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I don't think people should capitulate on issues of justice and the dignity of people who are different to ourselves (or the same!).

And from the point of view of an Anglican here in UK, I think the episcopal churches in the US and Canada have been like awesome beacons to the rest of the world, in their insistence that sexual orientation should not prevent someone participating in the church or taking lead roles in it.

At the same time, I do think that gentle love and pastoral care should direct each one of us to consider the inevitable wound and alienation that may be felt by people who hold a different view with integrity.

I don't mean capitulation at all.

But I mean recognition of the hurt and human distress - which may actually amount to quite a profound psychological distress - and a very quiet spirit in the affirmation of this decision.

Love is gentle and tender, and I see this decision as an act of love, but others don't, and I think it needs to be carried forward with much love and gentleness and awareness towards those who have sincere faith but can't bring themselves to accept it.

There should, at the very least, be prayer and discussion about pastoral provision for those who live in community with us but feel estranged from what is going on.

Of course, for many gay or lesbian people (or transsexual people like myself) there have been many years of estrangement and marginalisation in some church communities - which this decision seeks to redress.

We should pray and try to be very sensitive, because this decision is going to hurt.

Like a child being born, and new life breaking out, and indeed accompanying many changes and instances of growth... it may be accompanied, especially at the point of delivery, with raw pain.

So I'd like to affirm the integrity of good and devout people who take a different view from mine on the ordination or elevation in the church of gay and lesbian christians or the lives they lead.

[1 Sam 18:5-16, 27b-30]

Trying to practice reading myself into the figures of today's reading, today's OT reading was about Saul's reaction to David's increase in fame and glory. ( reflections under the cut )

My church is having a fundraiser - wait... don't go yet. It's an easy one and requires nothing except that IF you're going out to eat next Tuesday, you might choose to eat at Sweet Tomatoes in St. Charles. One slight catch: you MUST have The Flyer with you when you arrive at the restaurant. We can't just hand them out in the parking lot, and they only will donate from those with flyers.

Here's the particulars (from the flyer):
- When/where: "Present this flyer between 5:00pm and 8:00pm on TUESDAY JULY 14TH, 2009, at Sweet Tomatoes, 2801 E. Main St., St. Charles, IL 630.377.3309"
- Do What: Purchase a meal and a beverage (no discounts or coupons can be used)
- What happens: 15% of the sales generated by flyer-holders will be donated from Sweet Tomatoes to St. Charles Episcopal Church.


So... IF you're in the NW Chicago suburbs area next Tuesday and IF you're planning on going out to dinner, would you please consider going to Sweet Tomatoes?

Yes, you need a flyer - ping me (carol dot townsend at gmail dot com) and I'll get one to you, 'mkay?

THANKS!

So my church's wonderful rector announced today that she's been selected as a candidate (right term?) for the Bishop of Connecticut! We're all really excited for her, but the voting isn't until October so I'm not too worried about her leaving us yet lol.

Anyway, this actually made me think: How are bishops selected in the Episcopal church anyway? Are they voted on by both lay people and clergy, or just clergy?

Thanks!

A bunch of energetic twenty-somethings would be good.

St. Andrew's decided a while back that it would be good, since we really need the money, to rent the little parish house that is next to the church.  Over the years the church has used it for Sunday School, a nursery and a thrift store among other things.  The Sunday School and nursery are no longer needed since the youngest member of the church is in her fifties.  The thrift store was a couple of decades ago.  The last couple of years we let AA and Al-Anon meet there free of charge, but they can meet in the undercroft of the church.  

We knew the parish house needed some work to bring it up to code before we could rent it.  For example it had two little bathrooms, each with a sink and toilet.  None of us were around when that decision was made so we don't know why it was that way.  There are a couple of us who like to draw up house plans.  We showed a couple of possibilites to the congregation.  Someone thought the diocese would give us a grant for the cost of fixing it up.  Things were set in motion.  

It took months to get permission from the city to use it as a rental.  It took an astonishing amount of money to hire a contractor and get the necessary permits to do only those things which were necessary to bring it up to code.  Neither of the floor plans was used.  The remodeling is now done.  Instead of the two bathrooms with just a sink and a toilet in each, one of them now has a bathtub - just a bathtub - in it.  One window in the bedroom was replaced with a window that can be used as a fire escape.  And we now have a ceiling hatch into the attic.

