Be loving in everything you do." - I Corinthians 16:13-14
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"Be on your guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be brave. Be strong. Be loving in everything you do." - I Corinthians 16:13-14 |
Sarah Hey, a lay member of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina and co-founder of Sanctuary, delivered her presentation "13 Things Lay People Can Do Right Now: A Baker's Dozen" at the Diocese of Mississippi's Training Day on August 21, 2004. You can listen to Sarah's presentation here.
Macintosh users: Direct link to the MP3 file here.
Posted by Greg Griffith at September 2, 2004 09:02 PM (GMT -6:00)Simply brilliant!! I have already forwarded the link to this audio to our vestry, associate vestry and every internet forum I frequent.
Sarah Hey knocked the ball right out of the park!! We must bring this lady to Texas!!
Bill+
The Rev. Dr. R. William Dickson
Associate Rector
St. John the Divine, Houston
As I listened to Sarah Hey’s presentation on Stand Firm, she convinced me finally to be declarative as to why I have not left my ECUSA parish. I’ve struggled with this greatly over the past year; I even did drop out totally of the church for about 5 months during a time of personal crisis. I don’t have deep ties to this or any other parish, I was not born an Episcopalian, let alone a third or forth generation member of a parish. I have few social ties. Indeed, other than the quality and health of my particular parish, almost none of the things people think of as reasons not to just leave apply to me. So why stay?
For me, the answer is rooted simply in how I got here in the first place. I was a good, well-grounded Southern Baptist college kid, who had asked God for a gift of worship. About nine months later, I found myself drawn in to a pretty Anglo-Catholic Episcopal parish, which was also part of the “charismatic movement” in the ‘70s. It seemed as though God answered my prayer by bringing me to a place where I could discover the First and Third Persons of the Holy Trinity. This engendered an almost year long period of discernment, working through the Articles, the BCP in general, culminating in a desire to be confirmed.
When I told the director of the Baptist Student Union on campus of my decision, he asked “Why?”
My short answer was that I believed God was calling me there.
And that, I have realized, is the issue for me. I am here because God has placed me here. I am at His pleasure to have me remain, or to move me. He moved me once, He can do it again, but it is His to do. Maybe I’m here as a patient, maybe as a solder, or both. But it is not for the private to sound retreat; he looks to the General, the patient to the Physician.
At the recent “Coalition” meeting in Houston, the sermon raised the issue of “what is the way forward?” We were reminded that that question has been asked before, “…how can we know the way?” The answer is the same now as then: “I am the way…”
God can, will and does place each of us differently. Some here, some removed from here; and for His own reasons, which He may or may not reveal. My calling is not mainly to decide about a particular branch of the Church, and it’s worthiness or lack. My calling is to be in Christ, to be “under orders” and stand where He would have me until His purpose is accomplished.
May God give us grace to hear and do His will.
-Eric