St. Michael's Episcopal Church Winter Archangel 2021

ARCHANGEL

A Publication of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Raleigh, NC • V ol. 4, Issue 1, Winter 2021

CURRENTS OF GRACE

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Table of Contents 4

And the Seed Bears Fruit

A new community in Raleigh to house the homeless has been years in the hoping.

The Rev. Samuel Gregory Jones shares how St. Michael’s is helping open the door.

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Kadimah

After a difficult year, the Rev. Dr. James L. Pahl Jr., asks: Where is the love, hope and joy of life as we enter this new year?

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Hopeful Work in Loving Neighbor

The Rev. Anna S. Page reflects on how our newly-reorganized Social Justice Ministry has hopes for making real change in our community.

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Our Hope Is One Foundation Director of Development Charlotte Griffin pays a visit to The Women’s Center and The Green Chair Project to learn how grants from the Holy Michael Foundation in 2020 have been put to good use.

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Who’s Who at St. Michael’s Church Phone: (919) 782-0731

All area codes are 919 unless noted

FEATURES 12 Music in the Air 14 20

St. Michael’s Choir may not be together in person, but choristers sing on under the able direction of chorimaster Kevin Kerstetter.

A Door in the Wall

A new community to provide housing for the homeless takes root in Raleigh, and the St. Michael’s family plays a role in its growth.

Communal Reality

St. Michael’s Episcopal Youth Community maintains connection despite COVID-19’s disconnect.

THE GOOD NEWS 21 Winter A poem by Judy Spaziano

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Find Joy in the Ordinary

The Rev. Holly M. Gloff takes us into her journal practice as a means for finding joy in challenging days.

We Remember

St. Michael’s has lost far too many in our family these past few months. Take a look with us at the mark they made on our community and our parish.

The Rev. Samuel Gregory Jones, Rector ext. 117 • jones@holymichael.org (c) 559-2004 The Rev. James L Pahl Jr. Vicar ext. 105 • pahl@holymichael.org (c) 919.339.3854 The Rev. Holly Gloff, Associate Rector ext. 127 • gloff@holymichael.org (c) 612-7228 The Rev. Anna S. Page, Deacon page@holymichael.org VESTRY

Class of 2020 Ashleigh Black •789-8284 |John Connell • 336-407-891 Rob Griffin • 510-9982 |Marty Munt • 847-6780 Karen Wagoner • 604-4701 Class of 2021 Liz Driscoll • 886-3424 | Matt Marchione • 426-8504 Katherine Poole • 623-3498 | Logan Price • 270-3700 Melissa Raley • 219-2746 Class of 2022 Amanda Carson • 961-4952 Claren Englebreth • 252-205-4126 Robert Marshall • 260-4363 |Sam Taylor • 908-339-5566 Rose Vaughn Williams • 922-0386 STAFF

Stella Attaway, Director of Early Childhood Christian Education attaway@holymichael.org • ext. 106 Ann Garey, Publications garey@holymichael.org • ext. 103 Charlotte Griffin, Director of Development griffin@holymichael.org • ext. 121 Lee Hayden, Director of Operations & Newcomer Ministry hayden@holymichael.org • ext.108 Abby Van Noppen, Director of Youth Ministry vannoppen@holymichael.org • ext. 115 Kevin Kerstetter, Director of Music kerstetter@holymichael.org • ext. 101 Susan Little, Financial Administrator little@holymichael.org • ext. 113 Carolyn L’Italien, Director of Primary Sunday School Christian Education and Assistant to Operations litalien@holymichael.org Jean Olson, Parish Secretary olson@holymichael.org • ext. 112 Susan Rountree, Director of Communications rountree@holymichael.org • ext.122 FACILITIES STAFF

Jesús Epigmenio, Groundskeeper Marcela de la Cruz, Housekeeper

ON THE COVER: An icy morning brings a glimmer of light to this long winter.

Photo illustration by Susan Rountree

PARISH DAY SCHOOL 782-6430 Mandy Annunziata, Director annunziata@holymichael.org • ext. 110 Courtney Alford, Assistant Director • ext.114 alford@holymichael.org

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And the Seed Bears Fruit Words: The Rev. Samuel Gregory Jones, Rector

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File Photo: CASA Housing

AS THE HOLY MICHAEL FOUNDATION HAS GROWN THANKS TO CAREFUL INVESTMENT AND THE ONGOING GENEROSITY OF DONORS, EVER SINCE, I HAVE BEEN SO THRILLED TO BE ABLE TO STILL BE HERE NOW THAT ITS SEEDS MAY BE CAST. I NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE THE DAY, TO BE HONEST; I FIGURED IT WOULD BE LONG AFTER MY TENURE. BUT HERE WE HAVE IT. WE HAVE A TREE OF LIFE IN OUR MIDST, THANKS TO BOB AND ALL OF YOU, AND WE ARE HARVESTING IT CAREFULLY AND DOING GOOD WITH IT.

Aseed becomes

a tree. It bears fruit. The fruit is eaten, its seeds are released, and perhaps a new tree will be planted. And on and on. A snowfall lands on a mountain. It eventually melts and runs off, becomes a stream, then a river, then an ocean. It turns to mist and becomes a cloud. Then it snows on a mountain. And on and on.

Mary said “Yes” to the Holy Spirit. She bore and reared a son. He died on a cross, she watched it from its base. He rose and she bore witness with the others. He breathed the Holy Spirit upon his followers, and she and they built the church. And they went into all the world bearing Good News, healing, and doing what is right.

A man is a lawyer and makes a good living. He loves his church. He is sick and knows he may not have much time left to live. He plans to leave what he has to his church.

He tells the new rector of his plans to leave behind some seed corn, which in time could multiply. He does. The new rector starts a foundation with the dream that it would one day plant seeds of ministry and good works in the world, in the church and outside it. And now in the second year of that harvest, the foundation will plant the first seed from among Raleigh’s churches toward the project which will give shelter and life to perhaps hundreds of our neediest neighbors.

The cycle of generosity. The life story of a gift. These are manifestations of the gestation, birth and life of the dream

of God. A dream which has been made real in creation and its redemption in Christ. A dream which lives on at St. Michael’s, as in the community around us, in so many ways.

When Bob Slaughter took me for a hot dog and an orangeade in the summer of 2004, moments after I arrived as the new rector of St. Michael’s, I had no idea the current of grace he was about to unleash. He was a vestryman and active member of the parish in many areas, from mission to mowing the lawn. He said several things that have stuck with me, and which, when he died just a few months later, took on even greater meaning. He said, “I need this church more than it needs me.” He said, “One day, after I am gone, I would like to leave the church a large gift, which I hope will be used in perpetuity.” He discussed the formation of some kind of an endowment, which would give off income to be used for ministries of the church. No strings attached. Could be anything the church saw fit to do. He made it clear it was to be something of an endowment which gave from its increase, as he said, “As farmers (in Fuquay), we always knew you don’t eat your seed corn.”

Bob died and left the bulk of his estate to church. It ended up being about $400,000, the biggest gift we’ve ever received. Charlotte Griffin was senior warden then, and together we created the Holy Michael Foundation, with the dream that it would grow for a period of years, and then eventually make gifts to fund ministries of the church. It was my hope that while the foundation would be there for the long-term benefit of the parish, it would really be

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able to give us a supply of seed corn, which we could plant, in the spirit of Bob Slaughter. The kind of things he had always been generous towards were things done in the spirit of joy, for mission, for the wider community, for the needy, and also for the church itself. Did we need a new pulpit? He gave that. Wind chimes in the memorial garden? He got them. Plantings? Benches? Mission trips? Vestments?

Bob did all that sort of stuff —God’s grace ran right through him and brought the spirit to so many areas.

into something that has incorporated me, and I hope you as well. Kathy Izard calls those seeds the “currents of grace,” that flow through the world, igniting passions for good.

As the Holy Michael Foundation has grown, thanks to careful investment and the ongoing generosity of donors, I have been so thrilled to be able to still be here now that its seeds may be cast. I never thought I’d see the day, to be honest; I figured it would be long after my tenure. But here we have it. We have a tree of life in our midst, thanks to Bob and all of you, and we are harvesting it carefully and doing good with it.

This gift is the first from a Raleigh church, and it is something I have now begun to speak of to colleagues in other churches, from a range of denominations. I am so honored that our parish is able to make a leading step toward the King’s Ridge project, and I am sure that we will all become involved in ministry with the people who live in there for many years to come.

When Kathy Izard came to our parish awhile back to speak of her book, The Hundred Story Home, and share her journey, I watched as our people were electrified. She told of how she felt the calling of God to leave her comfort zone, dream big, and finally shepherd the building of a home for hundreds of homeless people in Charlotte. I heard people in the gathering buzzing, and a few said, “We need to do something like that in Raleigh.” I agreed.

