The Courier
November 2001
Volume 54, Issue 11
Behold, I make all things new …
One of the
refrains following the attack of September 11th has been, "The
world has changed.” This statement is certainly
true when applied to the sudden and unexpected change or shift that resulted
because of a single day, and a handful of related events. However, the world
has been changing for a long time now; in fact, the world always changes. It always has. Change is usually gradual, so much so that it
might seem imperceptible. Nevertheless,
it is occurring. It is like a child’s
growth. “How much did this child grow
since yesterday?” (How can one tell?)
“How much did this child grow since last year?” (A lot.)
Change happens whether we want it to or not (children grow up,) and in
ways we cannot control (children go their own way.)
During one of the
workshops at the conference in Sacramento, it was pointed out that for many
people, “change” equals “loss.” They
believe that when things change, they lose something. The idea that change might also result in
some sort of gain is not immediately apparent.
Therefore, many people, maybe most people, resist change.
For Christ Church
“change” is a necessity, not an option.
There are trees growing out of our steeple. That has to change. Our volunteer workers for the Summer Camp
(and other ministries) are burned out.
That has to change. Our
membership and Sunday worship numbers are down.
That has to change. Pollsters
tell us that Americans are crying out for spiritual development but we aren’t
reaching them. That has to change. The list could go on.
What I find very
hopeful and exciting about Christ Church at the moment is that we are
addressing the need for change and are on the verge of putting in place
instruments which will help us manage and direct the change. These efforts give me hope because I believe
that in change, God has the power to renew.
“Behold, I make all things new.”
To address the enormous repair and maintenance demands of our buildings,
the Property Episkopos has been busy with contractors (you should see a
difference in how the place looks and feels) and has written grants for some of
the prioritized work. The Vestry is
leading an investigation to determine whether we are in a place to conduct a
capital campaign, and if so, what it would target. Community Ministry has received approval from
the State of New York to operate a not-for-profit community center which would
enable us to share our neighborhood ministries while increasing staff and
funding. And the delegation that went to
Sacramento has returned with some substantive ideas and principles which should
lead us in growing the parish. As these
efforts mature I believe we will see a changed but also a renewed Christ
Church.
The conference in
Sacramento, called “Trinity Growth Information Forum” or “TGIF” presented a
vision for being church based upon the early Christian communities of the
Apostolic Age (when people who knew Jesus personally were still alive and
active.) The central characteristic of
this church is that it operates with close ties to the Holy Spirit. The delegation who went to Sacramento (Bob
Sherer, Peggy Kraft, Barbara Harrington, Lorraine Taylor, and Michael Phillips)
will be sharing the details of the vision in the months ahead. In summary, this “New Apostolic” church will
help lower our anxieties about change because God will be in the middle of it. We will not change arbitrarily or merely “for
the sake of change.” Instead, we will be
led by the Holy Spirit to make the changes needed for us to live into our call
to be God’s people in this place. As
this unfolds I believe all of us will find it very exciting.
In conclusion, as
we recover from the emotional distress of September 11th, we can see
that many of the “changes” resulting from that day have been beneficial. We have lost some things, but we have also
gained much. We are unified as a nation
in a way we have not seen for a number of decades. We are treating each other with a higher
degree of respect and understanding. We
are putting aside trivialities and commiting ourselves to matters that really
count. We have new heroes. God makes things new.
Michael
Note from God
Nov. 4 Isaiah 1: 10-20; 2
Thessalonians 1:1-5; Luke 19:1-10; Psalm 32
Nov. 11 Job 19: 23-17a; 2
Thessalonians 2: 13-3:5; Luke 20:(28-33 ); Psalm 17:34-38
Nov. 18 Malachi
3:13-4:2a,5-6; 2 Thessalonians 3: 6-13; Luke 21:5-19; Psalm 98
Nov. 25 Jeremiah 23:1-6 ; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:35-43; Psalm 46
Remembering Bill Weinhauer and John Kater
The Reverend Bill
Weinhauer or Father Bill as he liked to be called, became the rector of Christ
Church in 1970 after Rhys Williams left. He arrived here in politically tumultuous
times near the end of the Vietnam War. John Kater says he thinks it’s fair to
say that people wanted someone who was less “political” than he and Rhys
Williams had been. Father Bill was decidedly more conservative
theologically, at the time being opposed to the ordination of women, to
children sharing the Eucharist and being very interested in the charismatic
movement and the experience of speaking in tongues. In fact, Lillian Easton
remembers going to St. Columba’s where people were speaking in tongues, which
she characterized as “different.”
