What is the ‘weather’ like in Aberdeen?

In Doyt’s last post, he invited us to think about the “weather patterns” of our local churches; that is, to evaluate the needs and gifts and realities of our local communities. In this stage of my diaconate, I am working as a street minister in Aberdeen.

In Aberdeen, our first answer to a question like the one posed in the title is “rainy” (and boy hasn’t it been this week!). As one of the rainiest climates in the continental U.S., we are used to fog and clouds and a lot of rain.

However, the fog and clouds are becoming a sad metaphor for the general sense of disintegration and despair we experience as a town with no real economic base. The fall of the timber industry looms large in our collective memory and the fallout looks like growing numbers of people camping out along the Chehalis River or raising kids in falling down apartments. The industrial and extractive economy of big timber was never replaced by a local or sustainable economy. So we live with a great deal of uncertainty. Many people are working in the North Dakota oilfields for a season or two and others find work fishing in Alaska in order the feed their families, but jobs seem to be scarce for the people of the harbor. Others end up camping along the river under tarps.

Aberdeen has always had the reputation of being a rough town. It sits at the mouth of a good harbor, facing the sea that brings in fewer ships by the year, its back to the giant forests and a few stretches of fertile agricultural land. With a population of only around 17,000, it boasts one of the highest unemployment rates in the state and a poverty rate that has reached a whopping 25 percent. It seems to be easier and easier to find drugs and angry teens with little hope for the future form small gangs.

People say that Aberdeen, like so many other rural towns all over the U.S., has seen its day. Our bad news seems written all over our shuttered shops and closed farms and often empty harbor. But I also have grown up in this area of rural Washington. I know something of the people here and my ministry here only confirms what I knew. This is also a community of people deeply committed to this place. People have a fierce love and pride in their town and a commitment to care for their neighbors. I meet people with talent and dreams everywhere I go—from the church I serve to the camps along the river or the clothing bank I visit. Times may be hard and may try our souls, but we somehow cling to a thread of hope.

Mary Ann Hinsdale writes that communities, especially those that are economically struggling, often experience a collective dark night of the soul. And she reminds us that the dark night is where we most often find God, find each other, and find hope. I find the shadows of this hope as I pray with men and women on the street and hear their stories of faith and survival. I cling to the hope of resurrection life as we walk together in the shadows of death. In the shadows of broken down shops and under the overpass, we share prayer and hope. I watch people in the community come together in love—I see people give of themselves and I find hope.

It may be rainy in Aberdeen these days in more ways than one. But it is also the home to strong and brave people, who have kept faith in even the darkest night. Our gospel call, our gospel mandate is to hold to hope and to claim our dignity as beloved children of God. The church’s mandate is to hear our voices, from such a place as this, to hear the wisdom of our poor and to recognize the gifts of our people.

Sarah

Tunnel Vision

Somewhere underneath the slopes of Snoqualmie pass, carved out of the mountain, is an old train tunnel. The Snoqualmie Tunnel is a bit longer than two miles long and is part of an old rail line, turned hiking/biking corridor. It has no lights and is, to be totally honest, a little scary. The long tunnel echos the pings of water drops hitting the ground from the drips in the ceiling. The cool tunnel walls chill the wind coming from one side of the Cascades, blowing through to the other.

The picture on the left is the tunnel opening from the West. As you may be able to see, the first few 50 yards aren't that bad. But once inside, the light starts to dim and you start to understand the phrase 'the light at the end of the tunnel'. For the next two miles, there is only darkness surrounding you with a beacon of hope that always seems just within reach. It's hard to gauge how much longer there is to go in the dark. On a weekend, you can meet lots of other adventurers finding their own way through the darkness. Now if you've already read the wiki article linked above, you know that once on the other side the journey is only half way done.

The next trailhead is 8 miles down the trail, so to get back home, it requires a return trip through the darkness.

When I took my last trip through the tunnel, my friend and I had our flashlights through much of the tunnel. But on the way back home, feeling a little more confident, we walked the last half of the tunnel in total darkness. Gotta say, it was a lot of fun.

