When I was putting together this article, I thought about the definition of “family,” so I consulted my dictionary. It offered several possibilities –children of the same biological parents, a group of people living together with common ancestry, and (most startling) people united in committing criminal activity!
Since none of these came close to describing a church family, I decided to add my own definition: a group of people, diverse in their background and lifestyle, united by faith in a common bond of love and worship. It is this sense of community that I found at St. Olave’s. I came here six years ago at the invitation of John Stephenson, my dear friend of 20 years, to add an alto voice to the choir. I was attracted to the quality of the music programme here, and I also found spiritual nourishment in the Book of Common Prayer. I loved the majesty of its language and its connection to the ancient Church.
Even more importantly, I have met some of the kindest people it has been my privilege to know. Of course, like any family, we have divergences of opinion and lively discussions on those differences, but love and respect have always informed those discussions.
So, in summary, those qualities in St. Olave’s that have brought me here have kept me here. I am proud, happy and grateful to call the parishioners at St. Olave’s my church family.