July 2019 Bulletin

Page 1

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL An Episcopal Community in the Heart of Houston, Texas

JULY 2019 CHRISTCHURCHCATHEDRAL.ORG

AFTER-HOURS EMERGENCY CARE LINE | 713-826-5332

The antidote to loneliness Because of the way Brexit dominates news from Britain, we may have missed a New York Times headline from last year. It turns out, as Prime Minister Theresa May was laboring futilely to craft a Brexit deal Parliament could swallow, she made another notable decision: Theresa May appointed Britain’s first ever Minister for Loneliness. When making the announcement, the PM said, “For far too many people, THE VERY REV. loneliness is the sad realBARKLEY ity of modern life.” THOMPSON It also turns out that we share this with Great Britain. Last year Cigna released a large-scale survey in which “most Americans reported suffering from strong feelings of loneliness and a lack of significance in their relationships.” Our loneliness is borne in part, I think, because of the transience of modern life. We change jobs, companies, cities, and even states like changing socks. This experience is now the norm, and it will only become more so, as what has been called the “gig economy” grows. The circle of friends and depth of relationships that develop from a rootedness to place are increasingly rare in our transient world. Even when around other people, including people we know, we feel unknown and lonely. In their song “Nobody knows me at all,” the Weepies sing, “When I was a child everybody smiled; nobody knows me at all. Very late at night and in the morning light; nobody knows me at all. Now I got lots of friends, yes, but then again, nobody knows me at all. Kids and a wife, it’s a beautiful life; [but] nobody knows me at all.” Does this resonate with you? We are psychosomatic creatures — embodied spirits — and it should be no

LONELINESS, page 2

Minister for Youth and Young Adults Jeremy Bradley will attend Virginia Theological Seminary this fall.

A deeper faith commitment For Jeremy Bradley, the Cathedral’s youth and young adult minister since 2011, the call to ministry a decade ago has only grown stronger in his time here. Having thoughtfully completed the formal process of discernFAREWELL CELEBRATION ment, he’s heading to Virginia Theological July 14, 10 a.m. Seminary this fall for a three-year program, after which he will return to the Diocese of Texas to be ordained as a deacon, then priest. Throughout his year of formal preparation,

Bradley prayerfully examined his life and relationship with God. Discernment also involves exams, evaluations, and a frank reality check on the commitment logistics. He said he first felt a call to ministry in 2007 and has served with youth and young adults in that role. Over time, he realized there were aspects of his ministry that required becoming an Episcopal priest. While he has been a lay Eucharist minister at The Well and has assisted in baptisms, Bradley grew aware of wanting a deeper role: “Something stirred in me in those

BRADLEY, page 6

New Minister for Pastoral Care

JODY GILLIT

Dean Thompson is pleased to announce the addition of Jody Gillit to the Cathedral staff as Minister for Pastoral Care, beginning July 16. Jody will lead and coordinate the pastoral care ministry of the Cathedral, including acute care such as hospital and in-home visits as well as programs such as Community of Hope and the Mourner’s Path. Jody will also coordinate the pastoral care work of the Cathedral clergy and serve as staff liaison to the Pastoral Care Council. Jody comes to the Cathedral staff after nineteen years working in the University of Houston system, most recently as a manager and team leader. Jody has completed programs for Community of Hope International, Mourner’s Path facilitation, the Alzheimer’s Association support group

NEW MINISTER, page 8


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.