It is with great excitement I
approach my role as Pastoral Assistant for this Parish. I have enjoyed
meeting many of you and certainly am very impressed by the work of this
Parish and feel very blessed to have this opportunity to serve you and the
community.
You have been told that I am in training to be a Deacon and thus I thought
it might be interesting to give you a little history of the Diaconate.
We are members of the clergy – we take pride in that and we often say things
like we are a “full and equal Order,” we are one of “many servants” and if
necessary we shall “stir up the dust” to bring to you and the community the
message of Christ crucified. We minister to those in our congregations by
helping them form, frame and live out their vocation as lay persons and to
live in light of the Gospel. We are required to interact and serve as
examples in Christian life to those of the world with whom we work or for
whom we minister. When ordained, it will be my duty to interpret to the
Church the needs, concerns and hopes of the world and to assist the Bishop
and all priests (including the Rector to the church in which I may be
assigned) in public worship and the ministration of God’s Word and
Sacraments (BCP, p. 543).
There are certain things in the liturgy that Deacons perform such as:
(1) Proclaim the Gospel – one who tells the goods news to people;
(2) Lead and/or write the prayers of the people;
(3) Serve at the table with the priest;
(4) Serve the people in the distribution of the elements;
(5) Assist the priest in cleaning and clearing the table (another servant
role); and
(6) The dismissal – proclaiming to the people their role in being
evangelistic and to take the Gospel into the world – the next time you hear
the dismissal, listen to the words carefully and remember, it is not telling
me or you to go home, eat fried chicken or watch the football game – none of
which are bad things, but the dismissal is telling you much more – listen to
it carefully each Sunday.
Of course as a Pastoral Assistant, many of the above things I am not yet
allowed to perform. However, as a Pastoral Assistant, there are many things
I hope to perform – not only in our liturgy but in meeting the needs of the
Parish. My ministry will fall under the broad categories that Christ set
down when he said, “for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and
you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you
clothed me, I was sick and you visited me….” (Matthew 25:35-36)
Hopefully, within the very near future, I shall be able to schedule a
meeting with the Eucharistic Visitors in order that we might discuss this
ministry, share experiences and concerns and do all that is necessary to
support this ministry.
I shall be available here each Friday to visit those who are homebound and
to also attempt to minister and counsel with those who come to the Church.
In short, I shall be available to meet and assist all parishioners and those
outside our Parish. To do this, I earnestly request and solicit your
assistance and help and also request that you pray for me as I attempt to
fulfill my call. The Church office will have my cell number and my e-mail
address is taylor@allsaintstupelo.com – I am on duty all the time.
Let us go forth in the world in peace to love and serve the Lord – rejoicing
in the power of the spirit!
Taylor B. Smith
Pastoral Assistant
