Rose Windows

Disembarking

2011-03-09T18:49:00.001-08:00

I was a terrible travel blogger, I know. Seasickness was a major obstacle to blogging. Even on good days, spending very much time looking at the computer was tough. My job required some computer work, so much more than that and I felt pretty bad - and that was on the good days!

I keep describing the voyage as the strangest combination of extreme highs and lows I've ever experienced. I'm so glad I did it! I doubt I'll be a repeat voyager. Would I recommend it to other student life professionals or students? Depends. Students who are mature and have some interest in and capacity for cross-cultural engagement? Students who are smart and care about other people and the world more than partying? Absolutely.

My student life colleagues were the most talented, exceptional, and fun group of people I know! They were the highlight of the voyage for me. That makes it easy to recommend others apply. The job is tough, though, and was demoralizing at times. I was spoiled at University of the Pacific and I missed the leadership and experience of my Pacific dean and V.P. So I guess the most I can say is I'm ambivalent about recommending it to other professionals. And I'm glad I did it. You probably would be, too!

Thanks to everyone who made a donation to NetsForLife! The campaign continues, so if you want to make a big difference in the world, make a donation of $12 or more.

Malaria

2010-10-29T23:10:00.000-07:00

Here's what I've learned about Malaria, some of it recently when a student became very ill with the disease: There are (at least) three strains of Malaria. Two of them are less dangerous and one can be very serious. In Malaria prone areas, many people develop some natural immunity. I asked about Malaria many times in Ghana and was told that Malaria was no big deal. Adults get it fairly frequently, get miserably sick, and get well. Much like a bad flu, especially with the less severe strains.

People with weakened immune systems, whether from malnutrition or another disease such as HIV, are at greater risk. Those with no immunity to Malaria, such as travelers from non-Malaria regions, and infants and children with little immunity, are also at a much greater risk. This is why the death rates from Malaria are so high among children under 5 years old.

We were also told in Ghana that most people use mosquito nets, at least in the urban areas because that's where there's education about it. In the rural areas, it is less common, and again, where death rates are high.

The education that NetsForLife is doing is very important. Malaria is only carried by mosquitoes, and by mosquitoes that are primarily active at night. One bed net can protect several people and save the lives of children and adults who are real risk of death.

Poverty around the world is rampant. Corruption in government is commonplace and taken for granted by many. War is all too familiar. Natural disaster - like the Tsunami and volcanic eruption that struck Indonesia this week - is unavoidable. Malaria deaths are one problem that can be interrupted.

Please make a donation to NetsForLife if you haven't already. This month your donation will be matched 100%, doubling it's impact.

Just $12 will buy a net and perhaps save a whole family the terrible grief of losing a child.

Still Sailing!

2010-10-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

I know, I know! I'm way overdo on posts! More are coming soon. I'm managing to keep sea sickness to a low hum when we're at sea. But reading and writing is often unpleasant, and our time in port is PACKED! So I'm behind. We arrive in India tomorrow morning. The best part of this is that we will have several weeks of very short sea passages between ports - which is good for sea sickness.

I just saw a new e-mail from ERD announcing that ALL donations to NetsforLife between now and Nov 30 will be matched by a generous donor. SO if you haven't made your donation, yet, now's the time!

More pictures and stories soon!

Maroc, continued

2010-09-27T04:09:00.000-07:00

One of the best parts of our trip across Morocco was our guide, Omar. He's led Semester at Sea trips before, though most of the time he leads small private tours for diplomats, CEOs and the like. The morning after the camel trek, back in Marrakech, Omar offered to lead a cultural tour through the medina. A small group of people took him up on it which made for a great experience.

He took us to the oldest part of the medina, or old city, to meet some traditional artisans. The first was a 13th century wood carvers shop, where a man used his hands and feet to operate a lathe on the ground and turn tiny dowels into delicate beads and rings. We saw a traditional community bakery still in operation, because the bread tastes better baked this way, Omar said.

The highlight of the morning was the rug coop. This establishment markets rugs from all over the country. We were warmly welcomed and invited to take seats around the enclosed courtyard, where the show began. One man began to tell us about how the rugs were made as others dramatically pulled rolled up carpets from the stacks surrounding them and unrolled them with a flourish.
The speaker identified the tribe that made each rug and pointed out the features unique to that tribe's style. It was fun to see who gravitated toward which rugs. We all had different favorites. After the show, we were encouraged to wander around the towering stacks and choose the rug we wanted. At one point, as I was looking at a rug I liked and trying to calculate the exchange rate of Dollars to Dirham, the salesman said, "don't look with your eyes, but your heart!" I heard others ask, "which one do you love?" It's a good technique. It also illustrated the real value of the rugs. The actual cost of the rugs was pretty dear, too. With Omar's help I was able to get a small rectangular rug made in two styles - flat weave and knotted - in muted red and blue. At one point the haggling seemed to be escalating. I told Omar to say I was a poor teacher who could not afford a big price! With that the man in charge said okay, "You deserve it!" And cheered from the balcony over looking the courtyard.

Time was quickly evaporating so Omar hurried us through the medina headed toward an area of souks, or shops, where he trusted the owners to give us good deals. Our passage was slowed by a donkey cart that was having trouble staying on the cobbled road and between the souks. Eventually we wandered into an open area with an aromatic spice shop.

Omar guided us away from the snake charmers and the more garish tourist traps and instead gave us a glimpse into the history of this ancient society and the people who uphold it.

We eventually headed back to Casablanca and its crowded streets and industrial smog. The ship has become home now, and we were all eager to get back to our cabins and wash off the desert. The next morning many of us took off along the coast for a tour of the mosque.

The Hassan II Mosque is named after the late King of Morocco and took about 6 years to build. It claims to be the third largest in the world, behind those in Mecca and Medina. It is a stunning creation that makes the largest Christian cathedrals look quaint. When we first drove past it at the beginning of the week the weather was beautiful and clear, showing off the mosque. The day of our tour was foggy and damp and the top of the mosque itself and its minaret (the tallest in the world) were completely obscured.

The building is an interesting mix of ancient customs and artistry and modern engineering. The wooden ceiling is retractable, like a football arena, and on this morning it was open to air out the mosque. Additionally, there are several large titanium and bronze doors that raise and lower like garage doors, though much bigger and heavier! The building sits right on the coast and extends over the water, recalling the Quran's description that the throne of God was built on the water. Glass doors look out over the sea. Below there is a huge ablutions room for men, and public baths, or hammams, for men and women.

Over 100,000 people can gather at the mosque - about 20,000 inside and the rest in the outside courtyards, among the fountains. At night, a bright green laser points from the top of the minaret toward Mecca, telling everyone in Casa what direction to pray. It is one of the only mosques in Morocco that non-Muslims are permitted to enter, including women. We appreciated the hospitality of the community to allow us to see this magnificent building. It somehow seemed to be both opulent and sparse at the same time. No doubt something made possible by its sheer size.

As we were arriving in Morocco we were aware of the controversy heating up in the States about the man in Florida who was planning to burn Qurans. We realized that we would be traveling on September 11 and we were warned to be careful. At times we experienced a distinct hostility toward us, whether because we were loud Americans, or non-Muslims, or immodestly dressed we did not know. However, on Sept 10, the first day of Eid, when we were in Marrakech, I had a conversation with a shop owner (in French!) about the proposed Quran burning. The shop owner, who was about my age, told me that the Quran is given by God and is something that one lives. To burn a Quran is dumb because the paper is unimportant. We wipe our hands with paper, he said. I agreed with him about how dumb this act is, and said that the Bible too is something that is lived and not merely written down. After the warnings we'd received, I was very grateful for this exchange and some shared understanding. I was also grateful that he was willing to make a distinction between us and the fool in Florida!

Soon we were back on the ship and heading south toward Ghana.

Maroc

2010-09-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

Morocco was fascinating and befuddling. We docked in the Casablanca port, which unlike Cadiz, is a busy industrial port. It was not beautiful. Rather it was dirty and dusty, on the edge of a city of 5 million people. Casa (as it's called) is the commercial center of Morocco and is not designed for foreign tourists!

We arrived on Sept. 9, the last day of Ramadan, so most things were closed during the day. And because of the nature of Casa, most people on the ship were getting ready to head across the country one way or another. We had a diplomatic briefing by two US Embassy officials who were engaging and patiently answered the many questions about how to find ATM's and how to exchange money, etc., etc. Unlike Cadiz, many people stayed on the ship the first day as we got ready to travel on the 10th.

The 10th was also the first day of Eid-al-Fitr. As my trip was leaving Casa the whole city, it seemed, was streaming home from the magnificent Hassan II mosque. It is the largest mosque in Morocco and one of the largest in the world. More about that later!

From Casa my bus (and the one in front of it) was headed to Marrakech for our first night. Our first stop was in the city square where we were having lunch.

45 students streamed off our tour bus and were instantly accosted by people in traditional dress asking for money in exchange for pictures with them. Several men were draping snakes around unwitting tourists while others coaxed trained monkeys onto their shoulders. The population of Marrakech is 1.5 million, and at any one time there are an additional 1 million tourists there. So these folks knew what they were doing! Some students were delighted, others were not. I protectively herded several as they were trying to pull a few bills out of their money belts as the salesmen eagerly watched. There were also women in traditional Muslim dress with only their eyes visible, catching women's hands and decorated them with henna before the young women even knew what was happening. At that point it was too late for them to say No, and they felt caught and obligated to pay the price the henna artist asked, or demanded. It was a shocking introduction to Moroccan salesmanship! Some students became expect bargainers, others hated the whole experience. I successfully avoided the monkeys, snakes, and henna and waited to shop when our tour guide could help me out with the haggling!

After separating ourselves from the entrepreneurs, we had the first of many wonderful Moroccan meals. We would all sit down while the wait staff brought out the pre-ordered set menu for the 90 people from both tour buses. Each meal began with a plate of cold salad items - strips of pickled carrot, cucumber slices, tomatoes, and sometimes bell pepper slices, avocado, or a lemony cole slaw. The meals are served family style, so each person at the table serves him or herself from the main plate. After the salad plate was whisked a way, a waiter would place a covered tajine in the middle of the table and then dramatically pull the cover off.

This one was a Berber dish of ground lamb in a tomato base, with scrambled egg on top. It was better than it sounds, and than I expected! One student said he wanted to buy a tajine because every time one appeared and the lid was lifted there was something delicious inside. He wondered if it would work like that at home!

The next day we drove about 7 hours across the country toward Zagora near the southern border of Algeria and on the edge of the Sahara desert. The high desert reminded me so much of New Mexico it was eerie. We passed many villages clustered together in the vast landscape. Then we crossed the Atlas Mountains, with breathtaking vistas. And not a little motion sickness. Our bus actually slowed down because of the several people puking. (Not me this time!)

After dark we arrived at the Nomad Camp and were greeted with singing and drumming from a traditional Moroccan musical group (who's name I did not learn.) We were then offered the traditional mint tea and allowed to settle into our tents. Berber carpets formed the center courtyard with 6 person tents situated in rows around the center. The tents were made out of heavy blankets stitched together, with carpets on the floor. The mattresses were better than the beds in the hotel! We had another delicious meal from the magic tajines and then more singing and drumming from the musicians.

We were awoken early the next morning by the braying of donkeys - which I haven't heard since Girl Scout Camp - and whatever you call the sound that camels make! After breakfast (boiled eggs, fruit, & bread) we were put into small groups for the camel trek. The best part of riding a camel is getting on and getting off!

One climbs onto the camel when its on the ground and then hangs on for dear life as it stands up, tipping its rider far backward. Getting off is the same thing in reverse. One hangs on tightly while the camel kneels down on its front knees, tipping the rider far forward. It helps to have a camel herder brace your shoulders! Everything in between is less exciting and less comfortable. I commented that there is a real need for more research and development on camel saddles! They were basically a metal brace the fit over the camel and provided the handlebar, with heavy blankets over it. We all had bruises from sitting on the "saddle." The ride is less rhythmic than a horse - or maybe it's just that a camel sways more in every direction so its harder to stay centered and adjusted. I'd kind of get the hang of it, and then list off to one side or the other and have to get readjusted, all while continuing to sway. I'm so glad I did it, and I probably don't need to do it again! We did learn that Timbuktu was 52 days away by camel. We rode for less than 1 hour and decided Timbuktu would have to wait!

We rode through stands of date palms - some were able to pick some and eat them - and around communities of people who looked at us like the crazy tourists were were. We saw several cars and motorbikes to underscore that point! We also saw lots of children delighted by the spectacle, and a lot of sheep and goats. I understand now why Jesus told a parable about separating them - they run around together and are almost indistinguishable until you get up close.

After the camel trek we had a long drive back to Marrakech, through some different and equally amazing terrain, especially in the middle Atlas.

In the next post - hopefully later today - I'll talk about our cultural shopping tour in Marrakech and the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca.

Espana!

2010-09-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

The ocean is as smooth as glass today and it feels like the tropics outside. Inside it’s freezing, thanks to the powerful AC system! I apologize for the long delay in posting. We went straight from Spain to Morocco and then back into classes and programs as we head south along the western coast of Africa.

I know words are inadequate to convey all we've seen in just a few short weeks, so I'm hoping I'll be able to upload enough pictures to tell the story.

Our first port was Cadiz, Spain, on the southern tip near Gibraltar. It was once the departure point for ships headed to the New World. Today it is a quiet coastal town with beautiful beaches, a dizzying maze of narrow, winding streets, and an ancient cathedral that served as our hub, thanks to the open plaza and free wi-fi!

Jerez de la Frontera is further South, so hotter and more deeply committed to the custom of Siesta! We wandered along the modern pedestrian mall, had lunch in an outdoor cafe, and then found the Alcazar - a former Moorish, then Spanish castle. The oil press in the Alcazar was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen! It was SO huge!

Seville was stunningly beautiful!

I don't have a picture of the Alcazar that does justice to the amazing tile and stucco work. I could imagine a royal family living in the castle, walking through the hallways, and escaping the heat in these courtyards situated around flowing water channels. It was like being inside a novel.

The cathedral in Seville was utterly overwhelming! I've never seen so much gilt in one place. I think I may have a better understanding of why the Protestant Reformers so eagerly removed all decoration from churches. This is a little over the top for my taste! Though I hear it's glorious at the Easter Vigil when the lights all come on and a dove flies down from the rafters in front of the golden reredos!

The next post will be about Morocco and our stay in a nomad camp on the edge of the Sahara.

Thank you to everyone who has made a donation to NetsForLife We are headed to Ghana and I am very aware of those who struggle to keep their families safe and healthy. It can all be undone by something as simple as a mosquito bite. That bite, and the potentially deadly disease of Malaria can be so easily prevented. $12 buys an insecticide treated need and provides education and awareness to communities at risk. Consider buying a net or two, or making a pledge for each nautical mile we're sailing. Go to NetsForLifeAfrica to make your donation. Put "Nets at Sea" in the business line to join our campaign!

Seasickness, Getting lost, and Getting ready

2010-08-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

The seas have been rough! Our first morning out many faculty & staff were sick - including me - in spite of meds. We were assured that most people adjust, and we seem to be. More people are making it to meetings now and look less like zombies. Seasick meeds are free & the doc is carrying them around in his pockets! The sensation of continually rocking is strange - like a balance ball the I can't control & is never still.

The ship is confusing & labrythine! Wandering the halls trying to find which elevator goes to a particular deck or where a room is, is common. I keep getting half way down a hallway and then turning around to go the other direction. Despite all the rocking, it's surprisingly difficult to know which direction we're moving and where the front of the ship is from the lower decks.

While fighting seasickness, we've also been trying to get ready for the students, who begin arriving tonight. There have been a lot of long meetings about procederes, etc. We had a lifeboat dril before we sailed the first night. And we're trying to learn what our jobs are on tris floating campus.

We arrived in Halifax this morning, though it's too foggy to see anything. It was a surprising relief when the engines stopped! We have meetings onboard most of the day, but will hopefully have some time in port this evening. If nothing else, we need to stock up on snacks, now that we know wat we can and can't get onboard and how expensive it is!

The NetsForLife camping is growing! We have another $140 dollars from members of St. Anne's in Stockton!
We'll start counting nautical miles tomorrow evening when we sail from Halifax and begin the (rocky) passage across the Atlantic to Spain.
If you want to join the campaign, leave a comment. You don't need to leave the amount if you don't wat to. But be sure to go to NetsForLifeAfrica.org and make your donation. You can place "Nets at Sea" in the business line!

Traveling with a Purpose

2010-07-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

In 3 weeks and 2 days I will leave Stockton to head to Virginia (via Houston) for Semester at Sea! I'm spending August through December traveling around the world as a residence life staff member and coordinator of religious & spiritual life for 650 college students from across the country. We will visit 11 countries (not counting the US) over 108 days. It's going to be amazing and I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!

I love to travel and this is a dream trip. I don't want it to be only about my having a good time, though. I've been thinking a lot about the places we'll be and what our visit might mean to the people we'll meet. As a scholar and practitioner of mission I'm hoping to learn a lot about how to respond to the disparities between rich and poor in more effective ways. I don't want to wait until I get back, though. I can't carry medical supplies or cases of Plumpy'nut. But I know that I can take you - at least virtually! So, starting today I am collecting pledges of donations to NetsforLife based on the number of nautical miles we sail.

NetsForLife is a program of Episcopal Relief & Development and a host of other partners that is working to prevent malaria in Africa, largely by providing mosquito nets to people who don't have them - much less the anti-malarial medications I'll be taking. It's an easy fix for a disease that kills a million people every year - most of them under the age of 5.

Our voyage will be about 21,000 nautical miles. A pledge of 1 cent per mile for the whole voyage would amount to $210. So, start thinking about what you can pledge! During the voyage I'll post our progress in the box on the right and we can watch the pledges grow - for the whole voyage or portions of it between ports of call. If you're ready to pledge now, say so in the comments section and encourage others to do the same. I'm going to pledge 1 cent per nautical mile for the whole voyage. Who wants to match it?!

An Appeal for Haiti from the Sisters of St. Margaret

2010-01-17T08:51:00.000-08:00

The Episcopal Church and the Sisters of St. Margaret (an Episcopal religious community) have concentrated on helping all the faithful in Haiti since 1927. The Sisters run programs with the elderly and do work with the poor people throught the area. They also are involved at two schools the order founded, one specifically for the handicapped and the other for children within the neighborhood.

The Sisters of Saint Margaret’s mission in Haiti has never been more needed.

The most recent news received is that Sisters Marie Margaret Fenelon, Marjorie Raphael Wysong, and Marie Therese Milien are alive. They have lost their convent, but are committed to continuing their mission of working iwth the elderly, poor, indigent, and young.

Your urgent support is greatly needed. An unfathomable catastrophe like this in a place that has already known so much hardship is a true tragedy. We are asking for your prayers, donations, and service.

Faithfully yours,
Carolyn H. Darr, SSM Superior
Adele Marie Ryan, SSM Asst. Superior

Donations to the Society of St. Margaret may be made online. Please send donations by mail to: The Society of St. Margaret, 17 Highland Park St., Boston, MA 02119-1436. For updates and more information about the Sisters’ work in Haiti, go to ssmbos.org

The Sisters of St. Margaret are an Episcopal Religious Order of women called to glorify God and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ through our worship and work, prayer and common life. Their commitment to God and to one another is expressed through vows of poverty, celibate chastity and obedience. The Sisters maintain a presence in Haiti, and the three working there have been accounted for. They are staying in a tent on the football field at College St. Pierre (which was heavily damaged). Above is a picture of the convent before the earthquake.

