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Our Mission and Vision

The Mission of Grace Church is to celebrate the Glory of God in the Grace of Jesus Christ through worship, outreach, and pastoral care nurtured in the Anglo-Catholic tradition.

Father Donald Matthews presented our Vision and Mission for Grace Episcopal Church as our Annual Meeting Sermon delivered to the congregation on Sunday, January 17th, 1999.

A Vision for Grace Church

Today marks the occasion of the Annual Meeting of Grace Church. One hundred and thirty-four years ago, this Parish gathered in similar fashion with the Reverend Charles Kellogg preaching and presiding over the day’s events. And just like today, they wrestled with the issues of ministry as they sought to "see the Messiah" as we have heard in our Gospel reading.

Consider the situation of that day 134 years ago . . . . A little over a year had passed since forty-seven families had left the Parish of Trinity Church (Elmira). The reasons they left have been convoluted over time, but history essentially records this break for reasons of worship practices and of conscience regarding the issue of slavery. A mere seven months had passed since these families had received official permission from Bishop Horatio Potter to establish Grace Church Parish in the Diocese of New York. The Diocese of Central New York would not be established for four more years.

Ground had been purchased at the western end of Market Street — nearly right where the Colonial Theater stands for the present moment — and plans had been drawn for the first building of the Parish, which would be completed the following year in 1866. This was the Rev. Mr. Kellogg’s first Annual Meeting, having only been with here for two months, arriving to conduct the All Saints’ Day services of 1864. With the exception of the building, it is a story which sounds vaguely familiar . . . .

What Grace Church sought at that time was a VISION of ministry they could grasp and into which they could live — to be, as we hear in our reading from Isaiah, a part of the “chosen” ones “of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One . . . .” Beyond the basic needs of building and furnishing a Church, they sought to proclaim Jesus Christ in their corporate worship and the actions of their daily lives. Although we might not know the details of the vision of ministry the Rev. Mr. Kellogg brought to this new Parish, we know that they and the generations to follow were blessed with success.

Twenty-two years later, in the Spring of 1888, Grace Church hosted a Parish Preaching Mission which was to forever change the life of this Parish. This mission, led by the Rev. Mr. Percy Clinton Webber of Boston, began the Catholic Revival, as influenced by the principles of the Oxford Movement in the Church of England, in Elmira through Grace Church (this is commemorated on a plaque in the Lady Chapel). The focus on the Sacramental life of the Church — that is, those rites which convey to us the “outward and visible signs of God’s inward and spiritual grace” — became the primary focus in the life of this spiritual family. The beauty and solemnity of worship and prayer rooted in the theology and history of the Scriptures and Prayerbook became the primary activity of Grace Church.

It was through her spiritual life that this Parish grew in the grace of God and by the same, through these years, has flourished. It is by His grace that this magnificent second building was begun in 1904 and consecrated on All Saints’ Day in 1908. It is by His grace that the Parish Hall and back extension were added and dedicated in 1955. It is by His grace that this splendid organ has complemented the liturgy and voices of choirs and congregations. It is by His grace that this facility and its beautiful appointments have not only been wonderfully maintained, but have served some five generations of souls who have sought His presence in their lives. For members and non-members alike, the vision of ministry at Grace Church has sought to address their needs.

That is the history — a story which must be told and remembered. It is the story which brings about the task at hand: my vision of the ministry of Grace Church for today. Since arriving here some 14 months ago, I have tried to listen carefully to your stories and needs — your memories, both good and unfortunate. I have tried to listen to this neighborhood and the community — to their perceptions of this place and to what they need from us for growth and health. And I have tried to take all of these voices to our Lord in hours of prayer, praying for discernment and peace, that we may together follow His call.

The Lord said to the Prophet Habakkuk, “Write down the vision, inscribe it on tablets, ready for a herald to carry it with speed” (2:2). The elements of this three-fold vision are simple and direct because they are not just for me, but are to help all of us to go with speed to where God calls us.

