By Cole Hartin Once a month or so, after our Sunday worship, our congregation would sit down for lunch in the parish hall. We’d usually have soup — turkey, chicken noodle, minestrone — and we’d drink stale coffee and laugh and chat, and our children would run around screaming. It has been over a year since we’ve been able to do this, and in my memory, these moments of … [Read more...] about When Miracles Become Idols
pastoral care
Robust Theology, Pastoral Sensitivity
Lights for the Path By Madeleine Davies SPCK Publishing, pp. 160, $15. As an Amazon Associate, TLC earns from qualifying purchases. Review by Todd FitzGerald Madeleine Davies’s Lights for the Path is a soothing balm for young people experiencing the death of a loved one and navigating the turbulent waters of grief. Immediately, the author establishes her … [Read more...] about Robust Theology, Pastoral Sensitivity
Parishes Connect to Members the Old-Fashioned Way
By Neva Rae Fox Through this pandemic, Facebook, social media, YouTube, and other electronic methods have provided a way for many to stay connected. Sheltering in place hasn’t necessarily meant not seeing others, albeit it’s now on a screen. But what about the people who don’t have internet, or smartphones, or electronic hook-ups, or the ability to see others on a screen? … [Read more...] about Parishes Connect to Members the Old-Fashioned Way
A Resilient Church: St. Peter’s, Seattle
By Charles Hoffacker Founded in 1908 as a Japanese mission of the Episcopal Church, St. Peter’s in Seattle first met in homes and then constructed a building in 1932 during the Great Depression. A decade later, the church was closed when by action of the federal government, the members of St. Peter’s and thousands of other Japanese Americans were relocated to concentration … [Read more...] about A Resilient Church: St. Peter’s, Seattle
Deprived Estates, Growing Ministries?
The 1980s saw creation of two major reports on the state of the Church of England. Faith in the City was best known and documented the situation of parishes in England’s deprived inner cities. Then came Faith in the Countryside, assessing the parlous state of many rural churches. What neither report treated in depth, though Faith in the City touched on them, was the … [Read more...] about Deprived Estates, Growing Ministries?
Rowing into Retirement
The Diocese of El Camino Real reports in its newsletter, Along the King’s Highway, about a generous gift from parishioners to their retiring rector: Congratulations to the Rev. Blaine Hammond, who retired as rector of St. Andrew’s Ben Lomond at the end of June. As part of his farewell the congregation built him a boat, the Madida, which they christened and launched at the … [Read more...] about Rowing into Retirement
Humanists Seek Funds for Chaplains
Humanists UK has launched an appeal to fund hospital chaplains for nonbelievers, which some Christians warn could lead to existing chaplains being squeezed out. Richy Thomson, director of public affairs and policy for Humanists UK, said nonbelievers are neglected by hospital chaplains. “Nonreligious people want to meet someone who is like-minded, and the data suggests … [Read more...] about Humanists Seek Funds for Chaplains
A Memory Ministry Grows in Wembley
Postcard from London The Rev. Steve Morris left a career in advertising and marketing to respond to a call to ordained ministry in the Church of England. Having served a customary four-year curacy, he moved to Wembley in northwest London, where his work as vicar of St. Cuthbert’s has radically changed his understanding of ministry. “As a theological student in Oxford, I was … [Read more...] about A Memory Ministry Grows in Wembley