Update

2010-01-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

We heard yesterday that the children from St. Vincent's are safe. And there are reports that the school was not as damaged as first reported. The sisters are unsure which reports to trust. The women from the Foyer, the sisters' home for the elderly indigent are safe. Several of them are with the sisters at the fields of a nearby college. They have food and water. It is too dangerous to be inside the damaged buildings as aftershocks continue. It sounds like all of Port au Prince is living and sleeping outdoors.

Continue to pray. And give all that you can.

Episcopal Relief and Development

2010-01-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

I have spent much of the day frightened and grief struck over the devastation in Haiti. The entire Episcopal compound around the cathedral was destroyed, including the convent of the Society of St. Margaret. I was a postulant at St. Margaret's in Boston ten years ago, and I know two of the three sisters in Haiti, who are miraculously alive and uninjured. There are still hundreds of children from St. Vincent's School for Disabled Children and Holy Trinity School, both started by the sisters, unaccounted for. Haiti is a diocese of the Episcopal Church. These are our neighbors as truly as the people who live on my street. They are our own.

Pray for the people of Haiti. And give what you can. At this moment every dollar will be needed. Episcopal Relief and Development works through local diocesan leadership and has a strong relief infrastructure in Haiti. They have already provided money for Haiti and are prepared to be there indefinitely. Because of the support they receive from the Episcopal Church, 92% of every dollar given will go to Haiti.

A cop, a rabbi, and a dog were in Montana...

2009-12-12T09:58:00.000-08:00

This is too good not to share!

Andrew Gerns at The Lead, found this for the first full day of Hanukkah:

Did you hear the one about the Montana cop, the rabbi and the dog who speaks Hebrew?

Eric Stern describes what happens next:

In Montana, a rabbi is an unusual sight. So when a Hasidic one walked into the State Capitol last December, with his long beard, black hat and long black coat, a police officer grabbed his bomb-sniffing German shepherd and went to ask the exotic visitor a few questions....

...Hanukkah has a special significance in Montana these days. In Billings in 1993, vandals broke windows in homes that were displaying menorahs. In a response organized by local church leaders, more than 10,000 of the city’s residents and shopkeepers put make-shift menorahs in their own windows, to protect the city’s three dozen or so Jewish families. The vandalism stopped....

...The menorah was lighted and Hebrew prayers chanted, while the officer watched from a distance with his dog. He figured he would let it all go down and then move in when the ceremony was done. The dog sat at attention, watching the ceremony with a peculiar expression on its face, a look of intense interest. When the ceremony was over, the officer approached the Hasidic rabbi.

“I’m Officer John Fosket of the Helena Police,” he said. “This is Miky, our security dog. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

Miky (pronounced Mikey) is a surplus police dog trained by the Israel Defense Force to sniff for explosives and was purchased by the State of Montana for the price of a plane ticket and a crate. Fosket was handed a card with phrases like like “Hi’ sha’ er” (stay!), Ch’pess (search!), and “Kelev tov” (good doggy)" but all too often Miky would stare at Fosket waiting for a command that made sense.

But with the help of Rabbi Chaim Bruk, Officer Fosket has learned to pronounce the tricky Israeli “ch” sound, and Miky has become a top dog, even working with the Secret Service when the President came to town.

"So all is well in the Jewish community here," Stern says. "Because the Hasidic rabbi is helping the Montana cop speak Hebrew to his dog."

The full story is from the New York Times.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

Wow, I have been a bad blogger lately!

Things are winding down for the semester here at Pacific. Students are furiously working to get their final papers and assignments done and they're studying like they haven't all semester before final exams next week. So, things are pretty quiet in my neighborhood - apart from a few holiday parties.

I've been thinking a lot about how we celebrate the holidays as a community. We worked really hard this year to make our Festival of Lights celebration more inclusive, and to make the decorations in the university center more resonant for everyone - not just those who celebrate Christmas.

There's always some backlash to this. People who say things like, "most of us DO celebrate Christmas." Or, "that's just political correctness." I always find this surprising, especially when it comes from people who I know really do care about other people, regardless of their religious or cultural background. And this is nothing compared to the ridiculous boycotting of companies that dare to recognize that not all people are Christians, or the TV drama about "attacks on Christmas!" As if! The attack is that materialism has taken over the holiday, not that it threatens to take over others, too.

Saying "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings" and putting a menorah in the window as well as a Christmas tree (or instead of!) aren't about being "PC." They're about respecting the dignity of every human being, which is something that Episcopalians promise to do every time we baptize a child or renew our own baptismal vows. Respecting other people is something that people of all faiths ought to be able to get behind. As a Christian, I can say that Christians CERTAINLY ought to be able to get behind it!

In the spirit of Christmas, let's us Christians not try to shove our religion down other people's throats. Let's trust that the creator of the universe is at work, and that we are better participants in that work when we are examples of love and hospitality, not hostility. Let's honor those who celebrate Hanukkah, Yule, and Kwanzaa, and those who have already celebrate Eid and Diwali this year.

If you're a Christian and you want to share your holiday traditions with others, invite them to your home to share your holiday meal and celebration, or to Christmas worship. (You will be going to worship, right?! I mean, if you're one of those who is all worked up about "Merry Christmas" you better be putting your money where your mouth is and showing up for church on Christmas eve or Christmas morning!)

If the Gap can 'get it' surely the rest of us can too! For them it's good business. For the rest of us, it's Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward ALL people.

Salty Language!

2009-10-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

My friend and colleague, The Rev. Nick Knisely, on Episcopal Cafe, highlighted Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori's sermon last weekend for the Diocese of Kansas' annual convention.

The Topeka Capital Journal reports on the sermon thus:

"Appropriately salty language, she said, 'can indeed be divinely abrasive signs of God's urgency.'

'Your letters to a member of Congress or to the editor of the local paper or the words you speak in a town meeting can be salt when they challenge a sleepy government or community to pay attention to the needs of hungry children or the unemployed,' she said. 'That is the salt of compassion even though it may feel irritating to those who are invited to wake up to their neighbors' needs and demonstrate compassion.'

Jefferts Schori did urge moderation, saying, 'Like all good gifts, salt can be overused.'

She also applied her salt theme in a different way, saying: 'I heard Fred Phelps and his clan were demonstrating outside our meeting place yesterday, and I heard they were here today, too. I didn't see them.'

'Their message -- their hateful message -- just might embrace enough salt to entomb it,' she said.

The congregation interrupted her with applause before she added 'perhaps like Lot's wife' and noted nuclear waste is buried in salt mines."

Read the full article from the Topeka Capital-Journal.

It's such an important message!

We people have faith have too often decided that what we have to say, what we believe God has told us to share, is THE most important thing. More important even than respecting the dignity of all people. More important than loving one another. More important than listening to what God is saying to other people.

When Jesus was asked what THE most important thing was, he didn't respond with a statement of belief, he didn't make a pronouncement about who was holy and who wasn't. He said, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and mind, and soul, and strength. And Love your neighbor as yourself.

That's the most important thing, for Christians and for many other people of faith, as well. Love includes speaking out for the cause of justice. But only if we also love those we're speaking out against. That's a trick that only a very few have been able to pull off.

*The prepared text of the Presiding Bishop's sermon is available at the Episcopal Church's website, though apparently she added some salty language of her own as she preached because some of the above comments are missing.

Asra Nomani & Hajar

2009-10-01T13:23:00.001-07:00

Asra Nomani was amazing last night. She is a courageous woman who is seeking to build a movement like those that led to sea changes in Judaism and Christianity. All of us who believe that both women and men are made in the image of God, and that our cultural biases (we all have them!) too often get in the way of what God is seeking to say to us, can get behind Asra and support her important work.

Her book, Standing Alone in Mecca, is next on my list!

She talked last night about Hajar, or Hagar in Jewish & Christian texts, who as a second wife to Abraham was cast out with her son, Ishmael and left to die in the desert. God came to Hagar, though, and promised that her son, too, would be the father of a great nation.

Hajar stands as a sign and beacon to all women who have become outcasts. Because they have been cast aside by men in their lives. Because they are second or third or fourth class citizens in their own homes, for whatever reason. Because other women consider them to be a threat. Because they are caught in systems that place lesser value on them and their lives. Hagar is the reminder that God gathers up and protects those whom society - historically led by men - have said are unclean or unholy. God calls them holy.
Thanks be to God!

And thanks be to God for Asra! And Hajar!

Asra Nomani's activism within Islam

2009-09-30T13:49:00.001-07:00

And on a more serious note, Asra Nomani will be speaking at Pacific tonight at 7 pm. She is a Muslim Activist Feminist seeking to shift Islamic views and practices toward women.

The Mosque in Morgantown is about her work in her hometown in West Virginia.

Learn more, buy the DVD, and join the discussion at TheMosqueInMorgantown.com

Mammas don't let your babies grow up to be pastors

2009-09-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

My college friend and Presbyterian Christian Educator, Sarah Lien Finnerty, found this.

It applies to college chaplains, too!

Bi-Vocational Congregation

2009-09-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

For the past 18 months I have had the privilege to serve as the long-term supply priest for St. Brigid's Episcopal congregation in Rio Vista, CA. My full time gig is here at University of the Pacific. I'm well compensated for this position, and I often work long hours. This means I can't give enough time and energy to St. Brigid's, and I don't have the financial need to justify receiving payment for celebrating Eucharist and preaching weekly, or now bi-weekly. They happily pay my mileage.

Until I discovered St. Brigid's, I basically didn't think this model of part-time ministry was very good for the church or the minister, despite (and because of) having served a congregation part-time before now. I think it's working at St. Brigid's, though, and the Alban Institute article below may highlight why. I have become a bi-vocational priest, and St. Brigid's is a bi-vocational congregation. (I would call them an "Experimental Bi-vocational Congregation.") They are blessed with two deacons - Susan and Derek - who are also bi-vocational, and with lay people who give much of their time, energy, and money to the congregation. St. Brigid's is small, and hopes to grow. Perhaps claiming their bi-vocational nature will be the key to growth - numerical and spiritual - for St. Brigid's and other congregations serving small towns and rural areas.

St. Brigid's is located at 218 California St in Rio Vista. Worship is at 10:30 am on Sunday mornings, and ALL ARE WELCOME!

The Bivocational Congregation

by Anthony C. Pappas , Ed Pease , Norm Faramelli

Any garden-variety atheist, agnostic, or even religiously indifferent materialist knows that if—and we do mean if—the church is to survive well into the future in the northern hemisphere it won't be through a linear extension of today's church. Every index of the church as it has been indicates a decline, and many indicate a precipitous decline. So what might tomorrow's different church look like? What should we call it? And what are its qualities?

We believe the bivocational congregation (not to be confused with, but related to, bivocational pastors) offers a viable model for tomorrow's church. A bivocational congregation is a local church that operates upon (and may even self-consciously understand) two callings: the calling of function and the calling of mission. We believe the bivocational congregation is more likely to survive into tomorrow to do God's will and be God's people because it is essentially organized around spiritual realities in tune with God's redemptive work. These include:

• healthy team functioning
• a high commitment to place and to being a ministering presence in that place
• a willingness to die to self, if need be, in the cause of serving others
• an acceptance of this expression of the church as a full expression of the church, not a second-rate, temporary, expedient form of the church
• a willingness to experiment and trust that a higher power has something wonderful in store for tomorrow

We've observed five scenarios that help to illustrate these qualities of bivocational congregations as they exist in very different settings.

The Always-Been Bivocational Congregation

In a little town there is a small church with two to three dozen people that gather on Sunday mornings. They know each other well, and each of them has a role to play that helps keeps the church going. A shopkeeper is their pastor, a school teacher their treasurer, and a retired woman their clerk. This congregation needs someone to fill the pastoral role, but a very strictly defined role of preaching and pastoral care. Otherwise, the people expect to work together to accomplish whatever needs doing.

The members' relationships with one another have morphed over the years so that they function as a team. People realize that energy is limited and do not waste much of it on turf battles. New members are incorporated slowly into this dynamic organism. Giftedness and interest are discerned over time and offered and used for the common good. This bivocational congregation functions as a simple organism. Each part has a role to play. The pastor is important but not crucial. In fact, this type of congregation can keep on going for long periods of time without a pastor, if need be.

They know what needs to be done (and what doesn't) and who is going to do it (and who isn't). Yes, their ministry is basic and not extensive. But they own it, they do it, and they will keep on doing it indefinitely. And maybe that is enough.

The Rooted-Here Bivocational Church

In an ethnic, blue-collar section of a large city, a federated church has over the years combined congregations from several different faith traditions. The parish has existed for over a century to minister to the people of its neighborhood and is an example of what happens when a congregation is truly bivocational. When, after a successful 20-year part-time ministry, the pastor left, the congregation began a search process for a new pastor. Their goal was clear: they desired a clergy companion for a bivocational ministry. There were no illusions about getting a replica of their outgoing pastor nor any about switching to a full-time pastor. They sought someone who could serve as pastor and who was as committed to bivocational ministry in this place as they were. That meant having local roots and being committed to doing outreach to the local community. They understand the need for a presence in the local setting—a presence from which outreach programs can flow. Members told us that even if they had the funds available for a full-time pastor, they would use those funds in other ways, especially for community outreach. The congregation understands the need for roots in a community, and it also understands that the concept of bivocational ministry is not just a clergy thing—that it needs to be imbedded in the minds and hearts of all of the members.

This bivocational congregation was missional long before the term came into vogue. They know that their internal life and health depend on their external service. Churches in their neighborhood that didn't understand this have long since closed while this congregation lives incarnational ministry right there in their neighborhood, and consequently it, too, lives.

The Transitional Bivocational Congregation

One congregation emerged from the closing of three Methodist churches in 1966. Today it is in the midst of what it calls its Five-Year Holy Experiment, which involves two congregations working together in the same building. One is a small English-speaking congregation and the other is a new, large, and growing congregation primarily of Korean heritage. The English congregation is bivocational, with a call to live its own life as a congregation, yet also with a call to house and nourish the Korean congregation.

A church council, made up of five members from each congregation, meets monthly. Church committees also comprise members from each congregation. The treasurer of the church was appointed from the Korean congregation, a move supported by the English congregation. The budget for the church is supported by both congregations, with some help from the Methodist District organization. Lay leaders in the English congregation monitor telephone calls coming to the church answering machine and follow up as needed—for both congregations. They also lead a weekly Bible study session open to all. One Sunday a month both congregations worship together.

The English congregation is concerned about its continuing decline in numbers, but its overall attitude is one of joyful celebration for the blessings of the present and the unknown but promising future of this vibrant parish venture. Where will they end up? God only knows, but this transitional bivocational congregation is enjoying the ride! It is ready to die to self—the worship style they are accustomed to, their identification with "our" pastor and building, indeed their whole self, if need be—to see that ministry to their community continues. Unlike so many other congregations that ensure their death by holding on tightly to life as they have known it, this congregation will live on—possibly in resurrected form and speaking Korean! They understand that letting go of what has been is the only way to see what will be.

An Experimental Bivocational Congregation

Five small, centuries-old Episcopal churches sit sprinkled around a river valley. A few decades ago, each struggled to make ends meet, to maintain its high-maintenance building, to keep its Sunday school staffed, and to manage with a part-time rector. Then along came a rector who introduced to them a concept he called "clustering," an arrangement in which certain functions are collectively managed by a board comprising members from the different churches in the cluster.

Under the cluster arrangement, each parish maintains its own building and vestry. Each votes its own budget and raises its own funds. Each may have its own ministry in its own community. And each sends representatives to the cluster board. There, such synergies as common missions, Christian education, music, and social activities may be developed. Clergy coverage for the worship of each parish is arranged on a rotating basis. Other staff members contribute from their skills and calling as the cluster board determines best. What this means in practice is that any one parish has access to a wider array of skills than it could afford on its own. But it also means that their pastor is a functionary, rotating in and out of their pulpit every eight weeks or so, according to a set schedule. So parishioners do not develop the same kind of dependence on their pastor that they might otherwise. Clusters call forth the lay leadership of the congregation. Clusters clearly say: The responsibility is yours. The rector will assist you in achieving your call, but he or she is not going to do for you what is yours to do. You are the permanent part of this equation.

The We-Backed-Into-It-and-We-Want-Out-of-It Bivocational Congregation

Unless the concept of bivocational ministry is firmly rooted in the minds and hearts of the congregation, it can fall apart when the pastor leaves. One congregation that was originally organized as a mission in 1893, in recent years has not been able to afford a full-time pastor. They have been served by a succession of bivocational pastors and strong lay leadership has emerged in order to maintain and expand the ministry of the congregation. The Sunday school, youth ministry, routine pastoral care, and outreach efforts are organized by members of the congregation. The pastor orders the worship services, presides over the parish vestry, gives encouragement and counsel to the lay volunteers, and makes emergency calls on parishioners.

After their last "permanent" part-time pastor of seven years retired, the congregation struggled to find a successor. In the course of searching for three years, the vestry decided to use the congregation's small endowment to seek a full-time pastor. They hope to be able to support this person at full time for three years, during which time the congregation may grow sufficiently to be self-supporting. If not, they will have exhausted their financial reserves, failed at growing, and possibly become terminally discouraged. Though the laity have taken on significant and fruitful responsibilities in mission and in the life of their church, this church seems to have been simply a congregation with a bivocational pastor rather than a bivocational congregation.

This example, replicated so very often, is not a particularly hopeful one, barring a miracle. The desires deeply rooted in the hearts of the parishioners for their own full-time pastor, to be a "legitimate" church, and to have someone to define and do ministry represent a model of doing church that is unlikely to lead us very far into the future. Exhausting resources in that quest will not be as productive as learning the lessons God desires to teach us in order to move into a new future.

Embodiments of Change

Each of the first of these examples lift up qualities of faithful congregations that may foreshadow the characteristics of the church in the future: the power of focus and complimentary functions; the value of presence, rootedness, and the primacy of mission; the importance of willingness to take risks and even die to self, if need be. The cluster model demonstrates a willingness to experiment and take responsibility for one's congregation. And the last example teaches us of the danger of giving in to the constant temptation to slip back into old patterns.

Does a congregation need to have a bivocational pastor to exhibit the positive qualities of a bivocational congregation? We think that, though it may help, it is not necessary. What makes a congregation bivocational and more likely to thrive into the future is the dual calling of the congregation to fresh understandings of mission and function—mission that is rooted locally, focused, and so primary that the church is willing to risk self in the cause, and functioning that is responsible, complementary, experimental, and not pastor-dependent, but lay-owned. Such a church, we believe, will warm God's heart and serve its neighbors for years to come.

Class of 2013

2009-08-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the Beloit College Mindset List for the class of 2013:

As millions of students head off to college this fall, most will continue to experience the economic anxiety that marked their first two years of life just as it has marked their last two years of high school. Fears of the middle class--including their parents--about retirement and health care have been a part of their lives. Now however, they can turn to technology and text a friend: "Momdad still worried bout stocks. urs 2? PAW PCM".

Members of the class of 2013 won't be surprised when they can charge a latté on their cell phone and curl up in the corner to read a textbook on an electronic screen. The migration of once independent media—radio, TV, videos and CDs—to the computer has never amazed them. They have grown up in a politically correct universe in which multi-culturalism has been a given. It is a world organized around globalization, with McDonald's everywhere on the planet. Carter and Reagan are as distant to them as Truman and Eisenhower were to their parents. Tattoos, once thought "lower class," are, to them, quite chic. Everybody knows the news before the evening news comes on.

Thus the class of 2013 heads off to college as tolerant, global, and technologically hip…and with another new host of The Tonight Show.

The Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2013

Most students entering college for the first time this fall were born in 1991.

1. For these students, Martha Graham, Pan American Airways, Michael Landon, Dr. Seuss, Miles Davis, The Dallas Times Herald, Gene Roddenberry, and Freddie Mercury have always been dead.
2. Dan Rostenkowski, Jack Kevorkian, and Mike Tyson have always been felons.
3. The Green Giant has always been Shrek, not the big guy picking vegetables.
4. They have never used a card catalog to find a book.
5. Margaret Thatcher has always been a former prime minister.
6. Salsa has always outsold ketchup.
7. Earvin "Magic" Johnson has always been HIV-positive.
8. Tattoos have always been very chic and highly visible.
9. They have been preparing for the arrival of HDTV all their lives.
10. Rap music has always been main stream.
11. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream has always been a flavor choice.
12. Someone has always been building something taller than the Willis (née Sears) Tower in Chicago.
13. The KGB has never officially existed.
14. Text has always been hyper.
15. They never saw the “Scud Stud” (but there have always been electromagnetic stud finders.)
16. Babies have always had a Social Security Number.
17. They have never had to “shake down” an oral thermometer.
18. Bungee jumping has always been socially acceptable.
19. They have never understood the meaning of R.S.V.P.
20. American students have always lived anxiously with high-stakes educational testing.
21. Except for the present incumbent, the President has never inhaled.
22. State abbreviations in addresses have never had periods.
23. The European Union has always existed.
24. McDonald's has always been serving Happy Meals in China.
25. Condoms have always been advertised on television.
26. Cable television systems have always offered telephone service and vice versa.
27. Christopher Columbus has always been getting a bad rap.
28. The American health care system has always been in critical condition.
29. Bobby Cox has always managed the Atlanta Braves.
30. Desperate smokers have always been able to turn to Nicoderm skin patches.
31. There has always been a Cartoon Network.
32. The nation’s key economic indicator has always been the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
33. Their folks could always reach for a Zoloft.
34. They have always been able to read books on an electronic screen.
35. Women have always outnumbered men in college.
36. We have always watched wars, coups, and police arrests unfold on television in real time.
37. Amateur radio operators have never needed to know Morse code.
38. Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Latvia, Georgia, Lithuania, and Estonia have always been independent nations.
39. It's always been official: President Zachary Taylor did not die of arsenic poisoning.
40. Madonna’s perspective on Sex has always been well documented.
41. Phil Jackson has always been coaching championship basketball.
42. Ozzy Osbourne has always been coming back.
43. Kevin Costner has always been Dancing with Wolves, especially on cable.
44. There have always been flat screen televisions.
45. They have always eaten Berry Berry Kix.
46. Disney’s Fantasia has always been available on video, and It’s a Wonderful Life has always been on Moscow television.
47. Smokers have never been promoted as an economic force that deserves respect.
48. Elite American colleges have never been able to fix the price of tuition.
49. Nobody has been able to make a deposit in the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI).
50. Everyone has always known what the evening news was before the Evening News came on.
51. Britney Spears has always been heard on classic rock stations.
52. They have never been Saved by the Bell
53. Someone has always been asking: “Was Iraq worth a war?”
54. Most communities have always had a mega-church.
55. Natalie Cole has always been singing with her father.
56. The status of gays in the military has always been a topic of political debate.
57. Elizabeth Taylor has always reeked of White Diamonds.
58. There has always been a Planet Hollywood.
59. For one reason or another, California’s future has always been in doubt.
60. Agent Starling has always feared the Silence of the Lambs.
61. “Womyn” and “waitperson” have always been in the dictionary.
62. Members of Congress have always had to keep their checkbooks balanced since the closing of the House Bank.
63. There has always been a computer in the Oval Office.
64. CDs have never been sold in cardboard packaging.
65. Avon has always been “calling” in a catalog.
66. NATO has always been looking for a role.
67. Two Koreas have always been members of the UN.
68. Official racial classifications in South Africa have always been outlawed.
69. The NBC Today Show has always been seen on weekends.
70. Vice presidents of the United States have always had real power.
71. Conflict in Northern Ireland has always been slowly winding down.
72. Migration of once independent media like radio, TV, videos and compact discs to the computer has never amazed them.
73. Nobody has ever responded to “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”
74. Congress could never give itself a mid-term raise.
75. There has always been blue Jell-O.

Thanks again, Rachel, for pointing out that I had the wrong one on Sunday!

Class of 2012

2009-08-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

Our new students arrive this week!! It's hard to believe the summer is already over. I was mourning it terribly at the beginning of last week. But then I got to hang out with the RA's and do some work on fall programming, and now I'm as excited as I am every fall about our new students and all that college will hold for them, and for our returning students as they continue to become really cool, interesting, world-changing people.

An attentive student pointed out that this year's entering class is the 2013 class, so have a glance back before we hear about the new entering class!

Here's a glimpse into last year's entering class of college freshmen, from the Beloit College Mindset List I'll post the new one when it's out.

Students entering college for the first time this fall were generally born in 1990.

For these students, Sammy Davis Jr., Jim Henson, Ryan White, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Freddy Krueger have always been dead.

1. Harry Potter could be a classmate, playing on their Quidditch team.
2. Since they were in diapers, karaoke machines have been annoying people at parties.
3. They have always been looking for Carmen Sandiego.
4. GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available.
5. Coke and Pepsi have always used recycled plastic bottles.
6. Shampoo and conditioner have always been available in the same bottle.
7. Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino.
8. Their parents may have dropped them in shock when they heard George Bush announce “tax revenue increases.”
9. Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option.
10. Girls in head scarves have always been part of the school fashion scene.
11. All have had a relative--or known about a friend's relative--who died comfortably at home with Hospice.
12. As a precursor to “whatever,” they have recognized that some people “just don’t get it.”
13. Universal Studios has always offered an alternative to Mickey in Orlando.
14. Grandma has always had wheels on her walker.
15. Martha Stewart Living has always been setting the style.
16. Haagen-Dazs ice cream has always come in quarts.
17. Club Med resorts have always been places to take the whole family.
18. WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.
19. Films have never been X rated, only NC-17.
20. The Warsaw Pact is as hazy for them as the League of Nations was for their parents.
21. Students have always been "Rocking the Vote.”
22. Clarence Thomas has always sat on the Supreme Court.
23. Schools have always been concerned about multiculturalism.
24. We have always known that “All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”
25. There have always been gay rabbis.
26. Wayne Newton has never had a mustache.
27. College grads have always been able to Teach for America.
28. IBM has never made typewriters.
29. Roseanne Barr has never been invited to sing the National Anthem again.
30. McDonald’s and Burger King have always used vegetable oil for cooking french fries.
31. They have never been able to color a tree using a raw umber Crayola.
32. There has always been Pearl Jam.
33. The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno and started at 11:35 EST.
34. Pee-Wee has never been in his playhouse during the day.
35. They never tasted Benefit Cereal with psyllium.
36. They may have been given a Nintendo Game Boy to play with in the crib.
37. Authorities have always been building a wall along the Mexican border.
38. Lenin’s name has never been on a major city in Russia.
39. Employers have always been able to do credit checks on employees.
40. Balsamic vinegar has always been available in the U.S.
41. Macaulay Culkin has always been Home Alone.
42. Their parents may have watched The American Gladiators on TV the day they were born.
43. Personal privacy has always been threatened.
44. Caller ID has always been available on phones.
45. Living wills have always been asked for at hospital check-ins.
46. The Green Bay Packers (almost) always had the same starting quarterback.
47. They never heard an attendant ask “Want me to check under the hood?”
48. Iced tea has always come in cans and bottles.
49. Soft drink refills have always been free.
50. They have never known life without Seinfeld references from a show about “nothing.”
51. Windows 3.0 operating system made IBM PCs user-friendly the year they were born.
52. Muscovites have always been able to buy Big Macs.
53. The Royal New Zealand Navy has never been permitted a daily ration of rum.
54. The Hubble Space Telescope has always been eavesdropping on the heavens.
55. 98.6 F or otherwise has always been confirmed in the ear.
56. Michael Milken has always been a philanthropist promoting prostate cancer research.
57. Off-shore oil drilling in the United States has always been prohibited.
58. Radio stations have never been required to present both sides of public issues.
59. There have always been charter schools.
60. Students always had Goosebumps.

New Tech and the Church

2009-08-14T13:41:00.001-07:00

The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow is the moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and pastor of Mission Bay Community Church. He's a remarkable church leader and a helpful commentator on 21st century faith.

His post Top 10 reasons church and pastors resist social media is an important challenge to all of us who would prefer to keep things as they are. His questions apply not only to technology, but to any type of change we face in our congregations or the institutional church as a whole.

Thanks, Bruce!

Celebrating Diversity

2009-08-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

A great article about Interfaith Dialogue from the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland, run by the World Council of Churches.

Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur, a presenter at the institute's three week course on interfaith dialogue said,

It's disturbing in interfaith dialogue that there is a tendency to move towards this idea of absolute sameness – an attempt to synchronize all the positions," she said. "To create the idea that there is absolutely no difference between the religions can be a big threat."

But she said there was also a danger at the other end of the spectrum: "The other most common threat is the idea that there is only one truth, or that 'my truth is truer than your truth'." Charting a middle road between these two extremes was the key to constructive dialogue, she said.

I couldn't agree with her more. The value in interfaith dialogue - and more importantly, interfaith relationships - is in sharing who we really are and what we really believe. AND in being open to how such honest sharing and genuine relationship will change us. For me, that has meant greater trust in the God who created all of us and is at work across our religious traditions.

Check out the article - and the institute. I lived near Bossey a decade ago. It's beautiful and the institute is amazing!

Tax Revision Intended to Enrich the Wealthy

2009-07-31T09:24:00.000-07:00

Libby Sholes, of California Church Impact, sent the following message out yesterday. It's a disturbing account of how the Governor of California, and other like minded leaders, intend to dismantle the structures of social support in our society in order to benefit the wealthy. The language of "fairness" is used but it is anything but fair, just, or righteous to require that those least able to bear financial burden are required to carry the same burden as those who have little financial vulnerability. It is not accidental or thoughtless. It is a careful strategy to protect the wealthy while keeping the poor poor.

If two guys go out to move a pile of firewood, and one is very strong, lifts weights, works in a physically demanding field, while the other is not as strong or fit, is it "fair" to require that both men carry the same amount of wood? Should the strong guy sit down when he's done with "his" share and watch the other guy finish the work. It certainly wouldn't be a very good way to get a common task accomplished.

In the Episcopal Church our baptismal covenant includes the promise to "Respect the dignity of every human being." I think that means we have a responsibility to one another. If any American is living in poverty, we are all impoverished. And for that matter, if any human being is sick, hungry, or oppressed, then we all are. The least we can do is not attack those who are already struggling.

In January 2006, I attended the annual Sacramento Press Club lunch with the Governor. Abnormally subdued, Governor Schwarzenegger turned in a low-key presentation since he’d just lost all of his most cherished ballot propositions the previous November. These would have given him unprecedented power over the budget and other items. Voters sent him a resounding “NO” on all issues, much to his chagrin.

At only one point at the Press Club luncheon did the Governor become animated. That is when a reporter asked whether it was true that “the rich carry too much of the tax burden.” The Governor got very excited and agreed that not only was it true, it was entirely unfair that they should shoulder the lion’s share of taxes! He said he would work “to make the tax system more fair so that the middle and lower income classes would pay more of their fair share.”

No one in the room reacted. No one. (Except for me, but I remained well behaved. I’m sorry about that now.) Not one media outlet reported that outrageous statement – and well they should have. The Governor is about to keep that promise.

To understand the context of his tax plan, I highly recommend that you read Jacob Hacker’s The Great Risk Shift and David Cay Johnston’s Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government’s Expense (and Stick you with the Bill.) These books are widely available, highly readable – and infuriating. Over the past three decades support for all basic services of our nation and states have already been shifted onto our backs. Those with the greatest means bear the lightest burden.

Then read the Governor’s plan for tax system revision. In conjunction with the Commission on the 21st Century Economy that seeks the same “fairness” for the wealthy that the Governor supports, the Governor wants to call a special session this Fall to assure that we accomplish his vision. You can read the summary at:

http://californiabudgetbites.org/2009/06/17/shifting-the-tax-burden-to-low-and-middle-income-californians/

To see the current impact of our tax system on middle and lower class people in California, go to the California Budget Project PDF report, “Uncharted Waters” especially pages 11 and 33. It can be found on the first page of their web site, www.cbp.org

We are well under way to totally destroying real fairness in our tax system. The state raised “taxes” in California this week, but they did it by gouging those least able to pay. What are cuts in services and increased fees and demands on individuals if they are not invisible taxes? If we eliminate tax breaks or remove services for corporations and the well-to-do, conservatives holler we raised taxes on the rich. Well, that is precisely what our state has done to those already living on the edge.

One Commission on the 21st Century Economy proposal is supposedly “democratic”. That is a flat tax in which everyone would pay the same rate. However, the real outcomes are disastrous. The median family income in California is about $55,000. A 10 percent tax rate would leave $49,500 from which to pay basics, with almost no discretionary income or savings. Someone with $550,000 would be left with $495,000 from which they would cover basics, buy that boat, take trips, clothing, luxuries and save up for college for their kids.

That’s fair? Whatever happened to our notions of a graduated tax? That is based on the very real understanding that the wealthy and corporations get tax breaks the rest of us do not. That they can generate income and riches the rest of us cannot. What happened to “From those to whom much is given, much is required”? (Luke 12:48)

This is just one of a great number of proposals the Commission and the Governor support, all of them designed to push responsibility ever downward on the majority of Californians of modest means. Again, take a look at the summary of the plans:
http://californiabudgetbites.org/2009/06/17/shifting-the-tax-burden-to-low-and-middle-income-californians/

From now until the Governor and the Commission on the 21st Century Economy get their hooks into us, it is imperative that you speak out against this new “risk shift”. It’s already made the lives of the very poor impossible and dangerous. It will soon impact us all.

Write, call, visit, email your legislators and the Governor! Go to our site for phone, FAX, and emails:
http://www.capwiz.com/cachurches/state/main/?state=CA&view=myofficials#0

It is especially important to contact conservatives in both parties. Do NOT let the anti-tax people speak for you – it is not in your interest that they press their agenda. This is NOT democratic revision of our outmoded tax system, it is a wholesale rout to free the most wealthy from responsibility to our common good. This is our state, too, and this is our collective well being that is on the line. We must be silent no longer!

Thank you!

Elizabeth Sholes

Director of Public Policy

California Church Impact

Plans for new Mosque in Tracy

2009-07-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

Plans for a new Mosque in Tracy have been approved. The drawing of the planned facility is beautiful. It will no doubt enrich the community and provide opportunities to expand the already significant contributions of the Muslims in Tracy.

From the Stockton Record:

By Jennie Rodriguez
Record Staff Writer
July 25, 2009 12:01 AM

TRACY - Overflowing worshippers gather in a patio outside a small residential building with boarded-up windows that now serves as the Tracy Islamic Center.

The tiny former living room is too small to accommodate the worshippers at many of the five-times-a-day prayer sessions.

But the future holds stained glass windows, dome rooftops and ample space at Corral Hollow and Larch roads.

County planners recently approved the site that will become a 13,800-square-foot mosque with a library, multipurpose hall and community rooms.

"We are looking for something beautiful, safe and respectfully located, so we can invite our neighbors," said Mohammad Arain, president of the center.

Some of those neighbors opposed the project when it was initially proposed. Mostly they were concerned about traffic. Arain said mosque leaders met with those residents to clear up a misunderstanding that a new group was moving in.

"I'm really appreciative to our neighbors and our planning commissioners," Arain said.

Neighbor Steve Schweiger said he is still concerned about heavier traffic, which he says has been increasing in recent years on Larch Road, which is home to about a half-dozen churches. He believes that a larger center will draw even more people.

"I don't want it here," Schweiger, 52, said. "But it is what it is."

Tracy Islamic Center, currently at 11299 W. Larch Road, has outgrown its existing 1,000 square feet just east of where the new center will be. The planned building "is a real community need," Arain said, since membership has grown from a few dozen to 150 in the past 10 years.

It's the third major new Islamic Center or mosque planned in San Joaquin County. An Islamic Center is planned in Lodi and a mosque in Morada.

Now that the converted house in Tracy can no longer accommodate all those who come to prayer, the overflowing worshippers gather on a patio outside of the center. When they run out of room there, they congregate in a shaded area beyond.

"This place is very small," said Tariq Khan, a 39-year-old Tracy resident. "People pray outside in the parching sun."

Sabeen Fatima, who is married to Khan, said a larger mosque will benefit future generations, such as the couple's three children, ages 1 to 7.

"It also helps to beautify the area," Arain said.

Currently, the congregation rents classrooms at local schools on Sunday for children's religious studies.

They also rent halls for special events, such as Ramadan, the Islamic observance of the day the Quran, the Muslim religious text, was said to have been revealed to Islam's founder, the Prophet Muhammad, according to tradition.

"Building a mosque will help accommodate everything," said Muhammad Nazir, secretary of the center.

The future mosque, Tracy's first multifunctional Islamic center to be constructed for its purpose, will be paid for by donations from the worshippers. They will build slowly, as the donations come in.

So far, they've spent $80,000 to $90,000 on fees and traffic studies, Arain said.

Mosque leaders estimate the building will be complete in 10 years, as donations are collected. Construction on the multipurpose hall could begin by next summer if building permits and enough funding is obtained, Arain said.

In the future, mosque leaders plan to add community rooms, a library and a second floor of classrooms.

The mosque will face Saudi Arabia's Mecca, as is Islamic custom.

Some of the new neighbors said they didn't mind the new mosque.

"I'm happy there will be a parking lot, because the streets get so crowded when people from all the churches park in front of houses," said Zahida Niazmand, 64.

"God is everyone's God," she said.

Dr. Gates tells his story

2009-07-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

As an avid PBS watcher, I'm big fan of Henry Louis Gates. The reports of his arrest after struggling to open the door of his own home distressed me. Who hasn't had to break through a back door or open window when you'd locked yourself out? I imagine that most people, like me, have in that awkward moment of crawling through the window or whatever thought, "I hope the police don't drive by. This will be hard to explain!" I certainly never expected it could actually lead to an arrest. Which is why I think it is impossible to understand this incident without considering racism.

Racism is a system of oppression. It's not simply prejudice or bias. Whatever our biases, we are all complicit in the system of racism that is endemic in our society. It is rooted in the genocide of Native Americans and the enslavement of Africans. None of us today directly participated in those atrocities. But we are all inheritors of the effects of those systems of oppression. Our prejudices are shaped by generations of racial oppression. Our institutions are shaped by generations of racial oppression. We have made great progress, and the insidiousness of racism requires that we continue to fight against it. It is not enough for each of us as individuals to intend to treat each individual the same regardless of race. We must start there, and then we must seek to dismantle the institution of racism which leads to disproportionally higher rates of black men than white men in prison. We must dismantle the institution of racism which leads to dramatically inferior health care for African-Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans. We must dismantle the institution of racism which leads to higher rates of poverty among people of color.

In The Root, Dr. Gates explains what happened to him the day he was arrested. It is a disturbing account of how the institution of racism led to the arrest of an innocent black man on the porch of his own home. The officers involved are not evil. They are complicit in a racist system, including the African-American officer shown on TV clips. We don't know what his role was. We don't know whether he was in any position to speak against what was happening. We do know that he lives and works in the same society we do, in which most African-Americans depicted on TV, videos, and magazines are caricatures of criminals, drug dealers, domestic abusers, and murderers. We know that all of the officers involved were trained in a system which incarcerates more black men than white men. That does not make them "bad people." It does make them, and all of us who pay for these systems with our tax dollars, participants in racism.

