Emmaus ECC Newsletter
A Wonderful Way to Be Catholic
August 15, 2014
Come celebrate with us.  Doors open at 9:30, and Mass begins at 10:30 am.
  The Path
In This Issue
The Gospel
Next Presiding Bishop?
Contemplative prayer and Scripture study
20th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Ecumenical Catholic Communion
Schedule
Regional Meetings
Interfaith Works
Matthew 15: 21-28                     
Cannanite woman

 

The
disciples couldn't hinder
 that courageous Canaanite woman,
nor religious boundaries, nor gender rules,
when she told him
her needs,

Dear Lord,
give us faith like this wonderful woman.
Make us persistent, even pushy,
fearless, and creative,
 whatever it
takes.

Let us hear, "O, great is your faith.
Let it be done for you
 as you wish"
said to
us






 

The Center for Liturgy Sunday

 

READINGS 

   


Quick Links
 
 
 
Join Our Mailing List
Who will be
the next
Presiding Bishop?

Mthr. Kae Madden
See Resume 
or

    Fr. Frank Krebs     

?????? 

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Remember to view videos of the Synod on our website and on our Facebook Page.
::

Remember to bring something for the food bank!
::

Please know that you can email us your Prayer Requests.
::

Mass at 10:30 am on Sundays.

Contemplative Prayer and Scripture Study
prayer and scripture
  Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:00 pm in the Sacred Space. Meeting every week alternating each week with Contemplative Prayer and Scripture study.  

Recommended books:

Open Mind, Open Heart: a Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel by Rev. Thomas Keating.  

 

Prayer: Our Deepest Longing by Rev. Ronald Rolheiser.  

 

 

For more information contact Fr. David.  

::
Emmaus ECC
Celebrating God's wonderful diversity
                                

Greetings.  Be sure to read the minutes from the last meeting of the Exploratory Committee for the Formation of a Diocese.  They are below in this newsletter. Basically, what you need to know is that we are going forward toward the election of a bishop for our region.  A nominating/election committee has been formed and we can expect to hear from them in the near future. 

Speaking of meetings, we will have a community business meeting after mass this Sunday.  If you have any questions after reading the minutes mentioned above, bring them to this meeting.  Also, lets talk about the candidates for Presiding Bishop.   Are you beginning to have a preference for one or the other? 

See information from Father Frank HERE
See information from Mother Kae HERE.

See the official invitation to the 2014 Synod HERE.  We will elect our next Presiding Bishop at this Synod.  Please pray that the Holy Spirit will help with the discernment so that we choose wisely. 

If you or someone you know is looking for a wonderful way to be Catholic, you can find an authentic Catholicism at Emmaus ECC.  We are a Catholic community that is welcoming of all.  We do our best to follow the teaching and example of Jesus, and welcome everyone into our community, and to our table -- regardless of their race, gender, marital status or sexual orientation. Following the example of Jesus, we believe that everyone is the beloved daughter or son of God, and welcome at the table of the Christ.   No kidding! 
20th Sunday of Ordinary Time

 

 The Spider's Surrender
Spider Web  
Behold, we spin our webs at your command
And frighten humans who don't' understand
We are but "catching dinner," to be blunt.
They do the same -- at every restaurant.

These humans frighten us too -- by their size,
Their hair, their fingered hands, their ears, their eyes,
The way they run, they peer from side to side,
Intent on unrelenting spidercide.

Oh, teach us not to dread the otherness
You've built into your world, Great Creatress,
For instance, for us eight legs are a must,
Yet some have tow, or twelve! One must adjust.

We'll love them: woman, man, or octopus,
However dreadful they may seem to us. 

 


From In God's Presence by William Cleary
The Ecumenical Catholic Communion     

ECCECC Pacific Northwest Region Diocesan
Discernment Committee

Minutes of meeting, August 13, 2014

 

In Attendance:

Altepeter, Tom (St. Clare, chair), Fullmer, Carol (St. Clare), Fullmer, Ernie (St. Clare), Gerardot, David (Emmaus/Good Shepherd), Hanser, Connie (Emmaus), Keough, Kedda (Emmaus), Murphy, Jim (St. Clare)

 

1)
Tom facilitated tonight's meeting and led the opening prayer.

 

2)     Personal updates were offered.

3)     Regional updates:

a)     Tom said that Spokane (St. Clares) has two mission groups and each has decided to form its own community. It is expected to take a year or so. Pullman will be the Community of Mary Magdalene and Chewelah/Colville will be St. Francis. They are negotiating for meeting spaces at this time.

b)     David said that the new Tacoma community is developing slowly but surely. He is meeting with former priests, couples and individuals who are interested in the ECC as well as connecting with people at St. Mark's Lutheran church. St. Marks has three pastors and they are very welcoming to him. David has also been attending an intentional community where individuals take turns leading Eucharist. He knows most from CORPUS. This group meets every other Sunday. Also, David has been contacting other individuals and will be representing the ECC in the Pierce County area so that the ECC name will be out there. Good Shepherd doesn't have a place to meet yet but negotiations with a couple of churches are ongoing.

c)     
Tom is going to Portland in September and will be meeting with two groups that are curious about the ECC and want to learn more. He thinks this will be a good fit for at least one of the groups. Tom will be meeting with the pastors and possibly with some of the people.

