“We are one people of God…”

Many of you will remember the months long series of meetings in homes around the parish that led up to the discernment of our parish vision. Prayer and discernment is our finite, human way to get to a place where we can glimpse a piece of God’s desire for us as a household of faith. I have to say that this church now has as clear and focused an idea of where it’s called to go as any that I’ve ever known firsthand. I think we are still growing into the vision we’ve been given, but our sense of direction is as clear as is humanly possible.

Why do we even bother to start with “we are one people of God…?” Probably because St. Paul’s Church, like many others, has known serious and divisive conflict in its century of mission. Unity is never something to take for granted. And because we know that when we do experience unity in our congregation, it comes directly from God and is nurtured and sustained by our renewed dedication to stand in him. Unity within is grounded in the divine center outside and beyond us.

It is a lot easier for me to illustrate unity by saying what it is not. Former Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsay said that “unity is not uniformity.” I take him to mean that peace in the household of God is not characterized by lack of diversity, of opinion, life choices, whatever. Our uniqueness as persons is preserved in a healthy church (or civilization).

I’ve seen some marriages that appeared to be working well but where the couple, in my opinion, took the biblical charge to become “one flesh” to mean become “one person.” You know what I mean, the couple never fights, never disagrees, never seems to experience any of the invigorating drama of being individuals on the long path to perfection.

Consider what the poet Gibran said of marriage in The Prophet:

Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together but not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

What distinguishes a congregation from a loose confederation of individuals working at cross-purposes with one another? Sometimes, nothing! Larger churches can actually get away with having a vague sense of identity and a generic vision. There is something for everybody, and you can just move in and find your niche. For more modestly sized communities of faith with a clear and rather more specific sense of purpose, a certain accountability begins to occur; “Here is what we stand for. Is this a vision that can inspire and motivate you?”

Where I have been on the staff of large parishes, things seemed to lumber on year after year. There were always enough people (and enough money) to do the usual things that churches do, but I never got wind of what made one large parish different from any other.

When I was looking to move to a new assignment some years ago, I read dozens of parish profiles. One was much like the next, except if a parish had had problems. Then they were open to something new from God, because the old practices and strategies no longer worked for them. Like individuals, parishes didn’t want challenges or changes unless they’d been in pain.

There is another very practical “nuts and bolts” implication for living “with one accord” a unique and distinct vision. It has to do with how we share money. Reading the annual reports of some churches, where there are a plethora of individual bank accounts for every parish organization, one gets the impression of several separate churches, each pursuing its own mission and staying out of the way of all the others.

At the very least, traditionally, the Sunday school, youth group and the Episcopal Church Women would have their own bank accounts and their own fundraisers apart from the larger parish’s general fund and annual pledge drive. This division of the “till” is really an artifact of the centuries of marginalization that women and young people in the Church have endured for centuries. It was compensation for not having either vote or voice in the affairs of the larger church. There are women at St. Paul’s today who remember when women were not vestry members. They might be “allowed” to sit in, but not speak. Now that women are bishops, priests, deacons and elected lay leaders in the Episcopal Church, there is now really no need for the traditional “women’s auxiliary.” I believe in certain types of associations of people of the same gender (you know, women’s groups and men’s groups for special purposes), but not those that maintain the old segregation and disempowerment.

That’s why I ask groups in the parish, such as our Youth Group, to please avoid planning fundraisers for their group alone, but rather do one for St. Paul’s. This won’t “deprive” them of anything since they have as much access to the financial resources of the parish for their activities as anyone else. Because, you see, “we are one people of God…”

Peace, Unity…

Randy

Deacon’s Corner

Instead of re-inventing the wheel, I will give the definition that was developed in January 1997 at the conference for the North American Association for the Diaconate (NAAD):

“A deacon is a baptized person called and empowered by God and the Christian community to be an icon illuminating Christ as a model of servant hood for all people. The role of the deacon in liturgy mirrors the role of the deacon in church and world.

