CHAPTER FIVE
- THE TROUBLED WATERS -
The Troubled Waters is an ambiguous title for the final chapter of this history, which recounts the last 21 years. It is purposely ambiguous for it is, in this writer's view, too soon to assess the impact of events we are still living through. On one hand, the title suggests dangerous or turbulent times. The recent history of St. Bartholomew's, and indeed the whole Episcopal Church could be viewed this way, as a church in trouble. The story that comes to mind is of the Disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee by night when a sudden storm arose. Jesus was asleep in the boat. When it looked as if the boat would founder, the disciples awoke him with the cry, "Master, do you not care if we perish!" On the other hand, the title can suggest a therapeutic turmoil or troubling of the waters. Here the story that comes to mind is of the invalid who, for thirty-eight years, lay by the pool of Bethesda. When Jesus asked him, "Do you want to be healed?", the sick man answered, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going, another steps down before me." It was believed an Angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and troubled the water: whoever stepped in first, after the troubling of the water, was healed of whatever disease he had. But Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your pallet and walk. "At once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked. So, which is the case. Are we foundering in the waves, with Jesus seemingly indifferent to our plight? Or, are the waters being stirred up to our greater benefit and health?
During the tenure of the Reverend Hayward Levy, Jr., who was called to succeed the Reverend Judson Child, Jr., it seemed to many that the boat of the Church was beginning to sink beneath the waves. This, I hasten to add, had little to do with Mr. Levy's abilities. It had everything to do with the times. He served St. Bartholomew's until 1977 and in his letter of resignation to the Parish he summarized those years this way. He wrote, "The ten years we have shared have spanned what many describe as the most troubled and threatening period in the history of the Episcopal Church. The Church's "boom" years of the 1950's and early to mid 1960's ended with a suddenness that mystified and demoralized countless congregations nation wide. Many barely survived; many died. St. Bartholomew's is alive and busy doing the work of Christ."
The sudden decline, of which Mr. Levy speaks, is reflected in the Parish statistics. From a peak, in 1965, church attendance fell off steadily, until it was well under half of what it had been by 1978. Sunday School enrollment fell to less than one third of its former high. In 1968 there were serious proposals being made to enlarge the Church. By 1978 there was no need for expansion. One statistic moving counter to the pattern of decline was the number of young people. This group was growing as the children born in the 50's and 60's were coming of age. In 1971 St. Bartholomew's could boast the largest youth group in the Diocese. Recalling those days of the "counter culture" and "hippies", one wonders whether this was a blessing or a curse to the Rector and to those who assisted him with the youth programs. But if the children were growing up, their parents were also growing older. St. Bartholomew's, like the Church and nation as a whole, began to reflect an aging population. The average age of parishioners began to increase in the 1960's and this trend continues to this day.
While concerned members searched around to find reasons for the Church's decline, it became all too easy to focus upon specific issues, which were being hotly debated. One such issue was the so-called "Special Fund" which was promoted by the General Convention in 1970. This program package was an attempt to respond to the social inequities brought to light by the Civil Rights Movement. It paralleled the political programs of the Johnson Presidency dubbed, "the Great Society." Some saw this as the culprit -a too political liberal social agenda which was diverting the Church from its spiritual focus. Another issue was Women's ordination. Only eleven years after St. Bartholomew's elected its first woman vestry person, the Diocesan Convention was discussing Women's ordination, and in a vote taken in 1973 approved of it. One year later, in Philadelphia, three Bishops ordained eleven women to the priesthood in an irregular service. The General Convention soon ratified their action, however. Fifteen years later, in this very year, the woman who was the crucifer at that service in Philadelphia was elected the Suffragan Bishop of
Massachusetts. Thus, the Reverend Barbara Harris became the first woman to be consecrated Bishop in the Anglican Communion. Still another issue was the revision of the Prayer Book. Beginning in 1971, Trial Liturgies were introduced as the great experiment began to find a suitable liturgy to replace the 1928 Prayer Book. Not everyone thought it needed to be replaced, of course, or even, for that matter, updated. Many debates focused upon the use of more contemporary language, but in reality many other changes were introduced through this revision. The typical Sunday worship looked and sounded different before and after the revisions. Before the revisions, a priest led the congregation through the worship and celebrated communion at a high altar, with his back to the congregation. After the revision, a table was set down before the altar, and the priest stood behind it, facing the congregation, to celebrate Communion. He (or she) was assisted by male and female lay readers that also led significant parts of the service and helped to administer the communion. The congregation made many more responses throughout the liturgy, and were encouraged at "the Peace" to greet one another. The revisions changed the language somewhat, but they also changed the mood, or feel, of worship.
