Baltimore Pride Needs Volunteers

The Baltimore Pride Parade will be Saturday, June 15th this year.   One of our parishioner’s, Richard Finger, is the Parade Committee Chair for the GLCCB, and is seeking up to 60 volunteers to assist in various capacities.   Prior to the main Parade event, there will be the high-heel race, as well as the Pet Parade. We will need judges for the pet parade and the main parade, as well as emcees.  Throughout the morning, we will need volunteers to stand along the parade route, keeping the crowd in check, as well as assisting with ensuring the flow of parade participants in 3 staging areas. We will also need volunteers to act as sign checkers (to thwart off those wanting to carry anti-LGBTQ+ messages).

If you wish to volunteer for Baltimore Pride with another committee, there are several to choose from: Entertainment , Events, Vendors, Marketing (Arts & Communication), and Logistics.  For more information, visit the GLCCB 2019 Baltimore Pride Facebook page. The first volunteer learning session will be Wednesday April 3, 2019 @ 6pm. The location is the GLCCB offices: 2350 N Charles Street, 3rd Floor.

More details and information will be provided as available.

-Richard Finger

Children's Corner

Hello!

A lot has been happening during this past month with the kids. We were able to give them a room to start calling their own on Sundays! The library has really helped in giving them ownership of Sundays. We also have started Friendship Hour! This is a great formation time before the service. The kids have really started liking having more time with each other.

Our biggest day this month was making the vision poster for the kids. Some people asked me how we did it and I was quick to correct that I didn’t, they did. They planned all these things without my help and I could not be more proud! This group of kids are truly remarkable and we are already in early planning stages for the Kid’s Gala. We are very excited for this year and I promise to keep everyone posted on how you can help!

As always feel free to email me with any questions youth@memorialepiscopal.org

-Hannah :)

Episcopal Advocacy Day!

Episcopal Advocacy Day in Annapolis is quickly approaching. Join us in Annapolis on Wednesday February 6, 2019 to learn about our legislative priorities such as clean energy jobs, the environment, affordable health insurance, criminal justice reform and more! Meet your legislators and network with your peers. Breakfast and Lunch will be provided.  8:30 am-2:00 pm

Register here: https://episcopalmaryland.org/episcopal-advocacy-day-is-february-6-in-annapolis-join-us/.

The Justice Committee from Memorial has been well represented at previous Annapolis Advocacy Days.  Interested In joining us? Please register above and contact Lois Eldred at loiseldred12@gmail.com so we can coordinate transportation.  

Liturgy and Living

Come join the Rector in our Formation hour before church! Hope to see you there!

Volunteers Needed!

Hello!

Samaritan Community is looking for volunteers who can pick up food donations from Whole Foods Market Mt. Washington on either Mondays or Thursdays and deliver the donations to The Samaritan Community. Because the food donations are usually large, volunteers need either a relatively large SUV, mini-van or a pickup truck of any size. The arrival time at Whole Foods Mt. Washington is anytime between 7:45am and 9:15am. The loading of the donations takes some strength and about 20 to 30 minutes of time. Samaritan staff and volunteers are able to help with unloading the vehicles when they arrive. Samaritan staff is happy to meet volunteers at Whole Foods and show them how the donation pickup process works. The entire time required to load vehicles, deliver the food to Samaritan Community and have the vehicles unloaded is usually around one hour.

Please email Peter Dunn if you are interested in helping on either day or if you have any questions. pdunn@samaritancommunity.org

Many Thanks!

The View from Bolton St.

“Be Thou My Vision”

Memorial’s Future: A Model Parish for the 21st Century

I want to ask you a question.  Do you want Memorial to be here in 20 years? In 50? In 100?

This seems like an easy question — but its not.  I mean we all want to say yes. But spend some time thinking about what this really means.

50 years ago Memorial. 1969.  Memorial was one of the last bastions of southern conservatism in this city.  Most segregationists and Jim Crow partisans had already moved out of the city or into northern suburbs. Or become more entrenched in traditionally ‘white’ areas of the city. We were still opening advocating for segregated neighborhoods. Segregated schools. Segregated lives.

