Rector's Remarks

The Reverend William Carl Thomas, Then Rector of Saint Matthias Church Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Our Vision is to be DEEP CHURCH - a group of people who gather with a willing expectation to intimately share the love of God (written by The Reverend William Carl Thomas in June of 1998)

Trinity Sunday - June 15, 2003

My Dear Saint Matthias Parish Family,

On Monday, June 9, 2003 I received a call to be the next Rector of Saint Matthew's Church, Charleston, West Virginia. I have accepted the call and have informed the Wardens of Saint Matthias and the Bishop of Alabama. My sabbatical is cancelled. My last Sunday at Saint Matthias will be July 20th. I hope we can use the next few weeks to celebrate all that we have accomplished in the name of Jesus Christ.

Saint Matthew's prayed, to excerpt the prayer for the election of a bishop or other minister (BCP page 818), for a faithful pastor who will care for their people and equip them for their ministries. The gifts I am called to offer them are apparent because of the gifts you have bestowed on me. We are different (and better for it) than we were when we first met in 1994. Saint Matthias has become the living proclamation that is a community of faith built on the sure foundation that is Jesus Christ. The Saint Matthias parish family that cares for one another as Deep Church will richly bless your next rector and pastor as you have blessed me, Edna, Melinda, and Adam.

Charleston, the headquarters of the Diocese of West Virginia, is a few hours drive from my mother and father who live in the Raleigh, North Carolina area and Melinda and her husband, Mark, who will live in Baltimore, Maryland. Saint Matthew's is the second largest parish in the Diocese of West Virginia. The process of discernment that led to this call was grounded in patient prayer with great concern for the welfare of God's people at both Saint Matthias and Saint Matthew's. The work done to get ready for my sabbatical absence prepared Saint Matthias to serve one another and the world. I am confident that you are ready to go on a journey of discovery that calls for deep faith and total trust in God.

As we share Bar-B-Que, golf, the marriage of Robert Sheffield and Courtney White, as well as worship over the next five Sundays, please know how grateful I am to have been the Rector of Saint Matthias Church for the past eight and half years. Thank you for being the people in a place where I could mature into the priest I am and am becoming.

With all the emotions of a father celebrating his daughter's wedding and a priest who is leaving his family, I remain

Faithfully yours in Christ,

The Reverend William Carl Thomas
Rector

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Where is the Light of Christ when Bombs Are Precisely Bursting in Air?

By The Reverend William Carl Thomas, April, 2003

At the end of the Pastoral Letter from our bishops dated March 18, 2003 entitled In the Shadow of War was the following prayer for The Whole Human Family:

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purpose on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Book of Common Prayer, page 815.

I find in this prayer the heartfelt call to beware of the walls that separate us which can be found in nationalism when we see ourselves as #1 or patriotism when to love our country means we must all love it the same way. When bombs are precisely bursting in air over Iraq, attempting to understand how to accomplish God’s purpose on earth becomes an awesome struggle filled with confusion, fear and doubt.

Yet, it is in that very doubt that we can cry out in prayer that God take away our arrogance (those nationalistic behaviors that are hurtful) and the hatred which infects our hearts (those patriotic gestures that deny the very ideals of our democracy). The prayer that comes from our confusion, fear and doubt puts us at the foot of the cross with the hope that the Light of Christ will overcome the darkness.

Holy Week from The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday to the Sunday of the Resurrection is how Episcopalians and other Christians offer prayer to overcome confusion, fear and doubt. Tenebrae on Wednesday ends in silence in a darkened church when a single candle is returned to view. We are reminded by this Light of Christ, as the bishops reminded us in their Pastoral Letter that "in all times and circumstances, our faith is set upon the firm foundation of the love of Christ. We reaffirm our confidence that ‘neither death nor life…nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Romans 8:38, 39)."

With such confidence we have light to see and love to share when others wallow in darkness and despair. Our cry of Alleluia, He is Risen is our reminder that we must share the Light of Christ by making known the Love of God in Jesus Christ with humility and conviction. May the Light of Christ burst precisely forth from your heart. Such a light the world needs to see.

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Spend time this Lent with a few good words that might lead you to a closer relationship with God

By The Reverend William Carl Thomas, March, 2003

There in the headline of this brief article is my challenge to myself during Lent this year. The one thing I can count on in a world that seems on the verge of absolute madness is that God loves me. I want to better feel that love and make that love known. I can only do this if I let go anxiety. Often I try to deal with anxiety by being super busy. My hope this Lent is to build a discipline of two Centering Prayer times each day where I read a few good words and then seek to be quiet for twenty minutes. Hopefully, reflection and renewal will follow.

Jesus knew the importance of getting away and being quiet in prayer. We who seek him in our earthly journey should recognize the importance of his example when it comes to calming anxiety with prayer. Jesus set his face on Jerusalem during the 40 days we now call Lent. In his final hours he prayed in a place called Gethsemane and said, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want." (Matthew 26:39) Jesus was no longer anxious but ready because he had always spent time in prayer. Prayer time for Jesus let him know fully and completely that "the Father is in me and I am in the Father." (John 10:38b)

No matter what happens, remember that God is as close to you as God was to Jesus . There are booklets in the Narthex with a few good words to help you reduce your anxieties as you center your prayer on the love of God as Jesus did.

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It all starts with knowing who our people are!