It can only change if we are willing to acknowledge both our individual prejudices and the racism which invades every aspect of our society in dangerously subtle and not so subtle ways.

Maybe Lawrence Bobo can explain it better than I can, in his moving article "What do you call a black man with a Ph.D?"

Even before the charge (was) dropped Tuesday, I knew in my bones that this officer was wrong. I knew in my bones that this situation was about the level of deference from a black male that a white cop expects. I say this even though I did not see the events themselves unfold. What I do know with certainty is that the officer, even by his own written report, understood that he was dealing with a lawful resident of the house when he made the arrest. That same report makes it clear that at the time of the arrest, the officer was no longer concerned about the report of a “burglary in progress” involving “two black males.” No, by this point we’re talking about something else entirely...

If Skip Gates can be arrested on his front porch and end up in handcuffs in a police cruiser then, sadly, there, but for the grace of God, goes every other black man in America.

Thanks to the Rev. Heather Patton-Graham for posting the link to The Root articles. They're worth reading, so check them out!

First Episcopal woman deacon dies at 92

2009-07-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

Episcopal Life celebrates the Rev. Phyllis Edwards, a priest and the first woman deacon in the Episcopal Church, who died earlier in the month.

Edwards was a civil rights activist who marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and fought for the ordination of women in the Episcopal Church. She was ordained to the diaconate in 1965 by California Bishop James Pike. (General Convention didn't officially recognize women deacons until 1970.)

Edwards was one of those all-important trailblazers who opened a way for others of us to follow. Thanks be to God for her life and ministry!

Cutting Budgets

2009-07-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

Along with all the great things that happened at General Convention last week, there were also some unfortunate ones, include a huge cut to TEC's budget.

The Rev. Terry Martin writes painfully about the impact of these cuts on him and evangelism in particular. He and many of the commenters on his blog question the wisdom of the church to choose to make these cuts. (Everyone recognizes that in this economy there have to be cuts somewhere.)

The Rev. Lois Keen commented,

So far as I can garner from the stuff I've read this week, the "cuts" were made in areas which it is thought the dioceses could each pick up. I agree with the pragmatism of that assumption; I quarrel with the basis, however. There is a message sent when at the international level of TEC whole areas are no longer part of the "banner" - it sends a message that women, evangelism and worship and spirituality are not important.

I know that's not what is intended. I'll have to work on not expecting the various "desk" titles giving us our identity.

I think this is a critical observation. TEC hasn't decided that evangelism is unimportant, or women's ministries, or spirituality. But perhaps recognizes that it is work that does not have to be done "top down." The alternative is to cut programs that only the international body could do, such as General Convention, Episcopal Relief & Development (a separate entity now, I know, but receiving huge support from TEC) or others that mostly go unnoticed because we take them for granted.

I haven't been intimately involved in the budget decisions and I don't know why these decisions were made. Asking "why?" is important. I'm not ready to jump to the conclusion, though, that those who made these decisions have abandoned the true purpose of the church. Maybe they have, but I don't have evidence of that, yet.

I feel for and pray for Terry and others who have lost their jobs. And I pray that this will be an opportunity for us to move away from a top heavy institution and into the grass roots movement of God's Mission in the world. If we are distressed by the budget cuts, let's respond with renewed energy for the work that we think is so vitally important.

Tweeting!

2009-07-16T15:51:00.000-07:00

I have become addicted to Twitter. And I have made several new friends this week as other "tweeters" followed General Convention along with me. I'm not new to electronic community. I am a member of a Christian Community in the Episcopal Church (Rivendell) that was born and nurtured through its first years through e-mail. 12 years ago when we began there was no "twitter" or "facebook," only e-mail and Instant Message. Through honest and frequent communication on-line we first members of Rivendell became more closely connected.

I did not imagine Twitter could accomplish the same thing before this week, because I didn't "get" how it could work, and couldn't imagine 140 characters being enough for real conversation. I was wrong. It is. And in fact, I think it may foster conversation because one person can't go on and on uninterrupted.

There are some downsides. This week it has required periods of constant attention, and I have found myself checking Tweets in meetings and at other time that I should have been doing other things. This is true of other communication, too, though, both telephonic and electronic.

There has been a group of obsessed Tweeters that have gathered over the past several days in cyberspace to follow the debating and voting of both the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. Some members of the Twitter cadre were in Anaheim, in the galleries of the houses sending updates for those of us spread across the country. Some of us were able to watch the live stream of the debate online - and are exceedingly grateful for that service. Others could not. So everyone shared what they were seeing and hearing or wondering about. There has been lively debate from differing viewpoints. A few ugly intruders who would or could not maintain a civil atmosphere.

On Tuesday (I think) as we were watching the exciting vote in the House of Bishops on allowing all people access to the ordination process, someone Tweeted that it was great for us all to be together for that event! He was absolutely right. Community had formed and though we could not all be in Anaheim, we were together as members of the same church watching, praying, and celebrating the work of our governing bodies.

What a gift! Much of this was made possible because Sarah Bennett (@sarahgbennett) set up a "twubs" group for us. Thank you Sarah! And to all the other tweeters who I now consider friends!

D025 passes the House of Deputies and is official

2009-07-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

The Episcopal Church has said that all people, regardless or sexual orientation, may be called to all orders - deacon, priest, or bishop - in the Episcopal Church.

It is important to note that this resolution does not bind any diocese to ordain anyone. Ordination is a vocation, not a right. It does however, remove any real or perceived judicial obstacles to ordination.

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 76th General Convention reaffirm the continued participation of The Episcopal Church as a constituent member of the Anglican Communion; give thanks for the work of the bishops at the Lambeth Conference of 2008; reaffirm the abiding commitment of The Episcopal Church to the fellowship of churches that constitute the Anglican Communion and seek to live into the highest degree of communion possible; and be it further

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention encourage dioceses, congregations, and members of The Episcopal Church to participate to the fullest extent possible in the many instruments, networks and relationships of the Anglican Communion; and be it further

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention reaffirm its financial commitment to the Anglican Communion and pledge to participate fully in the Inter-Anglican Budget; and be it further

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention affirm the value of "listening to the experience of homosexual persons," as called for by the Lambeth Conferences of 1978, 1988, and 1998, and acknowledge that through our own listening the General Convention has come to recognize that the baptized membership of The Episcopal Church includes same-sex couples living in lifelong committed relationships "characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God" (2000-D039); and be it further

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention recognize that gay and lesbian persons who are part of such relationships have responded to God's call and have exercised various ministries in and on behalf of God's One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and are currently doing so in our midst; and be it further

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention affirm that God has called and may call such individuals, to any ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church, and that God's call to the ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church is a mystery which the Church attempts to discern for all people through our discernment processes acting in accordance with the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church; and be it further

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention acknowledge that members of The Episcopal Church as of the Anglican Communion, based on careful study of the Holy Scriptures, and in light of tradition and reason, are not of one mind, and Christians of good conscience disagree about some of these matters.

Loosening Burdens

2009-07-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to do it. I wasn't going to write about sex again. I wasn't going to feed the beast of non-stop debate around the actions of General Convention. And I wasn't going to write anything until the resolution in question became official. (Actually, the resolution amended and passed by the House of Bishops yesterday is being voted on right now in the House of Deputies.)

But two bishops have gotten to me.

Bishop N.T. Wright of Durham (Church of England) wrote a long article in tomorrow's TimesOnline. (Time zones are cool!) He pronounces that the Episcopal Church has left the Anglican Communion. And among other things says,

Jesus’s own stern denunciation of sexual immorality would certainly have carried, to his hearers, a clear implied rejection of all sexual behaviour outside heterosexual monogamy.

This is a new one for me. I haven't heard anyone make this argument before. I'm stunned by the bishop's ability to read the divine mind, much less those of Jesus audience. He's probably right, actually, about most of Jesus' audience, because there weren't any same-sex, monogamous, faithful, loving, mutual relationships in his day, that we have record of. It is IMPOSSIBLE to know what Jesus would have said to the crowds if there had been such relationships in the society he knew. It's even impossible for Bp. Wright to know.

The other bishop that got to me today is Bishop Stacy Sauls of Lexington (KY) whom I mentioned before. In the House of Bishops debate this morning about allowing blessing of same-sex unions in states where it is lawful, he likened it to divorce and remarriage, and the way in which the majority of churches in the Anglican Communion (including Bishop Wright's Church of England) have permitted remarriage after divorce. And then he quoted Matthew 23:4 saying,

They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.

It seems to me that we have loosened the heavy burden that the church has placed upon gay and lesbian people for generations. I think Jesus would agree. Bishop Sauls thinks he would agree. We can't know for sure, any more than Bishop Wright can know for sure. We can trust that we are ultimately being guided by the Holy Spirit and that if we are wrong, God will correct us. What I have sensed and seen is God calling us into greater and greater degrees of inclusion and love, despite our hesitancy, fear, and uncertainty.

2009-07-13T17:19:00.001-07:00

General Convention is taxing work!
(From twitpix.com - If someone knows who this is, I'll identify!)

What Matters to Episcopalians

2009-07-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a big day at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church meeting in Anaheim. The chatter in the blogosphere is all about the House of Deputies action passing a resolution that both affirms the valued ministries of gay and lesbian people in the church and recognizes that we don't all agree on these issues. Dave Walker writes a good summary of the impact of this vote. We have to wait and see what the House of Bishops does to know if the resolution will have any standing in the church.

At today's morning press conference, David Virtue, a notorious attack journalist who often seems to create headlines out of thin air, asked the panel a question about the vote, saying most Anglicans oppose homosexuality. Bishop Stacy Sauls offered a brilliant reply. He was calm and polite, and very clear. He said that he doesn't believe we know what most Anglicans believe because there hasn't been a poll done of most Anglicans. He believes that most Anglicans don't know anything about this vote because they have concerns in their lives that more important. He highlighted the General Convention theme of the day, which is domestic poverty, and talked about the poverty in his diocese in Eastern Kentucky (Diocese of Lexington.) Yea Bishop Sauls!!

I think our debate about human sexuality is important, and I think moving toward greater equality for all people is important. It is not the only important concern facing the Episcopal Church, however, and for many people who struggle every day just to feed and shelter themselves and their families, our debate about sexuality couldn't be less important.

The other really big thing that happened yesterday is that the House of Deputies concurred with the House of Bishops on making the Millennium Development Goals a priority in the mission efforts of the Episcopal Church, and approved a 1% contribution to the MDG's. 1% is more than the original resolution called for and it meets the ONE Campaign's suggested contribution.

One of the things that I find most exciting about the Episcopal Church's participation in the MDGs and the ONE Campaign is the fact that these are programs outside of the Church. They are aimed are building an international, broad based coalition to end extreme poverty in the world. These efforts are based on partnership and mutuality. It is a move away from a single body deciding what's best for a group of people over there somewhere, and then responding without any connection to others who might already be doing work, who might understand the problems better, or who might have resources that could be helpful to others. The MDGs and the ONE Campaign are about all of us working together. I'm proud that my church is a part of the coalition!

I found it on Twitter

2009-07-11T06:41:00.001-07:00

I'm twittering now - sort of. I've done it in fits are starts for a year or so (or less, I'm not sure.) It doesn't have the appeal of facebook for me, with lots of pictures and more than 160 characters of info, plus amusing games to play on the side. BUT, there is something very cool about it. Evidence: I just found out about the incredible blog from Young Adults at General Convention. Someone 'tweeted' about it and included the link, which I followed.

The blog includes some of the very best and most articulate explanations of what young people want from the church and what they have to offer. Namely, that they want to be taken seriously, to be recognized as thoughtful, prayerful, contributing members of the body of Christ. They want to be listened to and they want to work and worship alongside everyone else. Check out the blog and read their words, not mine.

Thanks Twitter!

Bonnie Anderson on Community & Unity

2009-07-10T17:19:00.001-07:00

I wrote too soon this morning about Bonnie Anderson. I didn't realize she was preaching at today's Eucharist at General Convention. She preached an outstanding sermon! It's available from Episcopal Life, and at the General Convention Media Hub.

There's been some controversy about a sermon that Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori preached earlier in the week in which she said that none of us are saved alone. That I am only save when you are saved. The Presiding Bishop is smart enough to know that this statement would distress our evangelical brothers and sisters both in the Episcopal Church and in other denominations. She must believe it's a pretty important point to be willing to risk disturbing some with her words. She must think it's very important that we understand that faith is not an individualistic reality - just me and Jesus - but a community journey - us together in Jesus Christ.

In her sermon today Bonnie talks about the importance of unity, which isn't uniformity of belief or practice, but loving community in Jesus Christ. She understands how Jesus calls and binds us together, and that he intends us to cling together - in the midst of disagreement, pain, joy, accord, and even death.

Bonnie tells the story of worshiping with a congregation in Ft. Worth, TX that meets in a community theater. On the Sunday she was with them they set up their makeshift sanctuary on the stage in front of a Hansel & Gretel set. The altar sat in front of the stew pot where Hansel ends up in the play.

Living in a diocese, that like Ft. Worth, has seen it's former bishop lead it away from the community of the Episcopal Church and eventually leave the church himself, I think the setting for that Eucharist is an apt metaphor. I have heard countless stories of people in San Joaquin who were essentially stewed by the bishop. As in Ft. Worth and Pittsburgh, clergy and laity who dared to oppose the bishop were threatened and punished. Many were viciously attacked and harmed.

Today, though, these diocese are communities of new life. Altars are being set up in odd places and in reclaimed spaces. The Eucharist is being celebrated at the very heart of where people were once being chased and stewed! Death has become life! Those who were humiliated and broken have risen together to be the Church.

Thanks be to God!

Pacific Alumna Bonnie Anderson Addresses General Convention

2009-07-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

Bonnie Anderson, a graduate of University of the Pacific, is the President of the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church. The House of Deputies is one of two houses of General Convention, the governing body of the international Episcopal Church. The House of Bishops is the second (and younger) house. With the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Anderson is a presiding officer of the Episcopal Church.

In her opening address to General Convention on July 7th, she stressed the importance of mission, in her life and the life of the Episcopal Church.

Presiding Bishop Katharine, Secretary Straub, Deputies, Bishops, Members of the Triennial Meeting of the Episcopal Church Women, visitors and guests. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the 76th General Convention of The Episcopal Church and our exploration together of Ubuntu.

The General Convention, meeting once every three years is the world’s largest bicameral legislature. The General Convention holds all authority in The Episcopal Church, other than the authority to change the Core Doctrine of the Church. Of course, the ultimate authority for all we are and all we have and all we do resides in our beloved Jesus Christ.

The General Convention can be fairly described in a variety of terms including constitution and canons, rules of order, legislation, politics, group dynamics, worship, this list goes on. The Convention can also be understood theologically. It is rooted in the promise of Jesus to be with us when we are gathered as a community and St. Paul’s famous imagery of the Body of Christ. These foundations allow us to believe that God is present and can be known in conventions as well as congregations. The House of Deputies has a particularly important role in this theological construct. It requires the whole body – bishops, priests, deacons and laity – to be the full image of Christ for the church and for the world. The Episcopal Church has intentionally structured its General Convention to reflect this theology rather than one that relies on a special part of the Church to fulfill that role. We believe that God speaks to and through all of the orders and members of our Church.

God’s Episcopal Church is my Church. It became my Church about 35 years ago for a reason that may seem simple. The Episcopal Church welcomed me. I don’t mean the kind of welcome that gave me coffee and shook my hand,, although that is important too. The Episcopal Church welcomed me in a way that told me the truth about who I am. The Episcopal Church told me that I am a child of God. The Episcopal Church told me that the gifts that God has given me will be put to good use. The Episcopal Church welcomed me in a way that brings me closer to wholeness. Here is a short illustration of what I mean:

I grew up not too far from here, in a largely Hispanic, Roman Catholic neighborhood in a town called Santa Ana. I was the white kid with the divorced parents who lived with her mother and sometimes her grandmother.

I was an anomaly. But strangely enough, that neighborhood, that community not only welcomed me, they embraced me: There was always room at someone’s table when I was hungry, when I was lonely there was someone yelling outside my back door that it was time to walk to church. I was welcomed and included, no questions asked. I was and am thankful for that community beyond words. They literally saved my life. All the neighbors knew about each other – what was important, who needed special attention. But the neighborhood church, where I walked to Mass every single morning for 15 years, there was not one single adult associated with the leadership of the parish, who knew my name. I was told about Jesus Christ at Church, but I experienced Jesus Christ in my neighborhood.

So years later, when I walked into a simple Episcopal church in rural Pennsylvania with my husband and our three kids of our own in tow, I was welcomed in a way that touched the place in my heart that I had kept in reserve for the generous and loving people of my childhood, not too far from here.

These kind caring Episcopalians fed the rural poor of our community where we lived and paid hired hands to do work they could have done themselves just so someone else would have the dignity of a job in hard times. The community was their mission field.

On the third Sunday we came to Church, Ellie sat next me. She had introduced herself to me the first Sunday we were there. She sat beside me each Sunday thereafter. She had a huge brown crocodile purse – the kind that has a small crocodile head a little tiny feet on it near the clasp – our kids were mesmerized by it. After church on a particular Sunday, she nudged me and dug down in her purse. She handed me a crumpled paper with a list of names and phone numbers written by a shaky hand. In a display of what I call uncanny “gift perception”, Ellie had decided that if the church had a babysitting co-op it would enable more people to be available to work in the community. She thought I would be the perfect co-op organizer. I did it. And for the second time in my life, God put me in the midst of a loving community of people who showed me what it is to love my neighbor as myself. The “penny dropped”. I got it. We find our place in creation where the story of Jesus Christ intersects our own stories.

So here we are today, ready to build upon the work done by 75 other General Conventions and all the thousands of bishops, deputies, ECW, guests, visitors, who have gone before us.

But, we say, these are tough times. Time to hunker down.

I bet if we went back through history and interviewed Episcopalians from those 75 General Conventions gone before us, EVERYONE would say they lived through tough times. Their lives would reflect tough times in the form of such things as the dustbowl, famine, war, natural disasters, starvation, civil rights, racism, depression. Our time right now, is tough but it is marked by another TYPE of tough times marked by terrorism, and a declining economy. Ours is a tough time, but our forbearers would probably say that they had tough times too, and they did.

In our tough time, there is one major but very subtle difference. The difference is this: –

because of technology, available travel, communication, we have the capability to SEE, and, to some extent, to UNDERSTAND not only our own tough times, but we know about the tough times of people all around the globe. In June it was announced that the first half of 2009 pushed another 105 million people into hunger, raising the total number of hungry people in the world now to more than one billion.

In our own Diocese of South Dakota, while I was visiting on the Lower Bruille reservation, which is in the #1 poorest county in the U.S., where there are several Episcopal congregations, at a free lunch program a young boy stuffed mashed potatoes from his lunch into his pocket so his grandmother would have something for dinner. One of the toughest things about these tough times is that we can’t hide from them. Our technology enables us to see and to know not only how we are effected, but how the global economic crisis is disproportionately affecting the poorest people in the world.

It is within our reach to do something about it and THAT is the toughest thing about our times. As economist Jeffrey Sachs said as he stood on the chancel steps of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Minneapolis, ”For the first time in the history of the world, we have the resources, the technology, and the capacity to wipe extreme poverty off the face of the earth. The only thing we lack is the will.”

