It goes without saying (although people say it all the time) that we have seen 
tremendous changes in our society in the last few decades. The church has not escaped these trends, in fact, our ongoing challenge is how to be relevant in a world that sees religion as ancient and old-fashioned. But every once and awhile, that which had grown old is made new again (to paraphrase the BCP), and things from the past are suddenly inspiring. Such was my reaction to our recent Trinity Listens,… Trinity Responds Campaign.
First some background: Our campaign was a process of formal conversations, with leaders and vestry members setting out to have formal conversations with individual church members. We were looking for information about the people in our congregation, about who they are and what motivates and inspires them. We also hoped to identify concerns that might inspire a new ministry or project for Trinity. Dozens of conversations later, what did we learn?
What we found out was in many ways what we already knew. We noticed the diversity of our congregation, which meant that interests and motivations were varied as well. It did not come as a surprise that we didn’t find one particular cause that unites our congregation. Well, there is, of course one cause—that reality of the Good News. As a community we hope to support one another on this journey of faith, recognizing that we are in different places on that journey. One mission, but a variety of ways to live that mission out—St. Paul identified this situation as the reality of the church way back in biblical times. Our task as a church is not to get us all working on the same project, or even the same two or three projects, but for each of us to find our own place in mission.
And that’s where the past comes in.
Back in the 1970’s, when the current Book of Common Prayer was being vetted, the notion that regular Christians had a mission to do was a novel one. Certainly clergy, or maybe other professional church leaders had things to do, but regular Christians? Wasn’t their job just to come to church, hear an explanation of the faith from the ordained expert, and support the church’s existence? Some folks had work to do keeping the church functioning, of course, by serving on Vestry or Altar Guild, but none of this was considered essential to the life of a Christian.
Until some people remembered that it was. The Catechism of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer insists that the ministers of the church are (in order) Laity, Bishops, Priests and Deacons, each with work to do in the world they live in. This wasn’t a new idea—there has always been something called the “Priesthood of all Believers,” which is the notion that all of us, not just a special caste of Christians, represent Christ in our daily lives. But back in the 1970’s, somehow the Church remembered this Priesthood as not just an idea, but a living reality.
With this new understanding of the Christian community, everything changed. From being the “Frozen Chosen,” Episcopalians began to awaken to the possibility that God was really present in their lives, that they could make a difference in God’s world, and that how they responded to the Gospel mattered. The adventure of faith had begun.
I tell you all this, because these ideas are what got me into this line of work. To help us all discover what we could be as God’s people, representing Christ, serving his Kingdom—doing something in the name of God—that idea compelled me into taking on vows and wearing a plastic collar. But in the midst of all the work that must be done, and all the things that look like fun to be done, sometimes the real purpose gets buried.
Thanks to our Trinity Listens,… Trinity Responds campaign, it’s all back. My call—our purpose—is to support one another as we seek to serve and represent Christ in our world. So here’s the question:
WHAT CAN TRINITY DO TO SUPPORT YOUR MISSION AS A CHRISTIAN?
We have some answers already:
We could pray for parishioners by name, for the work they are doing in the community that makes a difference.
We could use the bulletin board in the narthex to advertise opportunities for service in Trinity and outside of Trinity.
We could create opportunities for Trinity members to make a difference on issues of interest to them, specifically on environmental and global warming,
We could learn more about prayer by talking about it.
We could have a prayer service and invite the community.
We could learn to talk about our faith in particular Episcopal ways.
The Vestry is organizing some initial projects (and you can read about them in the newsletter). But this question is about more than programs, it’s about worship, community and conversations. It is about how we connect to one another in support and encouragement. It’s about each of us taking risks and being brave enough to act on what we believe.
So how can Trinity make it real for you? What can we do to make you brave enough to take up the cross and risk it all for the Gospel? How can we support, prod, encourage or inspire? How do you do what you see that needs to be done and know you’re not alone? What do you need to be the Christian Christ calls you to be? That’s what we need to talk about.
So share your thoughts here: