“Little Gidding of Penn’s Woods” is named after and modeled on the unique Church of England mixed community of men, women, and children founded by Nicholas Ferrar (Feast Day - Dec. 1st) in the early 17th Century. The poet T. S. Eliot memorialized Little Gidding in the fourth quartet of his famous poem "Four Quartets." This community was the first intentional Christian community to arise in England after Henry VIII had dissolved the monasteries eighty years before and it was the precursor to the monastic revival of the 19th Century two hundred years later. I think Little Gidding can also be seen as a forerunner to the present day
New Monasticism movement.
I chose the name “Little Gidding of Penn’s Woods” for my website for three reasons: first, because my faith tradition is the Episcopal Church whose mother church is the Church of England; second, because I live in Pennsylvania which means Penn’s Woods and founded by Quakers; and third, because I want to live my Christian faith in a middle way between local church participation and the cloistered monastic life. My wife, Barbara, and I view our humble home as our retreat hermitage where we are blessed to live a simple life with our two dogs - Sassy and Bird, two cats - Elly and Penny, our garden, and all of the birds, deer, foxes, and other wild beasts and angels who call our property and surrounding woods and
open lands their home.
After forty four years of ordained ministry as an Episcopal parish priest, I am now retired and in the autumn of my life. This offers me the opportunity to live into a balanced, wholistic and healthy life of Prayer, Worship, Non-violence, Simplicity, Service, Work, and Study. My life is informed primarily by three spiritual sources: the Benedictine spirituality of the Episcopal/Anglican Books of Common Prayer, the Quaker Peace tradition. and the ancient Celtic Christianity of
the British Isles and Ireland.
My vows are the Baptismal Vows found in the 1979 Episcopal Book of Common Prayer (p. 292). We renew these vows from time to time during worship in church, and I also renew them on December 1st,
the Feast Day of Nicholas Ferrar.
"It's the right, good, old way you are in: keep in it."
Nicholas Ferrar
Praying the Daily Offices of the Book of Common Prayer, especially Morning and Evening Prayer, has become central to my prayer life. The times for when I pray Morning and Evening Prayer change throughout the year depending on when the sun rises and sets. This connects my prayer life with God's very good creation in a wonderful way. At the moment, Morning Prayer is at 8:00 am and Evening Prayer is at 5:00 pm. See my Blog article on the Daily Offices for more information about this ancient form of prayer.
See my Life Together page below for how and when you can pray the Offices with me.
Immediately following Morning Prayer, at 8:30 am I join the Quakers online at Pendle Hill Study, Retreat, and Conference Center for Silent Worship. This is a beautiful complement to the Daily Offices. See the Life Together page below for how you can join this Silent Prayer time.
I regularly participate in the sacramental life of Trinity Episcopal Church in Coatesville, PA, especially Holy Eucharist on every other Sundays and on Holy Days of the Church Year.
About once a month or so, I worship with the Quakers of Downingtown Meeting. Their silent worship is an excellent complement to the worship of the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. Here is a link to Downingtown Friends Meeting:
www.downingtownfriendsmeeting.org
Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God...
Do not return violence for violence."
Matthew 5:9 & 39 para.
Jesus also said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." Luke 6:27
"War is unchristian"
Bishop Paul Allen 1941 Feast Day - September 4th
"The first step to peace is to stand still in the light."
George Fox
Since Christianity became the State Religion of the Roman Empire in 380 CE, the message of the church has drastically changed primarily by abandoning the teachings of Jesus regarding violence. The Christian's participation in the military and war now became acceptable and expected.
Little Gidding of Penn's Woods seeks to return to the teachings of our Lord Jesus by living a non-violent lifestyle and encouraging conscientious objection as an alternative to military service. I accept that this will not be a popular position to hold in the general culture or even in our local churches.
But, Jesus is Lord and Caesar is not. I will follow Jesus.
Jesus said, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist
in the abundance of possessions."
Luke 12:15
"Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich
to enter the kingdom of God."
Luke 18:25
As a child of God, I understand my life to be so much more than being a consumer of goods and services. I seek to live a simple and sustainable life so that others may simply live and our polluted world may be healed. Our children deserve to inherit a world that is just, where the few do not have most of the assets while others live in poverty, and where climate change caused by human activity is reversed.
