Jackie’s corner
Jackie’s corner from the fall 2009 “Chronicles of St. Paul’s Willimantic:” Dear Family and Friends of St Paul’s: With sincere joy in the Lord I send you greetings. Almost a full year ago I started sharing our journey in the Lord with you. At the time I came as a supply priest. I was, and still am, working my way into a new life after my husband of 28 years, Bill, died unexpectedly in 2007. The love and acceptance of the community of St. Paul’s has truly been a healing balm to my soul.
In July the Vestry and I agreed that I would come on board as 1/3 time Priest-in-Charge. That enables me to provide spiritual leadership and pastoral care for 20 hours a week.
One of the reasons I believe the Lord has put us together is because we have both lost a defining part of ourselves. I lost my husband and all that it means to be defined as a married woman and you lost your building and all that it means to be defined as a worshipping community attached to the edifice of a beautiful stone building at 220 Valley Street in Willimantic Connecticut. I was with Bill for 30 years and I know that some of you have claimed St. Paul’s as your home of worship for that long or even longer.
Together we must discover what God intends for our new lives. We now worship as guests of the Soup Kitchen who owns the building. I am about to move out of the home that Bill and I built 13 years ago and intended to share for the rest of our lives. In the many changes that we will experience there is one thing I know for sure. The love of God has always been with us, it is present to us in this very moment, and it will always be with us! This love is faithful, compassionate, merciful, patient, creative, joy filled, and generous – to name a few attributes. We can count on this Spirit to lead us into our new way of Being.
Abraham was 75 when God called him out of Haran (Genesis 12:1-2). God said: “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. Through his faith and trust in God Abraham became the father of the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian religions. God promised Abraham that if he would follow and obey, God would bless him and make him into a great nation so that he would be a blessing and all the peoples of the earth would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:2-3).
In the book of Hebrews the author describes faith this way: “…faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1) They go on to say “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going… For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”(Hebrews 11:8&10) As children of God we are children of Abraham and as we walk in faith as he did God will bless us to be a blessing.
I look forward to our journey and the blessings we will bring each other and those God calls us to care for.
In Christ love,
Amma Jackie
Life after the sale
The wardens comments from the fall 2009 “Chronicles of St. Paul’s Willimantic:” Changes in how we function (other than getting some underused space cleaned out) have been minimal. the big change is that we don’t have to think about property management in general and the roof in particular! Having property issues become someone else’s worry really simplified our lives.
Our “landlord” has been busy with property improvements both inside and out. Painting has improved the look of the staircase and other spaces in the church building, and the second floor of the office building is undergoing a much needed face lift. On the outside, the grass gets mowed and we have new plantings along Walnut Street.
Of course, the roof is on everybody’s mind and here is the latest news: The State money is coming but getting it turns out to be much more complicated than anyone expected. There have been a series of paperwork delays but actual construction is getting closer.
The latest issue is that the Soup Kitchen had gotten bids from a number of local contractors – but then found out that contractors had to be on a State approved list. The bidders weren’t, and so the process is being redone. Unless something else comes up we should see construction before too long. In the meantime they did readjust the tarps that are up there – and recent heavy rains didn’t seem to pour in too badly.
When the office moves we’ll have limited space to store our collection of ancient and modern documents. Lisa Ferriere, Office Administrator, has begun sorting through this material to determine what should saved. Diocesan House is the keeper of such files, and equipped to care for them. After Rev. Jackie views the material we will begin transporting it to Diocesan House for storage in their archives.
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.
April 2009
From an article I wrote for the Spring 2009 edition of “Good News” (Sell the building; keep the church: St. Paul’s, Willimantic): In November Rev. Jackie Sheldon started serving the parish as a very part-time “Eucharistic Minister.” The reduction in salary costs, combined with reduced costs and increased income from the property sale, gave the parish some financial breathing room. For the first time in many years a balanced budget could be presented. The congregation expressed its enthusiasm and support: in difficult times 2008 pledge income was higher than pledges; 2009 pledges are higher than 2008 pledges!
The parish loves Jackie Sheldon’s presence and ministry, and badly wants her as a half time vicar. Hard study now is underway to find the financial means to make this happen. Stay tuned….
