Listening to God

by Dean Brian Baker

Last week I was asked to join a group from Trinity Cathedral (our Local Organizing Committee) that was visiting the office of Congresswoman Matsui to invite her to a forum at Trinity on healthcare reform tentatively scheduled for August 26. They have also planned a vigil at the Matsui building on Tuesday, August 11. I was impressed by their passion and their organization. Yesterday, I was visited by Costa Mantis, the documentary filmmaker who has been living with the homeless in the various “tent cities” that keep being disrupted by the police. When he had heard of the tent cities, he left his home and without external funding, has been using short film segments to advocate for safe ground for the homeless. You can see some of his videos on YouTube. Shortly after his visit, a couple came to the church seeking help. They were hours away from being evicted from their home. As you can imagine, we get lots of requests at the church that are beyond our means. I invited them into my office with the intention of telling them that I wouldn’t be able to help them. After talking with them, I decided to give them a little financial assistance and I recommended they go to other Churches for assistance. I knew there was little hope they would get the money they needed in time. Many churches have locked doors that make it impossible for strangers to seek help. After I sent them on their way, I noticed their lease agreement on my desk. They had shown it to me along with other important documents and I failed to return it. I hopped on my motorcycle. I caught up to them just as they were arriving at the next church. As I suspected, it was locked. I returned their paperwork. As they were walking away from the locked church, I knew they would not get the help they needed. I thought about the circumstances of the day – Costa’s visit, the forgotten paperwork that took me back to them. I was sitting on my motorcycle watching this couple walk toward their eviction and I knew I had to help (I’m pretty slow when it comes to understanding God’s will.) I once again caught up to the couple. I asked them to go back to Trinity. I called the landlord to verify their situation. I realized that they had the financial means to pay the rent on a regular basis. They just got behind on one payment, late fees kicked-in and things snowballed. If they got evicted, they would loose access to all their belongings and their financial problems would multiply. Intervention on this one day could mean the difference between them getting back on their feet or becoming systemically homeless. I depleted my discretionary fund in order to give them the money they needed and worked out a plan for them to repay me over several months. While it is impossible for me to provide this kind of assistance on a large scale, I am glad I was able to help in this instance and I look forward to following up with this family. Today I went to a meeting of the Interfaith Service Bureau, which is an organization that seeks to bring people of different faiths together to build bridges of understanding and serve the needs of the community. They are reorganizing and they wanted input. I got excited by the possibilities of what could happen if the faith groups would together to help those in need. For me, what connects these three episodes is the opportunity to exercise our Spirit-infused humanity by serving others in our community. Each of us is called to some aspect of this ministry and it is the generosity of time, money, and compassion that allows Trinity Cathedral to transform lives. I encourage you to seek ways of being involved and if you need help finding a service opportunity, please contact me or Deacon Tina Campbell. Here are some opportunities I would like to feature: The Interfaith Service Bureau is looking for Board Members (responsible for governance, finance & vision), folks to work on interfaith programs and worship services as well as folks to help network the social programs being done by faith groups. Trinity Cathedral is looking for someone to be on our local neighborhood association board. If interested, please contact me.

Back to School

By Deacon Tina Campbell

Prayer for Schools and Colleges: O Eternal God, bless all schools, colleges, and universities, that they may be lively centers for sound learning, new discovery, and the pursuit of wisdom; and grant that those who teach and those who learn may find you to be the source of all truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP p. 824)

 This morning I walked into the Cathedral office’s work room and there were four volunteers sitting around the table collating, folding and stapling stacks of the “decodables” for our adopted school, Jed Smith.  As a       recently retired teacher, I am very familiar with these 4+ page booklets given to primary age students to practice the various phonetic patterns that are taught as a child learns to read.

Like the newspapers’ “Back to School” sales, these volunteer efforts are a harbinger of the approaching school year.  Soon other Trinity volunteers will be organizing for our Backsnack efforts, our tutoring, and our school staff support luncheons.

It’s been a rough summer for schools with layoffs, cutbacks, cancelled summer school programs and larger classes. Education is one of the political footballs in California’s budget debacle. And yet, teachers and      support staff will continue to carry out the important work of educating our children in a rapidly changing, diverse, urban culture.

Public schools are the vehicle through which our nation passes on its skills and language, its history and    principles.  Schools are the place where children learn of a nation’s heroes and heroines and, following in their footsteps, grow into caring and conscientious citizens.

So this year when your local school asks for volunteers I hope you will consider helping; when it holds a pancake breakfast or a carnival, consider donating or attending; when it asks for your vigilance to prevent after-hours vandalism I hope you will be one of those neighbors keeping a watchful eye. As Teddy Roosevelt put it,” Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

Family Promise Gives Hope

By The Rev. Canon Kathleen Kelly

The Book of Common Prayer offers this passage as one way to conclude Morning Prayer: “May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (BCP, p. 102). Hope might be our most basic need.  Without hope, other spiritual gifts can languish.  All people need hope to energize both individual and communal efforts.