In terms of
Father Bill’s relationship with parishioners, he is perceived as having been
“good spirited,” “very pleasant,” “a wonderful man” who was “warm and
outgoing.” Bruce McGilvray describes him as a “rabid Red Sox fan” and John
Dutton says that he was “low key.”
By most accounts
he was a good preacher and teacher. Bruce, in particular, recalled a Lenten
series that took an historical and theological look at Christ’s last days that
for him was memorable. He, Bruce, was disappointed when Weinhauer left.
When asked about
his leadership style, John Dutton (who served on the vestry at the time) said
that Weinhauer did not have a large bureaucracy and that there was not a lot of
discussion of things which would seem to indicate a fairly strong
“rector-centered” model of leadership. Interestingly enough though, in John
Kater’s words “Weinhauer was so concerned because so many people on the ‘left’
were having problems with his way of doing things that he hired me (Kater) to
be the “Associate for Experimental Ministry.”
It was probably
important that Weinhauer made that move. Julia Dutton remembers vividly how big
an issue children’s sharing in the Eucharist was and that it was during that
time when it was first allowed. She was very excited when Weinhauer showed a
moving film during the service where children were participating in the
Eucharist, but then when Weinhauer did not offer that at Christ Church,
she nearly left the parish.
In 1973,
Weinhauer was elected bishop of Western North Carolina and left Poughkeepsie in
September of that year for his consecration.
*(An especially
interesting footnote – A couple of years ago Julia and Art Dutton were in North
Carolina for the ordination of a family member and ran into Bill Weinhauer.
Julia was pleasantly surprised to see several young women who were being
ordained embraced by Weinhauer and to learn that he had supported then
vigorously.)
The Reverend John
Kater succeeded Bill Weinhauer as rector in 1974 after a brief time as interim.
Kater had served as a curate for Rhys Williams, had left to go for further
degree work, and had returned as an associate for Bill Weinhauer in 1971.
Everyone I spoke
with described John Kater as an “OUTSTANDING” preacher/teacher who was, and is,
loved by all. Mary Flad said he was a “prophetic voice, a real theologian.” He
seems to have been able to maintain close personal relationships while at the
same time being exceedingly active as a visionary leader in the name of his
strong political and humanitarian convictions. And, as there were many who did
not share his extreme views, it was an extraordinary balancing act to have been
so beloved by all. Mary would credit this to his ability to articulate
difficult issues of the time in an insightful manner that honored all ideas and
viewpoints. And, she says that he was especially talented at bringing along the
discernment process—very thoughtful in facilitating the search for direction.
As a preacher,
Kater spoke to everyone at a multitude of levels simultaneously, “packing them
in” according to John Dutton. Even to this day, his students at The Church
Divinity School of the Pacific are enthralled with him as a speaker and
teacher. There were people, however, who were less than pleased sometimes with
his habit of addressing political issues from the pulpit, and this “created a
bit of a schism.” Art Dutton comments,
“It was a scary time and though everybody loved him, in their hearts they were
scared to say they were on his side.”
Some even felt that Kater was “taking a political position against the
members.” Whatever people’s feelings were in terms of his activism, there seems
to be little question that he made it clear that the personal and community
spiritual journey is not fixed in a nice neat package—that it is often messy
and unruly and a process of becoming.
Kater is
acknowledged as a brilliant scholar, and he has written a number of books. His
intellectual leadership at Christ Church, AND at Vassar College where he taught
in the Religion Department, and nationally is readily acclaimed. That
reputation as a spiritual voice and as a leader in the faith community of
Poughkeepsie gave parishioners a real sense of importance and pride.
