The "Happy 4th Of July To You!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just opened my weekly Saint James' "Headlines & Happen- ings" and found a very special event that I hadn't heard about.  Our minister, Father David Peck, reported that as part of our 4th of July celebrations and weekend worship, he would preach on our history and spirituality arising out of the parish along with insights from Paul's Letter to the Romans.  Dr. Cordelia Moyse, St. James Historian and Archivist, was launching a new timeline that gives all St. James members a fresh understanding of how our parish was formed by the American Revolution and played a key role in the survival of Anglicanism in a new nation and the creation of the Protestant Episcopal Church.  As part of my visual weekly newsletter was a section known as "Making History at Saint James."  It told us that... 
This weekend we celebrate the founding of our country following the publication of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776 in Philadelphia. At this time we remember those who advocated, fought and died for revolutionary ideas like equal citizenship and the rights of all people to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  The Declaration and subsequent war against Great Britain not only gave birth to our country but also, it may be said, to the Saint James we know today. While our famous patriot parishioners such as George Ross and Edward Hand rejoiced at this news, others identified as British subjects.  

Rev. Thomas Barton. 

Our rector, Thomas Barton, remained steadfast in his duty to pray for the King. As a result of these profound divisions, there were no church services for 5 years and the church was boarded up. When church life resumed in the 1780s, Saint James was a Protestant Episcopal church, using an American prayer book with American priests and bishop.  To put some of our history in context, we have created a timeline on our website, running from 1744 (the meeting of the first vestry) to 1800. There you can find information on some of the most significant events and parishioners. Over the summer, we will be extending this timeline to the present day.  

I am anxious to view this history timeline and will perhaps share some of it that I haven't written about already.  I will also have to contact Dr. Moyse and see if I can offer any help that she may find interesting.  For those reading my story today who are citizens of the United States of America, I wish you a Happy 4th of July Holiday.  Today my family will celebrate the birth of my second child, Brynn Ann Woods.  She has now changed her name to Brynn Ann Mencarini after marrying her husband Dave in 1998.  But, to Carol and I, she will always be our 4th of July little girl.  She and her family will be visiting from Maryland tomorrow for a picnic and birthday celebration.  And, although our grandchildren are all in their mid to late teens, we will still celebrate the Easter that we missed due to the Coronavirus with an Easter egg hunt.  Can hardly wait!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.