Leslie's Spirit Soars
That is the news from Angi.
Fly on, Leslie. May your Light shine on in this world.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
See You Later, Leslie Farrell
Back a long time ago in what seems like another age, I met a woman at Brite Divinity School. Angi worked part time for the school while also attending classes. Often we worked in the computer lab at the same time. We began a conversation that led us both into talking about our partners, our lives, our churches. Somewhere in the conversation, the inevitable conversation about the Diocese of Fort Worth came up. I remember clearly her saying, “You need to talk to my partner, Leslie.”
Sometime after that, Leslie and I did begin an email conversation. We talked mostly of things spiritual. She was basically in the process of leaving the Episcopal Church simply because Angi was going through Divinity School and was not really interested in being a priest/preacher in the Episcopal Church. I could understand that. The Episcopal Church in Dallas was/is not much more affirming to gays and lesbians, especially those in partnerships, than is the Church in Fort Worth.
We all wanted to get together for dinner – us go to Dallas or them come to Fort Worth. We wanted to all meet because we knew that we could be friends. But Leslie kept having flu-like symptoms so we kept putting it off. I remember clearly the email that I got from Leslie telling me that she had been diagnosed on Christmas Eve with leukemia…Ph+ ALL. That was just after Christmas three years ago? I think three years. I know that it was soon determined that the prognosis for her living very long without a bone marrow transplant was not very long. But she did.
At one point, we all arranged to meet at Trinity Episcopal Church in Fort Worth for a healing service. We just wanted to touch her, to feel the presence of the Spirit within us all, healing her, making her whole. We can only guess what power existed within that short time we were actually able to meet together. Little did we know how Holy she already was.
She continued in her own indomitable way, refusing to give in, continuing to hope and to fight and to live. When a bone marrow donor match could not be found, she continued to fight on. She became a human guinea pig, subjecting herself to new techniques, trial drugs, all with the hope that if it didn’t cure her, it would give hope to someone else. She had a stem cell transplant. Then there was a relapse. They did a second transplant. Too soon, there was another relapse. Still, she fought on.
I know nothing at this time of posting. On Sunday, Angi posted the news that they were waiting…the fevers had gotten so high and so prolonged that the prognosis of coming out of it was not good. Leslie was responding only to the pain. Yesterday the news was that she and all her loved ones gathering at her bedside were saying goodbye. Leslie elected to stop all blood products and antibiotic treatment. She was ready for her “new adventure”.
I love Leslie. She is passionate, persistent and full of righteous indignation that people can be so lax and even mean. She is an awesome witness to the love of God. She sees an injustice and wants to fight to correct it. She helped motivate me on several occasions to speak out in truth and love. She and Angi together make such a statement of faith simply by living.
Even to this point, Leslie is giving. Regardless of what the treatments did or didn’t do for her, the trials she participated within, the essays she wrote about the tragedy of our under-insured nation, her testimonies as to the truth of what it means to give blood and blood products, these all a part of Leslie’s giving way of living. Her faith in God, her love of life gave more in her simple everyday actions than she might ever know. She gave with every breath she took, every word she wrote.
So, we wait, knowing full well that it is possible that she is already gone.
But Leslie will live on…I will miss her probing emails, her sense of righteous indignation but she will continue to live on in our hearts forever. As a result, she will continue to give.
We aren’t saying goodbye to Leslie. We will just say “See you later, Leslie. We love you.”.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Sunday, March 02, 2008
My sermon from the Eucharist service on Saturday, March 1, 2008. Integrity Fort Worth, Dr. Louie Crew's visit and talk...
Fruit of the Light
God told Jeremiah to tell the people, “For surely I know the plans I have for you,… plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, … and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, … and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
I open with this message in Jeremiah 29: 11-14 even though it is not one of the readings for today. I use it as my email signature because it means so much to me. It gives me hope that one day this church, this Episcopal diocese in particular will be well and all those who have been driven out and sent away into exile will return. Meanwhile, it helps me to remember to trust God that the plans for my future, my welfare are clearly known, even if it is to God alone.
I have searched for God…I have sought God with all of my heart and I will one day be ready to be brought back into the place from which I have been driven away and sent into exile. So… I speak today from that place – in exile…a goodly place because I have been welcomed there but definitely not home – at least not yet.
Many of you know that Debbie, Tucker and I have been on a pilgrimage for the past eight months. We sold our home, our land and a whole lot of stuff and set out in an old motor home to hear what the Spirit is saying to the People of God. While we are still traveling, we have left behind the old motor home and are in the process of relocating to the Diocese of Missouri… to St. Louis, in particular so that I can enter into the process of ordination. Ordination is a little bit out of the question in Fort Worth in that first, I am female, second – in a monogamous committed, long term relationship with another woman.
Even though we are sort of settling down for a while, we still travel, speaking by invitation to those who invite us come visit their parishes, groups or workshops. Two weeks ago, we were in the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, at the invitation of the University of the Pacific in Stockton. We were asked to lead a workshop about our Journey in Faith. The University was sponsoring a conference for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex folk and their allies.
