My eye was caught by Fr. Harmon's quoting the Bishop of Atlanta [TLC, Dec. 22]: "... the Episcopal Church has been more responsible than any other denomination ..." within an hour of an older priest's calling to ask if I would go with him to a diocesan event for clergy. At that event we are to learn about the Concordat, my friend's believing that this could be an historic get-together of our two "denominations."

I was baptized into the church of Jesus Christ in 1935; I have been an Episcopalian since 1949, confirmed in 1959, ordained in 1973. All this time I have understood that the Episcopal Church was - a church! A "denomination" seemed to me to be an administrative subdivision of protestantism: United Methodists, Presbyterians, United Church of Christ, et alia, good people all. We Episcopalians were, however, the church. Perhaps not The Church, as Rome might consider itself, but at least we were of the historic church: universal, one, holy, catholic, apostolic.

Maybe as we prepare to drop below the 2 million "membership" mark we no longer qualify as "church," but have become instead just another of the many administrative bodies within general protestantism. If so, perhaps we need to be a part of a merged denominationalism so that we may economically keep together our small, faltering body. Yet, as I read the Hebrew scriptures, the continuing story seems to be about the faithful remnant. Many fall away, but the remnant remains to take part in God's unfolding revelation. It seems to me that such a faithful remnant might best embody "the church."

(The Rev.) Andrew MacAoidh Jergens Cincinnati, Ohio