GEORGIA: Episcopal joy persists in Savannah despite trying times
Episcopal News Service. May 12, 2008 [051208-03]
Lisa B. Hamilton, Correspondent for Episcopal Life Media in Provinces I and IV
One sign of joy at Christ Church Episcopal in Savannah, Georgia, is seen in socks. Parishioners switched May 11 from wearing golden hues in honor of the Easter season to red for Pentecost. Next Sunday, they'll settle into green for "ordinary time."
Liturgically correct sock-wearing is only one indication of parishioners' determination to be joyful Episcopalians -- despite a dispute with those with whom they used to worship. In October 2007, the rector and vestry of Christ Church voted to leave the Episcopal Church, and a website cites affiliation with groups including the Anglican Communion Network.
Since that vote, an average of 100 Episcopalians (161 on Easter) gather every Sunday at 5 p.m. for worship that includes prayer "for our brothers and sisters on Johnson Square." They worship at Savannah's St. Michael and All Angels, hospitality the Rev. William N. "Scotty" Brock says his parish is happy to offer rent-free. "It's working rather well. Our vestry and congregation have been supportive because God's hand has been really here. We have made every move not to focus on the political chaos that is showing its ugly head at the present time. We have been the disciples God calls us to be and that is to offer a place where our fellow Episcopalians can worship."
"Although it's a painful situation, no question, it is a fantastic congregation, positive and forward-looking," says the Rev. Canon H. Neal Phelps, priest-in-charge and canon to the ordinary for the Diocese of Georgia. "They're very dedicated to living out the gospel as the Episcopal Church proclaims it."
Senior Warden T. Mills Fleming notes: "We're hungry to learn about our tradition, and eager to celebrate it. Excellence in liturgy is a huge priority for us. And we're welcoming to whomever walks through our doors. Our heritage -- the Episcopal Church's and this parish's -- is second to none and we're anxious to share it."
In addition to the day's liturgy, service leaflets include reproductions of art by European masters that illustrate scripture and explanations of feast days. Leaflets also note upcoming guest preachers -- a list that includes Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on September 14.
The parish -- "The Mother Church of Georgia" -- has 275 years of history to share. In 1733, Britain's General James Oglethorpe and founder of the Georgia colony set aside a plot of land for an Anglican church as part of his plan for the Savannah settlement.
The Rev. Michael White, who begins his ministry with Christ Church Episcopal on July 1, says he is "excited to play a role in the recovery and restoration of this congregation, which has played such an important role in the Episcopal Church and in Georgia."
White, a native Georgian whose undergraduate major at Georgia's Valdosta State University was history, recalls studying John Wesley's role in Georgia's development and at the parish where Wesley served as its third rector and founded what is arguably the first Sunday school in the United States. (Although Wesley is considered a founder of what is today the United Methodist Church, he was also an Anglican priest.)
"There's an amazing spirit of happiness" among the people he is called to serve, says White. "They don't ignore the hurt and the challenge, but there's such a gift of joy among them. There's laughter and playfulness and a deep curiosity about Episcopal traditions and liturgy and respect for the sacraments and symbolism."