There were quite a few workshops dealing with issues that relate to LGBTQIA people – health, legalities of partnerships, marriage, civil unions, tax laws, spirituality, and faith. Does it surprise anyone that the workshops regarding faith were less attended that the ones on legal and health issues?
What does the church have to say to a bunch of lgbtqia people between the ages of 17 and 30? The “traditional” interpretation of the Word of God is a bit harsh to this group. And they, being the age that they are, are of a mind that if the Church doesn’t need them, they certainly don’t need the church.
I can’t help but sometimes think that theirs is the far healthier attitude. I often wonder what is wrong with those of us who do subject ourselves week after week to the possibility…no the probability of being mortally “wounded in the house of a friend” yet one more time… yet, like a phoenix we keep rising and coming back for more. …OR… it is more like we are caught up in the too familiar cycle of abuse – spiritual abuse, in this case.
I would guess that statistics would show that most young people who have been raised in the church do a bit of backsliding when suddenly they are without the rules and regulations of family life and experiencing life on their own for the first time. If the church can’t even hold on to these young strait people, how can it possibly reach out to the young people who are coming into a fuller understanding of what it means to be classified as an “abomination” in the eyes of the public?
I want to say to the Church at large, “Sleeper Awake…Live as children of light for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.”
I want to find ways to reach out to these young people who think that the church has no need of them. I want to help them understand that they are the fruit of the light and they are good and right and true.
At the workshop that we led, there were a couple of very important questions that were asked by those attending. “What do I tell my gay friend when he says to me that he doesn’t believe in God”? and “How do I respond biblically when those people toss scripture at me to tell me how horrible I am?”
These are certainly two questions that we have failed to answer well enough. Maybe it is because we are unsure in our own minds as to the answers.
WHY does hellfire and damnation preach easier than “and God said, It is good”? Why is it easier to swallow certain passages from Leviticus and Romans than it is to talk about the love between David and Jonathan or Ruth and Naomi or even of Jesus and the Beloved Disciple? These are love stories…affirming stories…stories that make us see the world in a different way. Why are we so afraid of these? Why are we even thinking about sex? It is supposed to be about Love…For strange puritanical reasons, we think it is easier to scare our children into believing in God than it is to love them into it.
I am sure that most people here know the high rate of suicide amongst teenagers who are growing into the sense of just how different they seem to be in relation to the rest of their world. It is in these younger years that the risk of suicide is so much higher. How culpable is the church in these preventable deaths? Ask Mary Lou Wallner, now with SoulForce and recently in the documentary “For the Bible tells me so” -- Ask her what part the Church played in the suicide of Anna, her lesbian Christian daughter.
We all know the name Matthew Shepard.
And now, too recently, Lawrence King, a just turned 15 year old middle school youth shot in the head by another mother’s son because Lawrence sometimes dressed too femininely…all because Lawrence asked Brandon, two days earlier asked him to be his Valentine...two families torn to shreds…two lives lost.
What part did our silence or the limited acceptance of the Church play in these murders?
I say it played a lot.
Where is our RAGE? Where is our Righteous Indignation?
As long as we allow ourselves to think that we are not Good, as long as we allow gay people, young or older, to think that the Church has no need of them, as long as the Church remains silent or even less than adamant about all the children being children of God, until this Church stands up and loudly proclaims THIS FEAR IS WRONG, preventable suicides and murders will continue. Until we teach our children how to love rather than how to hate, these deaths will happen.
So, what role do we, as gay and lesbian Christians, play in all of this? We have a big role. Are we to just play the victim, hiding in the dark, trying not to rock the strait boat in case we suddenly find ourselves tossed out? Are we to allow others to decide for us the proper course of action – talking about us rather than to us or rather than letting us talk?
How can we defend ourselves if we don’t even know if we are defendable? We cannot allow others to set the stage for our acceptance. We have to find our own way. We must find our way through love stories that affirm our right to life. And these stories are there…and these begin with that story of creation – And God said, It is Good.
The Rev. Steven Kindle, a Disciples of Christ minister who is also a part of the documentary “For the Bible Tells Me so”, is really a fairly awesome guy. We met him in California. He is straight, married, with no gay children. His only “gay agenda” being that he is working hard to help the Church understand that gays and lesbians wanting to be a part of the church is a good thing…not a bad one. He openly admitted that he was initially homophobic. His mind was changed by knowing gays and lesbians within the congregation that he was in. His life changed by realizing their gifts to the church and as he realized these gifts he realized he was being called to help. As he was speaking, I couldn’t help but hear in my mind, The Gifts of God for the People of God.
Think about it…not taking anything away from straight people, but good grief…Can you imagine the silence in the national Episcopal Church alone, in THIS diocese if all the gays and lesbians in the church decided to skip one Sunday? The silence would be deafening! Seriously, the liturgy, the homilies, the music – written and played, the vestments...so quiet, so bare if these gifts of God were denied. Yet what harm is done on a daily basis by asking these gifts to hide in that closet or to be good little boys and girls and don’t make any trouble? We make the music, we write the songs and sew the linens, we even preach in some places…but don’t get too uppity…don’t be thinking about a long term monogamous relationship being blessed in the church and heaven forbid that we might have the sacrament of Holy Matrimony performed…and then of course, don’t forget the celibacy vow we must take if we are called to serve God in God’s church.
