“WELCOMING, COMPASSIONATE, AND HEALING”

Tom Stumpf and Don Rickard

On Pentecost Sunday, 2007, we members of the Light of Christ (LOC) Faith Community in Longmont, Colorado, celebrated our second anniversary as a fully viable congregation within the emerging Ecumenical Catholic Communion (ECC). It was a proud moment! What had begun two years earlier, at our inaugural Pentecost Eucharist in a local senior center, has now blossomed into a vibrant, faith-filled community, far exceeding the hopes and dreams of the nearly one hundred parishioners who had been estranged from their previous Roman Catholic parish by the outrageous antics of its retrenchment-minded pastor.

In the March/April, 2006, issue of Corpus, this “continuing journey of faith” was outlined in detail. This article is an attempt to update that indescribable and heartening journey, i.e., from the Roman Catholic Church to the Ecumenical Catholic Communion.

The main precepts of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion are autonomy, plurality, unity, diversity, and inclusivity. Members of Light of Christ readily affirm these principles, even as they commit themselves to some very untraditional ideas: womens’ ordination, married priests, unrestricted Eucharistic participation, and prayerful discussion about divorce, remarriage, family planning, birth control, and same sex marriages.

Illustrative of all of this is an historic event which took place in July of 2006, namely the National Youth Rally for the ECC, sponsored directly by Light of Christ community members. It was held in the nearby wondrous Rocky Mountains, and culminated at the end of the week back in the city with an ordination and confirmation liturgy at the LOC church, Bethlehem Lutheran. Present were the married, ordaining prelate, Bishop Peter Hickman of Orange, California; the deacon being ordained a priest, Kay Madden, from a neighboring ECC faith-community; the layman being ordained a deacon, MIke Wiel; two female priest candidates from Light of Christ, Teri Harroun and Sheila Dirks, both currently pursuing seminary training at Iliff School of Theology in Denver; several youth and adults being confirmed into the ECC; and hundreds of faith-filled participants imbued with the joy of the Spirit and awed with what was taking place before their eyes.

That event in itself is indicative of the progress which has been made in those first two years. What began with the original pioneers seeking a permanent liturgical home evolved into a productive covenant with the parishioners and pastors of Bethlehem Lutheran Church. This relationship is not only a physical agreement, but a deeply spiritual one as well. This past Lent, for example, saw members of both congregations jointly planning the Lenten Liturgies, which in fact culminated beautifully in shared Holy Week services. And, in an even broader context, the usual mundane pre-Thanksgiving Ecumenical service blossomed into a much more deeply meaningful Thanksgiving Eucharist, celebrated at Bethlehem Lutheran by the pastor of the local Episcopalian parish, with five other pastors concelebrating along with him, including Fr. Don Rickard, our LOC pastor; Bethlehem Lutheran pastor, Rev. Mark Peterson; and pastors from the local United Methodist, Central Presbyterian, and Westview Presbyterian Churches...indeed, a most noteworthy event!

The past year has seen several uncommon and hopeful strategies regarding the appointment of our pastor, Fr. Rickard. Initially, the parish had to be content with varying liturgists each weekend, but the consensus was that a permanent pastor needed to be in place. A call process was developed by the committed lay leadership and put into place. During the late spring of 2006, two candidates met with congregants in small groups in private homes and in larger group meetings at the parish center, “campaigning” for the call to the pastorate. A parish-wide vote took place in early fall, and Fr. Rickard was selected by the community at large.

Fr. Rickard is himself a former Vincentian, married for sixteen years with a lovely wife and two beautiful children. He was selected as a three-quarter’s time pastor, and again, indicative of the community’s viability, just recently became a full-time pastor.

Likewise, a female pastoral associate has continued in her half-time position, which she has occupied for nearly two years.

In addition, toward the end of January this past year, a second Eucharistic liturgy was added to weekend services. Previously, only one Eucharistic liturgy was celebrated, on Saturday evening, but with the increased growth of the community, it became necessary to add another Sunday morning Eucharist, indicative of the continuing growth of the parish.

Further evidence of that growth is seen in the 20% increase in the parish budget, along with impressive growth in membership, from the original 66 to the present number of over 300 congregants.

Other more anecdotal indicators of ongoing viability are a monthly youth liturgy, highlighted by a remarkable musical aggregation of 8-10 preteens and teens; continuing catechism classes each weekend for the younger members of the community; an impressive amount of teenagers who are continually involved in ministry and outreach activities; two outreach mission trips (nationally to NOLA, and regionally to Denver); an ecumenical baccalaureate celebration with five other faith-communities: all of which are sources of great gratification and encouragement, for what began as a constructive response to an anti-Vatican II situation has enviably and unequivocally evolved into a remarkably realistic, inspiring, and viable endeavor, one which is truly a “welcoming, compassionate, and healing presence in the community,” as defined in LOC’s MIssion Statement. This truly is, in the words of Anthony Massimini, “a new church...being born,” with the Holy Spirit “raising up a new form of church structure, participation, and leadership.” And, it might be added, spirituality.