As a curate, an
associate, and a rector, Kater was heavily involved in the beginnings of many
things—the Summer Program, the Lunch Box, the Drop Inn (a teen center),
Dutchess Interfaith Council and numerous other community initiatives. In 1982
he brought Michael Phillips on as his Associate for Community Ministry. It is
also difficult to separate Kater from David Perry who brought a wonderful
ecumenism to Christ Church with his humor and imagination. John and David
shared a profound conversation, which Mary feels influenced David’s work for
the national church. Another of John’s accomplishments is that he moved out of
the rectory thus creating the space and possibility for other work of the
church.
Personally, he
was “easy to get along with,” and funny with a great sense of community. Though he was not particularly enamored of
physical work (to quote Art Dutton, “He could lean on a rake pretty well”), he
nevertheless always showed up and sat talking and joking with the people who
were working. That close conversation between rector and laity thus created was
all part of his vision for a faith community, as was the destruction of the old
“caste and class” system that had been the status quo in the Episcopal Church
up to the mid 80’s.
Members of the
lay leadership during Kater’s term say that he was a facilitator who empowered
the vestry and parishioners. John Dutton recalls that as part of the rector’s
evaluation team he and others pointed out that they wished to have more
direction from the rector. Kater respectfully, but firmly, disagreed saying
that it was his job to help the people arrive at their own direction.
Clearly, John
Kater is an extraordinary person (though he does have feet of clay I am
assured). He seems to have been able to do it all—be a teacher/preacher, a compassionate
pastor, a spiritual leader, and an activist in the name of Christ. Eventually,
the combination of his gifts as an educator and his commitment to liberation
theology took him away from Poughkeepsie to go to serve in Panama. Today, he is
on staff at CDSP in California.
Marge Bliss
With Art and
Julia Dutton, John and Yvonne Dutton, Lillian Easton, Mary and Harvey Flad, and
Bruce McGilvray
*Apologies for an
error in the first article in our Past rectors series—Jim Pike became Bishop of
California, NOT Bishop of Texas, and in last month's article the Terwilliger's
had one daughter, Ann.
Courier
Deadline
DUE TO THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY, THE DEADLINE for the December "Courier" is Sunday, November 11. Please bring items to the parish office. Thank you.
Michele Haynes
Discernment Retreat
Thirty-eight
members of the Christ Church family attended the discernment retreat at
Ascension Church in West Park on Sunday, October 14th from 3 to 6 p.m. We began with a brief history of how we came
to the idea of investigating a capital campaign, given by our Rector, Michael
Phillips. This was followed with a
presentation by Glenn Holliman, the consultant, regarding the purpose of a
capital campaign, how it helps us get where we want to go and how other churches
in similar circumstances have proceeded and succeeded. We then broke into five small groups of 7 to
8 each to look at a list of potential property improvements and their estimated
costs. This list consisted of items
mentioned in the Architect's Existing Conditions Report, the recommendations of
the Design Team, and other items noted by members of the Property Episkopos,
ranging from repair and replacement of window frames and windows, to repair of
the Tower, to new construction. The groups identified their concerns about the
lists, the idea of a capital campaign, or whatever concerns group members
had. They also brainstormed advice for
dealing with their concerns. These concerns and advice were reported by each
small group to the group at large. We were able to identify some concerns
common to all the groups, as well as some common advice themes. Some of the concerns shared by the groups
were:
v Our buildings need restoration and brought
up to code. We are at the point where program development is, at times, limited
by our space. There is a long list of things that need to be done. How do we
decide how to prioritize these needs? Shouldn't we do restoration work before
we embark on new construction?
v We could make better use of the space we
now have before we build new space. ---We need to find ways to stimulate parish
growth.
v
We
have hospitality issues which need to be addressed, i.e. parking, lighting, and
accessibility.
What advice do we have to offer for these
concerns? The following are some of the suggestions made in more than one
group:
v
Restore
and upgrade before we build new space. Include renovations which would improve
our message of welcome to the community, esp. parking, lighting, handicapped
accessibility, and adequate nursery.
v
Make better
use of space we have before we build more.
v
Work
to stimulate parish growth, including among groups using our space.
v
Find
ways to more fully involve members of the parish in our mission.