We are children of God…but definitely children of a lesser god…according to many.
Truly, this is spiritual abuse.
So, no…we are not to hide in a closet – not for any reason, ever. We are not to play the victim for sure! We cannot stifle our gifts from God simply because some people are not comfortable with us. We cannot wait any longer.
It has been said of me that I like to create furor. I can think of few higher compliments for someone trying to follow Jesus. I think that creating furor is exactly what we are called to do in this Church. Jesus did. Jesus questioned the rules that excluded some over others. Can we do less? Will it cost us? Yes, it costs a lot. Yet it is the cloak that we have been given to wear. We cannot set it aside or cast it off. It is part of the gift.
Our role is that of protector…prophet…as a Child of the Light so that others might know us by that very Light – so that others may see their own way by that Light.
The church needs us. It needs our gifts.
We need the church. We need to share our gifts.
We need the gifts that the Church has to offer.
We need our youth – gay and straight alike. They are the gifts of the present and of the future.
The Church needs this future.
It is time to “Sing to the Lord a new song”…because the one that has been sung for too long is hate-filled. And as the Gifts of God, it is up to us to teach the church how to sing this new song!
Amen
Fruit of the Light
God told Jeremiah to tell the people, “For surely I know the plans I have for you,… plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, … and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, … and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
I open with this message in Jeremiah 29: 11-14 even though it is not one of the readings for today. I use it as my email signature because it means so much to me. It gives me hope that one day this church, this Episcopal diocese in particular will be well and all those who have been driven out and sent away into exile will return. Meanwhile, it helps me to remember to trust God that the plans for my future, my welfare are clearly known, even if it is to God alone.
I have searched for God…I have sought God with all of my heart and I will one day be ready to be brought back into the place from which I have been driven away and sent into exile. So… I speak today from that place – in exile…a goodly place because I have been welcomed there but definitely not home – at least not yet.
Many of you know that Debbie, Tucker and I have been on a pilgrimage for the past eight months. We sold our home, our land and a whole lot of stuff and set out in an old motor home to hear what the Spirit is saying to the People of God. While we are still traveling, we have left behind the old motor home and are in the process of relocating to the Diocese of Missouri… to St. Louis, in particular so that I can enter into the process of ordination. Ordination is a little bit out of the question in Fort Worth in that first, I am female, second – in a monogamous committed, long term relationship with another woman.
Even though we are sort of settling down for a while, we still travel, speaking by invitation to those who invite us come visit their parishes, groups or workshops. Two weeks ago, we were in the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, at the invitation of the University of the Pacific in Stockton. We were asked to lead a workshop about our Journey in Faith. The University was sponsoring a conference for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex folk and their allies.
There were quite a few workshops dealing with issues that relate to LGBTQIA people – health, legalities of partnerships, marriage, civil unions, tax laws, spirituality, and faith. Does it surprise anyone that the workshops regarding faith were less attended that the ones on legal and health issues?
What does the church have to say to a bunch of lgbtqia people between the ages of 17 and 30? The “traditional” interpretation of the Word of God is a bit harsh to this group. And they, being the age that they are, are of a mind that if the Church doesn’t need them, they certainly don’t need the church.
I can’t help but sometimes think that theirs is the far healthier attitude. I often wonder what is wrong with those of us who do subject ourselves week after week to the possibility…no the probability of being mortally “wounded in the house of a friend” yet one more time… yet, like a phoenix we keep rising and coming back for more. …OR… it is more like we are caught up in the too familiar cycle of abuse – spiritual abuse, in this case.
I would guess that statistics would show that most young people who have been raised in the church do a bit of backsliding when suddenly they are without the rules and regulations of family life and experiencing life on their own for the first time. If the church can’t even hold on to these young strait people, how can it possibly reach out to the young people who are coming into a fuller understanding of what it means to be classified as an “abomination” in the eyes of the public?
I want to say to the Church at large, “Sleeper Awake…Live as children of light for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.”
I want to find ways to reach out to these young people who think that the church has no need of them. I want to help them understand that they are the fruit of the light and they are good and right and true.
At the workshop that we led, there were a couple of very important questions that were asked by those attending. “What do I tell my gay friend when he says to me that he doesn’t believe in God”? and “How do I respond biblically when those people toss scripture at me to tell me how horrible I am?”
These are certainly two questions that we have failed to answer well enough. Maybe it is because we are unsure in our own minds as to the answers.
WHY does hellfire and damnation preach easier than “and God said, It is good”? Why is it easier to swallow certain passages from Leviticus and Romans than it is to talk about the love between David and Jonathan or Ruth and Naomi or even of Jesus and the Beloved Disciple? These are love stories…affirming stories…stories that make us see the world in a different way. Why are we so afraid of these? Why are we even thinking about sex? It is supposed to be about Love…For strange puritanical reasons, we think it is easier to scare our children into believing in God than it is to love them into it.
