Where We Worship: Ye olde congregation, updated

THE AFRICAN Episcopal Church of St. Thomas is one of the most historically important congregations in town, established in 1792 by Colonial preacher Absalom Jones, a founding father of racial equality in America.

It's also a large (and growing) modern congregation, with its own Boy Scout troop (one of the oldest black troops in America), eight music ensembles (one of which performs with the Philly Pops), 17 guilds and organizations (including a gardening guild and a thrift shop), a dance ministry, couples classes, teen and young-adult programs, a weekly healing service, a ministry to help the bereaved and depressed, significant outreach to the hungry and the homeless . . . and even its own AV club (formally, the Tape Ministry) to record services, sermons and special events on tape, CD and DVD.

The one thing "I think about every day," said the rector, Father Martini Shaw, is how to meld the congregation's "magnificent history" with "the needs of people today - and not just lean on the history."

WHO WE ARE: The congregation has about 1,000 members, 300 to 400 of whom regularly attend Sunday services. They're a predominantly black congregation - but not exclusively. Tithing is encouraged: There's a chart in the weekly church bulletin that works the percentages.

ANGLICAN, WITH A TWIST: The St. Thomas Sunday service would be almost entirely familiar to the queen of England, to name just one fellow churchgoer from the Anglican/Episcopal fold. But at St. Thomas, the high-church Anglo-Catholic liturgy is "enriched with an evangelical Afrocentric focus."

Largely, that means both the preaching and the music are livelier.

"Within the African-American community, a lot of emphasis is placed on the preached word," Father Shaw noted. And when the contemporary ensemble is in the house - the various music groups play in rotation - you'll hear Gospel-infused selections accompanied by trumpet, bass, organ and drums.

ANOTHER TWIST: In addition, there's a public "call to Christian discipleship" at the end of St. Thomas' Sunday services that would be familiar to black Baptists and Methodists, among others, and a surprise to almost all Episcopalians.

New members come to the front of the church to publicly profess that they're joining the congregation and the faith. "We're probably the only Episcopal church that does that," Father Shaw said. "Normally if a person wants to join an Episcopal church, that's not public. You just tell the rector."

(Even at St. Thomas, shy people can opt out.)

WHERE WE WORSHIP: The church is just off City Avenue, at 6361 Lancaster Ave., in Overbrook. One noteworthy architectural feature is the Absalom Jones Memorial Stained Glass Window, commemorating the founder.

The building is the fifth one the congregation has inhabited in its 221-year history. Since 1992, the ashes of Absalom Jones have been enshrined in the main church altar.

The Sunday service is at 10 a.m. A midweek healing service is held Wednesdays at 11 a.m.

WHAT WE BELIEVE: As Episcopalians, "our belief is stated every Sunday when we stand up and say the Nicene Creed," Father Shaw says. It starts with the words, "We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and Earth . . . " then enumerates other articles of faith.

In daily life, it all boils down to love and service. "I think that has to be the crux of our existence," Father Shaw says. "It's very easy to say 'I love you.' . . . You've got to put action behind the words."

GOOD WORKS: Among other outreach efforts, St. Thomas' cooks, packs and serves meals to the needy through a project called the Chosen 300, an alliance of local congregations.

MORAL ISSUES WE'RE GRAPPLING WITH: "I'd say we're just trying to remain relevant - in terms of those who are homeless, those who are hungry, those who are in prison."

GOD MOMENT: Father Shaw says he feels the presence of God most powerfully when he distributes communion.

"People present their full selves when they kneel there," he says. "They appear very naked in their emotions, with no facade. It's like they recognize, 'It's me and God at this point.' "

BIG MOMENT IN FATHER SHAW'S TENURE: On May 5, he will celebrate his 10th anniversary as rector at St. Thomas in a church service at which the visiting bishop of Panama, the Rev. Julio Murray, will preach.

A casual fish fry and dressy dinner dance are also part of the weekend's festivities.

WORDS OF HOPE: "I would say, hold on to your faith. Hold on to it with fervent prayer and servant study. . . . Whether you're praying to Jesus or Allah or Jehovah - whomever you're praying to - those are what give us direction, what give us strength. They will give us the hope we need."