March 1, 2000

Perhaps because I’m the very part-time priest of a very small parish, it has taken me a long time to learn the proper answer to the question, “What’s going on at your church these days?”

I used to give an answer something like this: “We’ve just started a new study group centered on the Book of Acts.” Or maybe I’d say, “We’re in the process of restoring 17 stained glass windows even older than our century-old building.” I wanted to let people know, you see, that few as we are, we’re still capable of being “an active church.”

Under a quartz-blue sky last October, a procession made its way from Habitat for Humanity’s international headquarters in Americus, Georgia, to a modern gray one-story building a few blocks away. A sign identified the place as Habitat’s Clarence Jordan Center, used for training and programs. The occasion was the 30th anniversary of Jordan’s death, and with typical flamboyance, Habitat leader Millard Fuller chose the occasion to dedicate the center to his memory.

Holy Smoke! (1999), directed by Jane Campion