Looking Forward to Visiting Guatemala, part 2

Ava Moseley

Editor's Note: The Rector's Note this week has once again been turned over to another of the seven youth and young adults heading on pilgrimage to Guatemala in July. 

I am looking forward to going on the pilgrimage to Guatemala this summer mainly because I don’t know exactly what to expect. I cannot predict everything that will happen, and so the excitement of the trip is traveling into an unknown culture, a life-style so different than mine, that I'll be immersed in for two weeks. This is an amazing opportunity because not only will I be learning about the history and culture of Guatemala, but by traveling there and meeting new people in Guatemala, I will learn firsthand from their daily lives. I am also looking forward to strengthening my friendships with the other kids going on this trip. By experiencing this trip together, I believe we will grow as individuals and a community. [Rev.] Jarrett has devoted so much time to our youth group, teaching us what we can accomplish together, and helping our growth overall. With his guidance, I know we will go on this journey with open minds and hearts to strengthen our values for ourselves and others. And I have no doubt that this trip will create lasting friendships and memories for life.

Blessings,
Ava Moseley

PLEASE NOTE THE UPDATED DATE AND TIME OF THE Beach Vacation Party and Auction fundraiser, this SUNDAY, June 16, immediately following worship. Bidding on the silent auction items will end at 12:15 p.m. Be sure to support the summer youth pilgrimage to Guatemala by attending and bidding on items.

Looking Forward to Visiting Guatemala

Clare Robinson

Editor's Note: This week the Rector's Note has been turned over to one of the seven youth and young adults heading on pilgrimage to Guatemala in July. 


I have been looking forward to going on this trip for years. From wandering around the craft sale to seeing the pictures of the rich culture and wonderful people, I have wanted to be a part of this experience. I am excited about the gorgeous places we will go, from the small mountain villages to the scenic van drives. Growing and developing relationships with the other students I am traveling with is something that I am really looking forward to; this trip will bring us together in a very unique way. 

The aspect of this trip that I value the most is that it truly is an experience, it allows for relationships to be built, people to meet, and most importantly for us to learn. It matters a lot to me that this trip was designed for us Americans to learn about the culture, to fully immerse ourselves and learn from the people we meet. It is not a time for us to bring our ideas, societal norms, or perceptions to them, but rather a time to learn and help where we can with an emphasis on respect and valuing everyone. I hope to bring back to St. Martin's community and my own life a better understanding of the rest of the world, specifically the importance of the church in different places.

Blessings,
Clare Robinson

Update 6.13.19:
DATE CHANGE: Sunday, June 16 following 10:30 a.m. Bluegrass Mass worship

Due to poor ticket sales we are moving the Guatemala Youth Trip Fundraiser to after church on Sunday. Folks can bid after each service and we will have delicious homemade pulled pork BBQ after the Bluegrass Mass at 10:30. Come support our high school youth! The auction will close at 12:15 p.m.

Space for Conversation

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

"We need less religion, less politics, and more culture," said the Rev. Mitri Raheb when I met with him in Bethlehem this summer. For just this reason, the college he founded is devoted to nurturing art, dance, music, theater, poetry, and the culinary arts. His objective is to develop the bonds of civil society in the West Bank so Palestinians can become a unified people without resorting to religious or political extremism.

I heard this idea expressed by a number of Palestinian leaders including a young man in Hebron who had organized a co-ed 5k run. Predictably, the co-ed run had provoked a clash between more traditional Palestinians and more modernizing Palestinians. The young man took this in stride as the cost of progress. His goal was to carve out a secular space for civic activity that could build the health of his people.

Do we need less religion, less politics, and more culture here in the United States? Would a resurgent or newly conceived common culture mitigate the intensity of our political and religious polarization? I will not pretend to have complete answers to these profound questions but I do have some themes I would like to explore.

Over-confidence in religious beliefs is often named as a major contributing factor to disputes that resist resolution. The corrective is said to be a healthy skepticism and doubt of any value or assertion that comes from a religious worldview. Unlike Palestine, the United States has a long history of a secular civic space and we cast the fantasy that religion has nothing to say in this space. The problem is; how does a religious person leave their religion behind when making moral decisions that shape our common life through politics?

Professor Jeff Stout, recently retired Professor of Religious Studies at Princeton University, puts it this way: "The line between church and state does not run through the heart of a believer." I agree with Jeff - one of my intellectual heroes - and would add, "If I call Jesus Lord, how can he be Lord of only one facet of my life? Mustn't I seek to follow him in every place I make decisions that effect my neighbor?"

My answer to those who counsel doubt and skepticism in religious belief is to wonder why religion should be the thing we doubt most of all. When we are honest, we admit that we do not live each day doubting the values and beliefs that make our day functional. We believe our car will run without knowing the first thing about engineering. Really what we need is to simply be upfront about our commitments, wherever they come from, and contribute them as a way of enriching the moral discussions that form our life together.

Some will object that politics is corrupt and selfish and I want religion to be pure and transcendent. My gentle reminder is that we follow a God who took on incarnate life and battled sin hand to hand to the point of a sordid and disgraceful death. Perhaps we need to follow him into the muck and the squalor for the sake of love of neighbor and God?

If you're interested in further discussion around this topic, I highly recommend that you join us on Sunday morning, October 28, for Parish Forum at 9:15 a.m. Chris Satullo will lead us in the first of a two-part series on Conversations Across Differences. See you in the parish hall!

Blessings,
Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

Rector
Parish Forum - Sundays at 9:15 a.m. in the Parish Hall
Oct. 28: Conversations Across Differences
The common denominator in all of our communities is they are divided by differences of all kinds. How do you get people to discuss their differences and put their solutions into action? Our guest speaker at Parish Forum this week is Chris Satullo and he's an expert on the subject. Chris is the co-founder of the Penn Project of Civic Engagement and is a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He will demonstrate how faith plays as important a part of breaking down barriers as anything else does. Join us for the first of this two-part series this Sunday at 9:15 a.m. in the Parish Hall.

Chris Satullo

Nov. 4: Conversations Across Differences, Part II
This week Chris Satullo continues his discussion on how faith can play a role in slicing through differences we face in our communities in part two of this important series. Today he’ll discuss strategies to start conversations, arrive at solutions, and put those solutions into action. We can save the world one small piece at a time. Your first lesson awaits you at Parish Forum.