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There is no doubt this is a whole
new world for Episcopalians... |
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T. Scott Allen, Rector St. Elizabeth's Church |
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MINISTRY
SUMMARY |
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Successful new church
plant with relocation of
existing congregation |
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Change process aided by Ministry Area Profile (MAP) |
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Church leadership
committed to prayer |
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Congregation prayed "Prayer
of Jabez" for 30 days |
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New location identified by Diocese using Percept |
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Interim vicar allowed to
become full-time rector,
called by congregation |
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Oh Little Town of Schnecksville |
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Near Bethlehem, a church is born. When a 100-year old parish is perishing,
what can save it? Lots of prayer and a good MAP to show them the way. . . |
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On a tiny one-way street some 15 miles west of
Bethlehem, PA, sat the incredible shrinking Episcopal congregation of St. Elizabeth's.
Shrinking because most people in the town didn't know, or didn't care, they were there;
incredible because despite the odds against their survival, this remnant of 40 or so
people—most of whom were over the age of 50, would make a decision that others rarely
find the courage to make.
"You can't just go along and keep doing what you're doing and expect to
survive," their interim vicar, T. Scott Allen, told them. "You have to take a
serious look at yourself, and your neighborhood, then decide who you are and what you are
going to do."
After that "do or die" admonition, the congregation agreed to do some serious
soul searching using a Prayer of Jabez group study* to help them discover who
they were while using demographics to help them determine where they should be. Their
choices soon became clear: 1) stay and keep on doing what they were doing; 2) hire a
part-time priest while the elderly folks came up with some miraculous ministry idea that
would make the people flood through the doors; 3) close and be intentional about
it—farming members out to other Episcopal churches; 4) form a joint congregation with
the local Lutheran church with whom they had shared various ministries; or 5) change
location all together.
It was the fifth option—changing location all together—they would eventually opt
for. It would be a decision that would bring both profound sadness and yet unexpected joy.
-Jenni Keast |
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There's more. .
. read the full story! |
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*The Prayer of Jabez Bible Study; Bruce Wilkinson,
Multnomah Publishers Inc. 2001 |
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© COPYRIGHT 2008 PERCEPT GROUP, INC. |
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GO TO THE STORY ARCHIVE |
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