Ruach A Publication of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus
General Convention 2015 • Vol. 30, No. 1
from the convener
The past and the present converging by Terri Pilarski
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lthough I moved 50 years ago, this summer I will return to the city of my birth ... where I will stay for three weeks. I’ve come back many times, but this will be the longest visit I’ve ever made. No doubt the contrast of how I began my life and how I live it now will be prominent in my thoughts. True, I think about this every time I return to Salt Lake City. However this summer, when the Episcopal Church holds its triennial General Convention in Salt Lake City, the past and the present will merge in new ways. More specifically, on Sunday, June 28, when the Episcopal Women’s Caucus hosts its ever popular General Convention breakfast, I will celebrate my 15th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church. I’ve come a long way from the little Mormon girl I was when my family moved away in 1966. My mother loved to tell the story of my birth. On Feb. 14, 1957, she walked outside on a snowy night, hoping to induce labor, yearning for her baby, me, to be born on Valentine’s Day. I, however, in a rare act of self-definition, at least in terms of my early relationship with my mother, chose to wait until 6 p.m. on Feb. 15 to be born. Both of my parents come from a long line of bedrock Mormons, pioneers who travelled to Salt Lake City by wagon train in 1848 to form the community that became Salt Lake City. Then, family members who had converted to the Mormon faith left homes in Missouri, Alabama, Massachusetts, and Manchester, England, to travel to Salt Lake City and join the new Latter Day Saints in their promised land. One great-great-grandmother, Johanna, left her husband in England, travelled while pregnant, toting along two other children. One child died on the ship crossing the Atlantic. Johanna and her
Join the team!
Looking for a great way to serve the wider church and work for justice? Consider joining the Episcopal Women’s Caucus Board of Directors as we work for equality, justice, inclusion, peace and empowerment. Please email the convener, Terri Pilarski, at terri@christchurchdearborn.org to learn more about this vital ministry.
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son walked from Missouri to Utah in her last trimester of pregnancy. A baby boy, my great-grandfather, was born shortly after her arrival in Utah. A year later her husband joined her. A few years after that he took a second wife, and refusing to live in a pluralistic marriage, Johanna divorced her husband. She spent the rest of her life in poverty, marginalized from the Mormon community.
Terri Pilarski
I come from a family of people who cut themselves off from their families of origin, moved west and formed new families with spouses and children and neighbors. It wasn’t the utopia they thought it would be. The brokenness in my family is generations old, manifesting in divorces and alcoholism and depression. I have spent my life trying to be healthy and to change the family pattern of disconnect and alcoholic disease. All that is how I see my life, now, looking back. As a child however I loved my church and I loved Salt Lake City. I still love Salt Lake City. Being in Salt Lake City is for me a spiritual experience, my soul resonates with a certain kind of peace, it is “home.” Now I have a new church to love, one that has strong roots in Utah. As a child, however, I only knew the Mormon Church. My grandfather was a high priest in the church. My uncle baptized me in the famous immersion pool in the tabernacle at Temple Square. I was 9 when he submerged me three times, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. I have fond memories of going to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Easter morning, wearing my finest frilly dress and gloves. The Mormon Church formed my faith, providing a foundation even as I grew up and moved away from that church. True, I had many questions, even as a child, about the teachings of the church. I could not wrap my head around a God who would send little babies to hell for all eternity, simply because they were not baptized in the Mormon Church. I know now that one is not baptized into a denomination, rather one is baptized a Christian. Even as I child I could not imagine a God, who created this diverse and beautiful world and the people in it, requiring God’s people to practice a specific faith in order to be welcomed back into God’s loving arms. That’s one reason I love the Episcopal Church, its spirit of openness and its refusal to require members to adhere to narrow teachings of God and faith, but rather through the baptismal covenant offers us clear teachings on what it means to live a Christian life founded on justice for all.
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WHAT’S INSIDE
Episcopal Women’s Caucus
Avenues for prayer at General Convention and remotely......................................... 3 Legislation to watch at General Convention 2015.................................................4 Sarah Eagle Heart to keynote EWC Convention Breakfast June 28.................... 5 A ‘Q & A’ with Caucus award winners Thompsett and Charleston..............................6 Commentary: GC, millennials and marriage equality .....................................7 Four chosen as nominees for next presiding bishop.......................................10 Commentary: Are churches ‘isolated gene pools with denominational silos’? ..........11 Helen Swanson’s pilgrimage for the passage of the ERA . .......................................12 Commentary: What my bike has taught me about white privilege................16 GC ‘Blue Book’ reports available..............................................................18 Resources: Two readers weigh in on Jimmy Carter’s book..........................20 Book of daily prayers is ‘daily office for the 21st century’ .............................22 ERD celebrates 75 years; looks to raise $7.5 million....................................22 Bishops unite against gun violence, plan ‘prayerful procession’ at GC.........23
BOARD L. Zoe Cole 4025 S. Dillon Way, Unit 101 • Aurora, CO 80014 303-355-8834 lzoecole@gmail.com Diocese of Colorado The Rev. Gigi Conner 2926 57th Street South • Gulfport, FL 33707 727-744- 3785 revgigiconner@gmail.com Diocese of Southwest Florida THE MONTHLY CAUCUS EDITOR The Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Kaeton 35647 Joann Dr. • Long Neck, DE 19966 973 464 8018 (cell) 302 231 8246 (home) motherkaeton@gmail.com Diocese of New York Immediate Past Convener Dr. Margo E. McMahon 34 Pomeroy Lane Cooperative, Unit #24 Amherst, MA 01002 413-256-8159 (Home-Voice/messages) 413-587-6260 (Work-Voice/messages) margo.mcmahon@juno.com
Join Episcopal Women’s Caucus..................................................... back page
Avenues for prayer at GC and remotely
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here are many avenues for prayer for the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church, for those attending the event as well as those following remotely. General Convention 2015 will be held June 25 – July 3 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, UT (Diocese of Utah). Daily Eucharist The daily GC Eucharists will feature presiders and preachers from throughout the church. All Eucharists will be livestreamed on the Media Hub: episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/gc. Eucharist will be celebrated daily at 9:30 a.m. Mountain, except Sunday, June 28, at 10 a.m. Mountain and Friday, July 3, at 8:30 a.m. Mountain. Prayers through social media The Society of Saint John the Evangelist (SSJE) has established the GC home base for interactive prayer at
prayersofthepeople.org. In addition, SSJE set up the hashtag #PrayersOf, which invites people from General Convention and beyond to submit Prayers of the People on a different theme each day. Words or images can be submitted via Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, and are tagged with #PrayersOf and the day’s theme. SSJE will also offer daily morning and evening meditation podcasts, each eight to 10 minutes, with a prayer, a brief reflection and a chant. Prayer Wall The prayer wall on the website of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society continues to invite the posting of prayer requests. And, during General Convention 2015, The Episcopal Community (http://theepiscopalcommunity. org/ ) will be praying for all of the prayer requests posted on the Prayer Wall at www.episcopalchurch.org/prayers.
MAIN Cover photo: Helene Swanson being blessed at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco March 8, 2014. (Photo CREDIT: Katharine Whipple). TOP RIGHT: Cathy Deats signs and sings during a Eucharist at A PAST General Convention. (PHOTO CREDIT: ENS)
The Rev. Babs M. Meairs 11650 Calle Paracho • San Diego, CA 92128 858-521-0443 (home) 858-207-8519 (cell) babsmarie50@gmail.com Episcopal Diocese of San Diego The Rev Terri C. Pilarski Christ Church Dearborn • 120 N. Military Dearborn, MI 48124 313-565-8450 terri@christchurchdearborn.org Diocese of Michigan Convener
STAFF Chris Mackey 1103 Magnolia Street • South Pasadena, CA 91030 626/201-2363 mackeychristine@att.net Business Manager Karen D. Bota 1193 N. State Rd. • Ionia, MI 48846 586/291-8877 kdbota@aol.com Publications Editor
The Episcopal Women’s Caucus: Advocating for women since 1971, theologically, spiritually, politically. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org
the church at work: gc 2015
Legislation to watch at GC by L. Zoe Cole
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s we gear up for another General Convention, the 78th, the big issues will be the TREC (Task Force to Reimagine The Episcopal Church) report recommendations for a more “nimble,” modern church; the Task Force on Marriage report with its recommended canonical changes to permit same-sex marriage in dioceses where this is now legal under civil law; and the election of the 27th Presiding Bishop. As usual, a number of the resolutions that already have been filed address important justice issues, including those specifically related to the lives and unique ministries of women. All filed resolutions are posted on the General Convention website: www.generalconvention.org. Although all resolutions proposed by CCABs (Commissions, Committees, Agencies and Boards) have been filed along with their reports, resolutions by dioceses, bishops and deputies may continue to be filed until the second legislative day of convention. To check on resolutions, go to the General Convention website and click on “legislative resources.” The list can be sorted by number, subject matter and proposer. All reports from CCABs can be found on the General Convention website as well, under the tab “Blue Book resources.” You can review reports individually or in the electronic version of the Blue Book (which for the first time in some years does actually have a blue cover). Each report has a list of all committee members, as well as a recap of the group’s mandate, along with explanations for the proposed resolutions. Those looking for an explanation by the trustees of General Seminary about the recent issues between faculty and the dean will not find it in the report the trustees submitted for the Blue Book (a good reminder to check other resources, such as Episcopal Cafe, for alternative views of what is needed and why). The TREC Report is long on overarching values, but short on concrete ideas for the restructuring of the church in the 21st century. The report proposes nine resolutions — A001-A009 — creating one sweeping polity change in the way General Convention and the Executive Council function, and then identifying three other areas for examination. The major change proposed is for General Convention to become a unicameral legislature, with bishops, clergy and laity all meeting, deliberating and voting together. In some cases, voting would still be by orders. In addition, a dramatic reduction in the size of Executive Council is proposed, eliminating representatives from each province and all standing commissions, except the Standing Commissions on Constitution and Canons, and Liturgy and Music. Finally, this set of resolutions
Ruach | GENERAL CONVENTION 2015
proposes revised leadership titles and clearer lines of accountability among Executive Council, the Church Center staff and executive officers. The TREC report also proposes that all churchowned property be comprehensively evaluated to L. ZOE COLE determine how best to maximize its use. Resolution A003 proposes that $200,000 be dedicated for this purpose. The first resolution the task force proposes addresses funding for formation and education of the ordained. Although the TREC report proposes a grand vision of the mission and ministry of the church in the 21st century, the report does not link its proposed resolutions to this vision. The main focus of the 122-page report of the Task Force on Marriage is to articulate a theology of marriage and to consider whether same-sex marriages are able to express that theology. The report proposes both further study and immediate changes to the canons on marriage. The changes proposed would allow same-sex marriages to be treated the same way in the church as different-sex marriages, in states where same-sex marriages are legal. The diocese of Chicago also has proposed a change to the marriage canons, C024, which advocates the insertion of an “if” clause, which seems to allow the church to distinguish its actions solemnizing and blessing marriages from the state’s function of recognizing civil marriage. Most interesting among the hodgepodge of justice resolutions are the bloc from the Standing Commission on Social Justice and Public Policy. These resolutions, A091A096, invite the church to the prophetic role of calling for economic justice. They advocate reform of defense spending, focus on food security, income tax reform and wealth redistribution. These resolutions articulate a compelling vision of God’s commonwealth of love and justice. However, it’s not easy to see what concrete steps the church as a corporate body or its individual members might take to effect the vision. Both the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (A066) and the Diocese of Connecticut (C016) have proposed revisions to Article X of the Constitution to provide for the development of alternative liturgical texts that are
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EWC Convention Breakfast June 28 features keynoter Eagle Heart, award winners
Myriad issues face 2015 GC in Salt Lake City FROM page 4
not intended to replace or amend the BCP. Some commentators suggest such amendments are not necessary, pointing to the long-running development of the Book of Occasional Services as well as the Enriching Our Worship series.
