St. Matthews Newsletter- March 2004
St Matthews Newsletter - February 2004A History of St. Matthew's Anglican Church In last month's Messenger we presented the first installment of the History of St. Matthew's Anglican Church, beginning with the events that took place in the Episcopal Church in 1976 which lead to the formation of the Continuing Anglican Movement. This installment begins in August, 1987 when the parish, then known as the Church of the Advent, allied itself with the province called the American Episcopal Church. Members of the Church of the Advent had also come to the conclusion in August of 1987 that a change of location might be necessary in order to grow. The pro's and con's of moving were presented. It was felt that if the church moved, a good location should be sought which could be purchased from the proceeds from the sale of the existing property. Unfortunately the timing was not right and cost prohibited the move. In 1988 Fr. Henry Prior was asked to come and be the Rector of the Church of the Advent. Fr. Prior was a very good priest and pastor but was limited by his age and physical condition as to how much he could promote the growth of the church. In July of 1992 the church was still running around 30 active members and was considering ways of raising money for operational expenses. It was clear that new members were needed for a variety of reasons. Since money was tight it was decided that if the church was remodeled to be more pleasing for worship this would attract new members. The church was remodeled into a beautiful chapel and remains so today. The existing loan of $66,000 on the property was paid in full and a loan for $7,500 to help with the remodeling was arranged by Col. Mahoney. This loan was also repaid in full by October of 1994. In 1993 the parish had become a member of the Anglican Church in America when the American Episcopal Church joined together with elements of the Anglican Catholic Church. Fr. Ron Vandervaliet presented a plan for church growth in March 1995. Having concluded that the location of the church was too out of the way to attract new members, he suggested that the church move to one of the rapidly expanding areas of Tampa. Fr. Ron had done a comprehensive demographic study and had learned that North East Tampa and Brandon were the best areas to establish a church. The Vestry suggested that a location closer to the retirement communities in Tampa might do well if transportation was provided. The matter was committed to further study, but the attachment of the church members to the remodeled church slowed down the decision-making process. The parish changed its affiliation with the Anglican Church in America (ACA) to the Anglican Province of America in 1995 due to a dispute between the diocese the parish was a part of and the primate of the ACA. In June of 1996 the Vestry had a meeting with Bishop Walter H. Grundorf to discuss the future of the church. Bishop Grundorf reinforced the conclusion that the church must have a change of location in order to grow and survive - the church must move to one of the growing areas of Tampa, preferably to the North East section. Bishop Grundorf also stressed that in order to grow and attract new members the parish must be willing to support a younger priest full time. It was his feeling that unless the church was willing to do this, it would eventually fade away with the demise of its members and would leave no remembrance of their efforts. The response of the Vestry was to accept wholeheartedly the suggestions of the Bishop. In October 1996 Fr. Prior retired after eight years of fruitful service with the parish and the search for a new priest began. Following the June meeting with the Bishop, the Vestry, with the help of Fr. Rufus Kite-Powell from Melbourne, Florida, began to explore the possibility of moving to the North East section of Tampa. Col. J. R. Mahoney and Fr. Rufus combed the area looking for land or rentals that would fill all the qualifications needed for a church in the area. In March of 1997 the Vestry decided, with Bishop Grundorf's approval, to extend to Fr. Williams Perkins an invitation to become their Vicar. Fr. Perkins had previously assisted St. Lukes, Port Orange, Florida, to remodel a former Baptist church into a church for Anglican use. The church had also experienced some growth during his tenure there. Fr. Perkins, while being an Anglican, was previously trained by the Southern Baptists who are known for their ability to organize and make use of church growth principles. It was felt that someone of his age and training would be able to lead the church in the move to a new location and to facilitate its growth. Fr. Perkins accepted the call and became the Vicar of the Church of the Advent on April 1, 1997. The History of St. Matthew's Parish will be continued in next month's Messenger. Anyone desiring a copy of the first installment is asked to call the Church Office |
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