He and his wife also sought out A.M.E. churches in the area to assure them we are in union with their grieving for the evil that was done in Charleston.
Loose offerings were designated to donate to an A.M.E. church that shares the same name as our Episcopal Church.
Ushers told me it was the largest amount of loose offerings they had ever seen.
I am also an Episcopalian. I maintain my membership and regular attendance not because I support the present day trajectory of the church, rather because of family attachments and my local parish has generally held steady (the rector would not likely marry a gay couple). His message yesterday centered on the role of the church in reconciliation etc. Not what I would have liked to have heard, but sincere (and very Episcopalian), nevertheless.
What’s a loose offering? Being a Catholic, we have dated categorized envelopes (although I donate automatically online, I drop in the envelope as proof of my attendance).