I am not Anglican. I haven't been Anglican in decades. I find the Anglican church in Queensland quite Popish & it does my little protestant heart in. Seriously. I do not do well with what seems like superstition ~ & trust me, I got a sound Anglican upbringing so I do understand what all is going on.
However, & it is a mighty big however, when we first came to the island all those years ago the only available choices were the Anglicans or the Catholics, a difference without a distinction perhaps but those were the choices. I chose the Anglicans as the best of a bad preference ~ & struggled to remember exactly which Sunday in the month they actually held a service because they only sent someone over once a month. I didn't attend church regularly for years because I found it almost impossible to remember exactly which week was church week.
The Anglicans were responsible for Sunday School ~ & R.E. The Anglicans ran the thrift shop. They gave to missions. An Anglican service is predictable down to the last drop of Holy Water. However that is what we had & so that is where we went. The Liturgy went over the top of my kids heads. Some of the old dears got ratty about having kids in the service ~ but we persisted because giving honour to God is a learnt thing.
In the process of things my children made up the bulk of the Sunday school so I agreed to help out by teaching some of the children. I did it for quite a few years. I worked with 2 staunch Anglicans, one of whom refused point blank to ever lead so when our staunch leader was ailed by ill health the leadership fell to me by default. I think the leader had hopes I would take over the Sunday School but that was never going to happen. It was for a season & when my children outgrew it I too departed. The leader died several years ago. The 2nd lady also recently departed this life & so for the first time in many years I went to an Anglican service.
In the intervening years the Anglicans have added a second monthly service & a woman minister. My curiosity was piqued. The island Anglicans are a staid bunch. How on earth would they cope with a female preacher? However it seemed my curiosity was doomed to go unsatisfied because one way or another I was occupied at those times when the female preacher was preaching.
Then the rumour mill started grinding ~ & eventually some of that even reached us, & that's not easy because we don't socialise & so most of the island gossip bypasses us. Sunday afternoon we toddled down to the Anglican hall to celebrate the 2nd Sunday School teacher's life.
Surfice to say, I know why I ditched the Anglican church.
I hate rumors. Not sure I would fit in an Anglican church, but something deep inside yearns for liturgy. Maybe because I grew up without anything like it. I would like the Mitford Anglican/Episcopal church though. Missing you... xoxo
ReplyDeleteI am missing you! I keep checking...
ReplyDeleteI like liturgy. I grew up with it & the old order is beautiful; but when it becomes rote it loses it's meaning & the Spirit departs. I never wanted just religion. There's too much of that as it is. {{{hugs}}} 4 U.
Sorry that I have not been around much. I have not been coping very well of late with my life, such as it is. I keep thinking--have been for months now--I would like to chat with you...I think of this the most in my mornings when you have just begun your trek to dreamland and by late afternoon I am so spent emotionally that I just not in a good frame of mind to talk to anyone and I have this dislike for doing much of anything on my computer. And the sad thing is I have no real reason to be having this difficulty, really. I cannot even bring myself to write on my blog.
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