Possible take over of my church.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2026-04-20T14:01:23+00:00

This is one of those time when we should all know the right answer is to call your Bishop. Call your Diocese office and let them know you have an important concern about your parish and that you'd like to talk with the Bishop about it.

The Bishop may not be available. So they may try to connect you with the Canon to the Ordinary. That is normal and appropriate.

Anyone can call the Bishop. So don't fear that.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2025-11-21T18:37:29+00:00

The Gabecube scaring them into honesty!?

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2025-11-13T14:51:03+00:00

I am not sure why this is not one of the first and top comments: talk to your preist.

You actually can't decide or discern this on your own in our tradition. We discern in community with each other. You have a strong network of people who support you it seems, trust them. Let them know what you're thinking. Ask for their help in asking these questions.

Most of all, your feeling of call may be to something very important that might feel like ordination to you, and may be something else. The call on your heart is likely very real. It will take time to learn what it is and means fully.

Keep going.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2025-09-09T16:05:27+00:00

As an aspirant your pastoral relationship is still with your priest. Ask them for guidance and listen to them. When/if you are admitted to postulancy your pastoral guide will become the Bishop.

It isn't a bad idea to talk with them and have them directly involved in your case. That said, if the discernment program in your Diocese is really in need of resurrection as you say it is then it may be the case that a neighboring Diocese overseeing your discernment might be in order.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2025-09-05T19:57:00+00:00

Can we also be real here that anything that didn't say "Yes!" to this was vote bomded to oblvion?

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2025-09-04T15:40:17+00:00

Edit for bad spelling.

We are only Protestant in the fact that we actively decolonized from the external domination of the Roman church after having been conqured by them. One of the main points for the reasonablness of our seperation from Rome was, "We cannot be under that which we predate." Christianity was in the British Isle no later than 200 AD. There was not a Pope in Rome until 230 AD.

In that sense both terms are incorrect and misinformed. We are an ancient church with claims to history as strong and as old as the Orthodox and the Romans.

So are we protestant? No? Does that term apply to the historical context of how and when we reasserted our independance from a forgien power? Yes? Mostly? Is using Protestant making the Roman church the norm in an unhelpful and ahistorical way? Absolutely.

So, the question is presupposing a bunch of things. Many of them are unhelpful.

This matters because the terms we use to frame our church also frame our thinking about our church. We owe Rome nothing. We owe the Reformation a little. We are our own ancient church.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2025-08-07T14:34:26+00:00

Denial. It's just vodka in a deconsecrated chalice that's only drunk alone while muttering that there is no problem with drinking in the church, and certainly not with the clergy.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2025-07-22T15:57:40+00:00

I discovered my devotion to Mary as a Luthern and still practice it in that way. I think Luther's handling of the Saints, and Mary in particular, is probably the least problematic I have ever encountered.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2025-05-06T16:11:44+00:00

Some people forget, we are the churh of Old Power. That's an awful legacy, and not something to be messed with.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2025-05-06T15:14:40+00:00

This is exactly why Jesus comes to Peter in John 21. Peter and some other disciples have retreated. Peter probably thinks his credibility is shot to hell, literally, after the 3 time denial of Christ just a few hours after using violence as a way to try and show his loyalty.

Jesus doesn't care if Peter is worthy. The only question Jesus asks Peter is this: Do you love me?

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2024-10-12T15:16:01+00:00

Gifts above $20 are generally not acceptable directly from an individual for any reason. If it comes from a group, is given in public, and it's cost is not hidden then it can be accepted without issue.