I went over this morning to help paint and found one other person there.  (A woman in her sixties like me.)  There was a lot to do before we could begin painting.  There were forty-four chairs to carry over to the church.  Stuff from storage cupboards to sort through and deal with.  A bulletin board screwed to the wall.  Curtain rods with valances to take down.  We spent the whole morning dealing with that stuff.  We still have three long tables to carry over to the church.  Chris and I tried but they were too heavy.  There are also five heavy six foot high storange cupboards we need to do something with.  By the time we got to them an elderly parishioner in his eighties (possibly nineties) had shown up.  Even with three of us we were only able to get one of these heavy cupboards a foot and a half out from the wall.

That was where things stood when I left at noon.  We'll meet again tomorrow morning.  (I really, really wish my part of this project was that of bringing home baked cookies for the twenty-somethings who were doing the work.).  

“And he sold all that had had and followed Him”

Yesterday I met a man with amazing faith. He is only a bit younger than I am but he accepted a “call” and with his family, is making a gigantic leap of faith.

This man had his life changed by a Christian residential treatment and retreat center in New Hampshire. Over the years he has spent weekends and long weeks working at the facility as a volunteer, handling the duties of the Center's working farm, sawmill and buildings.

Now by the end of the summer, he and his family will have sold their home, sold off excess possessions and moved to New Hampshire. The job includes use of a home.  This same program literally saved the life of my stepbrother a few years ago.

The same day I met this man, I received a worrisome letter from our parish church's Finance Director. Our little Parish was decimated a year ago when a bulk of the parishioners left is protest over our stand on certain social issues. Now it seems, after a promising start at rebuilding member, our church is running out of funds. While the letter did not say this outright, it is quite apparent from looking at the numbers that unless sometime miraculous or unforeseen occurs, we will be broke by the end of the year.

I'm balancing these two events in my mind. We both have great faith, but the man heading to New Hampshire's faith is strong. Speaking for myself, my faith in the parish's ability to survive is shaken.

The man going to New Hampshire is taking a giant “leap of faith”. What comes to me is that our parish needs to do the same. We in parish leadership need to spend time in “prayer and fasting” even as we work our regular jobs and go about our daily and family obligations.

People arrive to a place where there is no church and “plant” one there because they feel compelled by God to do so. 25 years ago, a small city parish in Sacramento made the decision to leave its inner-city location and move to where it is today. It took a giant leap of faith and purchased a ranch house with a large “great room”

Today that “great room” is our sanctuary. This church started as a seedling 25 years ago and has grown to what it is today. Tomorrow night, at a Vestry meeting, we need to talk seriously about it's future.

If you are reading this, and if you're so inclined, please offer a prayer for St. Mary's parish in the next few days. Please help us find our “leap of faith”

I was wondering if anyone saw this site. I think it's absolutely awesome. I encourage everyone to check it out!!!!!

http://anglimergent.ning.com/ ;

When: May 2, 2009 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Where: Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Kenmore (map and directions)
What:
The greatest gaming festival ever to be held in a Seattle-area Episcopal church returns -- and this time, we're UNPLUGGED. Thrill to the clatter of dice, the clack of game pieces marching relentlessly across the boards, and the cheers of triumph and howls of anguish as hard-fought contests come to a dramatic end.

Also, pizza will be served around dinner time.

The event is FREE, but you are encouraged to donate to Child's Play Charity.

Bring your favorite board games, card games or RPGs, or play any of the wide variety of games available.

More info and RSVP here

Add us on Facebook if you wish!

This past week, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori visited the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas.  On Friday, she was in Corpus Christi; today and yesterday, she was in San Antonio.  (As you may know, the Presiding Bishop is required to visit every diocese at some point during her nine-year term.)  This diocese covers a vast area, from the southern tip of Texas (Brownsville), up the Texas coast past Corpus Christi to Port Lavaca, then northwest almost to Austin (Dripping Springs), west to Sonora, and south to Del Rio and Laredo, plus the length of the Rio Grande to Brownsville.  Bishop Gary Lillibridge offices are in San Antonio, but he is rarely there on the weekend, since he and Bishop Suffragan David Reed must travel the diocese to conduct confirmations, participate in celebrations, and conduct other duties.

