St. Philip's Today

St. Philip's Episcopal Church

ST. PHILIP'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH TODAY

Organized in 1861

“A Force for Good”

18 Sussex near Grider Street

Contact Information

Telephone: 716-833-0442
Facsimile: 716-833-0444
Postal address
P. O. Box 1254, Central Park, Buffalo, N.Y. 14215
Electronic mail: specbuffalo@adelphia.net

The St. Philip's Mission Statement

“A Force For Good … To love and worship God through His son Jesus Christ, to make manifest this love in our lives and our community, and to spread God’s love through our shared ministry and service in the Episcopal tradition.”

St. Philip's is a predominantly African-American congregation and is the only parish in the Diocese of Western New York that can be so described. The congregation is a working class to middle class/professional and draws members from all over Buffalo and the immediate suburbs. During the 1920’s to 1940’s, people who had emigrated from the West Indies dominated the congregation, but today the congregation is predominantly native born African-American. There is still a West Indian flavor present, which makes St. Philip's a unique and interesting congregation.

Demographically, the ages are mixed, but heavily weighted in the older age ranges. We have a core of highly committed and active parishioners. The congregation is defined as middle-of-the-road to moderately conservative liturgically. However, the congregation is receptive to change if it is reasonable, not radical and well explained. We believe there is a healthy dissatisfaction with the way things are, and that the congregation would welcome changes to help the parish fulfill its potential. Rectors have found it necessary to develop skills in the areas of consensus building and diplomacy in order to encourage lay leadership and program implementation among this talented congregation.

Lay leadership can be credited with initiating a number of events including Graduates’ Mass, Children’s Sabbath, annual Shrove Tuesday Chicken 'n Waffle Dinner, a quarterly newsletter, "S.P.E.C.", having various church organizations conduct Lenten Stations of the Cross, and last year our first "In-House" parish retreat where many ideas and concerns were freely and enthusiastically discussed.

There is still an insufficient response on the part of the parish to the needs of the immediate community in which the church resides. This is due is large part to the fact that the membership is from a large cross section of the city. We do have a food pantry, and we distribute a large quantity of food to those in need in the neighborhood. We provide the facility for a Community Center. Although there are parishioners on the board of the Community Center, ownership in the outreach objectives of this needed institution could be improved.

In spite of our small size and financial struggles, St. Philip's has always managed to pay its full diocesan assessment and to contribute substantially to Episcopal Community Services. We are very active in diocesan affairs with membership/leadership on the board of Episcopal Community Services, the Diocesan Commission on Racism; the Diocesan Council, and a number of other diocesan activities. Additionally, we acknowledge a need to grow and improve our parish life through development in the following areas

Youth Programs and the Church School: The vestry feels very strongly that it is of paramount importance that we develop programs that will attract our young people and cultivate their spiritual values while keeping them involved in the church.

Community Outreach Development: Our motto, "A FORCE FOR GOOD" indicates a desire to make a positive impact on the community in which we reside and establish a community bond. Effective community outreach will enhance our stewardship and evangelism efforts.

Strengthening of Christian Education: We need to provide for enhanced education in the basic teachings of Jesus, the Christian Faith, and our Episcopal Tradition.

Stewardship Development: We must begin to function beyond crisis situations to insure regular financial support of the parish by its members; and to provide systematic response to the individual needs of the parishioners in the spirit of Christian Fellowship.

Development of An Effective Parish Administration: It is vital that the parish has sufficient staff to coordinate and implement parish liturgical, social, and administrative programs.

Long-term goals identified are:

Revitalization and Expansion of Parish Organizations: Parish organizations need to be expanded and /or revitalized through broader based participation of parishioners, development of leadership, and more definitive directional focus of these organizations.

Enhancement of the Mass: Develop a program to foster a deeper understanding of the Mass, development of the musical program of the church to enhance the services. Infuse more African-American music into the service. Foster more congregational participation in the services.

Parish Retreats & Other Vehicles to Foster Communication: Because we are not a neighborhood parish, there must be constant efforts made to strengthen social bonds among parishioners. In addition, retreats, fundraisers, and forums can strengthen and deepen our understanding and appreciation of each other and of our church.

Development of Buildings and Grounds: We wish to renovate the church buildings, their facilities, and our adjacent empty lots into attractive, creative, and utilitarian additions to our parish and community.

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