A simple collection of words, easily seen perhaps as a marketing catchphrase (and they do like putting it in red)... what I learned from my first foray into this a year ago, and see every time I come in contact with them, is that for Episcopalians - at least those I have encountered - this is a statement of Faith-in-practice. I have found this to be true when I went to services recently in Las Vegas, last summer in the little town of Gunnison, Colorado and in the Episcopal churches I have visited here in Berkeley... most especially, of course, at All Souls Parish which has become our home congregation. I have spoken a bit about why I came to the practice of (admittedly liberal) Christianity... this practice of welcome is why I chose Episcopalianism, and All Souls in particular.
When I first looked into Episcopal worship in our area, I saw the Welcome banners and wondered whether they meant what they said. When I sat for a small weekday service in All Souls, I wasn't sure how or whether it would differ from churches of other faiths I'd been to here and there in my life. I first went in to look at the church itself, and then sat in the little downstairs chapel where a small noon service was going to be held, looking through a Book of Common Prayer. This is from my journal that day, March 31, 2011:
A priest came in and introduced himself ("Hi, I'm Phil!"... no official title or formality)... we spent about 20 minutes discussing the church, why I was there and what I was looking for, both for Mark and me as a couple, and for myself. I wanted to know if we were or would be truly welcome, even if he knew my past, so I shared some of it: my studies in religion and practicing various faiths... that the people I tend to be around look down on organized religions, especially Christian faiths (and that I had as well)... that I'd been married and divorced... to his credit, Father Phil didn't bat an eyelash. He was compassionate and welcoming, and I began to share some of my deeper thoughts. What followed, after sharing some very "real" thoughts, fears and hopes... was that Father Phil looked at me, smiled, and said, "well we're really glad you're here - welcome".I brought Mark back that Sunday, and during the service we filled out a little card from the church's "Welcome Packet", with our names & basic info. Sure, why not? That evening, there was a knock on our front door. My daughter, Ceilidh, went to answer it, then came to get me. "Mom? There are Church People here." "There are?" She nodded. "With loaves!" It was an odd statement, and she'd said it in a rather Monty Python-esque manner. I went to the door to greet the two who stood there, and it was true... they held out two foil-wrapped mini-loaves (which I later discovered were home-made banana bread & zucchini bread), and told us it was just a little something to welcome us. We exchanged a few pleasant words, and they left. Ceilidh was having a fun time reiterating her observation - "Church people... with Loaves!" As is evident, we're still talking about it a year later, and I hope it's a practice that the parish is able to continue - actually, I hope that more congregations will adopt it. It was such a simple thing, and yet to me it spoke volumes about the parish and the people who participate there.
Mark has referred to that evening as a "drive-by loafing". Father Phil's take on it? "That's how we roll."
To my surprise and great delight, I have found the Church to be as welcoming as it claims. Oh - and the loaves were, of course, delicious. /4/7/12