“The personal gifts the church looks for in a deacon include spiritual maturity, compassion, and flexibility. Under the authority of the bishop and church, the deacon serves as evangelist and catalyst with others.

“The deacon fulfills this calling through action and example as servant leader, intercessor, facilitator, visionary, nurturer, and interpreter among diverse people.

The deacon is messenger and proclaimer of Christ’s presence among us.”

As one who at this writing is looking forward to ordination to the permanent Diaconate (permanent meaning I will always be a deacon, not called to be a priest) on June 29th, I am really excited about the resurgence of the Diaconate. Deacons serve as a bridge between the world and the church, bringing the needs of the world to the attention of the church. There is just SO much ministry to do in the world!

The church is still “growing into” an understanding of what the deacon’s ministry is all about. It is up to those of us who are deacons-to-be and to the ordained deacons to do some teaching about what it is that deacons do. It is also up to the deacons to fully model this servant ministry in the church and in the secular world.

A deacon’s ministry involves the following three areas: charitable or concerns of society, pastoral care, and liturgy. The deacon’s main ministry is to those who live “outside the church.” It is the deacon’s job to make the needs of the world known “inside the church” so that the consciousness of ALL the baptized is raised to do their own ministry out in the community. The deacon is also a witness and the promoter of the Church’s service to the world. The deacon is particularly authorized and empowered by the Church to be the icon of Jesus Christ “who came not to be served, but to serve.”

First of all, we need to dispel the mistaken idea that deacons usurp the ministry of the baptized. Deacons are called to be in the midst of everything, stirring the pot, inviting others into ministry and then encouraging and enabling them to do ministry. Perhaps another way to say it is that the deacon is the beacon (that’s poetic!) that draws everyone into a ministry of service, which belongs to all the people of God.

Personally, as one who (at this writing) is headed toward ordination, I am humbled by the work of the deacon. It is with God’s help that I will be the servant leader that I have been called to be, in the church and in the world. I pray that my life and work will reflect a ministry of service and will enable others to see opportunities for ministry and to encourage them to be of service to others.

What are the liturgical roles of the deacon?

Deacons read the gospel, assuming the role of angel, messenger and bearer of good news. When deacons read the gospel during the Eucharist, they become associated with the Word of God. The deacon becomes a verbal witness to Christ as they carry out their pastoral and charitable ministries.

Also, the deacon oversees the practical details of worship (like a master of ceremonies) so that the presider (bishop or priest) can prayerfully lead the service.

The deacon acts as waiter, preparing the table, receiving and preparing the bread and the wine and placing it on the table. The deacon serves the cup and after the meal eats and drinks the remaining bread and wine (unless it is to be kept as reserved sacrament) and then the deacon cleans the vessels. At large celebrations of the Eucharist, the deacon may also serve the bread.

The deacon dismisses the people, inviting them to “Let us go forth in the name of Christ” or “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord” or “Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit” or “Let us bless the Lord.” This also is part of the angelic function of the deacon to make announcements, exhort and aid in the active participation of the people.

At the Great Vigil of Easter the deacon carries the Paschal Candle in the procession and stopping three times, either sings or says “The light of Christ.” Then the Paschal Candle is placed in its stand. The Deacon then sings or says the Exsultet. The simple necessity of lighting lamps is an action of a servant. It is appropriate for the deacon, as servant, to be the one to proclaim the new life in the risen Christ.

To conclude with a quote from an article in the Advent 2000 issue of Diakoneo magazine, “It is important to have a complete picture of Jesus, but somewhere in that picture we need to discover the profound reality that particularly through the ministry of deacons, we see the ministry of Jesus Christ lived out in the present. Deacons need to be known by who they are more than what they do, in how they find their greatest joy intersecting with the world’s greatest needs and how they see themselves and the community sees them as a leader who is servant.”

Editor’s Note: We have received a lot of positive response from publishing the biographies of church leaders over the last few months. We will continue to run information about various church leaders each month. Please contact the Editor if you would like to submit an article or would like to suggest a name for a future feature.