I think in many ways the journey we have embarked on as a church is a lot like walking through a tunnel. The church is poised for transformation, but to get to that light at the end of the tunnel requires a, perhaps, scary journey. The first few steps look super, bright, and even inviting. Once inside, the initial light quickly dims.

We're not sure what the other side looks like, only that it is full of light and hope. We have enough light to see what lies a step behind and a step ahead, but not much else. The finish line seems ever right at hand, the perceived distance to the end ever deceiving. All that is required is to follow the light and faithfully believe that we will reach it and be better for it.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

~John 1:5

Robert

Weather Reports

My day always starts in the dark. I wake early and from my study window I watch the day decide what it will be. Weather is wonderful in every form. Wind and fog and cirrus clouds seem whimsical. Thunder and pounding rain feel certain. Low clouds hug like a blanket, and the clear, crisp, stark, star-filled nights seem to reveal the soul.

I consider weather because of the words shared with Outside the Church Walls and a number of friends last Saturday by Diana Butler Bass. She drew a distinction between the weather and climate. Her reflection is that weather is what we see when we look out the window. Climate is a broader reality of the accumulation of all weather patterns, worldwide, wrapped up into one and looked at over time. Churches have unique weather patterns, and the Church is subject to a broader climate shift. To know where we are going as a church requires opening the shades of our churches and looking outside to see the weather. It also means having a general understanding of the climate changes of which we are a part.

When I arrived at Epiphany Parish as Rector five years ago, I took the advice of Reggie McNeal and stood on the front step of the church and asked, “Who are my neighbors and how can I assist them in knowing the love of God?” That is a weather question, and it looks different from every front door.

Diana Butler Bass told the story of being on the Metro in DC and, in passing, said to a fellow passenger, “Boy, it’s been a cool summer in DC.” To which the passenger responded, “So I guess global warming is a myth.” There was a day when the weather was a safe topic. Those days are gone. In truth, it is easy to confuse climate change and weather change. An anemic church doesn’t mean Christianity is dying. A thriving church doesn’t mean that all is well. In every case I believe that churches will thrive if they know the weather pattern of their neighborhoods. That said, it is also true that the climate in the church is changing, as indicated in the graph below.

click for full size image

And so, where does that leave the Episcopal Church? To that I would suggest understanding two things: First, if your church isn’t thriving, you probably have leadership that hasn’t opened the shades of your church or doesn’t know how to read the weather outside your church walls. Second, if you can’t discern the weather outside your church, don’t expect the Diocese to be able to do it for you. There are many weather patterns in the Diocese, and there is no “One response fits all”. The Diocese is there to help the church understand climate change and to prepare for the eventual realities it provokes. So where does that leave us, as unique churches subject to unique weather patterns? I guess it means getting out in the weather in an effort to invite people in out of the weather. That is the inspiration for Outside Church Walls.


Doyt+

Finding the Lost

I was taken with the message from Luke’s Gospel in Chapter 15 this past Sunday. This is the twin parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, told by Jesus to those grumbling Pharisees and scribes who were all over Jesus for being among the outcast, and especially on the Sabbath. Both the Rev. Bonnie Campbell at our church, St. Mark’s in Montesano and the Rev. Sarah Monroe at nearby St. Andrew’s in Aberdeen preached on this passage, and used similar themes in focusing on those “sinners”, the “others” in our society who are less fortunate and looked beyond by many people in the mainstream as worthless. I heard or read both sermons and realized that what they pointed out is at the heart of what we as the “Church” struggle the most—relating with those who Jesus most wanted us to connect with. Its fine to want to find people “just like us” to come into our churches and make lasting connections, to belong and be active members and continue the traditions and practices of our churches. But what did Jesus really ask of us—to go out into the world and make disciples, and especially to minister to those who have little, those who are tormented, those who mourn, those who are in dire need of support. That will not happen if all we do is sit in our homes and in our pews on Sunday and ask only for help and think of ourselves.

