Listening to the Communion of Saints

Given that the move was less than five months ago, it’s not surprising that it took me awhile to find the plastic container that contains my little corner of the Communion of Saints. I discovered it under a box and some games, the picture frames inside still enveloped in bubble wrap. These aren’t the only photos I have of my beloved ones, alive and dead. But these are the ones in frames, the ones that have sat on mantles and on bookshelves over the years. On display. So we don’t forget we’re part of something larger.

I select two that I will place in the side chapel on Sunday to mark the feasts of All Saints and All Souls. There is a small photo of my husband’s parents taken Easter morning, 1993. And there’s one of my parents taken 10 years before that: my mother, who is still living, and my father, who died when I was 22.

There are countless saints in my life – the Communion of Saints is a cloud of witnesses both living and dead, so I was taught. But these select are my patrons, the ones who parented and formed me and pointed God out to me, all in their own ways.

My parents grin at me from June 1983. I could have chosen the photos taken in the early 50s, back when my mother looked a bit like Leslie Caron and my dad was a serious World War II vet with all his hair. But I didn’t know them then.

Instead, here is my dad as I best remember him: thin hair, glasses and a face creased with smile lines.  I indulge in a tiny bit of self-pity. There are many, many things I would have liked to have discussed with him over the last 26 years, many things I would have liked to share with him. Like my in-laws, he died too young, before all my questions were answered.

But the Feast of All Saints isn’t about nostalgia for the dead. It’s about faith in the living, a relationship with souls that dwell as near to us as God does. And just as I can sometimes fail to notice the intimate presence of God, so too do I often fail to remember the intimate presence of those who are in full communion with God. Maybe it’s because they are so silent, as God is silent.

But they also speak.

When I want to know what my father would say to me about my life choices, I can consult the hagiography – the saintly and sometimes selective story I tell about his life. I can look to his philosophy of parenting and work (his field was vocational education). I can recall his readiness to walk and talk, his willingness to build things upon request, from dollhouses to dulcimers. I can tell the story of how he joined the Catholic Church in his own sweet time, more than 30 years after he told my mother he’d convert. I can savor his theology: “It all boils down to this: God is love. It’s as simple as that.”

If I would like to hear his voice now, in the intimate proximity that I believe my father shares with the divine, I must do this:  I must put myself in my most receptive posture.  I must quiet my side of things -- my memories, my loss, my grief. And I must take my place in the Communion of Saints, which speaks with one voice: God is love. And those who abide in love, abide in God.  And God in them.

- Barb Ballenger

Driving Miss Dot

When I was in elementary school in Eastern PA, my parents found an Episcopal Church they loved and we started attending regularly and becoming more involved. It wasn't long before I joined the children’s choir, my step-dad Dave was serving on vestry, and my mom was hired as parish coordinator. After a few Sundays of talking with an elderly member at coffee hour, Dave asked if she needed rides between her nursing home and church. 

That’s when Dot entered our lives. 

In her mid-90s, Dot still played the piano, loved her scotch, and introduced herself as “Dot P., O.B.” When people would engage her about being a doctor, she would correct them and tell them that O.B. stood for Old Bag. She was self-assured and had a great sense of humor, and my family had a great time getting to know her over the next couple of years that we gave her rides. Sometimes, when we took Dot back to her nursing home, we would stay and join her for lunch or see her to her room.

Even though she didn't have children of her own, Dot took a liking to me as I did her. For her birthday, I brought her a stuffed animal, which didn't fit with her décor or demeanor, but which she ended up cherishing and putting on her bed each day. One day, when we dropped her off, she gave me a little cushioned box that was hers. A couple of years later, after we had moved to Illinois, she died; I found that little blue box and held onto it as I cried.

Though it was only a small portion of my week, rides with Dot formed a lasting memory for me. It’s amazing to think that this relationship started with a simple, “Hey, do you need a ride?” When I asked Dave why he reached out to Dot, he said that in a church community, we’re all there to help one another worship God more fully. Giving Dot rides was a wonderful and rewarding opportunity for him to connect with another member of the church and get to know someone better, while helping a fellow parishioner. Dave had so much fun doing it that – once we moved to a new community – he found another spunky parishioner in her 90s to drive to church. 

He says it’s a simple plan: Be alert to the needs of the people in your church, and when you see them, respond. I am grateful for his ministry because it was a great example for me as a child and allowed me to form a bond with someone I may have never met otherwise.

At St. Martin’s, we have opportunities for you to connect with others. One of these ways is through signing up on our Transportation Ministry page as someone who would be willing to provide rides to church to someone in your geographical area. Needs vary and commitments are flexible; if you are willing to open your car and your heart to a neighbor, take the first step of signing up. Like my family, you may get to know someone whom you remember for many years after the rides have ended.