Photo Directory for the Fall

Sign-up sheets will be available in the narthex and reminders will be sent out. Contact Tom Remick at 377-9806 if you have questions or if you are interested in volunteering to help with this important project.

Vestry Meeting Notes

The clerk read aloud an email to Fr. Randy from Larry Dugan concerning the Pride Foundation’s 8th annual Raffle with a Twist. They would like us to buy books of ten tickets each and sell them. We would receive $1 for every ticket sold. There were many questions from the vestry that Larry’s email did not answer so Fr. Randy suggested we should table the subject pending further information.

There is some confusion about how the assessment is being shown in our monthly budget. It was suggested that a zero be put in the “actual” column to show we are not paying. Terrie said she would do this from now on. She reported that contributions are low right now and we have to transfer funds in order to cover expenses.

Olympic College EHS has money left over that they need to spend and have approached us with the idea of using the money in order to help with repairs. The money would go towards bathroom repairs and bringing the heater covers up to code. There are two work orders to be used and would have to be turned in by the end of the month in order to get paid. Now we may not have to use the LND funds to repair the restrooms in the parish hall. John and Tom will figure out what needs to get done so that we can take advantage of those work orders.

John stated that we still need to have an audit done. An audit of our finances should be done annually and can be done by an internal committee. The Diocese advises that an external audit be done whenever a new priest or treasurer comes in. Terrie said she knows someone who may be able to do it for us and is waiting to hear back from her. It would cost $600-800.

Fr. Randy handed out his Small Group Ministry Expansion Plan. He hoped to have the plan fully implemented by the end of next January and there was much enthusiasm that we’d be able to get it going sooner. The group read aloud a segment from The Alban Institute concerning small groups. It discussed the role of small groups in creating Christian community, how an effective small group functions, and how an effective small group is led.

John reported that Denny Bacon would like to come to our next vestry meeting which is June 20, 2002. He would come as part of the Early Response Team to discuss our financial situation.

Newsletter Deadline

Please note: Articles submitted after the due date will be published in the next month’s newsletter.

Dean Robert Taylor

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you…..

On behalf of myself and the OUTKitsap Board I wish to thank you all for your support in putting on the special evening with Robert Taylor.

To begin with, OUTKitsap and the GLBT community owe a debt of gratitude to Randy, as Rector, to the Vestry, past and present and to the congregation of St. Paul's for the support and caring that you have demonstrated over the past few years in providing a home for so many groups that make up the GLBT community in the Peninsula area and for giving a face to an inclusive and accepting faith.

With respect to the evening with Robert Taylor thank yous are extended to Randy, Ann Horn, Myra Battin, Tom Remick, Larry and Caro Dugan, Michael Goodnow, Stephen Harter, Bill Gaughran, Marcie Stillwell, Junelle Schrum, Natalie Bryson, to the Vestry of St. Paul's past and present, the Board of OUTKitsap past and present, to the PLAG chapter of Bremerton, to the Kitsap Unitarian Universialist Fellowship, and to Tobi Wilkins and Silent Praise Mime Ministry from Emmanuel Apostolic Church, for their contributions to the evening in time, talent and funding.

To Michael Goodnow for giving voice to idea in the first instance over a year and a half ago, thank you. To all who came a special thank you. And most importantly, thank you to Robert Taylor for coming and sharing with us his special message of hope and love in an embracing faith.

Stanley W. Hess  

Stewards of the House

Oh, frustration, if only these people could understand.

A young man, who is very close to me, recently went through a mental breakdown, severe enough to be hospitalized in an institution. He is 20 years old. When I asked his doctor how this could happen, he said that physically he is fine, but emotionally he could not handle the strains put upon him. Family issues, economics, etc. He does not feel secure enough with himself to confidently handle life’s pressures. Thus, the mind breaks down.

