Little is known of the historical Dafydd, a Welshman, who became known as Saint David. He lived from about 520 to 589. David was the son of a Cardigan chief, Sant, and his mother was St. Non. David was educated at Hen Vynyw, and then for 10 years was the pupil of the scribe Paulinus. Legend tells us that David restored Paulinus' sight after the scribe lost it from constant weeping over the scriptures. After his formal training, David became a missionary and established at least 12 monasteries, based on the Egyptian monastic model. Austerity, silence, hard manual labor, constant study and a frugal vegetarian diet characterized David's monastic regime. There is some possiblity that David may have established the formal Welsh church, but that is open to debate. Legend has it that at the time he died, the sun shown brilliantly on his mourners as he uttered his final words, "Noble brothers and sisters, be joyful and keep the Faith and persevere in the little things you have heard and learnt together with me."

   On St. David's feast day, it is a tradition to wear a daffodil. This custom has never been convincingly explained, although Shakespeare indicates that it "begun upon an honorable request." Who made that request? History has its secrets.

   The above is the Shield of St. David. A legend tells of a vast assembly at a synod of Welsh bishops at which the bishops could not hear an important proclamation. When David was requested to speak, the ground supposedly rose up to form a mount upon which St. David stood. A white dove descended and perched upon his shoulder and he spoke in a voice which was heard by all at the assembly.

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We of Saint David's consciously try to live our vision "to be compassionate as God is compassionate." We work at being a community - a people of faith

• Welcoming all others,
• Caring for one another and for those in the wider community,
• Accepting of others, even though their beliefs may not be our own, and
• Committed to serving others.

Because we are an open, accepting community, we have become a people with diverse faith backgrounds. For many of us, this diversity is stimulating, enlivening, and faith-strengthening. For others, it is unsettling.

Our foundation is Episcopal liturgies and traditions, and many of us are deep-rooted in traditional Episcopalian worship. Others of us are new, both to St. David's and to Episcopal liturgies and traditions. In a parish survey conducted this spring, about

• A third of the respondents had attended St. David's fewer than five years;
• A third had attended St. David's for five to nine years;
• Half had not attended an Episcopal church before coming to St. David's.

Perhaps because many of us are new to Episcopal liturgies, the sermon and music were rated the most important parts of the later worship service by respondents to a questionnaire distributed last fall. Prayers, a quiet time, fellowship, the sacrament of Holy Communion, and sharing the Peace were rated as somewhat less important; Bible readings were definitely less important. Similarly, the sermon was rated the most important part of the early service. There is no music at the early service, and music was rated unimportant by the early service respondents.

Comments written on the same questionnaire also show that our Saint David's community includes those who treasure the language of Rite 1, and those for whom even the language of Rite 2 is outdated; those for whom the creeds are central to their faith, and those who cannot accept the creedal statements; those who rely on the liturgical prayers as a framework for their own prayers, and those who find the same prayers repetitive and wordy.

We welcome children into the life of our church. Sunday School classes for children meet between, not during, worship services. We encourage children to worship with us in the sanctuary and to participate in the services as ushers, instrumentalists, readers, and acolytes; we enjoy having our children with us during all-parish potlucks and midweek celebrations of Holden Evening Prayer, a service that comes to us from the Holden Village Lutheran retreat center.

Though single young adults and parents with small children are eagerly welcomed, as of 1999, only about 7% of us were under 40, while nearly half of us were 60 or over, and about a third of use were retired. More young adults are drawn to St. David's now than several years ago, but still relatively few of us are young adults.

About a third of us are retired and a fair number come from positions in the corporate world. These individuals bring a perspective that is a healthy leaven to our congregational "mix."

We are a group of people who often travel. At least a tenth of us live away from San Juan Island during part of the year. Some of us are on the Island only during the summer months or on occasional weekends, either because the Island is our second home, or because we have a second home elsewhere. Others of us are "snowbirds," leaving the Island to go south for the winter. Then, too, some of us are away from time to time cruising to Victoria, the Gulf Islands or beyond on a boat we think of as a second home. And we all leave the Island from time to time for shopping, medical appointments, recreation, and visits with family and friends on the mainland. As a result, some of us cannot attend Sunday morning services regularly, and scheduling evening meetings requires considerable flexibility.

