OK, so we didn't walk into a bar. We actually were the panelists for a forum on alcohol usage put on by Mount Vernon Nazarene University last night. Each of the four of us church leaders were chosen to give four different points of view on alcohol usage by faithful Christians. We panelist respected and enjoyed one another, and the students seemed engaged.
It was nice to have four different panelists, but for the most part we fell into two camps. All four of us agreed that although there are many biblical injunctions against drunkenness, there really is no biblical injunction against drinking alcohol. The Nazarene and Baptist ministers went on to explain their denomination's social choice to abstain from alcohol. UMC pastor Rod Buchanan and I talked about how alcohol could be a part of a faithful Christian's life.
Going into the chapel that evening, I was nervous about being put on the spot, about being judged, or about sticking my foot in my mouth. But none of that happened. The only even slight disagreement we panelists had was at the very end of our time together. MVNU students and staff sign a policy that they will not be in the presence of alcohol. Their chaplain explained the policy by saying he hoped his sons would never be the designated driver at a kegger. I responded from my own experience of being the designated driver in high school and much of college, and how I always make sure there is a designated driver when drinking is involved. I said that for me, being a designated driver was a form of ministry and that I hope my boys will be designated drivers regularly. The Nazarene minister respected my view, and said that if a friend called his son in need of a safe ride home, he hoped his son would drive the friend. But he restated his hope that his children will not expose themselves to any situations where they would need to be designated drivers.
I think the students enjoyed hearing a diversity of views from faithful Christians on the subject of alcohol usage. And I enjoyed being part of the panel. I would love to be part of a regular series that might include environmental concerns, premarital sex, homosexuality, and a variety of other topics on which faithful Christians differ in our understanding and belief.
I was charmed to see that one of the students tweeted a quote from me as I tried to explain what alcohol usage is like in our home, "Alcohol is just like peanut butter. We have it in the house, I try not to eat too much of it, but it is very good."
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Liturgical Evangelism: Ashes to Go
This year Harcourt Parish decided to engage in some "Liturgical Evangelism" on Ash Wednesday. I (in my chasuble) and 2-3 lay folks opened the church doors and stood out on Kenyon's Middle Path in between classes around 10, 11, 12, 2, and 3 today. My hope was that we would talk to or give ashes to 20 people. The reality was much better! About 50 people came and asked for ashes and we spoke to about 50 other people. That's 100 people we had contact with on Middle Path today!
I thought Ashes to Go might impact the attendance at our services at 12:10, 5pm and 5:30. It did--but in a surprising way. Our noon service grew by 50% from last year, and our evening services held steady.
I believe Liturgical Evangelism is the way to go for the Episcopal church. Liturgy is something we do really well. It's something that most Episcopalians are comfortable with.
Ashes to Go was a great success. I'd love to come up with some other easy Liturgical Evangelism to do throughout the year.
Lenten Blessings!
I thought Ashes to Go might impact the attendance at our services at 12:10, 5pm and 5:30. It did--but in a surprising way. Our noon service grew by 50% from last year, and our evening services held steady.
I believe Liturgical Evangelism is the way to go for the Episcopal church. Liturgy is something we do really well. It's something that most Episcopalians are comfortable with.
Ashes to Go was a great success. I'd love to come up with some other easy Liturgical Evangelism to do throughout the year.
Lenten Blessings!
A Busy Epiphany
During the last month one of the things that has been taking much of my time and thought is our parish's 2012 deficit budget. Our deficit is quite significant--one that can't be covered simply asking folks to increase their pledge.
The vestry, wardens, and I have been working diligently to create new fundraisers which may balance our budget. Our only other option would be to make cuts which would change our parish to the core.
Harcourt Parish HomeStay
Our first plan is to follow in the footsteps of Christ Church, Oberlin and begin a HomeStay program. Senior Warden Richard met with the Oberlin coordinator in early January and has provided strong leadership for this project. We have asked parishioners to offer rooms for rent to Kenyon visitors in exchange for a donation to the church. This program has been well-received and we are hopeful it will put a significant dent in our budget shortfall.