And with these intricate minds, you and I chose to serve a Creator who knows just how fragile we really are. There is strength in knowing that we are loved. The scriptures bring out that we are designed into four parts: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Each Sunday, we are reassured mentally, emotionally and spiritually of God’s love for us. And by moving our body from our warm, comfortable bed, we get the physical involved too. If we do not take care of each of these, the result means strain upon the others.

So, how are you doing? Do you practice good health measures? Feeding all four parts? To recognize this need and care for ourselves is to respect how wonderfully we are made, and to be in a position to aid others when they are down. Saint Paul told the Ephesians’ congregation that “a man never hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is the way Christ treats the church, because it is his body –and we are its living parts.” Take good care of yourself. Live well, laugh often and love much. Good health to you.

In Love,
Tom Remick

The Piano Story

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit", "Keep playing." Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience.

The audience was mesmerized.

That's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't exactly graceful, flowing music. But with the hand of the Master, our life's work truly can be beautiful. Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing." Feel His loving arms around you. Know that His strong hands are playing the concerto of your life. Remember, God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called! Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.

A musical note,

Cindy Holland

Jubilee Ministry Center

”Jubilee Ministry is an organizing principle for understanding and interpreting Christian Ministry; it makes a direct and dynamic link between our theology and our ethics: the talk of our faith and the walk of our faith.

Through Jubilee Ministry people are empowered locally and the church is provided the opportunity to live out its prophetic role in its respective community.

The creation of Jubilee Ministry in 1982 by General Convention in New Orleans heralded a new era of work for the Episcopal Church. Jubilee was mandated as a ministry of joint discipleship with poor and oppressed people wherever they are found, to meet basic human needs and build a just society. This mandate has evolved through the years and been shaped by the social, economic, political and cultural realities of the times.

Currently there are almost 600 Jubilee Ministry Centers in the Church, including Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Honduras. These centers are community-based sites that are dedicated to improving the lives of the poor through programs of outreach, evangelism, empowerment, and advocacy.

Advocacy and Empowerment are included in Jubilee Ministry because those engaged in this ministry frequently need the type of assistance found only in programs that get involved on behalf of the poor and oppressed being served, and/or work with persons who lack a sense of self-esteem and dignity that is vital in order for people to be empowered to do for themselves.

Criteria for Jubilee Ministry Center Recognition

1. Must be an Episcopal Congregation, ecumenical cluster with Episcopal presence and/or an agency with connections to the Episcopal Church.
2. Must be engaged in programs among and with poor and oppressed people wherever they are located.
3. Must include at least one or more of the following:
   1. human rights advocacy program
   2. human service program
   3. lay leadership/empowerment program
4. Must be willing to:
   1. reflect theologically upon its learnings in ministry
   2. demonstrate the operation of its programs to others as models
   3. act as a resource center for other Jubilee Ministry Centers

1. Acquire an Application Form through the local Diocesan Jubilee Officer or through the National Jubilee Office.

2. Endorsement of application from Diocesan Jubilee Officer/Diocesan Bishop.

3. Submit application to Jubilee Office in New York.

4. Participate in a site visit by a visitor appointed by the National Jubilee Officer.

5. Have the recommendation approved by Executive Council.

6. Have the Presiding Bishop and the House of Deputies sign the Jubilee Certificate.

How to contact the Jubilee Ministry Office

Mail: Jubilee Ministry Office
The Rev. Carmen B. Guerrero
815 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10017

Phone: 1-800-334-7626 Ext. 6052
1-212-716-6052
Fax: 1-212-490-6684
Email: cguerrero@episcopalchurch.org
Web Site: www.episcopalchurch.org/jubilee

Community Health

Ann Horn

Girl Scouts

Girl Scout Troop 411 is taking a break for the summer. We meet at St. Paul’s twice a month and had a very productive program year. Our mighty, but unruly little troop, is made up of 15 girls from second to sixth grade. We really appreciate the support that St. Paul’s has given us over the last two years by letting us share space for our meetings, Boot Camp Sleepovers and storage for our meeting and craft materials.

