The View From Bolton St

The View From Bolton Street

The Pain of the Gospel

For I wrote to you out of much distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.But if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but to some extent—not to exaggerate it—to all of you. 2 Corinthians 2:4-5

Warning: this post contains conversations about sexual abuse, trauma and anti LGBT activism.

This week we have witnessed a tremendous amount of pain meted out in the ‘so-called’ name of Jesus.  From the continuing revelations of abuse in the Catholic Church, to the Southern Baptist efforts to cover up sexual abuse in their denomination, to the Methodist Church’s determination to marginalize and isolate LGBT and LGBT affirming Christians within their tradition - it has been a painful week in the Church.  So these lines from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians are especially poignant: that when pain is inflicted in the name of Jesus it does not hurt the religious leaders — but it hurts all of you. So like Paul I write to you this week out of distress and anguish, not my distress, but the distress of the whole Christian Community.  

We all suffer in these moments, and we should, as a faith community, take special stock in those who suffer the most today; those who are reminded of their own abuse and isolation, those who worry it could happen again, and those who have been told they are ‘less than’ as Christians AND as people for who they are or who they love.

Perhaps most of all, we should remember that for far too long, and still today in some corners of the world, the issue of LGBT equality and child abuse have been conflated. Far too many people still believe that child abuse is a result of the acceptance of LGBT inclusion, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, careful study of scientific literature and of scripture informs us that it is the opposite.  Child abuse, particularly child sexual abuse, is about power, authority and control. It is criminal and it is evil. Not being an expert on psychology, let me instead speak about the scriptural and moral aspects of this.

A good amount of scripture that is used to argue against gay marriage is actually about sexual abuse.  Whether it is the abuse of children, women, the poor, the foreigner, the outcast. Throughout scripture God takes great care to remind us that we must protect the physical sanctity of the body from those who would see to violate it using their strength, wealth, political or religious authority.  And yet it is often those very authority figures that take advantage of ‘the least of these’ while sidelining important scriptural discussions of sexual morality to only be about two consenting adults in loving relationships.

This week we have seen what happens when these teachings are co-opted and this message distorted on both sides.  The allowance/ignoring of sexual assault on the one hand, and the marginalization and degradation of the LGBT community on the other.  A sad, sad moment for the Church Universal.

It is tempting, of course, to say that the. Episcopal Church is innocent in all of this. And while I agree that we are better at inclusion and have strong policies in place to prevent abuse — this is a good moment to take a look at what we do here at Memorial and in the broader church to ensure that we are living out the full gospel story in word and deed.  We will continue to, from an internal policy and external advocacy perspective, look at how we can do more to make the world safer for Children and our church more inclusive for the whole of. the. LGBT+ community.

Seminarian Corner

Seminarian Corner

February 27, 2019

Lent is almost here! It may be surprising to think of being excited about Lent. I grew up, as many of you may have, believing that Lent is a time to give up something that I love – chocolate, potato chips, tv, etc. But let’s think about this… for the five weeks in Lent, we are already preparing ourselves for loss. We know that we are about to lose someone we love very much, Jesus Christ. And for the five weeks of Lent, we get to decide how to prepare ourselves for that. What if we could look at this time of the liturgical year as an opportunity to expand ourselves in love? What if we could open ourselves to things that make us draw closer to Jesus? There will be several opportunities to do just that during Lent with our church community, beginning this week at Liturgy and Living, at 9:30 in LFH. Come and learn about all that Lent can be, from new and contemporary Stations of the Cross to weekly speakers who will challenge you to consider the realities of our world and our place in it. I hope we can be together this Lent, supporting each other to find new and deeper ways to connect with Christ and with who we are as the Body of Christ.

-Jill Williams

Sight and Sound Theater "Jesus"

Experience the musical stage adventure about the most famous person to ever walk the earth and the every day people whose lives he changed forever.

When: Thursday, March 21, 2019

Where: 300 Hartman Bridge Rd, Ronks, PA 17572

Donation: $160- price includes transportation, cost of ticket, lunch @ Shady Maples, Shopping

Bus will be leaving from St. Katherine Episcopal Church, 2001 Division st. @ 8:00am

Contact: nyndyn25@yahoo.com- Lynda Siggers

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.

For February it will be the last Wednesday the 27th! Hope to see you there!

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

-Hannah :)

Memorial's Creation Team Update

Wednesday e-blast offering on behalf of Memorial’s Creation Care Team

My name is Nampoina Randrianarivelo. I am a 17-year-old senior at The Bryn Mawr School (Baltimore) who worships at Memorial and assists with the Children’s Chapel, as you may know.   

I believe our community can participate more in the growing movement of environmental sustainability.

One senior elective I take is a course titled “AP Environmental Science.” In this course I am constantly exposed to the ways in which we are often not very kind to the land which has granted us the space to grow and thrive. Every day I am challenged to question my own use of resources, and how I can influence others to be wary of their own. I have also become more aware of the complacency within our own government which is generally stuck in outdated facts and thoughts about global warming. Yes, global warming is indeed real. No, we should not wait until things get worse because it is presently happening now.

