Parish Experiment Set in Nice
Diocesan Press Service. December 10, 1964 [XXVII-13]
Is it possible to pull together a church congregation from a passing parade of parishioners? How does one actually bridge the cultural gap between Americans living abroad and Europeans?
Answers to these questions may be forthcoming if a three-year experimental venture in Nice, France, comes off. The experiment will be the development of a hard-core congregation that previously has consisted of American tourists and Navy men, and to simultaneously give Americans and Europeans a better understanding of each other. It will begin Dec. 13 at the American Church of the Holy Spirit, one of the Episcopal Church's seven European parishes.
In charge of this dual venture will be the Rev. Worthington Campbell, formerly associate secretary of the Executive Council's Armed Forces Division. He was appointed by Bishop Bayne, Bishop-in-charge of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe and Director of the Overseas Department.
Bishop Bayne, in making the appointment, told Chaplain Campbell:
"On the one hand, you are to minister to the congregation committed to your charge, not only those now worshiping and working with us in Nice but the whole community along the Riviera who are within reach of our ministry.
"On the other hand," the former Anglican Executive Officer said, "you will be equally concerned with the ministry to our Naval force in the Mediterranean, which is so largely centered in the vicinity of Nice."
His reference there was to the U. S. Navy's Sixth Fleet, which stays combat-ready for any conflicts that may arise in the Mediterranean.
Because of the mobility of the urban French port city of Nice, Chaplain Campbell is cognizant of the difficulties that lie ahead in fulfilling his double taskload.