We were down to maybe 20 or so active members. And the ‘bounds’ of what we called ‘Bolton Hill’ were very small.  From Lanvale to McMechen, and Bolton to Park Ave.

It took new leadership, with new vision, new hope and in many ways a new theology of the Church AND the Kingdom of God to ensure this place made it the next 50 years.

Now I don’t say all this just to bring up ‘dirt from the past’ or to ‘harp on the ‘race stuff’ again’. But to draw your eyes to how serious a question this is.  ‘Do you want Memorial to be here in 50 years?’ Is another way of saying ‘are you willing, prepared, able for this place to change radically, drastically, in order for that to happen.’

And you may think ‘eh we don’t need to change THAT much. Things are pretty okay.’ And that’s true. We might be okay for ten years. Or 15 years. But the landscape for churches in Baltimore and in the US is very challenging.

I will spell out some of those challenges BUT - first let me give you a little secret to start. I think that Memorial can be just fine. And moreover that we can become a leading example of a thriving 21st century Episcopal Church.   And I’ll tell you why.

But, first the Challenges.

The Challenges

7 Episcopal Churches within 1 mile of us. 16 within 3 miles.

Three Beautiful Churches within two blocks, all with Similar politics, theology, and membership.

We are 95% white in a city that is 65-70% African American.

We inhabit an aging physical plant with increasing and escalating capital costs.

We have a very small endowment, and no large benefactors able to keep us going on their own.

Younger generations have less wealth than those before them and are much more transient.  So the young people we cultivate in this church are more than likely going to become active members and leaders in churches in Detroit, Miami, New York,  Los Angeles, - even Cincinnati. But unlikely to be here.

Church participation is decreasing across the board.

Baltimore has a declining population, a rising crime rate, and what can only be described as a dearth of serious political leadership.

The Potential

As Christians we believe that challenges like this are not new, and indeed offer up the potential to do great things.  Its no worse than the challenge facing churches in the 1700’s in England, when Church attendance had fallen to almost negligible levels. And not nearly as bad as what faces Christians in the Middle East and China today.  But it does require a response.

The reality is that we can longer operate as we did in the 19th century. Or the 20th century.  We need to take a forward looking view of the Church and the World if we want to continue as a viable institution in the 21st century.  

We can’t afford to be a niche church for middle class white liberals.

We can’t afford to ignore the communities around us - in worship, ministry or community.

We can’t pretend that race doesn’t matter at those doors or in this city.

We can’t be afraid to grow, and to invite others to be a part of that growth.

We can’t be afraid of the change that inevitably comes with growth.

We ALSO have a tremendous opportunity before us.  In 2021 the entirety of the Episcopal Church will be coming to Baltimore.  More than 10,000 Episcopalians will descend on the Inner Harbor for General Convention 2021 and they will be looking for ‘Good News’.  In fact the Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has already declared that the focus and theme of 2021 will be Racial Reconciliation. And everyone will be looking for examples of how to do that because if you haven’t noticed, we haven’t quite gotten it right yet.

So what would it be LIKE - if every person who came to General Convention wanted to come here to see what YOU were doing?

What would it be LIKE - if every vestry wanted to follow our vestry’s model for leadership and change?

What would it be LIKE - if every Church wanted to imitate what we are doing with schools, community orgs, neighbors, etc.?

What would it be LIKE - if every Episcopalian wanted to know Jesus like we know Jesus? Study the Bible like we study the Bible?  Grow in faith like we are growing in Faith?

Our advantages

Small community in a big city.

Long history of partnership.

Already very good at sharing space.  

‘Sanctified by its use’ understanding of worship space

Broad understanding of membership

Have lived out a commitment to inclusivity uninterrupted for the better part of 40 years.

What Holds us Back?

Thin theology.

Understanding and Engagement with Scripture

Embedded Structural Racism

And Having a heart for Jesus

You see all those things I listed as problems above? They aren’t really problems for us.  They don’t make it easy, sure. They could torpedo the whole thing. But that isn’t what is holding us back.

It is our thin theology that is holding us back.