I visited the King’s Ridge site and heard from the leaders of the project, and I knew this was something big that St. Michael’s needed to do something big with. And we are. Our Holy Michael Foundation Board looked closely at the project and unanimously voted to fund it with $50,000.

This entire issue of Archangel — our third since the pandemic began — is filled with currents of grace.

Grace found in the development of our newlyimagined Social Justice Ministry; grace rippling through our St. Michael’s Choir as its choristers create beautiful music from their home offices and kitchens; and grace evident in the lives of too many among us who have recently died and whose impact on us lingers.

Currents of grace. Wade in with us.

Then when Molly Painter told me about the project that has captured her attention — King’s Ridge — and how it was the culmination of her years-long journey of working and loving some of Raleigh’s neediest women, I knew it was happening again. The seed planted by the holy spirit in Kathy spread to Molly (and so many others), and now it has grown

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Kadimah Words: The Rev. James L. Pahl Jr., D. Min., Vicar

Photo Illustration: Susan Rountree

With the

craziness of last year spilling into the early part of 2021, I saw a post on Facebook, which seems to sum it up for me: “I’d like to cancel my subscription to 2021. I’ve experienced the free 7-day trial and I’m not interested!” I wouldn’t blame anyone for feeling this way. After all, we have watched and experienced COVID-19 public health indicators sky-rocket.

More and more folks contracting the virus and there have been more contagious strains appearing. The national political scene exploded with an all-out riot on Capitol Hill in Washington. A former president is now impeached twice in one term, and currently, a severely divided country (Civil War-like) with blood-thirsts abounding. Honestly, the hatred is unbelievable on all sides, and everywhere in between. As it has been wisely said, if hatred and vengeance rule our hearts, then we might as well dig two graves. God save us all.

I don’t know about you, but it is in moments like this that I really wonder what will happen next? It is like watching a Netflix series and you can’t wait to see that next soapopera-like episode in the drama. And the problem is the more and more we let ourselves enter those scenes, the more we recognize what impact they have on our lives.

Somehow, in ways we don’t quite understand, we become infused with the negativity or general emotion of the events; and even the veracity with which these events are being reported.

The news is not uplifting. This is why I made it a point not to watch any news (politics) during the Christmas season.

I didn’t want to visit those places of darkness and despair.

And you know what? When I finally tuned back in, in January, I had not missed anything! It was all the same stuff, all the same storyline. And all of this for us to experience in the midst of the glorious season of Epiphany, the season of lights — anger, hatred, division, death and unhealthy personal pursuits in the midst of a season of love, hope and joy. How can that be?

Now, there are many quotes out there by Martin Luther King Jr., but this one hits home for me: “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness can-

not drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

So, we find ourselves asking the question, “Where is the love, hope and joy of life as we enter this new year?” In a strange and paradoxical way, I profess that it is rooted in the realities of Ash Wednesday, and a reminder of who we really are and to whom we belong. As we embark once again on the journey to the Cross in the season of Lent, we are called to ponder our mortality. Some We know there is nothing in this world th will find this message to be as despairing as nothing! Presidents (new or old) can’t sav what draws them down in the news. Yet, oddly can’t save us, politicians can’t save us, the enough, there is HOPE there. Let me explain. us, our country can’t save us, the Church

We are at our best pastors can’t save us… because, these are as a people, both corporately and fallible and passing. But yes, Jesus can an individually, when we examine and only hope. And he is where our allegiance deny the self. Ash Wednesday brings for end, “hope” abounds in a reality much big us the reminder that we are nothing but revealed to us in all the obvious forms, in dust in our physical presence, as we hear news stories and fallible leaders. those haunting words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Nevertheless, knowing this about ourselves, entering a period of self-examination, self-denial, and seeking repentance, forgiveness and the truth of God’s holy Word, we acknowledge the “mark of our mortal nature,” and just to whom we truly belong. This was and is the way and life of Jesus, as he taught us. It is a prayerful way of living that reminds us of an unbelievable grace that leads to salvation … our only salvation. And we must pass this way perpetually in the quest to know, claim, and have great hope in this!

We know there is nothing in this world that can save us… nothing! Presidents (new or old) can’t save us, Congress can’t save us, politicians can’t save us, the courts can’t

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Looking east toward Zion — the holy city high on a hill, [is] where we long to be.

It is that looking toward Jerusalem, the heavenly city where the hope of our Lord reigns on high!

save us, our country can’t save us, the Church can’t save us, our pastors can’t save us because these are all temporal things, fallible and passing. But yes, Jesus can and does. He is our only hope. And he is where our allegiances lie. So, to this end, hope abounds in a reality much bigger than what is revealed to us in all the obvious forms, including the media, news stories and fallible leaders.

hat can save us…

ve us, Congress courts can’t save can’t save us, our all temporal things,

nd does. He is our

es lie. So, to this

gger than what is

ncluding the media,

In the Old Testament there is an ancient Hebrew word which is translated and understood in several different ways, but ultimately points in the same direction, “kadimah.” This word is found in the Book of Habakkuk, and several places in Ezekiel and Jeremiah. For the most part it means: “forward, onward, hurry-up, quickly…” But, it also translates as, “eastward and east wind.” This word and its context in most of the passages reflect a notion and sentiment of “eager desire.” Specifically in Habakkuk 1:9, the King James Version translates it as, “They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.”

Many other translations refer to “kadimah” or “east wind” as “faces pressing forward; they gather captives like [a burning wind, or desert] sand.”

Nevertheless, there is a real sense of a persistent hope found in this, and for the Jews who knew this Scripture, and us Christians now, it is that looking east toward Zion — the holy city high on a hill, where we long to be.

It is that looking toward Jerusalem, the heavenly city where the hope of our Lord reigns on high!

The idea of greeting someone in front of us and someone to the east is not too difficult to understand. After all, the sun rises in the east, and we greet it to begin a new day! In addition, the reference to the east in the ancient world and biblical tradition is grounded in a sense of God’s salvation and grace — a special and unique place from which it originates. The cradle of civ-

ilization began in the east, Abraham moved westward from the east, and the wise men (Magi) came from the east. You and I are also from “the east,” just like all of creation, in the sense that we originated in Almighty God, and in death we shall return.

In our Christian tradition, we know what it means to move forward and onward; to have our faces “eagerly turned toward the east — an expectant hope. ”In his letter to the Galatians 6:17, Paul says, “From now on, let no one make trouble for me; for I carry the marks of Jesus branded on my body.” 2 Timothy 4:8 tells us, “From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” And finally, Paul tells us in Romans 8:18-19, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God.” We live in unusually difficult times, but so have many, many other generations of creation across the world and beyond. Instead of lamenting and wallowing around in self-pity and self-righteous ways (always consumed by the pursuit of others), we are much better off engaging a more humble nature, consumed by the presence of that which is stronger, bigger, and more important than us… the Creator, who formed and shaped each of us out of dust — who came and lived among us, died and rose again. That’s how small we truly are!

This is the spirit of “kadimah,” and with an eagerness in the heart, we will truly find the lasting peace and hope of God there! I believe it! Don’t you?

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Hopeful Work in St. Michael’s Social Justice Ministry finds its footing by embracing the call to love the neighbor.

Words & Photo: The Rev. Anna S. Page

In my

lifetime, the news has not proved to be an inspiring voice. Rather than offer encouragement and hope, media outlets often highlight the depravity of humanity. Last (and this) year in particular, to be overcome by feelings of hopelessness would have been easy.

Truthfully, from explicit racism and Christian Nationalism to the potential outbreak of World War III, some days I even felt hopeless after scrolling through my newsfeed.

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As a result of continuous learning and growth, individuals at St. Michael’s are equipped and empowered to identify, address, and rectify social injustice in interpersonal and institutional relationships.

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Individuals at St. Michael’s can articulate how our

Yet, on average, I have felt overwhelmingly hopeful since June. This hope comes from being surrounded by a community at St. Michael’s committed to the prophetic Christian witness of making God’s kingdom a reality on earth. A group dedicated to the Christian work of social justice as both theory and practice. St. Michael’s Social Justice Ministry (SJM) gives me hope because, through every encounter, I am reminded that within our parish exist disciples who willingly and tirelessly embrace our Christian call to love neighbor, and who will not remain complacent about injustice.

St. Michael’s SJM is proof that hope can be born from hopelessness. SJM formed in the summer of 2020, out of St. Michael’s long-standing Racial Reconciliation Committee, after the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and others. George Floyd’s killing sparked a collective awakening throughout the world to the prevalence of racism and White Supremacy in the United States.

This awakening enabled St. Michael’s to engage in explicit conversations around social justice. From this, the Racial Reconciliation Committee rebranded as SJM with the following vision: As a result of the work of Social Justice Ministries, •

St. Michael’s Episcopal Church strives to be a socially just community; this is reflected in our ministries, website, physical space, and symbols in the church.