When property hinders church’s mission
Commentary by Al Eggen, as published in the Willimantic Chronicle, January 20, 2009: As reported in the Jan. 6 Chronicle, St. Paul’s Church (Willimantic) sold its property to the Covenant Soup Kitchen under terms that the soup kitchen could afford. That shift of ownership really makes a lot of sense. The soup kitchen has a particular mission that requires physical space. When your mission is to feed people – and provide all kinds of other support – you need a kitchen, stove, refrigerator, food storage, enough room to seat the guests, some meeting space, some office space and so on. People get hungry every day – more than once – so your space gets used every day of the week.
On the other hand, St. Paul’s mission primarily is spiritual. A beautiful church may enhance the worship experience but certainly is not a requirement. The gospels make it clear that it is the gathering of the faithful itself that matters – not the place where they gather. It is much too easy to fall into the trap of defining the church in terms of its building, and in spending much too much of its resources on that building.
In this case we have an ideal situation. The sale will relieve financial pressures on St. Paul’s. St Paul’s will continue to use the church for Sunday worship services (and also have some modest office space). It will continue to support the soup kitchen and its other ministries, such as an orphanage-to-be in Liberia. It will continue to be open to whatever opportunities for ministry arise. St. Paul’s new Eucharistic Minister, the Rev. Jackie Sheldon, will continue to brings her unique gifts to St. Paul’s, gifts that make each week’s service special.
As always, after the service, ministry will continue in the community room with food, friendship and welcome to all – not just the congregants.
On the first Sunday of the month a full breakfast will be served. On the other Sundays, there will be coffee, tea and whatever goodies arrive. (Since the goody supply is a totally uncoordinated bounty it can vary from not much to a whole lot. Like stone soup – sometimes it’s a little heavy on stones and sometimes it’s really good).
Typically, perhaps half the the people stopping in at the community room will not have attended the formal service. People waiting for the Soup Kitchen Sunday bag lunch distribution, or anyone else in the neighborhood, is invited to take advantage of the opportunity to come in out of the cold, sit down, relax, have some hot coffee and something to eat, someone to talk to. No hard questions, no segregation, no one passing the hat or preaching at you.
This new chapter in St. Paul’s parish life – with its unique opportunity to focus on mission and ministry – will enhance the parish’s ability to continue serving the Willimantic community. Other churches, especially those in urban locations facing difficult times, might do well to consider what opportunities freedom from the burden of property ownership might provide.
The sale closed
First posted December 31, 2008: After much due diligence, delay, etc – and lots of paperwork – the closing of the sale of St. Paul’s property to the Covenant Soup Kitchen was held on the afternoon of December 30, 2009. The basic terms had been settled long before and were in place by the time of our first announcement of the sale in January 2008. However, when a church sells property to a nonprofit nothing is simple!
The complications get multiplied when title to the property goes back to the early part of the previous century. Then there’s the fact that the Secretary of State’s office doesn’t have records, such as needed tax numbers, for St. Paul’s – or the Diocese. That’s because it all goes back to an act of the legislature granting the Diocese corporate status the century before the previous century….
In the end everything went smoothly – as a transaction between organizations with common goals should. For the moment changes – except who pays what bills – will be modest since building usage will continue about as it is now. At some point St. Paul’s office will move but that still is a ways off. In the meantime all the little usage details will be worked out in an informal manner.
Some really good news
First posted December 5, 2008: Tonight’s Willi Chronicle reports that Gov. Rell announced an $85,000 grant to the Soup Kitchen for replacing the Parish Hall roof and upgrading the heating system. Approval by the State Bond Commission is expected. The flat roof is so far past its design life that it’s become impossible to even find the leaks – never mind patch them. Anyone who’s been in the Parish Hall in recent months knows what kind of disaster area it is! There are buckets to catch leaks everywhere, about half the ceiling tiles are gone with the soggy insulation behind them pulled out. It’s been cold in there too – probably because of the missing tiles. Good thing the basic structure is solid!
It’ll be a while before it’s fixed and meanwhile we’ll make do in our usual cheerful style – just hoping it won’t be raining too hard inside for first Sunday breakfasts (Just hope, don’t bother God with such relatively insignificant problems.)
