Padre Mickey's Story

Last week, there was some interest displayed in the comments for a place to tell our stories. In response,I added a new "Stories" Messages category in the community. Padre Mickey has made the first offering. It is a fascinating account of a spiritual journey that I think will resonate with many of us who gather here. As encouragement for you to go read the entire story, here are the opening and closing paragraphs:

I am not a Cradle Episcopalian. My great-grandfather was a Baptist minister who lost his church after he received the “baptism of the Holy Spirit,” so he became a minister in the newly-formed Assemblies of God. His daughter, my grandmother, married a young man from the congregation and they became missionaries in China, and, later, the Philippine Islands. My parents were “saved” in the local AofG church when I was about four years-old, and then became missionaries with the Far East Broadcasting Company (an evangelical, Protestant missionary organization with radio stations throughout Asia) and we moved to Okinawa when I was almost six years-old (1961). As the eldest, I am the only one of the kids who remembers the time before we started going to church all the time, and I must admit that I was never comfortable in the AofG; there was a vibe that I found frightening...

...I joined the Episcopal Church because it was the one church where I felt accepted for who I am. I was not expected to leave my brain at the door, there was no demand that I accept everything with out question. In the Episcopal Church I have been able to study and explore and wrestle with my relationship with God and others. I love the liturgy, the music, and the traditions, but most of all I love the acceptance and understanding that God is not finished with me yet. I say the Creeds without crossing my fingers and I confess my sins often and I know that I am forgiven. I know that I am a child of God. It causes me much pain when I see movements of exclusion in this church. The idea that one must sign on to this communiqué or adhere to this bishop’s idea of Anglicanism goes against the very reasons I came to the Episcopal Church.

Thank you, Padre Mickey.

Tell us about your spiritual journey. If such a topic seems overwhelming, let me offer two questions that might help you focus your story:

1. Why are you an Anglican/Episcopalian?

2. Why did you join the Church?

J.

UPDATE: To post your story, you have to sign in using a "net passport." You can get one here. Yes, it is free.

After signing in, if you go to this page, you will see near the top, next to "Previous 50 - Next 50" a link entitled "New Discussion." If you click on that link, it will open a window that will allow you to compose your story. After you are done, you can publish it on the site by clicking the "send message" link on the bottom of that page.