Spring Break Meals
Another major fundraiser the vestry has taken on is to provide lunches and dinners for the Swim Team during the two weeks of Kenyon's Spring Break. Because of this, I have had to cancel my participation in the Spring Break Service Trip to St. Louis so that I will be available to do a large portion of the organizing, cooking, and cleaning.
Our Junior Warden, Toma, has and will spend countless hours planning, shopping, prepping, recruiting, cooking, and cleaning. She and I are doing all we can, and there is still a need for many more hands.
In preparing for these meals, we have spoken with two different caterers who have done this in the past, and they both talked about the intensity and exhaustion involved. The parish has the opportunity to put a significant dent into our deficit. I hope that we find the intensity and exhaustion worth the price.
Other Ideas
Even these two significant fundraisers will not balance our budget this year. We also need to consider other fundraisers like our Camp Care Packages we have done in previous summers. Several things we are considering are a silent auction, wine tastings, and special fundraising dinners.
Overall, our parish is moving toward a more healthy financial future. Instead of relying on one or two major donors for 10% or more of our budget, we are transitioning to a parish where we all give both money and time to the budget of the parish. We're great at giving our time and money to outreach projects--we just need to turn part of that effort to keep up the institution that makes the outreach possible.
The vestry, wardens, and I have been working diligently to create new fundraisers which may balance our budget. Our only other option would be to make cuts which would change our parish to the core.
Harcourt Parish HomeStay
Our first plan is to follow in the footsteps of Christ Church, Oberlin and begin a HomeStay program. Senior Warden Richard met with the Oberlin coordinator in early January and has provided strong leadership for this project. We have asked parishioners to offer rooms for rent to Kenyon visitors in exchange for a donation to the church. This program has been well-received and we are hopeful it will put a significant dent in our budget shortfall.
Spring Break Meals
Another major fundraiser the vestry has taken on is to provide lunches and dinners for the Swim Team during the two weeks of Kenyon's Spring Break. Because of this, I have had to cancel my participation in the Spring Break Service Trip to St. Louis so that I will be available to do a large portion of the organizing, cooking, and cleaning.
Our Junior Warden, Toma, has and will spend countless hours planning, shopping, prepping, recruiting, cooking, and cleaning. She and I are doing all we can, and there is still a need for many more hands.
In preparing for these meals, we have spoken with two different caterers who have done this in the past, and they both talked about the intensity and exhaustion involved. The parish has the opportunity to put a significant dent into our deficit. I hope that we find the intensity and exhaustion worth the price.
Other Ideas
Even these two significant fundraisers will not balance our budget this year. We also need to consider other fundraisers like our Camp Care Packages we have done in previous summers. Several things we are considering are a silent auction, wine tastings, and special fundraising dinners.
Overall, our parish is moving toward a more healthy financial future. Instead of relying on one or two major donors for 10% or more of our budget, we are transitioning to a parish where we all give both money and time to the budget of the parish. We're great at giving our time and money to outreach projects--we just need to turn part of that effort to keep up the institution that makes the outreach possible.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tech-Free Friday Sabbaths
It's Thursday night, which means I'm getting in my last bit of computer time for the next 24-36 hours. Those of you who know me will remember that when I returned from Sabbatical last fall, I planned on taking my Fridays as "Tech-Free Sabbaths". I'm happy to report that they've stuck.
It took a while for me to understand the difference between the grace of tech-free sabbath and the law of tech-free sabbath. In the beginning, I was anxiously full of questions. Could I take a phone call? Could I make a phone call? Could I check the weather forecast on the computer? Could I watch a show with my family? After several weeks of this, I realized that I was getting so caught up in following the law of the sabbath that I was missing out on true sabbath. So I relaxed and did what made sense, what feels authentic, what seems faith-full.
So I do continue to use the grocery list on my iPhone. And I do check in for my airline flights. And I pick up calls from my kids' schools.
But I don't check or send e-mails. And I don't work on my sermon. And I don't shop or waste time with all the technology around me.
My Friday Sabbaths also include doing things in expansive time instead of in a hurry. Each Friday, I try to see my mom at the nursing home and have a long visit--not rushing off to get anywhere. I now normally do our week's grocery shopping on my sabbath and it is no longer a "chore" but it has become an act of loving service which I do for our family. I also plan our meals for the week and mix up a batch of Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day which we'll use throughout the week. I take my kid to preschool. I'm home when the other one gets off the bus. I'm around for them to have fun with. And I thank God for all of it.
