Response to Canon Brandt's sermon

It was a fabulous day at St. James’ this past Sunday as we celebrated our historic connection to St. Michael's Church, also in Manhattan, with our guest preacher, Canon George Brandt. He opened his sermon with greetings to St. Michael's’ “daughter” church--not sister, not mother, but daughter! St. Michael's, he said, is the older of the two churches, and has never moved from its current location, and therefore should have the “mother” designation. What a wonderful concept!

In the Gospel this week (Luke 3:7-18), we find ourselves witnessing John, about to baptize a crowd of people. John opens with “You brood of vipers!” Quite an ominous greeting! He continues on, offering advice to the tax collectors, soldiers and others in attendance. He concludes his exhortation to the crowd by proclaiming the good news that “one who is more powerful than I is coming.”

Canon Brandt interpreted John’s words and actions, saying “Who you are, and where you come from, is utterly unimportant in baptism.” Moreover, he noted how John completely upended the economic order of things of that time. For example, he encouraged tax collectors to collect only the right amount (and not strong-arm people into paying more taxes as was the custom). John’s unconventional actions symbolized the coming of Christ, Brandt said. “If you truly believe that Jesus is the Christ, then this is the way we are going to live.”

What a wonderful Advent message. This is the time of year when all of us can cheer the coming of Christ and personally re-evaluate our ways. As we enter 2010, and continue to celebrate St. James’ Bicentennial, we thank Canon Brandt for his wonderful message of encouragement and hope.

--Willa B. Baynard

Living Out Jesus' Command

My sermons and my presentation on Sunday will focus on mission and ministry in New York. Need I say that the focus will center on the life of the Episcopal Church in New York?

From the establishment of the Anglican Church in North America, it was understood that while it provided chaplains to the English colonists, it was also to be a missionary enterprise. Missionaries of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts(SPG) were obligated to Baptize Africans and native peoples as well as European settlers. Early bishops of the new American Church were zealous missionaries-not least John Henry Hobart of New York, Philander Chase of Ohio and Jackson Kemper of Wisconsin. Both of our parishes were founded both as conveniences for summer residents who were pew holders of Trinity Parish, and as mission enterprises to local rural populations. They quickly developed from summer chapels to year-round congregations.

As some of you know, my parish of St. Michael worships in a magnificent building which with other church structures covers three-fifths of the city block on which it stands. Like your parish of St. James' it is a 19th-century building and it is reflective of the assumptions of the Church in New York at that time: to grow a congregation and to build to accommodate that growth.

My predecessor, Dr. T.M. Peters who was a priest in the parish from 1843 to 1893 and Rector from 1858, addressed the need for a new church building in 1887 by asserting in his Annual Sermon that “we must build the foundations broad” in order to do the work the church was called to do. For him and for others of that time there were two sides to the Church’s work that were inseparable: the ministry to the community in which the particular part of the Church (the parish) found itself and the building up of the congregation of the parish itself. So in the construction of the new church (the third building on the site) there was also projected a Parish House to minister to the needs of the new immigrant populations settling to the north and east of the church.

Among the positions taken by Dr. Peters during his rectorate was that St. Michaels would be come a Free Church without rented or sold pews; ministry was extended to black and mixed-race people in various ways; and his oft repeated claim that St. Michael’s was ideally suited to proclaim the Gospel in its neighborhood as the well-to-do lived to the south and west of the church and the poor and immigrant lived to the east and north. Thus all manner of folks could worship God and respond to the Gospel together.

This effort continued with his son John Punnett Peters who succeeded him in 1893, and indeed, there were some signal events that marked his very remarkable ministry.
In addition to the initiatives of his father, the second Dr. Peters caused the parish to assume responsibility for an African American mission congregation in 99th Street; he attended the Niagara Conference where the NAACP was founded; a member of the parish, Margaret Elizabeth Furniss Zimmerman, bequeathed $1 million+ to St. Michaels in 1918 for its mission work, and shortly after Peters' death, the Vestry appropriated $200,000 of endowment funds (in 1919 dollars) to construct St. Jude’s Chapel for that African-American congregation for which he had assumed responsibility. Bishop Manning consecrated it in 1922.