One of our OCW group, and who I referred to earlier, Sarah, is starting a new street ministry in Aberdeen along with one of our members at St. Mark’s, Kevin. They are getting right there with those who need our help to survive, with donated clothing, with meals, and maybe some counsel and direction for how they can get more help. At our announcement time on Sunday, one of our people asked after hearing about this new ministry if those of us who do not have “the guts” to get right on the front lines could help by making sandwiches and bringing food to Sarah and Kevin where they do their work. It kind of points out how many of us really feel, but maybe it also provides a reality check and also challenges us to get involved somehow. At least it’s a start!

http://www.stmarksmonte.com/article/405/worship/recent-sermons/2013-sermons/pentecost-17-2013-sermon

http://awanderingminister.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-sheep-y-sermon.html

Jim

A Place Apart for All God’s Children

Ascension School Camp and Conference Center, located in Cove, Oregon, has provided hospitality for all of God’s children since 1924 in the Grande Ronde Valley of Northeastern Oregon. Over the Labor Day weekend this year they sponsored a Reunion Family Camp to all who could come and participate in a discussion, “What is God calling Ascension Camp and Conference Center to do?”

Like many parts of our Church this vibrant ministry of the Diocese of Eastern Oregon and beyond, realizes its ministry is changing as well as its needs. This Reunion Family Camp program was a time of discernment to help answer that question.

Led by Bishop Nedi Rivera and Camp Director Patty Olson Lindsey in three jam packed sessions from noon on Saturday through Sunday evening, we discussed, learning from our best experiences, “where are we now and our dreams for the future”. We prayed for God’s guidance in our historic chapel in the Evening Prayer, Morning Prayer and Holy Eucharist services. We had intergenerational softball, swimming, free time, social hour on the deck, great food, sung grace before meals, love (that is Cove spelled with a C) and renewing of friendships

Our thanks to retired Bishop Rustin Kimsey and his wife Gretchen for keeping the spirit of Ascension School alive. This time of faithful discernment results in “a place apart for reflection and resolution” for many campers and conference attendees in the years to come.

Chuck

Church on the Move

A recent poll concluded that up to 80% of Americans experience significant economic insecurity sometime in their lives (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57595861/80-percent-of-u.s-adults-face-near-poverty-unemployment-survey-finds/ ). One of the effects of economic insecurity and trends toward globalization is that many people are unlikely to stay in the same place for long periods of time. People I talk to on the street move often in a desperate search for resources, for housing, and for medical care. More and more college graduates are drifting from city to city (at least among my friends), rural kids move the cities to try and find work, and urban kids and families move to the suburbs as cities gentrify and they cannot afford rent. Economic refugees from the global south migrate north into our towns and cities, filling low wage labor gaps. We live in a culture that is increasingly unstable and constantly on the move. A culture of homelessness.

Our churches, however, are designed around the needs of people who live stable, middle class lives in one place. David Barnhart blogs (http://davebarnhart.wordpress.com/2013/08/04/why-are-fewer-people-in-church-its-the-economy-stupid/ ); “We designed churches to be anchors in the community and shaped them around heterosexual couples who were married, had children, a stable income, and predictable life patterns.” We assume a stable family structure that is less and less a reality for people on the move. We invest a good portion of our income in building maintenance, even as the neighborhoods we live in are in constant flux and our membership moves away.

People on the move, particularly those in poverty, deal with a keen sense of shame over the effects of their unstable lives and they fear that the church will judge them for their children born outside of marriage or their inability to obtain work or their inability to keep up middle class appearances. And, because our churches often do not have much understanding of the economic realities of more and more people, these fears are often realized if people do wander into church. The church rarely has much to say about the growing gap between rich and poor or the systems that have created it.

Even though we follow a wandering rabbi who said he had no place to lay his head. Even though the prophets and the gospels have much to say about a gospel preached to the poor and the struggling.

However, I have been privileged to meet with churches all around the country who have indeed found ways to be a church among those on the move. A church that meets on the streets of the Boston Commons with whoever shows up for a meal and worship. A church that consciously decided to open its doors to economic refugees and recent immigrants and became a center, not only for worship, but for building community and small scale economic enterprise. Churches who, in the midst of instability and loss, seek to find home and belonging alongside people whose lives are in flux.