Sabbath blessings to you.
It took a while for me to understand the difference between the grace of tech-free sabbath and the law of tech-free sabbath. In the beginning, I was anxiously full of questions. Could I take a phone call? Could I make a phone call? Could I check the weather forecast on the computer? Could I watch a show with my family? After several weeks of this, I realized that I was getting so caught up in following the law of the sabbath that I was missing out on true sabbath. So I relaxed and did what made sense, what feels authentic, what seems faith-full.
So I do continue to use the grocery list on my iPhone. And I do check in for my airline flights. And I pick up calls from my kids' schools.
But I don't check or send e-mails. And I don't work on my sermon. And I don't shop or waste time with all the technology around me.
My Friday Sabbaths also include doing things in expansive time instead of in a hurry. Each Friday, I try to see my mom at the nursing home and have a long visit--not rushing off to get anywhere. I now normally do our week's grocery shopping on my sabbath and it is no longer a "chore" but it has become an act of loving service which I do for our family. I also plan our meals for the week and mix up a batch of Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day which we'll use throughout the week. I take my kid to preschool. I'm home when the other one gets off the bus. I'm around for them to have fun with. And I thank God for all of it.
Sabbath blessings to you.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Doctoral Course First In-Residence Course Complete
My first 2-week in-residence course for my Doctor of Ministry from Austin Theological Presbyterian Seminary will be complete today. This first course has "been more than I can ask or imagine" (Ep 3:20). I'm part of a great cohort of seven students. The five women in the class have shared living the Dorm Life and we've bonded, becoming true friends and companions on the way.
The course material has been challenging, exciting, and manageable.
Between now and April 15th, each of us will complete a project using the tools and guidelines we have studied in this course. I am proposing a project which looks at Harcourt Parish through the lens of hospitality. (I'll share more details when my project has been approved.) Because I'll be doing some interviewing, my proposal must be approved by the seminary's Institutional Review Board. Because my office is on Kenyon's campus, and because I propose to interview some folks who are Kenyon staff or students, I must also get approval from Kenyon's Institutional Review Board.
While researching my topic, I came across the book, "Good Fences: The boundaries of hospitality" by Caroline A. Westerhoff. It captured me! Harcourt Parish is energized around issues of hospitality these days. A few years ago we helped to start the Winter Sanctuary and continue to volunteer. We have created a Parish House Use Committee to focus on the Parish House and how we are and can be hospitable there. And we are just beginning a Home Stay program to host visitors to Kenyon.
I hope to lead a book study this semester on the book Good Fences. If you would like to be part of this study, please let me know.
The course material has been challenging, exciting, and manageable.
Between now and April 15th, each of us will complete a project using the tools and guidelines we have studied in this course. I am proposing a project which looks at Harcourt Parish through the lens of hospitality. (I'll share more details when my project has been approved.) Because I'll be doing some interviewing, my proposal must be approved by the seminary's Institutional Review Board. Because my office is on Kenyon's campus, and because I propose to interview some folks who are Kenyon staff or students, I must also get approval from Kenyon's Institutional Review Board.
While researching my topic, I came across the book, "Good Fences: The boundaries of hospitality" by Caroline A. Westerhoff. It captured me! Harcourt Parish is energized around issues of hospitality these days. A few years ago we helped to start the Winter Sanctuary and continue to volunteer. We have created a Parish House Use Committee to focus on the Parish House and how we are and can be hospitable there. And we are just beginning a Home Stay program to host visitors to Kenyon.
I hope to lead a book study this semester on the book Good Fences. If you would like to be part of this study, please let me know.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Doctoral Course Introduction
I'm now in residence for my first Doctoral course at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. With two days under my belt, so far so good. I'm in a cohort with six other clergy including Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Disciples of Christ, and Episcopal. We come from churches that worship 30 on a Sunday morning and churches that worship 1,300 on Sunday mornings. To prepare for class, we each read six books and wrote five papers.