Peaceful protests in downtown Raleigh over the summer sparked grow Christian faith and responsibility of love for neighbor calls us into the work of social justice.

To enact this vision, our conversations emphasized education around race and racism, justice as a theological and biblical imperative, and the need to know our own narratives in order to do justice, seek mercy, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). SJM emphasized education because

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Loving Neighbor we believe that acting in ignorance, even if well-intended, can cause unintended harm.

SJM also understands that social justice has multiple variants, of which racial justice is one part. Because of explicit injustices against Persons of Color, however, SJM chose to focus our recent efforts on educating our congregation on race and anti-racism. In our parish-wide discussions, parishioners and Diocesan leaders alike have led us in conversation around implicit bias, love and justice as Christian virtues, our baptismal call to justice work, and the biblical basis for justice work.

wth in St. Michael’s Social Justice Ministry.

SJM has made it clear that we are committed to teaching that social justice is a theological and biblical imperative. As such, we formed the following definition of justice from various Christian ethicists and scholars to guide our work:

Socially just societies/communities are societies in which all persons can flourish in their God-given identities free from persecution, insecurity and fear. These communities are concerned with the relationships between members, institutions/systems, and the created world. Ultimately, socially just communities strive to reflect the Scriptural visions of shalom and agape as embodied by Jesus Christ through language, behavior, and policies. This definition is

an aggregate of teachings from Anglican ethicist Timothy Sedgwick, The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics, and political theologian and ethicist Dr. Luke Bretherton.

Through all this work, I both hear and see hope. I hear hope in the language we use. Language which expresses a vision of what the world could be if built on principles of Gospel justice, and language which believes that this world is possible. I see hope in those who pledged themselves to the continuous work of learning, acting, connecting, strengthening, and growing. I see hope in the countless parishioners who stood up and asked the hard questions: What is my role given my gifts and talents?

Isn’t this our call as Christians?

Let’s do more.

I see hope in the dedication of the SJM Executive Team, each of whom has been involved in anti-racist work at St. Michael’s for years — the Rev. Dr. Jamie Pahl, Lori Wagoner, Matthew Terribile, Ruth Thurmond Scott, Maria Reynolds, Lisa Carlton, Jim Ward, and Gretchen Kemmer; Resource List Curators – Liz Smith and John Adams; and Kate Wisz. Our collective justice efforts at St. Michael’s would not be possible without these individuals. Because of their work, awareness around injustice and inequity is growing, our congregation is better able to articulate our Christian call to justice, and members of St. Michael’s are collectively discerning ways to repent of systemic ills and repair the breaches in our society.

Now, as Lent draws near and we enter a period of penitence, confession, and fasting, my hope for our parish is that we look to SJM as an example of finding hope in the hopelessness. In this season, may we tell the truth about where the world is now, confess our individual and communal wrongdoings, and repent. This is justice work. It is from this penitential work that we can better appreciate our Easter hope, who is Christ resurrected.

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ST. MICHAEL’S HOLY MICHAEL FOUNDATION AWARDED ITS FIRST GRANTS RIGHT BEFORE COVID-19 HALTED THE NATION. TAKE A LOOK AT THE HOPE OUR PARISH PROVIDED FOR FAMILIES LIVING IN CRISIS.

Words: Charlotte Griffin, Director of Development

“There but

for the grace of God go I,” dominated my thoughts as I pulled up to The Women’s Center one September morning. I was to meet Brace Boone, the Center’s executive director, to discover how a grant from the Holy Michael Foundation earlier in the year had impacted the women they serve. A woman sat on a low wall smoking, awaiting the opening of the building.

Brace waved to her as he admitted me.

Soon, women began arriving for the day.

Some were shy and quiet, others animated by contagious smiles.

I’m not sure what I expected to see or feel, but I was surprised by a sense of bustling peace crackling throughout the 50 new beds brought building. new promise from The life of homeless The Green Chair women is terrifying and Project. seemingly hopeless. This statistic stunned me: more than 90 percent of all homeless women have been sexually assaulted.

Ninety. Percent.

“When I say that to most people,” Brace says, “they cringe, as if the subject is taboo.” These women don’t have the luxury to shove taboo subjects under the table. To them, just living every day is crucial. These are some of the most complex, challenging, yet resilient women in our community.

The grant to The Women’s Center was one of four awarded last year by the Foundation — the first year of being able to support organizations within our community. As we strolled throughout, I peeked in rooms being outfitted

Photos: The Green Chair Project & StepUp Ministry for offices, a bright, new conference room for classes, group meetings, and empowering speakers. Since my visit, showers have been installed, eliminating the need for the shower truck to come each week.

I heard laughter and found community in the dining area as women arrived for breakfast and fellowship. They looked like they were having fun. Brace seemed to know all of them by name.

The Holy Michael Foundation granted $20,000 to The Women’s Center to provide a day of services for 400 women. A day of services includes: receiving case management, clothing, meals, lockers for day storage, mail service, phone, Wi-Fi, workshops, classes, and clinical services. The Center offers behavioral and mental health partnerships on almost a daily basis. A pro bono legal clinic is available on Fridays. These services barely scratch the surface of what The Women’s Center offers. Its “Whole Woman” approach seeks to provide safety and wellness through medical and mental health care, food, clothing, hygiene and prescription assistance.

Their new Garden View initiative will provide safe and stable housing. Their community garden, within walking distance of the facility, plays an essential role treating the women. Other opportunities for social engagement include yoga, meditation and art classes.

How do they find their way to The Women’s Center?

Some find it by word of mouth. Others arrive in a Raleigh Police Department squad car. The Raleigh PD, as well as

At right, Corina and her children on graduation day. A grant from the Holy Michael Foundation paid for a one-year life skills class, leading to this day. departments from Knightdale and Cary, are supportive of the Center’s work and often bring women who they believe could benefit from the services to the Center. After discharge from Holly Hill or other area hospitals, some women are given a bus ticket, sent by cab, or they Uber to the Center.

In 2020, approximately 1,000 women received support from The Women’s Center. During the pandemic, the Center served 17,992 meals and provided 2,722 clinical and case management hours to its clients. For one day, the Holy Michael Foundation helped 400 women.

In Wake County, more than 5,000 children sleep on the floor or in crowded beds. Refugees wait for years, desperate to escape repression and unimaginable living conditions, to come to the United States looking for a better life. Members of our community want to improve their lives but need a guidance and support program to do it. Some women suffer an unexpected financial or health crisis, plunging them into homelessness.

These are our neighbors who benefitted from the grants awarded by the Holy Michael Foundation in 2020. There would be no grants from which to benefit without our donors.

When the Holy Michael Foundation Board reviewed its grant candidates last February, we focused on agencies serving those in our community within our selected theme, “Hunger, Housing, and Health.” The grants were awarded to agencies focused on one or more of these challenges.

Months after grant distribution, I wanted to see if the grants benefitted those we intended. The only way to see it was to go directly to the agencies. Also, I wanted to be able to assure the Board and St. Michael’s donors our grants were used as directed. I visited The Women’s Center and The Green Chair project, to see our grant dollars being put to great use.

The Green Chair Project Sweeter Dreams Bed Program Complete Bed for 50 Children Ten percent of Wake County households live below the poverty line; one out of 10 can’t afford basic household furnishings.

In those households, children sleep on the floor or share a bed, an arrangement not conducive to a proper night’s sleep, and that adversely affects their health and ability to learn. We all know what it’s like to try to function the day after we’ve had a bad night’s sleep. Imagine trying to do that every day.

Part of Green Chair’s mission is to provide a proper bed for as many of the children referred to them as they can. Our grant provided a new mattress, box spring, frame, pillow and bedding to 50 children who all now have a comfortable place to sleep. In all of last year, close to 1,400 children received new beds.

My tour guides, Rae Marie Czuhai, Director of Development, and Catherine Currin, Development Coordinator, welcomed me to a beautiful showroom in which guests can select from furnishings arranged as rooms. COVID protocols require selections to be made virtually. The back of the building houses an extensive inventory of expertly sorted and organized dona-

tions.

They brought me to Sweeter Dreams’ supplies section, organized, easily accessible and ready to deliver to a child. Catherine showed me photos of children receiving their beds. The grins on their shining faces demonstrated their excitement more than words could say.

StepUp Ministry: A Year-long Life Skills Class for One Family Life skills. Couldn’t we all use a refresher on life skills sometimes? For most of us, a refresher is all we need. What if you lost your way, found your life in a place you never thought you’d be and needed a path to improve? What if you never learned life skills?

Enter StepUp. St. Michael’s has a long relationship with StepUp. During fundraising events I’ve attended, I’ve heard many remarkable success stories from participants who have been through StepUp’s program.

The second stage of the program is successfully completing the Life Skills class. Now conducted virtually, this class requires a family to commit to a full year of weekly classes.

