The Survey Phase
Time is really flying in this new year. I ended January with a trip down to Indy. The purpose of this survey trip was to get a good feel for what is going on in the area concerning things Anglican. Though there are still things to learn, the time was helpful and it is clear something is happening that is bigger than any one ministry or fellowship. It feels like things are not just growing, but about to burst forth.
The first stop on Sunday, January 31 was at “The Table Fellowship”. This newly forming missionary community has been meeting since the fall on Sunday nights in Fisher. Ben Sterke and Matt Tebbe’s families are the root of this group. Over 20 adults and kids break bread (pizza this time & some Chinese) for a pot luck meal. After the meal a simple evening prayer time was enjoyed as everyone circled up in the living room. A time of thanksgiving, then 2 people shared significant life moments to build community in place of regular Bible sharing this week. This home based fellowship has much energy and transparency, and a vision to create community around Word, Sacrament and Mission.
After some informal conversation and an attempt to offer words of encouragement to Matt and Ben, who are pursuing Anglican orders through Bishop Todd Hunter, I departed to the Durell farm where we spent the evening catching up. Matt and Ben are doing great work and I expect this work to flourish in the not so distant future.
The next morning I was off to 3 significant meetings. My first was with Pastor Randy Gooder of the Indy Vineyard who is contemplating “duel citizenship” in the vineyard and the ADGL. He senses being called to one day serving in both communities in various capacities. We spoke of developing more intentional relationships between Anglican clergy and missioners in the area and what that might look like. Randy brings much to the table as an experienced pastor and mentor, and has a big heart for discipling believers in ancient-future models of piety, worship and service.
Next, Fr. Tim Felch and I met for lunch as he shared of being an early Anglican arrival to the Indy area several years ago when Bishop Amos, a Nigerian serving predominately African Anglicans in the USA, was the closest Anglican connection for him to start a new work in the area. The cultural realities have been rich but also challenging. The African model is significantly patriarchal in its understanding of the church. I certainly felt our conversational was very educational and I hope encouraging for my dear brother, who like most bi-vocational missioners, is finding the work draining. I hope to visit his congregation soon.
After lunch with Tim I drove around the Indiana-Purdue campus downtown and found myself taking a walk in Holliday Park along the White River on an unseasonably pleasant afternoon. I ended up in Carmel having coffee with Fr. Joe Murphy. We shared “war stories” of our exit out of TEC, but found even richer conversation around marriage and family and what the church brings to the table in the culturally shifting times. Joe and his wife are just settling into their new home, and had visited the All Soul’s fellowship the previous week. Joe is still discerning his role if any with the Anglican movement in our area, but its hard to think that there is not some unique part he is to play as he is canonically received into the ADGL from the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburg.
Monday night I had dinner and celebrated communion with All Soul’s Fellowship. We laughed, prayed and broke bread. A highlight for me was seeing the children, Roma and Anna, join in our service at several points. We also prayed over a Farsi Bible Todd had gotten to give to a friend. Afterwards we dreamed together of what All Soul’s might look like as a network of missionary communities or house churches meeting around Indy. We were excited to think of these groups gathering at central locations from time to time (monthly?) to share the sacraments and share our stories of God working in us and through us.
After a late night of conversation, I left the Durell Farm and headed home Tuesday morning stopping in Anderson for coffee with Fr. PT Morgan. What a wonderful few hours together hearing the history of the church’s formation and multiplication beginning just a few years ago. St. Anne’s is high church in style and has birthed several smaller chapels in the area. I was sad to hear of recent leadership challenges that have left unexpectedly much of the leadership burden on PT’s shoulders. Yet I heard PT expressing his and other’s determination to press on. Though I wish more coordinated and real help could have come from our new diocese, our observation is that we live on a ship that is still learning to sail and that we can do better in the future. I hope my time with PT will serve as steps towards building deeper ties of affection. Networks do not just happen and require intentional care to see that they function and thrive for the good of the mission. Work needs done but I would say the future is bright!
I arrived home in Michigan with great excitement about the people I met and the workers God is putting in place. I believe there are still others not identified yet, who feel called to build the church and do mission in Anglican style around the Word and Sacrament. For example I had a great phone conversation with Fr. Jon Back since my return and look forward to spending time face to face next time I am down. But Anglicans do not want to be “lone rangers” or “congregationalists”. Our hope is that whatever is the next step for “All Soul’s” and the ADGL in the Indy area it is that it will further the work of mutual support and affection among all folks “Anglican”.
The next step for this Project is to describe and dream about how this Network can become much more a reality. What will the relationships look like and how will this add to and support work already begun? My hope is that Bishop-Elect Jackson might come to the Indy area soon to meet many of you, meet Bishop Amos, and join in the discussion about the future of the Anglican community and Kingdom work in Indy and surrounding communities.
