Road to Ruin

In case you're wondering
Whence my excessive concern
For a small, nondescript Episopal parish,
Lost in the middle of Cape Cod:

It is a microcosm of the condition of
The (formerly) Protestant Episcopal
Church in the U.S.A, and of its
Member Diocese of Massachusetts.

The church, both local and national
Is experiencing gradual demise.
Its leaders at all levels
Are in a classic state of denial.

Average Sunday Attendance
Cascades downward.
Parishes merge, parishes close --
All blamed on exogenous factors.

The truth is that growth
Is not sought; it is resisted
Because a flood of new worshippers
Might threaten the existing consensus.

Few people are attracted
To a radical rewriting of Scripture,
And its concomitant policy of
Acceptance of bizarre practices.

The Episcopal Church survives
On bequests, i.e., "dead peoples' money,"
As does St. David's, which can only
Hope for largess from someone else's will.

Otherwise this parish will sink
Quietly out of sight, leaving
The Diocese of Massachusetts with
A few more buildings to sell.