Linden Park Holiday Party

Linden Park Apartments Holiday Party

UPDATE: We are still in need of people to attend the party and help with entertaining residents. If you are interested and haven't confirmed your attendance - please email Bruno at bvreich@verizon.net. 

On Sunday, December 10th, at 1:00 pm, Memorial parishioners will be celebrating our annual holiday party at Linden Park Apartments (formerly Memorial Apartments). This year will be more like last year than years past, in that we will be having a post-luncheon get-together with light refreshments, rather than a full meal with all the trimmings. Bruno Reich, Memorial’s Discernment of Vocation intern, is organizing things on Memorial’s end, and Ruth Royster, director of resident services at Linden Park, is coordinating there.

Over the years Memorial has hosted, both at home and at the apartments, a wide variety of holiday parties. In some years there have been two seatings to get everyone to the table; the youth group would do deliveries of full meals to residents who could not get down to the feast; the choir has sung carols with residents joining in. It is an important event to keep Memorial connected to the apartments founded by the church some 60 years ago, especially now since the renovation and evolution from Memorial Apartments to Linden Park Apartments.

Bruno’s vision is to create a festive atmosphere that provides an opportunity for our congregation and the residents at Linden Park to both celebrate the season and get to know one another better. We will need many hands to make this event festive for all, so we hope that everyone will contribute in some way. For those who cannot spare much time, food preparation is welcome. For those who would rather not cook, your presence at the party is more than welcome.

Ms. Royster believes that the party provides the residents with “an opportunity for congregation, particularly congregation with folks they don’t see every day.” Likewise, as “many of them don’t have family, or at least not family that live close enough to visit, this is their chance to get that ‘holiday spirit.’ It’s really special when they get to spend time with younger generations.”

If you would like to provide food for this event, please contact Paul Seaton (seaton.p@gmail.com) to find out what is still needed. If you plan to attend, particularly with your children, please contact Bruno (bvreich@verizon.net). We hope to see a good turnout to celebrate and serve.

Jamie Griffith

Pledge Cards

Pledge Cards for 2018

Dale Balfour, chair of the Stewardship committee, would like to remind everyone that our Pledge Cards were due on the 19th of November. It is critical that we get these commitments in as soon as possible so the Vestry and the Finance committee can make plans for 2018. Pledge Cards can be returned to the office, placed in the plate on Sunday morning, or you can simply email Paul Seaton with your name and pledge amount. Thanks to all for continuing to support Memorial in 2018!

Giving Thanks

One of my regular practices before a big Holiday is to make the rounds of our home or hospital bound parishioners and spread some cheer. It is a particularly sacred moment around Thanksgiving, when the reality of being 'away' is particularly real.

The same is true for those who have lost loved ones, or are far away from home for school, work, or because there isn't much 'home' to go to. 

I give thanks for these conversations and these relationships, and in particular give thanks that Memorial is a place where people find community, sanctuary and hope in difficult times. 

You may be, for reasons political, seasonal or personal, having a hard time being thankful this week. For many it has been a challenging year. So perhaps consider the moments of light that have shown through for you this year - a conversation with an old friend, an unexpectedly delicious meal, a prayer that really hit home, a sermon that for once wasn't terrible, and consider how Jesus has made himself real to you in those moments and many more - providing that flash of light when everything else seemed so dark.

Have a happy thanksgiving however you spend it, and remember you always have a space at Memorial's table, and there is always room for one more. 

in peace, Father Grey

Nov 26 - What's Next? The Rev Rob Lee on Confederate Monuments

Join us in November as we continue the conversation about “What’s Next’ for the Confederate monuments. Join us for as we hear from the Rev. Rob Lee — descendent of Robert E. Lee and vocal advocate for the removal of confederate monuments and working to end White Supremacy. 

5:00 pm on Sunday, November 26th in the Upper Parish Hall.