This period up to the first World War is known as the Progressive era, and many social changes began during and after it. The question I would pose is this: Have those changes in the society--Jim Crow laws imposed in the south, Asian exclusion laws in the west, anti-immigration legislation, increased lynching; the Great Depression, World War 2; and the suburban migrations thereafter caused the Church in New York and the Episcopal Church generally--allowed part of its DNA (the English village church) to overcome Jesus’ command to go out and to proclaim the Good News and to Baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit? The Episcopal Church has vastly more parishes of 100-200 members than parishes like St. James' or St. Michaels. We seem to like those small village-like churches(our DNA, yet what about Jesus’ command and the legacy of our founders and forbearers?

The Rev. Canon George W. Brandt, Jr.+
Rector, St. Michaels, Manhattan

The Rev. Canon Brandt will be the next Bicentennial Guest Preacher at St. James' on Sunday, December 13. He will preach at both the 9:10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services and speak at the adult education forum at 10:30 on "Ministry and Mission in New York City."

Building on the Foundation of Loving One Another: Response to the Rev. Mark Anschutz

In his characteristic enthusiastic style, the Rev. Anschutz led the whole congregation in a singing of the children's "If you're happy and you know it touch your nose." Following the Gospel reading, he had adults and children try to build a wooden block tower, which, as he placed the top piece, crumbled and fell, giving a strong concrete example of Jesus’ teaching that while it is difficult and we are tempted to do otherwise, we should always remember the truly firm foundations of the Christianity are not tangible edifices, but love, faith, faithfulness, peace, God, grace and generosity. He reminded us that God gave us the gift of generosity, and that we should care for each other and our community around us. We are called to be part of building part of God's Kingdom and our work is to build a church, which is a group of a people, not a physical building. He emphasized how the generosity of loving one another is such an important part of any religious church congregation. He ended his sermon at the 9:10 a.m. service by engaging the whole congregation in a sung Amen. In his 11:15 a.m. sermon, he expanded on many of his previous comments, especially the tenet of "love one another as he loved you," saying it is the ultimate source of a sustained community.

In the forum, the Rev. Anschutz spoke of how humbled and grateful he was to be called to be a shepherd to a congregation and how proud he was to be an Episcopalian, and he lauded the efforts of St James' to be at the forefront of very difficult issues: racism and apartheid; the Vietnam war; the role of ordination of women; and most recently, human sexuality. He talked about his concerns for the Episcopal church in the USA: its aging population (and what a great thing it is to be in a church filled with children and young people as St. James’ is); Anglicanism and the assault on its core; some groups in the church not really wanting to enter into a dialogue and communicate, but only wanting to push their own agenda; little evidence of interfaith work, which will be so essential to our future as a Church and for the world. His passion for the Church’s role in alleviating poverty and drawing others into support of the Millenium Development Goals has become a great passion for him and was evident in both of his sermons and at the forum as he spoke movingly about the suffering of the children of Haiti, and how transformative it is to see poverty up close.

-Seth Cunningham

Questing: Response to Mark Anschutz's sermon

At the forum, Sunday’s Bicentennial Preacher, The Rev. Mark Anschutz, spoke about the challenges and changes he’s encountered as a priest. During the forum and later in his sermon he encouraged all of us to go “questing.” The quest consists of a call to be alert and stay ahead of change so that we can continue to incorporate that into our life at St. James’ and beyond. He remembered a time when women couldn’t be ordained and reminded us of the poverty and discrimination that still exists. Although St. James’ continues to stay at the forefront of change, we are each responsible for being diligent. We must continually assess our obligations and those of the church. Are they in line? Are they serving everyone?