You see most American churches. Certainly most Episcopal Churches are built on a ‘if you build it they will come theology.’

Have good services, a Nice building, well prepared bulletins, a full calendar of programs, good ministries and people will show up.  Start a school for some extra cash. And make it work.

Very little talk about Jesus. Very little talk about the Kingdom of God. Very little talk about scripture.

The result? Social clubs! Which is why if you look at Episcopal churches you have ‘the country club church’ ‘the horse church’ ‘the lower middle class church’ ‘the young kids church’ ‘the gay church’ ’ ‘justice church’ and if you are Lucky in most dioceses ‘the black church’.

But the problem with this model of Church success is that.... we don’t need it anymore! (Also its bad theology and an affront to Jesus)

We don’t need because other people do it better. And no one wants a Church that does something less well than they can get it on the open market.  

And that thin theology has made racism acceptable. Tolerable. Normal. You see ‘thin theology’ allows cracks to form in our formation where racism can continue to creep in. Because it has been a part of the Church not just Memorial but the whole American Church for so long, since Columbus!, that it is difficult to stamp out. We must devote more time to breaking down the realities of white supremacy in our own institutions in order to become the Kingdom of God Jesus is looking for.

Which means we should spend LESS time trying to repeat what the secular world does, and more time doing what God is asking of us. We don’t need Church happy hours - not just because it sends the wrong message and it leaves no space for those in recovery and it could lead to some really problematic things happening.. we don’t need church happy hours because bars are REALLY good at happy hours!

Church no longer needs to be a place where people can find jobs, relationships, investment clubs, etc. Etc. Because other people do those things better. There is an app for that!  

But there is no app for coming close to Jesus. There is no app for ending racism.   

These are the kinds of things the world needs us for.  These are the kind of things that Baltimore needs us for.

And this is what I am asking you all to commit to today.

To becoming a Jesus Centered, Justice focused congregation.

To committing to becoming a Racial Reconciling Congregation.

So where COULD we go?  Okay close your eyes. Imagine it is three years in the future. Memorial’s congregation is something like 50/50 black white.  On any given Sunday there are 200 some people in the congregation. Our church doubles as a conference venue, a yoga studio, a concert hall and a children’s center in the summer. Memorial players does a summer kids camp and produces plays not only here but in the newly opened ‘Transfiguration Center’ on Eutaw Place.  Samaritan Community is running a cooking course for people coming out of the Criminal Justice System and getting 100+ people employed a year. After a period of discernment Memorial has decided to remove the plaques to the slave owners that built this Church, and as a beginning step offers free space use to the Baltimore NAACP. We are on the verge of, at the 2021 annual meeting, voting on changing the name of Memorial to Transfiguration - as we become yoked to a historically black parish here in Baltimore.  We may already have a co-rector or associate Rector we are sharing with another congregation.

The line between neighborhood and church is so blurry its hard to tell where one begins and the other ends.  

Most importantly, neighbors and strangers, black and white, see Memorial as a leader not only in making Baltimore a livable city today, but in working to repair and restore the evils done in the past in the name of Jesus - the evils of segregation, of Jim Crow, of racism, and of the continue impact that structural racism has had at Memorial, In Bolton Hill and in Baltimore.

Asw e continue to undue all the evils of our past.,To work back on those issues we will be able not always to reverse, the damage - but to heal, to restore and to reconnect. And in the process we can become leaders in this effort. Leading the community. Leading the city.  But with good theology. Leading to a better church and a better world.

The View From Bolton St.

“Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:12-13

What part do you play? What is your role in this drama?  

As a parish with a long history of performance, we should be well versed in the peculiarities of the theater. The ‘show’ is never just about the people on the stage, and often the people who get the most recongnition on stage are the least responsible for what has actually happened on it.  The song doesn’t sound as great if the lights aren’t up, the mics are on, the stage isn’t set and the acoustics aren’t perfect.  The impact isn’t the same if the paint colors are off or the entrance is ill timed or the curtains aren’t open all the way.  The beautiful part of watching a Memorial players production come to life is not the stunning applause after the big solo or the final curtain call - it is seeing a band of relative strangers become one body, one unit.  It is the Assistiant Director saying ‘saying Ready in five’ and 50 people responding ‘thank you five’. It is a room of actors and tech people and musicians and light engineers and stagehands and parents holding hands backstage to say thank you to each other and to God for this opportunity.  