Each week, the adult meets with a case manager and volunteer mentor to learn budgeting, managing emotions, goal setting and conflict resolution. Children, teenagers and younger, are taught the same skills on an age-appropriate level.

I’m excited to say that these grants were used fully as we had directed. None of the grants would have been possible without your faithful donations over the years and Bob Slaughter’s bequest and vision.

We are excited to announce that this year, we have awarded a $50,000 grant to King’s Ridge, a new development in Raleigh for our homeless neighbors.

Read more about it in Greg Jones’ article, and in our feature on Page 14 of this magazine.

Music in the Air THE CHANCEL CHOIR LOFT HAS BEEN EMPTY FOR CLOSE TO A YEAR, BUT MUSIC STILL FILLS THE AIR DURING ST. MICHAEL’S SUNDAY SERVICES. TAKE A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES, AS CHOIRMASTER KEVIN KERSTETTER AND ST. MICHAEL’S CHOIR CREATE A NEW KIND OF CHORAL MUSIC, EVEN WITHOUT SINGERS IN PEWS.

Words: Kevin Kerstetter

Photo: Susan Rountree

The church

and choir room have been relatively quiet these past 10 months, save for the occasional leaf blower singing its song just outside the doors. Being able to work in these spaces during the pandemic has been a blessing. And what a privilege it has been to play our magnificent organ, with its pipes pointing to God, longing only to be joined in song again by our vibrant congregation.

Quiet is good when I’m practicing, planning or studying musical scores. But I do yearn for less quietness these days.

In the choir room, it’s as if time stood still. The cubbies, in which our singers store their music between rehearsals, still hold the anthems and psalms the choir was preparing for Lent and Easter of 2020. The empty choir pews in the church wait patiently for the adults, boys and girls who would typically be rehearsing and singing services there each week.

When services were suspended in March, I was concerned that missing a few rehearsals would make it difficult to prepare for Easter Day. Weeks then turned to months.

We heard of choir rehearsals that were super-spreader events. Who knew that church music was such a risky pursuit?

Amazingly, by Palm Sunday, our creative clergy and staff, as well as two brilliant parishioners skilled in the art of video production, had begun preparing online services that included prayers, scripture readings, a sermon and music. But how were we to make music in a meaningful way when we couldn’t gather together? How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?

In 2010, American composer and conductor Eric Whitacre pioneered the process of creating a virtual choir. His initial project involved 185 singers from 12 countries who made videos of themselves singing one of his compositions, “Lux Aurumque.” They uploaded their videos so that a video

editor could combine them, allowing the singers to sing together virtually. His more recent project, featuring a piece he composed in response to the global pandemic, involved 17,572 singers from 129 countries.

Could a virtual choir help us sing during this strange time?

How many choir members would be interested in trying this process, which requires the use of technology that might be unfamiliar and confusing? There was only one way to find out.

Online services initially included organ voluntaries, a hymn with the organ part and text only, and a solo or a chanted psalm. Our first virtual choir project, a short anthem titled “Lead me, Lord,” was part of the online service on May 17.

Since then, our virtual choir has been preparing a hymn each week, and services include either an anthem or a chanted psalm.

Because singing in a virtual choir involves listening to a recording I send to the singers on one device, using headphones or earbuds, while recording one’s singing on a second device and then emailing that recording to me, I knew that not everyone would be eager to participate. It’s much more complicated than attending a rehearsal and singing a service. However, an astonishing 33 members of the adult choir have been part of our virtual choir during the past 10 months.

The process of singing alone and then listening to one’s own voice, while not always easy, is a great learning experience, and our choir will benefit from this thoughtful and intense work when we return to regular rehearsals.

My heart overflows with gratitude for the members of our choir, both those who are singing virtually and those who will return to singing soon. The singers are accustomed to the energy and satisfaction of rehearsing together, but they now sing into their phones at home. And there’s always at

least one project waiting for them in their inboxes. November and December were especially active months, as the choir prepared music for each Sunday as well as nine additional hymns and anthems for the Christmas Eve Lessons & Carols.

I thrive in rehearsal more than anywhere else, so the absence of time with our choirs for adults, girls and boys is felt profoundly. Much of my work these days is done at the computer using software to mix the singers’ beautiful voices. I miss the dynamic nature of rehearsal, being able to listen and respond immediately to the singers, shaping phrases, energizing musical lines, and sharing a laugh.

The joys of this time have been plentiful, though!

•

Singers who had never chanted a Psalm have done so, and admirably.

•

Our choral scholars have continued to be part of the choir — one from Florida State University in Tallahassee, where he’s studying for a master’s degree in voice.

•

Members of our boychoir and girls choir sang skillfully with our virtual choir for the Christmas Eve Service of Lessons & Carols.

•

Parishioners voted for their favorite hymns and the virtual choir sang St. Michael’s top 10.

•

God has been with us throughout this challenging time, sustaining weary spirits and inspiring creativity.

Every member of St. Michael’s congregation is part of our most important choir, and I hope that many have been singing the hymns with our virtual choir during online services. We are bound by something far greater than mere space and time.

And yet, we will rejoice when we’re able to be together again in that sacred space on Canterbury Road.

The light at the end of the tunnel leading from “virtual” to “actual” is bright indeed! Until then, we sing, we share the light of Christ with a world that so desperately needs it, and we love and serve God and each other. Thanks be to God.

Kevin ‘directs’ his new choir.

Of Blowers & Doorbells, Light Hearts & Warm Voices Singing without watching for Kevin Kerstetter’s direction has been challenging for choir members, too. Linda Rogers, who has been singing in choirs since kindergarten, felt a significant loss when the church closed its doors. “Until the pandemic,” she said, “singing was good for your health. Luckily, Kevin quickly responded to the disaster and kept the choir alive.”

When news that two choristers in Washington State died after choir practice spread COVID throughout the choir, John was heartbroken. But Kevin challenged them all to think differently.

“The evolving results have been pretty remarkable and very fine indeed,” says John. “Singing is at the heart of worship and gives everyone a chance to participate. As isolated as we all feel, is it not crucial that we each have a way to contribute? When we sing, we pray twice.

Linda’s home studio sits in her kitchen, where she has “inadvertently recorded the icemaker, birds, leaf blowers, garbage trucks and doorbells. It’s humbling to replay my voice memos and hear the noise-including my singing. The transparency of a ‘’solo is frightening and very different than blending your voice with in-person choral singing.”

John Adams & Linda Rogers recording at home.

“I never gave the intersection of vocal music and technology much thought,” says John Adams. “I considered myself just one singer among many, and the organizational tasks I left to others. Although I’d spent most of my career working at a computer, I rarely applied my skills to vocal music. I am amazed how Kevin navigated what must have been a fairly steep learning curve to facilitate what has become an excellent virtual church music experience for the parish, given that music is so important a component of our worship.”

“Gifted choral conductors like Kevin develop over time a musical imagery that they use to highlight aspects of vocal production,” says John.

“Imagine that there are particular facial cues and physiology that improve the quality of the vocal product. Visual cues are very important ‘short cuts’ to obtain the sound a conductor desires,” John says, “and we have been operating without these visual cues since last March. Kevin also has a very subtle, keen sense of humor, which makes singing for him a lot of fun. He has had to sharpen his verbal skills no less than his technological platform to engage the singers, to keep our hearts light and our voices warm in the service of our Lord.”

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Kathy Izard

made a mistake. The Charlotte author of The Hundred Story Home was at work at Moore Place, a housing community for the chronically homeless. She was about to take a group of women on a tour of the home for 120 she helped build with the Urban Ministry Center (now called Roof Above).

“We have two kinds of people who come to Moore Place,” she recalls. “People who want to see the real thing that they’ve read about in the book, and then people who are really looking to implement the work.”

Her mistake, she now admits, was in thinking that the women she was about to meet were the first kind.

St. Michael’s parishioner Molly Painter and a group of friends had traveled to Charlotte to tour Moore Place. Molly had read Kathy’s book, yes, but her interest was more than simply learning more about Charlotte’s efforts to provide permanent housing for their homeless. She was ready to do the work to bring the same idea to Raleigh.

“It’s about listening to that whisper,” Molly says. “For me, it really was a clanging cymbal.”

Molly and her friends Katie Koon, Betty Nelson, Sally Tanner and Marcie Porterfield already knew the plight of homeless women in Raleigh. For five years, they’d been gathering over coffee with women served by The Women’s Center, a facility near the train station in downtown Raleigh that offers services for women on the street.

When she began meeting with the women and hearing their stories, she wasn’t setting out to change their world. Molly was stretching herself, going to uncomfortable places to learn more about people she thought were not like her.

“Any transformation starts this way,” says Molly. “Getting to know the other person and recognizing that we have so much more in common than what we don’t.”

