Week of August 28, 2022

Good Shepherd is not a Sunday-only church. What I mean is that, while the foundation of our corporate life together is worship of God on the first day of the week, the buildings on our campus are not dark the other six days. There are many activities happening beyond Sunday. This is healthy, and it signals vibrancy within our congregation. It also means that as you search for ways to deepen your life in Christ, you have many opportunities at Good Shepherd. It’s true that many of these opportunities do happen on Sunday, but not all of them. And this coming program year, as our new retreat house opens, there will be even more classes and events on our parish calendar.

Speaking of which, you can now find the parish events calendar on our website. I encourage you to review these events in conjunction with your own personal calendar and to mark them down. As we move forward with the work God has called us to do, our strengthened bonds of fellowship will enable us to be better conveyors of the Gospel. And so, I hope you will choose to partake of much of what is scheduled for the coming year.

Note, too, the change to adult formation this year. In additional to the weekly Pilgrims in Christ formation classes (it’s not too late to sign up!—contact me if you’re interested), we will offer monthly classes following the 10:30 a.m. Sung Mass on Sundays. Learn more about topics on our website. Presenters include our own parishioner-scholars Ellen Charry, Barry Levis, and Donald McCown, as well as Matthew Glandorf our Organist & Choirmaster and guest presenter Sarah Coakley, a systematic theologian and priest who will be with us in early December.

On Sunday, September 11, children’s formation will resume on the second floor of the retreat house. The usual time will remain the same this year: 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. However, this year, we are adding a separate class for older children and using a new Episcopal curriculum, Weaving God’s Promises, that explores the Bible in more depth, as well as the liturgy and traditions of the Episcopal Church. I’m grateful to Sarah Austen, Margaret Helminska, and Gail McCown, who assist with our children’s formation classes.

Our Main Line Early Music concert series is back for a rich season of concerts. Please note the time change to 3 p.m. We are also moving services of Choral Evensong and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament to 3 p.m. as well. I hope you may come to church in the morning, have a bite to eat for lunch, and then stay for Evensong or a concert.

There will be additional events and formation offerings connected with our new retreat house. Stay tuned for further information, but you will note on the parish events calendar various day retreats and Quiet Days. I should add that many of these events would be excellent opportunities to which you could invite a friend.

God has a vision for this parish, and we are beginning to realize it. This coming program year, we will experience more of this grand vision on the ground. Every day, I give thanks for the countless ways in which God has blessed us at Good Shepherd. I invite you to be a part of this exciting program year ahead!

Yours in Christ,
Father Kyle

Week of August 21, 2022

This week, the church and campus were alive with the sound of children’s voices as we held our second annual children’s summer camp. Children’s camp is one of my favorite weeks of the year. It stretches me outside of my normal routine, and I am forced to speak about God and Jesus without hiding behind obtuse theological language. I am encouraged to move out of my head and into my heart and to connect with the hearts of young people on their individual journeys of faith.

We began each day with Morning Prayer in the church at 9 a.m., which is our usual custom at Good Shepherd. I admit to initially wondering whether this would work with children from ages five through eleven, but it did. Some children enjoyed getting the Angelus bell started. Others read lessons. And no one rushed the pause at the asterisk in the middle of the psalm verses, which is frequently difficult for adults! In full disclosure, we did slightly simplify the Office, with one reading and canticle, but otherwise, it was more or less straight up Morning Prayer from the prayer book. I think it is important for children to encounter our normal “adult” liturgy from an early age. Children are so much more sophisticated than we often give them credit for.

Our theme this week was “Saints and Holy Helpers.” Each day, we heard stories of different saints from all over the world and from across the centuries of the Church. Particularly compelling were the stories of St. Augustine of Hippo (known affectionately among the children as “Hippo”) and St. Paul. As one child put it, those stories teach us that with God’s help, we always have a chance to move from “bad” to “good.” God uses the most unlikely candidates to advance his message of good news. And what good news that is to all of us, sinners and fragile human beings.

