Face to Face with History – Andrea Bardelmeier, Diocese of Southern Ohio

There have been a few moments in my 29 years that I have felt that I was stepping into the middle of history, moments of eerie awareness that what I was experiencing was much greater than myself.  I can remember this feeling when I toured the concentration camp at Teresin outside Prague in college, and as I canvassed alongside young people from all over the country in the Obama campaign in New Hampshire in 2007-2008, and here again today in Atlanta as we heard the testimonies of Marco’s friends, 3 high school students who are undocumented immigrants.  I realized these are the bravest high school students I have ever met, and that they are following in the proud legacy of non-violent civil disobedience that this city is known for.  Some of the mentors to these students are the older generation of civil rights activists from the MLK era.

They have chosen to be “out” with their immigration status in order to bring attention to the injustice and racism in our current immigration laws, and to be in solidarity with other undocumented youth.  As children, before they can remember, their parents travelled with them to the US as economic refugees, or economic migrants, a category of refugees not officially recognized by the US government.  One 17 year old had been arrested during a non-violent protest outside the courthouse, and another told us the story of how she struggled to stay in school because of depression, realizing that after graduating high school she would be unable to attend college.  About twice per month they rally around another immigrant youth who is stopped for a routine traffic violation and faces deportation proceedings – knowing that if 200 people make calls to the government they are able to get the student released.  The Mort Memo says that in the US government has discretion to decide who will be deported, and when pressured by community organizers many decide not to deport students like these for minor traffic offenses.  These high schoolers have become acquainted with the laws first hand, and they know that often if a person is released from deportation proceedings the government will often grant them a driver’s license and work permit.

One of the sad truths of refugee resettlement work is that certain refugees are preferred over others, and much of it is based on political strategy.  The definition of a refugee established by the Geneva Convention, and still used by the Episcopal Migration Ministries, is a person who is forcibly displaced from the borders of one’s own country due to religious, political, racial, social identity, or ethnic persecution or fear of persecution. Refugees are afforded certain protections according to international law.

I was very encouraged to hear that the Diocese of Southern Ohio, my home Diocese, was the first in our country to resettle 100 Czech refugees in 1939 victimized by the Nazi regime. At that point US legislation prohibited this type of resettlement. Churches took on 100% of resettlement costs, and would host people for 1-3 years in their homes.  It’s called the “compassionate model”.  These days, a congregation is asked to support families for 3-6 months, and possibly longer as needed.  Churches provide furniture for the apartments and stock the fridge with culturally appropriate food, meet families at the airport when they arrive, as well as cook them a meal from their culture for their first day.  Churches also connect the refugees to other services with the help of the refugee resettlement agency.  In the coming days we, as delegates from the Episcopal Church,  will be exploring how to challenge our churches and fellow young adults in taking up this legacy, as church participation in Refugee Resettlement programs have begun to drop off.  Stay tuned…

Poems by Marco Saavedra, Diocese of Southern Ohio

Marco is a graduate of Kenyon College and participant in the Episcopal Leadership Institute for Young Adults immersion experience at the Episcopal Migration Ministries annual conference.

So your fields need picking
your jails filling
your children feeding
your garden landscaping
your halls cleaning
your houses dusting
your dishes washing
your industries serving
your houses building

But you need nothing
and we want The Thing

So who will win?

###

[the communion of earthly saints]

They
They
They
They
They
They
They
They
are me
They
They
They
They
They
They
are I
They
They
They
They
They
They
They
are we
They
They
They
They
They
They
They
They
They
are Us.

###

‎[it is illegal]

to care for your family: illegal
to feed your loved ones: illegal
to honor your parents: illegal
to pursue dreams: illegal
to strive for more: illegal
to demand liberty: illegal
to want equality: illegal
to participate in democracy: illegal
to question bureaucracy: illegal
to claim your story: illegal
to rescue the oppressed: illegal
to clothe the naked: illegal
to heal the hungry: illegal
to be the stranger: illegal
to be you: illegal

¿to be me?

illegal

###

[illegal is illegal]

but i am a person
illegal is illegal
but i love, and am loved
illegal is illegal
but i know no other . . .
illegal is illegal
but i was a child, and am now a man,
illegal is illegal
but whatever happened to justification?
illegal is illegal
redemption?
illegal is illegal
but am i not free: like you?
illegal is illegal
but whosoever will, come.
illegal is illegal
but i am bone of your bone
illegal is illegal
flesh of your flesh
illegal is illegal
created by you!
illegal is illegal

but people are not . . .
illegal is illegal
but people are . . .
illegal is illegal
but i am: me
illegal is illegal
but . . .

Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta + Some – Willie Goforth, Diocese of Olympia

1. I am thinking of two numbers. (They are between 1 and 1000.) Guess what they are!

The first number is 90. The second number is 900.

Federal law stipulates that a refugee will be tracked by an approved social services organization for 90 days after their arrival in the U.S. Additionally a family unit receives $900 per person to pay for housing etc. when they arrive.

90 days, 900 dollars.

2. There is a tendency in U.S. culture to imagine Refugee as a comprehensive and undifferentiated identity. This attitude reflects an unwillingness to see the complexity of human experience. It reflects a failure. We were reminded today that the refugee experience is different for people that come from Burma than it is for people who come from Somaliland. It is different for a refugee who speaks English than it is for a refugee who does not speak English. It is different for a refugee who resettles with a family (or who resettles to join a family) than it is for a refugee who resettles alone. It is different for a refugee who has spent a decade or more in a refugee camp than it is for a refugee who is able to resettle more quickly. Today we met people who were refugees and also parents, children and siblings, working professionals, students, teachers, people of religious faith, or not. There were more stories than these, but we didn’t hear all of them today.

3. Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta (RRISA) is a place where cultures collide: 28 languages are regularly spoken at this office; refugees come from all over the world. Today we met a former journalist from Iraq, a college student from Bhutan, an AmeriCorps volunteer, heard the story of a soccer coach and organizer from Jordan, a case worker from Somalia, a co-sponsorship organizer from Alabama (he connects refugees with church communities that help set up housing and provide an informal support system during the initial period of resettlement) and were introduced to at least fifteen more people.

4. “I think that, in general, it is better for a refugee to stay in a camp than to resettle. If you stay in the camp, you have the opportunity to return home. Some people hope that their life will be better if they resettle, and other people hope that the problems in their home country will end.” This is one of the complex and seemingly paradoxical statements I heard today. When we were discussing the experiences of the day, my new friend Marco said, “I think that part of growing up is realizing that sometimes you have to choose between one kind of tragedy and another kind of tragedy.”

5. Next, a non-rhetorical question to discuss in comments: How would you define the difference between a refugee and an immigrant, and why? What if the immigrant is undocumented?

6. If this seems a bit fragmented, it’s because it is! I’m still on Pacific Standard Time! Today we were all over the place: at our hotel, at RRISA, at lunch at a refugee owned and operated restaurant, back at RRISA, at a farmer’s market, and back at the hotel for more reflection and Compline.

Two quick shout-outs to Dan Trudeau from Episcopal Migration Ministries and to the Rev. Kimberly Jackson from Absolom Jones Episcopal Center! Y’all are great!

Young Adults and Refugee Resettlement: Welcome to Atlanta

This evening six young adults gathered around a hearty Italian feast in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood and began to share their stories. From Seattle and Vancouver, Tucson, Cincinnati and New York, we are here to explore the incredible work of Episcopal Migration Ministries in resettling refugees across the US.

Each year the 32 EMM affiliate offices gather for the sake of a community of colleagues, to continue and update their training, and to share their good work. We are privileged to be here accompanying them for these days as a cohort of twenty-somethings. Our goals are multiple: to engage and learn about the good work of EMM; to explore new ways to engage young adults in that work; to discern our own callings to the work of justice in and through our faith; and to connect with other young adults who share our passions and our faith. Over the coming week we invite you to share this journey with us here on our blog as we reflect on the work we see and the stories we hear.