Even so, of those who responded to our spring survey,

• Three-quarters attend worship services nearly every week, and
• Half participate in other church activities at least once a month.

As for our educational backgrounds, most of us have graduated from college, and many have graduate degrees. Many of us are excited by opportunities to ask and to learn in the context of a faith community.

Alike in some ways, diverse in others, we believe ourselves to be a community of faith-a people who worship together and who share joys and pains, hopes and concerns.

Worship and Liturgy

Sunday Morning Services

Worship at St. David's is centered on the Holy Eucharist, which is celebrated on Sundays at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. from October to May. During the summer months, services are at 8:00 and 9:15 a.m. The liturgy at these services is fairly standard and would not be considered either "high" or "low" church.

At both services, a lay reader reads Old and New Testament readings and the rector reads the Gospel after a Gospel Procession to the midst of the congregation. Lay Eucharistic ministers lead the reading of the Psalms and Prayers for the People and assist the rector as chalice bearers.

The early service is quiet and simple with no music. It is a Rite I service and uses the traditional versions of the collects. Attendance at this service ranges from about 10 to 25.

The later service is a joyous celebration. It is Rite II, with choir and occasional instruments. It uses contemporary versions of the collects. Acolytes serve as cross bearers and process in the reading of the Gospel. There is a nursery staffed by members of the congregation for children under the age of two. Children aged two to ten attend "Wiggle Time" in the undercroft immediately after the processional hymn and return to the sanctuary after the passing of the peace, which is particularly enthusiastic at this service. On the second Sunday of each month a service of healing is incorporated into the service. Attendance at the later service ranges from about 60 to 90, which is close to the capacity of the sanctuary.

On the second Sunday of the month, the Sacrament is taken by pairs of visiting lay Eucharistic ministers to those unable to attend the service. The visiting LEMs go to senior residences and private homes that have requested their visits. The LEMs take communion to anyone who desire to receive it, members and non-members alike. On their visits, LEMs look for opportunities to be in fellowship with the participants, to tell them about the morning's worship service at church, and to extend the warmth of the St. David's community to them.

Lay participation in the worship services is considerable: 14 serve on the Altar Guild, 28 serve as ushers, 20 serve as lay readers, 5 serve as acolytes, 11 serve as chalice bearers, and 9 serve as visiting LEMs.

On those mornings when the rector is away, the Eucharist may be celebrated by our "Vicar Emeritus" Fr. Leche or by one of the priests from a neighboring island. From time to time, we have instead a service of Morning Prayer, led by a lay Eucharistic minister, with a sermon given by one of our two LEMs who are licensed to preach.

Holden Evening Prayer

Services of Holden Evening Prayer are held in the undercroft on the first Wednesday of each month. These services come to us from Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center in the North Cascade mountains. The evening begins with fellowship and a potluck supper, and after the supper laity lead the singing and prayers. Attendance at the services ranges from 30 to 35.

Lenten Services

Midweek services during Lent have been opportunities for church members, with the rector's guidance, to develop and participate in other liturgies. In recent years these have included meditational Celtic services, traditional and orthodox liturgies from earlier times, walking a labyrinth, contemporary settings of the traditional Good Friday stations of the cross followed by having a Chapel of Repose open for quiet meditation, a Maundy Thursday foot washing and Eucharist, and services based on the Hebrew Seder.

Advent and Christmas Services

The lighting of a candle on the Advent wreath, usually by a parent and child, has become a part of Sunday morning Advent services. An older tradition is the Sunday-before-Christmas all-parish "greening," the hanging of cedar boughs from the sanctuary ceiling beams. During the "greening," fresh-cut cedar boughs are fastened onto long cords and then pulled up to the beams, where they hang during the Christmas festival.