I always love the art projects that Gail McCown does with the children. Most of this week’s projects were tied to saints. Children made “islands” fit for more than just “one man,” for as John Donne said, “no man is an island entire of itself.” We saw images of Julian of Norwich’s cat. Sarah Austen led songs each day and helped with musical games. Heidi Kolberg assisted the children with projects and guided campers as they made cookies on one day. All our service projects this week were intended to support our parish’s new ministry, the Rosemont Community Retreat House. Children helped (partially) assemble a new bed on the third floor. They made cookie dough to freeze for future guests in the house. They compiled guestbooks for the rooms. Children also painted crosses to adorn the rooms in the new retreat house. They decorated coasters and placemats, too.

On Thursday, there was much sidewalk chalk art, including some heartwarming messages to people who routinely stop in the church to pray. This week, I felt a palpable energy on campus. Not only were our doors open, as they are daily, but the children’s presence and their artistic messages on the sidewalk to the local community made me feel a stronger connection between church and neighborhood. Take note of this artwork on Sunday when you come to Mass (unless it rains!).

I am grateful to all who helped with camp, and especially to the parents who entrusted their children to our care for this week. Good Shepherd is far richer for the presence of children among us. They serve at the altar and read lessons for Mass. All ages are integrated into the worship of God, as well as in service to the local community, which was evidenced this past week. May God send us more children to grow and be nourished in the faith here, and may we always be open to the wisdom that even the very youngest can share with us, helping us to know Jesus in new ways.

Yours in Christ,
Father Kyle

Week of August 14, 2022

“All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ. . .” These are the opening words of chapter 53 of The Rule of St. Benedict, authored by St. Benedict of Nursia (480 - 547) sometime in the sixth century. Although monasticism predates St. Benedict, it was Benedict who created a rule of life for his monastic community that lives on to this day. When we think of classic monasticism, we usually think of Benedict. Many of the well-known Episcopal and Anglican monastic communities describe themselves as Benedictine.

In chapter 53 of his Rule, Benedict discusses how monks are to welcome guests at the monastery. The chapter is worth reading in its entirety, but two sentences are especially striking: “All humility should be shown in addressing a guest on arrival or departure. By a bow of the head or by a complete prostration of the body, Christ is adored because he is indeed welcomed in them” [The Rule of St. Benedict, ed. Timothy Fry (New York: Vintage, 1998), 51]. The mark of many modern monastic houses is hospitality. While some monasteries are known for producing cheese, agricultural products, wine, or even Chartreuse!, many are oriented towards welcoming guests.

And this is precisely the impetus for our new retreat house at Good Shepherd: the Rosemont Community Retreat House. We are not, of course, a monastery, but there is a somewhat Benedictine rhythm to our worship. It is quasi-monastic. Our retreat house will not (at least at first!) be known for producing garden vegetables or cheese or beer. We will be known for welcoming guests. And if we heed the words of Benedict’s Rule, we will welcome each guest as Christ himself.

This, however, should not be solely a monastic or retreat house posture. Every Christian is called to welcome and treat others as Christ himself. Indeed, such welcome is scriptural. Benedict himself quotes our Lord’s words from Matthew 25:35: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

In welcoming guests through our retreat house, we will not only be heeding Jesus’s commandment; we will be offering charity and hospitality to those in need, whether spiritual or material. All of us have needs and are poor in some sense. But those of us on the welcoming end of the retreat house will also be changed in the process, I pray. There is a sacrificial component to entrusting one’s rooms or space to a stranger. Trust must be involved. It is not always comfortable. And yet, it is spiritually nourishing for us to open our space and our hearts to strangers.

It is also my prayer that this parish will come to embrace the retreat house as a collective ministry, for this house cannot be run only by me, the staff, and the vestry. It is our shared ministry. Ways in which you can help will become more evident over time, but right now, there are things you can do.

1. You can volunteer to stay after Mass on a Sunday, or come on a weekday at your convenience, to move furniture, tidy up rooms, decorate, and organize. We need your help. Let me know if you can.

2. You can spread the word to others whom you think would benefit from a retreat here. Retreats are available for individuals and groups, and we will host many day retreats on Saturdays. Learn more here.