Thistle Hills (Click on Button Bellow) is a residential program of the church where I now worship, Trinity Episcopal Church in Coatesville, PA. The program helps women who have been trafficked and addicted transform their lives. I performed a solo concert on the Scottish Celtic Harp at Trinity Church on March 17, 2024 that raised $1,300+ for this ministry. I will be performing again on Sunday, March 16, 2025 at 3:00 pm.
I ask myself, "Is the work I do consistent with the teachings of Jesus? Is it meaningful and productive work?" Jesus himself may have been a carpenter, the family trade. Among other things, work may entail raising a family, caring for loved ones, gardening, active ordained ministry or another profession. Work is a part of a balanced and healthy life.
My study is centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as found in the four Canonical Gospels
with an emphasis on non-violence and
self-giving, radically forgiving, co-suffering love.
I am presently facilitating Bible Study at Trinity Episcopal Church in Coatesville on most Mondays from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm. See my Life Together page below for how you can join us.
My hope is that in the future others will gather with me online and in person several times a year, especially at the solstices and equinoxes, for prayer, singing and music, teachings, business meetings, and fellowship.
You are invited to pray with me online. You will need to have a Zoom app on your device. A free version can be downloaded from your App store.
8:00 am ETUSA Tuesdays
https://us06.zoom.us/j/87371265825?pwd=eTlykPSEICTjd2L71KWLZOIQ6V8rC.1
5:00 pm ETUSA Thursdays
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81426808684?pwd=ZlRm7mx5nQaKma8dkqAqDXOmD62aTb.1
See Blog above for more information about The Daily Office
I regularly worship at
Trinity Episcopal Church
323 E. Lincoln Hwy
Coatesville, PA 19320
Sunday Worship is at
9:30 am
Here is their website address:
Immediately following Daily Morning Prayer, I join the Quakers online at Pendle Hill Study, Retreat, and Conference Center for their unprogrammed silent worship. This is a wonderful complement to Morning Prayer.
8:30 am ETUSA Every Day
Once you get to the website
Click on Explore, then Worship,
then Join Worship, then
Click on Launch Zoom
About once a month or so, I also worship with my
Quaker Friends in
Downingtown, PA
where I live
Traditional Silent Worship on
First Day is at
10:30 am
Here is their website address:
www.downingtownfriendsmeeting.org
"Hebrews for Everyone"
20th Anniversary Edition with Study Guide by
N.T.Wright
(This text is required)
Join us in person at Trinity Episcopal Church in
Coatesville, PA or here online
Mondays
11:30 am - 1:00 pm ETUSA
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/75022229931?pwd=3Z3Ilit9b9qg26OQKBK2nuuKhzQT4a.1
See Blog above
for more information
I am a life long Episcopalian and have been ordained as an Episcopal Priest since 1981. I retired in 2022 after 41 years of parish ministry, the last 22 years specializing in Interim Ministry. Presently, I worship at Trinity Episcopal Church in Coatesville, PA and facilitate a weekly Bible Study there. On occasion I supply preach and celebrate in various churches throughout the Diocese of Pennsylvania. I also worship with the Quakers at Downingtown Friends Meeting. I am remarried and my wife, Barbara, and I have six adult children, two dogs and two cats. We love camping, hiking, recumbent bike riding rail to trails, and gardening. I studied Gestalt Therapy, Message Therapy, and play the Scottish Celtic Harp, otherwise known as the Clarsach.
I am grateful that we now live in the age of the internet. It enables us to be connected with others of like mind over vast distances. This is something Nicholas Ferrar and his community could never have imagined.
Perhaps you have been disillusioned by religion or even hurt by the church or "religious" people, or maybe you just are looking for a way to live your life in Christ that is more than local church membership but not the
cloistered monastic life.
Then I invite you to explore what I am doing with "Little Gidding of Penn’s Woods." Men, women, married, single, celibate, lay, ordained, straight and LGBTQ+ are welcome. Children are welcome, too, accompanied by their parents or guardians. Contact me and we can set up a time to talk. Here is my
email address:
The Peace and Love of Christ be with You