This year the group made cards and heart pins for the New York firefighters and rescue teams after September 11, collected over 350 food items for the Lord’s Neighborhood Diner, plus blankets, coats and new socks during the fall. We donated wrapping materials for the Christmas Angels program at St. Paul’s during the holiday season.

In the Spring, the troop collected and donated 50 boxes (worth $150) of Girl Scout cookies to the Diner. One member of the troop, while participating in a school fundraiser, managed to collect $60 in donations to purchase and donate 60 See’s Chocolate Candy bars to Olympic College’s Head Start program. The candy bars were then given to the children’s parents - many of whom are single moms - by the staff as a surprise “mid-term” boost as they prepared for major class projects and tests at OC.

Abby Horn, a member of St. Paul’s, participated in a “Bridging Ceremony” at the troop’s closing program and will be a Cadet Scout next year.

Ann Horn
Co-Leader, Troop 411

Christian Formation

In the past, it has always frustrated me that the Episcopal Church I have been associated with has a tradition of ceasing the Christian Education Program in the summer. "Why should I bother, if there's nothing going on, maybe I should just sleep in late on Sunday.  After all, my family is busy and we sure could use an extra day on the weekend."

This attitude that I have had in the past, is not representative of my new life here at St Paul’s. Summer has not become a time of disengagement, but a time of new perspective and focus.

I have now decided that I should look on the summer break as a time of ADVENT.  A time of planning, rebirth, new perspectives, and expectation of things to come.

To help you this summer for YOUR personal time of new vision, reflection, and planning, the Christian Formation team at St. Paul’s is offering various programs. Children's Chapel and Nursery will continue to be offered on Sundays during the 10:15 am service. We added a book discussion group on Friday evenings in June. The Catechesis folks are busy preparing for eight-days of Level II training in Vancouver in early August. This summer they are seeking individuals in the congregation who are interested in becoming Catechists. They are also looking for help with curriculum and supplies. The Youth Group is hosting Vacation Bible School (VBS) in mid-August and will need lots of help. Cindy Holland would like to help people arrange special music offerings during the summer. In late summer, Randy will begin Inquirer’s classes on Sunday afternoons that will run through the end of October.  Use this summer break to gain a new perspective. Welcome to an early Advent.

Rusty Holland
Christian Formation Coordinator

Garden Renewal

July marks the continuation of an all-out effort to renew the garden area and make it usable for processions, summer BBQ’s, Vacation Bible School, meditation and beauty in an urban area.  Master Gardener Vivian Durfee and a number of experts at St. Paul’s including Arvelle Carey, Blair Schuetz and Geofry Hosea have contributed ideas, time and energy to renew this sacred space.  Major changes have taken place within the past three months. Trees and shrubs have been trimmed or removed.  The benches have been dismantled.  A raised box is planned for the pocket garden next to the chapel, under the stairway window.  After it is built and installed, it will be planted with lilies to remind us of those who have left a sweet fragrance in our lives.

The old concrete retaining wall will be removed.  Tom Remick, our outstanding sextant, will bulldoze the hill, remove the majority of ivy and make burms.  The burms will be covered with heather, vichi minor and other perennials.  The sprinkler system will be usable again!  The taller retaining wall will replace the old wall in an arc that will parallel the current patio edge.  With a new wall built with either cottage stone or manor stone, we will have a more stable hill and weeds will be unable to grow in the gaps.  We will garden on – with God’s help!

Church Quiz

2. EWER
a. Used to hold water for baptisms.
b. The second cross used in a procession.
c. Incense used at special services.

3. EAST SIDE OF THE CHURCH
a. Side of the church where the sun rises.
b. Side of the church where the choir sits.
c. Side of the church where the altar is located.

4. SEDILIA
a. Seats by the altar for clergy and acolytes.
b. The stole worn by Deacons.
c. The choir loft in a church.

5. CROZIER
a. The Bishop’s staff.
b. A burner for incense.
c. The holder for votive candles.

6. OBLATIONS
a. Money collected at church services.
b. Bread and wine to be consecrated.
c. Money pledged to the church each year.


