How Shall I Serve Him?
THE WARDENS
Even though each Sunday morning we see the Trinity Anglican Church sign standing in the churchyard, with its second line, “A Traditional Anglican Parish,” and we’ve become widely recognized for our dedication to using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, and for singing hymns from hundreds of years ago, it is still easy sometimes to forget just how very traditional we are.
Canon Law is the fruit of many centuries of accumulated wisdom and experience. One of the sections of the canons describes the office of churchwarden, which is almost as old as English Canon Law itself, as “officers of the Ordinary.” But their work is almost entirely concerned with the parish in which they serve. Their chief role is stated with admirable simplicity in the Canon: they shall be foremost in representing the laity and in cooperating with the incumbent.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition for “warden” tells us that the word comes from the Middle English wardein, from Old North French, from warder to guard, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wartEn to watch. Date: 13th century. 1: one having care or charge of something: Guardian, Keeper; 2: one of two ranking lay officers of an Episcopal parish.
Hence, for our purposes, a Warden is an individual with prior vestry experience who is willing to serve in this vital leadership role. The Wardens serve as a council of advice to the Rector and are the highest lay officials in a local congregation. They have a special role both from an organizational perspective and that which can be achieved through leadership.
We have three Wardens at Trinity. The Senior and Junior Wardens are officers of the corporate structure and defined in more detail below. The St. Vincent’s Warden, Bob Ryan is not an officer, but is charged with guarding and leading our efforts to maintain traditional decorum and practice by the lay members serving at the Altar. The Senior and Junior Wardens are well-known to the members of Trinity Church, and for good reason. John Michaels is our Senior Warden. Dwight Sutherland is our Junior Warden. These are positions with great responsibilities and these men have served on the vestry and in the congregation for many years. They will surely benefit the parish even further in their current positions.
The Junior Warden (may also be called “People’s Warden”) is elected by the Vestry at the first meeting following the annual meeting of the parish and represents the democratic governance of the church. The Senior Warden (or, also, “Rector’s Warden”) is selected by the Rector, symbolizing the leadership of the church which is not necessarily tied to popular opinion.
Our by-laws succinctly set out the duties and responsibilities of their office. The Senior Warden shall, in the absence of the Rector, serve as presiding officer of the Vestry, and as an ex-officio officer of all Standing and Special Committees. It shall be the Senior Warden’s special duty to consult with the Rector from time to time concerning the state of the Parish and to assist the Rector and the Vestry in promoting such projects and activities as may be undertaken for the general welfare of the Parish. He serves as Chairman of the Worship and Church School Committee.
The Junior Warden shall have the primary responsibility for supervising the maintenance and upkeep of all Parish property, and interacting with all committees which deal with the physical property of the church. The Junior Warden is also charged with the appointment and supervision of the Ushers of the Parish. He serves as Chairman of the Building and Maintenance Committee.
We, as members of the parish, should volunteer whenever possible to help in whatever way we can, including becoming members of the various special committees. The Junior Warden particularly needs help on the Building and Maintenance committee as that committees responsibilities cover the entire physical facility. This is an appeal to everyone to let Hod know you’re available, and if not for his committee, for one or more of the others. The Special Committees are: a) Building and Maintenance; b) Finance; c) Worship and Church School, d) Music and e) Memorials and Gifts.
Because we are the Church, we are called to serve one another. As we consider how best to serve, the famous prayer of St. Frances of Rome comes to mind:
Help us to see the difference between what we want to do and what God
wants us to do. Help us to discern what comes from our will
and what comes from God’s desire. Amen.