Following adjournment of the retreat, the Rector,
consultant, members of the Capital Campaign committee, and the wardens met to
begin to outline our next steps. In the coming weeks we will be working on a
second draft of the list of work that needs consideration, which will then be
submitted to the Vestry for approval at the November 20th meeting. The approved
document will then be disseminated to all members of the Parish. We will
solicit people's reaction to the document on several levels, general reactions
and specific responses, before determining to proceed with the second step in
the three-step capital campaign process. That step is determining the
feasibility of conducting such a campaign; we hope to be ready to begin the
feasibility study in January and finish it by Easter.
The discernment retreat was an opportunity to find
out what others were thinking, to hear people express some of the same
concerns, and to hear some that we may not have thought of. It was heartening
to hear so many ideas about dealing with our concerns-- the list of advice was
as long as the list of concerns! We will continue to keep you informed as we
proceed in the process of identifying our needs and working to resolve them.
Your questions and comments are welcome at any time. Please share them with
anyone on the Vestry, the wardens, or the Rector as you feel moved.
Submitted by Phyllis George, Junior Warden
Consumer Alert
As we consider the spirit of Thanksgiving
and plan our long weekend activities, the forces of consumerism are also making
big plans for us. The day after Thanksgiving
is the heaviest shopping day of the year
and commences a season in which half of our annual consumer spending
occurs. Consumerism depends on our
buying (generally on credit) to feel good and to impress others. To combat this trend, a movement has emerged
around the country. It’s called Buy
Nothing Day, and it is observed on the day after Thanksgiving. People concerned with the effect of
consumerism on their lives have resolved to spend the day after Thanksgiving in
enriching family activities: a trip to the country, reading aloud, making music
together, preparing for the Advent season in a spiritual way and other
thoughtful activities.
Happy Buy Nothing
Day!
On the
Internet: http://www.adbusters.org
Book Review
Peter J.
Gomes. The Good Book. Avon Books, New York. 1998 \\$13.00
“A recent
American poll conducted by the Barna Research Group discovered that 10 percent
… said that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife, 16 percent were convinced that the New
Testament contained a book by the Apostle Thomas, and 38 percent were of the
view that both the Old and New Testaments were written a few years after Jesus’
death”. Thus the Rev. Peter Gomes,
Minister at Harvard’s Memorial Chapel for the last 25 years, supports the need
for a greater knowledge of the Bible. I
don’t accuse Courier readers of being this ill informed, but for those who
would like a guide to better understanding of scripture, Gomes' work is your
answer. He has chapters on race, women,
temptation, homosexuality and many more topics of urgent concern. Read this volume to see how the Good Book,
although a couple of millennia old, speaks to us in our daily lives.
Bob Sherer
Thank you to the Sunday Offering Counters
The Rectors and
Wardens invite you to attend a Special Recognition and Thank-You to the Sunday
Offering Counters for their faithful Stewardship and contribution of time ( a
yearly total of over 250 hours.) Please
join us on Sunday, November 11 at the 10AM service to give thanks to the
following: Jim Bliss, Sandra Braungard,
Joe Crown, Mary Lou Crown, Anne Conrad, Debbie Easton, Michael George, Clare
Graham, Michael Graham, Carla Gude, Barbara Harrington, Louise Im, Norma
Johnson, Johanna
Kraft, James Monteith, Peter Nelson, Gordon Plowe, Kirk Rumble, Diane Sherer,
David Sherwood, Paula Sherwood, Marge Smith, Ralph Smith, Lorraine Taylor, and
Janice Williams-Myers.
TGIF:
Trinity Growth Information Forum
A delegation from Christ Church (see lead article for participants) spent a
weekend at Trinity Cathedral in Sacramento.
A delegation from Trinity Church, San Francisco was also present. In the course of two days, we explored a
model for congregational ministry which is based on what appears in the New
Testament, specifically a close association with the Holy Spirit in the affairs
of the church. It sounds obvious
("Of course the Holy Spirit is present at our church!") but the number of churches that operate from
a business or corporate model, and put the Holy Spirit on a backburner, may
surprise us.
From our Wardens
On Saturday
October 20, eight Christ Church leaders attended the second diocesan Doing
Church conference day. The delegates
attended thirty workshops ranging from altar Guild 101 to PowerPoint and from
Welcoming Singles to Capital Campaigns.
