St. Gregory’s Church Woodstock
Sunday, 26 July, 2009, Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
The Rev’d Susan Auchincloss
This morning I simply want to tell you a true
story. It arises out of today's Gospel reading of the feeding of the 5,000. This
is perhaps Jesus' greatest miracle. Some try to explain it away, saying the
Gospel writers wrote symbolically, to foreshadow the Eucharist. Others say that
Jesus' act of generosity with the five loaves and two fish inspired all the rest
to pull out their own hidden stores of food. Others accept it at face value. In
any case, Jesus said of this and his other miraculous deeds, "Truly, truly, I
say to you, those who believe in me will also do the works that I do; and
greater works than these will they do, because I go to the Father.” I used to
think, who has ever healed people with the consistency of Jesus? Or fed
multitudes? Or driven out demons? Then I thought, “Yes, but he worked at the end
point, so to speak, like the Good Samaritan. Since then we, Jesus' followers,
have worked our way up stream to cut off the flow of wounded people at the
source, before they are wounded. This story is an instance of “doing the works
that I do and greater works than these will they do....”
Two years ago I visited an Episcopal school in Dorchester, Massachusetts, which
is the most disadvantaged section of Boston. It takes children from fifth grade
through eighth, and costs nothing. You need only one thing to be accepted: your
family must be on food stamps. Unlike other private schools, applicants are not
accepted on the basis of merit. Instead, Epiphany chooses students on a lottery
basis – every applicant has an equal chance to get in, regardless of faith,
race, culture, or cognitive profile. As they say, “We believe in the Episcopal
tradition that we find God in and through each other's presence.” There is no
tuition, so every family can afford to send a child. There is a cost,
however: every parent must volunteer two hours a week at the school.
The school day begins at 7:00 in the morning and lasts until 7:00 at night, with
breakfast, lunch and dinner provided. Parents and siblings may join the students
for dinner, and many do so. The school year lasts eleven months, six days a
week, so effectively, the students are removed from their neighborhoods. In
addition, the school helps families connect with health, prevention, and social
services. This makes sense, since an academic program, however strong, cannot
succeed if poor health prevents the child from learning. For the same reason,
the school will also assist parents looking for work or housing.
When the students arrive at school at 7:00 a.m. the headmaster stands at the
door to greet them. They must shake his hand, look him in the eye, and say,
“Good morning, Mr. Findley.” I experienced the fruits of this training when I
visited the school. In the front hall I met a boy of about twelve, who in the
most natural, unselfconscious way, veered over to me, put out his hand, smiled,
looked me in the eye and said, “Welcome to epiphany School.”
Class sizes are small, usually ten to a class; and individual instruction is
given as well. Though behavioral standards are high, students are never expelled
from the school unless they endanger the safety of others. Even then – for that
or any other reason – the child's desk remains unoccupied. It reminds the other
children that their classmate always has a place to return to if and when they
are able. In this tangible way the school manifests its commitment never to give
up on a child.
The students come from neighborhoods blighted with drugs, high crime, and early
pregnancy rates. Many children from these neighborhoods drop out of school at
eighth grade, others fall away during high school, and only a small number ever
graduate. Virtually none go on to college. At Epiphany the classes are small,
and some children have an individual learning program. They do their homework at
school with faculty present to help them. In addition to academics, every child
learns to swim and ice skate, goes to summer camp, and generally learns those
skills that advantaged children take for granted. After they graduate from
eighth grade Epiphany finds a place for them in a school suited to them. About
one third go on to parochial schools; one third to boarding schools or one of
the competitive Boston day schools; and one third to charter schools. In other
words, given Epiphany's culture of hard work, respect, and individual
appreciation, these children become skilled learners. I had a taste of this when
I joined a table full of students for lunch. Mr. Findley, the school head, asked
them what they thought they might do in life, and one replied thoughtfully that
he intended to become a medical doctor.
Epiphany continues to support its graduates after they go on to high school. A
special room is reserved for them at the school, where they can come after
classes, hang out, and get help from faculty on their homework. At the time of
my visit the first class of Epiphany graduates had gone on to graduate from high
school and all but one were going on to college. That one had chosen to enter
the merchant marines.
Epiphany first started in a church basement. Soon they were able to buy a
building in one of the most run-down sections of Dorchester. The building stood
next to a T-stop that had been boarded up and closed because of the violence of
the neighborhood. An alley bordered the building on one side, which served as
home base for drug dealers and other forms of low life. By the time of my visit
all that had changed. The T-stop was not only open and running, but was
beautifully landscaped. The alley behind the school had been closed and sold to
the school, so that it now served as a grassy play ground. Shops in the
neighborhood looked prosperous. This happened, because under Epiphany's
leadership, the residents of the neighborhood organized and put political
pressure on the city to respond to their needs.
Eighty students are enrolled in
the four grades at a cost of $20,000 per student. To meet this cost the school
relies on private, foundation, and corporate support. Volunteers also play a big
part. Many of the volunteers come from area churches. The school employs nine
master teachers at competitive salaries and full benefits. These in turn oversee
and mentor Teaching Interns, who are young teachers, typically recent college
graduates, who commit to a year (or more) of service in exchange for room,
board, health care, and a modest stipend of $400/month.
The mission statement puts it this way. “Epiphany challenges students to
discover and develop the fullness of their individual gifts. We seek to prepare
graduates who will contribute intelligently, morally, and actively to the
society they will inherit.”
I have told the story
of Epiphany School at length, because it offers just one example of doing, as
Jesus said, “greater works than [his own].” In other words, the school has cut
off a host of ills before healing would ever need to be called for. In a less
dramatic way, do we not do the same, though we offer healing of a more profound
sort? We come to St. Gregory's battered by life. We find that we are not only
admitted, but welcomed regardless of merit, faith, race, culture, or cognitive
profile... though perhaps we do need to be on spiritual food stamps! Moreover,
we know that our place here is secure, regardless of how often we come or how
much we contribute of our time and our money. Like Epiphany we, too, offer
practical support. We pray for each other, we help each other with food and
rides. If we can help one other find work or housing we do our best. Most
important, though, we offer healing for the soul. This goes beyond acceptance
into a club or community, which is good as far as it goes. But we offer
tuition-free acceptance into a living body, an eternal body, with the spirit of
Christ as its life blood. Nothing goes beyond such loving, total acceptance when
it comes to healing; yet we offer more. For souls famished for purpose and
meaning we offer a commitment to the practice of prayer. It seems to me that
these words are meant for us, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you who believe in me
will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will you do,
because I go to the Father."