Tackling the issues that contribute to homelessness is a great example.  I don’t know anyone who thinks it is a good thing that some people right here in Sacramento have no safe place to sleep at night. Everyone would like to see that change.  Few of us are working as hard as we might to change that, however.  Maybe we fear that we are up against intractable problems.  Maybe we fear that we could exhaust ourselves without     making a dent.  The medicine needed to alleviate fear is hope.  We proclaim every Sunday that Jesus reveals a God who works alongside us in all our human challenges; we proclaim a God of hope.  We are called to be hope-bearers for the world.

The Family Promise Program gives us a wonderful way to be hope-bearers in combating homelessness.  At a Day Center, homeless families receive the support they need to establish an income flow.  Area congregations take turns giving the families a place to stay for one week at a time, so they can save up the money for first and last month’s rent and get into their own place.  The next hosting week for Trinity begins August 9.  There are lots and lots of ways that you can play a part:

¨ Dinner Cooks  prepare a meal for about 14-20 people.  You can rely on a planned menu or volunteer to prepare a favorite item.  Lynn Clifford coordinates the cooking.

¨ Dinner Hosts  help to serve and clean-up after the dinner, and eat along with our guests, getting to know them and assuring they feel welcome.

¨ Evening Hosts may also get to know the families at dinner.  Their primary role is offering evening           activities, especially for the children.  Parishioners often volunteer to do this as a family, so that Trinity kids can interact with our guests.

¨ Overnight Hosts arrive by 8 p.m. and stay overnight, also putting out breakfast items.  Trinity provides bedding, or you can bring a sleeping bag.  The Great Hall is comfortable, and this is a great way for busy people to help.  We all need to sleep, so why not do it in a way that makes this great program possible?

Family Promise volunteers get to know guests who are both inspirational and thankful.  It gives them a deeper sense that the Christ we proclaim is alive in themselves and others.  A big THANK YOU to all who have helped with Family Promise in the past, especially our current coordinators:  Lynn Clifford (mentioned above), Bill Jaskoski, Elizabeth Kenealey, Mark Rasmussen, and Sally Smith.  Visit the three-sided kiosk in the Great Hall to learn more, or to volunteer for a shift.

Convention Reflections

by Dean Brian Baker

I love the Episcopal Church! That’s been my reaction whenever I have experienced our General Convention. The Convention was prayerful, exciting, tense at times, exhausting and often moving. There was a focus on mission as we set priorities for serving those in need. There was also a clear mandate to cut administrative costs that I think will make us a healthier church. We talked about same-sex relationships. But this time the        discourse was respectful — even generous. And while there was a lot of energy around this issue, it was not the primary focus of our work together.

The Convention passed two resolutions that address two very important issues; ordination of gay and      lesbian clergy, and the blessing of same-sex couples. Both resolutions passed by huge margins, making it clear that the Church is ready to move past this 30 year fight. We, as a Church, are not willing to sacrifice our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters in order to keep the Anglican Communion together.

One resolution states in part, “…the General Convention has come to recognize that the baptized membership of The Episcopal Church includes same-sex couples living in lifelong committed relationships ‘characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God’ (2000-D039); and be it further Resolved, That the 76th General Convention recognize that gay and lesbian persons who are part of such relationships have responded to God’s call and have exercised various ministries in and on      behalf of God’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and are currently doing so in our midst; and be it further Resolved, That the 76th General Convention affirm that God has called and may call such individuals, to any ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church.” 

This is a clear and beautiful statement. We have moved beyond Resolution B033, an effective moratorium on ordaining gay and lesbian bishops passed three years ago to appease the other provinces of the Anglican Communion. This new resolution doesn’t directly repeal B033. Standing committees and bishops can        continue to “exercise restraint” in any way they feel they should. We just want to be clear as to what we    believe vis-à-vis gay and lesbian clergy.

A second resolution we approved asked the Church to collect blessing liturgies that can be considered in three years at the next General Convention (we never approve liturgy quickly). It also states that “…bishops, particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships are legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church.”

This resolution gives bishops the latitude to permit blessing services in their dioceses while we move      toward Church-wide approved liturgies. I was on the committee that worked on this resolution. We worked very hard to come up with a resolution that could be passed by the diverse representation in our church, covering states that allow same-sex marriage, as well as states that do not.

A highlight of the convention was a quiet breakfast I had with a seminary buddy, now Dean of the Cathedral in Central Florida, one of the more conservative dioceses in the Church. We talked openly and respectfully about our theological differences. I was able to express what these resolutions would mean to many       members of my congregation, and he was able to do likewise.  Neither of us had an agenda of changing the other’s mind. We were just exploring what it meant for us to be in the same church together.

 And I do hope we can stay together in this remarkable church!