A wealth of helpful information will be coming back to Christ Church as
a result. Thanks to Louise Im, Don
Moore, Alicia Tether, Loyd Lee, Alice Bunnell and Jean Winne for accompanying
the wardens to this important session.
The Community Room and adjoining hallways will soon have a greatly
improved appearance. Watch for installation
of a new floor covering. As the
courtyard garden and surrounding plants fade from their summer glory into fall
colors, we thank Ann Conrad and Ellie Vermillion and the helpers they recruited
for hours of hard work for the beautification of our campus.
Bob Sherer,
Senior Warden and Phyllis George, Junior
Warden
Directory Updates
The following are
some additions, changes, and corrections to the Christ Church 2001 Directory:
Additions: Deletions:
Barbara O'Mara None
32 Carroll Street
Pough., NY 12601
Corrections: Change
of Address:
E-mail address
Barry Menuez: Kathy
Bagnall
Menuez314@aol.com 21
Pond Drive East
Rhinebeck,
NY 12572
Armine
Isbirian
The
Fountains
26
Crestview Dr./Cottage 26
Millbrook,
NY 12545 (845) 677-6909
Electronic Pledge Payments
The Diocese of
New York has announced the implementation of an "Electronic Payment of
Pledges" service for all parishes.
This means that you may have your regularly scheduled contribution to
Christ Church deducted from your bank account and credited to Christ Church
twice a month. If this sparks you
interest, please contact me on Sunday, or leave a message for me at the church
office, and I will enroll you. Thank
you.
Joe
Crown,Treasurer
Charge
Paul of Tarsus
said it best when he advised Philemon, “… charge it to my account”. (Philemon
18). Now is the chance to simplify your
pledge payment by arranging for automatic deduction of your gift from your bank
account. Contact the Treasurer, Joe
Crown (452-0182) for details.
Impressions at St. Paul’s Chapel
v
Outside
the air affronts me with an odious smell of death and fire with a hell-like
background of wreckage and destruction.
Inside reigns a gentle mix of attention to the physical and spiritual
needs of police, national guards, firefighters, morticians, and other rescue
workers. Everywhere supplies of clothes,
boots, gloves, and the like supplement the work of podiatrists, chiropractors,
masseurs, chaplains, and priests. A quiet
prayer pervades the space, with candles lit throughout. Somewhere someone is sleeping; over there
someone is weeping; behind someone is simply trying to absorb what confronts
him or her. Those of us from Christ
Church formed new bonds through preparing and serving food and drink and helping
as best we could to make our contribution to healing and being a presence of
God in the city. -- Loyd Lee
v
Although
it's been almost two weeks since my experience at "Ground Zero", I
find that processing all that I encountered that day is taking time, and I
expected that. It will be difficult to
share so profound an experience with folks who weren't there, but let me try by mentioning several images that have
stayed with me: emerging from the subway
onto Fulton Avenue to the smell of electrical fires, observing the dust on the
façade of buildings five blocks away from our ultimate destination, walking
through a police barricade with my photo I.D. to cross Broadway into St. Paul's
Chapel, viewing the site from the churchyard with silent tears rolling down my
cheeks while saying the Lord's Prayer, listening with good humor as a police
officer used quite colorful language to describe what he thought should happen
to Osama Bin Laden, helping an EMT from Oklahoma City wash debris out of the
eyes of a Fire Dept. Chaplain, and feeling grateful that this Ministry of
Presence that I was participating in allowed him to express what he needed
to. Over and over again that day, I was
stunned by the gratitude expressed to us by the burly sanitation workers,
no-nonsense national guard, police, fire, and EMT workers just for being there. In all cases, I felt that God was using me in
such a simple way to help them see human kindness in the face of such
devastation and horror. It was humbling,
powerful, exhausting, and ultimately rewarding work which I'd sign up to do
again in a heartbeat! -- Jackie Vierno
v
On
October 8th we took a 4:40AM train down to NYC
with a volunteer group from Christ Church to help out at St. Paul's
Chapel, right at "ground zero". The chapel has been set up as a place
where rescue workers, firefighters, National Guard, doctors, and police can
come for hot food, counseling, medical help, pastoral care or sleep while they
are working on the WTC site. It was an incredibly moving experience! Volunteers
were there from as far away as Alaska. We were there for a twelve-hour shift
