Summer Camps at Memorial

Coming this Summer to Memorial for a return engagement it's Mr. Ionic Bond and the Science Guys Camps. The Science Guys held two camps last year at Memorial and they were a huge success, despite warm weather and no AC, and very last minute arrangements. So, if you are thinking about what to do with your younger ones this Summer - act quickly. Space is limited and they will likely book completely long before the end of the school year.

June 11-15, June 18-22, July 23-27, and August 13-17. For more details, and to find out which specific camp is being offered for each of these weeks, please visit scienceguysofbaltimore.com/science-camp or call 443 436 2663

And, for the first time in a long time, Memorial will be offering a church camp this summer. The week of August 20-August 24. Details are being worked out, but if you are interested, please contact the office - the more interest we see the more likely this will happen. 

Look Forward: Sunday Night Live!

Youth Group: Sunday Night Live

The Memorial Episcopal teens were invited this fall to join Sunday Night Live, a youth group experience hosted by Brown Memorial. Corpus Christi youth also joined. Meeting monthly, the teens tackled tough issues in small group discussions, participated in large group team building and shared delicious dinners cooked by adult volunteers. Activities varied by themes of the month. For example, October's session ended with a pumpkin carving contest in which all of the students' jack-o-lanterns lined up in front of Brown for judging by adults and in November, the youth divided in three teams (as if they were on a Food Network game show) to create side dishes and desserts for a collaborative Thanksgiving meal. 

Each meeting starts with dinner, and is followed by Associate Pastor Tim Hughes of Brown Memorial "preaching" on the topic of the evening. After this the youth break out into age appropriate groups and continue the discussion, or work on a project related to it. Afterwards they reconvene to share insights and have dessert.

The March meeting will be on Palm Sunday, March 25, at Memorial in Upper Farnham Hall and will feature Middle Eastern cuisine. We encourage all to get involved, whether you have kids of the right age or not. In many ways, these are the young people who will inherit our world and it is inspiring to see them engaging it in positive ways and already laying a foundation for leading good lives of purpose. 

The view from Bolton Street

They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn *

the saving deeds that he has done.   - Psalm 22:30

This weekend the Vestry goes on retreat.  We welcome our new vestry members, Daviedra Sauldsberry, Bill Wells and Fred Demers. We welcome our new Junior Warden Bill Roberts. And we welcome some time apart to come together as a group and reflect on where God is calling Memorial in 2018 and beyond. 

Now we won’t be gone very far.  The retreat is right here in Baltimore! We will spend the bulk of our time in a community organization’s space in the Station North Neighborhood, and will do a tour of West Baltimore to become more familiar with some of the strengths and challenges of our neighboring communities.

The big focus of this retreat is a discussion about how to change the culture of our parish around children and around race.  How can we become more inviting for children and families and for people of all backgrounds — ‘becoming the Beloved Community’ as our Presiding Bishop has called us to do? 

So I am, of course, drawn to this verse from the psalms, where we remember both that we are here to make a place for those who come after us AND that we are also those unborn to those who came before us.   This reminder that the work (making known the saving deeds he has done) remains the same even as our context and our audience shifts and changes from generation to generation. 

On Sunday, The Rev. Shivaun Wilkinson will be joining us in the pulpit as she helps our congregation imagine how we can best serve those who are coming after us. An expert in the Episcopal Church in children’s formation and creating communities that embrace believers of all ages, she will be working with the vestry, parents and anyone who is interested over the next few months to help craft new programs for the children in our pews, and for the families too as we seek to create a church that continues to be a sanctuary and place of rest for kids, their parents, and all of us.

See you in Church! 

Tri-Church Lenten Series

Wednesday Ecumenical Lenten Series kicks off

Last Wednesday, February 14th, Ash Wednesday, Valentine's Day, the 2018 West Baltimore Ecumenical Lenten Series began at Memorial. A vibrant crowd of around 100 people braved the slightly less than lovely weather to listen to Rev. Dr. Bill Calhoun of Trinity Baptist preach. Dr. William Sydnor of Florida Avenue Baptist Church, in Washington D.C. made our new organ sound magnificent and Ms. Sarah Edwards of New Shiloh and Enon Baptist Churches sang the Rendition. 

Dr. Calhoun invited us all to Wonder and Wander in the Way - a reminder that we are not on this journey alone. A topical, occasionally humorous, and much needed sermon set the tone for the series and there were many cries of "Amen!" from the congregation.

This week Rev. Dr. Douglas E. Summers of Providence Baptist Church was our preacher. His message was "Pathways to Pursue". Working as a follow up to last week's wondering and wandering, Dr. Summers suggested some worthwhile pathways to help us on the way, and encouraged all to be at peace with getting lost now and then. Sometimes you have to lose yourself, to find the way. 

Dr. Sydnor again was our Organist and Music Director, and Rodney Merrick of Florida Avenue Baptist made the trek from Washington to share some truly beautiful music at the Rendition. 