And everyone has a role to play in the drama.  

And everyone has a role to play in THIS drama.  In the continuing life and ministry of Memorial Church here in Bolton Hill.  Whether you have been here for ten minutes or ten years or a lifetime, you are important to our work, to our common life together. And while the right hand may not like what the left hand is doing, they both recognize the value in the other, and the need for the other to be there.  These readings about the Body of Christ are the perfect preparation for our annual meeting because they remind us that we do this for God and with God and with each other.  And when we believe that we do it with each other we are empowered by the spirit to make it happen.  

As we look back on all the incredible things accomplished over the last year - feeding hundreds of people at Linden Park, shutting down an active drug corner with a party and games on Ceasefire weekend, hosting more than 100 people every Wednesday in Lent for the Joint Lenten Series, Organizing our first Summer Kids Camp in many years, starting an after school program at Mt. Royal School, expanding our church membership and attendance, welcoming a new deacon and Seminarian - these are not things that we thought were possible in 2016.  But working together, as the hands and feet of Christ, we have been able to accomplish them. And do them well. 

Now notice what Paul does not say!  He doesn’t put a litmus test on the body of Christ. There is no ‘well that finger hasn’t been around long enough. That toe isn’t the right color. That spleen isn’t the right age. Even the pieces we don’t think matter, the appendix, the gall bladder, have a part to play - just as those who don’t think they matter outside this place, matter inside. Whoever you are out there, in here you are nothing more or less than a child of God. Just as the rest of us are. 

So friends, I invite you this week to ponder the spirits work in your life, and also what your role in THIS Body of Christ might be.  Are you called to assist with communications? With fighting the opioid epidemic? With leading worship? With spearheading our justice ministry? With reading from the lectern or serving on the altar?  Maybe setting up the flowers? All these possibilities and more exist - and God (and the rest of us) are just waiting for you to step into those shoes.

Family Night Dinner

Welcome!

Every third Wednesday Memorial will be having a Family Night Dinner. We welcome everyone. There will be programing for Adults and Children! At Memorial we see this night as intergenerational. Please come if you have small kids, grown kids, or no kids. This formation night is laid back and pretty informal to leave space for connection. We welcome you to our table.

If you have any questions, thoughts concerns please don’t hesitate to email youth@memorialepiscopal.org

-Hannah :)

The View From Bolton St.

“No, I’m not too busy to meet with you!” 

It’s that time of year.  Finishing up budgets, beginning new programs, transitioning staff, preparing for the annual meeting, expanding engagements in the community, getting ready for lenten programs with other churches, looking forward to Holy Week and Easter...there is a lot going on.  And it is the time of year when I hear the same thing, “I know you are busy but...”

And I always respond the same way. “I am not too busy for you!”   So I wanted to take a moment in this weeks reflection to let you all know that I really am NOT too busy too meet with you, to connect with you, to hear what is on your mind and your heart.  The role of pastor is primarily to help connect people to God, to serve as a bridge between you and the divine. We offer this in many ways, through worship, through bible study, through service to the community, through our prayer ministry and through individual and small group pastoral sessions as necessary. And we can always do more of this if there is interest. 

Things are, of course, busy here at Memorial. There is always a lot going on.  We are (and have always been) a small church with a big church mind-set. Which is wonderful.  But when it comes to the things that really matter; the thing that matters the most to me are your hearts, your souls, and your relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.   All the other things are of course important, but between ensuring the bulletin is checked and this newsletter goes out on time and your soul, I will pick your soul everytime. 

Mt. Royal Vocal Music Program

This week Memorial started a music program over at Mt. Royal. The students will learn the basics of singing in a chorus and a selection of songs centered on Black History Month. This is a free Choral program for Mt. Royal that Justine Koontz will be leading.