Welcome sign at Coventry Cathedral, England

We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, widowed, straight, gay, confused, well-heeled or down-at-heel. We especially welcome wailing babies and excited toddlers. We welcome you whether you can sing like Pavarotti or just growl quietly to yourself. You're welcome here if you're just browsing, just woken up or just got out of prison. We don't care if you're more Christian than the Archbishop of Canterbury or haven't been to church since Christmas 10 years ago. We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet and to teenagers who are growing up too fast.

We welcome keep-fit moms, football dads, starving artists, tree huggers, latte sippers, vegetarians, junk food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you're having problems, are down in the dumps or don't like organized religion. We're not that keen on it either. We offer welcome to those who think the Earth is flat, work too hard, don't work, can't spell, or are here because Granny is visiting and wanted to come to the cathedral. We welcome those who are inked, pierced, both or neither.

We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down their throats as kids or got lost on the Ring Road and wound up here by mistake. We welcome pilgrims, tourists, seekers, doubters and you.
— Welcome sign at Coventry Cathedral, England

Facebook Group (Episcopalians on Facebook) Complaint Re: Politics

To all those who want to wash "politics" out of our expressions of faith (like our sermons and our organized witness to OUR government): How do you imagine a sermon set on "Love your neighbor as yourself" and the parable of "The Samaritan" (Luke 10:25-37) could be preached without being "political"? First of all, this is one of the central teachings of Jesus' Gospel. Second, the initial target was a lawyer. A LAWYER! Hard to get more political than that. Third, the Samaritan, according to the culture of first-century Jews, was an illegal alien. Literally. Look it up. Fourth, Episcopalians, along with all American citizens of faith, inhabit and operate within the culture of our citizenship. That means our faith informs our lives in the 167 hours every week that we are NOT in a pew, listening to a sermon. I recently heard of a priest who preached a sermon on dismantling racism and had four members leave the Church. Too much politics, they said. Wrong! There hasn't been enough of the Gospel preached in a way that actually changes the lives of the most comfortable among us. If you disagree with the way the Gospel is being applied to our everyday (168 hours per week) lives by this Church, speak with your clergy, your bishop, your convention deputies. They may be able to give you an insight into our positions and theology that you haven't considered - and vice versa