Two services are held on Christmas Eve. The family Eucharist is a service geared especially to children. The children participate in a pageant of the Christmas story-always different, always wonderful; afterwards children can come forward to watch and hear the rector as he prepares for the Eucharist at a Lord's table that is low enough for them to see. The Christmas Eve service is a candlelight Eucharist at midnight.

Music

A small but active and talented choir of 6 to 20 members offers hymns and anthems at the 10:00 a.m. service. The hymns are from the 1982 Hymnal and are chosen by the rector and the piano/organ accompanist. Because our regular choir director is away this year, we have an interim choir director. Two other church members serve at the piano and organ. St. David's also is blessed with other talented musicians, both instrumentalists and singers, who frequently add to the music for the service.

Education

Children's Sunday School

The children's Sunday School is very active. It meets from 9:00 a.m. 9:55 a.m., October through May, and is divided into three classes:

• Preschool
• Primary (grades 1 to 4)
• Intermediate (grades 5 to 7)

There are 2 superintendents, 5 teachers (2 for preschool; 2 for primary, and 1 for intermediate), and 3 substitute teachers. The preschool class meets in the undercroft; primary and intermediate classes meet in the small classroom building. The average attendance of the Sunday School group is 14 students.

There currently is no program for teenage or high school students. We have had Vacation Bible School in the past, but have been unable to secure teachers to have the program for the past four years.

Adult Forum

• The purposes of the Forum are to
• Provide an opportunity for participants to discuss ideas and practices that relate to religion;
• Provide an opportunity for exchange of thoughts in an accepting and informal setting;
• Explore the breadth and depth of Christian thought.

The Adult Forum meets in the "vicarage" on Sunday between services (from 9:00 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.) A lay member of St. David's serves as volunteer facilitator. A sampling of recent topics, all chosen by the facilitator under the the guidance of the rector, includes

• An exploration of non-Christian religions
• Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus Borg
• The Historical Jesus movement
• Christianity and environmentalism

Attendance at the Forum ranges from 10 to 25 participants.

Other Education Programs

Other education programs have been led by the rector on Monday evenings over the past several years. These have included

• Education for Ministry (9 graduates, with a total of 14 enrolled)
• Inquirer's Classes
• Healthy Congregations, developed by Peter Steinke (15 participants)
• Celtic Spiritualality
• Biblical Literacy
• Introduction to the New Testament
• Elements of a Creditable Faith

Outreach

Many individuals in the small community of San Juan Island take on roles of caring for others, and the people of St. David's are no exception. Remembering our vision to "be compassionate as God is compassionate" each of us, in daily life, feels called to be a silent servant. Examples of ongoing outreach ministries that we, as a church community have participated in are

• Collecting donations for the Food Bank (each Sunday and in special Food Bank drives);
• Providing transportation to worship services for the infirm or disabled;
• Supporting Faith Homes, a diocesan effort;
• Taking altar flowers to senior residents or to those who could not attend Sunday worship services;
• Making our facilities available to other Island groups;
• Ensuring that our rector has a confidential discretionary fund for use when he learns of a special need.

Examples of other outreach efforts that we, as a church, have participated in include

• Assembling health kits for Church World Service;
• Sending aid to El Salvadorans through the Northwest Medical Team;
• Joining with other Island churches in preparing Baccalaureate dinners for Friday Harbor High School graduates;
• Offering free soup to Christmas shoppers in Friday Harbor;
• Participating in a beach clean-up effort;
• Contributing furniture and clothing to a locally-adopted family from Bosnia.

Parish Communications

Because we are small, we know each other, and much of the communication between individuals and groups in the church is informal and direct. Questions are asked and answered, issues are raised, difficulties are talked about, and solutions are found, by individuals talking with one another. But basic sources of information are the part-time parish secretary and the priest; and the ultimate decision-maker is the priest.

