Why I am an Episcopalian

(The following is Tricia's article from the May Bellows)

Why are you an Episcopalian? How would you answer if someone asked you that question? Of all the different branches and flavors of Christianity, why did you choose this one?

If you are like me, there is no one single answer to this question. As a child I went to the Episcopal Church because my parents took me there. I liked going to church. But in college, like many other students, I opted for sleep instead of worship on Sunday mornings. I got out of the habit of going to church.

I was 30 before I came back to the church. I went because I was invited by a friend who knew I had grown up Episcopalian. I stayed because of what I found in that little church in Nashville.

What I found was this – a place where all sorts and conditions of humanity were welcome, a place where I was welcome. At St. Ann’s there were lawyers and car mechanics, there were residents of the nearby housing projects and people from the wealthiest neighborhoods in Nashville, there were blacks and whites, gays and straights, young and old, there was a little bit of everything. St. Ann’s looked like I imagine the kingdom of God looks, a place where there was room for everyone.

I have been part of many Episcopal churches since my days at St. Ann’s. None have been as diverse as that small, inner-city congregation. But all have had that same spirit of welcome and inclusiveness. All have understood that in God’s kingdom there is a place for all of God’s children. All have been more concerned with breaking down barriers instead of putting them up. That is one reason I am an Episcopalian.

Another major reason I am an Episcopalian is because we are a denomination that embraces the intellect and encourages thoughtful questioning. An advertisement for the Episcopal Church some years ago captured this with a picture of Jesus with these words, “He came to take away your sins, not your mind.”

There are, of course, other reasons I love the Episcopal Church – I love the awe and mystery of the Eucharist, I love the music, I love the willingness to live with ambiguity and paradox, I love the concern for the world that God has created, I love the sense of community in each of the congregations I have been a part of.

We are not a perfect denomination by any means. And we are not a denomination that appeals to everyone. But that’s OK. Other denominations have different strengths and appeal to different people. The vastness of Christ’s love cannot be captured by any one group.

Tricia

(This was also the First Person Article published in the Summer 2009 edition of Pathways, the quarterly journal of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. It was followed by a Special Section, "Why are you an Episcopalian?" where readers were asked to submit a 100-word essay. Good reading, if you get a copy of Pathways. Closer to home, and I'm thinking St. Dunstan's anyway, why are you an Episcopalian? - Steve)