Reading Kathy’s book, learning what was possible in Charlotte, prompted Molly to ask herself the question, “What if?”

The Women’s Center provides shelter and necessities during the day but are closed at night.

“King’s Ridge is unique in that the services are all on site and the scale is like no other — housing more than 100 people.” Molly says.

So they reached out to Kathy for a tour. And on that tour, Kathy saw something in Molly that she recognized.

A DO IN T WA

‘HOUSING FIRST’ INITIATIVES AREN’T NEW TO THOSE COMMITTED TO ENDING HOMELESSNESS. BUT WITH RALEIGH COMMUNITY ON T RISE, IT’S A DOOR AWAY FRO HOMELESSNESS FOR FAMIL WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, MICHAEL’S IS HELPING OPEN

A OOR THE ALL

S

H A NEW THE OM LIES AND ST. N IT.

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“I had budgeted about an hour’s worth of time on a very busy day to meet with them,” Kathy remembers. “It wasn’t until we sat down with about 15 minutes left, and Molly, with tears in her eyes, told me about how these relationships had transformed her. I realized then that I had misjudged the group. It haunted me in a way, because I try to look out for people who are feeling crazy and called. I was mad at myself for being too busy to recognize that.”

Kathy woke early the next morning, recalling the stories Molly had told her about the homeless women who had become her friends.

“I had a feeling,” she says, “and I attached a photo.” The photo was of a woman she had learned about through the woman’s twin sister in Charlotte. “Is perhaps one of them this woman?” she wrote.

“It was Elena from the Women’s Center,” Molly says. “We were able to connect with her sister Lara, and reunited them after 16 years of being apart. The sisters had graduated from Sanderson High School and Carolina, but Elena suffers from mental health issues and was homeless.

“Once we connected them, we found housing for Elena,” Molly says.

“Housing is everything. You can’t take advantage of services when you are stressed about housing.”

With Kathy’s inspiration, Molly and her friends began a year-long journey, visiting everyone in Raleigh who was addressing homelessness. What they learned was startling.

“More than 970 people are homeless in Wake County on a given day. Thirty percent are families with children.”

With the advent of COVID-19, the epidemic of homelessness has only worsened.

“It really sheds light on the fact that they have no place to shelter when you have to shelter in place,” Molly says. In their quest to learn more about homelessness in Raleigh, Molly and friends found CASA, an organization that for 28 years has understood that the solution to homelessness is housing. CASA serves more than 650 people who were once homeless, in apartment complexes in Wake County. Many of those served are veterans.

“God has opened so many doors,” Molly says. “From the start it’s not been seamless, but it’s felt right.” CASA understood the people Molly and her friends were trying to house. “They are the most vulnerable, square pegs in round holes,” Molly says. “They are very Continuedon the next page

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Continued from page 21

hard to serve.” The solution, understood by Roof Above in Charlotte and CASA in Raleigh, is first finding housing for the homeless, and then once that’s stable, concentrate on mental and physical health services. It is a philosophy called “Housing First” used by homeless service agencies across the country. Finding that roof over your head is a door through the wall of homelessness to healing.

“Molly’s vision and ours aligned at the same time,” says Missy Hatley, senior director of resource development for CASA. “CASA is developing housing to end homelessness, and we were looking for the next opportunity.”

In 2018, CASA purchased a six-acre tract of land near Wake Med’s main campus, and it was their hope to create a similar community to Moore Place in Charlotte. They called this future community King’s Ridge, named for longtime CASA CEO Debra King,

who had recently passed away. They had the land, “But we knew our funding limitations,” Missy adds.

Then Molly Painter and her friends walked through CASA’s doors and together, they developed a private/public partnership. Molly would become the volunteer chair of a capital campaign to raise the $13.7 million it will take to bring this new community into reality.

“We can build 100 apartments,” says Missy.

“We can build in services for healing. The capital campaign allows us to reach those with greatest need. Homelessness is a label,” she adds. “As soon as you sign a lease, you can leave that label behind. These people are not nameless.”

“Molly is a quiet leader,” Missy says. “She is a humble listener with a deep faith.

She’s patient but has a sense of urgency. It’s uncommon to find someone with humility and patient urging.”

“We can build 100 apartments,” says Missy. “We can build in services for healing.

The capital campaign allows us to reach those with greatest need. Homelessness is a label,” she adds. “As soon as you sign a lease, you can leave that label behind. These people are not nameless.”

King’s Ridge will be a community unlike other CASA neighborhoods. It will contain on-site community space, health care, mental health services and child services. In Charlotte, Moore Place saved more than $2 million in taxpayer health expenses in its first two years.

“We are hoping at least 60 percent of the project will be funded by the city and county,” says Molly. The three-year capital campaign will help set up a foundation for the sustainability of community. St. Michael’s was the first church in the Raleigh faith community to award a grant to help fund King’s Ridge. In time, the parish hopes to provide volunteers to engage with the residents.

King’s Ridge site map

Molly hopes some of the women she’s befriended served

by The Women’s Center will live in King’s Ridge. “Location is near Wake Med and tucked away in six acres of woods… it’s like a big warm hug. They can walk to a grocery store and there is a neighborhood and job opportunities nearby.

There’s even a water feature with walking trails.

Archangel

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“My friends have said: We see how you are so obedient in what you hear (from God).

It is really strong,” Molly says. “I can’t explain it. Other than if I were to ignore it… The Lord has shown me through this that we don’t have to wait for it to be done to bear the fruit. It’s bearing fruit every day, in the people we meet.”

Molly’s involvement is a form of gratitude, she says. “Why would Kathy choose me to mentor or why would CASA choose me to chair this?” It’s a bit of a mystery, but it began when she sat with women unfamiliar and shared coffee and conversation. “I don’t want to lose that by focusing on the big picture,” she says. “It’s fun to picture the people I know living there. I asked them if this might be somewhere you would want to live,” she adds. “They gave me permission to be their voice. I did go in to help them, but it’s changed my heart.”

No stranger to raising money, Molly has through the years helped raise money for several non-profits in the area, and for St. Michael’s ECW. But this is the largest campaign she has ever chaired. Recently, on her first real pitch for funding, she took her oldest daughter, Margaret. “It’s cool, as a family, to rally around it,” Molly says. “I’m honored to be asked to the table.”

When the campaign reaches 90 percent of its goal, CASA will break ground. Once it’s up and running, King’s Ridge has the potential to reduce homelessness in Wake County by 10 percent. Residents will pay an affordable rent based on their income, and as long as they are good neighbors and maintain the rent, they can stay permanently.

“I’m bursting at the seams to tell everyone about it,” Molly says. “In COVID times, I can’t get a large group together, but I look forward to the day we can celebrate. We don’t want our homeless friends to die on the street. They will have dignity and a place to call home.

“We were just volunteers,” she adds, thinking back to how it all began. “We are all at different churches, a group of friends who started the coffee.”

Kathy Izard knows well how the call to do something big often starts with something so small that it seems, at first, to be insignificant. Like sharing coffee with friends.

“Molly and I are connected by what I call the current of grace, flowing through the world. I don’t think I’m special or chosen. I don’t think Molly is special or chosen. We all are. The Mollys of the world have listened. There are burning bushes all around us.”

The King’s Ridge Campaign Leadership Team: from left: Missy Hatley (CASA), Molly Painter, Kerry Witzeman, Barrett Brewer, Fraley Marshall, Emma Hansen (CASA staff), Kim Westermann (CASA staff) and Sondra Collins.

Communual Reality

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Words: Susan Byrum Rountree Photos: Abby Van Noppen

S

cavenger Hunts.

Church Troll.

Dodgeball. Bible Trivia. Parker Davison remembers all those Sunday nights when he was in middle and high school, blowing off steam in sometimes silly ways with friends in St. Michael’s Episcopal Youth Community.

“For me, EYC every Sunday night was a way to see friends I didn’t see during the week, to talk to other people and see how they were doing,” he says. Breaking bread, playing games and engaging in Bible Study together allowed students to build community, even though they might not go to school together.

And then, COVID-19 hit, and EYC as Parker had known it was no more.

Parker, who now serves as an adult youth leader for a new generation of students, was worried.

“The students now weren’t going to be able to get out and escape (school),” he says.

How do you foster community, when that community thrives on personal connection and you can’t be together physically? The ques-

tion lay heavy on youth director Abby Van Noppen and her leaders as they faced the unknown foe of COVID. “For anyone in our church community, we’re literally breaking bread with one another every Sunday night,” Abby says. “ We’re spending time with one another, and I knew without that physical community piece and togetherness, it was going to have a big impact on our middle school and high school students. We all need that personal connection this community creates.

“Being able to get away and have that release, of whatever that is for them, is a big piece of what we do.

I say all the time that I just need the parents to get the students in the door. We can facilitate the rest.

God is helping us facilitate something awesome.”