A Lenten Journey of Restoration*

During the first Wednesday dinner in Lent, a freshmen reported his excitement about hosting his first “kickback” (defined as a laid back, relaxed party). The report sounded benign to most people present, but I curiously inquired with the student about the planned location for his event. When the young man didn’t have a clear answer, my internal alarms immediately went off. I knew that most kickbacks involve drinking alcoholic beverages (thus helping people more easily “kickback”), and I also knew that he had access to the student center after hours. Suspecting that the freshmen had plans to host his kickback in the Center, I gave him clear instructions, “Wade**, do not have a party in this building. Again, do not have a party here.” I then turned to my graduate intern and said, “Please swing by here on Friday night if you have time. If there is a party happening call Atlanta Police Department and then call me.”

That Friday night, Wade did indeed host a kickback in the Center, and the Atlanta police were summoned. While experiencing a confluence of conflicting emotions, I authorized the arrest of two students. Wade, the primary offender, spent 5 nights in jail for criminal trespassing and underage possession of alcohol.

A few days after Wade’s release from the City detention center, I took Wade out for lunch. Over gyros and lemonade I invited Wade to share with me his experiences in jail, and to talk about why he disobeyed my instructions. Wade was humble and sincere. Contrite in heart, he expressed deep sorrow for his actions and shared stories of his encounters with other young black men in the Atlanta City jail. He asked me to pray for his cellmate, and he expressed gratitude for his freedom. Our conversation continued as Wade struggled to explain that he really just wanted to host a party. It was important to him and to his emerging adult identity to host his friends, and to show off the Absalom Jones Center – a place that he considered “home.”

Then came the hard part of the conversation – the part where I said, “We are all deeply grieved and frustrated by your actions. The image of the two of you leaving our Center in handcuffs continues to haunt us. I honestly don’t know how we are going to be reconciled to one another, but I want us to figure this out.” The silence that ensued was filled with grief and angst. Finally Wade blurted out, “I don’t know how to make this better! Can’t you just punish me? Just ban me from the Center forever!”

The word forever hung in the air between us, and my heart broke as I heard the shame and guilt reverberate in his voice. The pain, his and mine, was so palpable that I had to resist the urge to leave the conversation. With a deep and prayerful sigh, I explained to Wade that he is always welcome to worship at the Center. He is always welcome in God’s house.

Not quite sure how to continue, I invited Wade to spend a few days thinking and praying about how we might walk together down a path of reconciliation. In preparation for our next meeting, I read several works about restorative discipline and the rite of reconciliation. Perhaps because we were in the midst of Lent, I had a very clear sense of the importance of creating space for Wade to be restored to the fellowship. Additionally, since the party and subsequent arrests were witnessed by several students, I was clear that certain elements of this healing process would necessarily involve the entire Absalom Jones community.

Still visibly guilt-ridden, Wade met me in my office two weeks after the incident. In response to my invitation to offer ideas for our next steps, Wade accused me of pulling a “Bill Cosby,” because of my refusal to explore more conventional methods of punishment. He was clearly thrown off by my language of restorative justice, and he didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t sure either, so we just started talking. He told me stories about his childhood and we exchanged stories about getting into trouble during elementary school. As we shared our stories, the tension and nervousness that we both felt began to melt away. Then, suddenly, in a God-inspired moment of clarity, I asked Wade, “Would you host a party here for our confirmands? Would you share with us your gifts and skills in party planning and hosting?”

Wade spent the remainder of Lent planning and preparing for what became known as the Confirmation/Reconciliation Kickback. We were transparent with the Absalom Jones community about why Wade was hosting the party, and I took time during Eucharist to teach them about models of restorative justice. Wade also did the important work of rebuilding relationships with students at the Center. So on the first Friday of Easter, Wade, with the help of many students from the Center, hosted an “authorized” and alcohol-free kickback. We had a great time together as we celebrated our confirmands and welcomed Wade back into the fellowship of the Church.

“Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.”
(Ash Wednesday, Book of Common Prayer, 264)

* This story was written with permission and in consultation with the student involved in this incident.

** The names have been changed.

A Church Called to Action – Rebecca Ogus, Diocese of Ohio

The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is held annually at UN in New York City. Of the 193 UN member states, 45 send representatives to the CSW, on the basis of geographical location. Each year the CSW has a theme; this year the theme was, “The empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges.”