This first course, taught by Chuck Mendenhall, is called "Ministry and Context." On our first day of class, we shared our papers with one another. During the rest of the week we will explore different ways of engaging our congregations in qualitative, narrative research. We will get to know one anothers' congregations by the five papers we have shared with one another. So far, I have shared a brief ethnographic description of our choir and an even briefer family systems analysis of the parish house. I will also be sharing a narrative research about the chaplaincy, a paper on culture and identity which is very similar to what I shared at our Advent suppers, and finally I'll be sharing the timeline we created together during the second Advent supper.
Our classes meet from 8:30-12:30 each weekday for two weeks. Our professor will give us an assignment on Friday which will take much of the weekend to complete to be presented on Monday. This weekend work will be the background material we will work with in Week 2, and the basis of a research project we will do in our congregations in the next several months. Our final project for this course will be due April 15th. Currently, there are many exciting possibilities in our congregation. I haven't yet decided what the focus of my paper will be but I am confident that it will be both informative and useful as we look into Harcourt Parish's future together.
This first course, taught by Chuck Mendenhall, is called "Ministry and Context." On our first day of class, we shared our papers with one another. During the rest of the week we will explore different ways of engaging our congregations in qualitative, narrative research. We will get to know one anothers' congregations by the five papers we have shared with one another. So far, I have shared a brief ethnographic description of our choir and an even briefer family systems analysis of the parish house. I will also be sharing a narrative research about the chaplaincy, a paper on culture and identity which is very similar to what I shared at our Advent suppers, and finally I'll be sharing the timeline we created together during the second Advent supper.
Our classes meet from 8:30-12:30 each weekday for two weeks. Our professor will give us an assignment on Friday which will take much of the weekend to complete to be presented on Monday. This weekend work will be the background material we will work with in Week 2, and the basis of a research project we will do in our congregations in the next several months. Our final project for this course will be due April 15th. Currently, there are many exciting possibilities in our congregation. I haven't yet decided what the focus of my paper will be but I am confident that it will be both informative and useful as we look into Harcourt Parish's future together.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Diocesan Council
For the first time in my 25+ years of active diocesan participation, I am on Diocesan Council. Diocesan Council is like the Vestry of the diocese. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from it, but decided it was time to broaden my understanding of the church by taking a turn as council member. Our Mission Area Council elected me, and I am currently at our organizing retreat. So far, I'm pleasantly surprised. After this weekend we will meet for a half day a month, sometimes on Thursday afternoons and sometimes on Saturdays. Here are some of the things we do:
Financial Oversight
Just like Vestries, the Diocesan Council has some fiduciary responsibilities. Today we will be looking at audit reports and discussing salaries and benefits. The dollar amounts in the diocese are much larger than that in our parish, but the general principles are the same.
Connection with Staff
I didn't realize that diocesan staff attend every Council meeting. This really helps connect the staff to a wider group of folks from the diocese. I will look forward to being able to regularly see all the diocesan staff face to face.
Connection between the Diocese and Mission Area
Some members of council are elected by our Mission Areas, others are elected by Diocesan Convention. Those of us elected by the Mission Area are tasked with being another point of connection between the parishes in our mission area and the diocese. At least quarterly, we are to check in with both the clergy AND the senior warden of each church in our mission area. We are to be conduits both of information from the diocese to the parish as well as from the parishes to the diocese. This is a part of my role of council member that I will especially enjoy.
It's time to get back to our meeting. We begin with prayer and I don't want to be late for that!
Financial Oversight
Just like Vestries, the Diocesan Council has some fiduciary responsibilities. Today we will be looking at audit reports and discussing salaries and benefits. The dollar amounts in the diocese are much larger than that in our parish, but the general principles are the same.
Connection with Staff
I didn't realize that diocesan staff attend every Council meeting. This really helps connect the staff to a wider group of folks from the diocese. I will look forward to being able to regularly see all the diocesan staff face to face.
Connection between the Diocese and Mission Area
Some members of council are elected by our Mission Areas, others are elected by Diocesan Convention. Those of us elected by the Mission Area are tasked with being another point of connection between the parishes in our mission area and the diocese. At least quarterly, we are to check in with both the clergy AND the senior warden of each church in our mission area. We are to be conduits both of information from the diocese to the parish as well as from the parishes to the diocese. This is a part of my role of council member that I will especially enjoy.
It's time to get back to our meeting. We begin with prayer and I don't want to be late for that!
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