Some of us have the will. Over 50% of our approximately 7,000 congregations have embraced the Millennium Development Goals as a mission focus. 82 of the 110 dioceses have sacrificially pledged 0.7% of their diocesan budgets toward global poverty eradication and the MDGs. In 42 countries, Episcopal Relief & Development has touched the lives of 2.5 million people.

The vision of building the “Beloved Community” in the Diocese of Louisiana, for example, has been embraced by over 100,000 volunteers and a $10 million dollar investment from contributions made to Episcopal Relief & Development for this purpose
which has conservatively produced 20 times that amount in benefit to the community. Many of us are responding to God’s call to mission, but what if ALL of us did it? What if all of us did it as if our lives depended on it? Think of it!!

As my friend Deputy Rushing says, “The church does not have a mission, God’s mission has a Church”. Mission is the reason we exist at all- to be out in the world serving as the face, hands, heart and feet of Jesus Christ, bringing healing and reconciliation and renewal to our broken world. We are called by God to be this kind of people. And we so badly want to do it. Since 1991, General Convention has concurred 58 resolutions about mission. Calling us out into the world to join God in the ministry of peace and justice.

We are so clearly called to do this.

We say we want to do it. And some of us are doing it. But despite all this there still exists a huge gap between the needs of the world and the response of our church to those needs.

Together, there is so much more we can do.

And there’s they key word- together. We are only effective in responding to God’s call to the extent that we fully grasp the reality that we cannot do this ministry alone, as individuals. In the Episcopal Church we have hundreds of thousands of ministers – over 2 million. We must learn how to identify, equip and build leadership for mission in our congregations if we are to be faithful to God’s call to mission. We must learn how to call others into action with us and band together around places of common interest to do the work God has given us to do. We must no longer be afraid to ask other people to join us in action.

At this General Convention we will have mission conversations, we will explore the leadership art of Public Narrative as one vehicle through which we can call others effectively to act with us. Public Narrative is not an agenda, another congregational development gadget, or a spiritual autobiography. Public Narrative is a method, an art form even, that links the truth of who we are with individuals called to mission, to the truth of our community here also called to mission, to the specific and urgent needs of the world. Public Narrative is linked stories about ourselves, our church community and the need of the world, that, when mastered, has tremendous amount of power and capacity to call people to action.

So right here, right now, let us begin. Let us invest our love in the Holy Spirit, and set our hearts on mission with everything we have. Where we have already begun, let us intensify our efforts. Where there is need unmet, let us begin new ministry. Let us listen deeply to one another at General Convention. Let us learn a new leadership art that we can develop here, then take home with us and use if it works for us. For, we are the Episcopal Church and we have the community, the liturgy, the history, the intellect, the resources and the passion to make an historic and effective impact on the world’s suffering. This is our moment. Let us claim this moment and let us celebrate this moment.

Then let us go back out into the world together – and do it.
Thank you.

from Episcopal Life Online

National Workshop on Christian Unity

2009-07-09T13:54:00.000-07:00

This report is WAY overdue! I’ve had trouble wrapping my mind around all that happened at the National Workshop on Christian Unity. I’ve been involved in ecumenism since my days as an undergrad, participating in several campus ministry groups. I became ‘officially’ involved as an intern at the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland in 1996. I’ve served on the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations (now Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations) and the Episcopal-Moravian Dialogue. So, the National Workshop was, among other things, a chance to see long time friends and make new ones. That was definitely the highlight for me, and I think the crux of ecumenical relations.

This year’s workshop was in Phoenix during the last week of April. Much of the conference involves denominational meetings of ecumenical officers. Thanks to Province VIII, who provided funds for the diocese to send someone, San Joaquin was represented for the first time in years. As you can imagine, I was greeted very warmly by the other Episcopal representatives!

Opening Worship

The opening worship service was a grand celebration of our diverse denominational and cultural traditions. The Rev. Dr. Cliff Kirkpatrick, former stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and current President of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, was the preacher. Bishop Kirk Smith, of the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, joined the Rev. Dr. Ken Moe (Presbyterian), Bishop Thomas Olmsted (Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix), Metropolitan Gerasimos (Greek Orthodox), Bishop Minerva Carcaño (United Methodist), the Rev. Dr. Dennis Williams (Disciples of Christ), the Rev. Dr. Jan DeVries, (Presbyterian Synod of the Southwest), Bishop Gerald Kicanas (Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson)and the Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer (United Church of Christ) in leading the service of music, readings, and prayer. A local Gospel choir and the Sudanese Lost Boys choir added their rhythm and spirit to the service.

ED-EI-EI-O

The Episcopal Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers (EDEIOs) had a full agenda, including discussion of our bilateral dialogue with the United Methodist Church and the proposal for full communion with the Northern and Southern Provinces of the Moravian Church. The Rev. Dr. Otto Dreydoppel, of the Moravian Church, was present, as well as many current Episcopal members of the bilateral dialogue. We had a fruitful conversation about the similarities between us and the Moravians, as well as some of the differences that promise to be enriching as we go forward. Those of us who have been a part of the bilateral dialogue have been blessed by the genuine humility and pastoral sensitivity of the Moravians, not to mention their rich musical tradition. On the final evening of the conference we participated in a Moravian love feast at the Trinity Cathedral. This is a lovely meditative service of music, prayers, and fellowship, in which the congregation shares coffee and sweet buns. It is a sort of coffee hour ritualized, which seems right up our alley as Episcopalians!

Plenaries, Workshop, and Bible Studies, oh my!

While much of the conference was spent in denominational meetings, there was a full program of plenary presentations, Bible study, and workshops for all participants. The opening keynote address was given by Metropolitan Gerasimos, the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. In his compelling address he both praised the ecumenical work that has been accomplished and challenged participants to seek greater reconciliation in Christ.

Dr. Margaret Mitchell, Professor of New Testament and Early Christian Literature at the University of Chicago Divinity School, led Bible study throughout the conference on 1 Corinthians and Paul’s call for Christian unity.

Fortunately, many of the workshops and plenaries were recorded and are available at the NWCU download center so that you can join the conversations of our brothers and sisters who offer wisdom and insight for our shared journey in Christ.

Reprinted in the Sept. Episcopal Life San Joaquin

Why should Chrisitians care about the Millennium Development Goals?

2009-06-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

I think Ian Douglas (my former thesis advisor!) offers a great explanation of why the Mission of God in the world should matter to Christians (and other people of faith) and how the MDG's might help.

And here is where the church, the body of Christ generally and the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church in particular, can play an incredibly important role in the movement to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Being faithful to the call to God's mission, effecting God's shalom, is what it means to be a faithful follower of Jesus. The MDGs offer a concrete invitation to get on with what God wants us to be about; to join with sisters in brothers in Christ, with people of other faiths, with wider global civil society to be about the repair of the world...

The movement is not about a single quick fix, done today and forgotten tomorrow. It's about building a movement of God's people in response to the missio Dei. So as Christians, as Anglicans, as Episcopalians, we have a key role to play in the shalom movement of the MDGs. Let's be about it.

A Scientific Faith

2009-05-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon my mom and I were having a conversation about science and religion. I don't remember what started it, but we both really enjoy science. She's a nurse and I started college as a biology major. We've both studied science in various ways and enjoy reading and learning more. We see science as a way to better understand God's creation so it is a continual source of inspiration and excitement. I commented that I didn't have very good science classes until I got to high school and had an outstanding biology teacher (and spent most of a semester learning about genetics via fruit flies!) My mom (who was once a teacher) pointed out that there aren't many public schools that offer good science education for elementary and middle school kids. We ranted about the sadness of that fact for a few minutes and then she pointed out that religion had a lot to do with that problem. And it's true. There is a dichotomy drawn between science and religion which is entirely false, but has prevailed in our culture.

The first scientists were theologians, and vice versa! They too saw science as a means of better understanding God's creation. The Church persecuted many, like Galileo, who discovered that the world wasn't the way we thought it was. And that persecution continues to impact us today. And yet the Galileo's continued to study and explore and discover, thanks be to God, and could not be silenced!

The Episcopal Church is blessed to be led by another scientist/theologian, Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori. "'Ultimately, religion and science speak the same language, and impart the same lesson,' she says," in an article in Search Magazine. The article tells the story of her move from marine biology to priesthood and about how her scientific training shapes her leadership. More importantly, it dispels the myth that somehow science and religion are opposed to one another.

Sunset in Manila

2009-03-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

There are too many pictures to choose from, but perhaps the beauty of this one will convey something of our trip. A week ago I returned for 10 days in the Philippines with 14 incredible students and 3 priceless colleagues. We spent several days in Manila, visiting the National Council of Churches and St. Scholastica's school. We then went to Baguio City. There we met my old friend Penelope Caytap, who took us to wonderful places and taught us about the Igarot, or indigenous peoples of the Philippines. Our last day we went canoeing in Pagsanjan. Aside from some truly frightening car trips, and literally hours of traffic jams, the trip went off without a hitch, and we all learned more about cross-cultural dialogue and the culture of the Philippines than we could have in a year on campus.

Maybe more pictures are in order, because I can't come close to finding adequate words!
Mountains of the Cordillera

Learning dances at the Cultural Center at St. Louis University

2009-01-22T10:21:00.001-08:00

Where was Bishop Gene's Prayer?

2009-01-19T06:39:00.000-08:00

HBO says the Inauguration Committee decided Bishop Gene Robinson's invocation would be a part of the pre-show program at yesterday "We Are One" concert. That meant it was a part of the televised portion and most of us didn't get to hear it. The concert was great, but I was very disappointed to not see Bishop Gene.

Fortunately, there is a clip from Sarah Pulliam of Christianity Today.

Fr. Ed & Oprah

2009-01-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

The Rev. Ed. Bacon is rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, a congregation known for its radical inclusion of all who seek to participate in the community of Christ's Body. Fr. Ed was on Oprah last week, and I admit that I record Oprah every day. I was really excited to see an Episcopal priest on Oprah, and though I didn't watch every minute of this episode, I did watch all of Fr. Ed's comments! I was thrilled when he said "being gay is a gift from God." It's such a clear statement of how he - and I - understand God's activity in the lives of God's people, and not just straight people.

Of course, not every one was so thrilled. So, Fr. Ed was on again today to explain what he meant - which was exactly what he said! No apology. No backpeddling!

WATCH:

"Prop 8: The Musical"

2008-12-03T16:40:00.000-08:00

See more at Funny or Die

Legacy

2008-11-07T14:12:00.000-08:00

So far, this is my favorite image about the election. It's by John Deering and is available here.

It's in the Air.

2008-11-04T09:13:00.000-08:00

I'm anticipating a great party tonight - a couple of them, actually. First on campus and then with some faculty friends. It's going to be a good day. A life changing, country changing day. But don't take it for granted - VOTE!

My friend Wendy the Priest has said it better than I can:

I wasn’t going to say it here, but I’m up early
watching and
listening and reading,
and it feels like Christmas to me
because there’s a burn burn burn—
Can you feel it?
Can you feel the buzz of change?
It’s in the air. I keep tearing up.
I have goosebumps. And my stomach is in a knot.

I need coffee (to help with the knot, to wake me up). Then
I am voting for Barack Obama.

Because, at the end of the day,
I look at the story. I study the narrative. (It’s what I do.)
The narrative says more to me than any opinion,
The narrative says more to me than any campaign.
The narrative, the story
is the umbrella, the informant, the source.

And I believe his story.
That’s right, you heard me.
I. Believe. Barack. Obama.

(My father is rolling his eyes.
My brother is thinking,
“Oh shit. She really did drink the kool-aid.)

His story resonates with me and my idea of the American Dream.
It’s a story that speaks to the poor, the meek, the hungry, the peacemakers.
It gives the underdog power. (Sounds like The Gospel of Jesus Christ to me.)
It’s a story that ripples with humanity, community, charisma, and care.
Genuine care. And chances, options, respect, and grace.

(As opposed to fear, war, violence, and wealth.)

I can go in circles with you about Issues and Policies,
But I probably won’t. I’m not articulate enough.
Some might point out that I can "get emotional."
And I’m done with the Us/Them.

What I know for sure—
I know that I’m hooked. Hooked on Hope.

(It's pretty dang good kool-aid.)

Oh, and
Thank GOD for those who have gone before us—
Those that fought fought fought for my right to vote.

Proposition 8 supporters commit yet more violations

2008-10-27T15:21:00.000-07:00

The campaign to push Proposition 8 in California is using images of a school field trip for their commercials, without asking for the parents' permission, and without including the critical piece of information that the parents do not support prop. 8. Some kind of "family values."

See more at JustinMcLachlin.com

More Wisdom from Bishop Carol Gallagher

2008-10-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

Today Bishop Carol wrote this at her blog MamaBishop:

When our house was full of children, three boisterous and beautiful girls, there was often a lot of noise and squawking about meals. No one child would agree with the other about what they wanted to have for a meal on any given day. Although there were many things they enjoyed in common, they often chose to dislike a dish on a day when one of the other sisters wanted that particular dish. In truth, no matter how much contention there was over a given meal, I would cook what I had planned and any child could make a sandwich for themselves if they weren't able to stomach the menu of the day. Life in families finds us among very closely related people with very different ideas and opinions about what our common meals and lives should be. Life in the church also finds us among people, closely related by baptism, who hold various different ideas and opinions about our common life. Although to some, this might seem like the house divided which Jesus talks about, it is instead the stunningly beautiful and challenging diversity of the kingdom that God created for us to dwell in.

If we serve God together, we dwell in a unified house,and, despite the complexity of our common life and the diversities of expressions among us, we are not divided. Some people, in putting forth their arguments in church will claim that the other side is of the devil, or not a follower of Christ. A difference of opinion, theological or otherwise, does not remove us from the family. God, the Creator of the universe and each and every one of us, loves us in our diversity, not in spite of it. And so, we too might want to love each other in our differences and not reject one other for those same differences. It is the way of Christ, who reached out and touched the untouchables, made relationships with those judged evil and sinful, and took meals with the outcasts. Jesus drew the kingdom, the household, the family to himself, so that we might see the loving hand of God in our midst.

After spending the weekend at the annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, Bishop Carol's words seem very apropos. The diocese is about a quarter of the size it was a year ago, before a large portion chose to leave the Episcopal Church because they could not tolerate the kind of "stunningly beautiful and challenging diversity" that we strive to embrace. It is not easy to live with differences, and it wasn't even easy this weekend. But it is worth the struggle. I saw folks this weekend embrace a life of celebrating the many different ways in which we are each created in the image of God. Thanks be to God for such diversity.

McCain goes right past smear to racism

2008-10-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

In a McCain ad called "Mum," Obama is portrayed as a tax-raising incompetent. But the real point of the ad... may be to incite racial fears.

"In crisis, experience matters," a tough voice warns. "McCain and his congressional allies led. Tough rules on Wall Street. Stop CEO rip-offs. [An image of a grinning black man in a suit appears.] Protect your savings and pensions. [An image of an elderly white woman appears.] Obama and his liberal allies, 'mum on the market crisis.' Because 'no one knows what to do.' More taxes. No leadership. A risk your family can't afford.

This is from Salon.com, which goes on to explain the racist manipulation that the campaign has stooped to. This goes way beyond a smear campaign or even "Swift boating." This is blatant racism designed to reinforce white fears of black men, and to see Obama as one of those men, preying on (financially) vulnerable white women. These kinds of subtle and insidious innuendos are how racism is perpetuated throughout our society. To intentionally capitalize on and reinforce such racism is despicable. If you agree, tell McCain.

Recollection

2008-09-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

Today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and also the last day of Ramadan for Muslims, at least in this part of the world. Both holidays are a time celebrate, to enjoy friends and family, and to seek happiness and wholeness. Muslims are ending a month of fasting and prayer and Jews will soon be observing the day of atonement, or Yom Kippur, which is also a time of fasting and prayer.

In old Christian terms, these times might be called periods of recollection. Times to collect our thoughts, to focus on what's most important, and to seek connection to God. As Muslims and Jews celebrate and seek to be more fully who they are called to be, may we all experience some bit of recollection and seek who we are called to be as well.

Interfaith Alliance Critical of Palin

2008-09-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't avoid it any longer. I'm about to get political. I think voting is an act of faith, a way to live out what I believe in. That doesn't mean that I want or expect candidates to flaunt their faith, or to espouse faith they don't really have in order to appease me, or to try to be my religious leader. I look for religious leadership at church, not in politics.

It's fair for politicians to explain what informs their decision making process, but they ought not impose their religious beliefs upon others. In fact, the Constitution forbids it. Unfortunately, the Republican vice presidential candidate disagrees with this.

The Interfaith Alliance has posted a press release about Governor Palin's statements on politics and religion.

The Huffington Post obtained a video of Gov. Palin speaking to the Wasilla Assembly of God, her one time church, on June 8, 2008. During the speech Gov. Palin stated that it is God’s will to build a natural gas pipeline across Alaska. She also stated American soldiers have been sent to Iraq “on a task that is from God.” Finally, she said that she is working hard to build new roads and schools for her state, but that her work in government may be irrelevant without religion. “I can do my job…but really all of that stuff doesn’t do any good if the people of Alaska’s heart [sic] isn’t right with God,” she told the church audience.

“This is the same kind of divisive theocratic rhetoric that President Bush has employed for eight years,” said Interfaith Alliance President, Rev. Welton Gaddy. “Governor Palin is suggesting that people of faith must agree with her energy policy or they risk incurring God’s wrath. Good and faithful people hold differing points of view in this the most religiously diverse nation in the world.

I would expect that like mine, Gov. Palin's political views are shaped by her faith. That's fine. It's not fine, however, for an elected official to seek to impose those views on others. And aside from my disagreement with her political use of faith, as a Christian I disagree with her condemning language of others who disagree with her. I don't think that's what Jesus would do. And I'm certain that it's not the Constitutional role of government. I'm concerned that Palin's theocratic views would make it very difficult for her to "support and defend" the Constitution of the United States which guarantees the right of all people to practice their own religion and to hold their own views.

Panda

2008-09-08T16:55:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this photo of the newest Panda in Chengdu China? The photo is at BBC.com. I think it's pretty amazing! Thanks be to God for Pandas!

The Class of 2012

2008-08-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

Beloit College has issued their annual "Mindset List" telling us about the world that entering college students grew up in.

Students entering college for the first time this fall were generally born in 1990.

For these students, Sammy Davis Jr., Jim Henson, Ryan White, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Freddy Krueger have always been dead.