As one of the Episcopal Young Adult (EYA) Delegates at the CSW, I had access to most of the events hosted by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), many of which centered on the theme of empowering rural women. I attended events ranging from the use of Theatre of the Oppressed (in which a scene, usually based on a true story, is acted in front of the audience and the audience is asked to participate in the scene and change parts of the story, challenging the audience to find new ways to change their realities) to identify and combat how multiple oppressions (for example, race, gender, or class) impact rural women; a panel Q&A with Liberian activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee on, among other things, the importance of mentorship between women and girls, religion as a stumbling block for girls’ education, and the mobilization and radicalization of churches to fight for peace and women’s rights; impacts of sex trafficking on Native American populations in Minnesota; and a panel discussion on Hip Hop and Diplomacy put on by the US Mission to the UN.

As Episcopal Young Adult Delegates, we were also a part of Ecumenical Women, which brought together the various Christian groups (mostly Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, and members of the Anglican Women’s Empowerment, or AWE) that had sent members to the CSW. Each morning there was a chapel service in the UN Church center, led by a different group. The EYA Delegates led a service along with the other young adults that were part of Ecumenical Women.

The EYA Delegates also had the chance to spend time at 815, the Episcopal Church Center in New York, right around the corner from the UN Church Center and the UN. There we interacted more intimately with various members of AWE and had the chance to see the many kinds of social justice work the Episcopal Church is engaged in. We met with Chief Operating Officer Bishop Stacy Sauls; the Rev. Margaret Rose, the Episcopal Church Deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Collaboration; the Rev. Canon Charles Robertson, the Canon to the Ordinary of the Presiding Bishop; and participated in the Words Matter Project.

I’ve come away from the CSW with a sense of hope. It can be so easy, sometimes, to despair. There are awful, horrible things happening in the US and globally, and often they seem too vast to even begin to combat. But meeting women who are working to stop war, hunger, violence, environmental degradation, and all kinds of oppression domestically and abroad, and seeing their strength, their dedication, their passion – it gives me confidence. People are creating change in their communities and connecting with each other to share their stories and work together across borders, they are making a difference.

The Episcopal Church is one of the many groups tackling these problems. I went into the CSW with the knowledge that, sure, the Episcopal Church is dedicated to social justice. But I didn’t really know the extent to which that was true. At 815 I witnessed the many, diverse ministries of the Episcopal Church – from Domestic Poverty/Jubilee to Global Justice to Ecumenical/Interreligious to Eco-Justice ministries – and met people engaged in them. It’s empowering to know that my spiritual community is not only dedicated to ending oppression, they’re out there working to do so right now.

However, there is still work to be done, especially within the Episcopal Church. I’m lucky – I’ve been welcomed and given responsibility in my church, mentored by older community members who have taught me so much, supported in my endeavors, including attending the CSW. But not everyone is. One of the most common sentiments I heard in our delegation (this was not the case for everyone, but it was an issue that was raised many times) was that as young adults, we could not find our position in the Church. There is a desire for community, for some kind of spiritual connection, but young adults are having a hard time finding it.

As the world changes, the way we structure the Church must change. Young adults have to be involved, since it’s our generation that will be sustaining the Church as time passes. Unless young adults are accepted into decision-making bodies on local, diocesan, and Church-wide levels to contribute their situated opinions and knowledge, and to learn from and be mentored by older members, the Episcopal Church will sit stagnant. We are in a position to enact the social justice work that, as a Church, we are committed and compelled to do. But we must make these connections and build these relationships to do so.

Thank you to all of the people who made this experience possible for me: Bishop Daniel, the Diocese of East Carolina, and the Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of East Carolina; Bishop Hollingsworth, the Diocese of Ohio, the Rev. Helen Svoboda-Barber, Greg Stark, and Harcourt Parish!

Living Church

In the summer of 2006 I got one of the strangest requests that I can remember. I had just been ordained to the priesthood and was preparing for my first semester as a campus minister at the University of Missouri when a Canon from the Diocese called me and asked if I could drive 60 miles to a small town where the diocese had just sold an old abandoned church. In my new and earnest priestly voice I agreed and the next day my wife and I took a little road trip.

After a quick and uneventful trip on Missouri’s high plain we arrived in the lazy and tired town. A town that surely thrived 50 years ago had turned into a slow and empty one not unlike most small towns in Missouri. With its fair share of beautiful historic buildings one remembers that life was once grand and that towns like this one were once prominent.