Worshippers were, in effect, being asked to change roles. Where formerly, the worshippers were spectators, they were now being invited to become participants. Not everyone was comfortable with this shift. Many priests, also, were not comfortable for it meant their role, too, was changing. Nevertheless, by 1979 the Trial Liturgies, honed by numerous revisions, became the approved liturgy for the whole church.
Was the boat sinking because of one or all of these issues? If it was, there were still many in the boat determined to set the sails and continue on. One indication of this determination was the first National Conference on Evangelism held in Memphis, Tennessee in 1972. St. Bartholomew's sent Mr. Levy as a delegate. This conference represented the first stirrings of interest in reviving the ancient commission of the church to go into the world and make disciples. Interest has only grown since then, so much so that the General Convention held in 1988 declared this year, 1989, a year of prayer and study for Evangelism, and the 1990's as the Decade of Evangelism. A related concern for the nurturing of the existing members began to arise at the same time, and so in 1976 the Vestry established the Neighborhood Plan. This plan attempted to address the question of how a worshipping community committed to the faith, can also become a caring community to one another. Twelve small neighborhood groups were established throughout the Parish, which met for discussion and worship. It is clear the members and Vestry of St. Bartholomew's were struggling with the sudden decline, and under Mr. Levy's leadership trying to stay afloat. Some new lay leaders emerged during this period, who ably assisted him, including Bill Smethurst, Bob Stone, Hugh MacDonald, and Toby Winiarski.
One hopeful sign was that in 1968 a Christian Concerns Committee was formed whose purpose was to respond to the social ills then afflicting this country and the world. George and Helen Clark were instrumental in its founding and Pat Avery headed it for several years. Over a six-year period nearly $30,000 was raised by the committee and distributed locally, nationally, and internationally. The Dunbar School in Liberia, Africa, was a recipient of one grant as was the Epiphany Mission in Sherwood, Tennessee. Locally the Committee supported the Martin Luther King Day Care Center in Paterson, Christ Hospital in Jersey City, and Holley House in Hackensack. The activities of this group went beyond raising and distributing funds to include volunteer labor. For example, Carl Bergmann can recall laying floor tile at the medical clinic sponsored by the Northside Forces in Paterson. This was another local agency the church began to support at this time. That merciful and charitable Angel of St. Bartholomew's, who had been still for some years was stirring itself again.
In 1971, the Christian Concerns Committee recommended to the Vestry, that 10% of the operating budget be used for such charitable purposes. But this recommendation came just as revenues were in decline and costs, in a large part because of inflationary pressures, were increasing. Beginning in 1969, it was necessary to dip into reserve funds to meet expenses, and by 1973 the Parish could not pay the Diocesan quota in full for the first time. That year the Vestry acted to put an end to the drain upon the reserves. The belt tightening policies they adopted did adversely affect the Christian Concerns Committee and in 1974 it was disbanded. There proved to be more than one way to express concern for others, however, and in 1977 the Parish extended hospitality to a newly formed chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous. This group has been using the facilities every Thursday evening since that time. Other groups, which found a home here in recent years, are the Ho-Ho-Kus Woman's Club and the Ho-Ho-Kus Seniors.
When Mr. Levy came to St. Bartholomew's he was married and had three children. Consequently, the Vestry felt moved to sell the Rectory on Hollywood Place, which was quite small, and purchase another Rectory on Brook View Court. This house had been recently built in a part of Ho-Ho-Kus across Route 17, which was just then being developed. It was into this home that the Reverend Edward Martin, Jr. and his family moved in December of 1977. He had been appointed Interim Rector when Mr. Levy departed, in November, to assume new duties at Grace Church, Madison. Eventually, Mr. Martin was elected the next Rector. As Interim and then as Rector, he led the Parish for the next 5 years.
