St. George’s Church, William and Mary Parish
44965 Blake Creek Road
Valley Lee, Maryland  20692
 (301) 994-0585
Web site: www.stgeorgesvalleylee.org
Established 1638; 100 members
The Rev. Gregory C. Syler, Rector

Body of Christ aims to introduce readers to a different parish in the church family of the Diocese of Washington each month. This month, writer Diane Ney speaks with the Rev. Gregory C. Syler, rector of St. George’s, Valley Lee, to learn more about the life, history, plans and character of that congregation.

WW: Is the fact that St. George’s Church is such an historic parish an integral part of the parish’s identity?

SYLER: The people here are incredibly mindful of their history in the sense that this church building, this campus, is so much a part of the living history of St. Mary’s County.   And yet we’re also a vibrant, forward-looking contributor to the present-day community, so our growing edge is to keep alive the mission of the Gospel and remain a part of the landscape of our community. We’re careful to preserve our beautiful, historic presence and, at the same time, remind ourselves what our forbearers were doing here in the first place.

WW: So, there’s a connection in the parish sensibility between past and present.

SYLER: Definitely. We have members of our parish who are direct descendents of those who came over on the Ark and the Dove, the ships that brought the English settlers to St. Mary’s City in 1634. It’s all very humbling for me. I’m one of some 50 or 60 rectors who have served here over the last 300 years. The trick is remembering that we are a church. Our work is to reclaim our identity. We are the bearers of this wonderful history AND we are Christ’s disciples in the 21st century who see poverty and want to feed the hungry and house the homeless and commit ourselves to education and formation. We are vibrant and forward-looking as a parish, in terms of the number of members we have who commit themselves to this ministry every day.

WW: You’ve found a way to use your history as a springboard.

SYLER: Well, the folks who were here as of 1638 built this church because they desired a place of worship and a community center. The reason there is a church here is because they were committed to doing ministry. And we are committed in ways as robust as theirs. For instance, St. George’s has been one of the leaders in putting together an interfaith coalition of churches in our county that provides safe shelter and meals for persons who are homeless during the cold months, from November through March. We call ourselves WARM – Wrapping Arms ‘Round Many. And through that work, we have learned a lot about ourselves as a congregation, about how we can come together and form a real connection and make a difference in people’s lives. Now we’re talking about the possibility of a center where homeless persons could go during the day. If I think of the basics of Christianity, they would be to come together for worship, fellowship with God and one another, be formed in your faith, and then go out into the world to love and serve.

WW: Do you have any special programs related to worship?

SYLER: We’ve tried to render worship simple and beautiful in the Episcopal sense, and also accessible to those coming back to church, perhaps after a long absence. Also, we’ve spent a lot of time the last couple of years really working on making Sundays a dynamic and intergenerational experience. We provide adult formation opportunities, as well as a strong Sunday school. We’ve been working a lot on strengthening our basics of Christian education for adults and youth and children.

WW: How does that relate to your youth programs?

SYLER: My wife, Meredith, is also a priest and she and I, with clergy and lay folk from other St. Mary’s County parishes, have kicked off a county-wide youth group, raising up the next generation of leadership. We average about 20 kids on Sundays. These kids are coming together as a group, sharing the knowledge that “my church supports me, wants me, I have a place of value in my church.” We’re looking into presenting them with opportunities to go out into the community and serve. And then we have some fun things. This year, we’re launching a “High Seas Expedition” for Vacation Bible School. Given the nautical nature of this area, combining that with Vacation Bible School seems a natural. One of our parishioners is a local waterman and owns the North Star, the boat we’re taking the kids out on, probably in St. George’s Creek, after they’ve experienced the deep, rolling waves of God’s love in their classes. One of the things that always impressed me about the Episcopal Church is that it’s kind of like stepping stones in a creek. Wherever you are, at whatever stage in your life, the Episcopal Church should be present – whether Sunday school, or youth group, or campus ministry, or adult formation, or outreach, or – when we’re a bit older – an Episcopal retirement community. That’s a robust church, to me, the one that meets you where you are in life.