and helped with food preparation and unloaded the trucks that kept arriving all
day with donations of clothing and medical supplies from all over the
country. Although we were not allowed
on the actual site, we were right next to it, and all day long rescue workers
came into the chapel for a break from their terrible work. It was incredibly
moving. A big, burly policemen came into the chapel, sat quietly for a while,
read the cards sent by children, and then burst into tears. A young woman who
had come from China to find a lost relative stayed in the chapel for a long
time, talking and crying with one of the priests. Firefighters still trying to
put out fires at the site came in to get new boots donated by people from all
over this country to replace theirs, which were burning because of the intense
heat still underground. Around noon, several policewomen came running into the
chapel in tears because they had just uncovered a section of the site that
contained human body parts, and they needed emotional and spiritual help in
dealing with what they had found. In
the extraordinary context even mundane, mindless activity was given great
meaning. As you read what follows, think about the parable of the bread and
fish, or think about the Hannukah story of the oil in the lamp lasting for eight
days. Paul and I were assigned to make coffee and hot chocolate all day. It was
a cold, windy day, and hundreds, if not thousands of cups of this wonderful,
hot beverage were required by the rescue and recovery workers to warm both
their body and spirit. Because of
unspecified "threats", we were required to use bottled water. We had
to make do with a 10-cup coffee maker and LOTS of one-ounce packets of hot
chocolate powder! We were warned by the person who had just finished the night
shift that the water would not last more then a couple of hours. As the day
wore on, our supply of bottled water began to get used up. We kept passing our
concerns along to those in charge, and were told not to worry. But we did
worry! What would we do when the water ran out? How could we tell those hard
working relief folks that they couldn't have their coffee or hot chocolate
because we had run out of bottled water.
We were down to 20 gallons... then 10... then 4... then we used up the
last bottle. We brought the final pot of coffee out to the workers and said:
"it is all gone - there is no more water." We felt terrible! What
would we do now? Just then a cry went out: "Bottled water delivery!"
Hundreds of gallons of bottled water appeared miraculously, just as we were
about to give up all hope! We
would drop everything to go down again to help out. I have never experienced
anything like that before. All of the rescue workers were so appreciative of
the volunteers. The chapel, which was built in 1766, was full of banners,
postcards, letters and flowers sent to the rescue workers from all over the
world. Candles flickered all day and all night all over the chapel. The pews
had blankets and sleeping rescue workers. In the midst of all this, we
celebrated communion with police, firefighters, relatives of victims and other
volunteers. It was an incredibly moving
experience. Out of that tragedy came unbelievable caring! Helping out gave us
both a way to help in the healing process. By helping others we were beginning
the process of being made whole again. It gave us both a real feeling of the
possibility of hope and love coming out of despair and hate. -- Laura Russell
and Paul Frazer
The Deacon’s Bench
At the risk of
being redundant, just another word or two about St. Paul's Chapel in NYC. On October 8th, 14 of us went to work at St.
Paul's, inside the restricted area at the World Trade Center disaster
site. Those 14 were: Betty Francis, Paul
Frazer, Phyllis George, Ann & Bill Graff, Loyd Lee, Don Moore, Becky
Nielsen, Betty Olson, John Quis, Laura Russell, Jackie Vierno, Gay White and
myself. Each of those individuals, who
felt comfortable doing so, has included a brief paragraph in the November
Courier, giving you their impressions of participating in this relief work. Our goal is to have the entire parish
understand that we are all a part of this work, we bear witness to you, the
church, so that you might bear witness to the greater community. St. Paul's Chapel is on Broadway, on the
East side of the disaster site and we began our 12 hour shift by walking out
back, into the old cemetery, to see what was left of the Trade Center
complex. Directly in front of us are the
skeletal forms of Bldgs. 4 and 5. The
rubble from the Twin Towers is directly beyond that. The debris from bldg. 7, and the shell of the
Customs House, are slightly to our right.
