By: Robert Scott

All writers in Op Ed are here to inform and acknowledge issues of importance to our communities, however these writings represent the views  and opinions of the authors and not necessarily of The Advertiser

One of my Navy friends lives in Seattle, and we enjoy getting together either there or here to catch up with one another. There is something about military service, especially overseas, that creates a bond that seems altogether independent of time. This visit enabled us not only to enjoy one another’s company, but gave me an opportunity to attend the Episcopal Diocesan Cathedral there, Saint Mark’s.

St. Mark’s was built in the late 1920’s, a stone building with just a few stained glass windows. Like many buildings in Seattle, it is open and airy; the services I attended on two Sunday mornings in late June and early July included fresh breezes from the 70-degree temperature outside. Although 90 years may sound to some to be long ago, St. Mark’s – the congregation as well as the church – is modern in many respects. I attended the early morning service, which was far from crowded; there were 120 or so attending, in a space that could easily seat 500 and perhaps did, for later services.

I was struck by several aspects of St. Mark’s that seemed to fit right in. The first was the staff of six or seven pastors and priests. The Cathedral Dean is a gentleman appearing to be in his 50’s, and he presided at the service my first Sunday there. The second Sunday was different. The Dean was present, but did not preside. Instead, there were by my count five priests and deacons involved in the service, from the Cantor to the priest providing the sermon to the priest performing the liturgy – and all five were women. In one sense, this was not remarkable since the Episcopal Church has been ordaining women as priests for many years; our Vicar in Edgefield a few years back was a woman. But it was remarkable to me, if only to notice that every participant, that day, was a woman. And this was July 7^th, the day that the USA Women’s Team won the Soccer World Cup. I couldn’t help wondering whether this was coincidence or the plan; the entire day, starting with this Church service, seemed to be a wonderful celebration of the accomplishments of American Women.

The announcements at that particular service were also fascinating to me, being acclimated to our small congregation in Edgefield County. First, there was a general thanks to those parishioners who had assisted in a booth alongside the previous week’s LGBTQ Parade through downtown Seattle. The cathedral had a presence there, apparently handing out water to one and all with the message that all people are considered God’s children and are welcome at St. Mark’s. And second, there was an announcement about the cathedral’s ongoing partnership with the Lutheran church down the street, two blocks away. Together, they were continuing to provide sanctuary to a Central American family, who had been living there for some time; their paperwork requesting official asylum was slowly working its way through the political system. That these two modern congregations were providing sanctuary within their cathedral and church families, as had cathedrals and churches done hundreds of years ago in Europe, also was apparently routine there but far from routine to me.

Whether a person goes to church regularly, seldom, or not at all, my experience argues that each of us should on occasion visit some other church in some other place, and to think about the experience. What is routine there but not so routine to you about the church, the congregation, the pastor or pastors? What meaning does “Service” have there, whether to God or to ones’ neighbors – and who, really, are one’s neighbors?

It is great to be home in Edgefield County, and even greater to return home with new thoughts and ideas!

One of my Navy friends lives in Seattle, and we enjoy getting together either there or here to catch up with one another. There is something about military service, especially overseas, that creates a bond that seems altogether independent of time. This visit enabled us not only to enjoy one another’s company, but gave me an opportunity to attend the Episcopal Diocesan Cathedral there, Saint Mark’s.

St. Mark’s was built in the late 1920’s, a stone building with just a few stained glass windows. Like many buildings in Seattle, it is open and airy; the services I attended on two Sunday mornings in late June and early July included fresh breezes from the 70-degree temperature outside. Although 90 years may sound to some to be long ago, St. Mark’s – the congregation as well as the church – is modern in many respects. I attended the early morning service, which was far from crowded; there were 120 or so attending, in a space that could easily seat 500 and perhaps did, for later services.

I was struck by several aspects of St. Mark’s that seemed to fit right in. The first was the staff of six or seven pastors and priests. The Cathedral Dean is a gentleman appearing to be in his 50’s, and he presided at the service my first Sunday there. The second Sunday was different. The Dean was present, but did not preside. Instead, there were by my count five priests and deacons involved in the service, from the Cantor to the priest providing the sermon to the priest performing the liturgy – and all five were women. In one sense, this was not remarkable since the Episcopal Church has been ordaining women as priests for many years; our Vicar in Edgefield a few years back was a woman. But it was remarkable to me, if only to notice that every participant, that day, was a woman. And this was July 7^th, the day that the USA Women’s Team won the Soccer World Cup. I couldn’t help wondering whether this was coincidence or the plan; the entire day, starting with this Church service, seemed to be a wonderful celebration of the accomplishments of American Women.

The announcements at that particular service were also fascinating to me, being acclimated to our small congregation in Edgefield County. First, there was a general thanks to those parishioners who had assisted in a booth alongside the previous week’s LGBTQ Parade through downtown Seattle. The cathedral had a presence there, apparently handing out water to one and all with the message that all people are considered God’s children and are welcome at St. Mark’s. And second, there was an announcement about the cathedral’s ongoing partnership with the Lutheran church down the street, two blocks away. Together, they were continuing to provide sanctuary to a Central American family, who had been living there for some time; their paperwork requesting official asylum was slowly working its way through the political system. That these two modern congregations were providing sanctuary within their cathedral and church families, as had cathedrals and churches done hundreds of years ago in Europe, also was apparently routine there but far from routine to me.

Whether a person goes to church regularly, seldom, or not at all, my experience argues that each of us should on occasion visit some other church in some other place, and to think about the experience. What is routine there but not so routine to you about the church, the congregation, the pastor or pastors? What meaning does “Service” have there, whether to God or to ones’ neighbors – and who, really, are one’s neighbors?

It is great to be home in Edgefield County, and even greater to return home with new thoughts and ideas!