Only now, students couldn’t walk in the door.

So they needed a plan. Students were already using Zoom for school, so it seemed the logical platform to build a virtual program. Half the team had never heard of Zoom, but the plan would be to hold Zoom calls each week.

“There was a lot of work on my part with trying to figure out how we could work within diocesan guidelines,” Abby says. “When the Diocese of North Carolina rolled out COVID-19 guidelines, Youth Ministry was not a stand-alone entity but considered a “small group.”

But Abby soon realized that weekly was too often.“I had already

experienced (Zoom school) with my daughter,” she says, “and I knew how that was going. So they tapped into the Youth Leadership Committee, a group of high school students who serve as soundboards and leaders for Youth Ministry.

“In the beginning, we thought we were trying to solve something for a short amount of time,” says Maddie Lemmon, a St. Michael’s senior.

Now we make it so that it’s not the same Zoom call every time.”

Paige Madtes, who has been a youth leader for about six years, was most concerned about the middle schoolers. The high school students, she says, had already built those relationships. They’d gone on ski trips and mission trips together. “The middle schoolers hadn’t formed those connections yet. We’d only had about half the year and not a lot of time for them to get to know each other.”

They brainstormed about what would be fun for the students.

They created a point system with competitions that included Trivia, Jeopardy games and in-home “Go Find It” hunts.

And the middle schoolers did show up. “That really surprised me,” Paige says. “I thought it would be the opposite.” The kids were hooked, scouring their homes for Band-Aids, toilet plungers, pets and pie plates. The fastest to find these random items scored points, which might be doubled or tripled. “(Winners) could choose an EYC T-shirt or a gift card,” says Kevin O’Shea, another adult EYC leader.

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Archangel “The gift card gave them an opportunity to escape, to go outside in the real world in a safe environment with their parents or an opportunity to escape from their bedroom.”

a leader’s perspective to know they won’t have that opportunity. That right there is like a final send-off,” Parker adds. “You might not see some of those people for a year or more.”

In the months since, Zoom chats have continued to enlighten. Teens have shared their hobbies and Pictionary, even invited their animals.

They Zoom from vacation or from the car with their parents or with their grandparents.

“To have now two senior classes to lose out on this opportunity to really be a leader is hard,” Paige says.

“We never know where they’re going to show up,” Kevin says.

Eventually, the Diocese of North Carolina began allowing groups of 15 or fewer to gather outside, on church grounds. It was fall, and Abby and her team held bonfires, complete with s’mores and even Eucharists.

They encouraged the Youth Leadership Committee (YLC) to lead the EYC Sunday night programming, and they stepped up to the challenge. “The natural ability to lead doesn’t present that well on Zoom,” Paige says. “With middle schoolers, maybe (EYC) is their only social gathering. We are asking about school and their week, and they are ready to talk.”

“Sixth graders were so excited to join EYC no matter what it looked like,” Abby says.

This year, like last, will not contain a mission trip experience, which is a key to solidifying youth relationships. “It’s heartbreaking a little bit,” says Parker. “It really is pivotal. I can remember my first mission trip to Clinton, Tennessee, was a huge experience for me. To do something I had never done in my entire life. It’s upsetting from

“The thing I really focus on that keeps carrying me forward during this time, are the students who continue to show up,” Abby says.

“To me that rings so true in this time, because it’s so weird with what we are having to do. But it’s provided time for the Youth Leadership Committee to really step up.”

“Each year (the YLC) has taken on a bigger role, and this time is no different. This is what this committee was created for,” Abby says. “They are making a big impact on this community, and not just in EYC but in their peer communities as well.

They are leaders in other groups: swimming, student body, sports...”

up that you’d never expect,” says Kevin, “and they are so excited to tell you about it. They’ve had time to focus on something else, and to see how excited they are is actually really cool. Seeing the kids shine in a different way and the excitement they have is evident.”

“At first it was somewhat frustrating,” says YLC member Eric Benson. “That channelled us to push forward. We tried to create a more engaging experience so people feel they still have that connection even when they can’t be together.”

“When we did the kickoff and had the drive-through, I saw everyone I hadn’t seen in months.” recalls Stewart Messenger, another YLC member. “It was great to see everyone’s faces in person rather than on a screen.”

“This is for the long haul,” says Paige. “We’ve been leaders for four or five years together, and it’s an immediate connection. We picked up right where we left off. There doesn’t feel like any time has been lost. God is part of this.”

“I’ve noticed hobbies they’ve picked continued on the next page

EYC students at an in-person gathering six feet apart in the fall of 2020. Above left photos on page 16: EYC Drivethrough Kick-off and in-person s’mores.

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‘

It’s important to remain active. Church serves as a continuity in our lives. It allows a sense of normality.

You can’t just stop everything you’re doing just because something goes wrong in your life — Eric Benson, high school senior

from the previous page “I know how blessed this community is with the volunteers we have,” Abby says. “We are all very close. When you have that family relationship it literally pulls people in. Even the new students are a part of this community from day one, and it’s great to have them.”

Parker, who served as a leader all through college, recently graduated.

“EYC was always an important part of my life and I knew it would be for others. It was important for me to be there for them, as countless others were there for me.”

But community is strong, no matter what form it takes.

“We all know it sucks,” Paige says. “We wish we could be together.” So many people want to be part of the in-person gatherings and we don’t have enough space. The parents trust us, too. Even the 6th grade parents. There has been a lot of trust and we will come back stronger than ever.

Jason Schindler, a self-described “EYC salesman, says “I’m no longer surprised by the things I am surprised by.

Talk to a parent who has a youth in EYC. They will be able to tell you the impact the EYC is having on their kid.

We are building a community, creating a dialogue about God and faith.”

“Although we can’t physically get them in the door, we can recreate all of the things that make EYC what it is,” Abby says. “God is the one who is working our hearts, our hands, our words, to help provide our students with what they need. As long as we keep God center stage, it’s the easiest thing to do. Sunday EYC is their church.”

“It’s important to remain active,” says Eric. “Church serves as a continuity in our lives. It allows a sense of normality. You can’t just stop everything you’re doing just because something goes wrong in your life.

“I definitely miss the social interaction,” says Liam Mann, a YLC member.

“At dinner, you were able to talk to each other. But we don’t have time to sit with each other and talk. Even though I always wished I didn’t have to go to school, there is a lot of stuff that I miss about going there, being able to talk to other people. Now there is not much of a chance to do that. It’s a lot harder when you don’t have people to talk to.”

Senior year for Maddie and her friends is not what any of them imag-

ined. “It will always be a sore spot,” she says. There is nothing we can do to get back the normal senior experience. But faith has kept us hopeful that there are better days ahead.

Right now, the times we can meet and gather outside gives some sense of connecting.”

EYC itself is a program that connects the generations. “We all did it as kids,” leader Kevin O’Shea says. “I idolized my youth leaders. I still keep in touch with them.”

“We wanted to create that for our students,” says Paige. “It shaped the adults that we are. Last year was the first group we had watched from the beginning to the end. To see who they were as people as 6th graders, and who they are now as adults, it’s an amazing thing to watch them flourish.”

Susan B. Rountree is director of communications for St. Michael’s.

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Archangel

Winter Now is the winter of our discontent/Made glorious summer by the sun. . .

— R­ichard III, Wm. Shakespeare Winter arrived early, Leaping its seasonal restraint, Spreading over our emotional landscape.

Endless gray.

Anxiety replaced contentment, Intimacy became safe distancing, Celebrations reduced to make-do occasions, And, now, a toxic brew of anger and fear.

A harsh time, a loss of bearings.

My disorientation Invites introspection, Revealing the unexpected.

My oft-blurred faith is now in focus.

Joyful moments await, only to be seen, Hope, that most holy gift, begs nourishment.

I’m thankful for my reordered life.

My spirit has been strengthened during this winter of discontent, And now I can get a glimpse of summer.

— Judy Spaziano

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Archangel

Words & Photo: The Rev. Holly M. Gloff

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If I

hear the word “COVID” one more time, I may have to scream. Is that how you feel? Oh good, I’m not alone then.

Back when I was in seminary, Sam, my wonderful priest friend/mentor/field education supervisor, and I would meet weekly and talk about all kinds of stuff. She was always positive and full of good ideas. Her biggest gift to me was her message that I was to trust myself. She advised me to sit quietly and listen, to allow people to share their stories. And when I was concerned that I couldn’t remember all the details about the theologians we studied, she said, “Holly, in the 10 years I’ve been a priest, no one has yet to ask me about Athanasius, but I have been asked if I know how to flip pancakes!”

strikes my fancy, and use that as a writing prompt. Sometimes I fly on the wings of a brilliant author’s words.

