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Today is the occasion of St. Cyprian’s Annual Congregational Meeting. It is a time to review the past year, and look at our plans for the year to come. We will elect new members of our mission Board. The Treasurer will present the budget for our 2018 Operating Account. And we will hear reports from members of the congregation about some of the ministries of St. Cyprian’s. The Annual Congregational Meeting is about the business of being an institution, albeit a religious institution … a church. But it is also much more than that.
Today is the occasion of St. Cyprian’s Annual Congregational Meeting. It is a time to review the past year, and look at our plans for the year to come. We will elect new members of our mission Board. The Treasurer will present the budget for our 2018 Operating Account. And we will hear reports from members of the congregation about some of the ministries of St. Cyprian’s. The Annual Congregational Meeting is about the business of being an institution, albeit a religious institution … a church. But it is also much more than that.
St. Cyprian’s was founded over 125 years ago by people of color who did not feel entirely included in the faith community of Trinity Parish downtown. In 1900 this building was consecrated by the first Bishop of the Diocese of Florida, the Rt. Rev. Edwin Gardner Weed. St. Cyprian’s … in its heyday … was a cornerstone of the Lincolnville community. After the Civil Rights era Lincolnville suffered hard times, and so did St. Cyprian’s. In the 1990s … with no fulltime clergy serving the congregation … Trinity Parish lent their assistant clergy to lead worship in this place. Just before the turn of the millennium this building underwent major renovations, and in the early 2000s Fr. David Allert … paid by Trinity … served the congregation. Then, in late 2006, Fr. Allert led many in the congregation out of St. Cyprian’s … and out of the Episcopal Church … over the issue of whether gays and lesbians would be included in the life and leadership of the Episcopal Church.
Most of you have heard that story before, but this morning I’d like to look at what happened to St. Cyprian’s following the schism … and what that has to do with us today. Immediately following the split in November, 2006 … and I mean within days … Bishop Howard asked Pastor Deena to step in and assist. There were less than a dozen people left at St. Cyprian’s … Dr. Dorothy Israel and John Miller are two of that original faithful group. Pastor Deena led them through the crisis, and in May of 2007 the Rev. Perry Smith began serving the congregation.
Caren and I moved to St. Augustine in July of that year … I had just retired from parish ministry after a long-term interim position in Massachusetts. However, we spent much of the summer and fall of 2007 traveling between here and Asheville, North Carolina where my mother lived while she was in hospice home care. It wasn’t until after her death that I found St. Cyprian’s … and a congregation of fewer than 20 people … but I knew I had found a home.
St. Cyprian’s had survived the crisis, but it was floundering about what to do next. Much of my career in the Church … in partnership with Caren … was spent resolving conflicts in congregations and restoring faith communities after trauma. Caren and I had the tools and the skillset to bring wholeness to this broken congregation, and by the fall of 2008 Bishop Howard had called me back to active duty. It was supposed to be a part-time position for two or three years. I am now in my tenth year as Vicar of St. Cyprian’s … and still part-time.
It is one thing to serve as a priest at the altar on Sunday mornings, and another to assist a congregation … a community of faithful people … to assist them in discovering who they are and where they want to go. In a series of meetings with members of St. Cyrian’s in 2009 we together articulated our core values, a Mission Statement, a Vision for the future, and a set of goals. Then we set about accomplishing those goals.
In 2009 those who were a part of this faith community at the time defined our core values this way:
St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church proclaims its faith as a community that:
- Is welcoming, diverse and inclusive;
- Is respectful of differing spiritual paths;
- Is a source of healing for the body, mind and spirit;
- Is committed to responding to the needs of others;
- And honors its past as it moves into the future.
The Mission Statement of St. Cyprian’s is:
St. Cyprian’s is a diverse, inclusive and historic Christian community welcoming all into our life and worship as we creatively grow in faith and service to each other, the world around us, and a loving God.
And our Vision, as articulated in 2009, is:
St. Cyprian’s Vision is to reclaim its role as a cornerstone in the Lincolnville neighborhood, and the greater community of St. Augustine.
Along with the Vision the people back in 2009 set some goals. Although not measurable goals such as “An average Sunday attendance of 50 by the year 2012,” or “An operating budget of $100,000 by 2015,” these goals were more about what the congregation was committed to, specifically:
- providing a welcoming community that continues to invite and incorporate men, women, and children into the life of the parish
- offering a program of worshipful liturgy and music that creatively nurtures our community of faith
- empowering a ministry that serves our brothers and sisters in our neighborhood and around the world
- presenting diverse programs and events that will enhance the spiritual life for all of God's children at St. Cyprian’s and in the greater community
- maintaining an open communication system that invites, encourages, and mobilizes active participation in the fabric of parish life
- renovating and expanding our facilities to effectively meet the needs of our growing community
- developing professional and volunteer leadership with appropriate skills and experience
- being faithful stewards of ourselves and our resources, responding to St. Cyprian’s present and future needs.
When my mother dropped me off at the boat Cousin Van was wearing a white hat with a white handkerchief hanging over the back of his neck … white long-sleeve shirt, white pants, and white shoes and socks.
Today … in 2018 … nine years after those core values, mission, and vision wee articulated … the congregation of St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church has accomplished much of what we set out to do. But, along the way we have only once revisited those core values, our Mission Statement, our Vision, and those goals we set in 2009. Yes, we have grown in numbers, ministry and spirit over the past decade, but the question now … in 2018 … is “Who are we today?” and “Where do we go from here?” And, these are not questions for me to answer … they are questions for everyone affiliated with St. Cyprian’s to address and express their thoughts, ideas, and opinions. This isn’t about wordsmithing statements to make them sound profound. Rather it is about creatively sharing viewpoints. In such a process everyone has a voice, and no one has a veto. The ministry we do here is our ministry together … each of you has something to contribute to the whole and therefore you are all stakeholders. And it not so much about the end product as it is about the means by which we get there … it is not the destination; it is the journey.
During Lent we will have a series of “Conversations” about our community life, our ministries in the world around us, our worship, and our plans for the future. Tuesday evenings will begin with a simple potluck dinner, and then a time to share our thoughts and ideas. You’ll hear more about our Lenten Conversations during our meeting in the Mission House following this service.
Finally, a few words about the state of St. Cyprian’s in 2018. I believe we are in great shape. It was a little rocky with Bishop Howard for a while, but even that worked itself out. We had a wonderful celebration for the Rev. Peter Williams Cassey … the first clergy to serve St. Cyprian’s … on the 100th anniversary of his death. We started new ministries, and expanded ongoing ones. The church statistics … average Sunday attendance, number of communicants, size of our budget … continue to grow.
We are a community of God’s beloved children, taking seriously what Jesus took seriously, and doing our best to live into the image of God in which we were made. Sometimes we fall short of that mark, but by-in-large this congregation is doing a pretty good job. This is not what I had planned in my retirement, but as I have said many times, this is the most exciting and rewarding ministry of my career. And, just in case you are wondering … if you will continue to have me serve as your Vicar … and if the Bishop agrees … I plan to be around for a while.
This isn’t my ministry, it is our ministry together. There is a place for each and every person in this congregation to exercise their gifts and talents … to be woven into the fabric of our community life. I thank you for all that you give … your time, your talents and gifts … and your treasure. We are truly a blessed community.
Amen.
