My friend, Fr. Tim Fountain, rector of Good Shepherd, Sioux Falls, is a courageous man. He knew full well that his two resolutions would be strongly opposed by the bishop and most likely be defeated soundly, but he bravely submitted them anyway. I salute and commend him for doing so.
Alas, as a Sioux Falls and SD native, it’s sad to see the tragic demise of TEC there. In a state that’s dwindling in population and sorely lacking in economic opportunities for the most part (outside Sioux Falls, by far the largest city with about 150K of the state’s approximately 750K people), and where the winters can be brutal, Fr. Tim’s parish is virtually the only (Episcopal) one growing in the whole state. It may be a chicken and egg question which came first: was it the decline in numbers (partly due to external factors largely outside of the control of most SD congregations) or the emotional and spiritual sickness that has driven many people away? I don’t know, but however it got started, the Diocese of SD has been trapped in a downward spiral for a very long time and appears headed for a disastrous crash, like a plane that has lost a wing or both engines (Anglo and Lakota). Lord, have mercy.
But the fact that Fr. Tim and his lively parish have been bucking the trends and growing DESPITE the terrible reputation of TEC in my home state says a lot about the fruitfulness of his (and their) ministry in a harsh environment. South Dakota has never been a place for the timid. Ever since the first white settlers arrived, battling the harsh climate and the Indians, SD has been a challenging place that demanded hardy pioneer spirits. Fr. Tim is a John the Baptist type, a voice crying in the wilderness. God bless him!
My friend, Fr. Tim Fountain, rector of Good Shepherd, Sioux Falls, is a courageous man. He knew full well that his two resolutions would be strongly opposed by the bishop and most likely be defeated soundly, but he bravely submitted them anyway. I salute and commend him for doing so.
Alas, as a Sioux Falls and SD native, it’s sad to see the tragic demise of TEC there. In a state that’s dwindling in population and sorely lacking in economic opportunities for the most part (outside Sioux Falls, by far the largest city with about 150K of the state’s approximately 750K people), and where the winters can be brutal, Fr. Tim’s parish is virtually the only (Episcopal) one growing in the whole state. It may be a chicken and egg question which came first: was it the decline in numbers (partly due to external factors largely outside of the control of most SD congregations) or the emotional and spiritual sickness that has driven many people away? I don’t know, but however it got started, the Diocese of SD has been trapped in a downward spiral for a very long time and appears headed for a disastrous crash, like a plane that has lost a wing or both engines (Anglo and Lakota). Lord, have mercy.
But the fact that Fr. Tim and his lively parish have been bucking the trends and growing DESPITE the terrible reputation of TEC in my home state says a lot about the fruitfulness of his (and their) ministry in a harsh environment. South Dakota has never been a place for the timid. Ever since the first white settlers arrived, battling the harsh climate and the Indians, SD has been a challenging place that demanded hardy pioneer spirits. Fr. Tim is a John the Baptist type, a voice crying in the wilderness. God bless him!
David Handy+