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SARAH EAGLE HEART (PHOTO:THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH)
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he traditional Episcopal Women’s Caucus breakfast at General Convention will be held from 7 to 9 a.m. Sunday, June 28, in the ballrooms of the Marriott City Creek, across from the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. Hosted by the board of directors of the Caucus, the event features a keynote speaker and the presentation of the Mary Magdalene and St. Joseph awards, given to a woman and a man who have been instrumental in advancing justice for women — and thus justice for all people. This year’s keynote speaker will be Sarah Eagle Heart, missioner for indigenous ministries for the Episcopal Church. In October 2014, Eagle Heart was named one of 40 emerging American Indian leaders by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED). The award recognized leaders from across Indian Country who demonstrated leadership, initiative and dedication, and made significant contributions in business and/or in their community. Eagle Heart holds an MBA in global management from the University of Phoenix, San Diego. She is enrolled as a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, and was raised on the reservation. Advance tickets for the breakfast are $26 and may be reserved by emailing mackeychristine@att.net, or can be purchased for $30 at the Caucus booth in the Exhibition Hall at General Convention.
ther areas of focus to watch include the establishment of a Women’s Ministries Coordinator position (A032), continuing involvement in the UN (A020 — this would continue the status that allowed TEC to send an official delegation to UNCSW this year for the first time), Latina (A035) and Native American ministries (A024-A029) and theological training (including a resolution concerned with the trafficking of Native American women and one calling for dioceses to examine the effects of the Doctrine of Discovery — the topic our keynote speaker at the triennial Caucus breakfast on June 28 will address), gender equality in foreign aid (A049), support of persons who are LGBTQ in Africa (A051), as well as continuing work on anti-racism. Most of these resolutions have been proposed by the Executive Council Subcommittee on Indigenous Ministries or Anti-Racism, although the LGBTQ resolution comes from the Standing Commission on Anglican and International Peace with Justice. The Standing Commission on Lifelong Christian Formation and Education has proposed several resolutions designed to provide content for, as well as access to, Confirmation and other formation programs. They also have proposed that the Safeguarding God’s Children materials be updated. The Caucus’ legislative committee will continue to monitor resolutions as they are filed and make their way through their various legislative committees. Only one member of the board is a deputy for this triennium, and she’ll be tracking the slew of resolutions proposing revisions and fine-tuning of Title IV, as the secretary for the legislative committee on Constitution and Canons. However, all members of the board, plus several volunteers, will be present in Salt Lake City, working the Caucus booth and tracking legislation of interest to members. If you’re in or near Salt Lake City this summer, stop by and say hello — maybe even talk to us about becoming a board member yourself. If you can’t be with us in person, we appreciate your prayers for the Caucus and for General Convention, and we’ll keep you updated on our Facebook page. L. Zoe Cole lives and worships in the Diocese of Colorado and serves on the Episcopal Women’s Caucus board. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org
A ‘Q & A’ with EWC award winners
Steven Charleston, Fredrica Harris Thompsett to receive St. Joseph, Mary Magdalene at Caucus convention breakfast
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his year the Episcopal Women’s Caucus board is proud to name Fredrica Harris Thompsett as the recipient of the Mary Magdalene Award. Thompsett served on the board of the directors in the early days of the EWC. She is the Mary Wolfe Professor Emerita of Historical Theology at Episcopal Divinity School, where she served as academic dean for 14 years and as a professor for more than 35 years. She is a noted church historian, feminist, activist, author and theologian.
Thompsett says that her vocation is to teach. She credits other women — FREDRICA HARRIS Verna Dozier, Pam Chinnis THOMPSETT and Marion Kelleran — as mentors who taught her how to be a theologian and a teacher while remaining a lay woman in the church. Raised in a progressive Episcopal family in Michigan, Thompsett has been active in causes of justice for women and people of color her entire life. Her greatest challenge has been overcoming the blinders of privilege, unlearning the assumptions she was raised with, which are supported by the culture she lives in. Fredrica currently serves on the Executive Council for the Episcopal Church. She is delighted to receive the Mary Magdalene Award and honored to be aligned with this fiesty, troublemaking, faithful disciple. The board also is pleased to announce that The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston has been named as the recipient of the St. Joseph Award. Bishop Charleston is a citizen of theChoctaw Nation of Oklahoma. His great-grandfather and grandfather were both ordained Presbyterian pastors who preached in their native language in rural communities throughout the state. Following in their footsteps, Steven was ordained at Wakpala, South Dakota, on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Charleston was the national director for Native American ministries in the Episcopal Church, a tenured professor who has served on the faculty of three seminaries, and the Bishop of Alaska.
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Currently he teaches at the Saint Paul School of Theology at Oklahoma City University. Of the St. Joseph Award Charleston says, “Joseph was a partner in the very contemporary sense of the word: the wisdom to work together, the humility to listen, the courage to challenge his culture. If one can learn those lessons and live into them, I think that’s a good thing to do.” The recognition is given at each General Convention to a woman and a man who have been instrumental in advancing justice for women — and thus justice for all people. EWC Convener Terri Pilarski posed the following questions to our two nominees; these are their responses.
Steven Charleston
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ere you raised with an active faith practice in your family? I was raised in a family with a long history in both Native tradition and Christianity. My grandfather and great-grandfather were ordained Presbyterian pastors in the Choctaw Nation. They had a profound influence on me as a child. I had a deep respect for elders and culture and I was deeply immersed in reading the Bible from the time I was very small. My Cherokee great-grandfather introduced me to the Bible at age 4. Rich spiritual tradition formed me from a very young age.
STEVEN CHARLESTON
In the Native tradition, Oklahoma has the largest Native American population and greatest diversity of tribes. I was raised with family and friends from different communities from whom I had a chance to hear stories and see worship that were tradition to many other cultures. I was raised with a very diverse background in Native American religious and spirit life. One formative tradition was the sweat lodge. The sweat lodge is a form of purification and prayer that is most common among Plains people. I found it, and continue to find it, a way to center myself. It is a focus of spiritual life that is constantly renewing. I am very grateful that Native American practices like the sweat lodge, Sun Dance or Green Corn
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commentary your commentary
your
General Convention, millennials, marriage equality by Mike Angell
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s The Episcopal Church continues to read with some anxiety about the decline in church attendance and religious affiliation among millennials, we are preparing for a decisive General Convention. None of the proposals dealing with our structure, our governance or the location of our headquarters will have a significant impact on the relationship between our church and the millennial generation. One set of proposals could have a huge impact. Those proposals concern changing the Canon on Marriage to allow same-sex and opposite-sex couples equal access and recognition. These decisions matter to many people of all generations, but these are resolutions in which millennials have a particularly big stake. Unsurprisingly for Episcopalians at General Convention, the number of the proposals and their sources make the nature of the decision complex. Different proposals come from the Task Force on the Study of Marriage (called for by the last General Convention), the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (the official group that works between conventions on liturgical changes for the Church), and several local dioceses. The volume of possibilities is a bit dangerous for Episcopalians, because we think of ourselves as a people of the via media, the middle way. It could be tempting for the convention to try to find a “happy medium” in all that is proposed about marriage. A compromise “middle way” would be a mistake in the case of marriage equality. Doing less than amending our canons to allow same-sex couples to marry would communicate that we think that same-sex marriage is “less than” equal. In the words of the Diocese of California: To require that same-sex couples being married in the Episcopal Church, in civil jurisdictions where that marriage is legal, use a liturgy other than the one long in use in The Episcopal Church – and currently reserved exclusively to opposite-sex couples – dishonors these couples who seek the church’s blessing on their marriages, declaring that such marriages are not Holy Matrimony. — Diocese of California’s Explanation for Resolution 3 “Liturgical Marriage Equality.” Marriage equality matters to Episcopalians of all generations, but it particularly matters to millennials inside and outside the church. Alongside the much-discussed report that detailed the declining religious affiliation of millennials, the Pew Forum also recently released a study on changing attitudes toward same-sex marriage. They found that more than any other generation, millennials overwhelmingly support same-sex marriage. Young adults don’t need more time for discernment. They’ve seen the blessing of married life for same-sex couples. They’re already on board.