1. Harry Potter could be a classmate, playing on their Quidditch team.
2. Since they were in diapers, karaoke machines have been annoying people at parties.
3. They have always been looking for Carmen Sandiego.
4. GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available.
5. Coke and Pepsi have always used recycled plastic bottles.
6. Shampoo and conditioner have always been available in the same bottle.
7. Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino.
8. Their parents may have dropped them in shock when they heard George Bush announce “tax revenue increases.”
9. Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option.
10. Girls in head scarves have always been part of the school fashion scene.
11. All have had a relative--or known about a friend's relative--who died comfortably at home with Hospice.
12. As a precursor to “whatever,” they have recognized that some people “just don’t get it.”
13. Universal Studios has always offered an alternative to Mickey in Orlando.
14. Grandma has always had wheels on her walker.
15. Martha Stewart Living has always been setting the style.
16. Haagen-Dazs ice cream has always come in quarts.
17. Club Med resorts have always been places to take the whole family.
18. WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.
19. Films have never been X rated, only NC-17.
20. The Warsaw Pact is as hazy for them as the League of Nations was for their parents.
21. Students have always been "Rocking the Vote.”
22. Clarence Thomas has always sat on the Supreme Court.
23. Schools have always been concerned about multiculturalism.
24. We have always known that “All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”
25. There have always been gay rabbis.
26. Wayne Newton has never had a mustache.
27. College grads have always been able to Teach for America.
28. IBM has never made typewriters.
29. Roseanne Barr has never been invited to sing the National Anthem again.
30. McDonald’s and Burger King have always used vegetable oil for cooking french fries.
31. They have never been able to color a tree using a raw umber Crayola.
32. There has always been Pearl Jam.
33. The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno and started at 11:35 EST.
34. Pee-Wee has never been in his playhouse during the day.
35. They never tasted Benefit Cereal with psyllium.
36. They may have been given a Nintendo Game Boy to play with in the crib.
37. Authorities have always been building a wall across the Mexican border.
38. Lenin’s name has never been on a major city in Russia.
39. Employers have always been able to do credit checks on employees.
40. Balsamic vinegar has always been available in the U.S.
41. Macaulay Culkin has always been Home Alone.
42. Their parents may have watched The American Gladiators on TV the day they were born.
43. Personal privacy has always been threatened.
44. Caller ID has always been available on phones.
45. Living wills have always been asked for at hospital check-ins.
46. The Green Bay Packers (almost) always had the same starting quarterback.
47. They never heard an attendant ask “Want me to check under the hood?”
48. Iced tea has always come in cans and bottles.
49. Soft drink refills have always been free.
50. They have never known life without Seinfeld references from a show about “nothing.”
51. Windows 3.0 operating system made IBM PCs user-friendly the year they were born.
52. Muscovites have always been able to buy Big Macs.
53. The Royal New Zealand Navy has never been permitted a daily ration of rum.
54. The Hubble Space Telescope has always been eavesdropping on the heavens.
55. 98.6 F or otherwise has always been confirmed in the ear.
56. Michael Milken has always been a philanthropist promoting prostate cancer research.
57. Off-shore oil drilling in the United States has always been prohibited.
58. Radio stations have never been required to present both sides of public issues.
59. There have always been charter schools.
60. Students always had Goosebumps.

When Pigs Fly

2008-08-04T10:15:00.001-07:00

I have mixed reactions to the end of the Lambeth conference. On the one hand, there seems to have been genuine relationships forged between bishops of disparate regions, viewpoints, and experiences, including some surprising apologies. On the other hand, the Archbishop of Canterbury and others have called for a continuing moratorium on the consecration of gay and lesbian bishops and the blessing of same-sex unions. Not only does this usurp the authority of the people and clergy of the church to elect their own bishops, but it feels patently unjust to me.

However, Bishop Carol Gallagher, who was not at Lambeth because she is currently between paying gigs (sort of), offers this reflection on impossibilities.

And Bishop Gene Robinson, preaching at St. Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow, Scotland on Sunday, said that he knows the time will come when all are welcome in the Church, including gay and lesbian people, because God invites all people into the fellowship. It will happen in God's time and we don't have to be anxious about it, but work to help it happen.

Miss Manners on Sharing Sustenance

2008-07-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

This comes from the The Lambeth Witness, the daily newspaper of the inclusive church crowd at the decennial meeting of the worldwide Anglican Communion. I agree with Katie Sherrod that Miss Manners' column from Wednesday applies to the situation we find ourselves in, but also to all people of faith and goodwill when confronted with those who might be inclined to draw lines between those who are "in" and those who are "out."

Miss Manners’ unintentional analysis of the WCG proposal
by Katie Sherrod (Integrity USA)

The Windsor Continuation Group is floating a proposal whereby a Pastoral Forum would have the authority to impose a diminished status or “diluted representation” on a naughty province. The following column by etiquette columnist Miss Manners seemed an amazingly apt analysis of this proposal. “Party Hosts Who Pick Favorites” ran in the Wednesday, July 30, 2008 issue of the Washington Post.

Question: Dear Miss Manners - Unfortunately, I think I may have discovered a phenomenon that is even tackier than cash bars at wedding receptions. Apparently, some restaurants have begun offering a service called a "half-open bar" to customers who wish to hold private parties. This means that the hosts are allowed to select a set number of "VIP" guests, designated with visible wristbands, who are allowed unlimited free drinks. The rest of the guests must pay for their beverages. I'm not necessarily faulting the businesses that have made this service an option; they are hardly forcing anybody to participate. I am, however, trying hard to quash my uncharitable feelings about the hosts who would employ such a service. As for how this sort of thing reflects on the culture as a whole, I am completely at a loss for words. You, however, rarely are. Thoughts? Can civilization put the kibosh on this nonsense? Are we too far gone?

Answer: Although she is not quite ready to give up on civilization, Miss Manners admits that what has happened to hospitality is an evil portent. In secular society, as in many religions, the willingness to share sustenance freely, even if one has little, is a test. Those who turn others away are in trouble, even if the visitor does not turn out to be a deity in disguise. However, Miss Manners does admire the modern efficiency. What you bring to her attention is a method of insulting guests by making them pay to be entertained, while at the same time making it clear that the insult is personal rather than general.

Bishops' Camp

2008-07-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

Today's Episcopal Life update is particularly interesting. I especially like this paragraph:

Fire alarm routs bishops in middle of the night
Monday evening's thunderstorm touched off a false alarm about 1:00 a.m. at Beckett Hall on the University of Kent campus, a guest reported. Bishops, spouses and all other guests temporarily residing at the hall had no choice but to wake up, respond, and stand outside in their nighties until the all-clear was called about 15 minutes later.

Can't you just imagine all those bishop's and spouses lumbering out of bed and down the stairs and elevators to stand outside, bleary eyed, and slowly beginning to comment on each other's pajamas and laughing about the absurdity of the event?! It's summer camp for bishops!!!

Now if they could just have a big pillow fight to work out their frustrations! Maybe some camp wide pranks like removing all the furniture from another bishop's room, or changing all the signs on the meeting rooms, would break through the tension and help them take themselves and one another a little less seriously!

More about the March

2008-07-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

Bishop Marc Andrus of California has a great video on his blog of bishops and ecumenical participants explaining why they were participating in, or why they thought is was important to participate in the march last week supporting the Millennium Development Goals.

The video includes my former bishop, Wayne Wright of Delaware, and the bishop of Delaware's companion diocese Argyll and the Isles, Martin Smith. I got to meet Martin at my former congregation when at the end of a very long day he celebrated Eucharist for our campus ministry group. At the time of the sermon, he sat on the floor in front of the altar where we were all gathered and invited us into a conversation about the day's reading. I don't remember the conversation, but I do remember how down to earth - literally - the bishop was and how open to dialogue! In this video he says that the march is going to help him re-examine his own lifestyle. It is a humble answer and a good place for us all to start.

080727_MDG_March_final from http://bishopmarc.vox.com/

Join the Bishops' March to End Poverty

2008-07-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

Today the Anglican bishops who have gathered for the Lambeth Conference, marched in London to Parliament to raise awareness and seek commitment to the effort to end extreme poverty in the world. The Millennium Development Goals have been a rallying point for this work, but as Anglican Observer to the United Nations, Hellen Wangusa said, the Church has been present all along working for this goal.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke compellingly of the need for political will to make this happen. Read the whole story here. And then join the bishops in a virtual march by contacting your congressional representatives here.

Someone said that the United States is generous in its foreign aid. That simply isn't true. We give a fraction of a percent of our national budget to foreign aid. Increasing that aid by the tiniest amount, maybe to a whole one percent of the national budget, could have a significant impact on people's lives. It could also make for a safer and more stable world.

Perhaps we could also address the issues of poverty in our own country. As Gordon Brown said, we have the science, medicine and technology to do it - to address poverty both in the U.S. and in the world, I would contend - all we lack is the will to do so.

Forgiveness

2008-07-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

My friend Nathan raises an interesting question on his blog about people of faith both fostering and frustrating forgiveness. He's looking for insight, so tell him what you think.

All are Welcome?

2008-07-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

Lambeth has started in earnest. After spending 2+ days in retreat, the opening worship was held today in Canterbury Cathedral. There are lots of great stories about how important the retreat time was to setting the tone for the conference, and about a willingness to be open to one another and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

There were also a few (very few) comments in ENS reports of bishops commenting on the absence of Bishop Gene Robinson. "Bishop Mark Beckwith, of Newark, noted the singing of the hymn 'All are Welcome' after communion, but referred to the exclusion of New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson, who is in a same-gender partnership. Beckwith said, 'my heart was broken because, in fact, we are all not welcome here.'"

+Gene asked for prayers in his own blog, Canterbury Tales from the Fringe, noting the he has been surprised at the difficulty of being cut off from his colleagues. I trust he'll share his observations of the Inclusive Eucharist that was held this afternoon.

As we pray for all the bishops gathered in Canterbury, let's add a particular prayer for +Gene. It seems to me that he is in the unique position of bearing the burden of exclusion which so many people on the margins experience regularly. It is an imminently priestly act, though I cannot imagine an easy one, even for such a deeply committed priest and bishop as +Gene is.

The Girl Effect

2008-07-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Wendy Porter for posting this video on her blog!

Girls grow up to be women who manage their households. It makes sense that the better prepared and equipped they are to do that, the stronger their households will be. Vast numbers of single, widowed, divorced women have no one to depend on other than themselves. And all the other women who do have a partner, can help share the burden of providing for themselves and their families if they have some tools to do so.

Educating girls clearly hasn't ended poverty in this country... oh, wait, maybe we've given up educating girls - and boys - in this country! We have neglected our educational system, with huge impacts on the socio-economic realities of students who graduate without the abilities to think, and write, and read, and critique, and understand, and analyze, and problem solve in the world. We are condemning them to increasing poverty. So let's educate girls all over the world! And boys, too!

Grace in Action

2008-07-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

Bishop Gene Robinson preached at St. Mary's in Putney yesterday evening. His sermon is so good that you should leave this blog and go watch and listen to it here. Be sure to watch the whole thing, not just the protest. The congregation, and +Gene's response to the protest is gracious and moving, but the bishop's sermon is even better.

Too cute for words!

2008-07-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

Nathan is two months old. He's eating like a horse, and is smiling and laughing and getting cuter all the time! I think he looks a lot like his dad, who was also known as a healthy eater at this age!

Laodicea

2008-07-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

The Church of England has agreed that the majority of its legislative body wants women bishops, and that it will make plans for how to introduce women bishops to the Church of England. It's a major step forward for women in the Church of England. But it is only one step, and a shaky one at that.

I am a fan of the Book of Revelation thanks to Dr. Sue Garrett at Louisville Seminary. She taught us to see the hope and promise of God's victory through the strange imagery of the book's author. There are many parts that I prefer to ignore - because I think they are about human beings' longing for revenge rather than God's mercy - but then it sings of God's grace and welcome of all, not just the tribes of Israel, but all the nations as they come streaming into the Reign of God in numbers too great to count. It is a message entirely consistent with the witness of all the rest of Scripture.

Revelation is also about judgment, though, and in the message to the seventh church, Laodicea, the author is told by God to write: "I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Rev. 3:15-16, NRSV)

The message continues about being rich and despising the poor. It's worth looking up. But this part about being neither hot nor cold came to me today.

The Church of England has allowed the ordination of women to the priesthood for about 15 years. I was in college when it happened. Jim Wallis, of Sojourners, was the person who told me the news, at breakfast before a lecture he gave at Austin College. At that time the Church of England decided either that the church wasn't ready to also accept women bishops, or that somehow the episcopate was so dramatically different from priesthood that while women were acceptable as priests, they simply could not be bishops. (The outstanding women bishops of the Episcopal Church have proven that that is not the case.)

Now, the majority of the bishops, other clergy, and lay people of the Church of England's governing body think that women bishops are okay on principal. But there is so much anger and resistance that they can't just make women bishops, they have to first form a committee that will write a report for another committee that will make recommendations that will be given back to the legislative bodies who will amend and approve or deny the recommendations which will or will not be implemented by whoever it is that appoints bishops in the Church of England. Reports say it will be 2014 before the first woman bishop is consecrated.

Does this sound ridiculous to anyone else?!

The fear, malevolence, and vitriol about women coming out of the Church of England is disturbing, to say the least. If anyone has any doubt about the strength of patriarchy, this should make clear that it is alive and well. Clergy are threatening to leave the church in droves, bishops are having secret meetings to figure out how to get recognized by the Roman Catholic church (which does not consider ANY Anglican ordination valid), and men with wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, nieces, friends, are acting as if women are some kind of plague, as if Jesus condemned women, and as if Paul were a 21st century Messiah. IT IS CRAZY.

Jesus was never unkind to a woman. Never. He always took the woman's side, he always brought her deeper into his circle, including the circle of apostles (Mary Madgalene was the first to announce his Resurrection!) Paul was a radical progressive in his day. He said wives were as worthy of respect as their husbands, women were leaders in the churches he established. In the first century that was remarkable; a more significant step than deciding to make a plan for how to make women bishops.

It is time for the Church to do its job. To speak for justice. To speak radical community. To stop being neither hot nor cold. Making compromises which allow women-hating people (men and women) to continue to lead the church is wrong. To act as if denying the full humanity of women is appropriate theological discourse is wrong.

Reading the rhetoric of those opposed to women bishops in the Church of England affirms and clarifies the fact that the issues of human sexuality that we've been talking about are deeply rooted in patriarchy and rejection of women's leadership, as well as that of anyone else who doesn't fit the social construct of masculinity.

I'm glad that the Church of England has at least taken this shaky step forward. I hope, though, that they and all of us, will find the courage to make it a definitive step in the direction of God's radical love revealed in Scripture and the work of the Holy Spirit in the world.

Rivendell

2008-07-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a two and a half week cross-country tour that culminated with the annual General Chapter of the Rivendell Community. The final weekend was certainly the highlight of my trip, which mostly consisted of long meetings and worse. (Though at the beginning I did get to see old friends and spend a day in the ocean at Cape May!)

Rivendell is a Christian Community in the Episcopal Church which began in 1997 when two friends and I decided that we wanted a rule of life to hold one another accountable to the intentions of our lives to be prayerful people of God. Truth be told, the other two friends, Virginia+ and Cathy+, had a better idea of what we were up to than I did. I was knew to the whole idea of disciplined daily prayer and was just discovering the liturgy of the Episcopal Church, and was mostly along for the ride. I'm proud to be a founding member of Rivendell, though.

In the Episcopal Church we have Religious Orders and Christian Communities. Orders are like other communities of monks and nuns. They typically live together and hold all their possessions in common, are required to be celibate, and live according to a rule of life and the order's constitution. There are about a dozen orders in the Episcopal Church.

Christian Communities consist of individuals who do not necessarily live together and are not necessarily required to hold their possessions in common. In Rivendell, our members include people who are married and single, lay and ordained, gay and straight, men and women. Some live in community at our two houses in Memphis, Tennessee and in West Missouri, but most of us live in our own homes with families and jobs and all the other trappings - uh, blessings - of this life. We also live according to a rule and constitution which shape our lives of prayer, worship, and community.

The name Rivendell, of course, is from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy in which Rivendell is the "last homely house east of the sea." It's where the elves live and offer hospitality to those who are on the journey. It's where travelers and pilgrims stop for rest and restoration, story telling and good food, wise counsel and strength for the journey. Our goal, then, is to offer prayer and hospitality to those who stop by and for the life of the world.

General Chapter is the annual meeting of the community. Most members live in or around Memphis and West Missouri, but a few of us are further away. General Chapter is when everyone gets together to renew our life together, strengthen our relationships, and reaffirm our central, shared intentions. We spent most of four days catching up with one another, telling stories, laughing A LOT, praying, singing, eating, and enjoying community life. I had to leave before the business meeting on Monday - but I was there for the important stuff.

Religious Communities are counter-cultural. Men and women first headed out into the desert over 500 years ago in response to a Church that had become too top heavy, too involved in itself, too complicit with the power and wealth of the empire. And today, we descendants of those first monks still seek to focus on the heart of Jesus' Gospel and the true vocation of the Body of Christ. We Rivendellians don't eschew church politics - many of us are on vestries, or general convention deputations, and many of us are priests - but we do try to direct the church's attention to those things which are most important - prayer and faithfulness to God, concern for the poor and marginalized, hospitality offered to all. We seek to follow Jesus.

I am so grateful for these companions who call me to faithfulness and continually remind me, in the midst of my failed efforts and misguided attempts, what it is that God requires.

Vocations

2008-06-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a big day! I attended the wedding of our office assistant, Robin Heath. I celebrated the fifth anniversary of my ordination to the diaconate. And The Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, celebrated a civil union to his partner of 20 years, Mark, two days after the fifth anniversary of his election as bishop of New Hampshire.

This coming together of vocations seems very fitting. Bishop Robinson writes about his pleasure in being bishop on the diocesan website. And the video below is a glimpse into the celebration surrounding the commitment that he and Mark have made to one another. Both events are vocational, that is, they are both about individuals becoming who God intends for them to be. Both commitments are life long containers in which one lives all the ups and downs of the journey of faith. Both are signs of self-offering, to God and to another person, which God blesses, and promises to give God's self to as well in order to sustain, nuture, and deepen the commitments.

That we deny the grace and commitment of marriage to those who would choose to embrace it is a scandal to the modern Church. That Mark and Gene have given themselves to one another and to God in the ways made possible by the state of New Hampshire and the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire is radical and prophetic and I am grateful for their faith, leadership, and love. Congratulations!

On 7 June 2008, the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, the openly gay bishop of New Hampshire, and his partner of 20 years, Mark Andrew, had a civil union and church blessing. The service took place at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Concord, NH. The Rev. Susan Russell, President of Integrity, preached. Afterward, a reception and dinner took place at Canterbury Shaker Village. During the reception, Susan gave a 5-minute video interview about the blessed event...

Posted at Walking with Integrity

Clanging Cymbals?

2008-06-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

I grew up in the Church (capital "C" meaning all of us Christians, whatever our stripes.) First we were Southern Baptist and I learned many, many Bible stories and was firmly rooted in Scripture. My family then joined the Presbyterian Church (USA) and I came to understand connected church, where each congregation is a part of a whole, not an island to itself. I studied theology and Bible and loved it. I then became an Episcopalian so that I could be a priest, celebrating the sacraments and worshiping with my whole self, body, mind, and spirit. So, I have been connected to the Church my entire life, with all its strengths and weaknesses. I stay because it matters to me to participate in the life of the Body of Christ, and because I've made vows.

Having said all that, this morning I found myself wondering if the Church had become clanging cymbals. I am often frustrated with the institutions of the Church, which are not divine, but human. I don't mean the Bible, or the Sacraments, or the gathering of people of faith, or even the orders of ministry. But there are so many dumb, inconsequential things that we get tied up about! We put up plaques all over our buildings, and we set up cliques inside the church, and we argue about where the platters go in the kitchen, and where are we?!

The problem I find myself in is that I really do believe in the Church, as the Body of Christ, gathered together to further the missio Dei. And that means putting up with all my - and others' - human frailties. I think in many ways the Church has become clanging cymbals - noise makers that serve little purpose and certainly don't glorify God. How do we escape such a sentence?

Paul talks about Clanging Cymbals in the 1st Corinthians passage about love. It's the favorite passage for weddings, but actually, Paul wasn't talking about romantic love (though romantic love includes what Paul was talking about.) He was talking about the Church and how we are supposed to behave. It seems those Corinthians were a lot like us and fought over who had the better spiritual gifts and probably over where the platters went in the kitchen, too. But we can do everything right, we can have beautifully maintained buildings, and all the right linens and vestments, and the right set of canons, and the right committees, and the right everything, and without love we've missed the point. We're supposed to be patient and kind and understanding of one another.

