The View from Bolton Street
The View from Bolton Street
In Praise of “Extra”
On more than one occasion, I have been called “extra.” I know people murmur this observation about me when they think I am not listening. But I can’t help it. When planning anything especially important to me, my first inclination is to strive for it to be over the top. Many say I am trying too hard.
As a member of Memorial who has recently retired from a career working for Episcopal churches, I feel ready to jump back into our congregational life with both feet. Memorial is an amazing place. During years of working at six other Episcopal churches in our diocese, I have always held Memorial up as the kind of congregation everyone should want to be part of.
I am proud of our history of being inclusive before it became a buzzword, of being liturgically and musically creative when other congregations clung more tightly to tradition, and of seeking justice for people outside our own narrow circles.
So, now that our energetic, charismatic – one might say “extra”- rector is on sabbatical… well, I dream of our starting Memorial’s new program year with a bang. We can rally while Grey takes a much-needed step away for his refreshment and personal growth. But during these few months while our rector is away, can we manage more than continuing the worship and congregational life we value? That in itself is a lot.
Over the years, Memorial’s lay members have organized Gala Auctions, Quiz Nights, and weeknight family dinners. We have participated in countless neighborhood festivals and been a presence for justice and inclusion in marches and parades. We have housed and supported The Samaritan Center and hosted outreach events for local schools.
YES. We can continue to do much of this good work, but my hope is that we, as members of Memorial can also gain some perspective about who we are called to be as an urban church and what possibilities await us as we move forward after this long pandemic isolation.
In the meantime, be at Memorial at 10 a.m. on September 11, when we host the “Best Homecoming Sunday EVER!” … says my inner extra self.
The View from Bolton Street
A Sabbatical Reflection From the Deacon
Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. – Acts 2:46-47
From Rev. Grey’s View from Bolton Street, June 29, 2022: The sabbatical is called: “Grains, Trains, and Automobiles” and it uses the process of Baking Bread - Mixing, Leavening, Stretching, Resting, Baking - to help us understand the hard work of rest, and to explore the role that hospitality plays in our ability to work across differences, repair relationships, and see the face of Christ in the other.
Hospitality, particularly hospitality in community will be our mantra at Memorial, for the entirety of the sabbatical. Beginning August 21st, the following celebrants/preachers, along with myself, Ken Ironside, and Carolyn Armstrong, will be joining us in the Sanctuary and Upper Parish Hall: Carol Burnside+, Stuart Wright+, Thelma Smuellen+, Joanna White+, M. Dion Thompson+, Manoj Zacharia+, Carole Douglas+. Some of these celebrants/preachers will be familiar to us and some won’t. They come from a myriad of backgrounds, cultures, identities, and preaching styles. Guess what Memorial people, we, too, come from a myriad of backgrounds, cultures, and identities. They come to us bringing their special gifts to the table. It may not be the “way” Memorial does Eucharist, but it will be the way that Memorial will pull out all the stops and welcome those who accepted the invitation to serve at the table. We shall welcome them into our community with unbridled hospitality.
Just what is community? Community is our interdependence on the space we share—air, water, roads, cities, etc. Community is also shared physical space where we interact—socialize, laugh, cry, worship, etc. Community is both possible and necessary to our human condition. The pandemic taught us just how important community is and how we rejoiced when we could come together in community. In this community, we continue to build relationships giving us more insight into each other’s stories. The bond between these relationships within these walls is strong; yet there needs to be more.
Bolton Hill is a “walkable” community. We can greet our neighbors, watch out for kids on bikes, walk around the neighborhood, “bump” into people we know. This walkable community gives us a change to interact and connect with others making this an essential component of building a society where change in community needs to happen. There is a reason why we face outward at the end of the service before dismissal. It is to take our internal community into the “walkable” community to effect change. To share the peace that God alone can give and give that peace a fighting chance.
We have made great stride in connecting with other communities through our reparations work. We can get out there and connect with others. To really get down in the weeds, we need more boots on the ground. I’m asking Memorial parishioners to seriously consider joining one of the four action teams—environment, housing, education, and criminal justice. The contact is our Justice Missioner—Anthony Francis, justice@memorialepiscopal.org. To sum up this reflections, Mahalia Jackson sung these lyrics that are so appropriate in today’s climate:
If I can help somebody as I travel alongIf I can help somebody in a word or a songIf I can help somebody from doing wrongNo, my living shall not be in vainNo, my living shall not be in vainNo, my living shall not be in vainIf I can help somebody while I'm singing this songYou know my living shall not be in vain
In closing:
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21
The View from Bolton Street
A Sabbatical Reflection from the Senior Warden
But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he
would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is
coming at an unexpected hour. – Luke 12:39-40
Some reflections just kind of write themselves.