I am sure that most people here know the high rate of suicide amongst teenagers who are growing into the sense of just how different they seem to be in relation to the rest of their world. It is in these younger years that the risk of suicide is so much higher. How culpable is the church in these preventable deaths? Ask Mary Lou Wallner, now with SoulForce and recently in the documentary “For the Bible tells me so” -- Ask her what part the Church played in the suicide of Anna, her lesbian Christian daughter.
We all know the name Matthew Shepard.
And now, too recently, Lawrence King, a just turned 15 year old middle school youth shot in the head by another mother’s son because Lawrence sometimes dressed too femininely…all because Lawrence asked Brandon, two days earlier asked him to be his Valentine...two families torn to shreds…two lives lost.
What part did our silence or the limited acceptance of the Church play in these murders?
I say it played a lot.
Where is our RAGE? Where is our Righteous Indignation?
As long as we allow ourselves to think that we are not Good, as long as we allow gay people, young or older, to think that the Church has no need of them, as long as the Church remains silent or even less than adamant about all the children being children of God, until this Church stands up and loudly proclaims THIS FEAR IS WRONG, preventable suicides and murders will continue. Until we teach our children how to love rather than how to hate, these deaths will happen.
So, what role do we, as gay and lesbian Christians, play in all of this? We have a big role. Are we to just play the victim, hiding in the dark, trying not to rock the strait boat in case we suddenly find ourselves tossed out? Are we to allow others to decide for us the proper course of action – talking about us rather than to us or rather than letting us talk?
How can we defend ourselves if we don’t even know if we are defendable? We cannot allow others to set the stage for our acceptance. We have to find our own way. We must find our way through love stories that affirm our right to life. And these stories are there…and these begin with that story of creation – And God said, It is Good.
The Rev. Steven Kindle, a Disciples of Christ minister who is also a part of the documentary “For the Bible Tells Me so”, is really a fairly awesome guy. We met him in California. He is straight, married, with no gay children. His only “gay agenda” being that he is working hard to help the Church understand that gays and lesbians wanting to be a part of the church is a good thing…not a bad one. He openly admitted that he was initially homophobic. His mind was changed by knowing gays and lesbians within the congregation that he was in. His life changed by realizing their gifts to the church and as he realized these gifts he realized he was being called to help. As he was speaking, I couldn’t help but hear in my mind, The Gifts of God for the People of God.
Think about it…not taking anything away from straight people, but good grief…Can you imagine the silence in the national Episcopal Church alone, in THIS diocese if all the gays and lesbians in the church decided to skip one Sunday? The silence would be deafening! Seriously, the liturgy, the homilies, the music – written and played, the vestments...so quiet, so bare if these gifts of God were denied. Yet what harm is done on a daily basis by asking these gifts to hide in that closet or to be good little boys and girls and don’t make any trouble? We make the music, we write the songs and sew the linens, we even preach in some places…but don’t get too uppity…don’t be thinking about a long term monogamous relationship being blessed in the church and heaven forbid that we might have the sacrament of Holy Matrimony performed…and then of course, don’t forget the celibacy vow we must take if we are called to serve God in God’s church.
We are children of God…but definitely children of a lesser god…according to many.
Truly, this is spiritual abuse.
So, no…we are not to hide in a closet – not for any reason, ever. We are not to play the victim for sure! We cannot stifle our gifts from God simply because some people are not comfortable with us. We cannot wait any longer.
It has been said of me that I like to create furor. I can think of few higher compliments for someone trying to follow Jesus. I think that creating furor is exactly what we are called to do in this Church. Jesus did. Jesus questioned the rules that excluded some over others. Can we do less? Will it cost us? Yes, it costs a lot. Yet it is the cloak that we have been given to wear. We cannot set it aside or cast it off. It is part of the gift.
Our role is that of protector…prophet…as a Child of the Light so that others might know us by that very Light – so that others may see their own way by that Light.
The church needs us. It needs our gifts.
We need the church. We need to share our gifts.
We need the gifts that the Church has to offer.
We need our youth – gay and straight alike. They are the gifts of the present and of the future.
The Church needs this future.
It is time to “Sing to the Lord a new song”…because the one that has been sung for too long is hate-filled. And as the Gifts of God, it is up to us to teach the church how to sing this new song!
Amen
Monday, February 25, 2008
Louie Crew in Fort Worth, Texas
It is a great honor and privilege to have Dr. Crew in our midst this next Saturday, March 1, 2008! We give great thanks for all that he has done in the past and all that he continues to do.
So, it is with great joy that I invite you to come hear Louie speak in Fort Worth. This is a momentous occasion. Come be a part of it.