MIKE ANGELL
I have had the privilege of working with young adults in leadership across The Episcopal Church. From that experience, I can say that many of our best young leaders are LGBT-identified. Young adult leaders who identify as heterosexual also tend to strongly identify as allies of the LGBT community. Many of these leaders left their family tradition to join The Episcopal Church because of our stance. I have been amazed at how frequently The Episcopal Church’s stance on LGBT equality has been given as a reason why millennials have joined our denomination or stayed active in church. If we want to reach more millennials, we should iron out the complications in our current theology and practice to be even more clear about our support for the LGBT community. In ministry with young adults, I have been at pains to explain the current position of our denomination on marriage equality. While the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Presbyterian Church in the USA have approved marriage equality, we’re not there yet canonically. I find myself saying something like: “Yes, we support civil marriage equality broadly as a denomination, but because we are a liturgically conservative tradition, and it takes a long time to amend our prayer book, we have a separate provisional rite for blessing unions.” That’s a mouthful, and our stance is an obfuscation. Our current liturgical position says, “We’re really not sure whether same-sex love is equal.” continued on page 15 www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org
‘Q & A’ with Charleston, Thompsett Dance can be so important in developing a full understanding of the ways in which we can approach God.
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ow did your family instill in you a sense of faith that remains with you today? My family showed me two things, among many, that have stayed with me in my spiritual life. The first one is a sense of community. I knew from my growing up in an extended Native family that the definitions of who I was related to were broad, inclusive and enduring. The second thing that I learned was to value mystery. Growing up in that mixture of Christian and Native American spirituality I was given permission to explore both with a sense of curiosity and questioning. It was a very freeing spirituality that did not confine me to only one culture or one vision. It sent me off on a life-long vision quest to find meaning wherever the Spirit would lead me. To entertain me as a child my great-grandfather would read me stories from the Bible and then ask me what I thought about it. I understood the Bible as a mysterious doorway into a new realm of experience. Where or how did you acquire your passion for justice? I believe my passion for justice began when I first heard my elders talking about the Trail of Tears. As a very small child I grew up knowing that my people had been forced off their land and made to walk in a death march from Mississippi to Oklahoma, by a government that they had trusted but which betrayed them. I knew that that experience had cost the lives of thousands of my ancestors whose graves still are unknown along that trail, and so justice came to me from the personal experience of my own community. Once I understood the full impact of that, of any community’s struggle for dignity, I never looked back. I learned from other peoples’ stories and it gave me a sense of empathy and sense of commitment that emerged throughout my life in all of the different ways that I joined with others to advance the cause of justice across a wide front. My memory of the Trail of Tears is a catalyst that continues to sustain me and impel me forward, because justice is a lifelong journey, not a single issue. Native justice issues are often understood as if they were historical artifacts that deal with old land issues or treaty rights, but the Native American experience is important to our future because it asks how we can sustain our identity as a viable alternative to consumerism. The Native vision is contrary to that of a globalized world market that wants to commodify everything. Therefore the issue of how Native people remain Native people in this contemporary context is a bell weather sign for how well humanity will be able to retain its integrity in the years to come. What do you think is the primary concern before the church today? It is the answer to a single question: will
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we be able to live together when we do not agree? Yes or no? There are millions of people on our planet who would answer with a resounding ‘no’; they cannot live with diversity or disagreement. The job of the church must be to stand for an affirmation of the right for people to disagree, to have different visions, to embrace a variety of faiths, to live in lifestyles that embody their dignity as a human being. One of the greatest issues we face in this century is that simple tipping point called disagreement. If we don’t find a way to live in peace without the need to live in rigid conformity, we will be victimized by the same series of religious wars that have plagued our human family for centuries. Only these wars will be fought out with a technology of destruction that will leave no community untouched by terror or sorrow. It is up to us, as people of faith, to prevent that. Speak about a time in your life when you were challenged, but that challenge proved to be transformational for you or others. When I was Bishop in Alaska I was given a chance to visit the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). That’s a huge tract of undeveloped land that still exists in a pristine condition and is the home to a wide variety of animal life. The challenge that I faced, along with many other people, was whether or not to allow oil exploration in that beautiful country. I opposed the opening of ANWR for oil drilling and I still do, because I believe that valuing the Earth as something more than a utilitarian resource for human profit is foundational. My work in Alaska to protect the environment was a life-changing experience for me, because Alaska is one of the last real wilderness areas that we have and, if we lose it, I believe we lose something irreplaceable for all time to come. It was in Alaska that I learned why environmental justice is non-negotiable. When I grew up in Oklahoma as a little boy, earthquakes were exotic. Now we have become accustomed to them. That is a clear marker that we are going in the wrong direction. We need to look at how to change our social structures and cultural values instead of trying to squeeze all the resources we can out of the Earth. The environment is a social and spiritual problem. The amazing thing is people who feel the ground shake beneath their feet try to pretend it is not happening. The elephant in the room is the spiritual question of when we will not demand more but be satisfied with enough. What would you say is the most important challenge you’ve had to face and or overcome? I think the most profound challenge is my commitment to being a spiritual person and not a religious politician. I think the church, along with all institutional organizations, has a tendency to subvert us from pursuing the spiritual ideal that was our point of origin, into a bureaucracy of political realities. So, for me, CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
‘Q & A’ with Charleston, Thompsett
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holding on to the mystical was one of the most important challenges I faced and still face. Not that I think supporting issues and causes and resolutions is not of value, but without the spiritual center from which those ideals emerge, there really is no substance to the spirituality.
of them gave me an open mind, an open heart, when it came to my understanding of what it means to be spiritual. I think it is in gratitude to them that I continue to strive to do what I can, to be true to the vision of a faith without borders.
One of the most valuable things I’ve learned to do is to not take myself so seriously. I have come to realize why the Buddha had that Mona Lisa smile. We are just finite and fragile people doing the best we can. Never losing sight of that, and laughing at our efforts to pretend otherwise, is a key to spiritual maturity. I worry a lot less these days. I don’t get anxious. I invite people to join me in “disorganized religion” where we have lot more fun and a lot less posturing.
Fredrica Harris Thompsett
Where or what in life has been the biggest block? I think for me it would be ideology. I have been confronted more times than I can recall with the fact that spirituality can so easily morph into ideology. The consequences of rigid ideology in our ability to work together for a common vision have been abundantly clear to me as they have reappeared over and over in so many of the issues and struggles in which I was involved. Overcoming those walls of ideology have been among the most difficult I’ve faced. Ideology has emerged in the midst of community, in the church, in our society, and in our global context. Time and time again, when we thought we were making progress some ideological block would appear. Then, people retreat into fear. It is very much a part of our historical for women, for LGBTQ people, and continues to be present in a host of ways around us every day. I would name ideology as an icon for the resistance to change or cooperation that we need to work on if we are going to achieve community. What is the one thing, or something, you wish you had done differently? I wish, like many people of my age group, that I had lightened up sooner. I like the lyric in a Bob Dylan song that says “I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.” I wish I had understood that when I was younger. But better late than never! Given the “namesake” of the award you are being given — the St. Joseph Award — can you say something about how you feel your ministry follows that particular model of ministry? Joseph was a partner. I think he was a partner in the very contemporary sense of the word: the wisdom to work together, the humility to listen, the courage to challenge his culture. If one can learn those lessons and live into them, I think that’s a good thing to do. How would you like to be remembered? I’d like to be remembered as a member of the tribe of the human beings. Who has been most influential in your life, and what are some of the lessons you have learned from them? My family, my Choctaw Nation, and the many spiritual elders who have been patient with me and taught me so much. All
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ere you raised with an active faith practice in your family? Yes, I was raised in the Episcopal Church. I went every week with my mother and my brother. My father would join us some of the time. We had a good church connection and, in particular for me, an excellent Sunday School. Although Bob DeWitt was the rector (of Christ Church Cranbrook), in my mind Diantha Higgins, the director of religious education, ran the place. Bob preached fabulous sermons, which became the source of family discussions on Sunday afternoon. Diantha Higgins saw the potential in children, and when I was 10 years old she invited me to help lead a Sunday School class. I never forgot that. I was blessed with a childhood of church experiences that made me very happy. These experiences and my time with Diantha have left an impression on me as to how important children are. It’s more than just valuing children’s presence for the future of the church, but for children to known well enough to be asked to participate in the life of the church is transformational. My faith as a child was transformational. How did your family instill in you a sense of faith that remains with you today? My mother was a church school teacher. Teachers in those days of the Seabury Series went to adult study groups. At home afterward she would talk about those experiences. Church was not just something we did, but we talked about what was interesting about church. Many of my parents’ friends were members of the church. My family formed within me a connection to the importance of faith. Mother loved to sing in church, in addition to teaching Sunday School. Church was taken both seriously and with an enjoyable lightness. Where or how did you acquire your passion for justice? I grew up in the ’60s. I was involved in protests against the war, my brother was drafted, and I was a fan of the Berrigans. Those early experiences were formative. Earlier, when I was a teenager, our priest, Bob DeWitt, took our confirmation class down to Detroit to support the march for better housing. It was the first time that I saw groups of African American people. I lived in a very white community and, even though my family was progressive, I was very sheltered. Many parents, not mine fortunately, criticized the rector for taking us into the midst of the “dangerous city.” For me, this was an early lesson about justice. Later, when I lived in Chicago, I was present for Democratic Convention in 1968 and part of the demonstrations in Grant Park.
