E-news for September 2020

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September 2020

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Back to school: Campus ministries in the diocese foster connection, innovation during pandemic

The Rev. Rita Powell and others from the Episcopal Chaplaincy at Harvard offer an impromptu blessing as they begin assembling their "Sacred Tent" in August. Courtesy photo

As colleges and universities begin this unique school year in the face of unprecedented and changing challenges, campus ministers in the diocese are learning how to safely minister to their communities and anticipating special needs that both students and staff will have as they begin a new school year during a pandemic.

The Rev. Megan Holding, who serves as the Episcopal chaplain at both Boston College and Northeastern University, described in an interview how the pandemic is affecting the form that campus ministry takes, saying that, while the past five months have been a good opportunity to experiment with the best ways for campus ministry communities to gather online, their core mission remains the same.

“The substance of [campus] ministry has always been to create community--to create space for people in this phase of life to reflect and think through issues or think through ways in which they are growing or being called to create meaning in life," Holding said. “That can still happen. We can do our best to be a constant factor or a constant gathering opportunity.”

Holding emphasized that college campuses are not isolated from the broader contexts in which we are all living--such as the struggle for racial justice, and political discourse, not to mention the pandemic itself--and so, continuing to provide this safe space for students is more important than ever.

“One of the things we talk about in campus ministry is that this is a place where students are not assessed in any way,” Holding said. “They can bring all of who they are and talk through what it is that we’re living through and have a place where they can go deeper and discern what’s stirring in them and where they can discern their own response.”

The Rev. Thea Keith-Lucas, who is Episcopal chaplain at the Lutheran Episcopal Ministry at MIT and was recently appointed interim chaplain to the institute , said in an e-mail that though campus ministers long to have in-person experiences, she has been amazed at how strong their spiritual communities have remained, even when all of the programming for MIT’s Office of Religious, Spiritual and Ethical Life have to take place online for now.

“I've been amazed at how strong our community still is, with laughter and prayer and real listening to each other, even over a Zoom call. I hear the same thing from all our chaplains at MIT--Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and more,” Keith-Lucas said. “Spiritual communities, even virtual ones, are a solid anchor for young adults when everything else in their world is in flux. We offer gentle, nonjudgmental spaces where they can make sense of their experiences: the challenges of isolation, health risks and uncertain futures, and the rare blessing of time to discover who we are and what God is calling us to do.”

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A “Season of Creation,” Sept. 1 through Oct. 4, is celebrated by Christians around the world as a time for renewing, repairing and restoring our relationship to God, one another and all of creation. The Episcopal Church joins this international effort for prayer and action for climate justice and an end to environmental racism and ecological destruction. This year’s theme is “Jubilee for the Earth: New Rhythms, New Hope.”

Find links to a pastoral reflection by Bishop Gayle E. Harris, events, including a weekly online colleagues gathering for preachers, convened by the Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, and worship and prayer resources compiled by the Creation Care Justice Network of the diocese, here.

"Embracing Brave Change": Preparations are underway for online Diocesan Convention

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s annual Diocesan Convention, on Saturday, Nov. 7, will take place online via Zoom and livestreaming.

"When 'Embracing Brave Change' was adopted as the encapsulating theme of our diocesan mission strategy several years ago, none of us envisioned the extraordinary sorts of 'brave change' which would be required of us in 2020," Bishop Alan M. Gates wrote in a July letter to convention participants.

"Swift innovation has been demanded in our ways of worshiping God, supporting one another and engaging our world. This adaptation has been challenging, often painful. At the same time, some necessary changes have cracked open new insights into how God’s grace can be mediated, what priorities are emerging with new clarity and how things that had grown old might be made new. Among the places that we cannot do 'business as usual' in our life together will be the annual convention of the diocese." Read the full letter here.

A modified resolutions process, reflecting this year's special circumstances, will provide online opportunities for discussing and refining proposed resolutions prior to their presentation in final form for vote at the convention. There will be an open comment period, Sept. 24-29, and two online Zoom meetings for voting members to discuss the proposed resolutions, on Monday, Sept. 28 and Tuesday, Sept. 29, each from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Following the open comment period, resolutions will be refined and resubmitted in final form, to be voted up or down at the convention on Nov. 7.

In addition to the special Zoom meetings for discussing resolutions, the regular series of pre-convention forums will take place in October, offering an important opportunity for learning and discussion about the issues and business to come before the convention.

