St. Paul’s in transformation

St. Paul’s transformation story really starts with the arrival of Rev. Pat Gallagher as half time vicar back in th fall of 2004. From what I’ve heard, the time before her start was characterized by divisions and disagreements – as well as a a rather rapid burn through of the endowment. That period ended with a significantly smaller congregation, but one that was deeply committed to St. Paul’s and its basic values.

I think of the first stage in this process of transformation then as the period defined by Rev. Pat’s leadership. Those roughly four years saw healing and renewal, together with a strengthened commitment to ministry. [Disclosure: Near the beginning of her stay I came to a service - a renegade Lutheran with a dim view of the mainstream church - and absolutely no interest in becoming involved in a church. Looked around and there were the "nice" middle class ladies that you would expect. But there also were people closer to the edge, people who would be marginalized in most churches. Here they were a real and accepted part of the congregation. I kept coming back.]

This first stage ended with Rev. Pat’s retirement (her last service was on September 7, 2008), the sale of the church property to the Covenant Soup Kitchen, a partial resolution of our financial problems, and the strength to continue. The news from this period has been reposted here so the process of transformation for St. Paul’s – with all its twists and turns – will be covered from its beginning.

The second stage has just begun. Last November saw the arrival of Jackie Sheldon as Eucharistic Minister – but her exact ongoing role has not yet been defined. Major questions remain: how do we develop ways to overcome the financial limitations on our ministries; exactly how are those ministries going to evolve. I believe that there will be positive answers to our questions; these answers – whether positive or negative – will be the subject of this blog.