During his sermon he encouraged us to continue on a life long quest of “labor and prayer.” We must continually work to have a Christ-centered life. We need to put our ego and pride aside to develop a loving community that is supportive and open to all. This community must embrace everyone and “encourage one another.” It is a quest on which we can’t be afraid. The Rev. Anshutz’s instructions were echoed in the Postcommunion Prayer: “...O heavenly Father, so to assist us with they grace, that we may continue in the holy fellowship and do all such good works as thou has prepared for us to walk in...”. Let us not forget the words of Mark Anschutz by remaining diligent and alert on our lifelong quest.

-Lees Patriacca

Each Morning, A Gift

Peggy and I certainly look forward to visiting all our friends at St. James’ and renewing once again those relationships that meant so much to us from the first moment we walked up the steps and passed through those large doors into that remarkable and majestic space.

As the parish approaches its 200th year, there is much to celebrate, far more than any of us could possibly list. While my list is long, a single thought, what floods my memory, is the physical space itself and how it has been made available to the world. For me it is a lovely metaphor of sorts for all that Saint James’ has been and needs to be as it engages its future.

One must always be on guard not to worship or pay undue attention to such things as physical space, but having recognized that reality, I do rejoice in the simple fact that Jean-Claude rises each morning from his well deserved night’s rest to open wide the doors of St. James’ Church. In that action something occurs that is, I am most certain, most pleasing to the heart of God. In that action each morning a free, grace-filled gift is offered to the world. It is a gift that enables anyone to find needed sanctuary, a sense of mystery and a place of inner discovery. It is a gift that allows persons to stand upon holy ground and engage the Living God in a transcendent intersection of human soul and the Divine. It has and continues to be a great gift to the community and a worthy tribute to the God we understand and worship in that place.

During ordinary days of the week I would often kneel all by myself in that space...kneel in both my brokenness and my Godly potential and find that which only God provides: the deepest kind of peace for my soul and the inspiration to rise from that posture and attempt to honor the God to whose glory that space was constructed and maintained.* I rejoice with the untold numbers who have benefited as I have and who have come away from the majesty of that space quieted, comforted, forgiven, inspired and resolved to better serve and honor the God before whom they have knelt. Is that not a fair metaphor for all that the parish has sought to be in the period of these 200 years, opening wide itself to make known the boundless love and care of Jesus Christ?

Yes, we have much for which to be grateful as St. James’ celebrates those years. We have the God inspiring space itself, mysteriously and practically drawing persons into the very embrace of God. We have all the life changing outreach, the soul enrichin Christian education, the warm fellowship, the embrace and comfort we have received in faithful pastoral care, all of the wisdom of rank upon rank of extraordinary clergy and lay ministers, the rich memories of baptisms, confirmations, the deep comfort received as the Burial Office was echoed off those walls and the wonder each Sabbath as bread and wine were held high in that space to become the Body and Blood of Christ. Let us rejoice in it all. In these celebrations may the God of all the heavens know our gratitude and our willingness, our passion to see the substance of the Christian Gospel continually proclaimed from the corner of Madison and 71st Street. And, as those doors are flung open each morning may all the world better know the power of Almighty God, the love of Jesus Christ and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

-Mark Anschutz
Rector of St. James' Church 1992-1996

*May I not let this opportunity to pass without thanking Brenda and all the parish’s lay leadership who so magnificently and wisely restored the properties. They have, very literally, provided “foundations” which will make the peace, guidance and love of God available for so many who will make their way up those steps and through those doors as they seek to have their lives be in rhythm with the God who dwells so evidently in that place.

The Rev. Mark Anschutz will be the next Bicentennial Guest Preacher at St. James' on Sunday, November 15. He will preach at both the 9:10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services and speak at the adult education forum at 10:30: "Questions and Answers on Forty Years of Priesthood."

Response to Bishop Rockwell's sermon

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of hearing retired Bishop Hays Rockwell preach two sermons and speak at the forum on his time as 15th rector of St. James’ Church (1976 to 1990). Trying to write briefly about anything Hays says is daunting, but here goes.