All forums will be held online via Zoom this year, and will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. (unless otherwise noted) on the following dates:

Tuesday, Oct. 6: Cape & Islands and Mt. Hope-Buzzards Bay deaneries
Wednesday, Oct. 7: Taunton River and South Shore deaneries
Thursday, Oct. 8: Charles River and Alewife deaneries
Friday, Oct. 9, 2-3:30 p.m.: Daytime forum option
Tuesday, Oct. 13: Neponset River and Boston Harbor deaneries
Wednesday, Oct. 14: Mystic Valley and North Shore deaneries
Thursday, Oct. 15: Merrimack Valley and Concord River deaneries

For all materials, links and updates, as they become available, visit www.diomass.org/diocesan-convention-2020.

NewsNotes

#VoteFaithfully: Getting souls to the polls isn’t just about casting our own vote, but about working together so everyone can vote and vote faithfully, according to engagement resources provided by the Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations, available here—including a Vote Faithfully/Vote Fielmente Toolkit, in English and Spanish, to help congregations get out the vote in their communities.

The Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston, as part of its commitment to help get out the vote and encourage others in the diocese to do so as well, has created additional materials congregations can use this fall, available here.

Find more information on voter registration and voting in Massachusetts here.

Continue to beware of scammers: Online "phishing" scams continue to target churches and clergy, and they require everyone's awareness and vigilance.

Scammers' tactics vary, but a common one is to send e-mails or text messages that appear to be from a known organization or church leader (such as a bishop or rector). They typically ask for urgent help or a favor, and request that the recipient buy and electronically send gift cards, make donations via money transfer or provide personal information.

Church leaders should inform their congregations about these scams and reinforce the message that bishops, clergy and church leaders will never ask for help or donations in this way. Recipients should be skeptical of unexpected e-mail or text message requests to send or spend money or provide urgent assistance. Check the sender’s e-mail address for legitimacy before responding or opening any links or attachments. (E-mail from the bishops and diocesan staff, for example, will come from the designated e-mail domain @diomass.org, not gmail.com or other e-mail providers.) If a request seems to be authentic, confirm with the requester using known contact information.

The Federal Trade Commission provides information about recent scams, by topic, and how to report them, here.

Changes in diocesan staffing and responsibilities announced: The Rev. Ed Cardoza joined the diocesan staff on Sept. 8 as missioner for property stewardship, a part-time position that he is taking on in addition to continuing to serve as rector of St. Mark’s Church in Foxborough.

The Rev. Ed Cardoza

Courtesy photo

“We are blessed with many property resources and called to use them in creative ways that strengthen Christian community and the neighborhoods in which we are present. Ed brings the knowledge, experience and passion that we need,” Bishop Alan M. Gates said in an Aug. 24 staffing announcement.

Cardoza is co-founder of Still Harbor, where he serves as chaplain and spiritual director. He has been a professional fundraiser, founding board member of numerous global health organizations and community-based nonprofits, and a consultant to dozens of institutions preserving sacred space, reimagining facilities and developing their land holdings.

In his new role, Cardoza will be working closely with the diocesan Real Estate Advisory Committee, Property Development Committee and Diocesan Loan Committee. He can be reached by e-mail at ecardoza@diomass.org.

Cardoza’s appointment is one of several changes in diocesan staffing and responsibilities that Gates announced on Aug. 24.

Two positions—chief business officer and IT manager—have been eliminated as part of staff restructuring, following a review of staffing and systems in the diocesan Treasurer's Office undertaken this year as part of the ongoing assessment of systems and structures called for by the diocesan mission strategy.

As a result, Gerry Sullivan, who served as chief business officer since 2014, and Jamie Reamer, IT manager since 2003, left the staff over the summer months with the good wishes and gratitude of colleagues and the diocesan community for their years of service.

A new chief financial officer position is being created, with a full and open search to be conducted and publicly posted later this fall. In the meantime, the firm of Blum Shapiro will be providing interim consultant services over the next several months as new financial systems, software and staff responsibilities are being put into place.

In addition, the company RSM has been contracted to manage IT services going forward, and is providing around-the-clock support and response, training of staff, expertise in hardware procurement and software advances and, ultimately, transition to a cloud-based system.

Expanded role announced for missioner for youth and young adult ministries: The Rev. H. Mark Smith, diocesan missioner for youth ministry, has taken on additional responsibilities for oversight of young adult ministries, Bishop Alan M. Gates announced on Aug. 24. “Bearing the new title of missioner for youth and young adult ministries, Mark is charged with encouraging and challenging the church to embrace creative and robust ministry for and with youth and young adults, both in worshiping communities and in the life of the diocese as a whole,” Gates said.