3. You can donate or purchase furniture items. We especially need comfortable sitting chairs, desks, lamps (table and floor), and a chest freezer for food storage.

4. You can help us fundraise so that we do not draw from our meager investments to support this new ministry. One of the easiest ways to fundraise is to establish a Facebook fundraiser to benefit a non-profit, in this case, the Church of the Good Shepherd. Choose “The Church of the Good Shepherd, Bryn Mawr” in the fundraising section of your Facebook page, set up a fundraiser, and let people know that they will be supporting the Rosemont Community Retreat House. (I recently did this and raised $1,300.) Consider doing this on your birthday. The church will automatically be mailed a check at the end of the fundraiser.

5. You can sidestep a fundraiser and donate yourself. It’s easy. Click here and choose the “retreats” dropdown option.

6. You can volunteer to welcome families, as Christ himself, from Hosts for Hospitals when they begin lodging here. You can also prepare meals and drop them off for families or stock them in our future chest freezer.

7. You can offer to help with the laundry after guests depart or restock the kitchens from time to time.

8. And last, but not least, you can commit to joining in our regular public rhythm of prayer, whether by coming to Morning or Evening Prayer on weekdays, or to Low Masses on Wednesday and Friday mornings at 8 a.m., as well as on all Major Holy Days. This rhythm of prayer will be the heart and bedrock of our retreat house, and it takes a community to make it happen.

These are only some of the many ways you can help. Please let me know if you would like to participate in this ministry in some way. Financial and practical help is important, but I hope you might consider ways of helping that allow you to interact with our guests themselves so that you can truly welcome each one of them as Christ himself, in the person, in the flesh. This personal relationship is the very heart of mission and outreach.

Finally, do stay tuned for more information on day retreats throughout the year. The first one will be a women’s day retreat hosted by Chris Wittrock, our Parish Administrator, on September 17. Register here. This retreat house is very much a community retreat house. In the fall, we are planning to host a series of conversations and educational offerings geared towards parents and children/youth around mental health and well-being. There will be more like this. Perhaps you have ideas, too.

It is my prayer that this retreat house will welcome all as Christ himself. That is the mark of true Christian hospitality. As a former sign in front of the church on Lancaster Avenue read, “Our Minds and Our Hearts Are Open.” Now, it’s time to put that statement into practice. Will you join us?

Yours in Christ,
Father Kyle

Week of August 7, 2022

One of the great joys of being a parish priest is leading Christian formation. I have always loved teaching, and for me, the priestly vocation is the perfect marriage of the art of teaching and the content of Christian faith. This is the time of year in which I begin to get excited about a new program year and its possibilities for Christian formation.

There are numerous opportunities at Good Shepherd to explore the Christian faith. Over the past program year, we discovered that the period of time immediately before Sung Mass is not the most ideal for adult formation. Attendance was inconsistent, and many people who might attend adult formation are frequently occupied with liturgical duties before Mass. Therefore, we will be moving to monthly adult formation offerings after Sung Mass, with a light lunch provided. Stay tuned for more information on those topics. Children’s formation will continue at the usual time before Sung Mass (9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.).

But our most in-depth adult formation offering at Good Shepherd is Pilgrims in Christ. Each week of the program year, I find myself looking forward to Pilgrims. Many of you have probably heard that we have a Pilgrims in Christ class but are perhaps wondering what it is. Pilgrims meets weekly (with occasional exceptions) from mid-September to early June, on Thursday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m. It is intended for any who desire to go deeper in their faith journeys. Some participants are preparing for Holy Baptism, Confirmation, or Reception into the Episcopal Church (if they’ve previously been confirmed). Others have been long-time members of the Episcopal Church and simply wish to reaffirm their baptismal vows. And some are not looking to “do” anything; they are only interested in the pilgrim journey of faith.