Those of us who know Hays can easily recall his strong voice and gift for language that contribute to his wonderful sermons and teaching, and we heard it again on Sunday. Woven into those talks were themes that recalled his time here: the importance of history and continuity, kindness, influence, boldness, transformation and relationships. Hays spoke of people who influenced him and supported him in particular ways: The Rev. John Luce, Bishop Horace Donegan, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and The Revs. Carol Anderson and Hap Warren, and Bishop Gordon McMullan. Each of them, in their own way, supported the two things he remembers hearing were important as he started his ministry here: caring for one another in the parish and caring for those in the wider world. These led to numerous programs over the years from pastoral, to local and global outreach, social justice and advocacy—some of them unpopular in their day—but all strengthening the fabric of who St. James’ was and is.

As the spirit would have it, the gospel for Sunday (Mark 10:35-45) spoke about servanthood. In his sermon Hays used the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” as a starting point to talk about what we may wish for in our lives and how, as Christians, we are to live our lives. Hearing all of this reminded me again of why I love this place—our long history of caring, outreach and building relationships and servanthood. Hays ended by saying that these are the things that draw us into the wider world and are the true dimensions of our calling.

-Madeline Schroth
Vestry Member
October 19, 2009

Response to Bishop Rockwell's sermon

As parishioners who joined in the early 1990s, Mary and I had only seen Hays Rockwell twice before: when he presided at a funeral in 1995 and at the rededication of the church after the 2001-02 renovation. Neither occasion afforded him the opportunity to speak about his tenure as rector of St. James’, so we were delighted to hear him preach and lead the adult education forum last Sunday.

We witnessed firsthand the strong bonds of affection that still exist between him and so many of our fellow parishioners, a living example of the care for one another that he described as the foundation of parish life. His sharp and superb wit was also an unexpected surprise to us (we are still laughing about how he and his wife beat the King of Norway to the emergency exits at the Nobel ceremony for Archbishop Tutu).

From his remarks, it is clear that Hays wove a wonderful pattern of faithfulness into his leadership of the parish. Many of the important mission milestones of his rectorate, like the relationship with Archbishop Tutu or involvement in the South Bronx, began with small acts of faith on very ordinary days. They always included uncertainty and risk, and never a guarantee of success. Yet he and the parish always moved forward, even when they were called to serve in faraway places that were, in his words, “on the periphery.” This example of faithfulness is instructive for us today, as we seek to serve in new ways those who currently live on the periphery.

We are thankful for the many gifts that Bishop Rockwell brought to St. James’ and that help make the parish what it is today. We hope that he returns for another visit soon.

-David Andryc
October 21, 2009

Thirty-Four Autumns

As I look forward to my visit to St. James' on October 18, I am all but overcome by a cascade of memory. It's been thirty-four autumns since my installation as 14th Rector of the parish, but—as sometimes occurs in the aging—the remembrances of that distant day are fresh for me. St. James' was my first parish. I had spent my time since ordination in 1961 hiding out in academies of one kind or another. Now here I was, kneeling before the Bishop of New York, in the midst of the congregation, praying that God would be "...always with me in carrying out the duties of my ministry." The emblems of that work were presented to me by members of the congregation—a Prayer Book and a Bible, bread and wine, the keys to the church. At the end, the Mayor of New York, Ed Koch, presented me with a map of the city and charged me to "be among us as a man of the city." (Ed would later claim that he made me the Rector.) It was all very moving, and the beginning of nearly fifteen years of stimulating, challenging, deeply rewarding days of sharing in the works of ministry in this great parish church.

I anticipate with joy the prospect of revisiting that time and of connecting to the current parish family as part of the year long celebration of St. James' 200th birthday.

+Hays Rockwell
Bishop of Missouri, retired

Bishop Rockwell will be the next Bicentennial Guest Preacher at St. James' on Sunday, October 18. He will preach at both the 9:10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services and speak at the adult education forum at 10:30: "From Rookie to Rector: Reflections on Fifteen Years at St. James’."