We prayed together quietly, more than several of us cried softly, the
words of the commendation portion of the Burial Service comes to my mind,
"You are dust, and to dust you shall return. All of us go down to the dust; yet even at
the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia." It is the victims that are most on our
minds, so many precious people, ...so much rubble. The magnitude of such horrific loss is nearly
impossible to take in... And then we
began our work. Making coffee and cocoa,
sweeping floors, folding blankets, and making up cots. Some of our volunteers are escorted to a
local restaurant to spend hours shredding lettuce and chopping vegetables. Others were assigned to the tables on the
churches big stone porch to serve food, dole out the coffee and cocoa, direct
the rescue workers around the facilities, play bouncer at the front gate to
keep out prying eyes, put TP in the Port-a-John's lining the front fence,
unload trucks and protect the sleeping rescue workers. And a hundred other jobs. They pitched in, with grace and humor,
wherever they were needed. St. Paul's is
a quiet place of refuge from the chaos and work, a sanctuary from the reality
of what these men and women are finding in what they call "the
pile." All around the chapel are
tables filled with things the workers need. New Boots, (the old ones eventually
burn through, because of the heat on "the pile".) Socks, sweatshirts, gloves, eye wash, Vitamin
C tablets, (no one wants to get sick because then they might have to leave the
"the pile" and they can't bear that thought.) Gum and candy, (to get the taste of soot out
of their mouths) cold tablets, headache medicine, phone calling cards; you name
it, the inside is a veritable, old fashioned general store. Against the back wall two massage
therapists work to relax aching muscles, so that, hopefully, the worker can get
some much needed rest. The podiatrist
has set up shop in George Washington's pew, very appropriate. And a chiropractor adjusts backs that have
been too long bent over in work.
Everywhere you
look there are candles burning, flowers cheering and posters, notes and
pictures from children all over this nation.
There are also smiling faces, encouraging conversation and big, big
hugs. In the middle, in the pews, are
rescue workers. Some are sleeping,
others are eating, many are praying or just staring into space, and others are
talking with visiting clergy or nuns that have come to offer pastoral
care. Solace, comfort, that is the
prayer; that is the service offered at St. Paul's. For all the pain those at the disaster site
are enduring day after day, they are also finding a heroism and a courage
within themselves that some of them never knew they possessed. As desolate as it was to stand in the
cemetery first thing in the morning, the warmth of the Chapel and the
determination of the workers on the site stand in stark and inspiring
contrast. These men and women know that
they are working on hallowed, holy ground, consecrated by the blood of
innocence. Everyone has been changed by this event, these workers more
particularly so. They have much work to
do in the next few months and anything we can do to help them stay in touch
with their humanity and to let them know how much we appreciate their efforts,
we should do. If you wish to send a
note or card to the rescue workers, send it to: St. Paul's Chapel care of
Trinity Parish, 74 Trinity Place, NY, NY 10016.
Yours in Christ,
Mary
Alternate Give Ideas
Now that Columbus Day has opened the secular “Holiday Shopping Season” it’s
time to think about alternative gifts to replace commercial products whose
usefulness and economy are suspect. Here
is a list of sources you may wish to consider.
The Heifer and UNICEF gifts are made to needy people in the name of a
family member or friend. The other
sources are for items to be sent to your regular gift list.
Heifer Project
International Domestic
animals and trees for people suffering from hunger and poverty
Box 808
Little Rock AR
72203
(800) 422-0474
Koinoia Farm Pecan and
peanut products sales support teaching of peace, kindness, and
Route 2 simplicity
Americus GA 31709
Pueblo to People Crafts from
Latin America
(800) 843-5257
SELFHELP Crafts
from developing nations. A program of
the Mennonite Central
Box 500 Committee
Akron PA 17501
(717) 859-4971
SERRV (Sales
Exchange For Refugee Rehabilitation Vocations).
Crafts from
Self-Help
Handicrafts developing nations.
500 Main Street
New Windsor MD
21776
(800) 423-0071
UNICEF Holiday
Shopping List Medicine, water
purification, nutrition, clothing and shelter
333 East 38th
Street supplies
for children in need.
New York NY 10016
(212) 686-5522
(800) 367-5437
Recollections of Latino Congregation Origins
Becky’s Version:
I can’t believe
that it is only 10 years since the Latino congregation took root here. For me, it is becoming increasingly difficult
to remember what it was like before they became members of our community. So when I try to recall details of those
beginning events, I am faced with an embarrassing fuzziness. What I do recall vividly, however, was my own
revelation that something was needed.
