ur Diocese Come As You Are to St. Andrew’s, Pacific Beach By Drusilla Grubb, parishioner of All Souls’, Point Loma I


f you haven’t encountered our risen Lord lately, head to St. Andrew’s by-the-Sea, Pacific Beach where everyone’s a minister.


The Sunday bulletin concludes, “the worship is over; the service begins.” To this end, parishioners strive to be Christ’s church in the world.


Rumor has it that the sanctuary is an anatomically correct ark, built to specifications God gave Noah.


It’s huge,


especially for this congregation. Through the years, they’ve considered closing their doors several times, usually for financial reasons. Yet somehow, they manage to stay viable. Parishioners know the Holy Spirit wants them there for a reason; they’re just waiting to find out what it is.


Ask the Rev. Simon Mainwaring, rector of St. Andrew’s, about parochial reports, which every Episcopal church must file annually with the Episcopal Church in New York, focus on Sunday morning metrics, and he will tell you they are woefully inadequate to judge the efficacy of a parish.


“We are in post-Christendom; we must change or die,” Father Mainwaring said. “We must focus on the scope and stretch of our outreach, including worship with preschoolers, and intangibles like a blog, facebook and a website. How many souls are changed should be a pivotal issue. So should fellowship. And fun.”


At Christmas, parishioners surprised their community by caroling in local bars. On Valentine’s Day, they sent postcards to nearby businesses saying, “you are loved more than you know.” On the second Wednesday of every month, Father Mainwaring meets with a group of people in their 20s and 30s at a local eatery for Theology on Tap, an informal meeting where theological questions are teased out in an unthreatening way. Well versed in the Socratic method, Father Mainwaring has


The beatitudes take on a new poignancy when read by someone who sleeps outside.


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Truly All are Welcome: Children at St. Andrew’s, Pacific Beach are welcome, along with adults of every imaginable demographic and income level. Something’s different at St. Andrew’s by-the-Sea, and Drusilla Grubb captures some of that for us here.


a gift for drawing others out. At a recent session he began by asking the crowd, “if Jesus went trick or treating, who do you think he would be?”


To make certain there is plenty of room at God’s table for the youngest of his children, St. Andrew’s invests considerable time and talent in a thriving Godly Play program; the parish preschool has blossomed into a vibrant community resource.


Truly a come-as-you-are congregation, people are welcomed warmly and respectfully around the baptismal font and altar on Sunday mornings regardless of their personal circumstances. Some are obviously living on the streets. All are welcome.


On Ash Wednesday, inspired by the Rev. Lane Hensley of St. Margaret’s, Palm Desert, Father Mainwaring donned a purple stole over his civvies, grabbed a bowl of ashes and strolled to the beach. Reminding strangers that they came from dust, and to dust they shall return seemed like a fine idea, but just before he stepped on the boardwalk, he wasn’t so sure. Taking a deep breath and asking for


Award-Winning Seminarians


Sewanee’s School of Theology. Those went to Laurel and Colin Mathewson, respectively.


“Laurel Mathewson and Colin Mathewson are each extraordinary scholars and servant leaders,” said the dean of the School of Theology, the Very Rev. William S. Stafford.


Laurel Mathewson demonstrated academic performance and promise and was thus awarded the Freeman Prize for Merit.


Cream of the Crop: The Mathewsons won scholarships of merit and leadership, while being new, first-time parents.


T


wo of our diocesan seminarians won scholarships for merit and leadership at


"My classmates are such dedicated and engaged students that I'm going to have to resort to a cliche: I'm humbled,” said Laurel.


“I started seminary the same year I became a first-time parent, and I simply couldn't have had such fulfilling experiences in the classroom without the support of my husband,


Colin, and this community of friends."


Colin Mathewson won the Woods Leadership Award, presented annually to the student who has most successfully taken initiative in assuming a leadership role in the class and who contributes significantly to the quality of the life of the University.


"I'm grateful to be recognized as a leader among a seminary class full of them,” stated Colin. “Sewanee supports and forms leaders to take on the daunting tasks awaiting us: a harrowing gap between rich and poor, cutting discrimination, ecological collapse. We learn to get involved as a natural outgrowth of our Christian identities."


Both award winners are Stanford graduates. X


strength, he moved forward. After imposing ashes on himself, he stood for a while feeling vulnerable and slightly exposed. A few asked questions; some asked for ashes; most looked studiously away.


Every Tuesday, St. Andrew’s sponsors a hunger dinner for 50-100 people. Five teams of four to six volunteers rotate the cooking responsibility. After dinner, a small cohort of parishioners and homeless guests meet for Rite Three worship in the chapel. They confess to “wounding God’s love” and


“marring his image” in themselves. During a time of shared reflection, congregants share their thoughts. Many of them are active in AA and NA, and speak with raw honesty. Their candor encourages others to open up in ways not often heard in church. One volunteers to read. The beatitudes take on new poignancy when read by someone who sleeps outside on the lawn.


Maybe the patience of parishioners at St. Andrew’s by-the-Sea has paid off. Maybe the waiting to discern God’s intention is over. In any case, it is abundantly clear that -- in this parish -- the Kingdom of God is at hand. X


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