
Yesterday I attended Sunday worship at St. James Episcopal Church (where I used to go when I was a student here in 1959-60). The program was printed in both English and Italian, parts of the service were conducted in Italian, and Communion was open to everyone. The congregation was composed of people of all colors, languages, and nationalities. To quote my mom, it was what Heaven is like.
Their mission statement:
We rejoice in a diverse and international parish family, and serve Italian and English speakers from many denominations, back grounds and cultures.
The Rev. Cannon T. Mark Dunnam, preaching (in English) on Luke 3: 1-6, drew a contrast between the powerful rulers of the day and ‘insignificant’ John the Baptist. The message was compelling: God calls insignificant people like us to do powerful things.