Al and I had had
some involvement with the Rural and Migrant Ministry. Through that connection we were invited to a
Sunday afternoon service in New Paltz at the Episcopal Church. The Rev. Maria Aris Paul was doing the
service in Spanish for anyone in the area who was interested in attending. I think this was a Palm Sunday, 1990.
The little church
was probably three quarters full, the majority being Spanish speaking. Al, who doesn’t have any Spanish background,
was able to let the words surround him, enjoying the rhythm and sound, the
sense of community. But I knew some
Spanish – and I was struggling to understand the words. Anyone, who has been in this situation, knows
how exhausting it is – about the time you figure out what one sentence was all
about, they’re four paragraphs ahead of you!
By the time they came
to the Prayers of the People, and I was still doing my verbal scrambles, one
woman switched into English – and the relief that swept over me was
amazing. I felt my whole body relax. All I could think of, was that this is what
immigrants experience every day – but on a much larger scale. That the energy it takes to try to make sense
of your environment and its workings, and the tension that accumulates, can be
overwhelming.
When church is a
place you go for nourishment, enlightenment, encouragement – shouldn’t that be
a place where you don’t have to struggle jut to understand what is going
on! How wonderful it would be for people
who are away from their country, family, etc. to be able to worship in their
own language.
So I called David
Toomey, our rector at the time. I shared
this experience with him, and asked what we might do. He had his own experience of sudden awareness
of many Latinos moving into the area.
And later we found that Nancy Ranger had recognized a need from another
set of circumstances. Getting from that
point of awareness to finally offering services was a lengthy process with many
people taking over the work to make it a reality.
Today’s readings address
the immigrant issue – God tells Moses to pass along to the people that they are
to treat strangers as their own kin – “for you were once strangers in Egypt…”
and remember what that felt like? It
felt like the new kin in class whose parents had to move during the school
year. So remember what it was like when
you or your family was the stranger, and show a little compassion.
In Matthew 25 we hear
that “welcoming the stranger” is a peer ministry to calling on the sick,
feeding the hungry, visiting the imprisoned, and clothing the naked.
But today’s collect gets
right down to business – it is the “flesh & blood” collect.
“O God” you have made of
one blood all the people of the earth – pour out your Spirit upon all flesh”
all flesh/one blood – flesh & blood.
I am utterly convinced that the Kingdom of God is a diverse place:
language, skin, hair, eye color, foods, dress – diversity on the outside, but
unity on the inside: everyone’s blood is
the same color – one blood – one spirit…in Christ.
Chronology of the Development of
this Ministry
Sept. 1991 1st Eucharist in
Spanish at Christ Church
Candida
Felis-Gonzales hired to begin ministry
1993 David
Toomey called to So. Africa
Candida & Wilfredo to California, Fr. Martinez
hired part-time
1995 Michael Phillips
elected rector
Guadalupe – average Sunday attendance – 22
1996 Mark
Como, member of Zion Church, stops by to see if he might be of some help
Mid-Hudson urban rectors visit area hispanic missioner in Greater Hartford
MHRLM Committee formed, accountable to Regional Council – given authority
to act
(Mid-Hudson
Region Latino Ministry Committee)
1997 Goal: Open 2 new congregations: Newburgh/Beacon
Fr. Martinez hired full-time
Mark Como
hired as full-time Program Coordinator
Guadalupe
average Sunday attendance – 45
Newburgh
explodes to 100/Sunday (catching diocesan attention)
Beacon
begins slowly with 15-20
1998 3 missions grow beyond
current staffing
1999 Phase
II outlines: plan for two ministry teams (priest/Program Coordinator); one to
work
in the northern half of the Region, the
other to work in the southern half.)
2000 Fr.
Arnulfo hired
Kingston
opens
Fr.
Martinez called to a congregation in NYC
Fr.
Arnulfo Arambulo hired to work northern half of Region
2001 Exploring
discussions with Episcopal Churches in Red Hook/Rhinebeck and Dover
Plains/Pawling
as
potential sites for Latino Ministry