Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices - Blogs

September 23, 2013

Here and Now

This weekend I was at a retreat with Judson Memorial in Connecticut. While not my usual church, which is St. Lydia’s, it is a place I am somewhat connected to. On Sunday morning we sat in the chapel, overlooking the lake, as the congregation named people who were not there. Some of those named were sick, some had moved away, some had been at the retreat and had to leave, others were preparing to have a baby. This was a lovely way of remembering and praying for all those who were absent.

At St. Lydia's, although we are a young congregation, it has already changed significantly. I've been attending the church for a little over three years, and already the majority of the people who I knew three years ago have moved or stopped attending for one reason or another. The congregation at St. Lydia's includes many students and people in their twenties, which accounts for some this high turnover, but any church will change over time as people move or die or find a new community.

A community is always made of those who are present and those who are not, near and far, living and dead.

Many churches have prayer lists, which usually include those who are sick or who have died. It seems to me that sitting down together to ask, “Who is here and who is not?” and “Who is on our minds and why?” might be a worthwhile practice for congregations to consider.

In a community made up of people (which is all communities, of course) it is likely that someone will be absent. At any given moment some of us will be aware of that and it is worthwhile to name those who are absent, and keep them in our hearts.

This is different than taking attendance. I don't believe that anyone "ought" to be at church. Rather, asking who is here and who is not is a way of asking, “Who are we now?,” “Who have we been?,” and “Who do we need to pray for and to whom do we need to reach out?”