Information about the parish is also communicated in a variety of other ways:

• Advertisements in the local weekly papers state that "Skeptics, Doubters, Searchers and Believers are All Welcome!"
• Voice mail service on the church phone announces our service times and allows callers to leave messages.
• Sunday service bulletins contain information about the coming week's events.
• Our newsletter, The Vessel, is published the first week of the month. The newsletter contains a column from the Rector, a calendar for the upcoming month, a summary of the minutes of the last vestry meeting and other articles of general interest.
• A bulletin board in the undercroft contains information on other activities in the church, the community, and the Diocese.
• We publish annually a roster of our staff, vestry, volunteer leaders and church members with addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.
• The parish has a web site that lists information about the parish and our staff. The web site may be found at www.rockisland.com/!saintdavid/church.
• We have a telephone prayer chain that can be activated at a moment's notice.

Parish Life

As people of St. David's, we celebrate our lives together with a number of traditions.

• ECW - The Episcopal Church Women of St. David's enjoy monthly meetings together with 10-20 members present. In addition to the noontime meal, an interesting program and speaker are also presented. ECW supports outreach efforts using monies obtained through monthly dues, bread raffles, special events and refunds from collected grocery receipts. The ECW also participates in an annual luncheon with women of other denominations.
• Secret Prayer Partners - The women of St. David's support each other with a tradition of "Secret Prayer Partners." At the beginning of the year, each woman who wishes to participate is given, in secret, the name of a prayer partner-another woman for whom she will pray, and whom she will support in little ways in the course of the year. The following spring a party is held for all the prayer partners, and only then does each woman learn who her secret prayer partner has been.
• Coffee Hour- A coffee hour is held after each service supported by volunteers who provide scrumptious treats along with tea and coffee. Our St. David's community enjoys this time to watch our children play, to engage in sharing our latest news, and to tell each other the "To Do's" for our church needs.
• The Day of Francis of Assisi - A Blessing of the Animals. We bring beloved pets, from fish to the occasional lamb, to the altar rail and give thanks for the part they play in our lives.
• Easter Egg Hunt - Need we say more?
• Lenten Soup Suppers/Programs - Usually organized and led by the laity.
• Pentecost Picnic - A sea of red clothing accompanies our picnic, games and a Maypole dance for the children.
• Thanksgiving Eve - We host an ecumenical service.
• Posada - We participate in this Christmas season event with the other liturgical churches on the Island, recreating Joseph and Mary's search for a inn as we walk through downtown Friday Harbor. The evening ends with a gathering over food and conversation at a different church each year.

In the past five years St. David's has seen many changes. In 1995 we made a leap of faith and came together to support a full-time priest. Since that time, our numbers have grown dramatically. With that growth our financial backing has grown, enabling us to become a parish. We have sought to open our doors wide and have become an accepting community that welcomes all. We have resumed a Sunday School program, with able teachers and an inclusive curriculum. Enthusiastic and talented singers and instrumentalists have been bringing meaning to our worship services as they express God's love in ways that words cannot. We hope to build on these achievements and take on the challenges that they have produced.

Nurturing all members in a diverse faith community

We bring to Saint David's a variety of faith backgrounds and perspectives. Some of us seek to explore new ways of worshiping; others prefer to worship in more familiar ways. Some of us welcome challenges to our faith; others look for strength and support in an established faith. For some of us, considering how social and cultural contexts may have influenced the writers of scripture builds faith; for others of us, learning of these contexts does not build faith.

Our goal is to honor all individuals as people of God within our Saint David's community, and to nurture each one on his or her spiritual journey. We hope to

• Meet the varying spiritual needs of our members and our visitors by offering a variety of worship services, both traditional and non-traditional;
• Enhance the worship experience through music, both traditional and contemporary;
• Foster an open, accepting community in which all people who come to worship feel welcome and at ease with our Episcopal liturgies;
• Offer opportunities for those who are questioning their faith to be accepted and supported in their faith quest.

Maintaining and expanding physical facilities

As our church membership has grown over the past several years, so has the use of our buildings. Often the church sanctuary is nearly filled at the later service.Between services the undercroft is busy with Sunday School classes, early service fellowship conversations, and preparation for late service coffee time. Meanwhile another Sunday School class fills the small classroom building, the adult forum group is crowded into the "vicarage" meeting room, and the choir is practicing in the sanctuary. If these ministries continue to grow, we will need to find additional space

Our goal is to develop and begin to carry out a long-range plan for physical facilities that will support

• Our mission to be a community that welcomes all people;
• The activities of our parish ministries;
• The needs of all our members.

