Four Years of Growth in Faith by Anne Pargeter
June 24, 2009
It seems hard to believe that it was four years ago that we first attended a service at All Saints. Much has changed since then, both in our family and in the parish.
One of the hardest things about our move to San Antonio was leaving behind our faith home. We had been very happy and spiritually fulfilled at the Anglican Church we attended in Tulsa, OK. It was also called All Saints and used the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. I was active with its women’s group and Stephen had been both People’s and Rector’s Warden. Where and how, we wondered, would we ever be able to find another church home that suited us so well? Then, in the phonebook, we found another All Saints Anglican Church that used the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. It seemed like the answer to our prayers.
We visited the church before we attended our first service and were warmly greeted by a smiling, grey-haired gentleman with a hearty laugh and a folksy manner. He introduced us to the priest, who had been at the church for only a short time. Stephen and I decided we liked what we saw enough to attend a service.
After the service, we agreed that the liturgy was similar to what we had known in Tulsa. We were somewhat embarrassed and confused when we said, “Thanks be to God” after the Epistle reading and no one else did, but we were willing to adapt to slight differences in style (and we continued to silently say “Thanks be to God” after the reading). We also wondered why two Sundays out of the month were Morning Prayer services with no Communion offered, but since the early service always offered Communion, we simply attended that service only. During the week, there did not seem to be much happening at the church other than a Wednesday prayer service and a women’s group that met monthly. We began to think perhaps this church was not the one for us after all.
Then, gradually the character of the parish began to change. Soon both Sunday services offered Communion each week. Slowly, we began to hear a quiet murmur of “Thanks be to God” from others in the parish, and finally everyone was saying it with feeling. A more informal music and fellowship service, Koinonia, was offered on Sunday evenings. Gradually more changes were seen and felt. Friendly greeters were at every service to welcome regular members and visitors with a warm smile and a hello. Next came Bible study opportunities during the week and the Salt and Light class to instruct new members from other faith backgrounds in what it means to be Anglican and to provide a refresher course for all parishioners.
Both Stephen and I have grown spiritually since joining All Saints, and we have seen God work in the lives of others in the parish. Again and again we have heard people speak of the warmth they felt from their first visit to the church. It is this warmth and sense of family that everyone at All Saints is so anxious to maintain as the congregation grows because it is part of what sets our church aside from many of the other faith communities in the area.
With all of these changes, the one thing that kept us coming back to All Saints even when we were unsure of our welcome has not changed. The liturgy is still traditional and the basis of all the teaching at All Saints is the Bible. God’s Holy Word truly is the foundation of everything that happens at our church, whether it is on Sunday mornings, Wednesday evenings, or on a Saturday work day. Everything is done in God’s service.
For us, the changes All Saints has undergone in the past four years have helped to make it the faith home we thought we might not find once we moved. God has truly shown us that communities of faith can be found everywhere if we are prepared to open ourselves to them and follow His leading.
Comments
Got something to say?