Yesterday, Bishop Schori came to the Good Samaritan Community Services ("GSCS"), an episcopal social services agency that serves our neighbors in poverty on the west side of San Antonio.  In the past three years, we have begun to operate in the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, the Hill Country, and South Central texas as well.  (I am the current board chair.)  Bishop Schori had no large entourage; only her husband, Dick, and Bishop Lillibridge accompanied her.  A group of westside kids in our violins program played three pieces for her, and she met our recently-named Gates scholar, a seven-year veteran of the strings program.

The first thing you notice about Bishop Schori is how completely unpretentious she is, and that she has a generous and gentle spirit.  We took Bishop Schori on a tour of the facilities, then a small group of us visited with her, discussing what we are doing for people in poverty and how we might expand our programs beyond this diocese.  Bishop Schori was thoughtful and engaged, and thanked us for the passion we brought to our work.

This morning, Bishop Schori came to St. Mark's Episcopal, located in downtown San Antonio a few blocks from the Alamo.  St. Mark's was founded in the 1850's, perhaps the earliest episcopal church in Texas.  (A Brownsville church also claims this title.)  As a downtown church, the congregation is quite diverse--for an episcopal church, that is!  Though members include a broad spectrum of religious and political views, involved in a great variety of ministries, our reputation within the diocese is that we are a "liberal" church.  Bishop Svchori was scheduled to take questions during the time we usually have adult ed classes, and then preach at the 11:15 am service.

The sanctuary was packed for Bishop Schori.  We had been concerned that we might have protesters or visitors who would disrupt the gathering or act rudely, but  that did not occur.  We began with a question from our youth.  A few people not from our congregation asked more confrontational questions--several predictable questions about "homosexuality," another about abortion rights--but they were respectful.  Bishop Schori handled them well.  She also answered questions from the perspective of a scientist (her doctorate is in oceanography) and on the evolving role of women in the church (she lamented that church women's groups often still meet on Tuesdays at 9 am, when those who work or go to school can't participate).  Bishop Schori emphasized that we need to come together for true "conversation" as a church, to listen to and respect each others' viewpoints, and to start from the premise that we are all God's children.

One new member of our church told the Bishop that she had left her prior church (after 46 years!) due to their hostility to the national church, but that she is still on their mailing list.  She asked Bishop Schori to comment on a highly critical (and misleading) statement in her prior church's bulletin about Bishop Schori.  Some present were visitng from that church, and I hope they report back her response.

Bishop Schori's sermon was based on the gospel reading, a passage from Acts that recounts the risen Christ seing his disciples and eating with them.  She discussed what it means to "witness" for Christ, and how she experiences it in her life.  It was understated, thoughtful, and moving.

The tape (and perhaps video) of Bishop Schori's questions and answers, as well as her sermon, should be available at our church's website in a few days:  www.stmarks-sa.org. 

When we first moved into town and started going to the local ECUSA parish in fall 2001, there were always 1 or 2 adults to serve as LEMS, plus 1 child as crucifer, 1 child as gospel-bearer (if that's the correct term) and an adult or teen from the congregation would do the reading. One of the child servers would also ring the bell. They generally aren't tall enough to light the candles.

They stopped having the kids serve, abruptly, about 15 months ago. I don't know exactly what happened with the readers, I think that fell apart shortly after our last rector left unexpectedly in 2005. We are now on our second Interim rector, meaning that we have our third clergy in four years.

After asking many people why children were no longer serving, I finally learned that the person who used to schedule and train the kids is no longer interested in doing it. My husband offered to train them, he used to do this as a child. I drew up a roster and a blank calendar similar to the coffee hour sign-up sheet, and sent it up to the vestry. We were politely but firmly told that our services were not required because "Mr. X" was going to train the kids. Unfortunately, said "Mr. X" is a busy husband and dad with a full-time job, already full to the gills in church involvement, so he can't do it.

In the meantime, young families are continuing to leave the parish because there aren't enough programs for their kids. There are plenty of activities, the vast majority which are designed for adults only. Our daughter is grown, but we want something for our future grandchildren should our daughter decide to marry and start a family. My husband just wonders what happened to the dear church of his boyhood.

