in the days ahead would be subject to doubts, disappointments, failures, challenges, and even persecution. In the face of all of that, he said “trust in me!” He prayed for them, promised that the Holy Spirit would come to guide, strengthen, and protect them. Jesus’ very last words to his disciples were, “Remember I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

In the past year, we have faced our share of challenges and many of us began with the hope that 2012 will be less exciting and more serene. After all, what are the chances of a repeat of a year that began with record level snow, followed by a hurricane turned tropical storm, which culminated in a bizarre autumn snowstorm that crippled our region. In the midst of this we went about the busyness of engaging in mission and ministry in this place and worked to envision and discern a new way of being for our parishes and our life together as the Greater Hartford Regional Ministry.

For many of us it has been a year of “what will happen next???” and the what next has included personal challenges of involving the lives and health of loved ones or the financial security of families and friends. There have been profound losses and difficult challenges.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”

In the midst of these challenges, there have been wonderful opportunities and amazing blessings. We have come to know and depend on each other in new ways and have grown from the experiences we have shared.

We have worshipped God Sunday by Sunday and remained faithful in our baptismal vows, “to continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship and in the prayers.” Our worship each week is made possible by the devoted work of our liturgical coordinators, organists, choirs, lectors, liturgical assistants, altar guild members and sacristans, ushers and greeters, and those who work to make our churches beautiful and welcoming. In addition to our worship as a parish community we have been blessed to have joined in worshipping with the GHRM community for special liturgies and celebrations. Our evolving Transfiguration liturgies and personal Ascension Day liturgy, and our faith filled and beloved Easter Vigil and (snow cancelled) All Saints’ Day services are a reminder of the important Episcopal and Anglican traditions we share and our commitment to liturgy that meets the needs of our community. We have joined with our brothers and sisters in Christ from the Bolton Ecumenical Council and the East Hartford Interfaith Ministries for special Thanksgiving services and for the first time, a service of remembrance on the anniversary of September 11th.

We have also enriched our relationships with the Episcopal parishes in our area through our participation in East of the River, a network of collaborating parishes in our area. We were the first parish to host a very successful Lenten program culminated in more than seventy Episcopalians gathering for dinner and a program on healing from a variety of perspectives. Young people and adults from our parishes have also participated in youth programming, including “Party at the Pit” and a day in Boston. Plans for working together are evolving and we will continue to work to find new ways for the clergy and laity of our parishes to share fellowship and resources.

The parishes of GHRM have offered many opportunities for spiritual growth and formation in the past year. Godly Play continues to be a hallmark of the ministry at St. George’s and the leaders of Rhythms of Grace are working to adapt this faith experience for those with special needs of all ages. St. John’s has blessed the East Hartford community with concerts and recitals which have enriched us and our neighbors. The Blue Christmas service is a growing reminder to all of us that Christmas is a time not only for celebration, but also for ministry to those for whom the holidays present difficult challenges and pain. All Saints’ commitment to our pets and their companions continues in our St. Francis’ Day liturgy and the Blessing of Animals. With Phil Hovey’s leadership, a Lenten quiet morning was held at St. George’s exploring the writings of Parker Palmer. The Last Tuesday Book Group continues to meet faithfully for free flowing discussion and Pricilla McKenzie’s wonderful scones. John Williams and Phil Hovey continue to work with our Lutheran colleagues to provide seasonal bible studies that expand relationship with our partner denomination.

Before you think that we are a group all about study, let me remind you of some of the many opportunities for fellowship and celebration that we have shared. Two of our parishes (All Saints’ and St. George’s) share a special talent for cooking corned beef and Ed Gallagher, Sandy McGraw, and Carol Freschlin & Company have been wonderful stewards of our fellowship time together and our coffee hours. My memories of our times together are punctuated with wonderful tastes and flavors. Challah bread, soda bread, Vermont cheese, apple pies, potato leek soup, roast beef, cheesecake, baked beans, jellies and jams, chili, meatball subs, scones, macaroni and cheese, waffles, and far too many cookies and cakes to mention. The musical talents of our parishioners and their families and friends is also a blessing and we have enjoyed hours of listening and listening and singing along. Pete Culmo’s auction has been a wild time together for members of all three of our parishes. Our Senior Saints’ led by Ward Edgerton and Charlie Kendrick, have enjoyed each other’s company and gathered for picnics, parties, Christmas caroling, the first annual Sr. Saints’ golf tournament and another first, a poetry slam! All these memories serve as a reminder of how much we care for each other and how important it is for us to be together.

There have been so many people working together to make our parishes the places that we love, that it would be impossible to name them all inside the space of two pages. But just a mention of some of those who have faithfully led our parishes, Denise Robillard, our Inter Parish Council chair, and Betty Caruso and Pete Culmo, Denise Robillard and Bonnie Matthews, and John Williams and Sandy McGraw, our wardens have served with dedication during this time of transition. Their dedication to God and to our parishes is without question or reservation. The members of the Working Group of Twelve, representatives of our parishes tasked with the formulation of a vision for our shared life together – Shirley Finney, John Williams, Sandy McGraw, Paul Finney, Jean Pineo, Sue Mullen, Chuck Dziedzic, Ward Edgerton, Betty Caruso, Pete Culmo, Pat Matrick, and Phil Hovey – are working diligently and faithfully to envision a new way for us to work together to advance God’s Mission of Reconciliation and Reconciliation in the world. The future remains unclear, but the truth of Jesus’ words remain, “Remember I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”


“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”