On Saturday, March 1, 2008, Integrity Fort Worth will host Dr. Crew, whose topic will be "Exceedingly Glad in Times Like These," at Celebration Community Church, 908 Pennsylvania Avenue, Fort Worth, TX. Dr. Crew will speak at 3:30 PM after the Holy Eucharist at 2:00 PM, led by the Rt. Rev. Sam Hulsey, retired bishop of Northwest Texas. Registration will begin at 1:30 p.m. There will be a reception in the parish hall following Dr. Crew's address.
It is a great honor and privilege to have Dr. Crew in our midst this next Saturday, March 1, 2008! We give great thanks for all that he has done in the past and all that he continues to do.
So, it is with great joy that I invite you to come hear Louie speak in Fort Worth. This is a momentous occasion. Come be a part of it.
On Saturday, March 1, 2008, Integrity Fort Worth will host Dr. Crew, whose topic will be "Exceedingly Glad in Times Like These," at Celebration Community Church, 908 Pennsylvania Avenue, Fort Worth, TX. Dr. Crew will speak at 3:30 PM after the Holy Eucharist at 2:00 PM, led by the Rt. Rev. Sam Hulsey, retired bishop of Northwest Texas. Registration will begin at 1:30 p.m. There will be a reception in the parish hall following Dr. Crew's address.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
SIGH...
So, here we are in St. Louis. The truck is FINALLY unloaded and returned to its rightful place. The townhouse is crammed pack full and the basement fuller.
Good grief, people, let me warn you right now - DIVEST yourself of junk! Unless, of course, you never plan on moving plus you have a wish to really get back at your kids. If that is the case, well, then, keep all that junk you have been collecting for the past 50 years.
We have culled...and culled...and culled. Still we have too much stuff.
If we are truly called into a life of ministry, can we hold on to all this material junk and be ready to follow God's call to us? I don't see how.
Carrying around this much junk makes a person grouchy, touchy and these things are hardly conducive to a closer walk with Jesus...
So...heed this prophetic warning....Divest, divest, divest!
So, here we are in St. Louis. The truck is FINALLY unloaded and returned to its rightful place. The townhouse is crammed pack full and the basement fuller.
Good grief, people, let me warn you right now - DIVEST yourself of junk! Unless, of course, you never plan on moving plus you have a wish to really get back at your kids. If that is the case, well, then, keep all that junk you have been collecting for the past 50 years.
We have culled...and culled...and culled. Still we have too much stuff.
If we are truly called into a life of ministry, can we hold on to all this material junk and be ready to follow God's call to us? I don't see how.
Carrying around this much junk makes a person grouchy, touchy and these things are hardly conducive to a closer walk with Jesus...
So...heed this prophetic warning....Divest, divest, divest!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Louie's Pic
Gosh...I wish I had been as innovative as Susan Russell over at her blog...she had a pic of Louie that is totally cool. She uses it as an intro about Louie's visit to Fort Worth.
See her announcement of our event at http://inchatatime.blogspot.com/.
Gosh...I wish I had been as innovative as Susan Russell over at her blog...she had a pic of Louie that is totally cool. She uses it as an intro about Louie's visit to Fort Worth.
See her announcement of our event at http://inchatatime.blogspot.com/.
Calculated Benightedness
This from the current leadership of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth to the clergy and delegates…
“The following account appeared the next day in the Los Angeles Times. Please be aware as you read that the Times printed a correction today, saying that “although attendees walked toward the Communion table, only Christians were encouraged to partake of Communion. Out of respect for Hindu beliefs, the Hindus were invited to take a flower. Also, the article described Hindus consuming bread during Communion, but some of those worshipers were Christians wearing traditional Indian dress.”
The letter then went on to provide the first, already established as incorrect article.
What do you do with a group of people who are given the facts, acknowledge these facts and then proceed to that which has already been determined to be erroneous?
You shake your head, kick the dust off of your sandals and walk away, muttering prayers for the deliberately ignorant. All we can do is to “Assemble…and come together, draw near, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge—those who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save…” (Isaiah 45:20)
Today is the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. It is fitting that the current leadership of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth would seem to be in such need on this day of days. For are we not in need re-evaluating our views when we deliberately and calculatingly hold fast to that which has been proven wrong?
Sr. Joan Chittister in her Visions and Viewpoints newsletter asked and answered the question: “What can we learn from the spiritual heritage of other traditions? Answer: that God is in the heart of humankind and if we listen clearly, we can hear that same voice in another language. We can hear the voice in the Koran, the Dhammapada, the Bhagavad Gita, the Talmud and the Lotus Sermons. All we have to do is listen.”
The posting that created such a stir on the House of Bishops and Deputies listserve and had people from both sides of the fence agreeing with one another can be found at http://tinyurl.com/35zrcz. So this was a big deal in that most on both sides rarely find anything about which to agree. Calmer voices questioned whether or not any one had actually attended the service and why was everyone in such an uproar. Soon after a link to the LA Times correction was submitted to the same listserve - http://tinyurl.com/3djjwt. The gist of the uproar was the fact that non-baptized persons partook of the bread during the Eucharist. It was noted in the correction that this did not happen; rather, the Hindus who participated in the communion were actually Christians.
