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Alan is 64, a CPA by training, jazz musician and writer. He spends his time at his practice as a management and financial consultant (Alan J. Segal, LLC) and playing jazz (The Jack Alan Quartet). The JAQ was formed with the specific goal of performing in churches to help them raise funds for their music programs. He volunteers his time to several Episcopal groups as a business/financial advisor and plays the double bass in church programs whenever asked. The Rev. Joy Segal, his wife of 23 years is the daughter and the sister of Episcopal priests. She is currently the Rector at Gloria Dei (Old Swedes) Church in Philadelphia. Gloria Dei, a national historic site, is the oldest church in Pennsylvania and reputed to be the second oldest church in the United States.
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Guest Column: Song of the Involved Rector's Spouse
By Alan J. Segal
I hear the gentle sound of the air conditioning and the soft bleat of horns on the busy street that bounds the church to the west both of which overcome the jazz playing via the internet. The sounds of a busy church have subsided and I am waiting, patiently, for her to return so that we can visit some friends, to laugh and relax. It's nice to sit and not worry about this week. Each and every day I have been wrapped around the stresses and strains of the Special Audit Committee of this diocese. The diocese is in turmoil, with competing groups making competing claims about the bishop. Every priest I meet (and I meet more than my share each and every week) is agitated, soulful and prayerful. These are not good times in this diocese. My wife and I are one in our belief that there is something amiss in the operations of this diocese, and we chose to use my talents as a financial and management consultant to help in divining the truth of the situation. It is a stressful position, and me not being an Episcopalian makes it even harder. My temperament and bearing are not making it easier. Most of the good, kind people I meet are afflicted with, what I call the "Episcopalian Disease". No one likes conflict (I thrive on it), no one wants to demand a change (I thrive on that demand), and no one knows the right from the wrong, the truth from the lies in this situation. How hard is it to be the rector's spouse in this context? Well, I introduced myself at the last meeting as the Rector's wife - some things die hard, even to my own ears and heart. And so I sit at my wife's desk, writing, and thinking about how I became this involved in so short a period of time in the life of the diocese. I know that it's the right path to take; it feels right. I will continue supporting my wife in her most difficult job, attempting to keep our song from becoming so jazzy that we can't hear our melody. All the while the improvisation of the vicissitudes that rack the diocese are struggling to be heard, and I hope that the strength of my bass line will help to make this song a bit brighter and easier for everyone involved. It's not the easiest tune to play, this song of the involved rector's spouse. All sensitive correspondence received
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