We're going back to my home church a few miles away (Roman Catholic) where hubby can't receive communion, but we're in the choir and the parish is very multi-generational. I realize that church attendance can get complicated when spouses are two different denominations, but I can definitely understand why these young parents are staying away.

Are we outdated? Is this just the current trend in ECUSA, or is it just done at that parish? All I know for sure is that the children aren't happy, the young parents are discouraged and the little white robes hang untouched in the sacristy.

From the Diocesan Website:

On April 14, 2009, the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, the Corporation of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and the Episcopal Church have filed suit to, in part, recover property and assets of the Episcopal Church. This action is necessary because of decisions and choices made by former diocesan leaders who left the Episcopal Church but kept its property. News and documents related to this litigation can be found on the Holy Stewardship page. What follows is the full text of a Pastoral Letter from our Provisional Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick, Jr., D.D.

( Letter... )

Statement from Presiding Bishop and Press Release from the Diocese.

I wanted to share a couple of things with you as we move towards Holy Week:

This past Sunday our J2A group used our normal Sunday assembly time to have stations of the cross. Most of the kids had never been through it before, even though we have it every week during Lent (this year in addition to the regular service (which I guess is from the Book of Occasional Services? IDK) on Fridays, we had a simpler, more interactive version published by Moorehouse which also includes large "flash cards" if you will of each station and which we do in concert with walking our indoor labyrinth.

I was really happy with the way the service came out. Being teenagers, getting all of them to contribute to a quiet, contemplative mood is a challenge. As luck would have it, we had a slightly smaller group than normal and some of the liveliest were among those who weren't there. I thought about the expression "everybody who needs to be here, is here". I was worried about the timing, because we tend to run over our schedule and if there is any gap between planned activities the energy just starts pouring out and it's difficult to get them settled down and focused on the next event. But for once, everything worked as it was supposed to.

We chose the latter format described above for the youth group, although none of the kids elected to walk the labyrinth. We had the older kids read the "leader" parts of the service, with everybody doing the responses.

We went from that right into Eucharist (We made sure to have everything in place so they could just step into our makeshift "chapel" where hymnals and leaflets were waiting) with the readings of the day, and our extended-supply priest gave the kids time at the "sermon" to talk about their reactions. They seemed to appreciate it although it made them sad. I think -- although we hear about Jesus' crucifixion at Eucharist weekly -- taking the time to hear the steps of what we believe actually happened puts into clearer perspective the enormity of this act of love. One of the adults commented that she always "feels guilty" and that tipped off a conversation about our own share of Jesus' condemnation and death even though we weren't there for the actual event. "When he died, he died to sin. Once for all" ROMANS 6:10

We sang Dan Schutte's "Only This I Want" (no that is not us singing) and the old hymn "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" and during the last verse I trailed off playing the piano and let it finish with just their voices. "I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back, no turning back." Hokey? Perhaps, but I go with what they will sing, and so far Early Summer Camp seems to be the motif of choice.

In other related news, the Rev. Elizabeth Kaeton of our diocese has prepared a Stations of the Cross meditation for younger children called "Children and their Families Walk with Jesus" which you can see here.

Another cheery Friday sermon from our Rowan.

Read it here.

BEN

Rick Steves has made his recent program about Iran available on DVD. He is offering it to groups for $5, shipping included. The offer expires today, but you can fax an order with a credit card number. Here's the link:

http://www.ricksteves.com/iran/iran_dvd_group.htm

Yesterday at my church, we had Water Sunday because it was World Water Day. There were several parts to the theme, but every hymn had something to do with water (we sang "God is working his purpose out", for one), and I really loved the words to this one, which I hadn't ever sung before, so I thought I'd share them.

Creating God, your fingers trace
the bold designs of farthest space;
let sun and moon and stars and light
and what lies hidden praise your might.

Sustaining God, your hands uphold
earth's mysteries known or yet untold;
let water's fragile blend with air,
enabling life, proclaim your care.

Redeeming God, your arms embrace
all now despised for creed or race;
let peace, descending like a dove,
make known on earth your healing love.

