Last week during the National Organization of Episcopal Resource Centers meeting in Philadelphia we toured the historic area with a focus on the Episcopal Church. We spent the morning at the Diocese of Pennsylvania's Church House learning about new resources from Church Publishing. After lunch we set off on our tour.
Our first stop was the Bishop White House, which is part of the historic area owned and maintained by the National Park Service. Henry Carnes, of the Diocese, arranged for a special tour for the group with the curator of the historic house as our guide. In the picture you can see her standing on the front steps of this unassuming brick house.
Who is Bishop White, and why was he important. William White was the rector of Christ Church Philadelphia (the next stop on our tour) and served as Chaplain to the Continental Congress. An important figure in our U.S. history, but that isn't what makes him so important for the Episcopal Church. William White became the second bishop for the new American church after the Revolutionary War, the first consecrated by English bishops after an act of Parliament made it possible for him to be consecrated without swearing allegiance to the King of England. Our first Bishop, Samuel Seabury of Connecticut, had been consecrated in Scotland by non-juror bishops. Bishop White also served as the Episcopal Church's first Presiding Bishop and made major contributions to both the structure of the church and our first Book of Common Prayer.
You can read the Wikipedia entry on William White here (remember to read it critically and with a grain of salt!). A more detailed description of his work in the Episcopal Church is here.
How much of the history of our church do we teach our children? Or our youth and adults, for that matter? Why is it important that we do so? What are some of the ways you teach our history to your congregations?
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