By The Reverend William Carl Thomas, February, 2003

Many groups have been meeting to prepare for the Vestry/Leadership retreat at Camp McDowell over the night of Friday, February 14th and Saturday, February 15th. I find that my role in meeting with these groups is to offer the same sense of vision over and over again in these words:

Who are our people?
Do we hear their cries?
Do we anticipate their needs?
Do we prepare them to do the same for others?

If you received an email from Gail Tuckerman you know that we are working hard to know who our people are. Getting correct addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. is a great deal of work. But it, along with the pictures we have been taking will help us know who our people are. We hope to have a password protected portion of the parish website where you can go a find a name and match it to a picture. We will also be able to print and update a pictorial telephone/email directory on a regular basis.

Work has been done to revisit the Shepherding program. Deacon Janet is developing a training program based in Benedictine spirituality that will help shepherds (if we keep that name!) listen with pastoral emphasis. This is a first step in hearing the cries of our people. The planning process of the Vestry/Leadership weekend will assist in anticipating the needs of our people. We will affirm that we do prepare our people to do the same for others (Jesus said. "love one another as I have loved you") within the Living Our Baptismal Covenant process. We will explore how we can expand that process.

Don’t let the name fool you. There’s room for you on this weekend. After all, having more of our people there will better help us hear cries, anticipate needs and do for others what Christ has done for us .

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WE need to get ready for our sabbatical: May 5th is very close, indeed! (note: the sabbatical date has changed to a June 9th start)

By The Reverend William Carl Thomas, January, 2003

In the words of Bob the Builder, "Yes, WE can" get ready for our sabbatical which begins on May 5th for three months. The Diocese recommends a sabbatical after five years of service. According to that formula, both the parish and I are overdue as I have entered into my ninth year as your rector.

The way the parish came together for the 40th Anniversary Celebration and the level of commitment to our shared ministry as exhibited at the December Annual Meeting, along with gifts we have in Deacon Janet and Deacon Mary Jane, tells me that the parish is more than ready for me to leave for a time of spiritual renewal. The following is my theme for my sabbatical that I submitted to the Lousiville Institute as part of grant application for funds that would allow me to travel to Europe :

Renewing the voice God has placed deep in my heart

I seek to renew the voice that God has placed deep in my heart by weaving four areas of interest and growth: studying servant-leadership; walking the sacred Celtic Christian sites in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland; integrating the Benedictine way of living; and training my singing voice. All four areas intersect the Christian community concept developed at Saint Matthias called "Deep Church." However, I don’t want to fall into the trap of using my sabbatical to write a book. I plan to take time to rest so that I might deepen my relationship with God and my family. I need time away in order to return with a richer understanding of who I am as an ordained servant-leader. Being untraveled, I yearn for an experiential connection with my Welsh roots. The most personal part of my sabbatical will be the enjoyment of learning the technical skills that will let me naturally sing what I feel. Over twelve weeks, I plan to balance family time with training my singing voice; retreats; travel; and studying servant-leadership. My sabbatical is similar to walking a labyrinth as my hope is to renew the voice that God has placed deep within my heart.

Only 43 grants were awarded from over 300 applicants. I was not one of the 43. Even without the travel, I have a basic plan for my renewal. My hope is that members of the parish will join the vestry for the February Leadership Retreat in order to prepare the parish for my absence. This meeting is actually a time where we will plan the parish’s sabbatical. Our time apart can be very enriching as time when we all discover more deeply the gifts God has given each of us. Please come to the retreat. It will be fun and will help us better share the ministry God has entrusted to us at Saint Matthias. A registration form is found on the next page of The Witness.

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My Hope For Everybody Comes To Church On the Same Sunday

By The Reverend William Carl Thomas, December, 2002

For some folks December 8th will mean coming to church early to get their favorite seat. For others, December 8th will mean sleeping a little later and then coming to church. On December 8th we will do something unusual for our community of faith: namely celebrate just one Holy Eucharist at 9:15 AM. December 8th is also the day of the parish’s Annual Meeting. My hope is that everybody will come to church on the same Sunday and continue the celebration and commitment to serve in the name of Jesus Christ that was so richly felt at the 40th Anniversary Celebration Banquet in October.

While the thought of 8 o’clock folks discovering who sits in their seats at 10:30 AM is tantalizing, the real commotion will occur when 10:30 folks find other 10:30 folks sitting in their seats. And both 10:30 persons will be right. From where I sit it seems to me that there is an unwritten agreement among our regular worshipers that one group comes on the first and third Sunday of the month and the other group comes on the second and fourth Sunday. Everybody comes to church on the same Sunday Sunday is a great way for those groups to meet the 8 o’clock worshipers and the week in and week out 10:30 worshipers.

My hope is to have everyone associated with Saint Matthias see just what I see: that Saint Matthias is a bigger church by active membership than most people realize. Bigger, of course, is not necessarily better. We have worked hard to create a community of faith that gathers with a willing expectation to intimately share the love of God. During the Holy Eucharist on December 8th, the participants in our eighth Living Our Baptismal Covenant group will add their signatures to the Roll of those Committed to the LOBC Process.

Given our world situation, it is good that Advent is a period of hope. While my global hope this Advent cries out for peace in the world, my local hope is found in the determination expressed during this 40th anniversary year of Saint Matthias Church to build upon our heritage of service to community and commitment to each other. I hope and pray that everyone will come to church on the same Sunday (December 8th at 9:15 AM) and discover that the love of God you long for is found radiating in the person sitting in your seat.

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