- The Rev. Callie Swanlund

Perspective Restored - An Essay on Stewardship

Fifteen years ago, some older friends chose me and my wife as the next owners of their property in Hancock, Maine.  These remarkable people were both retired pastors who had been on the front line of every good cause from the American Civil Rights movement to putting their bodies between the Contras and the Sandinistas during the war in Nicaragua. In an unexpected phone call, Bob and Fran announced that we were the chosen ones.  “Why?” we asked.  "Because you share our values and commitments and will be good stewards of the property," they answered.

So we bought the property on Egypt Bay, next to Egypt stream, on a remote stretch of Taunton Bay.  With the property, we inherited a chainsaw and a forestry management plan.  Bob had worked many years to make the seven acre wood an official Tree Farm with a plan to promote plant diversity, wild-life habitat and a forest of diverse trees at all stages of the life cycle.  Indeed, our seven acres were wonderfully populated by red oaks, 80 foot tall white pines, fir trees, cedars, birch trees, tamaracks, popples (the local name for quaking aspens), maples, apple and pines. My job was to be the next steward of Bob’s hard work and vision.

From the perspective of 15 years, today I see trees which were chin high at the beginning of my tenure and are now three times my height with trunks thicker than my thigh.  I am moved to tears by the happy notion that my grandchildren may play under these same trees and their children too.

Stewardship of this property puts my life in perspective and joins me to a greater purpose and meaning.  The forest also teaches me that stewardship is unavoidable.

From the perspective of life among the trees, I am constantly reminded that the cycle of life is so much bigger and more mysterious than me and my petty concerns. 

From the perspective of life among the trees, I am constantly reminded that I am a recent visitor on a short duration visa in this world.  The trees will be here long after I am gone and that makes me incredibly happy. My stewardship is not about me.  Stewardship is about the generations that will come – what will they need to thrive and find joy in life and how can I prepare and provide for them?

From the perspective of life among the trees, I am constantly in awe of the beauty and resilience of nature.  The abundance and persistence of life is breathtaking.  The unique stories told by each tree trunk in the scars of weather and the search for light are fascinating. The super-abundance of wind-sown seedlings each summer puts me in mind of Christ the Wild Sower of Seeds.  The Stewardship question is always: what to do with so much abundance in life?

From the perspective of life among the trees, I am constantly asking whether I am doing all I can with my limited gifts and abilities to add to the health of this forest and ecosystem. Stewardship is working in that dance among what is given, what gifts I bring and what is envisioned by God to add to and to advance the well-being of all. 

Stewardship is unavoidable. If you walk through my seven acres, you will find low stone walls and a small cemetery plot dating back to the Civil War. This land has been cleared of trees at least three times since European settlement - for boat building, for salt-water farming, for animal grazing.  What appears to be natural  - here and throughout New England - is the result of human intervention.  Therefore, we must continue to be active stewards intervening to correct past mistakes and play our part in the flourishing of a nature renewed. 

We are all stewards of community, personal gifts and talents, property, mission, vision and society itself.  Our spiritual work is to be reflective and self-aware stewards who give our lives in Christ like ways to God’s  renewing of Creation.

-The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

POWER Spring 2014 Voter Engagement Results

Howard Bilofsky and David Mosenkis of Germantown Jewish Center have just published an article about POWER’s s voter education drive. I still struggle with the words of the article. When Howard explained it to me, I could get it from the graph. Here is the article followed by my interpretation of the graph.

Effectiveness of POWER’s Spring 2014 Voter Engagement Campaign

POWER targeted low income, infrequent voters in our Spring 2014 voter engagement campaign leading up to the May 2014 primary election.  Overall,  19% of registered voters in Philadelphia turned out to vote in that election.  But the population POWER targeted had a lower turnout rate of 10%.  This rate would have been even lower were it not for POWER’s outreach to that population.  Voters in the population that POWER volunteers touched (by talking to them in person and on the phone or leaving a message) had a turnout rate of 25%.  Voters who POWER touched and who committed to vote had a turnout rate of 38%.  So voters POWER reached were 2.5 times as likely to vote as the overall population, and voters who POWER garnered commitments from were nearly 4 times as likely to vote.

Voter Turnout for Low Income Infrequent Voters

Interpretation of the Graph

You see the dotted line down the middle. That represents the per cent of Philadelphia’s registered voters who turned out to vote in the May 2014 election, 19% (shamefully low, I think).

You see the little box on the top. That shows the rate at which infrequent voters turned out to vote. Only 9%. In other election cycles, 9% would be above average for infrequent voters. POWER raised the total rate.

You see the middle box. That shows the rate at which infrequent voters who had received a communication from POWER voted. Instead of 9%, 25% of infrequent voters who heard from POWER voted .

The bottom box shows the rate at which those who committed to vote in response to POWER voted. 38% of infrequent voters who told POWER that they would vote actually went to the polls and voted.

ASTONISHING! Now look at the numbers of infrequent voters who have committed to vote so far in our fall campaign. In just two sessions with 11 phoners, we have gotten 140 commitments. We had 177 actual conversations, so far. So 79% of the people we talk to commit to vote. We know from our May experience that if they commit, they are very likely to follow through.