Because, really, what have I, and the sabbatical committee, the church staff, and others who
lead this congregation been doing for the past several months but getting ready? And not just
the leaders, but all of us in the congregation have been readying our hearts to be without our
much-loved rector and family for a time, even as we wish them Godspeed. Fr. Grey’s sabbatical
is the biggest change at Memorial since COVID, but unlike that cataclysmic alteration of our
world, we knew this one was coming. So we could prepare. And we did.
We formed a sabbatical committee, whose members have been systematically examining all
the duties and ministries that need to continue in Grey’s absence. We have a constantly
evolving spreadsheet to help us keep track of all the moving pieces. Who’s preaching each of
the fourteen Sundays of the sabbatical? Who will be our celebrant? What will be the youth
formation curriculum? Who’s going to write the weekly reflections in the newsletter? Who will
work with Candice in the church office on the service bulletins? Who will respond to issues
related to our building and grounds? Who will make sure Pierre has supplies for coffee hour?
Who’s the tech guru (and by the way, why is our wi-fi connectivity so persnickety, and what
should we do about that?)? What does the staff need from us in order to continue to do their
best work and feel valued? How do we assure that we are communicating what is happening?
The staff has been examining its procedures and processes, looking at ways to better organize,
and clearly defining each person’s role, while they continue their day-to-day work.
Those who lead our worship services have been looking at what’s needed to keep them
humming, and people have been acquiring new skills. Zoom skills. Technology skills. Reviving a
practice we haven’t used for some time, the offering of communion from the reserved
sacrament.
The Justice and Reparations Initiative continues to study our neighborhood needs, and
uncovers new opportunities where our funding will make a real difference in people’s lives.
The preparations have run the gamut from the complex to the mundane. Clearly, we took
Luke’s admonition seriously. No way was Memorial Church going to be caught off guard. And
because we wouldn’t, things would go smoothly. Well…
This past weekend, Deacon Natalie fell, and hurt her back. Not seriously, we think. But injuries
of this kind take a bit of time to heal, and rest is the primary treatment. Like the thief in the
night, her accident caught us while we were sleeping, so to speak. We were counting on her to
preach and give us communion this coming Sunday – it was on the spreadsheet, for heaven’s
sake!—and she won’t be able to do that, nor lead the Tuesday morning Peace and Justice
service.
Perhaps I was a bit smug in my belief that all this preparation would shield us (well, me) from
the unexpected. Because, while God wants us to keep ourselves ready, for Jesus to come again,
busily going about the tasks that we think are important to God does not guarantee that
unwelcome events will not occur. It’s pretty much guaranteed that they will.
God does promise us, though, of God’s faithful presence, accessible through prayer, and
apparent in beloved community. And that is what I found when I took a deep breath, said a
quick prayer, and looked around me. Natalie might have been sidelined, temporarily, but we
still had diocesan resources to help us find replacement clergy. We still had a vibrant and
connected congregation with established relationships that could be drawn upon at just such a
time as this, with skills developed from lifetimes in faithful service. A living God, evidenced by
God’s church, sees us through when best-laid plans fall short.
The upshot of all this is that the Rev. Jim Holmes, a friend of Memorial for at least as long as I
have been here, and an inspiring witness of God’s word, will preach and celebrate this Sunday.
Please come and welcome him back, and join in prayer for Natalie’s healing. Oh, and the Peace
and Justice service will be just fine, too. Pam Fleming will lead Morning Prayer, and Steve
Howard will handle remote worship technology.
Thanks be to God.
Bill Roberts, Senior Warden
The View from Bolton Street
Famous Naps in the Bible
Jesus during the storm
The Garden of Gethsemane Nap
Post-feeding 5,000 Exhaustion
Peter in Prison
Daniel in the Lion’s Den
Joseph in an Egyptian Jail
While few things in the bible are ‘clear’, the Biblical argument for rest is strong. Throughout Christ’s ministry, not to mention the life and ministry of the saints and prophets, taking time to retreat, rest, pray, restore and rejuvenate oneself is a constant refrain. Jesus often goes off by himself to pray. Elijah finds solace in a cave. Moses goes up to the Mountain. Of course, there is also that whole ‘remember the sabbath and keep it holy’ commandment.
God knows we need rest. More importantly, God knows we need time to reconnect with God and with our families and loved ones, particularly in challenging and stressful times.
Quite a few of Jesus’ moments of solitude and sleepiness come right before or right after stressful events. Obviously, his time in the Garden prior to his arrest, and before the storm in the boat. But also, in Luke’s Gospel Jesus retreats to a quiet place to pray after healing the man with leprosy, and in Mark Jesus goes to an isolated place after he performs a series of healings and casts out demons. I can’t help but wonder if Jesus took breaks like this to both recharge and refocus himself.
