Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 11, 1995 TAG: 9506300095
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: FRANCES STEBBINS
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The 70 or so adults who worshiped at the 10 a.m. Communion service on May 28's rainy Memorial Day weekend hadn't much space to spare in the small, Victorian-style nave in downtown Christiansburg. The Rev. Rob Goldsmith, rector since 1990, said attendance was off considerably with the holiday weekend.
That didn't, however, diminish a spirit of warmth and informality that a sojourner felt. During the service, worship precedes the education period and time is given for both sacramental participation in the Eucharist and a sermon lasting at least 15 minutes.
Once a church known for its traditionalism and the formality Episcopalians associate with "high church" conservatism, St. Thomas still is marked by incense on such days as Pentecost. A majority of members refer to their rector as "father." Goldsmith, who says he's perfectly comfortable with "Rob" and leaves his title up to the individual worshiper, has moved the church to use contemporary language in the liturgy for most of the year.
He also, if the sermon last Sunday was any indication, believes in involving the congregation in contemporary issues, in this case the role the church can play in helping those with mental illness.
In both his 15-minute sermon and in an adult education class from 11:20 to noon Goldsmith appealed for education and compassion in dealing with the clinically depressed. A member of the church, Mary Stuart Cosby, spoke at the adult class.
Standing near the center of the church, using his hands and facial expressions to convey his depth of feeling, the rector told of losing a brother to suicide a year ago. Such deaths, he said, especially in young adults with seemingly much to live for, point out the final destructive effect of clinical depression.
But far from condemning his brother for an act which still pains the whole family because of their inability to reach the sufferer, Goldsmith concluded his message with the remark," I travel daily with my brother ... a living witness to me of a love that cannot be broken."
This kind of love reveals that which God has for all humankind, the preacher said, taking his text from Acts 16 in which the apostle Paul heals a slave girl of an evil spirit that allowed her to make money by telling fortunes.
Ideas of mental illness have changed since then, he pointed out, but compassion and intervention still are needed to help those whose lives are made miserable by a deviation they cannot control.
St. Thomas' choir had seven members May 28, but its quality was notable as it used "A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing" as its anthem. A choir member, Patrice Yearwood, was soloist for the responsive singing of a Communion chant.
St. Thomas that Sunday had other touches that add variety to its 1979 Book of Common Prayer liturgy.
At the "passing of the peace," a time for worshipers to greet each other in the name of the Lord, Goldsmith moves about the congregation shaking hands and giving the blessing to each. He is assisted at the Communion by the Rev. Frank Tatem, rector emeritus, who has remained in the community after a long pastorate.
As worshipers enter the church, they may write in a notebook those for whom they would like prayer during the appropriate time. The names of a number of ill and troubled people, as well as general concerns, are then remembered by Goldsmith, who also brings other current issues to the attention of the people at announcement time midway in the service.
In keeping with the mental health emphasis, a litany written by a United Methodist minister was used May 28 in place of the usual Prayers of the People.
For Pentecost on June 4, St. Thomas had balloons and a birthday cake - in liturgical churches the day when Scripture records that the Holy Spirit descended is regarded as the birthday of the church - as well as a luncheon to mark the beginning of summer.
After worship on he day that the sojourner visited, Goldsmith spoke of future needs of the parish. Limited by a tiny hillside lot, it is inaccessible everywhere for those in wheelchairs, he noted. Parking is on busy and hilly Main Street and an education and fellowship addition to the church's rear some years ago affords little flexibility for church programming of the future.
Beauty, however, abounds in the gardens, which were a community beautification project several years ago.
Musicians, too, value the small pipe organ that was played last Sunday by a member, Linda Clark, in the absence of a staff organist.
During education time following worship, St. Thomas uses its divided parish hall for groups of adults and children. Its single Sunday morning service is at 10 a.m. year-round and Eucharist is celebrated then each week.
Sojourner appears monthly in The New River Current. Its purpose is not to promote a particular view but to inform readers of a variety of worship styles.
by CNB