We still have three Sundays (12:30 to 3:00 p.m.) and one Wednesday (Oct 22 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.) on which we can call. Jess Ballenger has become extremely competent in training and guiding us in the process. This work gives a sense of accomplishment and confidence that we are building a community of education voters. Please sign up here to come try it out. 

-The Rev. Carol Duncan

Budget 2015 - Stewardship Means Planning Ahead

From August through December, your Vestry and Finance Committee are working hard on our budget for the coming year.  Our over-riding question is: How to match vital ministries with adequate funding to promote their growth in mission?

Some exciting possible uses for new funds include:

1. A paid part-time youth minister to support our growing High School and Junior High School groups and the lay people who teach the youth.  (estimated $10,000/year)
2. Provide paid counselors for our booming Vacation Bible School and Choir Camp ($2,500/year)
3. Funds to bring in well-known speakers and teachers for Wellspring and other adult-formation areas, because “learning leads to God!”  (estimated $4000)

Of course, budget planning is a combination of discretionary and mandatory spending.  So in addition to the exciting missional funding opportunities above, we have some rising costs in other areas.

1. Benefits for the staff.  We work hard to offer a living wage and competitive benefits to our paid employees from pension to medical insurance.
2. Cost of Living Increases for paid staff.  We don’t want our employees to fall behind inflation in their earnings.
3. Energy costs. Our cost for energy will rise by $7,500 next year. This is partly the result of heavier use of the facility and partly a result of the way we pay for energy.  We will make up in 2015 for the frigid winter of 2014. 

On the revenue side we know that we have abundant resources when our membership gives generously to our Annual Campaign.  Certain factors are always the case:

1. It takes 5 to 10 new pledges to make up for larger pledges lost through death or relocation of members.
2. Approximately 60% of members pay for the operation of the church through pledged giving.  We would like that to be at 80% at the least.
3. Our congregation has a wide range of incomes.  While the average cost per household to run the church is $2,100 we know not all members can reach that level.  Thankfully those who are able give well in excess of the average and make church possible for us all.

We hope you will consider these facts as you plan your pledge for 2015.  

The Mystique of Wealth and the Commerce of the Spirit

This blog post is mostly an extended quotation from Through the Eye of a Needle:  Wealth, the Fall of Rome, and the Making of Christianity in the West, 350-550 AD by Peter Brown. In late antiquity – the 4^th and 5^th centuries AD – the traditional Roman notion of wealth and its purpose was transformed by the Gospel and converts like Paulinus of Nola and Augustine of Hippo. Where previously wealth was about self-aggrandizement through lavish display (the mystique of wealth), under the tutelage of the Gospel wealth became a means of joining heaven and earth in the commerce of the Spirit.

From pages 231-232…

The notion of commercium spirituale (commerce of the Spirit)       was central to the thought world of Paulinus.  … In Latin usage, the work commercium – from which our own word “commerce” is derived- did not carry with it the brash and calculating overtones that “commerce” and “exchange” now evoke. Rather, the word commercium evoked any form of profitable bonding.  It conjured up the idea of fruitful reciprocity.  More general, commercium implied a “harmony within duality.” Thus, the word commercium came to Paulinus already charged with expectations of “harmony within duality.” Such harmony pointed to a world redeemed.  Paulinus used the word in relation to pious giving.  But the notion of spiritual exchange through pious giving was only a special case. Behind the commercium by which earthly wealth flowed upward to heaven lay the decisive joining of heaven and earth brought about by the coming of Christ.  The incarnation of Christ had been the foundational act of “exchange.” It rendered possible and thinkable all other forms of contact between God and humanity. Paulinus wrote this to Ausonius as early as 394:  “God has clothed himself in us, entering into eternal links of exchange between mankind and God.” In the words of Catherine Conybeare, through the Incarnation of Christ “each nature – man and God-laid down its essential unlikeness,” For late antique persons, the stark contrast between human and divine, between material and spiritual, between body and soul, and between the heavy, turbulent earth and the serenity of the star-filled world beyond the moon had been fixed components in their imaginative universe. No joining could have been more improbable, no paradox more audacious than to bring these antithesis together….

The mystique of wealth is still with us. It is not subtle. We see it in all media that tempt us to believe that wealth, with is comforts, privileges and conspicuous display, is a place of refuge and safety in a dangerous world. Indeed, according to the mystique, if I were wealthy my life would be meaningful, full and secure. Of course, we know this is not true. While it is better to have adequate resources than to be exposed to want, wealth is no shield from insecurity and misery of all sorts. 

The good news is that we are invited to re-frame the fact of wealth in the light of the Gospel. As inductees into the Commerce of the Spirit through Baptism, we live with all our resource trained on that place where the Kingdom of God and the earth as we know it come together. We see that place most clearly in the person of Jesus Christ and in the sacred meal he left us. In that meal, our gifts become a sharing with enough for all and room for all – a fruitful mutuality and reciprocity.