How quickly we jump to judge others! How slow we are to acknowledge our errors!
Does this correction by the LATimes satisfy the current leaders of the Episcopal Diocese of FW? Oh, no…much easier to loudly proclaim – DON’T confuse me with the facts!
I think on this day noted for St. Paul’s Conversion, we need to assemble...and draw near" and heartily pray for all those who so tenaciously cling to their ignorance in this benighted diocese. This messgage from the people who control the diocese is one which should be seen for what it is - yet one more attempt to take the truth and twist it to their convoluted ways. No one has to lie about Jack Iker or the people who blindly follow him...one only has to read the reports put out by them from their own offices. The truth is fairly clear...if one's eyes have not been blinded...
This from the current leadership of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth to the clergy and delegates…
“The following account appeared the next day in the Los Angeles Times. Please be aware as you read that the Times printed a correction today, saying that “although attendees walked toward the Communion table, only Christians were encouraged to partake of Communion. Out of respect for Hindu beliefs, the Hindus were invited to take a flower. Also, the article described Hindus consuming bread during Communion, but some of those worshipers were Christians wearing traditional Indian dress.”
The letter then went on to provide the first, already established as incorrect article.
What do you do with a group of people who are given the facts, acknowledge these facts and then proceed to that which has already been determined to be erroneous?
You shake your head, kick the dust off of your sandals and walk away, muttering prayers for the deliberately ignorant. All we can do is to “Assemble…and come together, draw near, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge—those who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save…” (Isaiah 45:20)
Today is the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. It is fitting that the current leadership of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth would seem to be in such need on this day of days. For are we not in need re-evaluating our views when we deliberately and calculatingly hold fast to that which has been proven wrong?
Sr. Joan Chittister in her Visions and Viewpoints newsletter asked and answered the question: “What can we learn from the spiritual heritage of other traditions? Answer: that God is in the heart of humankind and if we listen clearly, we can hear that same voice in another language. We can hear the voice in the Koran, the Dhammapada, the Bhagavad Gita, the Talmud and the Lotus Sermons. All we have to do is listen.”
The posting that created such a stir on the House of Bishops and Deputies listserve and had people from both sides of the fence agreeing with one another can be found at http://tinyurl.com/35zrcz. So this was a big deal in that most on both sides rarely find anything about which to agree. Calmer voices questioned whether or not any one had actually attended the service and why was everyone in such an uproar. Soon after a link to the LA Times correction was submitted to the same listserve - http://tinyurl.com/3djjwt. The gist of the uproar was the fact that non-baptized persons partook of the bread during the Eucharist. It was noted in the correction that this did not happen; rather, the Hindus who participated in the communion were actually Christians.
How quickly we jump to judge others! How slow we are to acknowledge our errors!
Does this correction by the LATimes satisfy the current leaders of the Episcopal Diocese of FW? Oh, no…much easier to loudly proclaim – DON’T confuse me with the facts!
I think on this day noted for St. Paul’s Conversion, we need to assemble...and draw near" and heartily pray for all those who so tenaciously cling to their ignorance in this benighted diocese. This messgage from the people who control the diocese is one which should be seen for what it is - yet one more attempt to take the truth and twist it to their convoluted ways. No one has to lie about Jack Iker or the people who blindly follow him...one only has to read the reports put out by them from their own offices. The truth is fairly clear...if one's eyes have not been blinded...
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Louie Crew is coming to Fort Worth!
Yes, it seems an unlikely place for Dr. Louie Crew to place on his itinerary yet it is true. Unlike the Presiding Bishop, he needs no invitation from the current bishop of this Episcopal Diocese. He comes at the invitation of Integrity Fort Worth.
We are honored and privileged to have Dr. Crew in our midst. We give great thanks for all that he has done in the past – talk about standing on someone’s shoulders! I would daresay that Louie’s shoulders must be very large to carry so many of us so high. While we are not yet satisfied with the second rate status of gays and lesbians in the Episcopal Church, we humbly note that we would not even be second class were it not for the steadfast love and work of Louie.
So, it is with great joy that I invite you to come hear Louie speak in Fort Worth. This is a momentous occasion. Come be a part of it. Mark your calendars. Make your reservations.
Barbi
South Central Region
Vice President, Integrity
*******************************************************
News Release
Dr. Louie Crew, Founder of Integrity, to Speak in Fort Worth
by Katie Sherrod
FORT WORTH - Some people are threatening to split from The Episcopal Church because of its full inclusion of gay and lesbian Episcopalians in the life and ministry of the church. But many Episcopalians agree with the move toward full inclusion of all the Baptized, or want to learn more about it.
One of the most articulate voices on this subject is Dr. Louie Crew, founder of Integrity. Integrity is a nonprofit organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender [LGBT] Episcopalians and straight friends. Since its founding by Dr. Crew in rural Georgia in 1974, Integrity has been the leading grassroots voice for the full inclusion of LGBT persons in The Episcopal Church and equal access to its rites.