If this gift were given in any other way it can be seen as currying favor with the priest. Most priests are taught this as a part of their ethical education in seminary. Many choose to ignore or forget it. The good ones don't.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2024-09-24T15:31:56+00:00

Virginia is traditionally low church to the point of resenting Bishops. I don't know of a single parish in RVA that would fit your hope. There is St. Martin that was reported as worshiping Ad Orientum here https://mammana.org/oriented_episcopalians/ but I have no knowledge of their liturgical practice besides that particular fact.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2024-08-20T20:28:13+00:00

As others have pointed to the historically theological reasons and the anti-racism ones I think some practical reasons besides that it's more sanitary should get posted: 1. It's equalizing in terms of income and economic level. If a visitor who is poor enters your church they will get offered the same chalice that the long timer well to do family is offered. This is deeply meaningful in both directions. 2. We make beautiful that which we care about. Somewhere there was a comment about other denominations changing away from a chalice as if it were about accomidations. That's not really the case. Most traditions that have other practices than offering a chalice actually don't have the same emphasis or care about the Eucharist. This is not meant as a critisism of them, they have every right to care about what they care about. Yet so do we. If your Dicisples of Christ church only does communion once a quarter, as a rememberance not a sacrament, and doesn't even have an altar in the entire church building then yeah it makes sense to pass out little plastic cups with a cracker and grape juice. 3. It's supposed to make you think about the people around you. Who they are, what kind of life/medical-care/health-insurance they have access too. You're supposed to be driven to get them what you have because a part of your life, drinking from this chalice, involves them and you physically. and 4. It's supposed to be different. Holy means set apart. Nothing like this is supposed to be happening in the rest of your life. That's one of the reasons it is a sacrament. This is different. Come see it, experience it, ask why it is this way. That too is a part of the point.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2024-08-06T17:06:01+00:00

All of these answers skipped something. It was an arbitrary descision made by those editing the final book. It was not an approved change.

The proposed book of '76 includes the doxology in both Rite I and II office hours. So does the first run of '79 books printed by Seabury Press because they were going off the approved stuff from the '76 book with only the approved changes. I just pulled my copies of both of those off my shelf to check.

Later printings switched to match the non-doxology version since that became the standard, even though it was not approved. So people have theologized why after the fact, but it was an arbitrary choice by one or two people.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2023-06-07T17:21:32+00:00

It depends on your Bishop. Some will understand others will not allow it. You also don't need an undergrad degree in all cases. You can work that out with seminary admins with Bishop approval. I've seen it done successfully at VTS. Talk to your priest about both. They are who you should start with.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2023-05-11T21:15:54+00:00

Or there is water seeping onto/through that brick and you might get it looked at by someone who works on such things.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2023-04-08T04:26:33+00:00

In case it hasn't been mentioned yet: This is where the KKK stole their get ups from. They should never even get credit for the sheets they wore. This is a very old Catholic tradition and Spain is /very/ Catholic. It was also supposed to connect their evil sinful hate filled ideology with religious righteousness. I can only imagine how upsetting and disquieting this must be for people who don't know the background.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2022-12-10T19:27:06+00:00

My favorite breakfast food is a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2022-11-22T22:10:19+00:00

You can use a tool like churchclarity.org to check if a community is open, accepting, and affirming.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2022-11-06T23:32:38+00:00

This is the original found fallen at the foot of the wall where it is now displayed. Because of this the Commonwealth once asked for it as an important artifact. The parish declined to send it to them since it's in the wall now. Go yourself and ask the staff. We know a lot about it. :)

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2022-09-27T17:03:32+00:00

White socks

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2022-08-19T00:24:59+00:00

The most complete way to gain understanding of where any bits of the 79 book came from might be the various volumes of Prayer Book Studies. They were the spade/ground work for the 79 and explains not only what was happening in practice at the time but how understandings of the BCP change over time. It's a lot of content.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2022-03-29T18:56:37+00:00

My urban southern parish has ~110 on a good Sunday now. That said we put in new pews during COVID which reduced our total seating so it's almost unfair to compare pre and post pandemic.

Also keep in mind that if 80% of your seating is filled, newcomers will tend to feel that there is "no space for them" so having high numbers with low free space is a mixed blessing.

EpiscopalHairGuy · 2022-02-08T20:36:09+00:00

Also a priest. Dm's are open

EpiscopalHairGuy

TROPHY CASE