ANSWERS:
1b, 2a, 3c, 4a, 5a, 6b

Odds & Ends

Summer Campers
St. Paul’s will be well represented at Camp Huston this summer. Four youth members will be attending the “Six Day 2002” High School Youth Conference in late June. The theme will be the “Faces of God”. Campers include Leonard Accos, Emily Battin, Holly Duncan, and Dave Ryan. Mike Sterrett will be attending the “Nine-Day” session in mid-July at Camp Huston. Remember these youth in your prayers as they spend time in a beautiful outdoor setting worshipping and developing a deeper relationship with God.

Newsletter Deadline Changes
The decision to combine the July and August newsletter has changed. Randy will be handling the editorial role of the August newsletter while Ann is out for vacation. Please send all newsletter articles by e-mail to St. Paul’s and copy to Ann for her records. The deadline for the August issue will be July 15th. Contact Randy with any questions or concerns. News about plans for the new program year must be submitted by August 15th for the September issue of the newsletter. The issue will contain information about upcoming events this fall including Inquirers’ classes, Bishop Warner’s visit, and the Russian Choral group that will perform at St. Paul’s, as well as special services and Christian Formation offerings. The September issue of The Good Word will be delivered to homes in late August.

Mark your calendars for St. Paul’s VBS
YES!!!!!!!!!!  IT'S TRUE. The St. Paul's Youth Group is HOSTING the Vacation Bible School (VBS) during the evenings of Tuesday, August 13th through Friday the 16th. Planning sessions are being held on Mondays at 6:00 pm in the church library. Please see Emily Battin or Rusty Holland if you are interested in helping or for more information.

Web site
Check out our Web site at: www.stpaulsbremerton.org for all kinds of useful information, including the monthly calendar, ministry rotation, portions of the Good Word newsletter and a wide variety of links.

Church Picnic
Mark your calendar for the church picnic on Sunday, September 8th at Illahee State Park. Come and spend the day worshipping, eating and visiting with your church family. Contact Sandy Stutey for more information or if you want to help out

Inquirer’s Classes starting in September
Classes for people interested in joining the Episcopal Church, being confirmed, or just catching up on the love and practices of our branch of the True Vine are welcomed to join me on several Sundays in September and October. You should start thinking now about participating; Bishop Warner will be visiting us on the last Sunday of October – Randy

Celebrating the Household of God

What a joy and delight and honor to be with you tonight. Thank you for all that you do in your holy work as part of the Reconciling Ministries Network. Growing up in South Africa the closest ecumenical relationship of the Anglican Church was with the Methodists. I used to love to say that John Wesley died an Anglican and that we are very much of the same family. A cousin of mine who is an Anglican priest in New Zealand took all that all rather seriously by marrying a Methodist minister! So much part of the same religious family they co-pastored an Anglican-Methodist congregation. I feel very much at home to be with you this evening.

So how do we celebrate the household of God when some of those who we love are not fully welcome or included in the embrace of the institution of the church? There is a story about a rabbi who once asked his students, "How do you tell when day is breaking?" One of them replied, "It's when you look in the orchard and you can just make out the difference between a pear tree and an apple tree." "No, that's not it," said the rabbi. Another student offered this, "You're looking down the road and it's that moment when you can tell whether the animal ahead is a dog or a fox."

"That's not the answer either," said the rabbi. "Light comes when you look into the eye of another human being and know that she or he is your sister or brother. Until you can do that, it is always night, no matter what time of day it is."1

Many of us have fought the battles over the full inclusion of women in the life of the church. Many of us address the issues of race and racism in our institutions and in the recruitment, hiring and placement of clergy. Each of us is involved in what it means to have our churches fully accept lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The holiness of this struggle is no different than the arguments in the life of the early church about Jews and Gentiles, about circumcision and uncircumcision, about dietary and therefore legalistic purity. It is a holy issue because it cuts to the chase of what we believe when we say that you and I and every person is made in the gorgeous, stunning image of God. I refuse to believe that our God makes mistakes - I am not a mistake of God and neither are you. It is an issue that cuts to the heart of our theology in traditions where we practice unconditional infant baptism - it is there in those powerful actions of being claimed as God's beloved that we hear all of the New Testament imagery about being part of the household of God. We either believe that or else we have to jettison our baptismal theology and practice.

