St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Shelby

Over the years, I have attended a lot of Episcopal events, and they often give out some form of “swag”—some sort of little souvenir to remind us that we were at the conference. My favorites are the shopping bags because they last forever (and they mean that I participate a little less in plastic pollution from the bags I get from the store). In their long lives, they quietly carry a message. God Loves You, No Exceptions This is a great one. God’s love isn’t conditional on your race, economic level, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or anything else. We humans default to the idea that our little group is the only chosen island, but we can’t defend that one from the Bible. After all, Jesus and all of his early disciples were distinctly Middle-Eastern Jews who probably had dark skin and spoke a language that almost nobody in the USA could understand today. All are welcome, because all belong We don’t...

One of the truest things about being human is that we talk to one another. And another truth is that every little group gets its own language started. You did it too, when you were a teenager—and you sort of enjoyed your parents’ puzzlement when you used a word that EVERYONE uses (but they couldn’t figure out). It happens everywhere—your job, your ethnic group, the friends you hang out with. So it is not too surprising that the Episcopal Church has some words that you might not know. After all, we have roots that go back centuries and across the ocean, and some of our scholars work their way through Latin and ancient Greek. Here, in no particular order, are a few that tripped me up (because I came in as an adult after a long time in a Presbyterian background). Sanctuary: In most churches, this means the big room where people gather to sing, pray, and listen to sermons. Properly speaking in Episcopal tradition, though, it is that small ar...

One of my coffee mugs has Robin Williams’s Top 10 reasons to be an Episcopalian on the side. (Yes, he was one of ours.) His list is funny and smart—and it’s largely true. Here I want to zero in on a couple of his items that visitors to St. Mark’s (or any other Episcopal church) might find problematic. Pew aerobics Several years ago, I visited a huge church in the Chicago area. The main auditorium was set up with very good theater-style seats and a stage up front where everything happened. That wouldn’t work for us. If you watch any Episcopal church on a Sunday morning, you will see a lot of action. People sit, stand, kneel, stand up again, kneel again, and then wander around shaking hands. After that they sit down, then kneel some more and finally make their way to the front of the room. And kneel. When they get back to their seats, they sit, kneel, and stand up to sing. Mixed in with all this, people do things lik...

I am writing this very personal, very informal blog mainly for people who are not yet part of our parish. Current members and friends get a weekly email with pictures and news about what people are doing—births, travels, and so forth. (If you want to get on the list, just ask.) This one is for everyone else. It is, as I said, very personal, very unofficial, very informal. I have enabled comments so you can talk back and ask questions. (The comments are moderated, so your writing will not appear immediately—you would be amazed at some of the inappropriate stuff a blog collects!) Any time a person thinks of visiting a new church, there is a lot of stage fright. Will I know what to do? Will everyone stare at me? Am I wearing the right clothes? And to be honest, an Episcopal church makes it worse. If you have ever seen a YouTube video of a worship service at Washington National Cathedral (yes, that’s ours), it’s overwhelming. Ceremonial robes, pipe organ mu...