Father Dan

I first met Dan Brigham in late 1983 or early 1984. I had arrived in Peachtree City to become the pastor of a four-and-a-half-year-old church, Fayette Fellowship, an Assemblies of God congregation.

Several pastors invited me to attend a weekly breakfast and it was there that I met Father Dan Brigham.

I didn’t call him Father in those days as my tradition did not allow for such a thing. I don’t recall if I referred to him as “Reverend Brigham” or as “Pastor Brigham.” Whatever it was, it didn’t seem to matter to him.

Dan was rector, a term I would come to understand as meaning “senior pastor,” although the term was derived from a root word meaning “ruler,” of St. Andrew’s In-the-Pines Episcopal Church. If fact, he had only arrived in town a short time before I did.

Father Dan came across as a scholar and I could easily see him in an academic setting. He carried with him a certain spirituality that I would come to also see in the monks at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers.

Dan was the first clergyman that I ever called “Father” and the first Episcopal priest that I got to know reasonably well. He was always cordial and friendly to me even though, at the time, I‘m sure we were theologically worlds apart.

He participated in the Community Good Friday Services, along with seven other pastors, and was there that I saw my first Episcopalian make the “sign of the cross,” that symbol dreaded by evangelicals (and especially charismatics and Pentecostals) that marks one as somehow “Catholic.”

It was also there that I heard him refer to Mary, the mother of Jesus as,” the mother of us all.” The Baptist pastor sitting next to me leaned over and whispered, “He’s going to have to show me that in scripture.”

Later, I would come to know that the Orthodox refer to Mary as the “Theotokos,” or the “bearer of God,” and the Western Church, intending to strengthen the position of Jesus as deity, referred to her as “the mother of God.”

I concluded that, for those who are committed to Christ and see Him as “elder brother,” in addition to everything else he is to the faithful, that, in a real sense, Mary really was the spiritual mother of all who believe. It wouldn’t be the last time I learned something from Father Dan Brigham.

It might surprise some to know that this quiet priest was a member of Peachtree City’s Running Club and was the chaplain of the Fayette County chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Dan certainly didn’t talk like he was from Mississippi, but he was.

In the course of time, a couple of families left St. Andrew’s and began attending Fayette Fellowship. I really didn’t know how to tell Dan but he saved me the embarrassment by inquiring about them.

After we talked for several moments, he indicated that as long as the families were spiritually prospering, he was fine with them coming to our congregation.

I didn’t know many pastors that would be so gracious or concerned with the welfare of the families at the cost of their own attendance figures.

When I began to explore becoming part of a “catholic/Episcopal/Anglican” communion, Dan encouraged me, saying that I would come into a new appreciation of ministry when I was ordained a priest in apostolic succession. He was right.

In fact, when we began a Charismatic Episcopal congregation in September 1996, the head of the St. Andrew’s Altar Guild trained our ladies in that responsibility.

When I took a course on “Grace and Addiction,” as part of my doctoral program, I was required to attend several Twelve Step meetings. I chose to attend the meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous held at St. Andrew’s, knowing I would be welcome.

Now Father Dan is retiring from the pastoral ministry and is leaving St. Andrew’s. During his long tenure, the congregation has grown from a handful of people to over 300 families and worships in beautiful, new facilities.

I understand that Dan is going to South America to teach. I’m not surprised. As a scholar and a spiritual man, Father Dan will be right at home. The community has been enriched by his presence and ministry and his absence will be felt.

In the Old South, one of the highest compliments that could be paid to a man was to refer to him as a “gentleman.” Father Dan Brigham, no matter where he was or what he was doing, was certainly a gentleman.

Go with God, Father Dan, and be blessed. May you continue to find joy in the journey.