More on the Rev. Lee:

From the Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/09/05/robert-e-lee-descendant-and-denouncer-quits-n-c-pastor-post-over-hurtful-reaction-to-vma-speech/?utm_term=.2d276be192dc

He was the great-great-great-great-nephew of Confederate Army General Robert E. Lee, and he felt it was his moral duty to speak out against his ancestor, “an idol of white supremacy, racism and hate.” He said as much when he took the microphone near the end of the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, when he introduced himself by a familiar-sounding name: Robert Lee IV.

Lee’s speech at the VMAs on Aug. 27 followed the glitz and glam of red carpets and all-star performances by the likes of Lorde and Ed Sheeran. But his appearance quickly caught Internet fame as among the night’s most memorable. As he appeared before the cameras, Lee stood in stark contrast to the sleek, geometric set behind him, dressed simply in a black cleric’s shirt and collar. Soon he would introduce Susan Bro, whose daughter Heather Heyer had been killed 15 days before, after being mowed down by a car as she protested white supremacy in Charlottesville.

“My name is Robert Lee IV, I’m a descendant of Robert E. Lee, the Civil War general whose statue was at the center of violence in Charlottesville,” he said. “We have made my ancestor an idol of white supremacy, racism, and hate. As a pastor, it is my moral duty to speak out against racism, America’s original sin.

“Today, I call on all of us with privilege and power to answer God’s call to confront racism and white supremacy head-on.

“We can find inspiration in the Black Lives Matter movement, the women who marched in the Women’s March in January, and, especially, Heather Heyer, who died fighting for her beliefs.”

On Monday, Lee announced he would be leaving his church — Bethany United Church of Christ in Winston-Salem, N.C.  In his statement, published on the website of the Auburn Theological Seminary, Lee wrote that while he did have congregants who supported his freedom of speech, many resented the attention the church received after the VMAs.

“A faction of church members were concerned about my speech and that I lifted up Black Lives Matter movement, the Women’s March, and Heather Heyer as examples of racial justice work,” he wrote, adding that his “church’s reaction was deeply hurtful.” Lee wrote that he never sought the kind of attention that has followed him since the protests in Charlottesville last month, even while his visibility as a religious leader and staunch opponent of Confederate memorials garnered international recognition, a turn of events no doubt fueled by his namesake. 

Nov 19 Liturgy and Living: Trans and Christian.

This Sunday, please plan to join us following the 10:30 service for a special Liturgy and Living program in honor of Trans Day of Remembrance. Our speaker will be Vivian Taylor, a seminarian at Duke University, Army Veteran, and a person of sincere and deep faith.

This year so far, at least 25 trans individuals have died by violence in the United States. Please come here how this issue affects those of us of the Christian Faith.

Vivian Taylor is a leader in the North Carolina Transgender Action Committee who organized against North Carolina's bathroom bill and previously was the executive director of the Episcopal Church's national LGBTQ ministry.

Find What Feeds You

Find What Feeds You

2017 has been a year of abundance at Memorial with new faces in the congregation, new and revived ministries, better relationships with our neighborhood, and new pledges. In the midst of growing concern about the state of our country and the world around us, it is easy to overlook the abundance in our lives, and at Memorial particularly.  As a Church, we are blessed with spiritual and material wealth including the talent, energy and resources to care for each other, our church and our world. We are fed by our shared faith, our commitment to our brothers and sisters and a belief that we can each help make the world better.  Every day we live out Jesus' commandment to 'feed people' in new and different ways.

How are we 'feeding people' at Memorial? We are:

Expanding our community. Attendance is growing, with many new and returning faces.

Creating space for the kids. Sunday School is bursting with energy; we have opened the "Pray-ground; and expanded staffed nursery hours for wee ones. 

Initiating new members into Christ's body. Celebrating ten baptisms this year! Membership is up as well.

Caring for this fragile earth our island home. We use 100% wind power, have begun a tree planting project, and joined One Water Baltimore to protect the Jones Falls.

Creating a Home. The Episcopal Service Corps interns are making our Rectory a home again and contributing to our life together. Community groups use our space every day of the week.

