Rector’s Pastoral Letter Lent - 2011 Based on the Rector’s Sunday sermon and charge given at the Annual Vestry Meeting on Sunday 27th March, 2011. The Revd. Fr. Mark Greenaway-Robbins Eleventh Rector of St. James’ in the fifth year of my incumbency.
Paradoxes of the Kingdom In the Gospel, at the core of Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God are four paradoxes: Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted. Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. These paradoxical sayings of Jesus invite us into the mystery of crossshaped discipleship Paradoxes of St. James’ My experience of St. James’ Parish has led me to identify at least six paradoxes in the life of our Parish family. I believe it is essential that we acknowledge and honour these paradoxes, because in so doing we are drawn more fully into the mystery of cross-shaped discipleship as it is distinctively expressed at St. James’. 1)
St. James’ is committed to the
worship of God and social justice. ‘All that we do flows from the altar’, is a saying attributed to May Gutteridge, Parish Worker. It serves as a shorthand expression of this paradox. In one sense, the most important text and action at the Mass are the dismissal: ‘Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.’ Renewed by sanctifying grace through Holy Scripture and the sacrament of the Eucharist, we are sent out from the community of faith to live our baptismal vocation in the world. So the worship of God without a commitment to seeking just relationships can never be more than a form of religious fix. And social action without constantly grounding ourselves in the mystery of God in Christ is a form of social work, not a living out of a baptismal vocation. The worship of God, the Holy and Undivided Trinity and the pursuit of justice and mercy in the complex web of each and every one of our relationships is inseparable. 2) St. James’ celebrates the ministerial priesthood and the priesthood of all believers. St. James’ has a high view of the holy order of priests. We treasure this sacred order who have been given apostolic authority to bless and absolve in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. But we abhor clericalism. Catholicism, indeed Anglo-Catholicism, does not equate with clericalism. Renewed emphasis has been placed in recent years on recovering and restoring ministry to all the Baptized. We believe in and celebrate our indelible sacramental status as baptized Christians. The mission objectives of the Parish describe the particular baptismal vocation of
this community of faith. We are on a journey which acclaims our baptismal dignity by celebrating the essential complementality of the priesthood of all believers and the ministerial priesthood. 3)
St. James’ is a destination and a neighbourhood Church.
It seems, to a greater or lesser extent, this has always been the experience of the Parish. During our history, the Parish family has engaged with the immediate neighbourhood and its residents in varying ways as parishioners and clergy have come and gone. Since St. James’ has always been the principal, if not only, Anglo-Catholic parish in this Diocese and region, many parishioners are drawn from a large geographical area by its particular ethos and context.
This diversity is a blessing, which presents particular challenges. Principal among them, is how we maintain a generous welcome equally to all who seek Christ through the mysteries we celebrate. 4) St. James’ flourishes when it keeps focused on ministry and the resources for ministry. We began 2010 with much energy and attention focused on the resources for ministry, namely the budget. Yet surprisingly, as the year unfolded, a tremendous amount of energy and attention also became focused on the ministry of St. James’ as described through our mission objectives. The generosity and sacrifice made by parishioners and staff this year
has been breathtaking. We are on course to establishing financial equilibrium sometime in 2012 as requested by the Vestry in 2010. However, our regular giving as a Parish family, broadly speaking, only funds the maintenance of the buildings and utilities and our membership contribution (apportionment) to the Diocese. For all the costs of clergy, staff and ministries we depend on revenue from the generosity of benefactors, now departed. So the viability and sustainability of mission and ministry at St. James’ demands that we keep focused on ministry and the resources for ministry. 5)
St. James’ is the building and it is the people.
Heaven forbid, but if the buildings were destroyed, daily Mass and the Daily Offices would continue, as would most of the current ministries offered by the Church. The Church is the people of God. And the Church is the building. As a first-time visitor once remarked to me, ‘It is amazing that you (the building and community of faith) are here in this neighbourhood’. The building holds a very remarkable sacred space, which functions like an icon, a gateway between heaven and earth. We do not worship the building. But it is an aid to prayer. The building is a gift, an evangelical tool, which helps us invite others into the mystery of God in Christ. 6) St. James’ is Anglo-Catholic and it is part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Today there are many kinds of ‘Anglo-Catholic’ congregations. It can no longer be assumed, if it ever could, what is meant by such a selfdescription. And we are a rare species, which is poorly understood
and valued in this Diocese and National Church. We are geographically isolated, and oftentimes relationally isolated from likeminded parishes. The extent to which we are isolated, in what sense and by whom (which includes ourselves) is a moot point. And yet we know that we are part of ‘that wonderful and sacred mystery’ the Church - One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. ST. JAMES’ ANGLICAN CHURCH
Vision Statement Discovering the beauty of holiness in our lives and neighbourhood, by living a Christ-centred sacramental life rooted in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. Mission Objectives To be a beacon for all as a neighbourhood and destination church where we invite and welcome friends, family and strangers into our midst; To deepen our life of prayer and formation in Christ; To develop relatlonshlps and fellowship in open, honest and spiritual ways among parishioners, with our neighbours, and those in need; To pursue and practice justice and mercy for the imparting of the Kingdom of God within and beyond the Parish;
To maintain financial equilibrium, develop our reserves and optimize the use of our assets to ensure the preservation of our sacred space and ministry from generation to generation, to the everlasting glory of God.