Dreaming of Times Past
As a boy I remember church was a fine place to be, not that I wanted to go all the time, but
Sunday was not a day of discussion, if I was going to church or not, you got up and went, less
there be no peace in the house.
I remember the procession which for the most part of my life I was in, in some capacity or the
another. I remember the hymns, the incense, the Mass as done by Fr. Fairweather, who was
from England, and the mass rolled off his tongue in beautiful poetry. Back then, there was only
one Anglican church that I knew, there were no branches dictating who was right or wrong.
There were no issues like same sex unions, or gays claiming rights to the pulpit, there was just
church.
But today I can only dream of the unity and the serene majesty of the church. There is a
church in the Midwest that in the last 4 years has belonged to 5 different Anglican groups. It
seem that whenever there is a disagreement, they try never to resolve it, but run to another
group until there is another disagreement.
I remember a time when bishops honored the passage of priests, when clearance was sought to
move from one jurisdiction to the other, but now these are only memories as our church has
been thrown in constant disarray of who we are and what we are doing.
The Anglican faith is in turmoil. Not only have some of the immoral issues driven churches
away from one to the other, but sadly driven people away from the faith. Those said people who
had been life long Anglicans finding solace in another denomination, and when approached to
return will have none of it.
As I dream of times past, I remember our church activities during the week; Sunday School,
Anglican Young People Development (AYPD), weekly teen meetings and choir practice. Today,
everyone is so busy that there is time for none of this. I remember priests coming into
neighborhoods and doing their outreach If a parishioner was ill, the priest showing up at your
door without an appointment, bringing communion with them, and spending time with those
who could not make it. I remember the annual church picnic when the entire congregation
would go on what we would call an excursion and enjoying the fellowship of each other, but
again today we are just too busy.
I remember when the church treasurer talked of surplus in the coffers and pastors’ salaries
were never in question.
What has happened to the faith needs no commission of inquires to figure it out, the church
has become a political football that everyone seems to be kicking around, and in the process
destroying the faith of the people, that leaves us no redress to answers.
In Africa and the Caribbean, the Anglican faith is well. There are a few minor details that
stretch their hands from the across the waters, but there is no infighting among the brethren
as they seek to lend solace to serve those whose charge they have been given.
What will become of the Anglican faith, no one seems to know for sure, but in this humble
opinion, we must in our own branches carry on and do what God has given us to do. Where
there is disagreement resolve it, where there is doubt clarify it, where there is need meet it,
where there are serious questions of morality, find the answer in prayer.
As a boy I remember church was a fine place to be, not that I wanted to go all the time, but
Sunday was not a day of discussion, if I was going to church or not, you got up and went, less
there be no peace in the house.
I remember the procession which for the most part of my life I was in, in some capacity or the
another. I remember the hymns, the incense, the Mass as done by Fr. Fairweather, who was
from England, and the mass rolled off his tongue in beautiful poetry. Back then, there was only
one Anglican church that I knew, there were no branches dictating who was right or wrong.
There were no issues like same sex unions, or gays claiming rights to the pulpit, there was just
church.
But today I can only dream of the unity and the serene majesty of the church. There is a
church in the Midwest that in the last 4 years has belonged to 5 different Anglican groups. It
seem that whenever there is a disagreement, they try never to resolve it, but run to another
group until there is another disagreement.
I remember a time when bishops honored the passage of priests, when clearance was sought to
move from one jurisdiction to the other, but now these are only memories as our church has
been thrown in constant disarray of who we are and what we are doing.
The Anglican faith is in turmoil. Not only have some of the immoral issues driven churches
away from one to the other, but sadly driven people away from the faith. Those said people who
had been life long Anglicans finding solace in another denomination, and when approached to
return will have none of it.
As I dream of times past, I remember our church activities during the week; Sunday School,
Anglican Young People Development (AYPD), weekly teen meetings and choir practice. Today,
everyone is so busy that there is time for none of this. I remember priests coming into
neighborhoods and doing their outreach If a parishioner was ill, the priest showing up at your
door without an appointment, bringing communion with them, and spending time with those
who could not make it. I remember the annual church picnic when the entire congregation
would go on what we would call an excursion and enjoying the fellowship of each other, but
again today we are just too busy.
I remember when the church treasurer talked of surplus in the coffers and pastors’ salaries
were never in question.
What has happened to the faith needs no commission of inquires to figure it out, the church
has become a political football that everyone seems to be kicking around, and in the process
destroying the faith of the people, that leaves us no redress to answers.
In Africa and the Caribbean, the Anglican faith is well. There are a few minor details that
stretch their hands from the across the waters, but there is no infighting among the brethren
as they seek to lend solace to serve those whose charge they have been given.
What will become of the Anglican faith, no one seems to know for sure, but in this humble
opinion, we must in our own branches carry on and do what God has given us to do. Where
there is disagreement resolve it, where there is doubt clarify it, where there is need meet it,
where there are serious questions of morality, find the answer in prayer.