More news
First posted October 28, 2008: We are excited and delighted to announce that the Rev. Jackie Sheldon will be joining us as our Eucharistic Celebrant! Her first service will be on November 2, All Saints Day. Everyone is invited to join us for the Service and breakfast afterward (scrambled eggs, toast, sausage, hash browns….). For the next three months she will be with us on three or four Sundays of the month and we will continue with Morning Prayer on the remaining Sundays. This will give us time to sort out our finances and get to know each other well enough to make sensible decisions on how best to continue our relationship.
Letter from Rev. Pat to the parishioners
September 7, 2008
Dear Friends,
I will never forget our raised joy-filled voices singing Hallelujah during my years of ministry here at St. Paul’s.
I will never forget meeting the vestry for the first time – with strained looks and vague smiles but with hearts streaming with hope and love that they can find a way to survive.
I will never forget them asking me if I would come to be their priest and turning to the diocesan consultant and asking what the next step is and her saying “well you and Rev. Pat will need to go home and pray on it and decide what you want to do”.
A women sitting opposite me blurted out – “How long does it take you to pray”? I blurted back “not too long as I already prayed and that’s why I’m here”. Everyone looked at each other and hired me on the spot.
It was an incredible first meeting and all my first meetings with each of you have been the same. I was touched by your unwavering faith. I have truly never experienced a church community like St. Paul’s and I am sad but forever grateful for the lives that touched mine and allowed us to be one with God.
This church will survive here with the Soup Kitchen and out there in Africa with the Orphanage at Kakata.
The building isn’t the church you are the church and a finer and more grace-filled church would be hard to find anywhere.
So, remember, “Don’t Worry – Be Happy!!!!!!!!And know you are a people with heart and soul that will carry you any where you wish to go.
So…ooo happy journeying and please keep me in your hearts as I will keep you always in mine.
George Elliot wrote:
“Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love”.
I have a depth of love and gratitude for you all that fills me with a joy that will always be in my reach. Thank you.
Blessings and Peace,
Rev. Pat
A new chapter for St. Paul’s
First posted August 26, 2008: Rev. Pat is retiring and September 7 will be her last Sunday as our priest. We will miss her! Her stay here has been relatively short – just four years. However, during that time her leadership has brought new life and vitality to the parish. Old battles have been forgotten and we have become a cheerful place with a sense of mission.
Everyone is welcome – whether a UConn prof or someone close to the edge. Though quite poor – we share all the usual financial problems of a small urban church in an older neighborhood – we have invested significant effort and financial resources in other missions, especially our orphanage in Kakata, Liberia. At this point, I believe we have reached the stage where we will be able to not just continue, but to grow in our ministry to all those we touch. Some related opinions follow.
A week ago, on Sunday afternoon, Bishop Andrew Smith visited us. Besides discussing the support (non-financial!) that the Diocese can provide, he was enthusiastic about our future potential; we are the only parish in the Diocese that is not burdened with owning property. As a result, we are free from drain on finances and energy that come with property ownership.
Last Sunday, in her sermon, Rev. Pat had us do the following exercise: we drew two pictures, a trash can and a suitcase; wrote a list of our concerns about St. Paul’s in the trashcan, and a list of our blessings in the suitcase. Then we tore up the trashcan picture, with its list of concerns, put the scraps in a basket at the altar – but folded the suitcase with its list of blessings and put it in our purse or pocket.
Those of us old enough to have listened to Janis Joplin might remember a line from Me and Bobby McGee – “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”. That line keeps coming back to me. No longer having any property is one part of that freedom and the other part is not having the financial pressure of paying a priest’s salary and benefits. (Unfortunately, in our society the distance between rich and poor at all levels is large; as a result the difference in the cost of supporting supply priests rather than a vicar is quite dramatic.)
Please understand that I don’t mean that a priest is an unnecessary expense. We are a small parish in a unique situation. Four years ago we would not have survived without Rev. Pat. Because of what’s happened in those four years I believe that we have reached a stage where we will be able to continue to grow in mission and ministry. For now there will be a Sunday service with some combination of supply priest, retired priest, and our own efforts (probably Morning Prayer once a month). Pastoral care will continue. And to make it work, more of our people will become involved in our ministry.
And so begins a a new chapter for St. Paul’s – stay tuned for the details!!