After the services the assembled throngs enjoyed a wonderful meal arranged by Marjorie Forster. There were many volunteers there to make these events work and we thank all of them. It was so successful we increased our numbers by more than 50% in the second week. So if you have any inclination to help out with the luncheon, please do contact Marjorie!

The photos below will hopefully give a good idea of the day, and should encourage all who can to join us for a much needed spiritual break in the middle of the week. 

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Sunday Night Live!

Sunday, February 25 at 5:30 pm in Upper Farnham Hall

Festivities should end around 8 pm

Sunday Night Live! is a fun, lively gathering of teenagers and tweens that occurs on the fourth Sunday of each month. SNL usually happens at Brown Memorial, but due to the renovations in progress there, Memorial will be hosting in February and March.

This Sunday, the 25th, is the February meeting. All 5th to 12th graders are invited to join us for dinner and games and some good discussion about the world and our places in it. The group generally divides to discuss age appropriate topics, so all should truly feel welcome. 

We hope you, or your children, will join us this Sunday in Upper Farnham Hall at 5:30 pm - the more the merrier.

Youth Education Leadership Training

Youth Education Leadership Training Workshop at Govans Presbyterian Church on York Road

 Wednesdsay, February 21 6:30 - 8:30 pm

The program teaches:.

• A faith based program for youth on caring for Creation
• An emphasis on watershed literacy
• What faith tradition teaches about the sacredness of water
• How to be good caretakers of our environment  

Participants will receive:

• Customized training of adult volunteers from the congregation on how to lead a Vacation Bible School or Sunday School progra or other youth education program relating to watershed stewardshi
• A materials list and training packet so that congregations can continue to train future adult volunteers as they need 

Guest Preacher The Rev. Shivaun Wilkinson this Sunday

This Sunday Memorial is proud to welcome The Rev. Shivaun Wilkinson to our pulpit. Shivaun+ is an expert within the Episcopal Church at helping churches craft a culture that welcomes and engages all ages. She will be here specifically to help us figure out our Children's and Youth programming. We encourage all with kids, grand-kids, god-kids, friends who are children or who just know a kid, to come on Sunday and engage the conversation. We've made a start but there is still much work to be done, and it will take much focus and dedication from many hearts and hands to make it a success. Come be part of the start of that success this Sunday.

Black History Party with a Purpose

Join MRIA's Social Action Task Force for an afternoon of

conversation and profundity related to Black History topics

at 2018's first Party with a Purpose

Sunday, February 25, 2-5 pm at 1308 Bolton Street.

In celebration of this year's Black History Month, donations will go to two neighborhood groups: Brown Memorial Tutoring Program and Fresh at the Avenue (part of the No Boundaries Coalition).

Everyone is asked to please bring 1) wine or other beverage to share, 2) a donation ($10 suggested) that will go to the featured organizations, and 3) a reading, poem, or quote from a black author. There will be food provided and you are welcome to being your own tasty contribution to the table.

Cultural historian, music critic, and neighbor, Don Palmer, will kick off the event with a short talk. Attendees will then read their selection and ask listeners to guess who the author is. Reading selections will be available for those who don't bring one, but still want to participate.

To set the tone for the party, Don will curate a music playlist, and the featured organizations will be on hand to make short presentations.

The View from Bolton Street

“I invite you to a Holy Lent”

These words, from the invitation on Ash Wednesday, invite all of us into this peculiar season of the church year.  Some of you are thinking “Lent already?” Others “Should I give up coffee or chocolate?” and others are thinking “What even IS Lent?” All good questions to be sure — but Lent is much more than giving something up or taking something on or a time to "be sad." Lent is a season of preparation, a season to prepare us to celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ.  And for our eventual resurrection in the last days. 

For some that may mean a season of fasting and repentance for our individual and collective sins and trespasses. For others it may mean a slow walk back to church and to faith after a time away.  And for some it may mean a time of celebration and rejoicing because the Kingdom of God is finally coming near. Lent is expressed very differently in different communities — depending on their own history, collective experience, and future path.  

I invite you to reflect a bit on your own ,journey of faith.  If Jesus were to come back tomorrow what would change in your life?  Would you be called to repentance? To deeper prayer? To celebrate? To exercise more?  This is a deeply personal question — and one that you may want to spend some time with. Perhaps your journey begins at a simpler place. What does it mean to be "resurrected"? What do I believe about Jesus? 

These are good and faithful questions, worth exploring this Lent.  Deacon Vaughn and our intern Bruno will be working through many of these issues during Liturgy and Living, and we will shortly be announcing an adult "seekers" class for those who would like to spend a little more time discovering (or rediscovering) their faith this season. 

However you chose to mark this Lent, I hope you will find some time to move beyond physical acts of self-sacrifice, and move a little deeper into the spiritual and theological realm of "What do I believe?" and "What does that mean?"

Welcome to Lent.