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St.
Paul's is a small church on a very limited budget trying to do
many things and things do get done..... It just takes a little
longer than we thought! (Putting together this website is a good
example.) Our priest is half time, and our members are involved in
other community programs such as WAIM, and of course the Covenant
Soup Kitchen. Some of us also spend a lot of time working with
people in the community who need help. Things do get a little
harried but we're a cheerful place and take things in stride.
At the same time
we are aware that the world is filled with problems extremely
serious and extremely difficult problems. There are problems here in
Willimantic, in Washington, in Iraq, in the arctic, in the oceans
.... It is easy to list the problems, but not easy to solve them.
Still, how these problems are dealt with will have a significant and
potentially drastic effects on all of us - effects that will we may
well have to face sooner rather than later....
In very general
terms, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are obligated to do what we
can to ease the world's suffering (including the suffering of the
environment and all its creatures). We are to heal through love and
compassion. The real sin is not about things like gay marriage
it is about turning our eyes away from suffering. This view is
fundamental to all the world's major religions and yet is ignored by
those on the right of all faiths - the ones who use their faith for
power and control, who preach violence and exclusion.
But St. Paul's is
a small church in a small city. We have limited time and resources,
and for the moment therefore we must concentrate on the more local
and more immediate problems. To this end we are searching for an
answer to the following questions: What should the role of the church
be in today's older and poorer urban setting? How will it support
itself and its programs?
We expect that the
church should be a place for worship, and a guide in the search for
spirituality; a community similar to and possibly a substitute for
family; a sanctuary from whatever is threatening us. Perhaps other
functions as well. Should the church act as a prophetic voice
and is that even possible? Certainly there is a need, but perhaps
being a home for, and a supporter of a prophetic voice, would be a
more realistic goal. (Considering the general unpopularity of
prophets, being small and poor probably would help; as Janis Joplin
once sang: freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.)
Baptisms, weddings, funerals and the Sunday service but what else?
And just exactly how does a church go about doing these good things
and still find enough money to pay the bills? At St. Paul's we have
some answers but critical questions still remain.
All of these
questions face the mainline church as a whole - not just St. Paul's,
or the Diocese, or the Episcopal Church. So far, good answers are
to say the least - in short supply. We would be delighted to hear
from you if you have any thoughts on the subject. In any case, we
will post our progress in this ongoing search.
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