When I walked into Christ Church on Sunday it did not feel as though I had been gone since May. In the way that time can be so subjective, it felt as if it had only been a few weeks since I last prayed in her walls. Ironically, I can look at photos from the start of my sabbatical leave in May and those pictures seem like they captured events from a year ago. Such are the ways of memory, connection, and our ability to register and measure the passage to time, I suppose.
In part, it’s the very spirit of the spaces we hold so dear here at Christ Church. There is a natural, unchanging permanence. I’ve heard people express the same, after having been away for years. A couple who was married forty years ago visits on vacation and exclaims, “It’s just as I remember it – nothing’s changed!” They are both right and wrong of course; there have been subtle changes, but by and large, the space is how it has been for most of its existence. That allows us to come and go and feel such connections to memory and place so strongly and so uniquely. It’s why our liturgical spaces are so important to us and why we labor to care for them, even as we repair and update them from time to time (we’re looking forward to having the bouncing floors in the church repaired!).
On a larger scale, I was aware of a similar permanence during my travels this summer. Seeing and touching granite mountains, or walking through valleys carved long ago, or caverns that capture a moment in geological history put my few decades on this planet in stark perspective. To see trees that were (and still are) growing when Jesus walked the earth was strange and comforting at the same time. The landscape certainly changes over time with rain, wind, fire, and drought, plus what humans bring to bear on nature. And yet rocks and trees and rivers keep on doing what they have always done.
I’m not sure that such natural entities are aware of the world changing around them; they just are. Instead, the life that comes and goes just adapts to and navigates around them instead. If they were conscious beings, I’m not sure how much concern they would really have for us. We pride ourselves on scaling a summit, or shooting a rapid, or clearing a field, and in some ways, nature just shrugs and keeps on. The natural history of our world spreads out so long that human lifespans are but a blink in comparison. Many of these features will continue to be what they are long after we’re gone. They will all continue to change, too. The granite is reshaped by wind and water, the river curves deeper and wider, the tree may burn or fall, to become a nanny tree for its successors, yet they remain, always the same and always a bit different.
Half of our travels this summer were to visit National Parks. I was impressed at how the Park Service works to balance preservation with granting access to enjoy preserved natural areas. Minimizing impact is an ongoing struggle and has become more challenging as crowds have increased. Much has been written over the last two summers about the ballooning attendance at National Parks. We witnessed some of that firsthand! I found myself deeply grateful for the vision that preserved natural wonders and still makes it possible for them to be available to all the citizens of this nation (although we saw plenty of international visitors in the parks this summer, too!).
As I have caught up this week on summer events, I have had to get up to speed again on the Frederica Road project. This meant reviewing some of the public opinion about the project, which has finally been able to move forward in earnest (despite a recent pause). As a parish community we are very committed to protecting our natural and historical treasures. We have a long track record on both fronts. This project is a unique one for Glynn County because we’ve been so adamant about protecting trees and root systems. They are using methods for laying the road base and trimming roots that they haven’t or don’t typically use, at our insistence. Rather than a clear-cut approach, we have championed using as much treeless land as we can (pine beetles opened a lot of canopy over the years!), and cutting only what must be cut. If you have questions or concerns, please keep your questions coming to your parish leaders, and encourage others to reach out if they do. We remain ready to answer questions and fill in the gaps that we can about the project.
We have worked to balance the need to utilize the land we were given for the benefit of the parish with the natural beauty of this place. Yes, we are cutting down some tress, and we are also replanting trees where there are currently none. Our hope is for a net canopy increase over time. Christ Church loves its trees, and unlike a developer or homeowner who cuts a tree without really caring about the canopy, or who plants a tree just for some landscaping, when we plant a tree, we will be caring for it for generations, not just a few decades. We invest in our trees every year to keep them healthy, and that will continue. We have championed and continue to champion thorough vetting of environmental and cultural studies of the lands we are using and how we might continue to live with the land as good stewards.
Christ Church’s people have long been aware that we’re only here for a little while, in the big scheme of things. We are stewards both of land and buildings, and something even greater, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the ministry it calls us to. We are called upon to balance the natural and historical treasures around us with the health of our very parish itself over the long term. When we talk about our lands and facilities, it is all in service to the health of the institution that helps us foster Christian community and discipleship. Our main goal with this project is to ensure the safety of our parishioners, our neighbors, and our visitors now and in the future. As we said when we started, this was a 100-year plan, not a short-term vision. Safety needs will only increase as the Island continues to grow. Traffic over the Wesley Oak roots will only continue to increase. Damage to the historic Christ Church wall will become more common than it has been in recent years (three repairs in as many years). The Frederica Road project addresses all of these in a once and for all manner, after more than a decade of less-successful attempts to address such challenges.
This a place of both permanence and gradual change. Historians know how our grounds and buildings have changed over the years. Most changes are small and easily overlooked, other changes are more drastic and obvious. Change is not always easy when we are used to the static nature of a place. Sometimes, however, that change is necessary and brings about a new era and sets the stage for another generation. In forty years, people will come and walk into the historic cemetery and the church and feel as though nothing’s changed, though I guarantee it will have changed. I am quite sure we will preserve the spirit of this place and this land when all is said and done, also preparing us to be ready for the changes tomorrow has yet to show us.
Tom+
Even though this project has been in the works for years since our Master Planning process began, and the work has begun, you may still have questions or thoughts, especially given the amount of recent public debate which has often lacked factual basis. Please know we’re always here to listen and respond. This new chapter was being written before my time and is only one chapter out of many more to come – it is an exciting time for Christ Church!
Prayer for a Parish, BCP p. 817
Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth, hear our prayers for this parish family. Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent. Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.