If during Mr. Levy's tenure it seemed that turmoil was largely outside the church but still affecting the church, during Mr. Martin's tenure the turmoil moved inward. Those who remained in the Parish through the years of decline were loyal but, it became painfully clear, they were also divided. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens, the Rector became the focus of this division and some that could not support him left and attached themselves to other Parishes. What was happening in St. Bartholomew's was happening in other Parishes as well and continues to happen today. Indeed, it sometimes seems as if the whole of the Episcopal Church is being sorted and sifted into various factions - conservative, liberal, traditional, charismatic, catholic, evangelical, feminist - and that unity is continually being strained to the breaking point. This year, for example, some bishops, clergy, and laity met in Dallas, Texas to discuss whether and how they can remain in communion with the Episcopal Church. The immediate focus of their concern was the consecration of a woman to the Episcopate, but they have other concerns as well. It should be pointed out that this kind of sifting and sorting is also happening in other denominations. Some observers speculate that in the future the old denominational differences will be dissolved only to be replaced by new denominations centered upon certain issues or particular expressions of the Gospel. This remains to be seen.
In 1962 at the a great Convocation of Roman Catholic Church leaders called Vatican II. Pope John XXIII declared, "We need to open a window and let in the Holy Spirit." There were many in the Roman Church and other mainline churches that felt the air within had grown stale and what was needed was the breeze of the Spirit to blow through the Church. The charismatic renewal within the Roman Church and the Episcopal Church can be dated to this time. Formerly, members of traditional churches found it necessary to leave their own churches in order to find worship and fellowship which emphasized the Holy Spirit. Beginning at the turn of this century, new denominations were forming which did just that. These groups experienced explosive growth in part by drawing off members from all other denominations but also by making new converts especially in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Comparing Statistics for Anglicans and Pentecostals for this century tells
The story of this growth. In 1900 there were about 30.5 million Anglicans world wide and 3.7 million Pentecostals. Last year there were 52.3 million Anglicans and 332 million Pentecostals. The loosely affiliated groups of Pentecostals and Charismatics are larger in number than all other Protestant denominations combined. They are twice the size of the Orthodox Churches combined. Only the Roman Catholics, with 926.3 million adherents have a larger membership. "The wind blows where it wills," Jesus said to Nicodemus, referring to the Holy Spirit, and in this century the wind of the Spirit has blown in ways no one expected. The Church that is emerging at the end of this century is different from the Church that began the century.
Under the leadership of Mr. Martin, St. Bartholomew's began to address, more seriously, the work of the Holy Spirit and renewal in the Church. One way this was done was by changing the format of the weekday service to include healing prayers with the laying on of hands. A liturgy for healing had always been included in the Prayer Book since 1549 but it had not always been practiced. Now, due to the influence of the charismatic renewal, interest in the practice revived. This year marked the 10th year of this weekday focus upon healing and many can testify to the efficacy of such prayer. Another way in which the charismatic influence began to affect St. Bartholomew's was through the use of renewal music. Each great turning of the Church inspires its own music. Consider, for example, the hymns written by Luther at the Reformation or those written by Wesley during the 18th century Revival. Since Vatican II, in particular, an incredible amount of new songs and hymns have been written. Generally, these are less formal in tone and use the accompaniment of a variety of instruments, not just the pipe organ, which has dominated church music for centuries. Much of the music is Biblically oriented and simply provides a tune for singing an actual scriptural text. The Biblical focus is also part of the renewal movement and, thus, it naturally developed at St. Bartholomew's and elsewhere to meet informally for Bible study, sing renewal songs, and pray together. Such gatherings reflected the spirit, which inspired the Neighborhood Plan in Mr. Levy's day, but under the influence of the charismatic and renewal movements these gatherings became more focused on study, prayer, and praise.