I’m sure there was abundant life at some point but today the greater community is left with a faint pulse and memories of promise past. Midwestern sensibilities and hospitality are still prevalent even if just a fraction of what they once were. But when the factories closed, mills dried up, and the train no longer stopped, a deflated community unfit for heath and growth remained.

The Episcopal Church in town really had no chance of surviving. There were a number of issues at play including the town’s size and demographics that made it nearly impossible to sustain an active and vibrant worshipping community. So I was sent to stand in the sanctuary and read to the open air a letter of deconsecrating the building on the bishop’s behalf.

The letter was short with big words and big meaning. It felt impossible to read. It was so heavy and sad and dead. I wasn’t called to be a priest so that I could bury churches, so doing this so soon into my ministry was a reality check of what happens when the life of a community slows down to an unrecoverable snail’s pace.

I’m constantly reminded about this day in my life when the wider church talks about its death. The lifeless, empty and dusty church that sat empty for so many years is finally closed and sold. A move that makes sense and one that I certainly support.

But when we talk death and the church dying my first response is that my church is not dead nor is it dying.

Campus Ministry is the antithesis of a dusty and empty church. And the college campus couldn’t be any different than an old and sleeping farm town on the Missouri plain.

I get that some places are slowing down and losing members. Interest might not be waning, but maybe an economy is and therefore people aren’t around as much. I get that there are other things in play besides a lack of evangelism or a great Sunday school. Things happen, places change, and just like the small town, sometimes it’s appropriate to close shop and move on.

But there is one place that moving on and closing shop or making cuts would be a great misstep in our work in the world, and that’s the college campus. Life is abundant. Life is full and real. Life is busy and active and amazing. The energy is unreal. I couldn’t think of a better place to do church and I couldn’t think of a better place to put our resources and invest.

Progress at UNCSW – Christopher Esposito-Bernard (Diocese of New York)

“Why are they sending you?”

My mother’s question poked with an edge of suspicion. Undoubtedly, she was still reeling from the GOP’s decision to deny women from testifying before congress and allowing five MEN to compromise, I mean, comprise the panel designed to talk about women’s health issues.

Fortunately for me, the United Nations identified male engagement in gender equality as an emerging topic – which is the short answer to the question above. But her question has been following me for weeks and was very much on my mind during the days were the Episcopal delegates were trying to make a difference.

To be honest, I’m not sure I can articulate what we did or what will come from our presence at the United Nations. I know that I had great highs and significant lows. I know that I was pushed to the brink of my emotional spectrum. I was grateful when older, wiser women welcomed me into the conversation. I was discouraged when other women said I didn’t belong. I was inspired to hear incredible stories of women overcoming cultural boundaries in gender reconciliation. I was devastated to hear that men were not doing nearly enough to treat women with the basic decency and respect the Christian life demands of us. I was beyond frustrated when I heard some women replacing one form of sexism for another.

The sad truth is that we are not there yet. Violations against women are vast and growing. Sex trafficking is on the rise. People still don’t have enough food to eat or clean water drink. People don’t have access to basic health care or education. The world is not in a good place.

But I was able to sneak into an under 18 meeting hosted The Working Group on Girls. To my surprise, there were a notable percentage of boys in the room. True to the name of the event, it really was a dialogue between girls and boys. At the event, a panel of people, all under the age of 17, spoke about their efforts to embrace their talents and not let traditional gender roles define their dreams and desires.

They also released two documents for the CSW: one from the girls and the other from the boys. The girls document clearly identified some of the crucial issues: decrease violence against women, “educate men and boy on the value of girls,” and delaying the legal age for girls to be married. The “Girl’s Statement” was clearly geared towards governments and political powers. But the “Statement of the Young Men” was geared toward the CSW itself. It said:

As young men, we demand to be included in the discussion and advancement of women and girl’s rights internationally. As much as men are part of the problem, we are also part of the solution. We need to reframe the discussion from a women’s issue to a human issue, where men and women, boys and girls can collaborate constructively to solve the obvious injustice that is inequality. As youth, we have a fresh and unique voice that provides creative and new solutions, as witnessed in the Arab Spring.