I hesitate to call Pilgrims a “class.” As I’ve said, it’s really a journey of faith. It’s a process. The only qualification for participation is a willingness to be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s it. Pilgrims stands out from other adult formation offerings in this parish because it’s a long-term and comprehensive exploration of Christian doctrine, practice, and belief. Pilgrims takes as its structural model the ancient catechumenate, which prepared adults for the sacrament of Baptism. It is in four parts. The first part is “Inquiry,” a gentle toe dip into the Christian life, the practices and history of this parish, and Anglicanism in general. The second part is "The Catechumenate.” in part two, we take a deep dive into Scripture and the historical doctrines of our faith, somewhat akin to a whirlwind course in systematic theology. The third part takes the participant from head to heart and is called “Enlightenment.” Part three happens during Lent, and we explore spirituality through the lens of the Gospel readings from Year A of the Sunday Mass lectionary cycle. We also prepare for Easter. The final part, and arguably the most important but most often neglected, is “Mystagogia.” In the mystagogia section, we discern how God is calling us to live as witnesses to the Gospel in the world. If you are interested in seeing last year’s “syllabus,” you can find that here.

Pilgrims is a large time commitment, but I think it’s worth it. If the Episcopal Church is new to you, I encourage you to consider making time for Pilgrims. I always say that to understand the ethos of Anglicanism, you have to swim for a while in its waters. Anglicanism is a way of life, a spiritual practice you might say. Unlike our Sunday formation “buffet offerings” on a variety of topics, Pilgrims takes the participants systematically through the Christian faith. And Pilgrims looks at the Christian faith through an Anglican lens. If you are hesitant about making a commitment to Pilgrims, you can always begin and try out the “Inquiry” phase. If it doesn’t work, you can discontinue. There’s no harm and shame in giving it a try for a bit to see if the schedule works and then deciding that it doesn’t. Pilgrims is offered every year.

A final benefit of participating in Pilgrims is that you become a part of a new community of people. Pilgrims, indeed, builds community. It’s difficult to spend nine months with the same group of people and not feel connected to them in some new way.

The first Pilgrims class will be on Thursday, September 15 in Canterbury House. Whether you’ve been a member of the Episcopal Church your entire life or are relatively new, and especially if you want to mark a new entrance into this communion of God’s Church, I invite you to prayerfully consider being a Pilgrim in Christ this year. I don’t think you’ll regret it. Please reach out to me with any questions.

Yours in Christ,
Father Kyle

Week of July 31, 2022

Right now, bishops from across the Anglican Communion are gathering in Canterbury, England, at the Lambeth Conference. This conference, which usually meets every ten years, is named after Lambeth Palace, the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Invited to this conference are all bishops within the Anglican Communion, summoned at the invitation of the Most Rev. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The idea of an Anglican Communion dates back to 1867 and is relatively recent if you recall that the Act of Supremacy, when the English monarch was declared head of the English Church, dates to 1534. It was only after years of colonization, in which the English Church planted roots across the world, that it became necessary to speak of an Anglican Communion. In order to maintain some sense of visible unity within this Communion, four instruments of communion have evolved within Anglicanism: the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Primates' Meeting (including archbishops, presiding bishops, moderators, and chief pastors of the forty-one provinces), and the Anglican Consultative Council. Note that the Archbishop of Canterbury's status is primus inter pares, "first among equals." He is first and foremost the Bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. His position is a visible witness to wider unity. However, the Archbishop of Canterbury has no authority over dioceses other than his own. When I was in seminary, Archbishop Welby visited for the dedication of the new seminary chapel, and the first thing he said in the pulpit was that he was present at the invitation of the Bishop of Virginia, acknowledging that a bishop can only preside or function in another bishop's diocese with his or her permission,.

The Anglican Communion is comprised of forty-six different churches (forty-one member churches or provinces) and five national or local churches, known as extra provincials, and it spans 165 different countries. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion is not governed by its own hierarchy. The nature of communion within Anglicanism is regional, very much akin to the earliest days of the Church. Anglican doctrine is generous, circumscribed by certain bounds and classically delineated by the three-legged stool: Scripture, tradition, and reason. Doctrine is less about subscribing to systematic intellectual statements and more about a way of life that strives to conform to the Biblical witness, the universal Church's historic teaching (especially as stated in the creeds), and individual conscience guided by prayer.