The long-standing concern at St. Bartholomew's to reach out to those in need was not entirely lost in these years either. In 1978 Tony Gabrielle appealed to the Vestry to resume the Outreach Programs, suspended a few years before. The Vestry was in the throes of the search for a new Rector, however. Even though Mr. Martin would eventually be chosen, he was then Interim and a full-scale search was in progress. Not until 1982 did Outreach resume with donations going to some of the same groups that had been supported ten years earlier, like Northside Forces. Then, in the fall of that year, Mr. Martin resigned to accept a call to Grace Church, Rutherford. The Vestry was again plunged into the task of searching for another Rector.
While the Wardens, Fred Smith and Harold Taylor, oversaw this search the worship services and other pastoral functions were carried on by the newly appointed Priest-in-Charge, the Reverend Donor Macneice. He served the Parish for a little over one year. Since Mr. Macneice resided elsewhere, the Vestry took the opportunity to sell the rectory on Brook View Court. It was a large house on a relatively large property, and its upkeep had become a burden. During Mr. Macneice's tenure, the town of Ho-Ho-Kus celebrated its 75th Anniversary and many will recall this gala event with a worship service conducted at St. Bartholomew's and a social following at the Community Church. Bishop Child was invited back, from Atlanta, to preach on this occasion. Others will recall the overseas tours Mr. Macneice, a native of Ireland and ever a traveler, organized.
Every history reflects the views of its author, but now this history must take an even more personal turn. In March of 1984, I became the ninth Rector of this Parish. My wife, Janet and I moved into a newly purchased, fifty-year-old Cheel built home, at 210 Sheridan Avenue. The Church was fortunate to have purchased this home just before real estate prices more than doubled. Having settled in, we set about to produce two offspring. Since this was the first time children were born into the Rector's household; it may be the sole feat for which I will be remembered in future histories. But there is some further significance in these births. They reflect the changing population of Ho-Ho-Kus and the surrounding towns. When we moved into town, only three houses were for sale. In the past five years numerous houses have been sold. The town is in transition and by and large the new residents are younger couples. Our Church School reflects this change. Though this year, for the first time in decades, we do not have a youth group; we do have a number of children at the nursery, preschool, and grade school ages. This is a hopeful sign for the future, though it does not appear that we will repeat the "boom" years of the 1950's and 1960's. Couples are having fewer children, for one thing. For another thing, it remains to be seen if this generation of parents will be as active as prior generations. Still a third factor is the change in the ethnic composition of the population. Not only has the portion of Roman Catholics increased relative to the Protestants, so has the portion of Non-Christians. A number of Japanese families, brought here by businesses, for example, have moved into town and they are largely Buddhists.
The times are still uncertain as far as I can read them. We face troubles without the Church and troubles within. Without, new social ills beset us like the extensive illegal drug use and the related incidence of crime, AIDS, and concerns over the environment. Old social ills have not departed as the gap between rich and poor widens and racial issues are far from resolved. Nor are any of these issues localized today for they have become global concerns. Within, the divisions over issues and orientation still beset us. I find it impossible to have a clear vision of the future. That leaves only a clear vision for today and that might not be so bad. "Behold, today is the day of salvation," says the Lord. In troubled times the future we strive to secure for ourselves may be overturned in an instant. Seizing the moment to act in faith for today may discover Greater reward.
The spontaneity implied in seizing the moment lies behind our extension of the outreach work of this Parish in the past few years. In 1984 the Church received a bequest of 10 thousand dollars from the estate of Lillian Lammens. Its use was undesignated but at the suggestion of Roger Prior, the treasurer at the time, it was designated by the Vestry as an endowment fund for outreach. The income it produced doubled the amount we were spending for outreach. Then in 1985, in thanksgiving for the birth of our first child, I invited the Parish to join us in establishing a fund to resettle a refugee family. Within several weeks we had 9 thousand dollars on hand. With these funds we were able, over the next three years, to resettle three families, consisting of six adults and three children. These families had left their native lands of Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Nicaragua to escape political persecution. All three are well on their way to establishing new lives in this country. For the past several years the Vestry, led by wardens John Becica and Paul Gregg, has applied the year end surpluses to outreach work. Since these have been running about 4 thousand per year the scope of outreach has increased substantially. Two new beneficiaries of our charity in these past years have been the Migrant Farm Workers in the Warwick, New York area and the Interreligious Fellowship for the Homeless, based in Hackensack. As members of the Interreligious Fellowship we have demonstrated that charity involves more than the gift of money. For the past two winters we have opened our doors to house a dozen or so homeless men and women, one night a week for several months. Each year thirty parishioners, at least, donated an evening of their time to sit with our guests through the night. Sometimes charity is the simple donation of space as in the case of the Clear Counseling Service. This group of pastoral counselors and other professionals have been using two of our classrooms, free of charge, as a means of further extending their services.
