A Place of Their Own

Two Modesto congregations rooted in one church went their separate ways Sunday.

Wellspring Anglican Church held its first service in the old J.S. West furniture store in downtown Modesto. Meanwhile, the Episcopal Church moved back into St. Paul's on Oakdale Road.

Both churches struck a celebratory mood, with 233 Anglican parishioners christening their new house of worship and the Episcopalians drawing more than 200 people from Visalia to Sacramento for their service.

Last week, the Anglican congregation at St. Paul's handed over the keys to its $2.3 million facility to Episcopal Bishop Jerry Lamb. The congregation became one of the first in the nation to voluntarily give its property to the Episcopal Church before a lawsuit was filed.

It's a miniature portrait of a conflict going on across the country over the interpretation of Scripture, such as whether Jesus is the only way to salvation, as Anglicans believe, and if same-sex marriages should be allowed, as Episcopalians favor.

But Sunday, both sides seemed content.

"I felt fabulous about it," said the Rev. Michael McClenaghan about the first service at Wellspring. "The reverence in the songs, the dance, the worship — you can't buy that."

At St. Paul's, Lamb told the congregation he enjoyed seeing the church full, including occasional interruptions by squealing babies.

"It felt wonderful," he said. "It showed the vitality and life that I'm sure is going to continue."

At Wellspring, people seemed pleased as they entered the sanctuary and saw the new altar with a cross on the wall behind it flanked by two long banners to give the appearance of stained glass windows. The building formerly was the J.S. West furniture store and has been used by other churches in recent years.

A place for 'new beginnings'

Before the first song, the vocalist said, "Welcome to Wellspring Church," and the congregants responded with applause. More spontaneous applause broke out when McClenaghan gave the final words just as a train rushed by outside, blowing its horn.

"Perfect timing," he said with a laugh.

It wasn't all smooth sailing, however.

"Our carefully selected and ordered chairs will arrive tomorrow," the priest announced early in the service, explaining why the congregation was seated in folding chairs. The new chairs with kneeling pads were supposed to arrive last week.

He didn't spend much time on the move, only offering an opening prayer to bless the new facility and saying in his sermon about failures: "God loves the underdog. Failure is just another word for new beginnings. That's what we have here in this place. ... As we begin, remember that our greatest successes will come from our biggest failures."

He pointed out a large, commissioned oil painting of Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman at the well. The story from John 4 speaks of a woman who led a life of immorality, yet was promised springs of living water by Jesus. The name of the church, Wellspring, comes from that story.

"The only hope there is of salvation in this world is Jesus Christ," he said. "That's why we're here (in this location) and not there (at St. Paul's)."

About 90 percent — nearly 300 people — have switched their membership from St. Paul's to Wellspring. John Bree is one of them.

"I thought it was wonderful," he said after the service. "I like the facility, the music, the dancing, the prayers. I like the closeness of the congregation."

Ruth Sundar, a member since 1983, said: "It was beautiful worship. It's the same that we always have — true worship. It's a blessing to me."