Separation Anxiety at St. David's -- Part II

Two more slights occurred:
Our offer to donate portable air conditioners
Was accepted, then carelessly dismissed
Without a word of acknowledgment.

My offer to guide the planning process
For determining the future of St. David's
Was dismissed out of hand as a threat
To the views of the people in charge.

Or at least that is my deduction
From the confusion of emails
That greeted my assessment of
The financial crisis the parish is in.

The powers that be, see no change
Possible in the position of St. David's
Relative to that of the diocese and
The (national) Episcopal Church.

Growth, i.e., a concerted effort
To attract a large number of new members
Is not looked upon as a means to
Attain financial stability.

A few people drift in the doors;
Some remain who find attitudes
Comparable to their own, and
An outlet for their energies.

Average Sunday Attendance varies
Somewhere between 110 to 130 for
The two services, which is not nearly
Enough to finance operations.

St. David's has no wealthy members,
Like Chatham or Osterville,
Who could be counted on to shoulder
The burden for the rest of the parish.

At present, an unrestricted bequest
Plugs the hole in the annual budger.
At the continuing rate of consumption,
It will be gone by the end of 2013.

I am now simply accompanying
My beloved spouse to book discussion
On Friday and worship on Sunday,
And fellowship with nice people.

Who knows when and how it will end.
The parish may go out of business.
Leaving us to look in our vicinity,
For somewhere else where the gospel
is preached.