Throughout the Gospels, we see the concern Jesus has with being seen as a magician, a faith healer, and one of the hundreds of ‘miracle workers’ wandering that part of the world in the 1st century. He wanted to make sure people understood he was something more. That God was offering them something more. Takes a break to remind himself not to get caught up in the crowds, to get pulled away by the moment, and to ensure that his eyes were always on the prize, the salvation of all of our souls.
During this sabbath time, we should consider our own mission, our own mindset, and our own desires. What are the things that God is calling us to do, what are the things we like to do for attention, and what are things we feel like we have to do because ‘We’ve always done it this way.’?
Taking a break, a step back is an opportunity to evaluate those who can see where God’s will intersect with our work, where we feel Christ alive in our ministry, and where we feel like we are just treading water. Now Jesus is always available to pull us out when the water is too deep, but he would much rather swim with us in the work. I know we would too.
So, as I go off to a quiet place to pray, I hope you all will do the same. In your faith life and in your personal and professional lives. Where is God calling you? Where do you feel frustrated? Unfulfilled? What can be solved with a Holy Nap? And What may require a reorientation of priorities?
My prayers are with you over the next three months, I do hope your prayers come with me as well.
The View from Bolton Street
Reparation Sundays with Memorial Episcopal & Fareeha Waheed on Education & Justice
Reparations have become a popular topic of discussion in America, and Baltimore seems to be at the forefront of many of these discussions. This past Sunday at Memorial, Fareehah Waheed, Vice president of the Baltimore Teachers Union, and educator at Eutaw Marshburn Elementary, gave a presentation on the socio-economic needs, disparities, and injustices that plague many Baltimore City schools. She told compelling stories of her students in need, and her experiences as she is faced with the daunting task of educating her students while working in a school system that has suffered from major systemic Injustices… During her presentation, she expressed the importance of legislation like the Blueprint for Maryland's Future.
While Fareehah spoke of the Blueprint being a win in general she also describes the Blueprint as "the floor". Unfortunately, the time allotted for speaking did not allow Fareehah as much time as she would've liked to elaborate on that statement. However, she did take the time to elaborate via email after her presentation. Here's what she wrote:
"While the bill is truly remarkable, and I'm so thankful our students, teachers, and community will benefit, I am still concerned about some of the finer details in the bill and its implementation. Governor Hogan kept delaying the implementation of the Accountability and Implementation Board for the bill and even tried to question the members chosen to derail the whole process. The bill is going to help fix Baltimore city's funding formula after the outdated Thornton funding formula, but I referenced it as "the floor not the ceiling" because there is still a lot more work to be done beyond the initial bill getting passed. I've written one piece about the work that still needs to be done, which is here:
https://www.baltimoreteachers.org/the-blueprint-for-marylands-future/. I know we have really strong champions behind this bill like David Hornbeck and Memorial Episcopal so I am confident that we will be able to keep up the joint advocacy for more fair funding until we fully get the state to raise the revenue needed for this bill. I look forward to continuing to collaborate and learn more from each other."
I believe this expresses the need for accountability committees and implementation teams. The Blueprint becoming Maryland Law is a giant step towards equity in school systems, but this also brings home the true reality of the amount of work that still needs to be done. What is law, if there is no accountability? What is true power and equality, while systemic racism still exists? The general consensus is the sky's the limit, and there is certainly more work to be done. David Hornbeck gave some insight on the topic as well and stated that "passing a law with good policy and money is one thing. Faithful implementation is another. What is needed is monitoring implementation at the local and state levels." This statement, I believe, “hit the nail on the head”. Fareehah and David have both been at the forefront of moving this potentially life-changing legislation into place.
Fareehah’s presentation helped to shed some much needed light on Baltimore's unjust school system. Including the fact that 3.2 billion dollars have somehow missed Baltimore school systems over the past 20 years. The reparations committee at Memorial is committed to working on helping to diminish educational disparities and create solutions as we move forward. Fareehahs insight and knowledge will certainly be strongly appreciated as we work to obtain equal opportunity education in Baltimore.
If you are interested in getting involved or simply have some Insight or questions.. please email Anthony at justice@memorialepiscopal.org.
-Anthony Francis
The View from Bolton Street
General Convention is here!
Wait, what IS General Convention?
Tomorrow delegates from all over the U.S., and a good portion of the Western Hemisphere, will be arriving in Baltimore for the 80th General Convention of the Episcopal Church.
While scaled-down substantially because of COVID, this is still a very large convention and will set the agenda for the business of the Church for the next three years.
Just as we have an annual meeting to vote on the budget and elect officers at Memorial, so do the Diocese and the National Church. But the National Church only meets every three years (four years this time due to a COVID delay), and a lot of business needs to get done.
