St. Mary’s Episcopal Church
2010 Annual Report
Vicar’s Report

Introduction

It has been a pleasure to assume to responsibilities as the vicar of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Lawrence Park, Erie. Almi, Seamus, and I, along with other members of my family have been welcomed by the congregation, and we are thrilled to be a part of the fabric of the continuing life of St. Mary’s. I have faith that our time with this mission will be a positive one for all of us and pray that we will all continue to grow in our love of God and our love for one another and our neighbors. The church has a long history of involvement and spiritual leadership in the east Erie district, and the members of the parish continue to have a positive impact on one another as well as our friends in Lawrence Park and Wesleyville. There are two ways of looking at the past year: quantitatively (in numbers and statistics), and qualitatively (in narrative and description).

Qualitative Data

Each year, each parish and mission is asked to report data to the national church. The parochial report of 2008 showed 60 reported members of St. Mary’s with an average Sunday attendance (also known as the ASA) of 37. While the ASA remained steady in 2009, the reported member has grown to 67, an increase of 9%. 19% of the current membership is under the age of 18. The year showed a total gain of 8 new members (and not all of them are Clerkins!). We can all be happy that since the installation, ASA has grown to 42, an increase of 14% in attendance. The Christmas Eve service had 74 in attendance, the highest attendance in more than 5 years, an increase of 17% over 2008, and 32% over 2007.

Specifically, the church had 50 Sunday/Saturday evening Eucharist services, 4 Weekday Eucharist services, 15 Private Eucharist services/communions, and 6 Sunday Daily Offices. There were no reported marriages, burials, baptisms, confirmations, receptions, or reaffirmations. The total attendance for all services was 2061, and the total communions administered were 1833. There were 7 enrolled in Church School/Christian education (increase of 17% over the previous year). Each week approximately 8 participate in adult education.

These are all very positive numbers. We should be happy to share this information with others, to be proud of the good work of the entire parish, and to allow the growth to empower us to reach out to others.

Qualitative Report

At the beginning of this church year, members of the bishop’s committee, Deacon Zach, and I completed a mutual ministry review, an assessment tool required by the diocese. We examined our responses to the church, the members, our mission, and our goals for the future. Marge McLean and Joyce Gieza compiled the information. While many individual activities and accomplishments were noted (the maintenance of the mission, the installation, the well project, the community meals, worship, and others), all of the accolades fall under three basic areas: positive maintenance, positive leadership, and positive atmosphere. The congregation continued to worship together without a permanent vicar, continued to maintain programming that reached out to community members, and sustained projects and community programs that have had a positive impact on the neighborhood. Maintaining the parish commitments helped to give the church a sense of purpose and a feeling of accomplishment. The bishop’s committee, under the leadership of senior warden Joyce Gieza, junior warden Donna Gilson, treasurers Heidi Anderson and Joyce, and worship/spiritual direction from Deacon Zachary Irwin, helped to navigate through the year liturgical year and maintain the church’s financial and programmatic health. Both of these helped to boost the mission’s healthy atmosphere, an atmosphere that was and is welcoming not just to me and my family but to other visitors that have joined us over the last few months.

Future Plans and Goals

While there is much to be proud of, there are also definite challenges in the coming year. We are operating with a budget deficit, not unusual in churches were plate exceeds pledge, but still a bit sobering. We have commitments that must be met beyond our basic operating budget. Our community meal program, while bringing in grants to support it, this year requires a monetary commitment from the church. We are also engaged in outreach that has for some time come from the alms fund but needs to come from other resources. The physical plant of the church is sound, but there are always surprises, especially in buildings that are in their fifth decade of life.

We are also challenged to think about new and innovative programming to help ourselves and our neighbors. If the rationale for ministry is either “that’s the way we used to do it,” or “that’s the way it’s always been done,” then it’s time to at least assess that ministry or even to clear it away to make room for what God might be asking us to do, not just in the present, but looking ahead into the near future. We are to be initiating the Kingdom of God, not just staring at the skies waiting for signs that it’s about to happen. This requires that we take a close look at the needs of our neighbors, that we commit resources, time and energy to address those needs.

And we need to evangelize. Many ask, “How can we grow the church?” Aside from filling a nursery, which for many of us is an impossibility, there are two possible answers: 1. if you grow as church, you will grow the church, and 2. if you live a life that has been transformed by God’s Incarnation and believe in His saving grace, you cannot help but attract others. Our world is filled with sadness, loneliness, disconnect, hatred, prejudice, and distrust; but we are a faithful people who can boast of God’s love and are examples of how a life can be transformed through faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. We must never hide the gospel from ourselves or from others. And we are challenged to reach out to those who are un-churched, de-churched or re-churched, and invite them to be a part of this wonderful mission through which God has blessed us.

This is our mission, this is our call, and these will be our goals for the coming year.

Peace in Jesus Christ,

Fr. Shawn Clerkin
Proud Vicar of St. Mary’s, Lawrence Park, Erie