Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

In May of last year a new page called Unapologetically Episcopalian popped up on my Facebook wall feed. With its bold name and tilting Episcopal shield, the page immediately drew my attention. When I headed to the page I found this mission statement: Unapologetically Episcopalian is “a gathering place to celebrate the many positive ways Episcopalians in 16 nations are unapologetically spreading the gospel of Christ.” Big like.

But I wasn’t the only one, apparently, who “liked” the page. Since just this past May the page has grown to presently include 14,719 fans, a stunning number considering that this is largely the work of one person, the Rev. Ron Pogue, an interim priest at Good Shepherd Episcopal in Lexington, KY.

I spoke with Ron by phone last week for the simple reason that I was curious -- curious as to why he created Unapologetically Episcopalian, where the name comes from, and what he’s learned over the past few months of this new ministry. Here's what he shared.
Bumper Sticker Beginnings
For a Facebook page that prides itself on thoughtful and respectful discussions, I found it humorous to learn that Unapologetically Episcopalian began as a bumper sticker. A few years ago, drained by the Episcopal Church’s apologies (“We were sorry for our conflicts, sorry for the difficulty of our liturgy and music...") and the divisive tenor of our discourse, Ron had the idea of making a bumper sticker that summarized how he felt about the Episcopal Church - unapologetic. Ultimately the idea of making a bumper sticker faded away, though the impetus behind the idea did not. And then one evening in May, after receiving yet another email apologizing for the state of the Church, Ron decided to create a Facebook page. It took a matter of seconds before people began signing on and not long after a friend emailed saying “I think this has gone viral!”

Celebration
One of the remarkable things about Unapologetically Episcopalian is the celebratory spirit that pervades the page. Between Daily Office prayers and videos of Evensong, Episcopalians share stories about how their parishes were destroyed by fires and were rebuilt; others celebrate the recent communion achieved between Episcoplians and Moravians. There’s a startling amount of joy found on Unapologetically Episcopalian and there are many examples of people differing with one another respectfully.

Where does this joy come from? In reflecting on this question, I remembered that Ron had described himself as an inveterate “Googler” of Episcopal parishes. Long before he’d created UA, Ron developed the habit of checking out parish websites to learn about those grassroots ministries that remain largely unknown. He gave the example of Christ Episcopal in Tuscaloosa, AL whose website notes an arts ministry with autistic children. As the father of an autistic son, Ron created Unapologetically Episcopalian to celebrate these ministries.

Practicing Conversation
I believe that part of Unapologetically Episcopalians’ success is the deft moderation that takes place there. Especially toward the beginning of the page’s existence, it took occasional prodding to remain celebratory & respectful. Ron described encouraging people to move beyond simply describing the terrible crisis that happened at their parish, toward highlighting the resources for strength and hope that carried them through that crisis.

For many of us, this is a very different way of speaking about our lives and it’s a very different way of thinking about the Episcopal Church - which, in the end, appears to be part of the point. “My hope is that the conversations we have on Unapologetically Episcopalian will model how we can speak with one another in-person, that those conversations will change how we can differ with one another in the parish.”

Given Unapologetically Episcopalian’s surging popularity, a friend recently asked Ron whether it was time the name be changed to something else. After all, with nearly 15,000 fans, it would seem there’s less of a need for such a bold mission. When Ron posed the question to the group, however, he was met with a resounding “No!” It seems we’re still learning how to be unapologetically Episcopalian.