What I did on my Summer Holiday

Having just returned from three weeks in the U.K., I am still processing much of the experience. Part of the holiday was pure leisure and touring, but a significant piece of it, about a week, was trailing after the vicar of St. John's Wood, the Rev’d Anders Bergquist. Last summer, I hosted Fr. Bergquist for a week to explore the Episcopal Church. My week at St. John’s Wood was the culmination of our reciprocal visits. It was that work that has provided much food for thought.

There are a fair number of similarities between our respective parish churches. The churches are roughly of similar vintages. The casual observer recognizes the shared roots of worship forms. While St. John’s Wood is much more ethnically diverse, the demographics around age are similar. Both churches are fortunate to have attractive buildings, but St. John’s Wood is situated in an urban area, while St. Columba’s is in a more bucolic setting.

One major difference, one that has serious implications for ministry, is the concept of a parish. Fr. Bergquist took me for a long walk on my first day. We actually walked much of the parish boundaries. I daresay most Americans think of the words parish and church as roughly interchangeable, meaning a building or group of people dedicated to a finite religious community. Fr. Bergquist has responsibilities to those who live within the confines of his parish, even if they are not part of his church.

The assumptions related to boundaries have interesting implications. On the one hand, focused boundaries are the stuff of community, and foster a sense of responsibility and communicate expectations about belonging. Boundaries create identification, definition and norms that grow out of core values. Boundaries are important.

Boundaries can obviously be barriers to engagement and interaction. Boundaries run amok are not useful parameters, but are closed doors. Maybe, it is a matter of degree.

One stop I particularly enjoyed was an after-school program. The kids there spanned many neighborhoods. They were of many races and religious backgrounds. Fr. Bergquist takes a keen interest in the place, because it is a place in his parish where so many different members of his parish gather.

Can our parishes be more?