Committees and Task Forces
Bishop Mathes Visits Integrity of San Diego
Bishop James E. Mathes celebrated Eucharist and shared a potluck supper and fellowship with San Diego members of Integrity at its monthly meeting, April 5. The Lenten lessons for the Eucharist were about the three men in the fiery furnace of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The gospel lesson began with Jesus’ words “and the truth shall make you free.” In his homily the bishop said to more than fifty gay and lesbian church members and their friends, “Like the three men, gays and lesbians may feel you are in the fiery furnace of judgment. But you are not alone, God (the angel) was with them. The church is marching toward truth regarding inclusion and the full presence of gays and lesbians in it.“
After fellowship time at the potluck in the guild room, the bishop shared a bit about himself and took questions from the audience. Bishop Mathes told listeners about growing up in the south during the civil rights era of the 1960s and having to deal with racial prejudice. He also talked about a successful program he created at an illinois parish where he was rector, which brought together parents of gays, PFLAG members, gays and hetero congregation members to talk and study together for three sessions. It raised the level of tolerance and understanding and significantly lessoned homophobic reactions
At the end of the evening, on behalf of Integrity, Co-Conveners Bryan McNutt and Bill Cassidy presented the Bishop with a check for more than $1300 raised from member donations to help the diocese in its financial needs.
Following the Great Vigil of Easter, members of Integrity and their friends hosted a champagne reception to celebrate Easter and welcome the newly, confirmed and received members.
On May 6, San Diego Integrity will host a fund raising reception at the Coral Tree Condominiums, 3634 Seventh Street. Proceeds from the event will help provide funds for the national Integrity presence at this summer’s General Convention in Columbus, Ohio. A special speaker that evening will be the Rev. Susan Russell, national president of Integrity. Canon Allisyn Thomas is a deputy to the convention and chair of the San Diego delegation, the members of which were elected at the 2005 diocesan convention.
Highlights from the Peace and Justice Committee
The Faith Leaders for Peace event on Sunday, March 19 was an extraordinary success. The service was beautiful, moving, and standing room only. On the march, we endured a handful of negative comments and dozens of cheers and honks of approval as an estimated 1,000 people silently marched a mile from St. Paul’s Cathedral to the International House of Nations in Balboa Park. Once again, the cathedral hosted an event that was meaningful for the entire faith community, another example of St. Paul’s Cathedral 4 the City. See photos of the event on the FLFP website.
The first annual Peace and Justice retreat at All Souls Episcopal Church in San Diego, was the perfect mixture of contemplation and call to action. Bryan McNutt led us in meditations throughout the day as we planned for the year and devised a mission statement and statement of vision for the group.
Sunday, April 9, Dean Richardson and Reverend Mary joined 50,000 San Diegans for a march for meaningful and compassionate immigration reform. The event began Balboa Park and ended at the county administration building. Many clergy were there as well as lay members who support meaningful and compassionate reforms. Canon Mary Richardson was one of the speakers at the downtown event as did our Episcopal Bishop, James R. Mathes, who gave the closing blessing.
On Tuesday, April 18, Rabbi Michael Lerner will be at Brown Chapel at Point Loma Nazarene from 7 to 8:30 talking about ideas promoted in his book, The Left Hand of God. In essence, he argues that progressives have to become unapologetic and articulate about issues of faith, or we will continue to lose elections to the only party willing to talk about God. In my humble opinion, Rabbi Lerner has hit the nail on the head and the book should be mandatory reading for everyone in politics on the Left. Also, the event is sponsored by two sets of people we like -- San Diego's branch of the Network for Spiritual Progressives, and the Center for Peace and Reconciliation at Point Loma Nazarene. It'd be great if we could have a large group there to show our support.
Saturday, May 13, Looking forward, we will have panel and small group discussions on the ethics of stem cell research. Our very own Dean Scott Richardson will be facilitating one of the small groups, and when you register you can request a seat at his table. The Rev. Mary Blair-Loy who often worships with us is one of the key organizers
Peace – Marian Gaston, chair
