The View From Bolton St
“What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.”
This is a great week to be a priest. Or at least a great week to be your priest! On friday we rehearse for Jeffrey and Jennifer’s Wedding, on Saturday we celebrate the big day, on Sunday we baptize baby Eleanor Grace Leeds, and then we start preparing for the Boltonstock Festival on Saturday and the Bishop’s visitation on Pentecost and four confirmations that day.
Lots of Fellowship, Joy, Blessing and Peace coming up. And a big part of why it is such a joy to be with you all at Memorial. Because we are a community that cares for about Jesus and about each other.
And it is not inconsequential that in the midst of that, we are taking time on June 5th as a community to get trained in the use of NARCAN - a life saving drug that can bring joy, blessing and peace to people in their worst moments. It is one example of how we can be better neighbors to our wider neighborhood. Because in the midst of these many celebrations over the next few weeks - we are also not unaware that there is a lot of sorrow surrounding us. Especially as the weather gets warmer, schools close for the summer, and life gets a little bit harder for those on the margins in our city. This escalation perhaps calls something out of us as neighbors — to seek to lessen those burdens, to build relationships, to create more joy and more blessing, more fellowship and more peace among all of our neighbors here in Baltimore.
In the story of the Good Samaritan it was not the priest or the scholar or the relative that was the ‘good neighbor’ - it was the anonymous passerby who shared the love of Christ with the stranger. So I hope you will join us for all of these celebrations, for all of these opportunities to share joy, love and hope with our neighbors, and to make more friends out of strangers.
Baltimore Pride 2019
Join Memorial Church at the 2019 Baltimore LGBTQ PRIDE Parade on Saturday, June 15, 2019. We will be marching in the Faith Communities of Baltimore With PRIDE Division, the largest division in the parade. You can march in the parade, then volunteer to assist with the other events taking place during the day. For further information, please contact Dave Hansen @ hansendavid743@gmail.com or 410-622-6570.
Baltimore Environmental Stewardship Summit
The View From Bolton St
Peter’s Guide to Difficult Conversations
The Book of Acts includes many ‘conversion’ stories. While we tend to focus on Paul’s dramatic conversion from chief persecutor of the early Church to its leading advocate around the world; Peter’s conversion on the inclusion of gentiles in the nascent Christian Community is equally important.
In Peter’s ‘conversion’ we can find a good model for having conversations around difficult issues that we all can use - NOT to change people’s minds necessarily — but to open up the conversation so that voices can be heard and hearts can be opened.
Peter’s model has four steps: Pray, Go, Support, and Reflect
Prayer: Peter’s first engagement with the Gentiles begins when he is in prayer and has a vision about eating unclean food. Because Peter’s friends new him to be a man of prayer they took this vision seriously.
Go: Peter (and God) knew that a conversation with the Gentiles would be difficult - but that it would me much better on their turf. If you know you have to have a hard conversation with someone, GO TO THEM. You take the risk. It shows you care and creates a comfortable place for the other.
Support: Peter brings six friends with him when he goes to Caesarea Phillipi. They serve two purposes: 1) to back him up and 2) to vouch for him with their friends back home. Often our big fear in these conversations is not the other, it’s what our friends will say about us! Bring friends you trust to support you.
Reflect: finally, at the end peter brings it back to Jesus’ baptism and the beginning of his story. Root these conversations in your personal faith story and life experience. Don’t leave it out there but make it part of your story, honor your history and your future. This also ensures that you don’t stray too far from what you believe or who you are.
This fairly simple pattern that Peter offers is one we can use today. Whether the issue is immigration, crime, racism, abortion or what to have for dinner — this pattern I hope will help you engage in more challenging and more productive conversations going forward.
The View From Bolton St
Things Are Bad: Now what?
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35
For many of us, things in the wider world, around the country and even here in the city seem impossibly bad. Love seems to be in short supply. Between the murder rate and the ongoing cyber-attack in Baltimore, to laws attacking a women’s right to choose and separating families at the border; to our escalating anti-immigrant policies and movements toward yet another war in the Middle East and in Asia, it is hard to see the good.