Response to Dean Kowalski's sermon

It was very significant to have the Dean as our first guest preacher for St. James' bicentennial. As he preached, I was fascinated to hear about his history with our church and many of our parishioners. He emphasized how important St. James' is not only in our diocese but in the world. He recalled the time when some members of the St. James' vestry flew over to Africa to support Desmond Tutu's role during apartheid. By the way, I am personally looking forward to Archbishop Tutu visiting St. James' next March. He also wrote the foreward in the book being written on the history of St. James.

The Dean's sermon was a reiteration to me of how the parishioners of St. James' act as ambassadors to spread God's message. And how moving forward, especially the state the world is in, we need to do that more than ever. He spoke about why St. James' is a parish that can continue to be a leader in the diocese and the world.

His message made me once again thankful to call St. James' my church. But it also made me determined, as we celebrate St. James' 200th year, to help make sure this continues to be a place of worship, education, mission, and God's love for generations to come.

-Campbell Wharton
October 6, 2009

Faith in Community

Love of certainty is a demand for guarantees in advance of action. —John Dewey

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. —Hebrews 11:1

My first memory of Saint James’ Church dates to my brief time as a law student at NYU, about 35 years ago. I’d completed a Rockefeller Trial Year Fellowship at seminary in Cambridge, Massachusetts, connecting me to the ministries of John Coburn and Hays Rockwell. I still did not know what I was supposed to “do” with my life. My future wife, Anne Brewer, would visit me in New York from medical school, and we’d visit parishes in the City. My first impression visiting you was that this was a parish of obviously busy, successful people who made time for Church and who took mission and ministry seriously! Seeing how alive your faith was as Christians was part of what clarified for me that I wanted to be a priest more than I wanted to be a lawyer.

Twenty years later I would become Rector of Saint Luke’s Parish, Darien. How fortunate we were to inherit extraordinary former parishioners of Saint James’ who decided to raise their families in Connecticut. These were people for whom the experience of Church and faith in Christ through Saint James’ had been personally uplifting and also a call to ministry beyond self.

As Dean of the Cathedral, involved in the Diocese and City of New York, engaged with our national Church, and traveling for interfaith and international work, I have become more fully aware of your reputation and long history of leadership. Saint James’ has attracted and shared with the larger Church and community gifted clergy who served your parishioners and others. Perhaps even more impressively, through generations of widely arrayed lay ministries, you have connected faith and everyday life both explicitly through the Church and through wide civic engagement as well.

You worked hard to break down Apartheid. You continue to help prisoners reclaim their dignity and a new life. You have trained seminarians. You have set an example of pastoral support that helps each other and also goes beyond the boundaries of parish. Although you are actually a neighborhood parish—as your Rector reminds you, with many of you living within walking distance of the parish—your reach has inspired people of faith and of no faith, far and near.

John Dewey, who died the year after I was born, espoused an educational philosophy that learning was active. He believed that schooling was unnecessarily long and restrictive. Dewey wanted children to come to school and do things and also to live in communities where they would experience guided opportunities to develop their capacity to contribute to society. He wrote, "Democracy has to be born anew every generation, and education is its midwife." (School and Society,1889)

Well, until recently, I had spent half my life in school. We do, however, learn not only “in school” but as we act and then reflect, as people of faith and as citizens. What a school for faith in action Saint James’ has been! What is the certainty or guarantee of that two-hundred-year legacy of ministry? That it must be born anew in each generation. You have manifested the assurance of what we and God can hope for, even when it is not yet seen. Thank you for keeping that legacy alive and for inspiring all of us to join with you in endeavoring to build more just societies for God’s people.

—The Very Reverend Dr. James A. Kowalski
Dean of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine

Dean Kowalski will be the first Bicentennial Guest Preacher at St. James' on Sunday, September 20. He will preach at both the 9:10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services and speak on "Anglican Tradition and Theology and the Hopefulness for Our World" at the adult education forum at 10:30 a.m.