 

d)     Tom announced that the boundaries of the Pacific Northwest Region have been redrawn to include Idaho so we are going to try to make some contact/inroads there.

4)     Tom called for approval of the minutes from July 2. Minutes were approved by a voice vote.

5)     Update on each community in regard to electing a bishop.            

a)     Tom said St. Clare community met recently and it was clear there is a consensus to move forward. The majority were positive about it.

b)     Kedda said that at Emmaus community they have continued to put information about the discernment process in their newsletter and talking about the issues each Sunday. There have been lots of discussion and this past Sunday Kedda asked if there were any objections about moving forward; none were voiced. It seemed that everyone was in a more positive state of mind about moving forward. Connie said she liked that Kedda asked for concerns and Kedda told the community that if no objections were heard that would be taken as an OK to go ahead. Connie said she was pleased with the last meeting. One person tried to think of reasons not to form a diocese and couldn't come up with anything.

c)     
Tom said that it seems as if we have consensus in committee and in community. He congratulated the committee on its hard work. He also reminded us that there's more work ahead. Kedda said she appreciates that we took the time for the communities to understand where we are, to have ample opportunities for discussion, and to come to agreement.

 

d)     Tom said that the next step is to elect a bishop. He has talked with Bishop Peter to clarify and be sure that we aren't missing anything. Bishop Peter said that this slower or alternative path is a new process even though it is on the books. There is a certain amount of uncertainty. Bishop Peter and the other bishops will consult. We will elect an auxiliary or suffragan bishop so the process may not need to come before the synod. For a bishop to serve on the episcopal council there is a need to come before the communion for an affirmation. That will need to happen at this synod or by some other process. In consulting with Bishop Peter it appears that the latest we can elect a bishop is just prior to the Synod meeting in October, as long as they have sufficient time to put the affirmation process in the schedule. We could proceed at a moderate pace and have things approved in time for the synod or move more slowly so that the delegates could approve the person by e-mail vote. The timeline is based on how fast we feel we can do this.

e)     Tom's recommendation would be to appoint a committee of three or four from this discernment committee. One clergy and two laypersons would serve to identify candidates and to process what people would seek in a candidate. The thought is that even if there is only one candidate a vote of affirmation should take place. Kedda asked if we want to include someone from Ignatius community on the nominating committee. Tom said they were invited to this meeting and that he had explained to them where we are and that we would probably be making some important decisions in the future. Tom has not heard back from them at this point. The door remains open to St. Ignatius. Kedda was very positive about the contact. Tom offered to call them but doesn't want to put pressure on their community.

f)      
Connie asked if, along with the nominating committee, will there also be an election committee that would decide how the election will be handled. Tom feels the same committee can serve in both capacities.

 

g)     Jim asked if the candidate(s) are going to be asked to appear at all the ECC communities in the region. Tom said the smaller committee would decide that. Jim said the communities should have input in what they would like to see in a bishop. He asked about a process timeline and whether the people on the nominating committee should hammer that out? Tom said the processes could run simultaneously. An example is how the synod is handling the election for the next bishop. A Survey Monkey questionnaire was sent out to people in the various communities for input. We could design one so that the region's members could respond to a brief questionnaire. At same time we can have open window for nominations.

h)     Kedda said that Survey Monkey works well and gives everyone a chance to participate and be part of this.

i)       Tom, in following up with Jim's question about a timeline, suggested that the next week could be used to put together a survey and announcements for nominations and leave that open for seven to ten days. Then in about three weeks from now we could have candidates identified and results of surveys collected. The process could go rapidly if people are comfortable with that.

j)       David said he would like to know what people see as the criteria. Also the nominees would need to put forward their qualifications. We are looking for servant leadership.

k)     Jim said that survey monkey is a good idea. Well formulated questions would need to be asked so candidates and community members can respond in light of their own theology and qualifications

l)       Tom said he is very positive about this. The sub committee will have to decide about the structure. We should all have some input but let the small committee implement the process so it's more efficient.

m) 
Ernie asked who would be the third community if St. Ignatius doesn't choose to participate. Tom said that with this alternative path and the fact we are not forming a diocese yet we don't need the third community. That will come later.

 

n)     Ernie nominated Jim to serve on the nominating committee and Jim accepted. Tom asked about clergy members who are interested in serving on the nominating committee. David said he would withdraw his name for consideration as a bishop and serve on the smaller nominating committee. Tom also identified the need to have another member from the west side. Connie agreed to serve on the committee.