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Four chosen as nominees for 27th presiding bishop; election will take place at GC June 27 by Episcopal News Service staff The Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop May 1 announced the names of the bishops it will nominate this summer to succeed Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. The four names will be formally submitted to the General Convention during a joint session on June 26, the day prior to the day set for the election by the House of Bishops of the 27th presiding bishop. The nominees are: •
The Rt. Rev. Thomas Breidenthal, 64, Diocese of Southern Ohio (top left)
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The Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, 62, Diocese of North Carolina (top right)
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The Rt. Rev. Ian Douglas, 56, Diocese of Connecticut (bottom left)
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The Rt. Rev. Dabney Smith, 61, Diocese of Southwest Florida (bottom right)
JNCPB announced that no additional bishops were nominated. The deadline for bishops and deputies to nominate a bishop from the floor was May 12. The committee’s formal announcement, along with biographical information about each nominee, is posted on the General Convention website in English, Spanish and French. Breidenthal was dean of religious life and of the chapel at Princeton University in New Jersey when he was elected Nov. 11, 2006, to be the ninth bishop of Southern Ohio. He was ordained and consecrated April 28, 2007. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974 from Portland State University, a Master of Arts degree from the University of Victoria in British Columbia in 1977, a Master of Divinity degree in 1981 from Church Divinity School of the Pacific and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in theology from Oxford University in 1991. Curry was the rector of St. James’ Episcopal Church, Baltimore, Maryland, when he was elected Feb. 11, 2000, to be the 11th bishop of North Carolina. He was ordained and consecrated on June 17, 2000. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1975 from Hobart and William Smith College, in Geneva, New York, and a Master of Divinity degree in 1978 from the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. 10
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Douglas was the Angus Dun Professor of Mission and World Christianity at Episcopal Divinity School when he was elected Oct. 24, 2009, to be the 15th bishop of Connecticut. He was ordained and consecrated April 17, 2010. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1980 from Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont, and a Masters of Education in counseling and consulting psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1982. Douglas earned a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School in 1983. In 1993, he earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in religious studies from Boston University. Smith was rector of Trinity Church, New Orleans, Louisiana, when he was elected Dec. 9, 2006, to be the fifth bishop of Southwest Florida. He was ordained and consecrated Sept. 15, 2007. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcasting production from the University of South Florida in Tampa in 1980, a Master of Divinity in 1987 from Nashotah House and a Doctor of Ministry from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary with special focus on congregational development in 1999. Jefferts Schori and President of the House of Deputies the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings wrote to their houses with information about the bishops’ election and deputies’ confirmation process that will be followed at convention. All of the nominees will be given the opportunity to address both houses of General Convention the afternoon of June 24. Their names will be formally submitted to the General Convention during a joint session of the two houses June 26. Nominations from the floor, done according to the committee’s process, will happen during that session as well. Bishops will gather at the Convention Eucharist at 9:30 a.m. June 27 in the Salt Palace Convention Center. Following that, the bishops with seat, voice and vote will board buses to travel to St. Mark’s Cathedral, where the election will take place in the context of prayer and reflection. Once the election has taken place, Jefferts Schori will send a delegation to Jennings to inform her of the name of the bishop who has been elected. Jennings will refer the name to the
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Churches: ‘Isolated gene pools with denominational silos’? by Gigi Conner
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f you want to find out what kind of shape you are in, go to the high altitude places — like Denver, Colorado! I have just returned from the Festival of Homiletics, which was held in Denver. The lectures/preaching/worship took place in three different churches — within easy walking distance from the hotels. Two of the churches, however, were “up the hill,” which felt like “up the mountain.” I kept forgetting about the warnings of high altitude and would charge out the door of the hotel — heading up to the church at a fast clip so as to get a good seat (is there ever a good seat in a church that is over 100 years old?) — and would find myself gasping for air while my heart was beating wildly in my chest. Then I would remember, “Oh yeah, altitude does figure in here” (even though it is possible that I am actually out of shape). To get energized, maybe it is necessary to come back down — come off the mountain — and enter into the life of the city. Easy to do in a place like Denver, which has a long street marked as a “mall,” with a rail car that travels, free, up and down the street loaded with stores, outdoor restaurants and outdoor seating areas, all teeming with life. This seemed to be a recurring theme in the comments offered by the variety of theologians and preachers during the week: God is not on the mountain; God is down in the cities, among the people. The God of pathos is with us all the time, in everything, not sitting on a divine throne, floating above us, but with US — us being all of humanity. Or, as one speaker put it, “God is around the planet vivifying — animating the spirit of the world.” We “the CHURCH” have been resting on mountain tops, expecting everyone to make the trek up to “us” where we have been dwelling in what we perceived to be a “place of privilege.” We created a beautiful, but sometimes dense, language about US and a way of operating that, while we would say is inviting, is really about US. Or, as one speaker put it, “We turned Jesus’s words, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life,’ into ‘We are the way, we are the truth, we are the life’ — no one comes to God without coming through US.” If Jesus is the way of Love — if the Torah means finding the way — then perhaps our intention should focus on how WE can be re-interpreted as the WHOLE human family, working together for the good of all. Because that is where God is: Dwelling among humanity, living and suffering with humanity. God is amidst what God has created, in all the beauty of the day and in the mystery of the evening,
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and we the CHURCH — who so often lose people through our great doctrinal language — need to get ourselves off the mountain and into the lives of humanity, and to pay attention to the life of creation. The Pew research numbers show that Christianity has pretty much taken a huge nose-dive GIGI CONNER in numbers. So the first thought might be: How can we increase our numbers? How can we make more Christians? What do we need to do to bring people to our way? But I think the issue is a much larger one of how can we of many denominations and faiths work together to save this fragile and hurting world where we share life together? One of the speakers put it in a very blunt way: “Churches are isolated gene pools with denominational silos.” He went on to say that, for the most part, “Churches, rather than wanting to be ‘pregnant’ with the joy of working with others, building alliances, would rather be in hospice care, maintaining the status quo until death.” Most of us would say, “Our tradition is beautiful.” But perhaps “our” tradition or “your” tradition, beautiful as they may be, are not enough. Perhaps the real energy — vitality, real life — will happen at the intersections of the CHURCH and the WORLD, which would mean other traditions outside our own comfort zone. We do not own God. We do not own Jesus. The “other” does not need to look like me, think like me, or be like me. Each person created is a sacred representative of the Divine Life-Giver. How can I, how can you, how can the CHURCH, practice looking beyond our short-sighted boundaries, in order to connect with the rest of humanity — in order that we might survive? Or do we just maintain until Christianity or the church falls away and then we start over? Personally, I want to be a part of salvation — salve, healing — while I’m still alive. Gigi Conner is priest in charge at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in St. Pete Beach, Florida, and has served on the Episcopal Women’s Caucus board. She is editor of The Monthly Caucus e-newsletter. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org
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Pilgrimage for the P
by Helene Swanson
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hen you walk by the side of the road, visit city parks and sleep in churches, you meet a different America. I’m learning a lot about that other America on my current pilgrimage across our amazing land. The pilgrimage, sponsored by Katrina’s Dream (about which more in a moment), is taking me on foot across the 15 states that have not yet ratified the Equal Rights Amendment. It’s enabling me and my supporters to reawaken our nation to the desperate need to add this principle of the basic equality of all to the U.S. Constitution. I began my walk in March 2014, leaving from the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, and heading for Carson City, Nevada, capital of the first of the nonratifiers I intended to visit. Since then I’ve walked through Arizona, Utah and Oklahoma, and as I write I am hoofing my way across Missouri on my way to Illinois, where the Illinois legislature will convene in November and we believe will take up ERA ratification. (The Illinois Senate approved ratification May 2014.) (Editor’s note: The ERA did not pass as the author hoped.) Still ahead are the southern tiers of states: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. My plan is to have completed the pilgrimage and stand on the steps of the U.S. Capitol at a rally for the ERA to be gathered in March 2015, one year after I began. (Editor’s note: See the end of this story for an update from the author.) My pilgrimage is at its base a spiritual endeavor permitting me to experience and advocate to others the fundamental equality of every human being before God our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. I am an aspirant for ordination to the priesthood of the Church of North India, one of the constituent churches of the Anglican Communion. (The Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion, so in this country I’m an Episcopalian.) Katrina’s Dream, my sponsoring organization, was founded by me, my husband and my father-in-law in memory of my mother-in-law, the Rev. Katrina Welles Swanson, one the first 11 women to be “irregularly” ordained to the Episcopal priesthood. Katrina always concluded her recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance with the words “with liberty and justice for some.” Katrina was convinced that U.S. women would become fully equal only when that guarantee was written into our fundamental law. My pilgrimage is a part of the quest for that outcome. (You can find out more about Katrina’s Dream and follow our blog at our website, www.katrinasdream.org.) During her lifetime Katrina often mentioned that most women die in poverty. On my pilgrimage I have an opportunity to observe the truth of that observation, and to a point 12
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The Rev. Este Gardner Cantor blesses Helene Swans March 8, 2014. (Photo: Katharine Whipple)
to experience it in my own life. Although my family was poor in my childhood, I enjoyed increasing privilege as I grew up. My grandfather, whom I adored, assured me that girls were as good as boys. I was white. I went to college. I had meaningful and well-paid work, especially during the years that I worked as a paralegal for the great San Francisco lawyer Melvin M. Belli. But then things changed. Even before I began the walk, the aftermath of the sudden death of my husband, William Swanson, in May 2013 showed me almost at once how fragile my supposed material “security” was. I was unable to sustain my husband’s business, I lost our houseboat home, and I found myself braving the world on my own. Within just days after William’s
Passage of the ERA
These folks understand at once what I’m talking about and what my mission is. One of my lowest points on the pilgrimage occurred in Salt Lake City, where I was confronted by a gang of young men who attempted to sexually assault me and stole my iPhone. Salt Lake City police dismissed me as a homeless woman (which I suppose in one sense I am) and refused to take a report from me, even though I know as a sometime paralegal that I had just been the victim of felony crime. So I decided to investigate just how homeless women were treated. In Denver I discovered how women are run around in circles each day to secure a place to stay each night. In Oklahoma City there are no available beds for women seeking shelter unless they meet the criteria of being drug-addicted or have health issues and are willing to enter into a long-term program. One shelter operator told me that you had to state that you were both. I wondered: how do I take what I have seen and promote the needed change? I prayed to God to show me the way. God answered my prayers and sent us Portia Boulger, who has become Katrina’s Dream’s grassroots organizer. She and her husband Jim, a Chillicothe, Ohio, criminal defense lawyer, CONTINUED ON page 14
son at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco
death, some friends were telling me to move on, that I was still young enough to remarry. Forget Katrina’s Dream, they advised. But I have chosen to remember, and to forge forward on the dream.
