As we celebrate the glorious Resur-rection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are reminded there is new life all around us. The Episcopal Church, despite major crises in recent months, reflects that new life in many places.

Through telephone calls to many parts of the church, we found stories of new life and resurrection in small congregations, religious communities and individuals. We share some of those stories in the hope they will add to the joy of this celebration

Shortly after the Phoenix General Convention in 1991, 24 people from nine congregations in northern Delaware worshiped together for eight Sundays in what was named the Pilot Congregation. Services were held in a non-church setting and the focus was on building new relationships and combatting racism.

The outcome of those services was positive and some of the group didn't want to stop when the eight weeks were completed. Since then, about half the original congregation and a dozen other people have worshiped together one Saturday a month, most of the time at St. Andrew's Church in downtown Wilmington.

The service begins in the usual fashion of Rite II through the lessons, with contemporary writings pertaining to racism sometimes substituting for the appointed Old Testament and epistle readings. An hour-long discussion follows, then the Eucharist is celebrated.

The diverse group of black, white and Hispanic persons from urban and suburban congregations discovered the Eucharist is an effective context in which to face difficult and often divisive issues, said Max S. Bell, Jr., senior warden at St. Andrew's. He was chairman of the diocesan commission that formed the congregation. "In eight weeks, we made giant progress," Mr. Bell said of the original services.

This month, the Pilot Congregation is taking another step in its growing ministry. Members of the group will participate in "diversity training" as a way to gain skills to promote anti-racism efforts. After the training, the Rt. Rev. C. Cabell Tennis, Bishop of Delaware, will look to the Pilot Congregation to train people in parishes throughout the diocese.

Another place showing signs of new life is St. Titus' Church in Durham, N.C. Attendance averaged 65 in 1992, and has increased steadily to about 105. The congregation is now working with an architect to increase the size of its sanctuary and to add four classrooms.

"We're doing some exciting things here," said the Rev. Monroe Freeman, rector. Fr. Freeman cited an increase in outreach ministries, particularly an AIDS care team, and involvement with an interfaith hospitality network which provides transitional housing.

St. Titus' also has been involved in ministry at nearby North Carolina Central University, and now has a chaplain to the school based at the church.

While Fr. Freeman takes no credit for the new life being shown, the increase in attendance coincides with his arrival three years ago.

"This parish was without a rector for five years," he said. "It operated mostly with two supply priests who were at Duke University." Fr. Freeman was contacted by the parish while attending the Union of Black Episcopalians' conference, and he soon moved from Greenwich, N.Y., to Durham.

"It's been a matter of former parishioners coming back," he said, "and new people moving in ... part of the growth of the Research Triangle area."

A member of a religious community shared a personal story of new life.

"Originally, I had been a conscientious objector," he said, "but when I realized that did not mean one less person going to war, but that someone was going in my place, I renounced my C.O. status and enlisted as a non-combatant. When I returned from my year-long tour in Vietnam, I fairly successfully suppressed the guilt, shame and other feelings that my experience had generated. That is until a friend took me to see a play written by a Nam vet, with a cast of Nam vets and dealing with the post traumatic stress of Nam vets. The play cut through 15 years of suppressed feelings and threw my whole life into turmoil.

"A few days later I found myself walking toward the bridge to jump off as a way of ending this agony. On my way, a car radio blaring Judy Collins singing 'Amazing Grace' stopped me in my tracks and I felt a wave of peace and forgiveness wash over me. While this resurrection experience was not an instant of total healing, it gave me the strength to become involved in a veterans support group and to begin to deal with the addiction that had taken hold of my life."

The Rt. Rev. Sam Hulsey, Bishop of Northwest Texas, believes resurrection has to do with "being completely realistic." While he readily admits the bishops of the Episcopal Church continue to face many problems, he believes resurrection is taking place through the work of the House of Bishops.

In the past four years, the bishops have worked in small groups during meetings of the house, something Bishop Hulsey has been instrumental in organizing. He believes this new way of meeting has strengthened the bishops' ministry.

"I don't want to say everything is great, but we have learned how to live and work together," he said. "It has to do with the grace that has come to us from God."

He said not all the bishops may agree with him concerning the new life in the house, but "there is a good number of us who feel we've come a long way. On the basis of that, we can be hopeful for our life together."

At the Church of the Holy Spirit, North Ocean City, Md., a small group of members literally prayed life into their church life. Holy Spirit had been a summer-only congregation serving the resort area of the Diocese of Easton since 1967. In 1985, Holy Spirit was opened year-round with a part-time vicar. Two years later, the decision was made to call a full-time priest.

"They knew they had to have a full-time priest in order to grow," said the Rev. Lawrence Hill, rector, who arrived at Holy Spirit in 1987. Fr. Hill had just finished a course in church planting and was anxious to see his new congregation grow. When he arrived, there were about 27 members. Since then, the church has grown at a rate of about 30 percent per year, with a current average attendance of about 170.

Fr. Hill cites prayer as the most important reason for the rapid growth.

"Before I came here, a group of five to eight people gathered at 6:30 a.m. every day to pray for the life and ministry of this church, and for their new vicar, whomever that might be," he said. The prayer group continues, meeting weekly now.

Music has been a significant part of the growth at Holy Spirit.

"When I came here, all the members were either retired or semi-retired," Fr. Hill said. "Their desire was to have a more contemporary worship service. From the beginning we have had a mixture of traditional hymns and songs of praise, with upwards of 12 songs during the service."