Sometimes, I use it to spark my time of meditation. I have, for years, said Morning Prayer daily, Winston keeping my lap warm. At the half waypoint in the service, where there would be a homily if the service was in church, I will do Centering Prayer, or find something in my journal and let the words just roll around in my mind. I can read it slowly (often out loud) a couple of times through. As I mull it over, my own thoughts can add to the quote, and I find it becoming more alive, and more integrated in my life.

I enjoy walking, but if I read one of my journal gems just before going out, it gives me something to mull over on my walk.

I did implement one of her ideas a few years ago. It’s keeping a type of journal — no, not the “today I ran two miles and made a new recipe using Brussels sprouts,” type of journal. No, this is what I call a “Positivity Journal.”

I find quotes meaningful. I won’t call them my favorites, because every time I read my journal, I say of each one, “This is my favorite!” (It’s like that with hymns for me. The one I am currently singing is my favorite.)

It’s pretty simple, really. I love to read, and when I find a wonderful quote from a book, journal or radio chat that strikes a chord with me, I write it down. I start with a blank journal — sometimes, the best part of any kind of journaling is the joy of purchasing a new one. The empty pages are so full of promise and of great things to be entered!

I keep it within reach of my favorite reading spot, on the table next to the couch. Usually there’s a cup of tea there as well. And I keep it next to my favorite writing pen.

“Don’t ask what the world needs — ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” (Howard Thurman)

Now what?

My Positivity Journal requires that I keep certain things within it.

When I am annoyed with something — or someone — or I’m just feeling uninspired and need a lift, I look for something to give me a smile or a bit of encouragement.

Sometimes, I look for something to hang my hat on when I write a sermon and I’m not feeling terribly creative.

There are days when I am writing my morning pages and I feel empty. I’ll look in my positivity journal and see what

“Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”Instructions for Living a Life by Mary Oliver: “God speaks to us in three places: in Scripture, in our deepest selves, and in the voice of the stranger.” (Thomas Merton) “Failure isn’t failure, but failure to change might be.” (John Wooten) “I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” (Carl Jung) “Faith is at the root of fortitude.” (Maria Shriver) You get the idea. During Lent, I hope you’ll start your own positivity journal. And if you find a meaningful quote, please share it with me!

We Remember Almost a full year has passed since we have been able to gather and mourn our own. We take another look back at those we love whom we lost since last fall. We pray for their families.

Words: Greg Jones, Beth Grace & Susan Rountree

Photos: St. Michael’s & family archives

faithfulness, generosity, love and steadfastness.

Keith & Sue Ann Allen Keith: Feb. 28, 1926 - Sept. 17, 2020 Sue Ann: Jan. 19, 1932 - Jan. 5, 2021

“Keith was my project supervisor on our Transept and Pipe Organ project, completed more than a decade ago,” Greg wrote the day Keith died. “He had been the same on our bell tower project a few years before. I counted myself blessed as a young rector then, in my mid-30s, to have such a stalwart on my team and to show me how to get things done for the good of all.

small town gym in Parsons, West Virginia, a boy showed up at the rival high school for a game.

A kid at the door said, “You’re all set to go on in Johnny.”

“Keith and Sue Ann got things done, for the good of all. Might we all do the same in the work of justice, community, faithfulness and love which the Gospel commands.

The boy said, “My name’s not Johnny.”

“And renovations to some part of the Heavenly Mansions have already begun. His halo already affixed to his hard hat. “

I

na

The kid said, “Oh, you must be Keith.

I’m your brother Jim, and your identical twin is inside.” Jim led Keith to the locker room, and there he saw another boy who looked just like him on the other team.

Separated at birth as many children were in the Great Depression, the twins were reunited and embarked on a great adventure. Keith and Johnny Lough signed up for the Navy to fight Fascism and Imperial Japan. They became members of the Underwater Demolition Teams, “Frog Men” — we now call them SEALS. In China, they would work in conjunction with the Chinese against the occupying Japanese.

Keith was a friend and mentor and grandfather-like figure to Greg Jones and to so many at St. Michael’s. His beloved wife Sue Ann Allen was one of our dear “apostolic” witnesses to

“Keith loved to speak of his faith,” says Beth Grace, who helped Keith work on his biography. “Keith was not one to shy away from proclaiming the Word to someone he felt needed some red-letter reminder of who’s in charge.”

More than 40 years ago, Keith and Sue Ann moved to Raleigh — leaving behind a lucrative job — because he truly believed God had something for him to do here. As it would happen, God’s to-do list was really long. And Keith eventually checked off every task.

“When I got to Raleigh I knew that God wanted me to do something and I had trouble trying to understand just what it was,” he told Beth. “So I prayed for an answer. I even asked Him to write

me a letter or send a card. Not long after that, He spoke to me in a clear voice.”

He was to build a new church in North Raleigh. And Keith did. He was attending the Church of the Good Shepherd in downtown Raleigh then.

“It took some wrangling with the Bishop and he even struck a deal with St. Michael’s to share the funding. It took work, guts, endless parking lot meetings and no small amount of fast talking to do it ….but that’s how the Church of the Nativity was born,” Beth says.

“I asked Keith once about his faith. I wanted to know how he was always so sure of God’s presence, of God’s love.

“Here’s what he said: ‘You need to stop talking. You need to listen. If you listen, you will hear Him. And if you don’t, ask Him to write you a letter or send you a card. He will. I promise you. He will.’”

Keith’s wife, Sue Ann, a tiny spit of a person but a spitfire in personality, might best be known for her perpetual smile. It seemed to have never left her face, as she answered the phones at St. Michael’s, as she sang in the choir, set God’s table or stopped by for a visit with anyone. Her love of music was legend, and it nearly broke her heart when she and Keith moved from their home into a Raleigh apartment and had to sell her piano. She loved a story and was fond of sharing tales of college days at James Madison and growing up in West Virginia.

“Sue Ann adored singing in St. Michael’s choir, and she smiled through-

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Archangel out every rehearsal,” says choirmaster Kevin Kerstetter. “We joked frequently about when she would sing her next solo, which she was too modest to actually do. Sue Ann welcomed new choir members enthusiastically and made sure that they received vestments that fit well.”

tenance Dept., and from the Kanki restaurant at Crabtree Valley Mall.

“Dedication and devotion. That’s what I think about when I remember Sue Ann,” says friend and choir member Frank Haynes. “To her church, to her family, and most of all, to Keith, her husband of 70 years. I loved hearing her stories of growing up, of her beloved parents, her hatred of politics, love of Raleigh, and pride in (her children) Cynthia and Chip.

He is survived by his brothers, John Browne (wife Martha), and Pembroke Decatur Browne, both of Wendell.

“In phone conversations after she and Keith moved to Florence, I’d often try to find out how Keith was doing, or how she was feeling. Sometimes I’d get frustrated as Sue Ann would inevitably derail the conversation and start asking about me. ‘So what’s new?’ she’d say, going on to ask about my yard projects, my dogs, the choir, and St. Michael’s. All this while Keith interjected comments from across the room.”

Sue Ann passed away peacefully on Jan. 5. She is survived by her daughter, Cynthia Allen Nixon of Timmonsville, S.C., and her son, Keith E. “Chip” Allen II of Michigan, and three grandchildren.

Sheppard Browne Sept. 12, 1954 - Dec. 9, 2020 A lifelong member of St. Michael’s, in his later years, Shep, as he was known, would accompany his mother, Bettie, to church almost every Sunday morning. A Raleigh native, he graduated from Broughton High School and was retired from NC State’s Physical Main-

According to his obituary, Shep was a gifted drummer, and his family could “set their clock by Shep’s consistency regarding the timing of his late-afternoon beer.

Joan Burton Oct. 20, 1930 - Oct. 6, 2020 Joan and her husband, Bob, were regular fixtures at St. Michael’s on Wednesdays, for services and for lunch. A native of Andover, Massachusettes., she lived in the Panama Canal Zone from age 6 -16. She married Bob in October of 1950, and she cared for him dearly, especially when he began losing his eyesight.

Joan was a marching band mom, following the band at Fall’s Church, Virginia High School throughout the 70s and even after her kids graduated from high school. She was even crowned “Mrs. Ork 1972” at the summer band camp the band held near Orkney, Virginia, every year. Named for the black walnuts that were prevalent in the area, the title of Mrs. Ork was treasured by Joan.

“She was always a giver,” says daughter Lynn Helder, a member of St. Michael’s. “She was always there.”

That meant so much to her, says friend Pat Morrison. “She was a lovely person. She made friends so easily.

When I wasn’t preparing lunch during the year I ate with them. When we first

started lunches in the summer, Joan and Jan Anderson decided what we would have and other people would pitch in. We all got together, we made a nice lunch. She was such much fun to be with.”

After Bob passed away, Joan moved to Brighten Gardens, where she died peacefully last fall. Her daughters Lynn Helder, a member of St. Michael’s, and Suzanne Miles, eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren survive her.