In addition to voting on the budget, electing officers to National Bodies, and setting broader policy agendas, there will be important resolutions on everything from revising the prayer book, to the study of colonization, to where the National Church needs to go on Reparations.
There will also be a LOT of Church. And very very good Church.
Thanks to everyone who has volunteered to help with the convention - it is much appreciated!
One of the vows we make as clergy is to take part in the councils of the Church. That’s because from the beginning we have believed that when the Church gathers together the Holy Spirit is present and guides us to wise decisions and right actions.
And I don’t mean just the Episcopal Church, but the Christian Church! From Pentecost to Nicea to Today when the Church gathers prayerfully, interesting and unexpected things happen.
With that in mind I invite your prayers for the presence of the Holy Spirit here in Baltimore this week as we gather to consider what is next for the Episcopal Church and for the Kingdom of God.
Welcome to Baltimore #GC80 --
While you are here in Baltimore we would like to invite you to come get to know the history of the Episcopal Church in West Baltimore.
Memorial Episcopal Church has curated two outdoor walking tours of West Baltimore - Thursday July 7th and Saturday July 9th. Tours will start and end at 1505 Eutaw Place - The Baltimore Unity Hall
Plan to meet at 11 am for an 11:30 am departure. Thursday’s tour will focus on the case for reparations - the history of racism, segregation and division led by the Episcopal Church in Baltimore.
Saturday’s tour will emphasize the moments of resilience and hope in Black Baltimore - including the important role of Black Episcopal Leaders in the civil rights movement.
The View from Bolton Street
Baking Bread Together…. Apart
A Sabbatical Journey
Hello from the Corner of Bolton and Lafayette,
As you are (hopefully) aware, on August 1st I will begin a three-and-a-half-month sabbatical with the support of Memorial’s staff and vestry, and the tremendous generosity of the Lily Endowment. The current language around sabbaticals is that the congregation and clergy take a sabbatical ‘together’. While I don’t think Lily is going to support all of us going to Southern India in October, I do recognize that my absence will be a time of rest for many of you. Thankfully, we have an excellent sabbatical committee that is working to ensure things will go smoothly and that we all are able to refresh, restore and renew ourselves over the next few months.
The sabbatical is called: “Grains, Trains, and Automobiles” and it uses the process of Baking Bread - Mixing, Leavening, Stretching, Resting, Baking - to help us understand the hard work of rest, and to explore the role that hospitality plays in our ability to work across difference, repair relationships, and see the face of Christ in the other.
The last three years have been extremely exciting and challenging for all of us here at Memorial. From Justice and Reparations to COVID and Renovations we have all had our share of highs and lows, we could all use a rest, even as we are all excited for what is coming next with respect to reparations, the completion of the renovations, and the next five years of Memorial’s life. Deacon Natalie has put together an excellent group of preachers and celebrants to assist with worship, and the vestry and lay leadership are excited to step into some new leadership roles.
We all agree that this long season of COVID has shifted some of our leadership and worship patterns, and this is an opportunity to rebalance responsibilities between staff and volunteers, and also for some new leaders to rise up within the congregation. So if that speaks to you, I hope you will reach out to the sabbatical committee to volunteer!
The Sabbatical will be broken up into parts:
Mix: When you mix ingredients for baking you are giving them time to get to know each other, connect, and strengthen the bonds and relationships between the parts. It is also a good time to look at what needs to be repaired and restored within ourselves and our community.
Leaven: The leaven is what agitates the flour and gluten, allows the bread to rise, and creates space to breathe. During this period, I will be ‘interning’ at a local bakery here in Baltimore, deepening my own understanding and appreciation of the bread baking process, and working out a whole other set of skills and muscles in the process.
Stretch and Fold: Part of this sabbatical is also making sure Monica, Isabella, and Nicolas also get their own sabbatical experiences - so we will be stretching ourselves on a two-day train ride through the Rockies from Denver to San Francisco. We will be visiting friends that we have not seen in many years and taking Isabella to Sequoia National Park and Nicolas to the Golden Gate Bridge because that is on both of their bucket lists.
Bake: Finally, we will finish the sabbatical with an extended trip to Southern India as a family. We will be exploring the way of St. Thomas, and also exploring the concept of hospitality and inter-religious dialogue in one of the few places where so many world religions live together in peace and harmony.
Through all of this, you will be meeting experts in baking, Christian hospitality, The Church in (and of) South India, and rest and renewal. Finally, we will all come back together in mid-November to bake bread together.
My ‘leave-taking Sunday’ will be July 31st. Please plan to join us for a send-off celebration on that day, with food, drinks, music, and community.
I want to thank again our vestry, our sabbatical committee, Deacon Natalie, and all of you, for making this possible.