Are You a Prophet?

by The Rev. Kathleen Kelly, Canon Evangelist

 

A great many people are bemoaning the fact that they didn’t foresee the dramatic economic changes of recent months.  There are so many possible fronts for regret:  Why didn’t I move that money into a lower risk investment?  Why didn’t I look for more secure employment before I was out of work?  Why didn’t I save more when I could and give myself a cushion?  If you suffer from these or any other kind of regret, you may have quickly replied to the title question, “No, sadly, I have NO gift for prophecy.”

 

I can safely say, however, that anyone reading this IS a prophet!  St. Paul defines a prophet as anyone who speaks to others for “…their building up and encouragement and consolation” (1 Corinthians 14:3, NRSV).  Prophecy is not about predicting the future; it is about calling others into the best possible future.  It is about pointing out a way when others see no way.  Such prophecy is our shared calling as Christians: People who proclaim that a living, loving God was revealed in Jesus Christ and remains active in our lives.

 

Our local community greatly needs our prophetic voices in present times.  In the last two years, homelessness in Sacramento has increased by 14%.  Every single day, St. John’s Shelter for Women and Children turns away about 200 people.  The Salvation Army’s shelter for men has a waiting list of 150.  Thankfully, the     Sacramento County Board of Supervisors has voted to preserve funding for current shelters, despite severe strain on the budget.

 

How are you called to be a sign of hope in the midst of such challenges?  Here are some possibilities:

Are you called to serve the next time Trinity hosts Family Promise Week?  Between August 9 and 16, Trinity will host up to four homeless families in the Great Hall and adjacent rooms for one week.  This collaboration with other area parishes allows homeless families to save up for more permanent housing. The program needs cooks, meal hosts, evening hosts and overnight hosts.  Check the three-sided kiosk in the Great Hall for information and sign-ups.

Are you called to join the Rally and March for Safe Ground?  On July 1 at 10:00 a.m., the Winter Overflow Shelters will close, and the last load of folks staying there will return to North 12th and Ahern Streets.  Loaves and Fishes, Francis House and the Homeless Organizing Committee will lead a march to claim some safe ground where those with no place else to sleep may at least pitch a tent without being arrested, and receive needed services from the many who would be pleased to donate them.  If you want to be a part of this effort, come to 12th and Ahern on July 1.

Are you called to express appreciation to the Board of Supervisors?  Here is how you can contact them:

Roger Dickinson, dickinsonr@saccounty.net
Jimmie Yee, jyee@saccounty.net
Susan Peters, susanpeters@saccounty.net
Don Nottoli, nottolid@saccounty.net
Roberta MacGlashan, macglashanr@saccounty.net

 Find the best way to make yours a voice of hope. Be a prophet!

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

by Dean Brian Baker

And so is the Cathedral Cross.  Thanks to the hard work of many volunteers, including our new editor Gail DeGroff,  we have a new Cathedral Cross.  We plan to publish the  Cross  monthly on our web site, http:/www.trinitycathedral.org.  The new Cross has a magazine-type focus, containing articles of interest to our diverse Cathedral community. Announcements will be listed on our web site, in the weekly service program inserts, and on bulletin boards at Trinity Cathedral.  We will still mail the Cathedral Cross to those who request it.

In a way, the new Cross is emblematic of the new life that is springing forth at Trinity Cathedral. For me, the first symbolic change came with the adoption of our new budget. While Trinity’s income has consistently increased over the years, our spending has always  outpaced that income. Last year, we decided to radically shake up how we did business. We committed ourselves to passing a balanced, streamlined budget.  In order to accomplish that goal, we cut about 20% of our expenses for 2009.  As you can imagine, this left significant gaps in our programs.  

Rather than being a negative, our fiscal decisions had an unexpected, positive outcome.  We provided additional opportunities for people to offer themselves in service.  One member volunteered to do our landscaping – and I have never seen the grounds look so good.  We have another person, (who isn’t even a member), providing our computer support.  And now we have a new Cross editor. 

Trinity volunteers are responsible for  almost everything that happens here. The impact of this was clearly evident during Holy Week.  The services were beautiful. The meals were delicious and elegant. The music was breathtaking.  It was all possible because of the hard work of a staggering number of  people giving  freely of their time, talent and treasure. 

For me, a second emblematic sign of new life at Trinity happened at the Easter Vigil.  During the Easter Vigil service, Bishop Barry Beisner confirmed, reaffirmed or received 20 adults.  Most of those presented to the Bishop received instruction through Trinity’s new catechumenate process. The catechumenate process helps people deepen their faith in Christ as they connect with Trinity Cathedral.  The adults presented at the Easter Vigil are just a fraction of the many people who are connecting to God’s love through this Cathedral.

In the midst of a world that can be scary and anxiety producing, it is great to be in a community that is teeming with life.  The Lord is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

Sermon: The Ethiopian Eunuch by Dean Baker

Preached on 5/10/2009

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Sermon: Jerry Gillam’s Memorial Service

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Sermon: Easter 3 by Brian Baker, April 26, 2009

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Sermon: Easter 2 by Kathleen Kelly

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