Thank you to everyone who showed up for St. A's History Day on January 30th. More than 60 parishioners were there, including all of the vestry and all of the self study committee. Judith Lyons acted as clerk, recording the goings on on her laptop at rapid speed. Scribes Lorri Shundich, Chris Danelski, and Carla Meyer wrote down the main points on newsprint in front of us all in Pierson Hall. I've taken what they wrote to create this summary. Since a number of people had to leave early, I especially want to summarize what was said about the years of Fred Fenton and Hartshorn Murphy—the years during which most of us have been at St. A's.

The Rev. Canon Mort Ward, our facilitator, started us off with two principles we all agreed on: 1) Everyone wants the best for St. A's; and 2) Everyone's perception is okay. He then talked a bit about systems theory − the understanding that everything is connected—and that there are systems at work within any congregation, some that work well, some that aren't so helpful. But they're all part of who we are, as in a family system.

We started at the beginning, in 1875 when some Episcopalians got together and formed a mission. It took from 1875 to 1887 to raise the $3000 necessary to build a church, as many of you saw when you looked over the timeline that was out on the patio for the weeks leading up to St. A's Day (a beautiful creation by Lorri Shundich and Gina Shelton). We thought about who was living in Santa Monica at that time −among them transplants from England, weekenders with seaside cottages and tents, citrus farmers, and Hispanic and black workers in the shipping industry.

We moved decade by decade, through the rectorships of the Reverends Pierson, Nobes, Rusack and Hoggard. Only Alice and Jim Lunsford among us had much connection with this history. The Rev. Nobes was Alice's uncle. And the Lunsford's children were attending St. Augustine Episcopal School when the church burned down in 1966. We spoke not only about St. A's but about what was going on in Santa Monica during this time and nation-wide. Right up until the 1970s St. A's had been what one person called "the businessmen's church"--Episcopalian establishment.

St. A's identity changed during the rectorship of the Rev. Fred Fenton (1971-1994), as Fenton addressed issues of social justice and political action of concern within the U.S. culture at that time. Our facilitator was interested in the question of how Fred was hired: What did the congregation expect when he arrived in 1971? One thought was that he was more conservative when he was hired than he turned out to be, that he changed with the times.

Mort asked us to consider each rectorship by addressing two questions: 1) What was good about this rector's ministry? 2) What did we wish hadn't happened? The St. A's Day group listed Fred's accomplishments: He was a great preacher and he gave life to the Episcopal liturgy. He and the vestry consistently hired women as associate priests, these women among the first to have been ordained in the Episcopal Church. Liberation theology was prominent in the life at St. A's, as was a focus on interfaith work, and social movements, such as protesting US involvement in El Salvador. There were not many families with children in the congregation at this time.

St. A's music program also flourished during Fred's time at St. A's. Owen Burdick, a prominent church musician, was organist, and Bunny Thornburgh was brought in to develop the music program. To this day we celebrate Bunny and the choir, Greg Shreiner, organist, and Paul Baker, harpist.

In 1981 Fred brought the Rev. Malcolm Boyd to St. A's. At Fred's urging, Malcolm announced that he was a Christian, a member of the clergy, and gay. Many parishioners left at that point for more conservative parishes. In 1985 at St. A's, Malcolm presided over the first AIDS Mass in the country. (Judith Lyons's twin daughters, then teenagers, attended as acolytes.) Malcolm Boyd remained on St. A's staff as Writer/Priest in Residence until 1996.

What do we wish hadn't happened? Well, at the time Fred left, after 23 years, there were complaints: That he was dictatorial and opinionated; that he knew how much each parishioner pledged and that affected his treatment of them; that he sold off real estate and financial assets; and that he spent a lot of energy on trying to become a bishop, which didn't happen. A number of people felt badly treated by Fred and left St. A's; others remained but were hurt. So when he left to become rector at St. James Church in Baton Rouge, LA, our interim rector, the Rev. Marni Schneider, a former St. A's parishioner, spent much time and effort helping us heal from wounds that festered. Some feel she stayed too long, that the healing went on too long. But it was also a time of reclaiming the spirit of community, which had been lost, and of bringing more of the parish into the process of St. A's.

When the Rev. Hartshorn Murphy arrived in 1997, we were ready for him. And for Marla. Looking back over the 13 years he was with us and seeing where we are now, compared with where we were when Fred Fenton left, Hartshorn was clearly the right leader for us during this time. When Hartshorn came, St. A's was still trying to live up to its reputation as a force for political and social change, even though there was little real energy for such work. The parish was ready to focus more on deepening its spiritual life, and Hartshorn excelled in his ability to help us do just that. Which is not to say that St. A's dropped all concern about the outside world: Corazon trips to Mexico to build houses were strongly supported each year; the Westside Food Bank, NYA, and other local agencies have benefited from our support.

At St. A's Day it was clear that Hartshorn is much appreciated and missed. He's loved for his brilliant preaching, his mind and his teaching, his genuineness as a person. (Someone said there was no difference between his being a priest and his being Hartshorn.) Parishioners recalled his pastoral care during difficult times. He was welcoming, warm, and opened to "wherever you are on the spiritual journey." He was there to accompany you in your doubts. He was fun.

Are there things we wish hadn't happened? This is where Mort's systems work comes in. We're all connected, and on a few important occasions, the system broke down. People feel decisions were made without consensus, or at least without adequate discussion. Conflicts were not resolved. Relationships didn't get mended. Pastoral care at these moments appeared to be lacking. But despite these disappointments, a parishioner of long-standing said, "The parish has never been in a stronger position to experience a transitional time, and the vestry has never been so collegial." As a vestry member, I would agree with this.

Which is why 60 people showed up bright and early for St. A's Day. And why, although most of us feel the absence of Hartshorn and Marla, Fr. Mark has been warmly welcomed. Most important, everyone feels blessed to be a part of this community. One young woman said afterwards, "I was proud of our church, that we could talk about difficult issues thoughtfully."