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The birth, life, decline and slow death of a liberal Episcopal parish
This is the story of one church - St. John's Episcopal Church, La Verne in the Diocese of Los Angeles. It is a story of how a church was born in great hope in 1961. Over the course of nearly half a century the parish has slowly withered as it accepted one new Episcopal innovation after another. The Sixties was the decade of the greatest growth in the history of The Episcopal Church. According to the Red Book the highest PECUSA membership figures reveal that in 1966 the church stood at 3,647,297. The national population was 197 million. Today The Episcopal Church ASA is under 700,000 and the national population is 308 million. It is a story from which we can all learn especially liberals and revisionists who believe they are in the vanguard of a "new thing" God is doing in The Episcopal Church.
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
January 11, 2010
St. John's Church began with the need of a single child to attend Sunday school with friends. Its calling was to bring an Episcopal church to the community, to provide spiritual formation for a generation, and to make a difference in the lives of its members and others in the community. At one point the parish was the fifth largest church in the diocese.
On March, 14, 1961, Marge and Richard Vicenti hosted the first organizational meeting in their home in La Verne. On May 17, 1961, the Standing Committee of the Diocese recommended to Bishop Bloy that a preaching station be established in La Verne and that land be purchased by the Diocese for a church site. A favorable action of the Diocese was reported and three persons were appointed to a Bishop's Committee. Initially, the congregation requested the preaching station be named "St. Andrew's"; however, "St. John's" was ultimately selected from a list of names acceptable to the Bishop.
On October 22, 1961, St. John's held its first service at the American Legion hall with Fr. Thomas Marshall as celebrant. Forty-five persons attended. St. John's was granted mission status in 1963, two years after the first services were held.
From 1963 to 1969, St. John's vicar was Fr. Arthur Lovekin. During his tenure, St. John's Episcopal Church Women held several rummage sales and opened a thrift shop in La Verne to raise money for a permanent church location. For several years, the thrift shop proved to be a steady source of income as well as a witness of St. John's presence in the community. In 1966, St. John's moved its services from the American Legion hall to the LeRoy Boy's Home, and land was purchased. In 1969, Fr. Lovekin left St. John's to pursue advanced studies.
From April 1969 to April 1976, Fr. Richard Avery served as vicar. On November 16, 1969, there was a groundbreaking ceremony at the present site. The ECW's fundraising work completed, the thrift shop closed its doors. Several changes in the Episcopal Church affected the stability of the congregation: the ordination of women, a new Book of Common Prayer, and the introduction of Lay Eucharistic Ministers. St. John's reflected the tensions within the national church and our country. During this time, a congregational questionnaire was circulated. After the results were collected and compiled, Fr. Avery resigned. It became clear that St. John's survival was dependent on the congregation taking ownership of the direction and future of the church.
From October 1976 through December 1978, Fr. Dean Foley served as vicar. During this time, attendance declined and Fr. Foley left for personal reasons.
From February 1979 to August 1980, Fr. Dan Suders served as priest-in-charge at St. John's.
From October 1980 to August 1988, Fr. Bruce McPherson served as vicar and infused St. John's with a spirit of energy and optimism. With his leadership, St. John's became a self-supporting mission. In 1987, Bishop Rusack joined the mortgage-burning celebration.
Excerpted from Fall 2006 Profile
The calling to be a parish developed during this period. A group named the Ambassadors called on new families, and a prayer chain was established. St. John's became a vibrant church with an expanded ministry, growing youth programs, a paid music director, and a communal atmosphere characterized by significant social activities. Fr. McPherson also spent much time and energy with several Diocesan committees. In 1988, he was reassigned to Diocesan staff, and later appointed Canon to the Ordinary.
From December 1990 to December 1993, Fr. Dan Williamson served as vicar. He was known for his praise services and enthusiastic Bible study classes. One concern at this time was St. John's ability to provide financially for his family's security. Fr. Williamson left for a larger, more conservative, evangelical parish.
From January 1994 through December 1995[MSOffice1], St. John's was served by two priests-in-charge: Fr. Kevin Taylor and Fr. Chas Belknap, respectively.
From December 1995 through May 2004, Fr. Larry Hunter served as the seventh vicar and first rector of St. John's. (Rev. Larry Hunter, Ph.D. later moved to St. Stephens in Orinda, CA in the Bay area under the decidedly pro-gay San Francisco Bishop Marc Andrus.) Tremendous growth marked his tenure. The staff expanded with the addition of a permanent deacon, Jerry Tucker; an assistant priest, Mo. Jan Holland, Fr. Hunter's spouse. New ministries and opportunities for involvement were developed and took shape. Fr. Hunter's first years were focused on building a strong youth ministry, an active church school, a men's group, and refurbishing St. John's sole building. Other clergy attended St. John's and offered their services. In 1996, St. John's bylaws were amended to include a Youth Representative on the Bishop's Committee who would have a seat, voice, and vote.