I can say all of that with some clarity now, but there was a long time when I could not do so for fear of the institution of the church and for fear of God and for shame about who God had created me to be. Growing up in apartheid South Africa I lived a life that was oblivious to the realities of that system of racial hatred until I was in my teenage years. Then I encountered clergy and a church school staff who spoke the truth and who had paid a price for doing so. I started to learn and read about the system of apartheid built upon the imagined justification of the Bible. A brutal system of rejecting and killing was rooted in the notion that some people were not fully human in the eyes of God. There was no looking into the eyes of another and seeing your sister or brother. It was perpetual night.

After two failed spinal surgeries as a teenager I experienced a physical healing through the laying on of hands and prayer. In addition to my own thankfulness for healing I discovered something else about God's healing. It came through invitations to speak in several churches about what I'd experienced. Those congregations were black - and so here you had this white boy of sixteen seeing for the first time the effects of apartheid and its destruction. I was on a quick learning curve, rapidly understanding that the love and healing of our God is often given voice through our actions for justice and reconciliation. I didn't have the words for it at the time but I knew that to look into the eyes of another person and recognize my sister or brother meant that I needed to take action, because love is made known through actions.

So I began a journey of anti-apartheid activity that ultimately caught me up with South Africa's secret police and into exile from my own country to find a home in this fabled land of democracy and freedom. But through that entire time I was also wrestling with my own sexuality and pleading and fighting with God to remove this sin and shame from me. And when you're running from yourself and God you do some terrible things - afraid that others would discover my secret I usually dated not one, but two girls at a time.

I remember being in church early one weekday morning and kneeling at the altar rail, pleading with God in my usual way. At that moment there was an epiphany. "Robert, you reject every apartheid claim of scripture to justify the exclusion and hatred of others and yet... and yet you're embracing that same hatred for yourself." Like many epiphanies I was left terrified of the truth. It would not be for many, many years that I would allow the truth to set me free. At nineteen, already accepted for the ordination path, I knew that the church I loved would not allow me to serve if the truth were uttered. And so I tried to live with the knowledge of truth kept in a box while being an obedient son of the church. After being ordained in 1983 I made forays into being authentic and living with the truth, but each time the institution responded with negative actions I retreated. I justified the retreating by telling myself that at least I was honest with those who I loved and who loved me and with my clear commitment to diversity in the congregations that I served. I was madly, deeply in love, not with the institution but with the people I served and for whom I delighted in being a priest.

And Andrew, my partner for these last 16 years, was one who sustained me with his love. In the two years before coming to Seattle I was savaged in one New York church election process for my sexuality and my part-Palestinian heritage. In another it was clear that if I could not say that I was celibate then I would not be called - and Andrew and I would have found that to be difficult! A few weeks before being elected to St. Mark's Cathedral I was presented by the Search Committee of a Bay Area congregation as their sole candidate for Rector. All hell broke loose when some on the governing body of the Vestry started to quote from Leviticus. I was discovering that the truth was setting me free but coming at a cost of enormous pain from an institution that I love. There were clearly some who could not look in my eyes and see a brother but only a gay priest. Yeats writes in one of his poems about love taking us through the "place of excrement." It felt very much like that.

And then the counterpoint of the Cathedral. Going back at least to the late 1970's the Cathedral had addressed the issues of sexuality. Andrew and I experienced as much respect and care as the two other final candidates and their wives did. I had fallen deeply in love with St. Mark's during the search process but I was very aware that in spite of my deep sense of call there was a part of my heart and soul that I was keeping "safely" locked up, fearful of a church that had no place for me. It was a sense of fear, but one combined with my experience of the integrity and risky faithfulness of the people of St. Mark's. Then in July of 1999 there was this unprecedented unanimous election...and here I am.