On Saturday, March 1, 2008, Integrity Fort Worth will host Dr. Crew, whose topic will be “Exceedingly Glad in Times Like These,” at Celebration Community Church, 908 Pennsylvania Avenue, Fort Worth, TX. Dr. Crew will speak at 3:30 PM after the Holy Eucharist at 2:00 PM, led by the Rt. Rev. Sam Hulsey, retired bishop of Northwest Texas. Registration will begin at 1:30 p.m. There will be a reception in the parish hall following Dr. Crew’s address.
A native of Anniston, Alabama, Crew holds earned degrees from Baylor University (BA, 1958), Auburn (MA, 1959) and the University of Alabama (PhD, 1971) and honorary doctorates from three Episcopal seminaries: EDS (Cambridge, 1999), General (NYC, 2003), and EDS Pacific (Berkeley, 2004). He has held fellowships at UCal Berkeley, the University of Texas (Austin), and the University of Chicago. He is the author of more than 1620 publications.
An emeritus professor of English at Rutgers University, Crew taught there from 1989 to 2001 and served two terms as Chair of its Senate and a member of its Board of Governors. At other times during his 44-year career, he was a prep school master and a professor of black higher education in the rural south. He also taught for five years in rural Wisconsin and four years in Beijing and Hong Kong.
Dr. Crew’s contributions to the Church have been many. A five-time deputy to General Convention from the Diocese of Newark, he chaired Newark’s deputation in 2006. He has served two terms on the Standing Committee of his Diocese, twice as its President, and is now clerk of the vestry at Grace Church, Newark. He is also the secretary of Province Two of the Episcopal Church as well as a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Nominations. He recently finished his term on the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church, the body that governs the church between General Conventions.
Louie Crew and Ernest Clay entered a life partnership in February 1974.
******************************
This event is free if attendees pre-register online at www.integrityfortworth.org otherwise there is a
$5.00 Registration Fee at the door. For information, call 817-784-5132 or send e-mail to info@integrityfortworth.org
Yes, it seems an unlikely place for Dr. Louie Crew to place on his itinerary yet it is true. Unlike the Presiding Bishop, he needs no invitation from the current bishop of this Episcopal Diocese. He comes at the invitation of Integrity Fort Worth.
We are honored and privileged to have Dr. Crew in our midst. We give great thanks for all that he has done in the past – talk about standing on someone’s shoulders! I would daresay that Louie’s shoulders must be very large to carry so many of us so high. While we are not yet satisfied with the second rate status of gays and lesbians in the Episcopal Church, we humbly note that we would not even be second class were it not for the steadfast love and work of Louie.
So, it is with great joy that I invite you to come hear Louie speak in Fort Worth. This is a momentous occasion. Come be a part of it. Mark your calendars. Make your reservations.
Barbi
South Central Region
Vice President, Integrity
*******************************************************
News Release
Dr. Louie Crew, Founder of Integrity, to Speak in Fort Worth
by Katie Sherrod
FORT WORTH - Some people are threatening to split from The Episcopal Church because of its full inclusion of gay and lesbian Episcopalians in the life and ministry of the church. But many Episcopalians agree with the move toward full inclusion of all the Baptized, or want to learn more about it.
One of the most articulate voices on this subject is Dr. Louie Crew, founder of Integrity. Integrity is a nonprofit organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender [LGBT] Episcopalians and straight friends. Since its founding by Dr. Crew in rural Georgia in 1974, Integrity has been the leading grassroots voice for the full inclusion of LGBT persons in The Episcopal Church and equal access to its rites.
On Saturday, March 1, 2008, Integrity Fort Worth will host Dr. Crew, whose topic will be “Exceedingly Glad in Times Like These,” at Celebration Community Church, 908 Pennsylvania Avenue, Fort Worth, TX. Dr. Crew will speak at 3:30 PM after the Holy Eucharist at 2:00 PM, led by the Rt. Rev. Sam Hulsey, retired bishop of Northwest Texas. Registration will begin at 1:30 p.m. There will be a reception in the parish hall following Dr. Crew’s address.
A native of Anniston, Alabama, Crew holds earned degrees from Baylor University (BA, 1958), Auburn (MA, 1959) and the University of Alabama (PhD, 1971) and honorary doctorates from three Episcopal seminaries: EDS (Cambridge, 1999), General (NYC, 2003), and EDS Pacific (Berkeley, 2004). He has held fellowships at UCal Berkeley, the University of Texas (Austin), and the University of Chicago. He is the author of more than 1620 publications.
An emeritus professor of English at Rutgers University, Crew taught there from 1989 to 2001 and served two terms as Chair of its Senate and a member of its Board of Governors. At other times during his 44-year career, he was a prep school master and a professor of black higher education in the rural south. He also taught for five years in rural Wisconsin and four years in Beijing and Hong Kong.
Dr. Crew’s contributions to the Church have been many. A five-time deputy to General Convention from the Diocese of Newark, he chaired Newark’s deputation in 2006. He has served two terms on the Standing Committee of his Diocese, twice as its President, and is now clerk of the vestry at Grace Church, Newark. He is also the secretary of Province Two of the Episcopal Church as well as a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Nominations. He recently finished his term on the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church, the body that governs the church between General Conventions.