  • David offered to make personal contact with Philip and/or Rosemary or Louise who are part of St. Ignatius in an effort to bring them into the process. Kedda says David is the right person to do that so St. Ignatius' people can know how the process has gone. David identified this as a gesture of good will from this group. Tom expressed his appreciation to David for doing this

p)     Tom concluded that a committee of three will be tasked with soliciting nominations, overseeing any process of input from the community members, and then putting a process of election together. The committee agreed this was reasonable and that it feels kind and respectful and has a sense of logic to it as well as being a pragmatic approach.

q)     Tom thought a target election in late September would be ideal but asked if that is too rushed for people? Jim said he doesn't feel that is a rush. The example of parliamentary governments allowing six weeks for campaigning would indicate that we shouldn't need more time than that. David thinks last week of September is reasonable. Ernie has no objections. Connie and Kedda agreed that the timeline seems reasonable since we have time before synod.

r)      Tom said that based on what Bishop Peter said there is a need for the council to know our plans and that we need to set a target date, perhaps Fri Sept 26, which is 12 days before the synod starts. We can let the leadership know we will elect our bishop on or before September 26 so whatever the synod needs to do to prepare can do so. Kedda suggested contacting the office of the presiding bishop. Tom will call Bishop Peter to see how he wants Tom to proceed.  

s)      David said that Tom, as vicar, hould probably write a formal letter to Bishop Peter.

t)      Tom asked David, Connie and Jim if they want more input or if they have enough information at this point. Connie asked that members share ideas or concerns to nominating committee as they begin the process. Jim asked about questions for Survey Monkey. Are four to five questions appropriate? Also, designing the survey would probably be the first step for the committee so they can have it ready to send out. Connie asked if there is a copy of the survey that was put out for the election of the presiding bishop. Kedda responded that their survey was a very complicated one and perhaps not the best choice for the committee. Tom said that Survey Monkey allows for multiple choice and short response types of questions.

u)     A procedural question was asked: if we need to put forth nominations before we send out questionnaire about whether the processes can be done simultaneously? Tom responded that it is up to committee. Perhaps a short e-mail could be forwarded to community members asking for nomination considerations so names can start coming in immediately. If we want to be done in late September we should get such an email out tomorrow and keep the nomination times open for ten days or so but that is just a suggestion. Tom can forward such an e-mail to everyone in the St. Clare data base and Kedda has a data base to reach Emmaus members as well.

  • Tom asked if any of the nominating committee members know how to do Survey Monkey. Jim offered Jeanette's expertise to help with it. Kedda has used it and says it's pretty easy to do. She suggested we might set up an account for our region so we can use it later for the region. Tom said Survey Monkey is free with some limitations and we should fit within those parameters. 

w)   Tom said the nominating committee could put it together in a week or so but it is up to the committee to decide. Tom invited Kedda to be a consultant to the committee and said he would also be available. Kedda reminded the nominating committee members to not forget ECC constitution for qualifications for a bishop.

x)     Tom summed up this meeting by saying that the decision has been made to move forward to elect a bishop for the Northwest Region. A nominating committee will move forward with the tasks needed. Tom will follow up with Bishop Peter and will email the regional committee with an update. David will contact St. Ignatius people for their input.

y)     Tom ended with a closing prayer.

z)      The nominating committee stayed on the conference call after the larger committee finished business.

 

The next regional committee meeting is set for 9 a.m., Saturday, August 30, 2014.

 

Schedule:  

Next Community meeting:
  August 17th, after mass.

Contemplative Prayer/Scripture study -- Thursday afternoon from 3:30 to 5 pm
Regional ECC Meeting
 
The Ecumenical Catholic Communion has several regions.  We are located in the Pacific Northwest Region.  Representatives from our communities, or parishes, gather once a month to meet with our Vicar, and to do regional business.  We also get to know each other, and are reminded that we belong to something greater than our own little community in Olympia.  We need more lay representatives at these meetings!  For years the laity have complained that they have no voice in the Church. Well, you are invited and encouraged to attend these meetings.  In order to encourage more participation we are going to have our meetings by phone, and not as often as we have been having them.  Watch the schedule for our next meeting.
interfaithInterfaith Works
House

 

 

The Peoples House:  Leaders are asking faith communities to attend meetings and show support.  Father David is involved and would love to have you join him.

The Women's Shelter:  This is a great need in our community and is yet another project Interfaith Works is supporting.  Volunteers are needed as Evening Greeters, Overnight Hosts and Hot Meal delivery.  The shelter is temporarily at First Christian.  They are asking for donations.

Go HERE to read more about Interfaith Works, and all their programs.
NOTICE
The Sacraments of Marriage, Reconciliation and Anointing, are available upon request.   Preparation is required for Baptisms -- for parents when children to be baptized are below age seven; for those over age seven, our community supports the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.  Our priests are also happy to meet with you individually, and confidentially, to discuss any spiritual or pastoral concerns you may have.

Email:  Father David 
Email: Mother Kedda

We Support Marriage Equality