It is not enough to say all are welcome. To welcome people on the move, we must be willing to change our attitudes and our middle class expectations and our insistence on how things ought to be done (perhaps Pope Francis offers us an example in this http://davidgibson.religionnews.com/2013/09/06/pope-calls-despairing-single-pregnant-mom-offers-to-baptize-her-child/ ). We must confront growing inequality in our society with a prophetic voice, confront systems that make more and more people homeless, both literally and figuratively. We are called to follow the wandering rabbi from Nazareth into places of pain and brokenness and instability. And to enter into the struggle of people who long for belonging in a world of flux, who long for home.

+Sarah

Back to School

My 3 girls went back to school this week. All are happy with their classes and teachers. We are fortunate to have excellent public schools in our town. As they talked about their new classes, I noticed that many of the things that made their schools welcoming would be equally applicable in church. They have teachers who provide challenge along with support and guidance. Their schools are safe, bright, and in good repair. They are with friends who also value learning. Teachers work to engage kids in learning, using methods that have certainly evolved since I was in school.

In the church context, I have valued priests who challenge my beliefs and mindset, while serving as a support and guide. I appreciate church buildings that are cared for and designed to be inviting. Joining a community of brothers and sisters who also are striving to follow Christ is important. And churches that try new ways to reach out, connect, inspire, and teach excite me.

What parallels do you see between churches and schools? What lessons do our schools offer us as we look to the future of the Church?

Kelly

Come Hear Dr. Diana Butler Bass!

Dr. Diana Butler Bass will be giving an open talk at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle on September 13 at 7:00pm.

Dr. Bass is an author, teacher and speaker who explores the dimensions of religion and spirituality in today’s world, and works to educate both people of faith and the general public about the importance, the depth, and the complexity of religion and spirituality in history, culture, and political life.

Dr. Bass is the author of 8 books, including her most recent, Christianity after Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening.

This talk is sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia and Outside Church Walls.

Labor Day Is A Holy Day

Today is the 119th Labor Day, a Holy Day “dedicated to the works and economic achievements of American workers”, according to the U. S. Department of Labor. It’s the only Holy Day, a day defined as “a day of recreation when no work is done”, created by and for the working people of our USA.

Over the many years I’ve “spent” rather than honored Labor Day in a wide variety of ways; some of those ways are likely to be similar to those in your memory bank. Yet, as I sit here this Holy Day, I’m realizing that I have given very little time and thought to actually honoring and celebrating Labor – my own and that of others. There is much to write and to do about honoring and celebrating labor and laborers in today’s environment, but I don’t intend to go there.

Instead, as a believer that small changes can make a positive difference, I intend to start a new “work practice”. I plan to begin today. I think it’s really quite an easy practice, now that I’ve paused long enough to think about it. I invite you to join me. It’s do-able 24/7 and can be done entirely outside church walls. So, here goes.

I’ll start by saying to you. . .Thank You, Every Reader, for the work you do. Your work is making (our neighborhoods, our communities, our world) a better place for all of us. On this day I honor you and wish you a holy day of recreation.

Next, I want to think about each of my own neighbors and pledge to make a special effort to thank them for the work they do to make my neighborhood and my community a better place to live. I want to let them know that I honor and value their work and its contribution to our community’s well-being.

There. That’s it for this small start.

In this time of individualistic thinking, I’m wondering if, through this simple practice of sincerely thanking one another for our work, we might begin to re-new our understanding of belonging in community. Could we come to really experience ourselves as linked together, contributors and beneficiaries, working along side each other, with and for each other for our common good? Even when “along side” can be half way around the world? Even when “along side” can be your neighbors who are yearning to a find way and place for their skills to be of use.

There is valuable work for us to be doing on behalf of work and workers through-out the world.

We can honor Labor Day and its purpose by making a start with our neighbors. “Thank you for the work you do. Your work is important to me, and you are making the world a better place for all of us.”

MaryAnn