“A church meeting in rented space is real awkward,” said the Rev. Kent Litchfield, the church’s rector. “You haven’t got control of your space.”
Now the church has its own building, a former department store and pool hall on Public Square. Even though renovations still are under way, the congregation had its first service there Sunday.
“People have been waiting for us to do this,” Litchfield said about the move. His church started in 2005 when he and about 100 others split from Christ Episcopal Church after national Episcopal leaders ordained a gay bishop and recognized same-sex unions.
That the congregation ”” still about 100 members ”” could buy the downtown building is a sign “things have gone very well” since the split, Litchfield said.
Now they have space in the two-story building not only for services, but also Sunday school classes and other meetings. A Holy Apostles women’s group had been meeting in a nearby deli.
This is just another one of those situations where there was not a split according to Jan Nunley….
http://12.0.101.92/reports/PR_ChartsDemo/exports/ParishRPT_95200781728AM.pdf
Sure looks like something happened according to that chart.
So, we have a 40 person drop (36.36%) with a 67k (41.35%) drop in giving with the per ASA giving drop of $116 or 7.84% drop in giving per ASA. It looks like the old parish is in a death spiral.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Father Kent and his wife are hard working and visionary servants of God. I’m delighted that God has brought fruit from their labors!
But you know, one can’t say for certain that the departures had anything to do at all with the Episcopal church’s slide into heresy.
All of those folks might have left because the commute became too long! ; > )
That is the way to handle it. Let TEC worry about their property while the Christians go about making disciples.
If you want to see something sad, check out the comments on Thinking Anglicans about the NPR thread on this blog on the matter of the Nunley spin and the numbers. The level of denial is quite large there.
Hopefully, they’ll eventually be able to buy one of the vacant curch building and settle into more suitable surroundings.
Some years back, when I was still an Episcopalian, my parish began thinking about selling off the old place and getting something better. To find a good location they commissioned market and demographic studies to determine where the highest proportion of the beautiful people, and the money, would settle for the next few decades. My suggestion that we might “bud” off and establish a second Episcopal Church in town, perhaps in the barrio or other poor area not well served by Christianity, was “not accepted” :^>.
They finally selected a place way out on the edge of town where the economy is supposed to be very good for a long time, bought the property, and planned a gigantic physical plant. Now, 4 years later, the ground is unbroken and the plan has shrunk drastically. The old Church is still there and the lights are still on but, as I pass by, there seems to be more room in the parking lot than there used to be. Dunno why; it’s a university town and the Church building is right next to the university and two of the good areas.
Meanwhile, the RC parish I joined, in the “bad” part of town, is running annual neighborhood outreach, and we had to raise in excess of $600,000 in one year for doubling the parking area (to reduce road rage during the change-over between Masses, Father said), and for two new buildings and renovation/expansion of two others to serve our social services and school. We have to run 9 Masses starting Saturday afternoon going through Sunday evening to take care of everybody. This, in the barrio among the po’ folks, businesses, and gangs.
So, Holy Apostles, you’re in the right place!!! Build, grow, and do good work for God!!
In faith, Dave
Actually, that’s a GREAT parish planting strategy. Instead of building a new sanctuary that will hold your existing congregation plus overflow, start a new parish! Take the money that would have been used for the building to rent/purchase the land for the new (smaller) building. Good stewardship, plus the Church is represented with another fellowshipping community in another part of the town/city to which to draw even more people. Then repeat as necessary.
Peace!
Jim Elliott