Saint Francis in the Redwoods, Willits
Who We Are
We have 62 active members, which has crept up from about 50 in the past 3 years. Attendance on Sunday is 35-40. The major age group is 50-80 with a few kids. We have a Sunday school but not always kids. Most of the congregation is from the Willits Valley, but people come from 20 miles north of Laytonville, from Covelo, Redwood Valley and Greenfield Ranch.
We are fortunate to have a Priest called from the congregation, who serves as a member of the Total Ministry Team. She is one of the first two TM priests called in the diocese. We also are most fortunate to still have our former Vicar nearby, who continues as our retired Priest Associate. There are also 10 Licensed Eucharistic Ministers/Visitors, 3 Licensed Preachers, 2 Worship Leaders, and 25 who serve as Lectors in our congregation. We also have 2 trained Spiritual Directors, a Hospital Chaplain, and a very talented music minister. About 30% of us are cradle Episcopalians.
We have a strong basis in faith, first and foremost because we know we are all valuable ministers for God. We are a vibrant happy congregation that is growing, with an orientation towards service to the community and a hunger to grow this. Outsiders who enter our doors are welcomed, impressed, and transformed.
We have recently built the first “green” church in the diocese – a beautiful straw bale church. We are right on target in repaying our loans, but also manage to continue to support other needed causes in our community and diocese.
Total Ministry at Saint Francis
Our congregation overwhelmingly feels that Total Ministry is the best thing that ever happened to us. Since commissioning it has been morphing into increased trust and cooperation, less ego, and more fun. We have excitement over each other’s ministries and our interdependence has brought about joy in each other. Newcomers have found the opportunities offered by Total Ministry attractive, and they have added depth and richness without changing the essence of what we are.
Total Ministry leads to a better quality of religious experience. We are learning to trust God and "not be afraid". We feel the warm embrace of the Holy Spirit when we get together. There is a high degree of interest and excitement from visitors to our congregation. Our leadership and evangelism for Total Ministry in our diocese has been effective and wonderful. How well Total Ministry has come together in our congregation makes us smile.
We have many ministries both within and outside the church. We believe all ministries are important and essentially equal. Our ministries are always voluntary, which makes each person’s “gift” completely suited to the individual. We are well aware of and actively support each other’s ministries. Ministry thus becomes a source of bliss and satisfaction. Finding and fulfilling one’s baptismal covenant through ministry brings joy, energy, and fulfillment. Nearly everyone in the church has identified ministries, even those who have not been directly involved in the training.
Governance
Decision making is pretty fast and effective. Decision making always involves collaboration and group problem solving, and we find this always leads to better results. For example, the builders of our church were surprised at how pleasant, pro-active, and effective it was to work with our building committee.
Roles and structure in our congregation are unique and are arrived at by prayer and common consent. Our Total Ministry Team facilitates and encourages all of our ministries. We also have a Parish Commission on Ministry. The Mission Committee manages the business of the church as an important ministry, and has oversight over all ministries. Other aspects of church life are managed by members of the congregation as their ministries, reporting monthly to our Mission Committee. Time has proven this to be the best and most effective management imaginable.
Everything is shared responsibility. There is no labeling or blaming. Deficiencies or shortcomings are an occasion for prayer and discernment. The quality of our association is becoming natural and almost unconscious
The Regional Missioner is involved with the Total Ministry team and Mission Committee, provides encouragement, guidance, and direction as needed, and is also a valuable link to the Diocese.
Challenges
• Developing an effective (consistent) way to add or replace members to our Total
Ministry Group.
• Potential burnout or other loss of core ministries. We try to have backups but have
not achieved this universally or consistently. For example, we are still trying to fill
a unified deacon function in our congregation
• Keeping this wonderful part of our faith lives alive and well in our diocese
• Realizing that it takes time to change a lifetime’s experience of the church
• Growth of our congregation
• Strengthen our outreach to seniors, youth, and our population of Native Americans. (We are one of the signers of the Jamestown Covenant in our diocese)
Church History
In the 1950s a small but active mission, Saint James, grew in Willits. They had a house church with intermittent supply priests. In 1967 the bishop shut down the mission and returned all books and furniture to the deanery. The faith refused to die and in 1978 Episcopal people began to gather in each other’s homes. In 1980 we found a home in a back room at the Methodist church. In 1988, with part-time priest Fr. Jim Young, we moved into the nave of the Methodist church and held early services. In 1992, with the leadership of Reverend Mary Fisher, we moved into and purchased the old utility pay station. We retired our debt ahead of all schedules. Within a few years we had purchased the corner lot next door, an abandoned gas station, which we turned into a lovely garden.
We are one of the first two Total Ministry congregations in the diocese. We began our journey to Total Ministry in 2001, and our local priest was ordained and our ministry team commissioned in 2005. We have since been active in TM in the diocese. A substantial bequest from a visitor allowed us to realize our dream of “a proper church” and on June 22, 2007 we consecrated our new straw bale church – the first “green church” in the diocese.
About the Willits Valley
Willits is a town of about 5,000 and the Willits valley has another 5,000. All of Mendocino County has about 100,000 people. Willits, even though it is a small community, is made up of people and businesses that are mighty in perseverance and toughness. We are a diverse and individualistic lot – the Willits community includes old-time ranching families, “New-Age” back-to-the-land folks (some dating back 40 years), a vital Hispanic community, and a substantial community of First People. We have a deep sense of caring for one another and our community. This has been shown time and time again throughout the years. From the beginning, our citizens have put aside their differences and worked together to make our community a better place to live, work and play.
The Willits community is on the northern edge of the wine country and the southern edge of the redwoods, and about thirty miles from the coast. The Willits valley is over 1,000 feet above sea level and is cooler than the valley cities. We are somewhat economically depressed but are very enterprising with many small businesses. Lumber was the main industry until all the marketable trees were logged; now there is only one mill. For about 25 years we have been a center for alternative energy. Housing costs are lower in Willits. We have the most patents per capita in the US. We were the first city in the country to start economic localization. Marijuana growing is a source of income for many in Mendocino County and Willits, which creates challenges for both the county and our town.
Currently, a major local project is the building of a new “green” hospital which will be the rural teaching center for the UC Davis medical school. Willits has a fine library, the Mendocino County Museum, two live theaters, the Willits Center for the Arts, Willits Roots of Motive Power (an actual working exhibit of logging equipment used at the turn-of-the-century), the Skunk Train, and a fine municipal skate park. We are host to the oldest continuous rodeo in California. One of our schools routinely wins the county Academic Decathlon, and our Odyssey of the Mind team is currently the state champion. Many residents are artists, musicians, dancers, poets, etc.
Spiritually we are very diverse – we have 21 identified Christian churches, 4 non-Christian, an active pagan community, and others.