I was recently thinking about snow days. Did you know that this February, the island of Maui experienced one of the rarest weather events? It snowed! Who would’ve thought that an island in the Central Pacific that is part of the Hawaiian archipelago would experience snow especially since average February temperatures range from 70°-55°. However, this isn’t the first physical change in “weather” we have seen. Climate change is happening right now and we will be part of the fight to save our Earth. I will continue to fight because I know how important the Earth is to me, my community, all life forms big and small, and generations to come.

So I ask you, members of the Memorial Community. What can we do to continue the work? How can we work together to make the Memorial space a greener environment? How can we teach our young ones the importance of taking care of the environment? Because to take care of what we have now is to assure that Memorial will be here in 50 years as a space that will always be welcoming for all.

One small step for mankind starts with being aware of your impact. You could try substituting plastic cups with recycled paper products, or, even better, washable mugs and cups! Instead of using plastic utensils, try washable utensils! Bring reusable tote bags when you go grocery shopping; you can even customize them yourself! I ask you to rethink the way you dump food into your trashcan. Could you have done more with it? How about for those of you who have children or grandchildren who love making you drawings until they completely fill up your fridge and all counter space. If you’re thinking of tidying up (discreetly, of course), why not recycle it? If you are unsure of what or how to recycle, simply google “how to recycle in,” and specify the county or city you live in.

Battling climate change is not done in a day and the problem does not have one simple solution. However, I urge you all to take action today and care for all of God’s creations.

The View From Bolton St.

“Follow the Yellow Brick Road....to Jesus?”

It is a joy, as it is every year, to watch Memorial Player’s productions come to life.  From the very beginning of dance and music practice in the upstairs parish hall to the final run-throughs on stage before opening night. Over the years we have seen Annie find a family, we have dealt with race issues in america and class issues overseas, we’ve imagine fairy tale worlds where things aren’t what they seem, and found news ways to interpret stories from our own holy scriptures.  So it is perhaps significant that this year we spend two weeks in O contemplating what it means to be ‘home’ and that we do this with a very racially and gender diverse cast.  

Dorothy leaves Kansas the same way many of us encounter the world today - frustrated with the way things are, annoyed that change isn’t happening fast enough, but almost hopeless that things can get better.  ‘It just is’ - whether we are dealing with difficult family, snake oil political and business leaders, or just plain old evil people.   But in her travels through Oz - and confronting directly some of those same evils! She is able to find courage, heart,  wisdom and most of all community to create a better world.  

That is my hope for us at Memorial.  That we may come here from different walks of life, different backgrounds and experiences, even different faith journeys; and that we may come really unsure if we can ever make a substantive difference in the world.  But - that together as we grow our faith,  explore what it means to follow Jesus, and come to believe and understand that resurrection was possible than and remains a possibility now — we can make a new ‘home’.  
We are reminded in Galatians that we are ‘Children of the Promise.’ This promise of a New Jerusalem where we are no longer judged by the color of our skin, by where come from, by who we are or who we love, but instead we are recognized only and exclusively as Children of God, sharing the same courage, same heart, and same wisdom. So as you come to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ - I encourage you to think about what ‘Oz’ looks like for you?  What is the kind of home you imagine when you close your eyes and imagine the people of God together in harmony?  And how can you help Memorial embody that not just on Friday and Saturday nights for two weeks - but on Sunday Mornings for the rest of the year. 

Ash Wednesday Service

Ash Wednesday Services

7:00am- Memorial Episcopal Church

7:30pm- Tri- Church Service with a Joint Choir hosted by Corpus Christi!

Questions Email office@memorialepiscopal.org

Tri-Church Lenten Study

‘A Priest, A Minister and a Pastor Walk into a...’ — You don’t usually associate comedy with Lent, but humor is often a good way to highlight some of the most troubling and difficult parts of our traditions and bring them to light.  Join us this season as Father Marty, Rev. Grey and Pastor Foster-Connors each look at how their traditions are portrayed in comedy and cinema and television to explore what some of our biggest sins are as traditions and to explore how we can become better reflections of the Church and of Jesus going forward. 

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.

For February it will be the last Wednesday the 27th! Hope to see you there!

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

-Hannah :)

Music Hall

As a musician, I wear many hats. Currently, one of those hats is after-school music teacher at Mt. Royal School.  After our Tuesday staff meeting, I haul my steel-string guitar, various random sheets of music, and a copy of LEVAS over to the stark but spirited music room at Mt. Royal.

I’ve been a substitute teacher with the Carroll County schools for about a year, and I know I’m spoiled by their system.  In the elementary schools, all class levels enjoy one hour of “specials” each day, including P.E., music, art, and health.  But it sounds like exposure to the arts at Mt. Royal –and at many city public schools -- is sadly infrequent. To help remedy the problem, I applied for a teaching grant from Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, which enables me to work with a handful of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders once a week on music, specifically, vocal music.

It has been difficult to decide what to work on in the brief hour that I see the students each week, especially what repertoire to sing.  As my inspiration, I’m using Black History Month, the social justice movement that is sweeping the choral world, and Memorial’s dedication to talking about difficult topics.  Our repertoire focuses on songs of the civil rights movement. The kids have learned “This Little Light of Mine,” “This Train is Bound for Glory,” and “We Shall Not Be Moved.”  They’re covering the basics of good vocal technique and reading music. They’re experiencing history through song. As we are searching for a communal repertoire that addresses how we feel in these divisive days, I’m hoping that these songs, through the voices of our children, lead the way to better community dialogue.

-Justine Koontz