Pedestal Gardens Polling Party - November 6, 2018

568 votes were cast at Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary School on Tuesday, exceeding the number of votes cast there in 2016. All of the books donated by Barbara Naylor were given out to kids, and they proved a great success. Lemonade, barbecue, and fun, despite the weather, were the order of the day.

Many thanks to Bill Roberts, Hannah Hutchens, Steve Howard (who provided the tent), Pam Fleming, Guy Hollyday, and The Rev. Grey Maggiano.

Seeing the Face of God training - November 3 & 4, 2018

This past Saturday and Sunday the combined vestries of Memorial and St. Katherine participated in the Diocesan program “Seeing the Face of God in Each Other”. Over the two day workshop the particpants engaged the topics of racism and reconciliation with professional facilitators. The program was fruitful and will lay the groundwork for future efforts of both churches.

Some pictures from Sunday afternoon in the church:

Sheng Zhen Gong - Healing Gong 1 & 2 - November 2018

Hi all,
Happy Halloween. And what lovely weather too!
Only four more Sheng Zhen classes are scheduled for this year. On four Thursdays in November, classes will be held at

Memorial Episcopal Church, 1407 Bolton on corner of Lafayette,

In the Upper Parish Hall, enter on the Lafayette side.

5:30-6:30 pm, Thursday evenings

November 1, 8, 15, and 29. 

There will not be class on Thanksgiving, 11/22.

This series will focus on Healing Gong stages 1 & 2, seated forms that are very powerful and yet easy to learn. This is a great place to start, and something that will help all of us as we go into the hectic holiday season.
Classes are open to everyone; beginners are welcome to drop-in anytime. You do not need to do the whole series. Please wear loose, comfortable clothing. No equipment is needed - just bring yourself and enjoy the practice.
As a creative fundraiser, 100% of the class proceeds go to Memorial Episcopal's Social Outreach Programs to support their work.  We suggest a donation of $10/class.

Classes will start up again in the New Year on Thursday, January 24, 2019. 
Please join us.

Sheng Zhen is a self-healing system focused on mindfulness in motion and in stillness. It draws and circulates qi, the life force, into the body.  As the gentle movements stimulate qi (the life force) to flow in the body, the practice calms the emotions, reduces stress, enlivens the spirit, and energizes the person.

For more information about Sheng Zhen, including writings and videos, please visit our local website, Baltimore Sheng Zhen here. 

The View from Bolton Street

Isaiah 25:6-8

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples

a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines

of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.

And he will destroy on this mountain

the shroud that is cast over all peoples,

the sheet that is spread over all nations;

he will swallow up death forever.

Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,

and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,

for the Lord has spoken.

You would be forgiven for reading this passage from Isaiah and thinking to yourself, ‘Sounds great God. But WHEN!’  Somehow the promise of a beloved community, all knitted together, where everyone can eat their fill and death is swallowed up forever is particularly hard to imagine this week. Locally, we are ending another month with more than a murder a day, nationally we had a number of violent incidents, including last Saturday’s tragic shooting at the ‘Tree of Life’ Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, there are no shortage of voices seeking to amplify the calls for violence, intimidation and fear.  We are constantly reminded of ‘dangerous caravans’, ‘violent mobs’, ‘danger youths’, and all sorts of evils that one would hope were long past us.

The irony of course is that most Americans are safer than ever; that the migrant caravan is no threat at all; that the ‘dangerous youths’ are usually carrying squeegees and window cleaner. The deeper irony is that those who are put at risk by such dangerous rhetoric are the most vulnerable among us: ethnic, religious, racial and other minorities. We saw it in Pittsburgh and Kentucky this week. And we see it in Baltimore every week, where even as murders continue to rise, it almost entirely effects only one small portion of the population - young black males.

But the factual reality of our actual safety is of little comfort to how we feel. Which is often unsettled, unmoored, lost, alone. The dream of Isaiah’s peaceable kingdom seems very far away. 

But you know what? We as Christians, and as members of Memorial, have the ability to make this true every day. Or at least once a week. Whenever you walk in the doors of Memorial Church you become part of that Beloved Community. No one is richer or poorer than the next. Salvation is a gift freely given. The table is open to all. And after there is Coffee hour! 

Now, we know that we aren’t perfect. Not everyone feels equally welcome at the table. Our congregation skews older, liberal, white and upper middle class; and we can do more to make sure people who aren’t like us feel welcome too.  But every Sunday we come out and work a little harder to be ‘That Beloved Community’ and we get a little closer.

This week, I hope you will do something to get to know or support someone different from you.  To be a living symbol of ‘the Beloved Community’ and of Memorial! Whether you #Showupforshabbat at Beth Am on Saturday, or join our joint service with St. Katherine of Alexandria on Sunday, or go out and knock on doors with No Boundaries or BUILD this weekend to encourage people to vote, or just saying hello to a neighbor down the street you have never met, it all is part of the practice of becoming the beloved community - and making Isaiah’s vision our reality.

#showupforshabbat

Dear Baltimore Friends, Colleagues, Allies and Neighbors,

Our Beth Am community is reeling as we attempt to process the devastating attack against the Jewish community and grieve the murder of 11 people during Shabbat morning services in Pittsburgh. We are appreciative of so many of you who have reached to us or to your Jewish friends, neighbors and co-workers to offer solace and support.  We also recognize that the vicious attack on a Jewish house of worship is symptomatic of the toxic xenophobia infecting American society.  Our suffering exists in a broader context of too many individuals and identity groups who have been victims of hate (including two murdered at a Kroger and over a dozen critics of the administration who received pipe bombs last week). 