Catherine Currie Sept. 24, 1931-Sept. 22, 2020 Catherine Currie was a Raleigh girl through and through. Born here, raised and educated here, she was a founding member of Olde Raleigh Girls in 2016 and before her death, consulted with the author of the 100th anniversary of the Hayes Barton neighborhood. n addition to serving the ministries of St. Michael’s, she served on executive boards of the Junior League of Raleigh, The Raleigh Arts Council and served as Girls Chairman for the North Carolina Debutante Ball.

“Mom always saw the good things in everyone and loved being around her family and friends, especially if there was a party involved,” says son Rob. “She loved the people and ministries of St. Michael’s for more than 50 years. She leaves behind so many wonderful stories with so many people. She will be missed by all.”

She is survived by her sons, Rob and Joe Christian, daughters Cathy Dolan and Nancy Christian, and 10 grandchildren.

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Dot Fortune Nov. 11, 1930 - Jan 20, 2021

If you’ve ever been the recipient of a prayer shawl from St. Michael’s, it’s possible that it was created by the loving hands of Dot Fortune. Dot loved her knitter friends and her volunteer time spent answering the phones, labeling newsletters or visiting with friends in her beloved church.

Archangel fortune of Kel being my business partner, my mentor and one of my best friends,” Michael wrote. “One of the greatest gifts God gave Kel was the gift of genuinely caring about all of us — and the ability to express it in a way that filled our human need to be seen and to be heard.”

Kel served on the UNC-CH Board of Trustees, chaired and served on the board of the Kenan Flagler Business School and the UNC Board of Visitors, and on the board of the NC Community Foundation. In 2015, he established the Foundation of DO! supporting individuals and organizations for living by the themes of the book. He was a recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

Retired from the North Carolina Parole Commission, Dot was a recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian honor given by the state.

An “8 o’clocker”at St. Michael’s, Kel noticed that some of our prayer books were threadbare, so he quietly replaced them. A native of Rocky Mount, Kel is survived by his wife, Nina Szlosberg-Landis, two children and two grandchildren.

Kel Landis Dec. 15, 1956 - Jan. 2, 2021

Jim Fontaine Jan. 6, 1948 - Nov. 7, 2020

Kel, a financial executive, was known to friends and family as a DO-er. He even wrote a book about it, The Little Book of Do!, in which he inspired others to realize their dreams.

Tennis player. Counselor. Thinker, leader, friend. Writer. Husband.

Father. Grandfather. James Van Cleve Ritchie Fontaine (Jim) was all these things to the many who knew him. He died Nov. 7, following surgery for an aortic dissection.

A practicing psychologist for 15 years, he changed careers and founded Leadership Resources, where he “married his psychology skills with a passion for consulting businesses on creating effective leadership teams and working with individual executives to help them realize their full potential,” according to his obituary.

A respected business and community leader, Kel was also business partner to St. Michael’s parishioner Michael Painter. “I had the good fortune of having Kel as my first boss,” Michael recalled at a private memorial service held in the burial garden in early January. “ “In the almost 26 years since that summer in 1995, I’ve had the even better

At about that time, he married his wife, Frances, and he found himself —a longtime member of White Memorial Presbyterian — sitting on Sunday mornings at St. Michael’s with Frances and her growing family. At St. Michael’s he served on a discernment committee and as a board member of the Holy Michael Foundation.

“If there are tennis courts in heaven, Jim has found them,” his obituary read.

Jim grew to love St. Michael’s, and several years ago, he wandered into the Writing in Response to Scripture class that met on Sunday mornings. A quiet and wise listener, he also wrote from his heart, with humor and wisdom, about things on his mind, once pondering the difference between monthly Presbyterian communion and the weekly Episcopal rite.

“Participating weekly in communion at Saint Michael’s means you cannot hide, nor can anyone else,” he wrote in 2017. “ [It] equalizes all souls. We become common man, or common woman, a member of the crowd walking before others, kneeling in front of others, eating and drinking with others in a pure act of faith and belonging. It is a very intimate communal experience. I feel a part of a group of people acknowledging and seeking something so big, on an equal ground, bound by an acceptance and belief that transcends the self-deceptions and self-protections often detaching us from ourselves, one another and from God.” Jim is survived by his wife, Frances; his daughter, Anna Lindsay Brooks-Fontaine, and Frances’ children, Jim Dempsey and Elizabeth Dempsey Merritt and her husband John. He was “the very proud grandfather of Jack, George and William Merritt,” his obituary read, “who will miss his gentleness and kindness.”

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Archangel

Barbara Palmour Sept. 14, 1931 - Dec. 22, 2020

Virginia Reed Dec. 27, 1934 - Jan. 22, 2021

Richard Saleeby Dec. 8, 1921 - Sept. 24, 2020

Anyone who has watched the children of St. Michael’s grow up in the choir has seen Barbara Palmour. An Atlanta native, she taught for 32 years at the St. Michael’s Kindergarten, and she served as assistant to All Angels choir for many years, corralling wayward children to the chancel steps to sing.

And she and her husband, Hayne, both sang in the choir.

It wasn’t hard to spot Virginia Reed at St. Michael’s. She was there on Sundays, singing in the choir, where she had been since 1957. She was there on Wednesdays, devoted to her time on the Intercessory Prayer team.

She was there for ECW meetings and pancake suppers, for Vestry meetings when she served in parish leadership, and in the kitchen when help was required.

“Barbara and Hayne were faithful choir members and greeted every person as friends or soon to be friends (if you were new ),” says Bobbi Courie. “Barbara was best known for being a beloved teacher in the St Michael’s kindergarten. Our son Jon, whom she taught, said ‘she was a teacher who always made you feel happy to talk to her. She made you feel important and very special. She listened and really heard what you said.’ Wonderful attributes for a lovely lady.”

Virginia loved to sing and play the piano, and she loved all kinds of music.

She was a longtime member of the Raleigh Oratorio Society and the N.C. Chorale. The mother of three boys, in her professional life, she was a middle school English teacher who wrote poetry. She volunteered as a docent at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

In 2018, when interviewed about the history of St. Michael’s, Richard Saleeby said: “The children thought I was God,” then winked and corrected himself. “They thought I was Mr. Beckwith.” A member for 67 years, Richard was instrumental in establishing the children’s chapel services in the parish and led the children of Beckwith Chapel in its simple liturgy. And to those kids growing up at St. Michael’s, he seemed pretty close to God.

“Barbara and her husband, Hayne, were pillars of the choir when I began working at St. Michael’s,” says Choirmaster Kevin Kerstetter. “Deciding to retire from the choir was extraordinarily difficult for Barbara, and I wasn’t very helpful because I kept encouraging her to keep singing. She delighted in the success and well-being of others.”

An artist, gardener and Christmas cookie baker, Barbara is survived by her four children, six grandchildren, two great-grands and a host of kids who called her teacher.

Virginia loved to hear people’s stories, and when she told you she was praying for you, she meant it, and you felt it.

“She was an original member of the Intercessory Prayer Group, so her involvement stretches back for many years,” says Judy Spaziano, another prayer group member. “She was so committed to those who requested prayer, and I was always aware of her concern for others in need.”

An eastern North Carolina girl, she was married to the love of her life, Lindsay, for 62 years. She died on what would have been Lindsay’s 90th birthday. She leaves behind sons Gray & wife, Debbie, of St. Michael’s; Ernest & wife Gina of Norfolk; and Peyton & wife, Sheila, of Los Angeles, and nine grandchildren.

Richard and his wife, Doris, were young parents with four children, so much of their energy went into the children’s ministry. Raised in Wilson, Richard was a proctologist, setting up his practice in Raleigh in 1954 and remained active until his retirement in 2012.

“Richard thought of others his entire life,” says daughter-in-law Tina Saleeby, who followed his footsteps as an All Angels Chapel leader some years ago. “It is noted in this prayer that was said at every meal and is our prayer for each meal, to serve and think of others.”

The Saleeby prayer is one that’s familiar to many: “Bless O Lord this food to our use and us to your loving and faithful services and help us to provide for the needs of others, In Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Dr. Saleeby’s family was his most important treasure. At his death, he was close to 99 years old. He is survived by his wife, Doris, sons Richard, Jr., Robin & Stephen, and daughter Richel.

He was known as “Jedu” to his eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

ARCHANGEL

A PUBLICATION OF ST. MICHAEL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 1520 Canterbury Rd. Raleigh NC 27608-1106 919.782.0731 holymichael.org

EDITOR: SUSAN B. ROUNTREE STORY IDEAS? ROUNTREE@HOLYMICHAEL.ORG

Music in the Air Choirmaster & organist Kevin Kerstetter has spent many months converting our in-person St. Michael’s choir to a computer-mixed virtual one. Take a look at what has been an incredible process for both Kevin and for members of the choir, on Page 12 of this issue.

Photos: Susan Rountree

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