Indwelling God, your gospel claims
one family with a billion names;
let every life be touched by grace
until we praise you face to face.

-Jeffery Rowthorn

Thanks so much for your response to my questions on the subject a few weeks back!

As another research tool - I have created this online survey:

Click Here to take survey

I am hoping to get as many Episcopal adults of all ages to participate in this. I am hoping to identify generational differences in views of stewardship. Please complete this survey once per household. Please also pass this survey onto friends of yours in the Episcopal Church.

Hi folks,

Having been recently elected to vestry (yeah, I know... condolences may be sent separately) I find myself wrangling the Communications of our church.

One BIG problem I'm finding is that The Calendar seems to be in about 5 different heads - and only some of that info gets put on the Master Calendar(s) (??) I'm still having trouble tracking it all down.

I'm looking at revising things so that the Master Calendar is a web based (like Google Calendars) application that (a) can be updated easily (b) be viewed by many (c) isn't stuck in one place physically so that if Something Changes(TM) and We're Not Near The Calendar we can Still Do Planning and/or at least check to see what is already scheduled for that time/date/place/room/event/person/whatever.

So... here's my question - how do YOU do the calendar stuff at your church? What would you recommend and why?

thanks!

(by the way, yes I do know the uphill battle I'm looking at... I'm not expecting full implementation to be done by the time my vestry term is over in 3 years... but I'm willing to be very happily surprised)

So, I was excited to found out I got into Teach for America today. However, I am being sent to Jacksonville, Florida. That is in the diocese of Florida. I am trying to find a parish before I get there that i know is accepting of GLBT people. Does anyone know of anywhere in Jacksonville that is a nice parish. I'm kind of nervous. 

 

I wondered why my son didn't want to participate in Eucharist yesterday. When I questioned him I finally found out that another boy in the school choir with my son asked him, "How is an Episcopalian Different from a Christian?" Corwyn immediately said, "They're not." But evidently the question had been bothering him. Unfortunately Corwyn is bipolar/ADD/Aspergers (the latter just recently diagnosed, and we're still struggling to learn to deal with it) and he doesn't tell us when he has problems of any type, even little things like the fact that the seams on his socks bothered him (which was why he wouldn't wear socks). ::sigh::

We talked about this subject all the way home. Corwyn is very bright. He enjoys reading the Bible (Revelation is his favorite chapter) and his BCP/Hymnal (okay, the hymnal is his favorite part). Now here is his background. He comes to the church via my second husband. His father is pagan. Vehemently pagan. So pagan that when Corwyn was in cub scouts (one year was all my son could tolerate, 4th grade) he wouldn't allow him to talk about it in his house until his mother came down on him like a ton of bricks because Corwyn wanted to sell her some popcorn and she wanted to pick it up at his father's house.

While I was married to his father I tried teaching the children about all religions. I was raised Church of Christ by a family headed by my grandfather who was a deacon in the CoC. He taught me that we are all descended from Adam and Eve. He would answer questions about his religion with "I worship with the denomination that men call the Church of Christ". When I came into service sobbing because my 6th grade Sunday school teacher told us that anyone not in the CoC was going to hell he told me that only God can judge what is the hearts of men and not to worry. Not long after that the minister preached a sermon about the fact the sign in front of the church does not matter so much as men following the teachings of Christ. I was baptized when I was 11 because I felt the Holy Spirit in my heart. My grandparents were surprised but I knew it was the right thing to do and the right time to do it.

At any rate, while my ex has always been rather vehement, he also isn't rather interested in child rearing (or hasn't been until he remarried and started taking care of his current wife's three children). He allowed me to take our two children (Corwyn has an older sister) to the local Universal Unitarian church when Corwyn was four until he was about six. I had to quit because at the time I had had 13 years without a pain-free day (osteoarthritis in both knees) and driving the distance I had to go to get to the church and back each Sunday was too difficult. So Corwyn did not attend church again until I was blessed with my current husband five years ago. We also don't manage to attend Sunday school because of my pain issues (I am now at 20+ years and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia to boot this year). Thus he doesn't have the foundation that other children have to be able to discuss this kind of thing. We're on an extremely tight budget but I wonder if anyone could suggest a book or two that we could pick up for him.