I believe firmly that Anglicanism is a gift to worldwide Christianity. If Anglicanism remains true to her guiding principle of maintaining unity within diversity, the Anglican Communion can show other communions what it looks like to remain in fellowship with one another in spite of difference. In this regard, schism is inherently un-Anglican because it implicitly or explicitly states that differences cannot be tolerated and that Christians cannot exist in loving fellowship if they do not agree on everything. It is a profound irony that many of the schismatic churches that have broken off from fellowship in the Anglican Communion continue to use the title "Anglican," as the impetus for schism is, as I have said, deeply un-Anglican. It is also helpful to note that many "Anglican" churches in the United States are not members of the Anglican Communion.

The bishops gathering at Lambeth in these two weeks will discuss many things. But they will not—indeed, cannot—promulgate official doctrine because that is not the purpose of the conference. The conference is essentially an exercise in witnessing to unity within difference: how do diverse Christians walk the Way of Christ together? This is at the heart of the Gospel and is most vividly expressed in the apostle Paul's doctrine of the Body of Christ. No member of the body can dispense with another. The smallest toe is just as important as the brain. This witness to unity, even when painful and distressing differences surfaces, is badly needed within the worldwide Church.

You may be aware that Episcopal bishops and Canadian bishops were distressed in the past week to find that among a draft of the "Lambeth calls" was a proposed "reaffirmation of Lambeth I.10 that upholds marriage as between a man and a woman and requires deeper work to uphold the dignity and witness of LGBTQ Anglicans." It is no secret that human sexuality has been the source of much tension within the Anglican Communion in the past twenty years. And yet, the fact that the Communion can hold together regional churches that disagree on the definition of marriage is a bold testimony to Anglicanism's value of unity within difference.

My sense is that the recent distress over the proposed language in the draft call (which has since been altered) was because it was asking for affirmation of something that is not universally accepted within Anglicanism. To reaffirm Lambeth 1.10 would be hypocritical and dishonest for most Episcopal bishops. And as I have already said, Lambeth Conferences do not make doctrine. So, the revised Lambeth says the following: "Many Provinces continue to affirm that same gender marriage is not permissible. Lambeth Resolution I.10 (1998) states that the 'legitimizing or blessing of same sex unions' cannot be advised. Other Provinces have blessed and welcomed same sex union/marriage after careful theological reflection and a process of reception. As Bishops we remain committed to listening and walking together to the maximum possible degree, despite our deep disagreement on these issues."

Clearly, the bishops at Lambeth need our prayers as they engage in challenging conversations around sensitive topics that reflect a range of officially sanctioned practices within the wider Communion. This week at Good Shepherd, we have been praying for the bishops. Our own bishop has written a recent update from Lambeth. While dredging up a Lambeth resolution from 1998 has been offensive to many LGBTQ persons of faith, it is clear that the concerns of more liberal bishops within the Anglican Communion were heard. That is a good and encouraging sign because it means that people are listening to one another.

This also means that the principle of unity within diversity is working, on some level. The problem with unity within diversity is that it is messy. Many do not like this. But the reality is that messiness doesn't have to be a problem. Messiness is at the heart of the Gospel. It's there in the paradoxes of the creeds and parables of Jesus. It's in the ordinary complexities of life. Perhaps Anglicanism, at its very best, can witness to this in some small way, especially to other Christian communions that do not tolerate difference well or that eject those who differ from a "party line."

If any of you have been distressed by the happenings this week at Lambeth, know that you are part of a diocese and parish that are committed not just to affirming the dignity of every human being, but to putting that affirmation into practice. I think our parish authentically exemplifies unity within difference. It's healthy, in my opinion, that we don't all think alike. But what unites us is our love of Christ and the Gospel. When we come to the Communion rail at Mass, the only thing that matters at that moment is that Jesus is being offered to us in bread and wine. This is the opposite of schism. This is what it means to be a member of the Body of Christ.

Yours in Christ,
Father Kyle