St. Paul's

St. Paul's is the only Episcopal parish in Whatcom County.  (There is a small mission in Blaine, 20 miles north.)  Total membership is about 700 with average Sunday attendance of over 300 spread between three different services.  The historic church building is a local landmark, sitting at a major intersection and visible from much of the town. 

Although not an official member, I have attended all the different services over the past couple of years.

The 7:45 a.m. service is a quiet affair without a choir or music.  It is relatively short, less than one hour, and mostly attended by older parishoners who want  a quiet, no-frills Sunday Eucharist.

The 9 a.m. Eucharist is a 1960s style Catholic folk mass, complete with flutes and guitars, but usually devoid of tambourines, thank God.  The liturgy is poor and uninspiring, and attendance is typically quite low.  Some families with children prefer this service because it is earlier and shorter. 

The service worth attending is the 10:30 a.m. Choral Eucharist with its traditional English church music and sung mass.  It is always well attended, and as energetic as St. Paul's can manage.  If looking for an almost high church service with traditional Episcopal/Anglican liturgy, look no further.

Father Jonathan is a cerebral preacher, very thoughtful, calm, and the very definition of main line.  He tells of growing up in a fundamentalist family, and so has a background that allows him to communicate easily with Pentecostals or Anglo-Catholics.  His theology seems very safe, conventional, and orthodox, based on the half-dozen sermons I have heard him preach.

St. Paul's is not unfriendly to gay and lesbian Christians, but is definitely not open and affirming.  There will not be any gay marriages here any time in the next few years.  There are a few gay and lesbian members, but they seem to be semi-closeted.

I'm told that St. Paul's has had three different women as assisting priests, but that none ever lasted more than a year.  Draw your own conclusions about that.

The people of the church can be somewhat cliquish, and a warm welcome is not always extended to visitors.  Sunday School offerings are quite poor, but I think most of the Christian education or "Faith Formation" happens at the Wednesday night services.  Wednesdays usually feature supper with opportunities for fellowship and classes.  The bright side of this church is that Sunday School for younger children seems to be growing well with a program called Godly Play.

Summary:  excellent traditional liturgy at the main Sunday service, politically conservative parish, worth checkng out if you are seeking Episcopal/Anglican theology and liturgy in an old historic building.