Musings of an Anglocostal American

For nearly a year, I have been researching the use of vestments and clerical attire within the Pentecostal church. To understand this issue, we must look deep into the history of our denomination. And by “deep”, I mean that we must realize that our history pre-dates the birth of Pentecostalism (as a denomination) in the late 1800s. Many evangelicals (to include Pentecostals) fall into the trap of not considering church history prior to the mid-1800s. We tend to form many of our beliefs and values as if we were created in a vacuum some 1,800 years after the resurrection of Christ. This perspective can tend to skew our understanding of many “orthodox” practices. In 1738, John Wesley had a religious experience that led to the founding of the Methodist Church. Wesley was a priest ordained by the Church of England (Anglican). Even though he founded the Methodist denomination, he never left the Anglican priesthood. Regarding the use of vestments and more orthodox worship styles (responsi...

In the practice of Christianity, canonical hours mark the divisions of the day in terms of periods of fixed prayer at regular intervals.  This practice of daily prayers grew from the Jewish practice of reciting prayers at set times of the day known as zmanim. Psalm 119:164 states: "Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws". Compline, also known as "vespers" or "night prayer", is the final period of prayer  during the day, occurring just before turning in for the night. The reading or reciting of compline typically takes less than 10 minutes. I often use this time as a way to settle the events that occurred  during the day and get my mind and spirit ready for rest. Much in the way one might use a meditation, compline helps me transition from activity to sleep. I was first exposed to compline in high school as it was often read at the end of the day at church retreats and, yes, even some lock-ins. I fell in love with both its...

Prolegomenon Who Am I? My name is Tim Wojcik. I am halfway to 90 and I live in Columbia, SC. A native of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, and naturally a die hard Red Sox fan, I am the son of Wally and Helen. My step-father, Bill also played a significant role in my upbringing. I am married to Nikki and have 4 kids, Kymber, Bryce, Ashley and Charlotte. I have spent my adult life working in and around public safety. My early life was spent as a Catholic in a New England town where the church and the school were the major community centers. I attended catechism, made my first communion (I can remember leaving baseball practice to go to those classes) and served as an altar boy. I attended mass regularly, sometimes daily (we took turns serving at morning prayer for one week at a time). I learned a lot about reverence, tradition and liturgy from the Catholic church. I attended a Baptist Bible camp near Concord, New Hampshire. For several summers in a row, I learned the finer p...