Ministries & Outreach
-Integrity Report - Pioneering California!
-Peace And justice - Busy Schedule
Dorcas House VolunTours
By Stephen H. Velez-Confer
Valentine’s Day came to Dorcas House a few days late, but with lots of cookie dough, cupcakes, icing, gummy worms, and candy hearts. Three members of the Cathedral David Smith, Beverly Bickler, and Mary McBride traveled to Dorcas House following a special ceremony at the Sunday 8 am service. The members of the Tijuana-based Episcopal mission congregation arrived at Dorcas House and their priest led the entire group in a Eucharist. After three hours of cookie making and eating, the group shared lunch at a local restaurant.
The next VolunTour is planned for March 17. It will be a special celebration of St. Patrick's Day, and we will share a little of our Gaelic heritage with the Dorcas House children.
Integrity Report - Pioneering in California!
Leaders of Integrity and allied organizations supporting the cause of full inclusion of LGBT people in The Episcopal Church and in society met in Fresno Jan 26-28 for an "All-California Gathering," the first of its kind across the Golden State. There were over thirty people present from all six California dioceses. The event was organized by Integrity/Western Region and hosted by Holy Family Episcopal Church in Fresno and its rector the Rev. Keith Axberg. This meeting is to be followed by similar region-wide meetings.
The Gathering, facilitated by Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe, of the Diocese of California, was designed to build cohesion across the state. It opened with a theme of Pioneering, a trait of the people of the Golden State. Barlowe related from Kevin Starr's California history the story of Episcopal pioneers in our state who held services and felt so removed from the churches of the east around 1849 that they even tried to get a bishop appointed by the Russian Orthodox Church, still present in the north at that time. Such pioneering, he said, will continue to exemplify Episcopalians as the Church pursues full inclusion.
Bryan McNutt, convener of the process for ordination to Holy Orders in the Diocese of San Diego and convenor of Integrity/San Diego acted as chaplain, leading in the various services of prayer, and culminating in an agape meal on Saturday evening. He, along with the Rev. John Kirkley of San Francisco and Oasis / California, Barlowe, and Bart Bartosh, of San Miguel and Regional VP, planned the event.
The group shared problems and successes, and agreed to build a catalog of resources to tap in the future. Networking of those present was a key component of the event, and the status of inclusion in the California dioceses was presented. The group was able to build the kind of loving spirit only possible in face-to-face situations. A special aim was to have the several younger people present interact with people like Integrity/USA President the Rev. Susan Russell of Los Angeles; Cindy Smith, Chair of Remain Episcopal; and Executive Council member Dottie Fuller of El Camino Real as a step towards developing the church of the future.
Another key component of the Gathering was the concrete project of helping keep the Episcopal church alive and well in the Diocese of San Joaquin. With regard to the latter, the group focused on the status of the Church and LGBT people in the Diocese of San Joaquin, hearing how it might support both, especially through the work of Remain Episcopal. Holy Family Church is a part of the Remain Episcopal organization, which in turn is a part of Via Media USA. The various Via Media organizations across the country are trying to work together to prevent schism and embrace the diversity, tolerance, and breadth of opinion which have been hallmarks of The Episcopal Church and the Anglican tradition. Integrity / USA has already contributed to Remain Episcopal and expects to continue working with them.
Yet another project was presented by California Council of Churches volunteers Greg De Giere and Libby Sholes - support for the Marriage Equality Act, AB 43, being presented by Assemblyman Mark Leno. The group tried to help the Council fashion supporting language for the bill.
The group expects to continue such Gatherings on a periodic basis, possibly annually, and to remain in contact throughout the year with regular communication of events and news within the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion
Peace and justice - Busy Schedule
The Peace and Justice Committee, at a recent meeting, considered the possibility of hosting an immigrant family fighting deportation proceedings in cooperation with what's called The New Sanctuary Movement, currently being reviewed by the national church. We're pleased to report the passage of a resolution on immigration by Diocesan Convention, and we plan to reintroduce to Chapter a resolution on immigration issues when the agenda will accommodate it.
The Committee also discussed several other ongoing projects and new initiatives.
Geoff Hueter is working on getting our web link up and running so that information about our programs, dates for future events, and links to other organizations will be available online.
Beth Johnson of the UU Church in Palomar is the new point person for the peace groups, and she is organizing specific projects to advocate for peace - for example, the creation of a standing committee to make regular visits to our elected representatives. Expect to hear more in the near future about an event on the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq in March. Also of concern: the possible expansion of the war into Iran. P&J may partner with other peace groups to hold one or more educational presentations.
JOB (Justice Overcoming Boundaries) is hosting an event called "The Conversation: Our Faith, Our Community," where small teams of leaders from various institutions will be taught how to hold a conversation on the relationship between faith values and the economic and political realities of the world. The leader training was on February 7 and leaders will be encouraged to hold conversations at their institutions between March 1 and March 31. A community-wide gathering of participants will be held on April 22.
The committee discussed the upcoming relief effort to the Gulf Coast, which is set for May 13. A forum was held on February 18 to launch the project. As a future relief effort, we would like to organize a large group to build for Habitat for Humanity here in the U.S., Mexico, or Central America. With enough time and planning, we may be able to make a huge difference somewhere.
Carolyn Lief staffed the ERD Exhibit at the diocesan convention, and sold Bishops' Blend Fair Trade coffee.
Parish members should be aware of the highly informative and user friendly "Action Alerts" service on the national church website. Go to www.episcopalchurch.org/eppn, then click on "News and Action Alerts" on the left to see what it has to offer. After you register, the site will send you pre-written letters on topics you choose, which you can forward to your elected representatives. Although the forms come as a template, they can be altered to reflect your personal point of view. Please consider taking advantage of this quick, easy, and effective way of communicating with the powers that be.
Note: Peace and Justice Committee activity is often limited to individual parish members with an interest in a particular topic. When the Committee seeks to include the Cathedral, by name, it asks the Chapter for feedback and permission before doing so.
The next meeting of the Peace and Justice Committee has been set for Tuesday, March 6. New faces and new ideas are always welcome. For more information contact Marian Gaston, Chair, Peace and Justice Committee at mariangaston@yahoo.com