In 1997, St. John's successfully applied for parish status. The enormous growth of St. John's was evident in an ambitious building program. In 1997, the existing building was renovated. It houses the sanctuary, sacristy, and Sunday nursery. Vicenti Hall was built as a multi-use building containing offices, a commercial kitchen and a large gathering space. Extensive landscaping was completed on the entire campus. A seminarian-intern, Earl Gibson, joined St. John's staff. This period of rapid change and growth resulted in budget shortfalls. Diocesan grants were needed to meet financial obligations.
In January 2003, Earl Gibson was ordained to the priesthood. The 2003 national controversy surrounding the election and consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson challenged many parishioners. That same year, from August until mid-December, Fr. Larry took an extended educational leave, straining the remaining staff to meet the congregation's needs. During this time, Mo. Jan was in charge of the congregation.
At the January 2004 Annual Meeting, budget shortfalls required that the two assistant clergy be reduced to half-time status. Mother Jan subsequently resigned and her last service at St. John's was at the end of February. In April 2004, Fr. Gibson resigned his position and accepted the position as Youth Minister for the Diocese of Arizona. His last service was in May.
In May 2004, Fr. Hunter resigned to accept a call to a church in northern California. He celebrated his last service in July. During this emotionally turbulent time, beginning in March, pastoral leadership was provided by Fr. John Keester, Fr. Walter Hannum, (an evangelical missiologist) and Rev. Stuart Ensberg-all members of St. John's. Despite these setbacks, Dan Morrow was hired in August 2004 as part-time lay Youth Minister. This reaffirmed St. John's commitment to youth.
In October 2004, with considerable financial support from the Diocese, a measure of continuity was regained in the appointment of Fr. David Jackson as priest-in-charge under special circumstances. Fr. Jackson had previously served as a non-stipendiary assistant and regularly attended St. John's with his family. Fr. Jackson left St. John's in December 2005 for a position better suited to his ministry. He currently is part-time Interim Dean of the Episcopal Theological School in Claremont while completing his Ph.D. at Claremont Graduate University.
In March, 2006, The Rev. Marilyn Omernick was appointed priest-in-charge. "Mother Marylyn" as she is known was the interim priest after Jackson. She is a graduate of Claremont.
She is also in a same sex relationship. She has overseen projects laying a foundation for St. John's administration. These include a parish software program and a restructured accounting system.
However, in July 2006, after much reflection and consultation with the Diocese, St. John's successfully applied to return to mission status.
Currently, St. John's has embarked "on a path of renewal and redefinition" and has benefited from generous Diocesan financial support.
In September 2006, a youth ministry was full-time funding aided by another Diocesan grant. The major accomplishment of 2006 was that their youth raised sufficient funds to complete their summer Journey to Adulthood pilgrimage to England-a dream three years in the making.
Reconciliation of diverse views and budgetary concerns are still issues at St. John's. These are reflected in the membership data below.
Total Households in 1997 were 128.
Total Households in 1999-2000, were 139.
Total Households in 2001 were 133.
Total Households in 2002 were 148.
Total Households in 2006 were 98.
"Mother Kelly" Grace Kurtz from Riverside is the current rector. She has the church on the pathway of the Emergent Church using the Brian McLaren book "A Generous Orthodoxy" for Bible study as well as ultra-liberal theologian Marcus Borg video series for Lent. Neither of these persons will make churches grow. See VOL's article "The Emergent Church's Retreat into Pre-Reformation Darkness" http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=11883
This statement by Marcus Borg highlights his own thinking: "...I see the grand statements about Jesus - that he is the son of God, the Light of the World and so forth - as the testimony of the early Christian movement. These are neither objectively true statements about Jesus nor, for example in this season, about his conception and birth. To speak of him as the son of God does not mean that he was conceived by God and had no biological human father. Rather, this is the post-Easter conviction of his followers."[Dr. Marcus Borg, Washington Post, December 30, 2006]
St. John's no longer remains true to its founding intentions or faith. It is no longer a vibrant church. It is a "welcoming" church but that is code language for gay and liberal agitprop. Attendance is continuing to drop and they are having difficulty keeping a choir together. Its end is assured. It is only a matter of time.
---A layman in the diocese contributed to this story.
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