Along with ongoing responsibility for the Diocesan Youth Council and other youth-focused activities, Smith will support the recently established Young Adult Advisory Committee and Young Adult Network and encourage collaboration between those groups, campus ministries and the Life Together fellowship program.

The Rev. H. Mark Smith

Photo: Bridget K. Wood

"Learning to Walk with God" Young Adult Discernment Program

Click to watch an invitation from the Rev. Isaac Martinez

“Learning to Walk with God in the World”: Young adults (ages 18-39) are invited to join on Saturday, Oct. 3, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., for an online retreat introducing practices of discernment for attending to God’s will in our lives and life decisions, facilitated by Dr. Kathy Staudt.

During this retreat, some tools and methods for discernment, particularly discernment in community, will be explored. After the retreat, participants can continue to explore on their own, and will also have an opportunity to join a small group to continue the process.

Online registration for this free-of-charge event is open until Sept. 25, here.

UTO Young Adult and Seminarian Grants support creative ministry projects in Diocese of Mass.: The Episcopal Church Executive Council in June approved seven United Thank Offering (UTO) Young Adult and Seminarian grants, two of which were awarded to recipients in the Diocese of Massachusetts, announced in a June 17 media release.

The UTO awards grants to support innovative mission and ministry throughout the Episcopal Church and provinces of the Anglican Communion. The focus of this year’s Young Adult and Seminarian Grants was “Holy Gifts: bringing together our blessings and gifts to breathe love, liberation and life into our communities.”

A $5,000 Young Adult Award was granted to Rowan Larson, the minister for Christian formation at Grace Church in Newton, to create a website that includes a digital picture book, as well as accompanying parent and resource guides about gender identity and expression.

A UTO Seminarian Award of $2,800 was granted to Kevin Neil, who serves as a chaplain to the MANNA community at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston. MANNA (Many Angels Needed Now and Always) is a ministry of and with the homeless community in downtown Boston, and the money was awarded to fund a MANNA Housing Recovery Group which “seeks to reduce loss of housing amongst those who are newly housed and have experienced chronic homelessness by creating spaces of practical education on housing skills, finding emotional resonance for the struggles and celebrating housing milestones along the way,” according to the June 17 media release. Read the story here.

Recipients of Young Adult and Seminarian grants included Rowan Larson (left) and Kevin Neil (right). Courtesy photos

The Rev. David Eastman Allen, SSJE

Courtesy photo

RIP: The Rev. David Eastman Allen, SSJE: Brother David Allen, SSJE, died on Aug. 17, in the 91st year of his life and the 60th year of his religious profession.

Proficient in Japanese, he served the Society of St. John the Evangelist in Japan from 1962 until 1971, and again from 1974 to 1975. Upon returning to Cambridge, he served the community at various times as novice guardian, assistant superior, guest brother and sacristan. He was instrumental in helping to begin the Boston Chinese Ministry at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston, learning enough Cantonese to enable him to preside at the Eucharist and to preach on occasion.

Services were held in August; his ashes will be interred in the community's Memorial Garden at Emery House at a later date. Read more here.

Racial Justice Organizing Camp helps equip youth to use their voices for change

Shortly after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, Bishop Gayle E. Harris made a virtual visitation to the Parish of St. John the Evangelist in Hingham, and met with the parish's middle and high school youth groups to talk about racial injustice, leaving them inspired to take action.

Also inspired and motivated, the Rev. Jack Clark, who serves as the parish's associate rector, worked with various organizational partners to put together a week-long racial justice organizing camp for young people this past July.

“I think that God is in agony when God witnesses the injustice and the violence and the suffering that’s happening, and God’s response in the incarnation is to come close to that suffering, and I think that’s our call as people who follow Jesus,” Clark said in an interview. “One of our hopes with the camp was to highlight, particularly for white young people, that growing in awareness of the racism both inside and outside of us and joining God in dismantling it is the work of faith and not something separate or extra.”

Screenshot of camp participants meeting online via Zoom.

The camp began on a Sunday, and over the next six days, 50 young people from 11 congregations participated in sessions led, in part, by some of the organizational partners supporting the camp, including I Have a Future and Episcopal City Mission . The camp also worked with the organization Kids4Peace Boston to provide an allyship training for youth via Zoom. The camp sessions allowed participants to break into affinity groups and share personal stories as well as gain knowledge and skills to help them work for racial justice.

