A WORD TO THE PEOPLE OF THE ADVENT

This is a difficult moment in the life of the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Advent, in Birmingham, Alabama. Times of change, times of transition, are always unsettling. This great parish, the largest and most important in the Diocese of Alabama, is now in the midst of rather sudden and unaccustomed turmoil. This is why I think 14,500 hits have been made on this blog in the past 30 days. Since May 1, most of my postings on this modest blog have been about the Advent. I also get emails almost every day from people connected to the parish asking questions and sharing information. Meanwhile, I have acquired several well-placed and well-informed sources of reliable information in the Advent. I have come to think of my blog as a sort of office water cooler. I welcome it. I am a good and caring listener. Listening is always the best starting place.

As for what has happened at the Advent, here is what I see putting bits and pieces together from my sources. Bear in mind that I speak only for myself. I am not connected to the Advent. I  must emphasize that I do not in any way speak for the officers of the Advent.

---for the past quarter-century, the three deans of the Advent (Zahl, Limehouse, Pearson) developed an every growing evangelical tendency in the parish. This pulled liturgy and corporate worship more to a "low church" or protestant direction while becoming increasingly critical of the national church for its social and theological trends.

---the Advent did not break away from the diocese because the schismatic movement failed to develop strongly enough in the parish and the bishops of Alabama remained solidly loyal to the national church and its laws (i.e. the Dennis Canon). The leaders of the Advent knew they could not leave the Episcopal Church and take the property with them.

---Andrew Pearson, dean from 2014 to 2021 greatly advanced the evangelical changes in the parish. A clergyman was hired from a Presbyterian denomination and put in charge of worship. In 2018, Pearson introduced an extremely low church "Our Liturgy" to replace the authorized liturgies of the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer. This, other changes in corporate worship, and perhaps other issues that remain unknown in the public, reached a point of critical mass between Pearson and the lay leadership early this year.

---Several issues (I am still trying to verify these), brought a crisis in March and April of this year between Pearson and the vestry. These issues could not be resolved. They resulted in a mutual agreement that Pearson would resign as dean.

---I have been informed there are rumors going around that Pearson was badly treated and fired. According to my sources, he was not fired. He left on agreement with the vestry. I do not know of any evidence he was mistreated. Everything visible on his last Sunday showed him leaving with good feelings. 

---Pearson's departure left in doubt the changes he had made, most importantly the continuation of Our Liturgy. The forces in the leadership who want Pearson's changes to continue are lobbying the vestry to keep them. According to reliable reports, they have presented a 30-minute video to the vestry arguing to keep Our Liturgy instead of returning to the Book of Common Prayer.

---The attitude among the clergy and lay leadership now seems to be to pull back from Pearson's changes and return more toward the mainstream of the Episcopal Church while keeping an evangelical identity. The Episcopal Church is, always has been, a big tent ranging from very evangelical (revival camp meeting) to profoundly Anglo-Catholic (smells and bells). These and all the expressions in between can be found in Birmingham, as is typical in most big cities.

---Moving to mainstream means removing or revising changes Pearson made in corporate worship, liturgy, and attitude to the Episcopal Church. This is the problem at hand among the leadership.

---Bishop Glenda Curry has encouraged a new feeling of cooperation between parish and diocese. There is a growing liaison between clerical and lay leadership and the bishop.

---The interim dean, Craig Smalley is well-regarded in the parish and apparently enthusiastic about restoring a more Episcopalian identity. A search committee is being set up to find a new permanent dean. One may expect this search to go on for some time. This is a very important and demanding post that calls for a person with long and appropriate experience at leading a large cathedral parish that has been somewhat in turmoil for awhile. Finding the best candidate will not be easy or quick.

---On the day after his last day as dean, Andrew Pearson sent a letter to some members of the Advent inviting them to follow him to form a new church. That day he applied for release and removal from the ordained ministry of the Episcopal Church and was received as a priest in the Anglican Church in North America, the anti-Episcopal Church. Some members of the Advent have said they will follow Pearson out, but that number now appears to be rather small. Only time will tell how many people will actually leave the Advent to join Pearson. There are already a half-dozen non-Episcopal "Anglican" congregations in the Birmingham area. At this point, it does not seem that there will be a stampede following Pearson out of the Advent.

---The overall challenge now at the Advent is to find its exact identity. We know it wants to be an evangelical church. What "evangelical" means, however, can be rather broad and varying. The mission, liturgy, corporate worship, and programs will have to be defined clearly. This is what the leadership is now struggling with. This will not be easy, following 25 years of increasing movement from the mainstream.

---All of my sources agree that the general feeling in the parish now is to remain an Episcopal church.

---The Advent has a large and active clerical and lay leadership. For whatever reasons, they agreed to turn away from a strong advocate of a departure from Episcopal norms. They are seeking their way back toward the mainstream.

---the vestry is working with the bishop to arrive at a mutual agreement defining the identity and posture of the parish vis à vis the diocese.

This is the way I see things now at the Advent. As I said, others may have different views, and I welcome them. I hope all of this helps people get a better understanding of what is happening in the Advent and be a bit more encouraged that matters there are getting better. 

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Regardless of the problems going on all around us, and they seem to be more than usual these days, we need to keep our bearings. It is springtime, a most glorious season around us. I am reveling in the wonderful beauty of the day. The roses are blooming in my garden:

From the central lawn, looking at the larger part of my garden in today's early morning sun.

Red Knock Out Roses and white shrub rose "Magic Blanket."

Queen Anne's Lace, my favorite wildflower grows in abundance in the drainage ditch at the back of my garden. I always think of them as big snowflakes. Some people consider these as weeds. A weed is an unwanted plant. These are not weeds to me.

Two of my favorite public gardens are in the Birmingham area. The Birmingham Botanical Gardens has a big and beautiful rose garden. The Aldridge Garden in Hoover has a great collection of hydrangeas, now in bloom.

As always, this is the time that was given to us. We were not given a choice. It is our mission to be God's people in the world and we must keep that mission. Peace.