People begin to stroll out of Trinity Chapel in Shirley after a service on a Sunday morning. The Rev. Marsha Hoecker jumps into her car and drives away.
In a few minutes, the spacious 110-year-old country chapel with a large gable roof disappears in the rear-view mirror. Hoecker drives several more miles and pulls into a small parking lot on the side of busy Route 119 in Pepperell, in front of a Colonial house with an antique shop in its annex. The two-story-tall cross hanging on the side of the structure is the only indication that it’s a house of God.
As she walks in, though, she says she finds the same enthusiasm among the parishioners to celebrate God with her as she does at Trinity.
Hoecker has kept busy during the past 10 months, serving Trinity Chapel Episcopal Church in Shirley and St. David’s Episcopal Church in Pepperell, after the parishes agreed to share resources.
Oh, you mean that Katherine “abortion is a blessing” Ragsdale is their former ‘priest’. Ok. Whatever. I note that they are saying they have renewed vigor. Does that mean more people in the pews?
You think if Ragsdale wasn’t such a partisan political hack, spending all of her time working for the Democratic party via The Public Eye, and Political Research Associates, that she may have had more luck increasing the size of her congregation? I doubt it. May she enjoy the same success at EDS.
Is this really that unusual? Around here, Montana, this is the norm for all of the mainline denominations–or at least those which have multiple congregations within driving distance. The Lutheran church I grew up in 40 years ago had the pastor driving between 3 churches every Sunday– 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 services that rotated between the churches. TEC in MT has seven “clusters” of churches that share clergy between 2-5 churches in a cluster. Admittedly, some of these clusters have more than one priest that travels around. It’s a necessity when you have 42 parishes and only 25 priests. They also share interim/fill-in clergy. One retired pastor(he’s Lutheran originally) I think has preached in every Protestant church, including Bible,Christian & Missionary Alliance,and Assemby of God, for 100 miles.
The late Robert Rusack of blessed memory started out as a priest in Montana with 7 congregations way back when.
In West Alabama, my dad had 3 churches that he went to every Sunday in the 50s and early 60s. In that area now, they have a team ministry in which a few priests cover a large number of small churches … I believe that call it the Black Belt Team Ministry. Works pretty well, I believe.
…to say nothing of most clergy in Africa who are responsible for 10 congregations…