These elements of ministry are, in order:

WORSHIP — OUTREACH — PASTORAL CARE

WORSHIP. “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (I Chron. 16:29). It is the adoration and praise to Almighty God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — that we are chiefly about as a community of Christian people. Perhaps since the founding of this Parish, but certainly since the 1888 mission, our worship has centered upon the grace and mystery of God’s presence in the human heart, mind and soul. It is a worship tradition which is not casual, but formal, reverent, and profoundly beautiful; it is a tradition which is “sensual,” making every effort to affect all of our human senses to awaken them to the Lord’s presence. Here the people of God come together to pray in common, listen in common, move in common, and respond in common to God’s grace — we are, in effect, a monastic community without a monastery. It is the liturgy, music and atmosphere which make our Parish so distinctive.

Alfred North Whitehead once said, “The worship of God is not a rule of safety — it is an adventure of the spirit, a flight after the unattainable.” While remaining true to our tradition, we can open the boundaries of our corporate worship, including and giving voice to new messages — to our youth, to our community, to the greater world in which we live. We must be committed, just as they were in the past, to be adventurous in our prayers and praise while remaining true to our heritage. It is an enviable task to me: to maintain and enhance a standard of liturgy, music and spirit which help people find God.

OUTREACH. “Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over” (Luke 6:38). There seems to be some confusion as to what is meant by this word “outreach” at Grace Church today, so let me clarify: “outreach” is “reaching out,” beyond ourselves and our attachments, to the needs of the world outside those massive oak doors. It is about rolling-up our sleeves and helping whenever, wherever, and whoever is in need — to the best of our ability. “Outreach” is the direct result of the “In-reach” which happens from our experience of God’s loving presence through our worship and prayers. It is taking the Gospel to the world “out there.”

Martin Luther once wrote: “The world asks, How much does he give? Christ asks, Why does he give?” We cannot address every need which comes to our door, but we can collectively discern what we can do to meet our Lord’s call to service. I remind you that the ministry of Second Place East would not exist today in the City of Elmira if it were not for such discernment made by Fr. Hale and his Vestry. Outreach is not burdened by an obligation to do good; it is the direct result of a joyful faith. It involves Grace Church looking at our day-to-day world in a faithful way, seeing needs that may generally go unnoticed by the world, and bringing those needs back to this community to see what we can do together. Outreach is not about the quantity of our giving, but its quality.

PASTORAL CARE. “This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12-13). Our Lord taught us that faith is not a thing to be selfishly possessed, rather it is meant to be shared. It is as the Church, a community of souls on a faith journey, that we come to know that our faith is intrinsically tied to our affections. Christ calls us to be “friends” — to love each other just as He loves each of us. It is in the spirit of this loving friendship that we are called to be “pastors” to each other, to care for each other in real and vital ways. It can be as simple as sharing a meal with someone just home from the hospital, or as complicated as helping a soul to sort through a difficult family problem.

Hugh Latimer, a 16th century English Bishop once said, “The Church is a workshop, not a dormitory; and every Christian man and woman is bound to help in the common cause of faith.” Although we may come to this place to escape the day-to-day noise of life, it is our rest and contemplation which are meant to empower our work. The product of our “workshop” is the creation of a community spirit which is open and welcoming to those in search of a spiritual home and family.

Yet, for this kind of care to happen, we must commit ourselves to establishing boundaries to bring safety to all who enter our doors — for those whom we know and those who are new to us. We must strive to ensure that no one, absolutely no one, who enters this place is ever transgressed upon, especially when they are vulnerable. We are called to care for and love all who come here, not abuse them or take advantage of them. It is my promise to you as your chief pastor, that I will always be clear about these boundaries and I ask you to do the same.

I believe that it was St. Thomas à Kempis who said, “Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for, because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.” Just as Grace Church has grown and changed over the past 134 years, so our areas and goals for ministry need to be reviewed and redirected to address our current world. It is a simple, clear vision: WORSHIP, OUTREACH, and PASTORAL CARE. I believe that these three areas are the pulse of who we are and what God calls us to become today as His people who are Grace Church. It is a vision now inscribed upon tablets; may we inscribe it in our hearts and carry it with speed.