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s I make this pilgrimage, spending my time on the streets walking from church to church, state capital to state capital, I have sometimes felt forlorn. But then I look at my encouragers. Many are persons of means and privilege. But others, many others, are prostitutes, bag ladies, women who hide their bruises and stay with their abusers, people of color who have no such “luck” to be born white as I was.
Helene Swanson (left) gives a roadside interview to Pahrump Mirror Reporter Don McDermott May 13, 2014. (Photo: Cles Saunders) www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org
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interrupted their summer vacation and caught up with me in Denver, where we became friends and colleagues. Portia now not only updates our Twitter and Facebook presence, she also facilitates our conference call meetings with state and national officials. In September Portia and Sandy Oestreich of the Equal Rights Amendment Alliance staffed Katrina’s Dream’s table at the annual Constitution Day rally on the U.S. Capitol grounds. In a story on the event, USA Today reported, “Pay equity is another factor driving renewed enthusiasm. ... Women on average are paid 77 cents for every dollar men are paid, according to the ERA Coalition. Republicans back economic fairness for women, but they tend to view pay equity as a massive intrusion into the marketplace in order to impose distributive justice. They view it as egalitarianism, rather than equality of rights.” But the pay gender gap doesn’t stop there; in January 2014, the Pew Charitable Trust stated, “… they caution that the gender gap number doesn’t tell the whole story. Women might make less than men in Connecticut, for example, but a female worker there earns a median salary of $868 a week compared to a man’s median earnings of $1,127. In areas where financiers and lawyers are prevalent — like Connecticut — salaries between the genders, while higher, are more disparate.”
Helene Swanson (center) join forces with Kate Kelly and Chelsea Strayer Shields of Mormons for the ERA for meeting with the staff of Senator Orrin Hatch in Salt Lake City, July 29, 2014. (Photo: Gerald Long)
I don’t get into political debating. But I notice that women are being paid 23 cents less than men on every dollar they earn. And I see that’s not equality, that’s not right, and that’s not how we people of God should treat one another.
Update on Helene Swanson’s Pilgrimage Across the USA for the ERA Due to horrible weather conditions, Helene Swanson of Katrina’s Dream moved at a much slower rate than anticipated. As many know, God moves in mysterious ways; the delay resulted in an excursion to the UN to attend the 59th Commission on the Status of Women/Beijing 20+. And many more folks across the world have come to understand the importance of the need to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. The ERA will empower women, re-affirm the rights of men, and provide a U.S. Constitional Amendment that will prohibit the discrimination against our brothers and sisters in the LBGTQ community. Helene will make another excursion to attend the Episcopal Church’s 79th General Convention to promote the last stage of her pilgrimage to the nation’s capitol in Washington, D.C., inviting all to join her on the final steps of her year-long pilgrimage on foot across the nation through the 15 states that have not yet ratified the Equal Rights Amendment. On Women’s Equality Day, August 26, many will meet up at St. Stephen’s and the Incarnation Episcopal Church to receive a blessing as they ready themselves for the march to the National Mall, to say to our senators and representatives, “We demand that 14
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William R. MacKaye (left), Portia Boulger and Sandy Ostreich staff the table at Constitutional Day Rally in Washington, D.C. Sept. 13, 2014. (PHOTO: A Katrina’s Dream Supporter)
you clear the way to the ratification of the ERA now!” Many across the globe will be holding satellite events under the newly launched interfaith program, Sisters in Solidarity. To learn more about this ministry, visit www.katrinasdream.org/era. Your prayers and support come most appreciated, so please do by going to the fundraising page for the Women’s Equality Day event at www.indiegogo.com/projects/support-the-equalrights-march-to-the-us-capitol/x/5029478#/story.
The past and the present converging S alt Lake City is beautiful. Nestled in a valley and surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, it holds breathtaking views within the city limits. The center of town heralds Temple Square, a gorgeous piece of property with the Mormon Temple and other buildings that are no longer used as they were when I was a child, but remain as museum pieces with daily tours offered.
Walking the blocks that surround Temple Square, one encounters a variety of people from all over the world. Some are more orthodox Mormons: women wearing long dresses and families with lots of children. Others are modern Mormons: indistinguishable in appearance from anyone else. Mormons are usually well educated, polite, and considerate people. They believe in clean living, that our bodies are temples for our souls, a gift from God which should be tended to with respect. As a result, Mormons don’t consume caffeine or alcohol. There is no prohibition against consuming them as if doing so were a mortal sin. They just don’t, because both are bad for our bodies. In contrast to this attitude, sugar is a beloved substance. Mormons love their sweets, especially Jell-O, ice cream, cookies and cake. In Salt Lake City, one will note that there are no bars. Nor can one purchase alcohol in a grocery store, although point beer (3.2 percent by weight or 4 percent by volume) is available for purchase. At a restaurant one needs to order a meal if one intends to consume alcohol. To purchase a quality bottle of wine, one needs to drive to a state-owned liquor store, which looks something like a small prison. The appearance alone is enough to induce guilty feelings before one has even entered the doors. A Google search will lead one to more in-depth information on Utah’s weird alcohol laws, if one is interested in knowing more. Not far from Salt Lake City, one will find prime bird watching sites along the Great Salt Lake. In the winter one can find
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nearby premier ski resorts, which in the summer offer beautiful vistas of wildflowers and scenic views. If one is so inclined, one can make the drive to southern Utah, a desert land of bluffs and cliffs, home to the Escalante Grand Staircase and Bryce Canyon, Moab and other areas of rare beauty that rival the Grand Canyon. The first time I attended the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, I felt like a total church geek. I loved the huge sign hanging over the convention center boldly stating that “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You!” I was impressed by the crowds, by being in the presence of thousands of Episcopalians from all over the world, who had come to do the work of the church, or, just to visit and feel the potency of such a gathering. This summer my life, past and present, will converge into one. The city of my birth, all my family members still living there, and my life now as an Episcopal priest working for justice promoting the dignity of every human being. My Mormon roots taught me to have faith in God, to believe that God loves me, and that God is very present in my life. God is present in all of life. Understanding that has always held me in good stead. It is perhaps the primary reason I became an Episcopalian in the first place. As an adult my response to my childhood faith was to find a church that would encourage me to know God more deeply, not by living with certitude and conforming to church teachings that portray a narrow God, but by finding one that would embrace my questions and help me weave together a new cloth from the many threads of faith that life had offered me. Terri Pilarski is rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Dearborn, Michigan, and convener of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus.
General Convention, millennials, marriage equality FROM page 7
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n seminary I heard The Rev. David Norgard, then president of Integrity (the largest LGBT organization in The Episcopal Church), detail the history of the equality movement in the church. He recalled a time when the House of Bishops put off acting on LGBT equality by deciding to “study” sexual orientation for a number of years. He found the bishops’ decision to study homosexuality for such a long time odd. He joked, “I learned it in a summer.” The room filled with knowing laughter. Our road toward equality has been marked by half measures and deferments in The Episcopal Church. We should not defer again. To put off the decision for marriage equality may help relationships with the few remaining conservative parishes and dioceses, but such a decision could also harm our relationships with younger generations. Do we care about young adults enough to be bold for marriage equality?