So, we can have all the wrong committees, all the wrong vestments and linens and platters in the kitchen, but if we have love, we have God. I have a hard time being patient and kind and understanding, and I know lots of other people who do, too, so it's not surprising that when we all get together at church it doesn't get easier, but harder, to love. I wish we could spend more of our time together learning to love and less of it fighting over who's allowed in and who's out, and over what set of linens to use today.

3 weeks old

2008-05-27T16:01:00.001-07:00

I spent the long weekend in Houston meeting my new nephew for the first time!

There were many jokes about me not breaking my little brother's kid, nor taking him away, as was the fate of so many childhood toys. Awfully hard to resist keeping him!

He's beginning to focus on faces and toys and other things in his line of sight, and so he's making fabulous faces!

He's also discovered his hands, but can't quite control them yet!
He managed to suck his thumb for the first time over the weekend while I was holding him (just one of many bad habits I hope to share with him!)

Who can resist a baby yawn?

Unfortunately, Jewel the Beagle, has been relegated to second place. She is fascinated with Nathan, though, and stays close. She comes running when he cries and likes to stick her nose over the edge of the crib to check things out. They're destined to be best friends.

Gay Marriage Legal in California

2008-05-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

The California Supreme Court has said it is unconstitutional to ban same-sex marriage.

Gay marriage legal in California, court declares
By Crystal Carreon and Bill Lindelof - ccarreon@sacbee.com
Last Updated 10:10 am PDT Thursday, May 15, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO - A deeply divided California Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in an opinion issued Thursday morning.

Wild cheers echoed throughout City Hall and other spots where proponents had gathered Thursday morning awaiting the opinion, which came on a 4-3 vote.

The case stems from challenges to state law by gay couples who were married in ceremonies at San Francisco City Hall in 2004, when Mayor Gavin Newsom began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Legal challenges to those marriages eventually led to the high court invalidating them six months later. California voters already had approved by a wide margin a measure in 2000 that declared marriage to be only between a man and a woman.

But San Francisco officials and about 20 of the couples granted licenses four years ago

challenged the court decisions that invalidated their marriages, and in March the seven justices heard three hours of arguments over whether the state's ban on gay marriage denies gays and lesbians their constitutional rights.

Thursday's opinion has been eagerly anticipated by both sides in the argument, with many saying a decision in California would be felt nationwide. Only Massachusetts allows gay marriage.

Opponents of same-sex marriage already have readied a new ballot measure that would amend the state constitution to ban such unions.

By midmorning Thursday, same-sex couples hoping for a favorable ruling began to line up outside the San Francisco city clerk's office.

Standing at the head of the line, San Francisco couple Bruce Ivie and David Bowers said they were waiting for history.

"I just feel it," said Ivie, 51 wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a pink triangle and "Proud Forever" on it. "California has always been a trendsetter. It's now about time."

Ivie and Bowers, together for 28 years, were among the thousands of gay couples who rushed to City Hall to be married in 2004.

They said they were horrified and heartbroken when their marriage was later voided, and spent the next four years following the gay marriage case as it made its way through the courts.

"We'll have each other forever, but we deserve the same rights as everybody else," Bowers said. "How can it hurt anyone else?"

A line slowly began to snake around the vinyl ropes outside the clerk's office.

Outside the court building Thursday, gay and lesbian proponents gathered, with many saying they were extremely anxious as they awaited the opinion.

Among the group were two Davis women, Shelly Bailes and Ellen Pontac, who said they have been together for 34 years and were the 45th couple married at City Hall in 2004.

Pontac carried a sign that said "Life feels different when you are married."

"We are full of hope," Bailes said. "This is extremely important. We have been fighting this fight for a really long time."

The women, who will speak tonight at a Sacramento gathering in midtown, drove to San Francisco to be at the courthouse for the decision.

"Shelly said this morning that she wouldn't be this nervous when we get married," Pontac said. "We've been together for 34 years. It has been a long-enough engagement."

This is a huge step in the direction of justice and love. There is so much rhetoric about family values and supporting the family, and yet we have laws forbidding some to form healthy, happy, supportive families. Gay Marriage is a family value, and I'm glad the California Supreme Court thinks so, too.

Nathan Roger McNiel

2008-05-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

This is my nephew. He was born Thursday evening and is 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 21 inches long. He and his mother are doing great. And his dad, my brother seems to be fine, too! I haven't gotten to meet him in person yet. My dad, Roger, sent the pictures this morning. He is the first grandchild on both sides of his family, so he is certain to be loved within an inch of his life. My mother says he's perfect and my dad says he's a keeper. I have to wait three weeks to see him, but I'm already hooked!

Garbage

2008-05-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched the movie Garbage with the Social Justice Community on campus. The film explores the environmental impact of all our various kinds of trash, while a family of five saves and weighs all its garbage for three months! You can learn more about the movie and the movement here.

There are a lot of memorable stories told in the movie. I didn't know that trash from Ontario was trucked to Michigan to landfills that are destroying what was once a beautiful, quiet community. I didn't know how devastating the run off from our roads and highways is - the equivalent of two Exxon-Valdez disasters. But more than anything, the stories about coal have stuck with me.

I've driven through West Virginia and I've seen the hilltops that have been eliminated from coal mining. I've voted against the building of new coal plants (the measure passed anyway.) And I've tried to reduce my own energy consumption with compact flourescent lightbulbs and by unplugging stuff when I'm not using it. What I didn't know was that coal dust covers entire towns near mines. And that children go to schools yards away from coal refineries and go home with headaches every single day. And what I still don't know is how to stop being complicit in this devastation. We have a lot of wind farms in California, but we also have a lot of coal plants. I use as much coal energy as anyone. My Dad's family is from Sweetwater, Tx where wind is becoming a more important industry than ranching. I never thought I'd want to live in Sweetwater, but now I kind of do, so that I could have a wind farm in my backyard. I can't really move to Sweetwater, though, and so I'm looking for other alternatives. We have to get off coal. It's destroying people's lives just so I can turn on the lights.

Interview with Bishop Robinson

2008-04-21T13:28:00.001-07:00

Last week I was driving to work and listening to NPR, as usual, and heard the beginning of Terry Gross's interview with Bishop Gene Robinson on Fresh Air. I didn't get around to listening to the whole thing online until today.

It's a great interview, as all of Terry's are. Bishop Robinson talks about Lambeth and the current debates in the Episcopal, and about his upcoming civil union with his partner Mark, his struggle with alcoholism, his personal prayer life, and basically all the means of grace in his life. We are so fortunate that the people of New Hampshire chose him as their bishop.

Listen here.

Dayenu!

2008-04-20T13:23:00.001-07:00

Today is the first full day of Passover and also Palm Sunday for Orthodox Christians. While our brothers and sisters of faith (Jewish and Christian) are celebrating these spring feasts of liberation and redemption, we Western Christians are more than halfway through the Easter Season.

Like Christians for many centuries, I hate this division. I have Jewish friends and Eastern Orthodox friends and it seems like together we could offer a better witness to the world of God's goodness if we celebrated these great feasts in better harmony.

I think it is silly that in spite of repeated attempts, Christians cannot agree on a common date for Easter. I think it is silliest of Western Christians not to adopt the Eastern practice which brings Easter into proximity with Passover, thereby highlighting the historic setting of Jesus' death and Resurrection and also offering opportunities for shared reflection on God's saving grace among Jews and Christians.

But, I trust that in our silliness, God is in fact continuing to work for our liberation. So, may these feasts be opportunities for us all to seek greater unity with one another. May we remember one another in our celebrations and wish each other peace.

If God had given us each only one chance at redemption, and not continued to invite us into greater wholeness, it would have been enough, Dayenu.

Da-da-ye-nu
Da-da-ye-nu
Da-da-ye-nu
Dayenu, Deyenu,
Deyenu!

Anniversary

2008-04-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

It is one year since the horrific shooting at Virginia Tech. I remember that day well. I was working at the University of Delaware then, just a few hours from Blacksburg, and my boss's son was a senior at Tech. He didn't have classes that day, and was supposed to leave Blacksburg to come to Delaware for the weekend. There were anxious phone calls from parish members calling to make sure he was okay. I'm sure my boss was concerned, but he assumed that no news was good news. He did get a call from his son in the afternoon who had been on the road when the shooting happened and stopped when he heard the news, knowing his dad would be worried. It's a scene that I'm sure was repeated tens of thousands of times as everyone connected with Virginia Tech was stunned and frightened.

Since then I've written here about other school shootings. None as tragic as Tech's, except to those who were actually involved. Every act of violence is tragic. And every act of love and every choice for forgiveness over revenge is a small unraveling of violence in the world. On this sad anniversary, perhaps we should each look for a way to be loving or forgiving in order to unravel some of the tragedy, and to help redeem the deaths of the Virginia Tech students and faculty.

The Rev. Scott Russell, the Episcopal Campus Minister at Tech wrote this moving essay about today. We were a part of the same province when I was at Delaware and I know Scott to be a caring, funny, and gifted priest.

Moving Forward

2008-04-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

Just over a week ago the Church of Wales voted NOT to allow women to be ordained to the episcopate.

You'd think I'd be used to this by now, but sometimes it still catches me by surprise. I think I continue to be stunned the we human beings can be so slow to catch on and so persistent in our prejudices and ignorance. That's what I think happened in Wales. But the reality of it took me by surprise. Even after the fabulous celebration in Lodi and getting to sit at the feet of our amazing Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, and after feeling my own sense of vocation affirmed and confirmed. When I read the news from Wales I cried, and felt terribly discouraged. It was like the one step back, after two steps forward.

But today comes the news that Australia has appointed a woman as assistant bishop in Perth, and so the Anglican Church of Australia becomes the fourth province in the Anglican Communion to welcome women into the episcopate. And we're moving forward again.

I'm very grateful. It doesn't make rational sense to me, but as long as there are some who say I shouldn't be a priest because I am a woman, these moves are about my own vocation, not only the Church's vocation in the world. I assume it is the same for people of color or gay and lesbian people who are told they can't do or be something because of unalterable characteristics of who they are. And so as long as their are people willing to be more inclusive of others, it is progress for all of us.

May God bless Kay Goldsworthy, and the whole Church through her ministry.

A Time to Break Silence

2008-04-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

On the 40th anniversary of Dr. King's death, and in light of the situation we find ourselves in today with the war in Iraq and Afghanistan continuing and poverty rising in the U.S. and around the world, I want to recall a speech that Dr. King gave 41 years ago today. It was delivered at a gathering of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City. It comes from that era of King's life in which he was most controversial, and most courageously following Christ. You can read the whole speech here. May his words again spur us on to greater compassion, greater activism, and greater faith.

"...There is something seductively tempting about stopping there and sending us all off on what in some circles has become a popular crusade against the war in Vietnam. I say we must enter the struggle, but I wish to go on now to say something even more disturbing. The war in Vietnam is but a symptom of a far deeper malady within the American spirit, and if we ignore this sobering reality we will find ourselves organizing clergy- and laymen-concerned committees for the next generation. They will be concerned about Guatemala and Peru. They will be concerned about Thailand and Cambodia. They will be concerned about Mozambique and South Africa. We will be marching for these and a dozen other names and attending rallies without end unless there is a significant and profound change in American life and policy. Such thoughts take us beyond Vietnam, but not beyond our calling as sons of the living God.

In 1957 a sensitive American official overseas said that it seemed to him that our nation was on the wrong side of a world revolution. During the past ten years we have seen emerge a pattern of suppression which now has justified the presence of U.S. military "advisors" in Venezuela. This need to maintain social stability for our investments accounts for the counter-revolutionary action of American forces in Guatemala. It tells why American helicopters are being used against guerrillas in Colombia and why American napalm and green beret forces have already been active against rebels in Peru. It is with such activity in mind that the words of the late John F. Kennedy come back to haunt us. Five years ago he said, "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."

Increasingly, by choice or by accident, this is the role our nation has taken -- the role of those who make peaceful revolution impossible by refusing to give up the privileges and the pleasures that come from the immense profits of overseas investment.

I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "person-oriented" society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.

A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. n the one hand we are called to play the good Samaritan on life's roadside; but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say: "This is not just." It will look at our alliance with the landed gentry of Latin America and say: "This is not just." The Western arrogance of feeling that it has everything to teach others and nothing to learn from them is not just. A true revolution of values will lay hands on the world order and say of war: "This way of settling differences is not just." This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into veins of people normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.

America, the richest and most powerful nation in the world, can well lead the way in this revolution of values. There is nothing, except a tragic death wish, to prevent us from reordering our priorities, so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence over the pursuit of war. There is nothing to keep us from molding a recalcitrant status quo with bruised hands until we have fashioned it into a brotherhood.

This kind of positive revolution of values is our best defense against communism. War is not the answer. Communism will never be defeated by the use of atomic bombs or nuclear weapons. Let us not join those who shout war and through their misguided passions urge the United States to relinquish its participation in the United Nations. These are days which demand wise restraint and calm reasonableness. We must not call everyone a Communist or an appeaser who advocates the seating of Red China in the United Nations and who recognizes that hate and hysteria are not the final answers to the problem of these turbulent days. We must not engage in a negative anti-communism, but rather in a positive thrust for democracy, realizing that our greatest defense against communism is to take offensive action in behalf of justice. We must with positive action seek to remove thosse conditions of poverty, insecurity and injustice which are the fertile soil in which the seed of communism grows and develops."

New Blog

2008-04-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned below, I am currently working on a Doctor of Ministry project that I will finish in another few weeks. This project has become a new blog called Joining the God Movement where I will post much of the model I've designed for local communities as well as other thoughts and articles on issues of justice, peace, and the missio dei.

I hope you'll share your thoughts and ideas about how we can more fully participate in God's Reign!

The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin

2008-03-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

There is so much that could be said about the special convention of the Diocese of San Joaquin in which we confirmed a provisional bishop, seated new clergy including three other women and myself, and restored the structure of the diocese so that we can get on with participating in God's mission in the world.

You can read more at Episcopal Life or at Fr. Jake's or numerous other places. Here, I offer you the Presiding Bishop's words from Saturday morning. It says it all, I think.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
San Joaquin convention
March 29, 2008

I bring you Easter greetings, good news of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. As he says repeatedly to his disciples, "peace be with you," and "fear not." These may have been trying and traumatic months, but you are already clearly experiencing resurrection.

There is new hope here for a church that can tolerate and even welcome diversity. There is new hope for a reconciled community. There is above all new hope that this part of the body of Christ can focus on the needs of neighbors who need to hear the good news of God in Christ.

The varied band of people Jesus gathered around himself, whether those he healed, fed, or taught, was a surprisingly motley crew: tax collectors, political zealots -- even some calling for violent revolution, women, Jews and Samaritans, fishermen, shepherds, even more than a few Gentiles. They were certainly as diverse as those of different parties in this part of God's vineyard. Jesus was the common reason for their community, as he is for ours. And if that body could come together, then there is hope for us.

Those disciples brought others with them, and they did have their struggles over who was acceptable and who was not. As Mark's account puts it (9:38-40), "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us." Whoever is doing God's work is not beyond the possibility of relationship. Be generous in your welcome and in your reconciling work.

Those early disciples struggled in other ways, too. Not long after the resurrection, the great controversy was about whether Gentiles could be part of this gathering or not. It led to the first great council in Jerusalem, which didn't easily or fully resolve the issue. The struggles have not stopped since -- either in Jerusalem or in the wider church. Yet, when we are bound in the fellowship of the body of Christ, miracles of community and reconciliation are indeed possible.

The work ahead of this diocese in the coming months is going to be about identity, reconciliation, and mission. As you seek a renewed life together in Christ, you are going to be invited to remember who and whose you are, why you're here, and what you're going to do about it. A useful shorthand might be: identity, vocation, and mission as members of the body of Christ. I have just a few reminders as you seek answers to those questions:

1) Jesus is Lord. In the same sense that Jesus is Lord, and not Caesar, remember that no one else -- not any hierarch, not any ecclesiastical official, not any one of you, is Lord. We belong to God, whom we know in Jesus, and there is no other place we find the ground of our identity

2) We are all made in the image of God. Even when we can't see that image of God immediately, we are challenged to keep searching for it, especially in those who may call us enemy. There is pain and hurt here to be reconciled, and searching for the image of God in those we have offended and who have offended us is a central part of our reconciling vocation.

3) In baptism we discover that we are meant to be for others, in the same way that God is for us. Jesus the best evidence of that. And that means that God's mission must be the primary focus, not our own hurt or indeed anything that focuses on our own selves to the exclusion of neighbor. For when we miss the neighbor, we miss God. I believe you are already discovering that God is healing old wounds as you work together. The work is just beginning, and it may not be easy, but it is essential. Focusing on the other, the ones outside this body, is going to be a vital part of discovering resurrection. Archbishop William Temple famously said that this church is the only human institution that exists primarily for the good of those outside of it. There is plenty of need here in this part of California -- among migrant workers, single parents, young people with little sense of future or direction, returning veterans… Put your eyes upon Jesus in the form of those strangers, and you will find resurrection.

And, finally, remember that you are not alone. This part of the Body of Christ is only one limb. The rest of the Episcopal Church is with you, and will continue to be with you. A few people have joined you here today as incarnate evidence of the love of Christ, known in community. We stand with you in the firm and constant hope that this body will grow and flourish and bless the central valley of California in ways you have not yet dreamed of. And we will celebrate with you as that becomes reality.

Alleluia, Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

2008-03-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

Icon by Sr. Marie-Paul Farran, OSB
Available on-line at The Printery House

Looking for Suggestions

2008-03-05T14:38:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a curriculum on mission for groups of youth and adults involved in outreach. It begins with a Bible Study on Genesis 1, affirming that mission begins with God in creation. God reaches out beyond God's self and creates everything, and it is good.

I need an activity or two to accompany the discussion. What would you do to help express this idea?

Thanks!

Millennium Development Goals

2008-03-04T07:01:00.001-08:00

Are you familiar with the MDGs?
I hope that they have become so familiar that everyone knows about them, and about the goal to achieve these eight goals by 2015 - just seven years from now.

It's possible. It only requires each country to increase foreign giving by 0.7% - that's "point seven percent." Less than one percent. Non-profit organizations, communities of faith, and individuals can participate by committing 0.7% of their income to achieving these goals. My support is going to the Dominican Republic right now, to a community that I got to know several years ago through a church mission trip.

There are lots of places to learn more about the MDGs, like the UN MDG website, or at at the ONE Campaign site. And here's a video I just saw on youTube which I think is excellent.

Urban Spirit

2008-03-03T14:04:00.001-08:00

A week from today five Pacific students and I will be in Louisville, KY at Urban Spirit, a non-profit organization that teaches people about poverty through a week-long poverty immersion experience. We won't really be living on the streets, but in a church basement, earning "Urban Spirit" dollars at minimum wage and using those dollars to pay for food, shelter, utilities and many of the other necessities of life like transportation and insurance, or not! What we can't afford, we don't get.

In truth, I'll be sleeping in the comparatively luxurious dormitory with an actual mattress while the students are in the basement. I completed the program three years ago, but I trust that I will learn and re-learn as much as I did the first time. The program was started by Dr. Deb Conrad who sees her mission as "changing the world by changing the way we see the world." It's different from many other service trips in that we won't build a house or do much that we can see with our eyes and touch with our hands. We will spend time each day working with local agencies in Urban Spirit's neighborhood, like Neighborhood House and the Boys & Girls Club. That's important work and will certainly make us feel good about ourselves. The other stuff probably won't make us feel so good, but it will make us more aware of the reality of systemic poverty in our country, and it will motivate us to work harder to end it.