Many have asked what you can do in this moment. In response, Beth Am would to invite you to join us for worship this coming Saturday morning. We will participate in a national effort to stand in solidarity with Pittsburgh and #ShowUpForShabbat.  This is an opportunity for all peace-loving Baltimoreans, Jews and their fellow travelers, allies, neighbors from and beyond Reservoir Hill, to simply show up and be counted.

In response to terror and hate, we will love. In response to violence we will pray and serve. Instead of cowering in fear, our doors will be open wide to all who wish to stand with us. The best way to counter a hateful act on our day of shalom is to add peace to the world

(I almost certainly neglected to add people to this list.  Please pass it along!  This is NOT an invitation-only event.  It’s for all who wish to make common cause and stand up for peace and justice.  And if it’s convenient to go to another shul, go there! We’re all feeling equally the loss of our fellow Jews this week).

A few things to keep in mind:

• ·Beth Am, like Tree of Life in Pittsburgh, is a Conservative synagogue. Most of our prayers are chanted, sung or said in Hebrew. Our prayer book contains a fair amount of transliteration and the whole liturgy is translated and annotated, but even when you cannot participate (for linguistic or theological reasons) we invite you to hum along, find your own words, or simply be present in body and spirit.

• ·It is customary for gentlemen to wear a kippah (head covering) which we provide and for Jewish men to wear a tallit (prayer shawl).  We are an egalitarian congregation and you will see women wearing ritual items as well.

• ·We will make a point of creating moments throughout the morning to mark the occasion, honor the dead and pray for a better America. Of course, I will address the shooting and the state of our society in my sermon.

• ·It is not uncommon for congregants to arrive later in the service.  While you are most welcome to come at 9:30 when we begin, showing up at 10:15 or 10:30 is just fine.  

• ·         We are working with the BPD to make sure adequate security is in place. Our doors being open doesn’t mean they are open to bad-actors.

• ·         Services typically conclude around 12:15, and we have a Kiddush Luncheon following services each week.  We hope you will stay and join us in the spirit of fellowship and solidarity.

We look forward to worshipping with you this Shabbat at Beth Am, and we thank you for your ongoing love, support and presence in the life of our congregation and community.

L’Shalom,

Rav Daniel

Cooking up Civics - Kids Camp at Memorial - September 5, 2018

This Monday we’ll have camp at Memorial since the city kids are out of school. If you would like to register your kid(s) for this camp day - please click here.

Look Back: Souls to the Polls Party at Linden Park Apartments

This past Sunday we joined with Linden Park Apartments for a Souls to the Polls party; registering voters and providing transportation to early voting over at the University of Maryland. Here are some photos from the day.

The Music Hall

Every month, in this space, we will hear from our new director of Music, Justine Koontz, about what we’re doing, where we going, and get a glimpse into the planning going on. Read on!

In some ways, choral conductors are the envy of the musical ensemble world.  Choirs and vocal ensembles have been around for a very, very, very long time.  The modern orchestra only came into being in the mid 18th century and concert bands came along in the following century.  But we know that choral music was probably first performed by the ancient Greeks.  Our modern SATB choir isn’t so modern—this standard ensemble first appeared in the Renaissance era.  This makes the task of choosing music a lot of fun because there is so much music to choose from.  This also makes the job very hard because there is so much music to choose from.

I’m very grateful to have found a wonderfully creative musical space at Memorial Episcopal. Memorial values a high-quality music program and has, in the past, drawn on the beautiful historical canon of the Anglican church.  However, recognizing that there is much more to sacred music than the Anglican tradition, Youngjin, the choir, and I are working to diversify the musical offerings at Memorial. 

You may have noticed an increased number of spirituals and more music taken from LEVASII.  Youngjin has played from the Western canon of piano and organ music, but has also folded in some non-western pieces including a Korean folksong arrangement.  I just placed a music order including music from South America, written by women composers, and African-American spirituals.  If we want our church to reflect the diversity that is Baltimore, then our music should, too.

Becoming Beloved Community - Part 4

Becoming Beloved Community - Part 4: Repairing the Breach in Society and Institutions

This Sunday after coffee hour we will meet in Upper Farnham Hall to engage the fourth, and last, part of the Becoming Beloved Community program. The core questions we will be looking at this Sunday are:

• What institutions and systems are broken?

• How will we participate in the repair, restoration and healing of people, institutions and systems?

We hope that many of you will stay after coffee hour and join in this important discussion.

Look Back: Postcard Party

Get Out The Vote (GOTV) was energetic and successful after church last Sunday. Steve produced names and addresses of hundreds of people who have a mixed record of coming out to vote. Hannah produced a comparable number of postcards. Nearly two dozen Memorialites put the addresses on about 850 cards. So if the press reports a surge in turnout this year, you know the source. 

It was fun. It was productive in a very important election season. Many at the table are deeply involved in the election in a variety of ways. It's all part of Memorial's on-going commitment to connect personally to the quest for Justice. The next Justice event will be on October 28 at Linden Park as we gather to share fellowship and offer rides to early voting. Volunteers are still needed to help with both rides and fellowship. You may contact Hannah Hutchens for more information.

On November 5 at 6:30 pm we will hold an Election Eve prayer service. We hope all will come, pause in the midst of a very divisive campaign, finding peace in the Memorial community and pray for thoughtfulness as we vote and wisdom for those we elect.