Dear People of St. James’,
Have you ever taken a moment to read and think about the history of St. James’? It may come as no surprise to you that St. James’ tells its history in a peculiar way. While your typical A Brief History of St. So-and-So’s Episcopal Church often resembles the narratives of Kings or Chronicles, regaling the reader with a series of stories of what this priest or that senior warden accomplished or failed to do in the life of the church community, the Brief History of St. James’ is a story structured around buildings. Sure, great leaders are mentioned here and there. However, the story of the journey of St. James’ from 1941 to 2007 is told as the story of a people moving from building to building, always committed to the service of the gospel in east Austin, but seeking a place to set down deep roots and to extend supportive and fruitful branches of welcome to a diverse and changing community.
In 2007, a new season in the history begins as St. James’ makes its new home at 1941 Webberville, and the mode of storytelling changes. And then, Fr. Reggie did this. And then, Rev. Lisa did that. And so, Rev. David did this. This shift to conventional (and, I would say, overly clerical) ways of telling the story of the Church makes me wonder if something was lost when we gained this good ground. Perhaps you have wondered that as well. A number have people have told me about how hard it has been to build and sustain that old sense of family and community and felt communion here at 1941 Webberville, where we are not sitting shoulder to shoulder with our neighbor but actually have space to spread out in the pews, where we are not scrambling to reset chairs as the service ends for coffee hour, where the youth don’t have to meet in the rector’s office, etc, and so on.
As we begin our season of stewardship (September 29 – October 27), our stewardship team has chosen the tree with its roots and branches reaching out as an icon that emerges from that particular history of St. James’ and speaks to our present and future call.
● We seek to extend our roots deeply into the gospel and into this good east Austin soil, soaked through with a complex history and present. As stewards, we are called to investment, not only in physical spaces, but in the Christian formation and discipleship of people of all ages so that they can be nourished by God’s good news.
● We seek to build up the resilience and strength of the trunk of community and relationships that supports the widening branches of welcome for all. As stewards, we are called to give of our capacity for relationship, building diverse small groups that can provide a way into community for those who are seeking to know God and neighbor.
● We seek to see the leaves of beauty, diversity, healing, joy, and reconciliation flourish, as a sign of the presence of God. As stewards, we are called to offer our creativity to find new ways to engage our neighbors in God’s mission of liberation and reconciliation and to offer beauty and art that speaks of God.
The ways in which we give ourselves to this work as the people of St. James’ will help us write a new kind of story – a story, not of buildings or clergy, but of a diverse people called to a transformative mission here in this place.
The journey continues.
Rev. Eileen