Those older persons have remained active while attracting younger members. "We've had people driving 45 minutes to come here for our style of worship," Fr. Hill said.

In recent years, there have been two expansion projects, the addition of 100 seats to the nave followed by an enlargement of the parish hall.

"My commitment is to evangelism," Fr. Hill said. "We make sure we follow up on visitors and we share the gospel."

Another church named Holy Spirit has been going through a spiritual resurrection from its inception. Holy Spirit of Portland, Maine, was formed in 1987 as a house church, largely to provide a congregation for renewed Episcopalians in Maine's largest city. It has moved from one location to another before settling on a school with a chapel and office run by Jesuits.

"It's a good relationship," said the Rev. James C. King, rector for the past four years. "The Jesuits are never there on Sundays. They're out in the fields (churches) working"

Holy Spirit has shown steady growth since its founding, from a handful of members to a range of 50-60. "Church growth in Maine is kind of measured in single digits," Fr. King quipped.

He described worship as "contemporary, liturgical, participative and open to the spirit. We've been open to the spirit from the beginning," he said.

The rector also characterizes Holy Spirit as being a place with strong lay leadership. "They see vocation or avocation as ministry," he said. "They come here in hunger. Their hunger is what I respond to. My principal gift is to be an exhorter ... to equip and to encourage. That's what our people do for each other."

Fr. King said house groups during the week and strong stewardship have been other marks of the congregation. He said the 21 pledging units make an average annual pledge of more than $2,000 per household.

Sister Brigid, of the Society of St. Margaret's convent in Boston, told an unusual story of resurrection. Some time ago, while she was working at camp at Duxbury, Sr. Brigid resurrected a blond, furry sloth-like hand puppet. She dressed him in biblical garb and named him Jehu Himhenit. Jehu became her helper and companion in interpreting the scripture to the children at Trinity Church, Boston. He became much loved.

One day a parishioner came to the youth church and brought pictures and a story about many children in need in Romanian orphanages, one of which she worked in. Stuffed animals and various necessities were made ready to send to desperately needy children. All knew, among tears and goodbyes, that Jehu needed to go on to this new life. So off he went on a Palm Sunday.

"But the Resurrection is a story of hope," said Sr. Catherine Louise, S.S.M. "So as Jesus left us with a Comforter when he ascended to the Father, so Jehu left a comforter, a juvenile American bald eagle puppet, our new joy, comfort and hope. So was born Nesher (in Hebrew, eagle) Bar Jehu."

The Rev. M. Edward Messersmith, chaplain of the Congregation of St. Francis at Penn State University, continues to remember fondly a festive sunrise service two years ago with the Roman Catholic congregation that shares the campus's ecumenical chapel.

In spite of the official divisions between the two churches, the two congregations had developed into a community in which, in many ways, they had become one body. In that spirit, members of the two churches stood together and celebrated on Easter morning, outside and in front of a sculpture symbolizing the Resurrection.

This spirit of unity began for Fr. Messersmith several years earlier when he was asked to preach at the Roman Catholic Mass, on the theme of being one body in Christ. When it came time for the consecration during the Eucharist, he was invited to stand at the altar. From there developed deep friendships with four Roman Catholic priests, all of whom have died in the past few years.

While he is establishing a new friendship with the current Roman Catholic chaplain, Fr. Messersmith looks back gratefully in having been given "a glimpse of a future time when we can stand together. The real residual message was the joy that was found by all of us mutually, in letting that [unity] evolve by God's grace."

For Brother Abraham Newsom of St. Gregory's Abbey, Three Rivers, Mich., daily life in a monastery brings constant reminders "to lay down my life at the feet of Jesus, so that he can raise me to new life he has given us through his death and resurrection."

St. Philip's Church in Norwood, N.Y., is a small congregation in a village of about 1,200 near the St. Lawrence River. New life began to sprout in the 1970s after Bishop Wilbur Hogg of Albany told the vestry the church was in danger of being closed because of low attendance and participation.

"The vestry was very upset about that," said Harriet Swan, the current senior warden. "They decided they better do some talking and praying. By the time I first came on the vestry in the early '80s, the vestry was doing more praying than talking about money."

At that time, Sunday attendance was about 25.

"We knew we had to do something," Mrs. Swan said. "Our parish was not growing."

One of the first steps was a Faith Alive weekend. Mrs. Swan, who was coordinator of that weekend, said lay persons responded to the lay speakers and witnesses. "The parish came alive," she said. Now lay persons are involved as eucharistic ministers and hospital visitors, in workshops and Cursillo weekends. "Anything we hear about we send people to," she said.

"All of this comes from a solid core of people who pray and believe," she said. Now we have 80 or 90 people on Sundays and we have a youth group of 15 to 20. There are 65 children and adults in Sunday school. If we have 10 more people coming to church, we'll have to expand the building."

St. Philip's currently shares a priest, the Rev. Robert Graham, with Trinity Church, Gouverneur, and members of the two churches get together for various activities. Despite all the activities, the congregation takes a low-key approach when visitors appear.

"We realize that unless they ask for a pledge card or ask to become involved, we don't force ourselves on them," Mrs. Swan said. "We lay low. I think that's helped in bringing in new people."

Mrs. Swan, a member of the diocesan council, has seen St. Philip's come a long way in the past decade.

"I can't express verbally what it feels like to walk into our church now and feel the peace and presence of the Holy Spirit," she said. o

Reported by John Schuessler, Patricia Wainwright and David Kalvelage