People aren't poor because they are lazy or stupid or morally lax. People are poor because we not only allow them to be, but because we insist that people stay poor. One year ago this week I fell down a flight of stairs and badly dislocated my right elbow. (I am right handed.) It was painful and frightening and recovery was slow. But I had good medical insurance and a job that allowed me to take time off when I was on pain meds, and to work from home when I couldn't get dressed alone. And my insurance covered the cost of my physical therapy, which is what gave me the use of my arm back. It was an expensive fall, but because I have had easy access to education and reliable employment, I could afford it.

It could have been very different. If I hadn't had insurance, I would be in deep debt, having to choose between paying hospital bills and paying rent. I might have lost a great deal of mobility in my right arm from a lack of enough physical therapy. And I might have lost my job when I didn't show up for a week and tried to work every other day for another two weeks. One fall can be the difference between stability and destitution. In a country with such great wealth, life should not be that precarious.

There are numerous other reasons why people fall through the economic cracks in our society: mental health issues, lack of education, natural disaster (such as in New Orleans), domestic abuse, and on and on. We are smart enough and compassionate enough to make things better for everyone, if we are willing to change the world by changing the way we see the world. Urban Spirit is going to help me do that - again.

Northern Illinois University Tribute

2008-02-15T11:54:00.000-08:00

Words seem so inadequate as yet another campus grieves the violence and death of another rampage. They're in my prayers.

We need better mental health care in this country. We need to increase our skills in communication and anger management. Steven, the shooter, is not unique, he's only the latest person who's fallen between the cracks of our society. May he and those whom he killed rest in peace and rise in glory.

This video tribute is by NIU alum Nick Tadin.

for the Bible tells me so

2008-02-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

I saw this movie last week as part of the "It takes a Rainbow" conference on campus. The movie is SO good and features some of my favorite people like Bishop Gene Robinson and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The film features several families and how they came to terms with their gay children, especially in light of all that the Bible reportedly says about homosexuality.

In reality, the Bible doesn't say anything, ever about homosexuality. The concept, much less the language, of sexual orientation didn't exist when the biblical writers were writing. Leviticus says it is an abomination for a man to have sex with another man, but so is eating shrimp. I can't take that command very seriously in the age or refrigeration and food thermometers which ensure I'm not going get food poisoning. Paul talks about men having sex with other men, but not as part of a loving, egalitarian, committed relationships. He's talking about what happens in Greek temples and perhaps, imperial orgies. I'm against it in that context, too. Or when it's a one night hook-up or an abusive use of force over another person (which Paul also would have been familiar with.) Watch the movie to hear more about these kinds of understandings of the Bible.

For me the movie is a great celebration of the power and liberation which comes when friends and parents and spouses and people themselves are free to be honest about who they are. Each story is about someone moving from a life of shadows, condemnation, and brokenness into a life of joy, wholeness, and love. I think that's what the Gospel is all about. It's what I see Jesus inviting his followers into when he heals them, or when he invites a woman to sit with him like any other disciple, or when he "proclaims release to the captive." Even in Rebecca's story in the movie, there is hope and redemption. It all comes from being honest and embracing God's full acceptance of all of us. We are all beloved of God and there is great power and freedom in knowing that. That's what the Bible tells me.

Vision

2008-02-05T12:14:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I spent Saturday and Sunday with 21 other people working on our skills for multicultural dialogue and community. The training was led by Terry and Jim from Visions, Inc., an organization I became familiar with through my studies at Episcopal Divinity School. We talked a lot about race and gender and the many differences which too often divide us. You can imagine that some of us were apprehensive before the weekend began, and there were times when the conversations were difficult and challenging. AND we laughed a lot and got to know one another better. We were all tired at the end of Sunday afternoon (as we headed home to watch the Superbowl, or not!) We were also glad to have been a part of the training.

Multiculturalism is more than diversity. It's not merely tolerating others, or making sure everyone gets represented in the headcount. Rather, it's about appreciating the differences between us, valuing them and being enriched by them. Multiculturalism is about real relationship that challenges us to become more than who we are alone. And real relationship always involves conflict. It's inevitable that we're going to hurt and offend one another. Being committed to multiculturalism means becoming more aware of the ways in which I hurt others - knowingly and unknowingly - and of the ways in which I make assumptions about others based on stereotypes and preconceived notions. It also means learning to talk to one another about those conflicts.

It's not easy and it's not quick. It's an ongoing process that never ends. On Sunday evening I wasn't sure that I was up for an ongoing process! Do I really want to examine every interaction I have with someone else?! Not really. But I do want deeper relationships with the people around me who have so much to offer. I don't want to hurt others because I'm insensitive and unaware of the ways in which being white, straight, educated and employed gives me power and privilege in this society. I want to practice the self-giving love of Christ and step into the reign of God that is standing open before us. So, I'm committed to genuine multiculturalism that challenges me and makes it possible for me to better understand and appreciate those around me.

Patriarchy

2008-01-26T21:01:00.000-08:00

I've just returned home from a wonderful celebration in Hanford, Ca with the people of th Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin. This was a momentous occasion because the bishop of the diocese recently encouraged and coerced the diocese to vote to join the Anglican province of the Southern Cone, because he believes the Episcopal church has gone astray in ordaining women and gays and lesbians. It's been an ugly situation but light is being shone on it and a new, healthier church is being built in San Joaquin. I am so privileged to be a part of it.

Since I'm new here, I haven't had to struggle under the bishop's leadership as so many have. He did tell me, when I met with him and requested a license to serve here as the canons require, that he would not allow me to serve as a priest in this diocese because I am a woman. But today I got to! It's odd that this is an exciting thing, that in 2008 my gender would still matter so much that it's significant that I was allowed to serve publicly as a priest today.

But patriarchy is alive and well. This is just my story about it. There are so many more people - women AND men, straight and gay, black and white, of every economic class - that are not allowed to be who they feel called to be because they are a threat to those with power OVER others. That's what patriarchy is about. Throughout history its often been men exerting power over others, but certainly women participate in patriarchy, too. It's not about the gender of the person holding power, but about how a person uses authority and power. Is it a weapon used to manipulate others? Is it used to make someone feel better than others, or to make up for a feeling of inadequacy? Is it internalized so that someone loses sense of even one's own value?

Patriarchy exists in all of our societies and in all of our religions. Many are working to undermine it, and today's celebration was a move in that direction. But let us not think that somehow we've overcome patriarchy. We have all learned its lessons too well. May we struggle to embrace the commands to love one another, to practice compassion for all living things, to spread shalom and salaam. May we all be willing to relinquish power over others so that we can all enjoy the true freedom of equality and dignity.

Unchanging Faith?

2008-01-02T11:57:00.000-08:00

Unity in diversity is a wonderful thing, and we can often find it in suprising places, as I did while traveling before Christmas, in the interfaith chapel at D/FW airport. I had time to kill before my connecting flight and happened upon the chapel during my wanderings. It was about evening prayer time, so I stepped in, and found two men kneeling and praying facing Mecca. I sat in a back row seat and prayed, and then wished them a happy Eid as they left. They wished me a happy Christmas. It was really lovely.

Unfortunately, unity in diversity is often more difficult. I'm an Episcopalian, a priest in the American Christian denomination that finds its roots in the Church of England and is a part of the world wide Anglican Communion. (See links at right for more information.) This communion is in disarray right now. We've having trouble maintaining our unity in diversity, as you may have heard. Here in the Diocese of San Joaquin, the bishop has left this church to become a part of the Anglican Church that is located in the Southern Cone of Latin America. The bishop isn't actually moving to the Southern Cone, he just wants to head an outpost of that body here in California. He's trying to force the priests in his former diocese to do the same. And he's not alone. There are others, like him, who are upset that the Episcopal Church ordains women, like me, to the priesthood (and has been since 1977) and that we now are honestly acknowledging the holy and priestly ministry of gay and lesbian people in our body who serve as bishops, priests, deacons, and lay people. Notice that I didn't say we've "begun to ordain" gay and lesbian people. We've been ordaining them all along. We're just finally being honest about that and allowing them to be honest about who they are. Sounds like a move toward authenticity to me.

But not to everyone. And that's okay. We don't all have to agree on this issue. I think the church has to be honest and that we are called to be radically and wildly inclusive of all people. But not everyone is ready for that, yet. Not everyone was when Jesus said it about Samaritans, either, or women or tax collectors. That didn't stop him from saying it, and it didn't stop him from sharing meals with those who disagreed with him. That's unity in diversity.

But then, as now, those who disagree often separate themselves from the community. Few Pharisees chose to follow Jesus. And now those who are angry with the Episcopal Church are separating themselves. They're even planning a conference in Jerusalem to show their opposition to those who will be gathering in London for the Archbishop of Canterbury's Lambeth conference, held every ten years for all bishops in the Anglican Communion. Episcopal Life Online has a good story about it here.

In this article Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables, of the Southern Cone, is quoted as saying, "Our pastoral responsibility to the people that we lead is now to provide the opportunity to come together around the central and unchanging tenets of the central and unchanging historic Anglican faith."

This is odd to me, because our faith is anything but 'unchanging.' GOD is unchanging! Our faith hardly is. And I don't just mean the wanderings of faith and doubt that most of us experience; I mean what the church has taught throughout time, and more specifically, what the Anglican Church has taught. At one time, battles were fought over whether or not candles should be used in worship! There were battles over more significant things, too, like the Divine Right of Kings, and the faithfulness of the Roman Catholic Church. John and Charles Wesley began an evangelical movement in the Church of England which became the Methodist Church after their deaths. We disagree about the role and responsibility of bishops, the nature of ordination, the understanding of our central sacrament of Eucharist, or Holy Communion.

Faith isn't static. Our understanding of God is incomplete and so we're always growing, always re-assessing, always discovering new life in Christ. To suggest that our faith is "unchanging" is Pharisaical. It's holding on to some past definition of who we are and who God is and it shutters ourselves against any new movement of the Holy Spirit. I'm a part of a dynamic, ever-changing church which, at its best, is continually seeking greater understanding of Scripture, God, ourselves, God's mission in the world, and our role in that mission. May we be always more - not less - open to the change of God's transforming reign!

Eid-al-adha

2007-12-19T10:24:00.001-08:00

Tonight begins the celebration of Eid-al-adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, the Muslim holiday that marks the end of the hajj, the holy pilgrimage to Mecca. There are lots of good places to learn about Eid-al-adha on-line and off. During this holiday the story is told of Abraham's willingness to obey Allah and sacrifice his son Ishmael. Rather than require Abraham to take his son's life, Allah provides a ram for the sacrifice. The hajj itself is a sacrifice of worship, so it makes sense that Abraham's story is recalled at this time.

Jews and Christians tell a similar story, but instead of Ishmael, Isaac is the son bound to the altar. This festival, then, and this story, illustrates both our unity and our divisions as "people of the book." Ishmael is the forebear of Muslims while Isaac is the forebear of Jews and eventually Christians. The grief of the division within Abraham's family between Isaac and Ishmael is visited upon their children centuries later who are still divided.

Perhaps a way out of this division (while respecting our differences) is through the story of the sacrifice itself. The point of both versions is that Abraham is obedient to God even to the point of killing his own son. While not a model of healthy family relationships, it is a lesson in humility, love, and trust. Whatever Abraham's own convictions toward his child, he stands under the authority of God, obedient but also trusting God in whatever may come. And then God shows Abraham that he does not require human sacrifice - a common practice among other religions of the time. He is not a bloodthirsty God, but a merciful one. Loving the people of God above all else.

If any of us are to truly follow God we too must be willing to sacrifice whatever God asks, but because of this story of Abraham, we can trust that God does not require blood, but love. We're asked to pour ourselves out, whether in pilgrimage to Mecca, or in generous love during Christmas or in trust of God's faithfulness during Hanukkah and throughout the year. These values unite us across our real differences.
Blessings to all who celebrate Eid this week and all who look forward to time with loved ones this season.

Standing up for ourselves

2007-10-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

In just a few rash, stupid, uncontrolled moments, he threw away his life and that of another person. He thought he was “getting even” or “standing up for himself” or “claiming his rights,” but he was really giving them all away, giving away his whole life. He’ll now spend the majority of his life following the orders of prison wardens. He’ll wear what they tell him to wear; he’ll eat what they give him to eat, when they give it to him. He’ll sleep, bathe, exercise, and work when, where, and how the prison tells him to. All because he felt the need to stand up for himself…with a gun… by shooting two other people. One of whom died.

Loyer Braden got in a fight and was spat on.* He was mad; who wouldn’t be? And so he found the guy later and had another fight. Clearly he didn’t feel he was making adequate headway in winning this argument. So he went and got a gun, and decided to fire “into the air to scare” the people or person he was mad at. Except, one guy was shot in the ankle and one young woman was shot in the stomach, twice. She died yesterday. And now Braden won’t just be charged with attempted murder, but with actual murder, or manslaughter, or whatever the lawyers come up with. It’ll be something that sends him to prison for a long time, where all his freedom is gone, and all he’s left with is the thought of this one irrational act.

I’ll pray for Shalita tonight, the young woman who died. And for Loyer who shot her. And for Nathaniel, the young man shot in the ankle. And for us – that we will learn from Loyer’s terrible mistake. That we won’t be so rash. That we’ll stop and think before resorting to violence to “stand up for ourselves.” That we will somehow learn to have a long view of the arguments that so disrupt our days; that we’ll learn to let go of them, so that they don’t become the controlling factor in our lives, as this argument has now become in these three people’s lives, and the lives of their families.

*The News-Journal article describing the incident.

Lamenting Violence

2007-10-01T16:59:00.000-07:00

For the second Monday evening in a row, those of us gathered in the chapel for Evening Prayer today will pray for a student that has been shot and the campus community shaken by this violence. I can only begin to imagine the grief of Taylor Bradford's family in Memphis tonight.

These aren't just news stories to me, and not only because I work on a college campus. I know both these campuses. I lived in Delaware and Memphis and I've been on both campuses. I have very dear friends who work at Memphis State and I know how hurt they are that their campus has experienced such violence. I know it without even talking to them because we are part of a religious community of prayer. I know that they are also praying for Bradford's family and for peace in their community.

I want to shake my head and ask how such violence could happen. But the truth is I'm not that surprised anymore. As a campus chaplain I feel some obligation to help our students learn tools other than violence. But it seems such a futile effort when everywhere around us we are surrounded by violence. Why should college campuses be any different?

A colleague reported physical abuse of her child to authorities over the weekend. The death toll in Iraq continues to rise each day. Even as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former President Jimmy Carter meet in the Sudan to try to find a way to peace. Tonight I will pray that they will find a way, and that all the rest of us will learn from their example.

May Taylor rest in peace and rise in glory.

Miracle of Grace

2007-08-21T09:58:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday I worshiped at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. I've heard all about the dynamic church for years, but this was my first time to visit in person. The space is awe-inspiring and the windows beautiful, including the rose window above the main doors to the church. The choir was excellent, but didn't usurp the congregation's need to participate in the singing and liturgical responses, which is very important to me. There are so many wonderful things that can be said about Grace Cathedral, but what struck me most is something that can be said about every congregation gathered for worship. Not only every Christian congregation, but every Jewish or Muslim or Jain service, as well. It is the miracle that happens in our worshiping communities week after week.

Maybe it's because I was in an unfamiliar place, sitting near people I didn't know. Maybe it was because I was in a large city where we could here the sounds of people in the park nearby. Or maybe I was just paying attention this week, but I saw the miracle. Really!

It was the gathering of a group of people for worship. That's the miracle! As I sat in my pew and waited for my turn to walk up the aisle to receive communion, I thought about how incredible it is that this many people chose to come to this place on this morning, to sing and pray and listen to a sermon and receive communion, instead of doing the thousands of other things they could have been doing. And in San Francisco, no less, where there is no lack of things to do! But also in every place where people could easily fall into discouragement about the state of our world, or cynicism about the state of the church, or mere apathy in the face of secularism disguised as intellectualism. It is truly a miracle that anyone gets up on a Sunday morning and goes to church, or bothers to go to temple or mosque at the end of a long work week. There is every reason not to go, and yet there are people who continue to feel called by God to worship. We all come for a mix of reasons, but the fact that we show up at all is amazing. It is no less amazing than walking on water, or giving a barren woman a child, or calling a people out of the desert and into Grace.

Into the Forest

2007-07-31T11:12:00.001-07:00

I'm still mulling over the Harry Potter finale, even as I move on to other reading.
Warning: This might spoil the ending if you haven't finished yet!
There's a great deal that I like in the last book, but I think the most moving part of the whole series is when Harry goes into the forest prepared to die. Rowling did a wonderful job of articulating what that selflessness might look like. Harry thinks he's been betrayed by Dumbledore and comes to resigned acceptance of that, with the stunned silence that we might all feel. But he also sees how giving himself up to Voldemort will save those whom he loves. So in spite of the apparent betrayal he accepts what he must do.

I think it must be very much like what the Garden of Gethsemane was for Jesus. We don't see any evidence the Jesus was eager to walk into Pilate's hands. His friend, Judas, betrays him, and in his cry from the cross, "Why have you forsaken me?" we see that he also felt betrayed by God. But he somehow sees through that, in the Garden, to what must be done. And so he tells his friends to let him go, and he walks unarmed into the grip of the soldiers who have come to take him to his death.

Whatever came next - for Harry and for Jesus - that act of relinquishment, of self-offering, is itself efficacious. It breaks apart the pattern of violence and opposition, of one force battling another. Voldemort and Pilate still pursue their violent plans, but the power of their actions has changed. Jesus and Harry make the more difficult, and ultimately more powerful choice, to give themselves up, leaving their opponents powerless over them.

Whether or not J.K. Rowling intended such an explicit allegorical reading, she absolutely understands the power of selflessness and describes it beautifully.

All Good Tales Must Come to an End

2007-07-24T10:38:00.001-07:00

I finished "Deathly Hallows" on Monday evening. I expected to be sad when I did, as I often am at the end of long book I've thoroughly enjoyed. But the end was so satisfying that I was happy to have been on the journey.

There are some things I wish she'd done differently, but all in all I'm awed by Rowling's insight, skill, and talent. I think it was clearer in this book than in the others that she writes in the tradition of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams.

I'll write later about some of my favorite parts. First I need to go back to book 6 and remind myself of all the connections.

What a great read!

Wholly Diverse

2007-07-20T12:41:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my new blog as the new multi-faith chaplain at the University of the Pacific! I hope you'll join me for conversations about all kinds of things related to faith and life.

I've been thinking about Rose Windows lately because I now work and pray in a building with a gorgeous rose window. I've seen some others - in the cathedral in Lausanne, Switzerland, at Notre Dame in Paris when it was mostly covered in scaffolding, and in some other wonderful places. Most rose windows, I guess, are in churches because stained glass was a tool for telling the Christian story. But like all stained glass, no two people see the same thing when they look into these windows. For some they are testaments of God's activity in creation. For others they are monuments to human creativity. They may draw us out of ourselves or more deeply into ourselves. The symbols in the window may be familiar and comforting or entirely new and exciting. These windows may be all of the above, and in tiny bits of glass, they pull together all the potential diversity into a single glorious prism. The differences are all still there - varieties of color and glass size and symbols - but all as part of the larger whole, a circle encompassing all, and that is entirely holy. I'm so glad that this is what greets me every morning.