In this Anniversary year we are also striving to raise funds to refurbish vital areas of the buildings. If we secure sufficient funds, the heating systems will be replaced, the bathrooms entirely renovated, the roof replaced, and other significant maintenance items attended to. This work will be in keeping with the other efforts made these past few years to beautify and maintain the buildings and grounds. Perhaps the most noticeable change made recently was the landscape work done in the front of the buildings. Amidst the attractive plantings an area was reserved as a Memorial Garden and already the cremains of five individuals are interred there. Some see these efforts as the way to plan for and secure our future. But, again, I must confess, I see them only as a way to be faithful today. We are currently the stewards of these properties and since there are obvious pressing needs we, as good stewards should attend to them now. We can only hope and trust that the Master will bless our labors and that future generations will benefit from our fidelity.
In other respects we are striving to be faithful as well. At the outset of the charismatic movements in this century, people spoke of the "full gospel." They meant by this that they included, in their preaching and teaching, an emphasis on the Holy Spirit and the rich endowments of the gifts and graces of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit had become, in many churches, the neglected person of the Trinity. At one time, in our Prayer Book, the Holy Spirit was referred to as the Holy Ghost, a name that did not predispose one to its acquaintance. And so, despite the fact that Holy Spirit is named on virtually every page of the Prayer Book and is invoked throughout our worship, understanding and experience of the Spirit has been lacking. This was a critical lack, for the person and work of the Spirit is indispensable to the Christian faith and practice. If, as Jesus asserted, he is the Way to the Father, then, the Spirit is the Way to Jesus. No one can confess Jesus as Lord, said St. Paul, unless the Spirit moves him. So integrated are the three persons of the Trinity that to dispense with one is to dispense with the whole. Thus, we have continued the emphasis upon the Spirit, begun by Mr. Martin, in the hopes of stirring up and renewing our faith in the one Lord Jesus Christ and the one God and Father of all. Still, I cannot say what fruit this will bear for the future. Some have been prone to say that the Church will become charismatic or it will die. We can understand why they might say such a thing considering the decline among traditional churches and the growth in the charismatic circles. Such oracles will be tested over time. But, for this present moment, the way of faith seems clear, at least for me. It is to know and experience God in fullness as Father, Son, and Spirit.
I trust you can detect that though I am ambiguous about the future and acknowledge the present dangers, I am at heart hopeful. The future of St. Bartholomew's and, indeed, the Episcopal Church may not conform to any present vision we hold of it but we can trust that God has prepared a good future for us and for it. We can surmise from examining the history of this Parish, which affords us a glimpse of our Angel, that this future, as in the past, will involve more good and charitable works. A spirit of mercy and charity has been constant throughout our history and this fact confirms that our present charitable efforts are not misguided. Nor does the history portray our Angel as strong and mighty, the kind of Angel appropriate to a large institutional church. For most of our history we have been few in number but steadfast in faith.
As I close this history, I am struck by the close parallels between our Angel and the Angel of the Church of Philadelphia. It seems appropriate, therefore, to conclude with the message Jesus Christ addressed to it for He, who is the Head of the Church, may well be addressing the same message to us.
"I know your works. Behold, I have set
before you an open door, which no one
is able to shut; I know you may have
but little power, and yet you have
kept my word and not denied my name.
Because you have kept my word of patient
endurance, I will keep you from the hour
of trial which is coming on the whole
world, to try those who dwell on earth."
Revelations 3: 8,10
© 1989 The Rev. Daniel W. Kreller
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