By The Rev. Tyler Montgomery, Bruton Parish, Williamsburg
I am pleased to share the good news that the Canterbury Association
at William & Mary received $10,000 this month from The Episcopal
Church to build and sustain an alumni database. The grant money will
fund various student interns throughout the course of the coming
academic year. We already have over two hundred alumni names in our
database. The strength of this ministry through the decades is
palpable, and we hope that our efforts building and developing an alumni
community will further safeguard the future of the ministry.
As the Church continues its permanent struggle to live into God's
Word, ministries like the Canterbury Association might provide us with
some hope of what the future could look like. There seems to be a
diaspora of W&M alumni who have been touched by the life of Christ
in this place, and through their collective stewardship Bruton Parish
might be empowered to strengthen this ministry well into the future. The
"Church" is the collective body of Christian believers who are
sustained by Christ, and it is to that very body that we must look for
nourishment and guidance in the future. Buildings and graveyards,
historic and beautiful though they may be, are only holy in so far as
they are connected to the living God of Christ working in the flesh of
the Church. Like many other areas of life in our increasingly globalized
world, "Church" is less local than in might have been in past
generations. This alumni database and outreach is more than simply
another potential revenue source for Bruton Parish; it is a way of
"being Church" that recognizes our most precious treasure to be the
souls of those who have seen Jesus in this place, including those who
might now live far away.
These are exciting times for the Church. Contrary to the narrative
of decline so common within mainline Protestantism, I am witness to a
generation of students and alumni who deeply care about God in this
place, and, perhaps more than anything else, that is our witness to the
enduring Truth that God's light shines in the darkness.
If you are a William & Mary alumnus or alumna, please let us know by emailing canterbury@wm.edu. We would like to include you in our database!
