March
20, 2017
I
hope that this post finds each of you and your families enjoying a Blessed
2017. I fully realize that it has been
quite a while since my last post. The 3d Quarter at VTS was exceptionally busy
and I can only plead that I was working very hard. On a happy note, many of you
will be relieved to know that I did pass all of my Fall Semester classes!
Today
I want to discuss Sunday worship at Seminary, or more particularly, our Sunday
worship experience to this point. A requirement at VTS is that all M/Div
students act as a seminarian at a local parish for a minimum of three semesters
beginning in the Fall of the second year.[1]
This is known as “Field Ed.” There is rather broadly definition of “local” and
some seminarians will travel 30 – 45 minutes to their parish. The DMV[2]
is pretty much “Episcopal Central” and there is something on the order of 125+
parishes within a sixty-minute drive from VTS.
All
Juniors are encouraged to visit as many parishes as possible to determine what
parish may be the best fit for their particular situation. The parishes from
which to choose vary tremendously in size and nature. Some have an average
Sunday attendance of 30 to parishes with an average attendance of 700-800 and
everywhere in between.[3]
The liturgy at the parishes varies in formality from “snake-belly low” to Anglo-Catholic.
In other words, in some churches there is very little pomp and circumstance and
at others there is great formality and lots of “smells and bells.” (Incense and
chimes.)[4]
The
process for choosing a field-ed parish is well-defined. Any parish that wants
to have one or more seminarians must notify VTS and agree to certain guidelines
roles the seminarian will play at the parish. Each seminarian is required to
commit at least twelve hours per week to duties at the field-ed parish. The
juniors interviewed at parishes where they are interested. Those interviews could
not begin until January and the parishes could not extend offers to students
until February 27. There are vastly more parishes than students and
every student eventually finds a field-ed site. However, there are several very popular
parishes that may have four to eight applicants and there are quite a few parishes at which two or three juniors interview. Every junior interviews at multiple
parishes. The result is that February 27 had a feel similar to “bid day” in
medical school when students learn which residency program they will attend.
From
August through December, Darla and I went to a different parish each Sunday. As
I mentioned, the area is Episcopal Central and there are many historic parishes
that we visited. Space does not allow a discussion of all interesting parishes, but I will mention a few. Falls Church is the oldest parish in the area. It was established in 1732 and
sits in Falls Church, VA. The full name of the Church is “Falls Church” and it
is older than the town which adopted its name. Another very old church is
Christ Church, Alexandria which bills itself as “Historic Christ Church.”
Christ Church was established 240 years ago. George Washington and Robert E.
Lee were members and the pews they used bear their names. Another notable
church is St. John’s, Lafayette Square. It is directly across the Square from
the White House and most of the presidents over the past 150 years have
attended one or more services there. While not an Episcopalian, Abraham Lincoln
would occasionally slip in after the beginning of a service, sit in the back
right pew and slip out before the service concluded. A magnificent setting is
the National Cathedral which looks like a cathedral you might find in Europe.
It
soon became apparent that our most important criteria for choosing a field-ed
site had to do with the supervising clergy. We wanted a supervisor with significant experience and who is an effective teacher. Often we could tell quickly that
the “fit” would not be good and just as often we were intrigued. Throughout
January and February Darla and I revisited parishes in which we were
interested and I interviewed with several of them. Ultimately, we accepted an offer from St. John’s in McLean, VA. It is a relatively young
parish in the area—it was established in 1866. Ed Miller is the rector and the
parish is very welcoming. Darla and I are quite excited to spend the next
two-plus years at St. John’s.
May
God’s Peace be with each of you and your loved ones,
Randy
[1] As a refresher, the first year is the
Junior year, the second year is the “Middler” year, and the third year is the
Senior year. No, I do not know how any of this evolved, but it all sounds very
Anglican and I suspect it originated in England.
[2] “DMV” stands for District, Maryland and
Virginia and encompasses the greater D.C. area.
[3] A parish that has 700 in attendance,
spread out over three or four services, is a “megachurch” in the Episcopal
Church world.
[4] A full discussion of the variances in
liturgy and the implications of “Anglo-Catholic” would take several pages.
