The Beacon
From The Vicar:
Caring for our Home—Breaking Down Barriers to Relationship We were created to find, and make, our Home in God. The Greek word for house is Oikos. It’s the root of our word “ecumenical--” specifically, oikoumene, or our ‘common home.’ Likewise, oikos is the root of the word “ecology,” the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. As Christians, we are constantly reminded that everything in our lives is relational. When relationships aren’t working, or have been severed, we all feel it. Our house feels divided.
Since beginning here in April I have grown to understand, and appreciate, why “family” is often the first term that comes to mind when parishioners describe why they are at St. Andrew’s. It has gradually come to feel like family to us as well. And, like every human family it is a blessing subject to ordinary, but painful, periods of friction and division. For example, in many families of origin, birth order can become determinative of one’s entire life. In my own family of origin, I recall how easy it was to characterize my brothers, sisters, and me along birth order lines. These characterizations created what sometimes felt like immutable roles for us. We were the Responsible Big Brother, the Responsible Big Sister, the Rebellious Youngest Son, the Independent Middle Sister (me), and the Baby Sister-Who-Always-Got-What-She-Wanted. Maybe it was easier that way for our frazzled parents, and for us. But it wasn’t healthy. We were all so much more. Within the family, those roles stuck with us well into our adulthood and became the lingua franca of our interactions with one another. Eventually, we challenged, and finally outgrew, that tendency. We started seeing one another as individuals with whom we had a lot more in common than those set roles would allow. We started behaving as though we were just humans who shared a special bond—each struggling to get it right, each equally loved, valued, and needed. Each of us growing and changing as we grew and matured. But all through our lives, we have to fight the impulse to see people as one-dimensional or put them in roles that becomes inflexible. As we move ahead at St. Andrew’s, I hope we will continue to ask ourselves what God is calling us to do as individuals and as a Body. What is God calling us to do to make our relationships with our fellow parishioners healthier and more open? What is God calling us to do to make full and productive use of the physical building of the church in which we worship and enjoy fellowship? What is our vision for the beautiful grounds we enjoy and how can we make them healthier and sustainable? What may be holding us back? In a small church, it’s usually easy to find someone open and friendly to the idea of taking on a specific task or role on an ad hoc basis. Sometimes these roles morph into quasi-permanent roles, seemingly, with lives of their own. Little cliques can take over and inadvertently discourage others from full participation in community. When this occurs, it’s easy for the church to find itself comprised of many separate little “silos” that come together on Sunday mornings for worship but don’t really communicate the rest of the week. And there’s an understandable instinct to not cross lines or get involved where someone else claims that set role. This is a manifestation of “siloing.” The problem is--silos are not living organisms. And they can create barriers to relationship and growth. “Siloing” is a business concept that has been around for several decades. It occurs in organizations in which different programs and departments fail to integrate or effectively share information and collaborate. The term in common use in the Episcopal Church and leadership programs emphasize that it can become an obstacle to growth and the formation of new leaders within the church. After all it’s easier to fill a silo with like-minded people. But that is not how were made to live. There are five basic steps to becoming silo free:
1. Create a unified vision.
2. Work towards achieving a common goal.
3. Motivate and incentivize.
4. Execute and measure.
5. Collaborate and create. (
Caring for our Home—Breaking Down Barriers to Relationship We were created to find, and make, our Home in God. The Greek word for house is Oikos. It’s the root of our word “ecumenical--” specifically, oikoumene, or our ‘common home.’ Likewise, oikos is the root of the word “ecology,” the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. As Christians, we are constantly reminded that everything in our lives is relational. When relationships aren’t working, or have been severed, we all feel it. Our house feels divided.
Since beginning here in April I have grown to understand, and appreciate, why “family” is often the first term that comes to mind when parishioners describe why they are at St. Andrew’s. It has gradually come to feel like family to us as well. And, like every human family it is a blessing subject to ordinary, but painful, periods of friction and division. For example, in many families of origin, birth order can become determinative of one’s entire life. In my own family of origin, I recall how easy it was to characterize my brothers, sisters, and me along birth order lines. These characterizations created what sometimes felt like immutable roles for us. We were the Responsible Big Brother, the Responsible Big Sister, the Rebellious Youngest Son, the Independent Middle Sister (me), and the Baby Sister-Who-Always-Got-What-She-Wanted. Maybe it was easier that way for our frazzled parents, and for us. But it wasn’t healthy. We were all so much more. Within the family, those roles stuck with us well into our adulthood and became the lingua franca of our interactions with one another. Eventually, we challenged, and finally outgrew, that tendency. We started seeing one another as individuals with whom we had a lot more in common than those set roles would allow. We started behaving as though we were just humans who shared a special bond—each struggling to get it right, each equally loved, valued, and needed. Each of us growing and changing as we grew and matured. But all through our lives, we have to fight the impulse to see people as one-dimensional or put them in roles that becomes inflexible. As we move ahead at St. Andrew’s, I hope we will continue to ask ourselves what God is calling us to do as individuals and as a Body. What is God calling us to do to make our relationships with our fellow parishioners healthier and more open? What is God calling us to do to make full and productive use of the physical building of the church in which we worship and enjoy fellowship? What is our vision for the beautiful grounds we enjoy and how can we make them healthier and sustainable? What may be holding us back? In a small church, it’s usually easy to find someone open and friendly to the idea of taking on a specific task or role on an ad hoc basis. Sometimes these roles morph into quasi-permanent roles, seemingly, with lives of their own. Little cliques can take over and inadvertently discourage others from full participation in community. When this occurs, it’s easy for the church to find itself comprised of many separate little “silos” that come together on Sunday mornings for worship but don’t really communicate the rest of the week. And there’s an understandable instinct to not cross lines or get involved where someone else claims that set role. This is a manifestation of “siloing.” The problem is--silos are not living organisms. And they can create barriers to relationship and growth. “Siloing” is a business concept that has been around for several decades. It occurs in organizations in which different programs and departments fail to integrate or effectively share information and collaborate. The term in common use in the Episcopal Church and leadership programs emphasize that it can become an obstacle to growth and the formation of new leaders within the church. After all it’s easier to fill a silo with like-minded people. But that is not how were made to live. There are five basic steps to becoming silo free:
1. Create a unified vision.
2. Work towards achieving a common goal.
3. Motivate and incentivize.
4. Execute and measure.
5. Collaborate and create. (
St. Andrew’s Prayer Group…
Deacon Steve Avery has graciously agreed to lead the Prayer Group and keep it moving forward. If any of you feel called to prayer, I hope you’ll consider this important ministry and contact Steve. If you have requests, please forward them.
We’ve added a new feature so that we can help people get their requests on the lists before service as prayer needs arise. At the back of the church is a table with a small sheet of paper that says, “Prayer Requests & Thanksgiving.” Just write down who or what you want us to pray for or give thanks for, and the ushers will bring it forward in time for the Prayers of the People.
Hopefully this will keep our prayers fresh and our hearts tuned to the needs and celebrations of our community. We’ll remove names after 30 days unless we receive a request to keep them on.
Amen! And thank you Deacon Steve.
The Monthly Newsletter of
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Florence, Oregon
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Florence, Oregon
