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OK, clearly I'm avoiding my big essay. I'll work on it tomorrow, I promise... This morning I went to church at a F.U.C. parish...Frankly Unfriendly (Anglo) Catholics. I've been there before and been ignored, so I knew what to expect. Last time I went I was surrounded by people my age who, when the Eucharist ended, physically turned their backs to me and started chatting amongst themselves. Wow. Talk about a low regard for evangelism. It's the same parish that I went to with a friend and we ended up talking to one another at coffee hour, undisturbed by anyone saying "hello". Double wow. Today was no different. This time there was someone at the door who handed me a bulletin and greeted me, but it was his only job. Afterward, again, I felt like I had the plague. Of course, I'd been there before. I knew what the experience would be like and chose the parish because I was in a taciturn mood, so all's well. Still, one would like to see some attempt to welcome the stranger. You know, Matthew 25:35 and all... I don't want to pin this on Anglo-catholics only. Heaven knows I've been ignored in plenty of evangelical parishes, raising the question, "Where does the evangelization happen, if not at the front door?" Why is it that Anglicans are so bad at being friendly? Is it because we're the spiritual descendants of so many Victorian introverts? Do we just not like having to interact with people? What does that say about our stated conviction that Jesus comes to us in every person we meet? I don't like to talk up my old parish too much...it's like the freshman theatre major talking about the "amazing" Chorus Line her high school did last year. Still, All Saints' stands out for me as a model for gentle evangelism. When I first began (nervously) attending church there I was invited, not pushed, into the group. I felt no coercion, but I knew where to go if I wanted to go there. People were friendly without being clingy. It's an art, really, and one that we need to instil in ourselves and in our congregations. Maybe seminaries should offer courses...Easy Extroversion for the Chronic Introvert 101. So next time you find yourself in a pew and you don't recognize the person next to you...try saying "Hello." (I'm telling this to myself, as well. I'm no better at welcoming than the next Anglican.) You don't have to sell the church or close the conversion deal or even get involved in any sort of deep conversation. Just welcome the stranger. You never know, it might be me. Or, more to the point, it might be Jesus. |
