A Special "Thank You" from Reverend Wainwright
Reverend Philip Wainwright recently entered into retirement after 10 years of faithful service at St. Peter's. Here, he offers some words of thanks to the people of our parish.
Dear People of St Peter's,
We still haven't quite inwardly digested all that we heard at the retirement dinner on May 23rd, and when we have it will take more skill with words than we will ever have to do it justice--Milton or Longfellow or someone like that might be able to put our feelings into words, but I don't know that we will ever be able to do it. But we must say 'thank you, all of you', inadequate as that is, for the incredibly generous financial gift that you gave us, the beautiful flowers, the fountain pen, as well as the dozens of other goodies--cigars, books, pens, movies, poems, tea and biscuits, port and stilton, lemon curd, spotted dick and even rhubarb roots!!! And on top of that all those comments and the good wishes in the guest book...
It was a wonderful celebration, and we really appreciate the work that went into it. We got home too drained emotionally to do anything except go to bed, but couldn't sleep for enjoying the wonder of it all. God has been very good to us, but in nothing has He been more generous than giving us ten years with such a great parish. We are so grateful, these few words don't even begin to say how much, but here they are from the bottom of our hearts.
Philip, Thekla, Tim and Dave
Reverend Wainwright Review his Ministry at St. Peter's
A few weeks before his retirement, Reverend Wainwright offered the following reflection on his ministry at St. Peter's.
"Rector" is the title given to the Senior Pastor in the Episcopal Church. At St Peter's for the last 10+ years that has been me, Philip Wainwright, and I've been so grateful to have had the opportunity to serve all of you. As I approach my last Sunday with all of you, I’ve been reviewing my ministry here, and Acts 20 came to mind as a framework for that.
In that chapter Luke describes St Paul's approach when he was about to move on to a new ministry. He has spent about two years in Ephesus, preaching the Gospel and making converts and building the Church, and then the Holy Spirit told him it was time to move on. And Paul did not expect ever to come back to Ephesus. So he reviewed in his mind his ministry among them, asking himself “have I told them all I ought to tell them? Have I done all I ought to have done?” And he gives a report on that to the leaders of the Church. I've been asking myself the same things, and I’ll follow Paul’s example and share my thoughts about it with you.
Paul says “I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and in private, testifying of repentance and of faith in Christ… I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” What Paul was most concerned about during his ministry was not the lives his people were living in Ephesus in 50 A.D., but the life they may have or fail to have for all eternity. He can say he has told them all they need to know to make sure they can have that life if they want it. He knows that teachers will be judged with great strictness (James 3.1) for exactly that reason—what we teach is a matter of life and death, of eternal life and eternal death.
I have taken my preaching and teaching ministry every bit as seriously as Paul took his, because I have shared his belief as to its importance. I’ve had nothing to offer Brentwood but the same message from God about repentance and faith that Paul offered Ephesus, and I have tried to be a good messenger: to deliver the message as written, without any subtractions or additions. I have not shrunk from declaring anything that was profitable—and what is profitable is the truth about eternal life; that’s what Jesus says in Matthew 26: what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?
Perhaps Paul didn’t need to say this, but I do: I’m also aware of how often I have been the one accused by the passage of Scripture I have been preaching on. I have been offended by God’s word because I am a sinful man and I don’t like to be reminded of that, but praise God he has not left me the luxury of ignoring His word. He’s told me to preach His word, and that word has convicted me of my own sin, brought me to my knees before I ever called you to yours, again and again. Praise God, too, that it has encouraged me again and again, and I've tried to pass on that encouragement to you too.
Paul was able to say that he had been a good example to the people in Ephesus, and when clergy are ordained in the Episcopal Church they are told to be ‘wholesome examples’ to the people they serve. I think the best I can say is that I’ve been an example of someone who tries to live the Christian life, and doesn’t let failure stop him trying again. But Paul’s words remind me to thank you for the examples you’ve given me. I’ve seen such tremendous examples of faith, of courage, of holiness, of humility, of steadfastness in the face of adversity in members of this parish in all walks of its life, and I’ve been tremendously uplifted in my ministry through what I’ve known and seen in so many of you. Paul is quite clear that not only apostles and elders are to be an example, but all Christians are to be examples, both to other believers and to unbelievers—look at I Thessalonians 1:7. I’m so grateful for those of you who have ministered so effectively to me by your example, and I thank God for placing me among you for so long. Whatever the future holds for me, I will always be inspired and encouraged by the time we have shared together.
The Articles of Religion describe the visible church as "a congregation of faithful men, in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ's ordinance" (Book of Common Prayer p 871). My job has been to do the preaching and administer the sacraments, to love and care for the people of this congregation and to lead them in following Christ and giving Him our gifts and talents (Book of Common Prayer p 560). I thank God for giving me such a ministry among such wonderful people. I'm leaving some sermons on the Sermons and Articles of Interest page, and look forward to reading the new Rector's sermons there in due course--I know God has someone good in mind for you, and I'll follow your future with great interest. Visitors will also find information there about the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA, to give our church its full name, and Anglicanism, which is the particular strand of Protestantism which we represent.
The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.