I've never felt called to highly specialized ministry, nor have I ever been a "flag waver" for one cause. Perhaps it was God's sense of humor at work in the media hoopla that we at St. Mark's tried to contain or suppress. The reality is that there have always been, and will always be, gay clergy in our denominations. The question is whether we are the household of faith that trusts living with the tensions and truth? Whether we are able to look into one another's eyes and see not a heterosexual or bisexual or homosexual person, but a brother or sister reflecting some of God's handiwork?

You already know the cost and the pain of what you struggle for in proclaiming the Gospel truth of God's love for every single person. You know it in your holy work to create a church that is open to all at every level of its life. God gives you as a gift to one another and to our fractured church, not as seeds of divisiveness, but as an offering of Divine Love. We live in a time when those who want us to be people of the law or a people of Love are challenging our churches. It is not much different from the struggles of the early church that we know so well from the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles. Martin Luther King spoke so eloquently about being tough-minded and tenderhearted in the struggle over civil rights and race. A battle not won with love is not a battle worthy of winning.

About a year ago a wonderful young reporter interviewed me about spirituality and so desperately wanted me to say that gay and lesbian people have a spirituality that is deeper, more profound than that of others. I left him highly disappointed. I said to him that the real question for me is what any of us do with our experiences of hatred, exclusion, struggle or rejection. Do they take us deep into ourselves and deep into the heart of God? What do you or I learn from those difficult, painful parts of the journey of faith that we can offer to one another or the rest of the church about how we understand ourselves to be God's household? How do those particular experiences of being a woman, a person of color, an immigrant, or one who has suffered illness, loss or death speak to what it means to be deeply authentic people in love with God and ourselves and one another?

Like each of us who are born again and again as part of the journey of faith, so the institution of the church is born again and again in renewal of what it means to be a sign and symbol of God's light and love in the world. Our own history of separation as Anglicans and Methodists is a reminder of that yearning for renewal. It is no different in this time and around the issues of sexuality.

All of our proclaiming of justice and reconciliation in the world around us is hollow if we are not able to do the same within the household. If we are not able to look into the eyes of another and see our sister or brother we have a choice. We can acknowledge that this is difficult for us but that we are authentically, honestly dealing with it, or else we should reconsider whether we are the church. And our true love and passion will be known in pursuing the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. But to stop there means that we miss the point and are only pursuing are self-interest. That may be fine, but it is not the way of those who try to follow Jesus. Our integrity and the holiness of pursuing the issues of inclusion will be broader. It means that we stand with and support those who address the abiding issues of racism, of diversity and of women and immigrants being fully included in the household.

So my friends, this is your work, done in your way within your part of God's fabulous household. Be sustained in prayer and worship and meditation. Proclaim the truth with love - always tough-minded but tender-hearted. Know that this is a holy work of stretching the church to be what it professes to be. For some it may seem like night and for others a perpetual twilight. Don't let go of the vision of the day when we are looking into one another's eyes and seeing each and every sister and brother for who she or he truly is - a beloved, magnificent person of God's design. Thank you.

Fellowship & Fun

• Progressive Supper
• Dessert Cruise
• Theatre Night
• Kayaking
• Puyallup Passion Play
• Forest Theatre
• Olympic Music Festival
• Blake Island Salmon Bake
• Walking at Bloedel Reserve
• Mariner’s Baseball Game
• Progressive Garden Party
• Supper Groups
• Barbeques
• Beach Party
• Miniature Golf
• Poker / Games Night
• Bingo
• Camping / Outside and at the Church
• Day Hikes
• Snowshooing
• Dance
• Amateur Night
• Christmas Caroling
• Theme Movie Night
• Church Picnic
• VBS Party
• Admiral Dinner Theatre