And for a few of us here at Memorial, our individual, family and communal lives are equally troubled and challenging. Unexplainable death, loss, illness and separation.
SO what do we do?
A good first step is to take a DEEP breath.
It’s bad. It’s really bad. But you are still here. Let’s keep it that way.
Now look around. Are your people still here? Good. Love them. And let them love you.
Now let’s... carefully.... look out there.
What do you see? Jerks. Probably.
You might see them in Washington. Or In Alabama. You might see them in an angry family member. A crappy neighbor. You might see them in a terrifying new law or an unfair justice system.
The world is filled with jerks.
Okay now look up. (Or out. Or over. Or at a tree. Or wherever you see the Divine)
What do you see? God.
And God is so very good to us.
Loving us unconditionally. For all time. Forever. And loving the jerks too.
Now look back the other way. You have your family, friends and people in one place. And jerks in the other direction; and if you have to pick two of these three — which are you picking?
God and Family(blood, chosen, adopted, borrowed), right? Hold tight to that family and to that God. And trust that God will Shepherd us through the pain and grief and trauma and carry us through to the other side.
I’m not saying forget about the jerks! They are terrifying. And they may pose a real danger to you and to people you love. Maybe not today but someday. But don’t make them the focus of your energy either. Because that is what they want. And that is what the devil wants. To leave you depleted. Tired. Angry. Alone. And disengaged from the world. From your network. From your God.
Don’t let the Devil win.
It’s okay to lean back on God and on your people. Sometimes, we need a shepherd, after all.
It is true that things may be bad right now, but your anger won’t fix that.
But the collective love, care, compassion and support of your community, your God and the guidance of your Shepherd(s) — May just help you to find a new path and a new way forward. Because there is a lot of GOOD out there too. In this community, in your community and all throughout God’s Kingdom. And we have a Shepherd in Jesus who is so very good to us, that he will walk with us through that suffering and bring us safely home.
Samaritan Community Gala!
Please Join
The Samaritan Community at Its
Movie Night Gala at The Charles
Please join Samaritan Community for an evening of food, fun, and film at its annual Movie Night Gala. Enjoy tasty food from Tapas Teatro, decadent desserts, our highly-anticipated
silent auction, and a marvelous movie of your choice at the historic Charles Theatre.
All proceeds benefit Samaritan Community and its human services programs.
WHEN:
Monday, May 20, 2019
Reception starts at 5:45 pm
Showtimes vary, starting at 7 pm
WHERE:
The Charles Theatre
1711 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
COST:
$75 per Regular ticket
($45 tax-deductible)
$100 per Patron ticket
($70 tax-deductible)
For more information about Samaritan Community, visit www.samaritancommunity.org
To purchase tickets, visit www.samaritancommunity.org/charles-2019
Memorial's Next Century Circle
On Sunday, March 31, we celebrated at a recognition tea the members of Memorial’s Next Century Circle. The Circle represents those who have included Memorial in their estate plans …
Seth Blackshaw, Beth Casey, Barbara Cates, Becky Clark, Fred Demers, Lois Eldred, Marian Grant, Monty Howard, Steve Howard, Earl Huch, Nancy Kelso, Connie Lieder, Grey and Monica Maggiano, Jesse Milan, Louise Miller, Bill Roberts, Paul Seaton, John Seeley, and Wendy Yap.
We were joined by The Reverend Charles Cloughen, planned giving official for the Diocese.
Many thanks to all for their loyal support.
Liturgy and Living
May 12th- Diocesan Convention Discussion
May 19th- Discussion on the Monument Quilt
May 26th- No L&L
June 2nd- Opioid Epidemic Discussion
June 9th- Bishop Visit!
Boltonstock 2019!
Boltonstock will be held in Sumpter park from 5-10PM on June 8th, 2019.
Events include:
-Bolton Idol featuring performances from our own Baltimore City Kids! Guest Judges TBA
-Kids crafts activities
-Food & Beverages
-Music from the Scotch Bonnets (Ska/Raggae)
-Community Organization Meet and Greets
-Local Vendors
Are you able to attend and help? Please let Fin or Hannah know!
Email Youth@memorialepiscopal.org