You want to change the Church’s relationship to millennials? You won’t make a big splash by changing our structures. The Episcopal Church should send a clear signal that we stand with young adults in their hopes for equality. Say it clearly. Say it directly. Don’t go halfway there. The U.S. Supreme Court this summer likely will decide that marriage equality is the law of the land. If our Church decides for less than marriage equality, at best we will send mixed signals. I earnestly hope that our bishops and deputies vote this summer to say, “We stand with young adults for marriage equality.” The Rev. Mike Angell is an Episcopal priest serving with the people of The Church of the Holy Communion. He and husband Ellis live in St. Louis with their labradoodle Oscar. This piece is reprinted from his blog, “Mike Angell,” at angellmike.com with permission. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org
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What My Bike Has Taught Me About White Privilege by Jeremy Dowsett
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he phrase “white privilege” is one that rubs a lot of white people the wrong way. It can trigger something in them that shuts down conversation or at least makes them very defensive (especially those who grew up relatively less privileged than other folks around them). And I’ve seen more than once where this happens and the next move in the conversation is for the person who brought up white privilege to say, “The reason you’re getting defensive is because you’re feeling the discomfort of having your privilege exposed.” I’m sure that’s true sometimes. And I’m sure there are a lot of people, white and otherwise, who can attest to a kind of a-ha moment or paradigm shift where they “got” what privilege means and they did realize they had been getting defensive because they were uncomfortable at having their privilege exposed. But I would guess that more often than not, the frustration and the shutting down is about something else. It comes from the fact that nobody wants to be a racist. And the move “you only think that because you’re looking at this from the perspective of privilege” or the more terse and confrontational “check your privilege!” kind of sound like an accusation that someone is a racist (if they don’t already understand privilege). And the phrase “white privilege” kind of sounds like, “You are a racist and there’s nothing you can do about it because you were born that way.” And if this were what “white privilege” meant — which it is not — defensiveness and frustration would be the appropriate response. But privilege talk is not intended to make a moral assessment or a moral claim about the privileged at all. It is about systemic imbalance. It is about injustices that have arisen because of the history of racism that birthed the way things are now. It’s not saying, “You’re a bad person because you’re white.” It’s saying, “The system is skewed in ways that you maybe haven’t realized or had to think about precisely because it’s skewed in YOUR favor.” I am white. So I have not experienced racial privilege from the “under” side firsthand. But my children (and a lot of other people I love) are not white. And so I care about privilege and what it means for racial justice in our country. And one experience I have had firsthand, which has helped me to understand privilege and listen to privilege talk without feeling defensive, is riding my bike. Now, I know, it sounds a little goofy at first. But stick with me. Because I think that this analogy might help some white people understand privilege talk without feeling like they’re having their character attacked. 16
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About five years ago I decide to start riding my bike as my primary mode of transportation. As in, on the street, in traffic. Which JEREMY DOWSETT is enjoyable for a number of reasons (exercise, wind in yer face, the cool feeling of going fast, etc.) But the thing is, I don’t live in Portland or Minneapolis. I live in the capital city of the epicenter of the auto industry: Lansing, Michigan. This is not, by any stretch, a bike-friendly town. And often, it is down-right dangerous to be a bike commuter here. Now sometimes its dangerous for me because people in cars are just blatantly a**holes to me. If I am in the road — where I legally belong — people will yell at me to get on the sidewalk. If I am on the sidewalk — which is sometimes the safest place to be — people will yell at me to get on the road. People in cars think it’s funny to roll down their window and yell something right when they get beside me. Or to splash me on purpose. People I have never met are angry at me for just being on a bike in “their” road and they let me know with colorful language and other acts of aggression. I can imagine that, for people of color, life in a white-majority context feels a bit like being on a bicycle in the midst of traffic. They have the right to be on the road, and laws are on the books to make it equitable, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are on a bike in a world made for cars. Experiencing this when I’m on my bike in traffic has helped me to understand what privilege talk is really about. Now most people in cars are not intentionally aggressive toward me. But even if all the jerks had their licenses revoked tomorrow, the road would still be a dangerous place for me. Because the whole transportation infrastructure privileges the automobile. It is born out of a history rooted in the auto industry that took for granted that everyone should use a car as their mode of transportation. It was not built to be convenient or economical or safe for me. And so people in cars — nice, non-aggressive people — put me in danger all the time, because they see the road from the privileged perspective of a car. E.g., I ride on the right side of the right lane. Some people fail to change lanes to pass me (as they would for another car) or even give me a wide berth. Some people fly by just inches from me not realizing how scary/dangerous that is for me (like if I were to swerve to miss some roadkill just as they pass). These folks aren’t aggressive or hostile toward me, but they don’t realize that a pothole or a build-up of gravel or a broken bottle, which they haven’t given CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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me enough room to avoid–because in a car they don’t need to be aware of these things–could send me flying from my bike or cost me a bent rim or a flat tire.
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o the semi driver who rushes past throwing gravel in my face in his hot wake isn’t necessarily a bad guy. He could be sitting in his cab listening to Christian radio and thinking about nice things he can do for his wife. But the fact that “the system” allows him to do those things instead of being mindful of me is a privilege he has that I don’t. (I have to be hyper-aware of him.) This is what privilege is about. Like drivers, nice, non-aggressive white people can move in the world without thinking about the “potholes” or the “gravel” that people of color have to navigate, or how things that they do — not intending to hurt or endanger anyone — might actually be making life more difficult or more dangerous for a person of color. Nice, non-aggressive drivers who don’t do anything at all to endanger me are still privileged to pull out of their driveway each morning and know that there are roads that go all the way to their destination. They don’t have to wonder if there are bike lanes and what route they will take to stay safe. In the winter, they can be certain that the snow will be plowed out of their lane into my lane and not the other way around.
So — white readers — the next time someone drops the pword, try to remember they aren’t calling you a racist or saying you didn’t really earn your college degree; they just want you to try to empathize with how scary it is to be on a bike sometimes (metaphorically speaking). One last thing: Now, I know what it is like to be a white person engaged in racial reconciliation or justice work and to feel like privilege language is being used to silence you or to feel frustrated that you are genuinely trying to be a part of the solution not the problem, but every time you open your mouth someone says, “Check your privilege” (i.e. even though privilege language doesn’t mean “You are one of the bad guys,” some people do use it that way). So, if you’ll permit me to get a few more miles out of this bike analogy (ya see what I did there?), I think it can help encourage white folks who have felt that frustration to stay engaged and stay humble. I have a lot of “conversations” with drivers. Now, rationally, I know that most drivers are not jerks. But I have a long and consistent history of bad experiences with drivers and so, when I’ve already been honked at or yelled at that day, or when I’ve read a blog post about a fellow cyclist who’s been mowed down by a careless driver, it’s hard for me to stay civil. But when I’m not so civil with a “privileged” driver, it’s not because I hate him/her, or think s/he is evil. It’s because it’s the third time that day I got some gravel in the face. So try CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
And it’s not just the fact that the whole transportation infrastructure is built around the car. It’s the law, which is poorly enforced when cyclists are hit by cars, the fact that gas is subsidized by the government and bike tires aren’t, and just the general mindset of a culture that is in love with cars after a hundred years of propaganda and still thinks that bikes are toys for kids and triathletes. So when I say the semi driver is privileged, it isn’t a way of calling him a bad person or a manslaughterer or saying he didn’t really earn his truck, but just a way of acknowledging all that — infrastructure, laws, government, culture — and the fact that if he and I get in a collision, I will probably die and he will just have to clean the blood off of his bumper. In the same way, talking about racial privilege isn’t a way of telling white people they are bad people or racists, or that they didn’t really earn what they have. It’s a way of trying to make visible the fact that the system is not neutral, it is not a level-playing field, it’s not the same experience for everyone. There are biases and imbalances and injustices built into the warp and woof of our culture. (The recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, should be evidence enough of this.) Not because you personally are a racist, but because the system has a history and was built around this category “race” and that’s not going to go away overnight (or even in 100 years). To go back to my analogy: Bike lanes are relatively new, and still just kind of an appendage on a system that is inherently car-centric. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org
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Advancing to General New PB to be elected Convention 2015: Blue June 27 in Salt Lake City Book reports complete FROM PAGE 10
The Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe, General Convention executive officer, has announced that all reports for the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church have been posted on the General Convention website in a single document. Reports to the 78th General Convention, commonly referred to as “The Blue Book,” are available at the General Convention website, www.generalconvention.org. The Blue Book contains reports of the committees, commissions, agencies and boards of the General Convention. The information is available in English and in Spanish. The Blue Book is offered online and documents can be downloaded at no fee. Barlowe also announced that the General Convention Office has partnered with Mission Graphics to provide print copies for purchase. Copies will be available at Amazon.com after June 15. Among the reports are the Joint Nominating Committee on the Election of the Presiding Bishop, the Taskforce for Reimagining The Episcopal Church (TREC), the Task Force on the Study of Marriage, the Joint Committee on Nominations and others. The Episcopal Church’s 78th General Convention, June 25-July 3, will be held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah (Diocese of Utah). For questions about The Blue Book, contact Twila Rios, staff assistant for content management and digital publishing in the General Convention Office, trios@episcopalchurch.org. The Episcopal Church’s General Convention, held every three years, is the bicameral governing body of the Church. It comprises the House of Bishops, with upwards of 200 active and retired bishops, and the House of Deputies, with clergy and lay deputies elected from the 108 dioceses and three regional areas of the Church, at more than 800 members. Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs press release
House of Deputies legislative committee on the confirmation of the presiding bishop without announcing the name to the full House. The legislative committee will make a recommendation to the House of Deputies whether to confirm the election or not confirm, and the House of Deputies will immediately vote on the recommendation. Jennings will then appoint a delegation of deputies to notify the House of Bishops of the action taken. “No communication is permitted from the House of Bishops during the election and until confirmation is received. I know this will be a challenge, but ask your cooperation and faithfulness to our mutual life and accountability,” Jefferts Schori said in her letter to the bishops.
The presiding bishop-elect will preach at the convention’s closing Eucharist July 3, and Jefferts Schori will preside. The presiding bishop-elect’s nine-year term officially begins Nov. 1, 2015. The presiding bishop is primate and chief pastor of the church, chair of the Executive Council, and president of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society. The 78th General Convention meets June 25-July 3 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
White privilege
from PAGE 16
to remember that, even if you don’t feel like a “semi driver,” a person of color might be experiencing you the way a person on a bike experiences being passed by a semi. Even if you’re listening to Christian radio. Jeremy Dowsett is a pastor in a newly planted church in Lansing, Michigan. He identifies with “little c catholic” Christianity (or “little o orthodoxy”). He is ordained by the Reformed Church in America. “I love preaching. But there are certain things you just can’t say from the pulpit.” This piece is from his blog, “A Little More Sauce,” at alittlemoresauce. wordpress.com. It is reprinted here with his permission.