Sharing our talents. From the choir to the food pantry to acting on stage, we use the gifts God gave us.

Welcoming questions and learn together. We have re-started a regular inquirers class to bring in new members, leading challenging bible studies and asking difficult questions about our faith and common life.

Not afraid to speak. From racism + bail reform to education + immigration-Jesus gave us a voice to use it.

Welcoming all. From newcomers and returning members to those exploring religion for the first time. From Sunday best to did-my-best-and-got-here, Memorial is a place for YOU to be fed.

How Does Memorial Feed You? What gives you energy, strength and joy?

Among all our ministries and activities, we invite you to find those that feed you.  All that we do together, for each other and for our community, needs resources to continue. Please consider the ways in which you are fed at Memorial as you determine your pledge of support for the work of the church so that we can continue and expand our work in the next year.

in peace, Father Grey

Combined Service with St. Mark’s Lutheran Church

For the Feast of Christ the King Memorial will join with our brothers and sisters in Christ at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church.  We will have a joint choir, joint readings and a special guest preacher — the Rev. Rob W. Lee — a descendent of Robert E. Lee who has been very active in preaching about the evils of White Supremacy and the need to deconstruct the idols we have made in.

Stewardship In-Gathering This Sunday

You should now have received a letter inviting you to make your annual pledge to support the mission and ministries of Memorial in 2018. The letter is accompanied by a pledge card and a financial statement that describes our plans and hopes for the coming year. Please read them carefully as you determine your level of support, understanding that we can only move forward with our vision for the future with assurance of a financial commitment from parishioners.

We hope you will bring your pledge card to the In-Gathering this Sunday, Nov. 19. Other options are noted on the card itself. If you have not received a pledge card, there will be some on the table at the back of the church or you can request one from the office.

Honesty: A Shooting In Texas

I want to be brutally honest with you.

The hardest part, for me personally, about this weekends shooting, at a Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, TX truly shocked me.

It wasn't the numbers of dead and wounded - though that was tragic.

It wasn't that the pastor lost his own daughter in the shooting - though that was heartbreaking.

It wasn't even the (again) ignored incidents of domestic violence, or the lack of interest in our elected officials wanting to do something - ANYTHING - to stop this kind of event from happening again.

The hardest part. The worst part. For me? Was my first response to this tragedy.

"Oh, another shooting. Too bad nothing will happen."

It was hard for me, a Christian Pastor, to muster an emotional response because this is happening so often. Everyday there is more gun violence, more angry husbands, more emotionally disturbed young men, more incidents of violent extremism.  And everyday we as a country seek to do nothing to prevent it from happening again.

Maybe you are like me? Maybe you are also tired of what seems like almost weekly reminders of how many guns are on our streets and how unwilling we are collectively to stop it. Maybe you are tired of getting upset. Tired of feeling hurt and angry and sad.  Maybe you don't know what else to do.

There is an increasing amount of condemnation of 'thoughts and prayers' in the wake of shootings like this - and while I agree that thoughts and prayers are not enough, they serve an important purpose.

Because Sunday Afternoon, after I took some time to breathe, and pray, and consider Jesus' pain at yet another mass shooting at the hands of a young man with a semi-automatic weapon, I was reminded that there is still much for us to do.  Jesus offered me the strength to cry, to mourn, to open myself up to feel a bit of the pain of that community, of that pastor, and of the thousands of victims and relatives of victims of gun violence around the country and right here in Baltimore.  I was reminded that we still pray for the victims of gun violence every day. I was reminded that Reggie Jefferson, a security guard at Pedestal Gardens, was shot just a few blocks from Memorial for doing his job.

So friends, please don't stop praying. But also don't forget that we have a common responsibility to work to end violence by being active in our communities, by cutting off the flow of cheap guns into our cities and towns, and by creating spaces for people to share their stories of pain and hurt before they turn into violent acts of retribution - whether it's because of a drug beef, a domestic incident, mental illness, or just pure anger. 

So keep praying friends. Keep listening, and keep working for peace. 

in peace, Father Grey