Summary
The Living Church – Assessing and Improving the Viability of Churches – A church that has outlived its congregation can be closed with dignity…
The Herald Times – Flash flood damages, destroys Nativity scenes stored in church basement – Volunteers sorted and washed dozens of wise men, donkeys, angels and baby Jesuses…
The Auburn Plainsman – A brief history of St. Dunstan’s, the Episcopal church in the heart of downtown – “There have been four Episcopal church buildings,” Lipscomb said. “The first one was on campus where Mary Martin Hall is now. It lasted from 1851 to 1876. It finally collapsed as a result of the effects of the Civil War…
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Assessing and Improving the Viability of Churches
The Living Church – Washington, DC
It’s a story that has played out many times.
A church’s membership dwindles over the years — perhaps the ethnic group the church was built around has mostly moved out of the neighborhood. The last few elderly parishioners — including some who were married in that building half a century ago — scrape together the money for a supply priest every Sunday, while the leak in the roof steadily gets worse. By the time the warden ceremonially hands the keys to the bishop, the outcome has been inevitable for years, the church’s bank account is drained, and the diocese inherits a worn-out building in need of significant repairs.
It doesn’t have to be that way. A church that has outlived its congregation can be closed with dignity, leaving an asset that can be sold in support of other ministries. But it’s a decision that traditionally has been left to the congregation itself. There will be more such closures as we emerge from the pandemic. […]
Flash flood damages, destroys Nativity scenes stored in church basement
The Herald Times – Bloomington, IN
Volunteers sorted and washed dozens of wise men, donkeys, angels and baby Jesuses, then laid them out to sun dry in the Trinity Episcopal Church courtyard at the corner of Kirkwood Avenue and Grant Street this week.
There were a lot of Josephs, too, and as many Marys, made from ceramic, wood, plastic, metal, cardboard and other materials.
Friday night’s flash flooding filled the church basement with 3 feet of water. Among the heavily damaged and lost items: Trinity’s storied collection of more than 150 Nativity scenes from around the world. […]
A brief history of St. Dunstan’s, the Episcopal church in the heart of downtown
The Auburn Plainsman – Auburn, AL
Tucked among several businesses on East Magnolia in downtown Auburn sits a storied church with a unique architecture. St. Dunstan’s has served the Episcopal community of Auburn since 1957 and stands apart from many local institutions.
Lan Lipscomb, a parishioner of the church, spoke on the history of the church and Episcopalians in Auburn.
“There have been four Episcopal church buildings,” Lipscomb said. “The first one was on campus where Mary Martin Hall is now. It lasted from 1851 to 1876. It finally collapsed as a result of the effects of the Civil War and loss of the University. They reconstituted themselves in 1887 at the present location of St. Dunstan’s.” […]