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‘Q & A’ with Charleston, Thompsett I was not only shaped in the 1960s and also encouraged by my parents and church to try on new things. I grew up in the Diocese of Michigan, outside Detroit, where women’s ministries were very strong, and we had a history of liberal progressive bishops, and very strong lay women. What do you think is the primary concern before the church today? I currently serve on Executive Council and I am aware that the church is still struggling to be expansive in appreciation of others who are different. Racism is still at the heart of the church’s struggles. While I appreciate the gains in women’s issues and the fact that we have experienced a female presiding bishop (who is excellent in public Q & As), as a church we are still struggling with women’s ministries, racism and classism. We struggle with recognizing the economic classism associated with racism. Being expansive, and really appreciating others and our differences, is another step. We have not come as far as we think we have. Speak about a time in your life when you were challenged, but that challenge proved to be transformational for you or others. These are leadership challenges in my history. I was the first woman academic dean of a seminary. Being the number person, being called dean, was complicated. The seminary president appointed me and several male faculty wanted the post, so it was a little awkward. I had to work through other’s radical fear of feminists; but I loved the job. I found out that I love doing administration of teachers. We hired extraordinary faculty and transformed the institution. It was quite an old guys’ club when we started and we decided it would be at least one-third people of color and one-half female, which we achieved. We did extensive antiracism training and it taught me a tremendous amount about how to negotiate the real appreciation of difference. It was a rocky start, but we came to enjoy one another and a wonderful faculty followed. It was also a challenge, because I wasn’t ordained. When asked why, I would say, “Because teaching is my vocation. I love Jesus as much as the ordained person, but my vocation is to teach.” The trustees weren’t sure I should be in a leadership position, because I wasn’t ordained. In the 1970s the dean of Seabury-Western was censored, because he hired me, a woman. Negotiating those early leadership waters was challenging, but proved to be transformative as we move along. I always think, “It’s humbling to be the first; just make sure you’re not the last.” In Chicago I would get asked to preach and I was often the first women to preach in the parish; I always made it a deal that, within a year they would bring in an ordained woman to preach. Many churches actually did that and the Diocese of Chicago began to change. What would you say is the most important challenge you’ve had to face and/or overcome? My greatest challenge is a personal challenge. In the 1980s my husband contracted AIDS. I learned he was bisexual. That was hard
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for us personally. He died two years later. This took me down a very difficult path. At the time I worked at “815” (the national church office) as the executive director of the Board of Theological Education, which worked for all the seminaries. I also lived at General Seminary and I taught there as a regular visiting professor. AIDS hit New York City hard. It also led me to experience homophobia. I was astounded by people’s anger toward, and fear of, these young men. Theologically my experience with AIDS led me to study the Incarnation, because I felt we had to take human flesh more seriously. I even wrote a book, “Courageous Incarnation” as a result. Where or what in life has been the biggest block? Privilege, which means I have lived with a lack of awareness of other people’s situations. I was raised in a very privileged environment. I am still unlearning and unlearning more. Even in a progressive family I was naive and unaware of my assumptions that had to be opened up, torn apart and looked at. I have a twin brother, and we were always equal. So equality of women was a given in my life. But privilege, the depth of the protection for the privileged, has been my biggest block and the area I have had to do work and continue to work. What is the one thing, or something, you wish you had done differently? I wish I had asked more questions of my mentors, spent more time with those gals who were so important in my life. I wish I had asked them who was important in their lives. One mentor was Verna Dozier, who taught me about the Bible and about good teaching — who inspired her? Later I wrote a book about her, but I wish I had paid more attention to her earlier on. I stood in awe of her and sometimes I held back. Pam Chinnis was another mentor; I wish I had spent more time with her, understanding her. I want to learn more how women develop in overlapping ways as we go through our lives; who inspires who, how are we supportive? How are we being collaborative instead of competitive? I remember early on, when I was in my 30s, Marion Kelleran, first chair of the Anglican Consultative Counsel and a professor at Virginia Theological Seminary, was asked who should follow her, and she said my name. When I learned about that — and I can’t tell you how much it meant to me to have her say, “I value you and trust the future in your hands.” There is something important to be said for recognizing young women who are coming forward. Given the “namesake” of the Mary Magdalene Award you will receive at the Episcopal Women’s Caucus breakfast at General Convention June 28, can you say something about how you feel your ministry follows the Magdalene’s particular model of ministry? She was so feisty and such a troublemaker and so faithful, not in a gooey way but as a strong disciple. She is right up in that crew, so continued on page 23 19
www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org
sharing resources 1 book, 2 VIEWS
‘A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power’ by President Jimmy Carter by Babs Meairs
by Lyn G. Brakeman
new book by former-President Jimmy Carter was the focus of a forum at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in San Diego, California. The title gives a subject related to our concerns about justice, equality and privilege: A Call to Action, Women, Religion, Violence, and Power (2014). Carter’s admonition is that “The world’s discrimination and violence against women and girls is the most serious, pervasive and ignored violation of human rights.” According to publishers Simon and Schuster, Carter “urges the end of discrimination and abuse against women, calling it the number one challenge in the world today. The book builds on the work of faith leaders and courageous human rights defenders who met last summer at The Carter Center to mobilize faith groups worldwide to commit to advancing women’s rights. Religion, they said, should be a force for equality and human dignity, not oppression.” Throughout the chapters, Carter refers to his experiences in various parts of the world, noting efforts to improve conditions for women and children through local support and education. Detailed use of facts and figures emphasize the deplorable truths Carter identifies, including sexual trauma in U.S. colleges and the military. Particularly relevant to those of us with a Christian witness at the U.S. borders is the issue of human trafficking. A guest presenter at one of the forum sessions was Akshay Pottahil, a professor at San Diego State University and an international expert on trafficking, who shared his research. The next speaker was Jennifer Freeman from the Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego. Members of St. Timothy’s congregation engaged in lively discussion and are looking into ways to participate in local programs such as shelters for women and children who have been trafficked. Most of those attending the forum have wondered why the United Nations isn’t doing more, and have been unaware of the participation of Episcopal and Anglican women in the UN’s work on the status of women. Carter’s book is a good way for churches to begin recognizing that much more work is needed and that this is a human issue not specific to nationality, culture or religion. As people of faith, however, we must speak up and act to do our part to address what is abominable to the Kingdom of God.
Jimmy Carter really packs it all in — everything you would want to know about the issues facing women in the world and church today. This book is a reference book — and more.
A
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Jimmy Carter roots his amazing capacity for justice in his childhood: biblical religion, the church community where he is still a member, his family and the deep south. As a young boy, Jimmy felt the incongruence between the free spirit of interaction he experienced with black children and adults, and the segregations imposed on them by his church and culture. How come they couldn’t grow up together being together? Carter devoted his life to finding out about this strange injustice, and then to do something about it. His “Mama,” I’m sure, gave his politics a push. At a White House function she once exclaimed to the King of Morocco, who gave her an enormous bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume, “You’re just like every other man off on a trip without his wife!” I first “met” Jimmy Carter on television in 1969 when we were living in Alabama, a foreign country to my cold-conditioned, dour New England bones and my, sometimes snarky, feminist discontent. He was campaigning for the governorship of Georgia. I was suddenly arrested. Who was this man — a deep-south southerner named Jimmy? Not usually my type, but I was hooked. I couldn’t vote, but I hoped he’d win. We moved back north within a year, and I forgot about Jimmy Carter until he turned up running for president as a political outsider and talking about truth in government in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Political truth-telling sounded refreshing. I voted for Gerald Ford, because I was proud of his courage in pardoning Nixon, but Carter won. He wasn’t a charismatic president, however he kept his word about truth, staying true to his early egalitarian vision. In the midst of midlife madness, I more or less forgot about him again. But when, in 2000, Carter, a third-generation Southern Baptist, severed, after 70 years, his ties with their Convention over its opposition to women serving as pastors, I finally knew what I’d seen in him that day in CONTINUED ON PAGE 21
Brakeman from PAGE 20
Alabama. He had religious convictions, not just political positions. Then I read A Call To Action and found all Carter’s theology, spirituality, religion, politics and bits of his personal story articulated in a way that turned me into a fan. He argues that “the deprivation and abuse of women and girls, largely caused by a false interpretation of carefully selected religious texts, has a devastating effect on economic prosperity caused by the loss of contributions of half the human beings on earth.” Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, have risen above many things that keep the world and the church warring, while maintaining their own deep religious and moral convictions and spiritual practices. Such equanimity is remarkable, especially in this age of fear and narcissism. The Carters oppose abortion, extramarital sex and other practices that today in some circles and countries are acceptable, yet their governing belief transcends personal ethics, especially when it comes to non-violence and the dignity of all living things. It sounds like the baptismal covenant in the the Book of Common Prayer, our code of ethics in the Episcopal Church. The overarching issue that drives this book is eradication of violence against women and those made vulnerable by poverty, disease and other conditions. “Violence and sexual abuse is easy if the “victim” is considered inferior — even by God.” Carter includes a lot of biblical interpretation and condemns literalist male clergy who preach in ways that perpetuate injustice and confuse God’s will with their own for the sake of keeping their power in tact. Well before liberation theology became official theology, Jimmy Carter noticed that Jesus Christ was the greatest liberator who ever lived, and that the lex talionis was more important to Christians than the teachings of the Prince of Peace. This book is thorough to a fault — really an elaborated reference book. Chapters include: The Bible and Gender Equality, Full Prisons and Legal Killings, Sexual Assault and Rape, Violence and War, Women and the Carter Center, Genocide of Girls, Slavery and Prostitution, Spouse Abuse, “Honor” Killings, Genital Cutting (justified by NO Holy Scriptures), Child Marriage and Dowry Death, Politics, Pay, and Maternal Health. Quotes and documents about every aspect of the political process toward peace and justice are included. There are fascinating stories and details about human rights heroes around the globe, and specific examples of what Carter and Rosalynn have done for the cause, not the least of which was to found, in 1982, The Carter Center — Waging Peace,
Fighting Disease, a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization. Jimmy Carter is not a prophet like MLK or a charismatic orator like JFK; he is a steady-state, devoted plodder and activist for the common good. This book is no page turner. It’s very thoroughness, as well as the clear and dispassionate writing style, can get boring. Nevertheless, it is a book for study and enlightenment, individually and communally, and a book for every parish library. From Rita Sharma, co-founder and president of Women Thrive Worldwide: “There is no religion that despises women. Hatred cannot come from the heart of God ... only humans have the capacity to see and treat others as less than they truly are. It is our minds and hearts that must change to release women, girls, men and boys from the bondage of gender-based limitation or violence. That change is coming, have faith. It will be here soon.” Lyn G. Brakeman is an Episcopal priest, pastoral counselor/ spiritual director, and author of two books and a memoir seeking publication. Brakeman is a fellow in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC), an associate of the Religious Sisters of Mercy, and a long-time member of EWC. Through writing, teaching and preaching, she champions full inclusion and acceptance of women’s ministries, lay and ordained. Brakeman writes a blog offering spiritual wisdom to souls challenged and nurtured: www.spirituallemons.blogspot.com.