"Coming into this program, my knowledge on racial issues lacked a certain amount of understanding, which I had hoped to expand upon by entering this program. Within the first two days, I had learned more about racial trauma and injustice than I had in a whole school year," said Kaia Patterson, a 10th grader from Christ Church in Cambridge who participated in the camp. “My favorite part about this program was not only its lessons on race, but also, its creation of a supportive community that wanted to hear young voices in addition to their experiences.”

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NewsLinks

USA Today: The Rev. Will Mebane's lifelong stand for racial equality: The Rev. Will Mebane, the rector of St. Barnabas's Church in Falmouth, has been nominated by the Cape Cod Times for inclusion in the USA Today Leaders of Change project, lifting up his lifelong stand for racial equality.

From the Aug. 31 profile: "The Rev. Will Mebane’s first glimpse of racism came when he was 8 or 9, in his hometown of Durham, North Carolina. He and his father drove by the local YMCA and Will saw children playing in the pool. It was a hot August day, and he begged his father to take him to the pool. But his father said no—only whites were allowed.

“'That is probably my most vivid memory and understanding of what segregation was,' said Mebane, now 67.

“'I am not preaching politics when I’m preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ,' Mebane said. 'It can sound a lot like politics when I’m challenging our government to make sure that children who are hungry in this nation have food. I do that because Jesus says feed the hungry.'" Read more here.

Falmouth Enterprise: FCTV to present new racial justice program: In an effort to open dialogue and work to educate the community on issues of racial justice, Falmouth Community Television will present a new program titled "THE Conversation." Co-hosted and co-produced by the Rev. Will Mebane and Onjalé Scott Price, the program will provide a timely dialogue on race with a local focus.

The inaugural program focuses on two topics: “When you hear Black Lives Matter, what does that mean to you?” and “How and why is this moment different from other periods of change?” Read more here.

Falmouth Enterprise: Falmouth Clergy Association creates "Masks" video message of hope: The Rev. Will Mebane of St. Barnabas's Church in Falmouth and the Rev. Deborah Warner of the Church of the Messiah in Woods Hole are part of the Falmouth Clergy Association's "Masks" PSA video, which promotes the wearing of the masks that prevent coronavirus infection while removing the "masks" that allow for the spread of hatred and discrimination.

"As a faith community, this is a very important message to get out,” Warner told the Falmouth Enterprise. “There is an urgency in terms of the Black Lives Matter issue, and [the message is] important for all of us now in terms of racism in the life of our country.”

“If we could get folks to move into the message of love as a vaccine for our failing, suffering world, it would be a better place for all of us,” Mebane said. Read more here.

Dartmouth Week: Pandemic prompts technological changes at St. Peter's: Since the onset of the pandemic, places of worship all over Dartmouth have had to adjust aspects of ministry, with many making the shift to online worship.

In recognition of this new reality, the Rev. Scott Ciosek of St. Peter’s Church is turning from the question of how to adapt to the pandemic toward what the long-term future of worship looks like.

“Just streaming on Facebook, we were seeing people tune in from all over the country,” Ciosek said. “We have to think about how we are going to hold this community together and continue our work of reaching new people.” Read more here.

Martha's Vineyard Times: "Let’s just come together and support each other": On July 22, the Burgess Committee of Grace Church sponsored a Candlelight Prayer Vigil for Reconciliation and Peace at Dennis Alley Park, also known as Waban Park, in Oak Bluffs.

The vigil incorporated non-sectarian prayers for victims of racial violence and racism, prayers for all affected by COVID-19 and prayers for the country as a whole. The event featured speakers from representative groups on the island.

The Rev. Stephen Harding, the rector of Grace Church, shared that the goal of the vigil was to bring the community together around racial justice and various other intersecting issues. Read more here.

Boston Globe: Even as case count drops, aftereffects of coronavirus persist in Chelsea: In hard-hit Chelsea, the long tail of the coronavirus still lingers. Those who run food pantries and rental relief programs said economic need in the city remains extreme.

“The only difference is that two months ago there was a sense of panic,” said Father Edgar Gutiérrez-Duarte, who runs a food pantry out of the Episcopal Church of San Lucas in Chelsea, distributing about 2,000 boxes of food every Saturday. “Financially, the situation has not changed, or probably has worsened.” Read more here.

NBCLX: The Old North Church in Boston is reckoning with its dark past: A famous Boston church that was renowned for its place at the center of Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride is reckoning with its discovery that its 18th-century congregation was a gathering place for slave traders. Today, the Old North Church & Historic Site is shining a light on its dark history. Watch the video here.