Chronicles of Canterbury
the
Chronicles of Canterbury november 2017
From the Rector
Plan for Some To Have Too Little
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esus looked up at his disciples and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.” Friends, if we are disciples of Jesus Christ, then this passage from the Gospel of Luke is addressed to us. It really is as simple as that.
This passage is noteworthy because it does not say: “blessed are you who are poor in spirit.” It simply says, “poor.” Luke’s Gospel is focused on God’s special attention and care for the poor, the downtrodden, the oppressed and the forgotten by the world. Luke’s focus represents a trend found throughout all of Scripture, in fact, the so-called “prophetic“ tradition which is very much addressed to questions of social inequity and social justice. This trend is so strong in all of Scripture that many theologians speak of God’s preference for the poor and the oppressed. Why would God pay special attention to the poor and oppressed of this world? Because it is not God’s plan that some have too much and some too little. It is not God’s plan that some starve while others get fat. It is not God’s plan that some die of preventable causes while others live to extreme old age for their own sake. It is God’s plan for all people that we live together in peace, loving God and neighbor, and
See RECTOR on page 11
Camden St.
Partnership with Garden Flourishes
D
uring the spring and summer, the partnership between St. Michael’s and Camden Street 2 Advent & God’s Coming Learning Garden — a seedling last year — 4 Ben’s House took root and flourished. In May, more than 150 people attended the St. Michael’s ECW Garden 5 OWLS Party which raised $56,500 for the construction of 6 Annual Fund an outdoor teaching kitchen at the Inter-Faith Food 7 America’s First Bishop Shuttle’s Camden Street Learning Garden. The kitchen construction will allow IFFS to expand its 8 Vestry Candidates programming to teach adults, children and families 10 Briefly how to grow and prepare their own produce. what’s inside
11 Lifelong Disciple
Staff at IFFS and the Camden Street Garden are working with an architectural firm to finalize the design for the teaching space. Interviews with community gardeners and staff members, as well as observations of the garden and current classroom, have been undertaken to assure that the new structure suits the varied needs of the gardeners it will serve.
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Approval and construction are scheduled for early 2018 — and for those with building skills, there will be opportunities to volunteer. Monetary contributions haven’t been the only way St. Michael’s has supported the Camden Street Garden. Parishioners put on their gardening gloves, rolled up their sleeves and spent countless hours this summer enthusiastically mulching, watering, and weeding. Even the smaller members of St. Michael’s got into the action with age-appropriate jobs, such as weeding, deadheading and topping the blooms from herbs. Steve Rolander was a regular in the garden this summer and described his experience. “The staff of the IFFS-Camden Street Garden were a joy to work with. They welcomed me on each visit with open arms, and it was easy to see that they took great pride in their expanding garden. I saw first-hand how they
See CAMDEN ST. on page 3