Meairs from PAGE 20
A Prayer for the End of Human Trafficking, as shared by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, New Jersey: God of freedom, beauty and truth, we believe that your deepest desire, your most powerful energy, is that all creation might know abundant life. We raise our voices in anguished prayer for our sisters and brothers, women and girls, men and boys, who are modern day slaves; they are your beloved daughters and sons, exploited sexually or forced to work because of human violence and greed. Fill us with your holy anger and your sacred passion, that those who are trafficked might know healing and justice; that traffickers will come to repentance and conversion; that all of us might live in such a way that others are not made to pay the price for our comfort and convenience. Hasten the coming of the day when all people and our precious Earth itself will be treated, not as a commodity, but as radiant images of your freedom, beauty and truth. Amen. May it be so. Babs M. Meairs, MDiv, MA, BCC, is an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of San Diego and serves on the board of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org
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‘New and creative ways of prayer’ available for everyday life by ENS staff
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hat is being called “a daily office for the 21st century” is now available to members of the Episcopal Church and beyond. Daily Prayer for All Seasons, developed by the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, offers a variation on the Book of Common Prayer’s tradition of prayers for morning, noon, evening and nighttime. The books are divided by the liturgical year, and each of the services for each of the eight canonical hours of the day has a theme, including praise, discernment, wisdom, perseverance and renewal, love, forgiveness, trust and watch. A complete service covers one or two pages. The prayer book presents a variety of images of God, uses inclusive and expansive language for and about God, and presents a rich variety of language, including poetry, meditation and prayers from the broader community of faith, according to a press release. Clergy, teachers and spiritual leaders across the Episcopal Church contributed to the work. “These prayers will help you pray at all times and find the right words when necessary,” the Rev. Mark Bozzuti-Jones, a contributor to the volume who serves as priest for pastoral care and community at Trinity Wall Street, New York, said in the release. “In their diversity, these prayers are manna from heaven for folks who are seeking new and creative ways of prayer. This book will teach you how to pray.” The Rev. Gay Clark Jennings of Ohio, president of the
House of Deputies, said she is “grateful to the leaders from across the Episcopal Church who have collaborated on this important new set of prayers for everyday life.” Some of the prayers were used during Nuevo Amanecer, a churchwide gathering of Latino/Hispanic members of the Episcopal Church, at the Kanuga Conference Center in North Carolina. Work began in April 2007 on what eventually became known as Daily Prayer for All Seasons, according to the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music’s report to the 76th meeting of General Convention in 2009. The next meeting of convention in 2012 approved the book (via Resolution A055) and it has now been published in English and Spanish in various formats by Church Publishing Inc. It is available in print and in eBook versions including Kindle, iBook and Nook formats. The print volume can be imprinted with a recipient’s name. Soft cover and leather-bound editions are available. A 37-page sampler from the book is available online. Daily Prayer for All Seasons is available from Cokesbury at www.cokesbury.com.
Episcopal Relief & Development celebrates 75 years Episcopal Relief & Development press release Episcopalians, friends and partner agencies around the globe are joining together to celebrate Episcopal Relief & Development’s 75th Anniversary. The 75-week celebration, which will continue through the end of 2015, invites supporters to learn more about the organization’s programs and get involved in campaigns to raise $7.5 million to sustain its vital work. In 1940, the National Council of The Episcopal Church established Episcopal Relief & Development — originally the Presiding Bishop’s Fund for World Relief — to respond to the needs of European refugees fleeing World War II. Now, working on behalf of the Church with partners in nearly 40 countries, the organization continues its legacy of bringing together the generosity of Episcopalians and others to help communities overcome challenges and create lasting change. Episcopal Relief & Development has created a variety of resources to help individuals, congregations, dioceses, 22
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schools and groups to join the 75th Anniversary Celebration. Worship and prayer resources build awareness and solidarity with the organization’s partners worldwide, and faith formation materials can spark multi-generational conversation about global needs and what each person can do to help. Additionally, five campaign toolkits provide easy-to-use informational leaflets, images, videos and creative ideas to rally communities around a specific issue, or support the organization’s overall mission: 75th Anniversary Campaign: Lasting solutions to poverty, hunger and disease; Carry the Water Campaign: Clean water, hygiene and sanitation; Fast to Feed Campaign: Sustainable agriculture and livestock; Thrive to Five Campaign: Maternal and child health; and Pennies to Prosperity Campaign: Vocational training and micro-finance. For more information about Episcopal Relief & Development and the 75th Anniversary Celebration, visit www. episcopalrelief.org/75 or call 1-855-312-HEAL (4325).
Bishops United Against Gun Violence plans prayerful procession at General Convention Press release
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ishops United Against Gun Violence, a group of more than 60 Episcopal bishops, will sponsor a prayerful procession through the streets of Salt Lake City during the church’s General Convention. The gathering is intended to urge people of faith to seek common ground in efforts to curtail gun violence. The event, called Claiming Common Ground Against Gun Violence, will begin at 7:15 a.m. on Sunday, June 28, outside the Salt Palace Convention Center on the northwest corner of West Temple and South 200, said Bishop Mark Beckwith of Newark, a co-convener of Bishops United.
the broader public on these common sense reforms, and muster the political will to see them enacted.” Beckwith convenes Bishops United with Bishops Ian Douglas of Connecticut and Eugene Sutton of Maryland. The group formed after mass shootings at a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012. Bishops United supports: · Expanding the federal background checks system to cover gun shows, Internet and commercial sales; ·
Making gun trafficking a federal crime;
The service will last roughly one hour and cover a onemile route, Beckwith said. It will include opening prayers, a stop for testimony in nearby Pioneer Park, and concluding prayers outside the Salt Palace.
· Encouraging the development of “smart gun” technology to reduce accidental shootings — especially among children;
Bishop Scott Hayashi of Utah, who survived a gunshot wound as a young man, will be among the speakers. Bishop Jeff Lee of Chicago, Dent Davidson, music chaplain for the House of Bishops, and the Rev. Lester Mackenzie, chaplain to the House of Deputies, will lead prayers and music during the procession.
· Improving access to mental healthcare for all Americans.
“The debate over gun violence in our country has become polarized, but it need not be that way,” Beckwith said. “There is broad agreement among people who own guns and people who don’t that universal background checks and other common sense measures save lives while protecting the right of law-abiding citizens to bear arms. We want to focus the attention of our church and
·
Requiring that guns be stored safely;
Bishops United Against Gun Violence is an ad hoc group of nearly 60 Episcopal bishops who have come together to explore means of reducing the appalling levels of gun violence in our society, and to advocate for policies and legislation that save lives. Bishops United works against gun violence by forming relationships and coalitions with interfaith colleagues, fellow advocates, and families whose lives have been touched by gun violence; giving voice to voiceless gun violence victims through public liturgy, advocacy, and prayer; and supporting each another in efforts to end gun violence in local communities.
‘Q & A’ with Charleston, Thompsett
from PAGE 19
aware and attentive and risky in her leadership. Magdalene for Pope! The new scholarship is teaching us so much how her image has been co-opted and needs to be reframed. I love her name: she is someone who leads and supports at the same time, in risky ways. There were more churches in Europe in the 1400s that were named for the Magdalene than for the Virgin Mary. I’m delighted to be the recipient of this award!
Who has been most influential in your life, and what are some of the lessons you have learned from them? Verna Dozier taught me that questions are the most valuable tools in teaching, “That is how our Lord taught.” She really emphasized that being faithful in worship is not what you do in worship but what you do when you go out in the world. What she taught me has helped me work with all sorts of communities, and to take Scripture extraordinarily seriously.
How would you like to be remembered? As an encourager of the ministries of students and others, in particular women. Not just in the classroom, but in their lives. I am still connected to many of my former students. It’s obviously the Spirit working through us that heightens the quality of relationship. But I hope to be remembered that way.
Pam Chinnis taught me to take lay women’s leadership seriously. Marion Kelleran taught me that, too. They taught me to help women find opportunities to work in the church, lay or ordained. I learned from early mentors this strong appreciation of women’s leadership. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org
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