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Church Critique
 Statistics today say that in 2007, there was 78 per cent of US population enjoying church, today it’s down to 63 per cent. Why again, I ask? I will shout it out - we all should be able to come to church, no matter who we are or what the color of our skin, be us rich or poor, of the sound of our voice or the size of the church or the familiarity or not in their Bibles. It is all for you and me. Pick your faith. Some like screamers. Some like good choirs. Some like outstanding sermons that are real in modern life. In Memphis, the latest statistic is there are 488 churches. That’s a bunch and there is no reason why someone cannot cross the threshold of some sort of holy place any day of the week. Even the great singer Al Green preachers each Sunday.
There is some sort of dilemma in a city like Memphis which is filled with churches. Most of those are African Americans and my Diocese even has an amazing, brilliant African American Bishop taking care of the Episcopal Church of West Tennessee. It is a big drop of hope that we pray will build into something grand. Sadly, the Episcopal church still has not successfully enticed people of different races and nations to step inside the local Episcopal churches. It is ironic when it is England, home of the original Anglican (here Episcopal) Church, and the data there is more African priests and congregants in the Anglican world than any other. Yet, in the USA, it’s a whole different chatter.
The Church fell with a crash when the right-wing pastors wouldn’t help people who had HIV or AIDS, and poverty was no longer a way to thank God when a church took care of a criminal or homeless person. We have also been active in the LGBTQ movement from the start. My church in Memphis is one of these outstanding churches who take care of the street people, the homeless, those with whatever disease they have, and who have no food, if we didn’t feed hundreds on Sunday morning before church. To boot, you can toss in your unused clothes which are fixed up and given freely to the homeless crowd. We have about 150 feds by the volunteers - and all this happened because of a female deacon and an amazing woman who, wherever she goes or is, is campaigning for clothes of all sorts for the homeless who come for a meal on Sundays. And we have even had a LGBTQ assistant priest for a while who has gone on to New York to do her amazing charge taking cares of so many.
Those amazing ladies, my friends Mimsy and Christine, already have their feet across the Golden Gate. But worldwide, George W Bush started the fight against AIDS, with an evangelical, and this goes on today - still not cured but somehow medicines have been able to stop the flow of passing AIDS around to anyone from anyone who has it, knowingly or not. Nothing is impossible when people trust God and His servants.
Some of us don’t quite get the spirit of evangelists, - especially those who believe Trump is the answer - what a disaster. His delight is to offend African Americans on every side. But whatever they do to help the poor, the hungry, the sick and the forlorn, that makes them some version of angels, from my point of view, ignoring, of course, Trump who is only in it for the power and for himself. And believe you me, when people leap in and help during crisis and feed the hungry, and save those who have lost everything in storms, tornados, floods, and are trying to survive the worst of the worst - they hold on tight as they can to the hand of God, wherever that is in each person’s life. Just keep the politics and politicians out of the picture. They don’t speak to God any better than you or me in our simple love for those who suffer unfairly in this overly wealthy world that fails to share unless they get some sort of reward or good measure. Talk aloud. Shout if it helps. God responds in some way, through the prayers and songs and thoughts in the night.
Like it or not, things still get attacked or go wrong. At Calvary, my wonderful church in Memphis, dug in to re-do the organ and fix up the sacristy which needed a good touch. But after being loaded into trucks to take the beautiful old organ to be restored, a bunch of renegades robbed two giant trucks filled with musical pipes and things to be reformed. But ironically, within a couple of days, when, I guess, the robbers realized who they had robbed - a home and people of Jesus Christ - the parts soon appeared quickly and was transported to the place the organ was being repaired. The stained-glass windows are also treasures and the annual hanging of the HIV fabric near Christmas is a painful but positive way to remember all those who have died from AIDS.
But overall, people love and trust God, they believe in Him and read the Bibles and listen to various sermons weekly. If you pay attention, almost every athlete who runs out on a field, crosses himself or sends a kiss to the Heavens. That gives me such a peace. Yet, tragically, it is often the behavior of people in those high churches - and for heaven sakes, when the high ranked priests and popes in the Roman Catholic headquarters in Roma was discovered abusing young boys - and that this was going on all over the Roman Catholic and even the Anglican and Episcopal Churches. That is what knocked worshipers out of their seats and hearts - and wondered how these things could happen in the holy grounds of any church - even where children, who were trying to serve the altar and various things, were being abused by male priests and higher ups, that made the devil swallow his tongue and leap in to try to destroy the church.
I guess one of the most amazing moments in my ministry - beside the ordinations and an audience with Pope Francis and walking the Camino in Spain with Mary and Megan, was having befriended Archbishop Canterbury Cary and his brilliant wife when they visited Uruguay, so I invited them to come to the deep Mid-south to Calvary Church, which they did, a treat for all. After service, we searched the streets for serious barbecue. Most were closed on a Sunday. But we stumbled on the popular Neely’s Interstate Barbecue which just happened to be open that Sunday. God is amazing.
It is time that all of us lay down our prejudices and hold hands and heart together. I was invited to attend an open “getting together” at the Mississippi Blvd Baptist Church with Pastor Dr. Lawrence Turner. All sorts of faiths from priests to Holy people from all over the county had been invited. I was the only white woman Anglican-Episcopal priest who showed up that day - and I had the chance of hearing the heart and soul of Memphis’ religious leaders - from Muslim to Jewish to Evangelicals to simple Christians. It gave me faith that religion is not dead and that, with a little push and a bunch of prayer, God’s grace will continue to grow and give people the truth about a simple story about a baby who was born in a manager in a not so super place. He became the God who we have needed and worshiped for the past 2030 years. When or if He comes again, I hope we all will be ready so He can put us to work to refresh this small earth and give us wings to transform ourselves to the Heavenly Gates.
~ Rev
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audrey@audreytaylorgonzalez.com
www.audreytaylorgonzalez.com
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