Louie Crew and Ernest Clay entered a life partnership in February 1974.
******************************
This event is free if attendees pre-register online at www.integrityfortworth.org otherwise there is a
$5.00 Registration Fee at the door. For information, call 817-784-5132 or send e-mail to info@integrityfortworth.org
Friday, January 18, 2008
Spread the Word
One of today’s readings is Ezekiel 3:4-11. I think that I would like to relate it to today. I would like to read into the prophet’s words the idea that God is talking to us as Episcopalians, especially in the dioceses of Fort Worth and San Joaquin.
We are being sent out to spread the word – the word of truth and justice, not to people from another denomination (although they might listen more nearly to us) but to our own. We are sent to a people who are refusing to listen to us; a people who are brazen and stubborn. But God is making us as brazen and stubborn as those to whom we are sent. Our brows have been made adamant, harder than flint. And we are not to fear these to whom we have been sent regardless of how rebellious they are. God is telling us to speak out, tell the truth and go to all those, especially those who are in exile and speak to them all. If they refuse to listen, we are to continue on, telling them that these are the “words of the Lord GOD.”
This morning I accepted a last minute invitation to attend a meeting of a group of people of a Fort Worth parish. They were meeting with some of the nominees for their vestry and convention delegates prior to the annual parish meeting coming up this next Sunday. They all had a lot of questions.
We have not been a questioning people in this diocese. We have been so intent upon just going about our own business within our parishes that we have merely ducked our heads when diocesan mandates are tossed at us. The “diocese” has said jump and we merely ask how high.
But that is changing. A lot of the change is of the current leadership’s own making…so many statements just don’t make sense or are just downright silly…i.e. the Epiphany card from the Presiding Bishop to the bishops of this Church – Mr. Iker was offended because the wise’men’ appeared to be wise women. Goodness…
Part of the change comes from the people wanting to ask questions yet not being able to get answers. It is the “father knows best” ideology. To question Daddy Dearest is to perform the ultimate sin. Forget Mother Nature…one does not question the bishop’s mandates.
As has been pointed out so clearly by Katie Sherrod and others, it is not heretical to disagree with the bishop.
So, I report with a great deal of gratitude and thanksgiving, the laity in this diocese are awakening and talking about the wonders that they see. This is a good thing. It matters little if they agree. It matters only that they are talking together. As we talk, so we spread the word. This is a very good thing.
We will do as we have been told to do and continue to speak to our fellow Episcopalians – those with whom we agree and those with whom we disagree – whether they listen or refuse to listen -- regardless of what words they use to deride us. Why? Because this is what we have been told to do.
One of today’s readings is Ezekiel 3:4-11. I think that I would like to relate it to today. I would like to read into the prophet’s words the idea that God is talking to us as Episcopalians, especially in the dioceses of Fort Worth and San Joaquin.
We are being sent out to spread the word – the word of truth and justice, not to people from another denomination (although they might listen more nearly to us) but to our own. We are sent to a people who are refusing to listen to us; a people who are brazen and stubborn. But God is making us as brazen and stubborn as those to whom we are sent. Our brows have been made adamant, harder than flint. And we are not to fear these to whom we have been sent regardless of how rebellious they are. God is telling us to speak out, tell the truth and go to all those, especially those who are in exile and speak to them all. If they refuse to listen, we are to continue on, telling them that these are the “words of the Lord GOD.”
This morning I accepted a last minute invitation to attend a meeting of a group of people of a Fort Worth parish. They were meeting with some of the nominees for their vestry and convention delegates prior to the annual parish meeting coming up this next Sunday. They all had a lot of questions.
We have not been a questioning people in this diocese. We have been so intent upon just going about our own business within our parishes that we have merely ducked our heads when diocesan mandates are tossed at us. The “diocese” has said jump and we merely ask how high.
But that is changing. A lot of the change is of the current leadership’s own making…so many statements just don’t make sense or are just downright silly…i.e. the Epiphany card from the Presiding Bishop to the bishops of this Church – Mr. Iker was offended because the wise’men’ appeared to be wise women. Goodness…
Part of the change comes from the people wanting to ask questions yet not being able to get answers. It is the “father knows best” ideology. To question Daddy Dearest is to perform the ultimate sin. Forget Mother Nature…one does not question the bishop’s mandates.
As has been pointed out so clearly by Katie Sherrod and others, it is not heretical to disagree with the bishop.
So, I report with a great deal of gratitude and thanksgiving, the laity in this diocese are awakening and talking about the wonders that they see. This is a good thing. It matters little if they agree. It matters only that they are talking together. As we talk, so we spread the word. This is a very good thing.
We will do as we have been told to do and continue to speak to our fellow Episcopalians – those with whom we agree and those with whom we disagree – whether they listen or refuse to listen -- regardless of what words they use to deride us. Why? Because this is what we have been told to do.
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