Taize Homily given by Mr. Stephen Schembs on Sunday August 2, 2009

   In high school I was very active in youth ministries with the Diocese of Olympia (Western Washington). The Youth Ministry Group was also known as the House of Young Churchman. Three times a year we would meet and spend at a weekend retreat hosted by a different Episcopal church within the Diocese. In addition to spiritual growth and prayer, there was a lot of singing, often with guitars, and one of my favorite songs we'd sing was taken from today's gospel. The lyrics are:

I am the bread of life, he who comes to me shall not hunger, he believes in me shall not thirst; no man can come to me unless the father draws him. And I will raise him up, I will raise him up, I will raise him up on the last day.

When I was first asked to deliver the Homily at St. Thomas' I was a bit confused and felt surely John must have me confused with another Stephen in the Parish. You see, I am not a Sunday Evening service "type"; I tend to be the Sunday morning, Book of Common Prayer reading, "I have to get ready for the work week Sunday evenings" Episcopalian,

I will admit the process of what to say has been difficult for me. I am not used to publically speaking about my life in the church and certainly not my relationship with Jesus Christ. I suppose in a lot of ways that makes me a traditional Episcopalian.

My journey in the Episcopal Church began shortly after my birth. Growing up my family moved often, usually every couple years. But, through all the cities and moves my family attended church regularly. I was Baptized, received my first Holy Communion and Confirmed at different Episcopal Churches.

But my faith and love of Jesus Christ and the church, occasionally tested, were always part of me.

In 1993 I moved to Washington DC. My first apartment was just at the end of Church Street on 17^th. So when I went looking for a place of worship, St. Thomas's was a convenient option.

At the time of my first visit Jim Holmes was the Rector, the left half of the congregation was "gay" side and the right half of the church was where everybody else sat. (The newcomers sat in the back behind the pillar, which is, of course, where I took my seat).

The scheduled reading that day was one of "those" sections of the Bible dealing with homosexuality, I don't recall the exact passage, but, I felt a twinge of apprehension. I recall from my childhood and adolescence that, anytime there was a passage that dealt with homosexuality or other taboo subjects, the minister usually opted for one of the other readings or passages to preach about,  but not Jim. It was so strange, a bit awkward but also refreshing for me to hear a minister speak directly to the topic and approach it in a way that I didn't feel un-worthy of God's love.

Actually, I felt a sense of pride that the Church I was baptized and raised in, would ordain a person who would not shy away from the issue and deal with it head on. I suppose that was the moment I decided St. Thomas' would become my Washington DC church home. St. Thomas' is the first church that I joined on my own. I made the decision and made the time to meet with Jim and discuss what was necessary to become a member of the Parish.

In the 1990's, it was often difficult for me to attend weekly worship services. I usually worked on Sundays, and my work always took me out of town but, I would attend whenever I could.

About a year after finding St. Thomas', my partner Mark and I also found each other. A series of moves and other issues took me from my apartment in the Dupont circle area to Centerville, Virginia. For a long time it wasn't convenient for me to travel into town and attend St. Thomas'. While I was out in Centerville, I never joined another church and still considered St. Thomas' to be my home church. I tried to keep in contact with a few members of the Parish and received news of Jim's departure but, had never took the time or effort to meet the interim Rector, the new Rector Nancy Lee Jose or Assistant Rector John Dwyer

Eventually my partner and I moved back into the city and a series of events, personal reflection, and soul searching and need led me back to these doors.  I realized that although I considered myself to be a member of St. Thomas' Parish, very few people actually knew me.

I had always had a strong sense of faith, shared a personal relationship with Jesus and pray often. As a person of faith I was suddenly aware that I could not get by on faith alone. I needed to be a part of a church and congregation.

I found that the Parish that I had chosen to join was still there. There have been some changes. The "segregated" seating doesn't seem so pronounced, and since Washington tends to be a transient community there are a lot of new faces but, some things remained constant. Nancy and John are still not afraid to address controversial scripture passages. The spirit of inclusion I expect from my church still exists and a wonderful spirit of radical hospitality has taken root.

I consider myself fortunate my schedule now permits me to attend services regularly. You are likely to find me here on Sunday mornings. St. Thomas' is more that just my church; it's my spiritual family.

As I continue on my spiritual path, I am excited and optimistic about our future as a parish, a church and a family. I give thanks for this open and welcoming spiritual home. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share with you.