In the near future, we hope to

• Make it possible for children to go from the play area or the small classroom building to the undercroft without walking through the parking area;
• Provide recreational meeting space for older children;
• Provide, for the wheelchair-bound, a paved walkway from the street to the sanctuary and from the sanctuary to the undercroft.

Strengthening faith development

Though our small Sunday School is flourishing, as our children grow into their teen-age years, they tend to drift away. We need to consider how to keep these young people; we need to prepare them to be Christians in a society that may not welcome the expression of faith.

Our goal is to continue to work to provide ways in which our teen-age young people and younger children can

• Come to understand what being a Christian means;
• Come to know the message of Jesus Christ and its social implications within the world;
• Participate more fully in the life and mission of the church;
• Develop times and places that give them a sense of ownership in St. David's.

Our adult discussion groups have provided an entry to new perspectives and insights. Unthreatened and unjudged, participants are freed to share their questions and doubts. For some participants these groups have provided a way to return to faith, a faith in which reason, as well as tradition and the scriptures, is a vital element. For others, the groups have provided a deeper understanding of a long-held faith.

Our goal is to continue to offer, both to our members and to our wider Island community, such religious and spiritual educational opportunities for adults.

Developing a new organizational structure

As the congregation has grown, so too have the demands on our priest and our part-time parish secretary. We share information and solve minor problems by talking directly with one another. Even so, our priest and parish secretary are at the core of all our ministries. This organizational structure is a "stretch" for a congregation of our size.

Our goal is to build a broad base of lay leadership that, under the guidance of the priest and vestry, will participate more actively in developing and taking responsibility for the ministries of our church.

We have responded to increased demands on our priest and parish secretary by acquiring computer technology and by developing an able volunteer clerical staff. But we recognize that there is more to be done.

Our goal is to continue to ease the load on our priest and parish secretary. We plan to

• Provide more clerical support;
• Continue to use technology both to increase our efficiency and to open up new ways of sharing information (spreading the word) about our ministries, both with our members and with the wider Island community.

Broadening lay participation in worship

Many members participate actively in Sunday morning services, in our once-a-month Holden evening services, and in Lenten evening services. These individuals are able and conscientious; their participation brings variety to the services, making them community events rather than priestly ones. Their participation also strengthens their ties to St. David's and deepens the worship experience for all of us. But more supervision and training is needed for the roles they fill. In addition, while the choir is enthusiastic and talented, the organ is showing signs of age.

Our goal is to to provide the support that our members, both adult and youth, need so that they can

• Share their musical talents effectively on a regular or occasional basis;
• Contribute effectively in the worship services.

In other ways, many of us contribute to the ongoing life of our church community. But not all of us.

Our goal is to encourage all members to participate as they are able.

Reaching out to the wider community

We are a caring community. We reach out to others as an integral part of our various ministries. Our visiting lay Eucharistic ministers bring Holy Communion and fellowship both to those who are St. David's members and those who are not. Our undercroft is well used both by St. David's groups, and by groups who have no ties to St. David's.Our ECW group regularly takes on outreach projects. Musicians from the wider community are encouraged to come make music in the sanctuary. And community agencies who ask St. David's for support, find it here.

Our goal is to continue to reach out in these and in new ways, for without an outward focus, we would not be a church-we would not be followers of Jesus Christ.

Providing for the long-term financial needs of our parish

St. David's has been financially independent of the diocese since 1999. There is no mortgage on our buildings and spacious grounds. But we need to maintain our facilities and if our membership continues to grow, we may need new buildings. Also, as in many churches, a major part of our income is contributed by only a few members.

Our goal is to widen the base of our financial support and, by developing a planned giving program/ endowment fund, to provide for the long-term financial needs of St. David's.

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