While the voices of the next generation are far from perfect, and the abbreviations and acronyms used as common rhetoric make me cringe, I can’t help but be encouraged by the voices rising behind my generation. Even if it does take another 50 councils to address the issues surrounding the status of women, I know that we have indeed made progress, we have changed minds, we have caste a new vision for what gender equality looks like for the future, and we will continue to until the CSW is no longer needed.

Moneyball & The Budget

In November, I attended the Provincial Coordinator for Campus Ministry meeting at “815″ (Episcopal Church headquarters in NYC).  There, among other things, we got to meet with Sam McDonald, who works closely with Bp. Sauls, the COO of the Church.  He talked about Bp. Saul’s plans to restructure the church, and what that may or may not do to campus and young adult ministry funding.  He spoke about Bp. Sauls taking the staff the see the movie “Moneyball.”  The Bishop’s theory is that the Church is looking at the wrong numbers.  Several times during the meeting, Sam talked about how they wanted to look at these numbers in a new way.  Now, full disclaimer: I haven’t had time to actually see the movie, but I’ll assume that this is the premise of the movie – looking at “the numbers” differently.

A few days ago, the proposed budget for the next triennium of the Episcopal Church was released.  Many bloggers have written about it, namely due to the fact that it nearly eliminates funding for all formation ministries, meaning: children, youth, young adult, campus, etc.  That currently constitutes about $3 million of the total budget.  Now I am not an accountant.  In fact, budgets make my head spin a little.  But when I look at the figure that states what TEC plans to spend – in total – over the next three years, we see that number is over $104 million (down from $109 million in the past three year time frame).  Let that sink in.  So to date, out of $109 million dollars, only $3 million was allocated to these ministries?!?!  That’s like 3%.  And people wonder why – WHY – these populations are absent from our churches.  Hmmmm…

So looking at these numbers differently, we see that in a budget of $109 million, only $3 million goes to these ministries.  And that dropping down to $104 million means that measly $3 million has to go away.  Again, I wasn’t a math major in college, but seriously?  Didn’t Jesus say something about where your treasure is, your heart is there too…

People have been asking what this will mean for us at the Belfry.  Truthfully, nothing immediately.  TEC stopped directly funding campus ministries many years ago (unlike the ELCA which is just now starting to yank that funding).  How it will affect us is that this cut will eliminate the big events that draw students together like “PROV” (our Province VIII annual student conference), the young adult festival at General Convention, the Chaplain’s Conference, etc.  Why do these ministries matter?  Well, while the argument is that these ministries should be done at the local level (and I mostly agree with that statement), the reality is that with a handful of exceptions (like here at UC Davis) by and large they are not being done at all, period.  There are many students who attend universities, colleges, or community colleges that don’t have a campus ministry at all (other than the pervasive options of CCC or IV, etc.), and while they may try to connect with the local parish, sometimes that’s not a viable fit either (see my blog post from last month).  So this is a problem.  Having conferences like “PROV” allows those students to stay connected to and active in their church.  (Notice: I said THEIR church).  So losing funding for these ministries will constitute an important loss indeed.

It has been heartening to read passionate blog posts and comments on them about how important these ministries have been to themselves and their children.  It’s clear that people are really shocked and outraged by this budget and wondering what TPTB are thinking.  While God did not grant me omniscience when I was ordained (darn it!), it seems like they are very much in panic/survival mode.  It looks to me like this $104 million dollars is going inward – is going to bolster the church administration solely.  I get that.  On a sinking ship you want to make sure your life boat is air tight and seaworthy with a seat on board for you.  But every expert analysis I’ve ever come across, every observer, every bit of advice directed to a dying church says: if you want to turn things around, turn OUTWARD.  Become missionally focused.  Look outside yourself.  And you will live.  And in truth, anecdotally at least, that analysis seems to be true.

And yet, instead of looking outside itself, TEC is turning inward with this budget, cutting out those who are invisible to them (“they’re not here anyway, so why spend $3 million on them?” perhaps is the thinking).  But what I’d want to say to TPTB is they ARE here!  50 some-odd of them will be gathering for PROV next month.  And those 50 students are just the ones who have the resources to go to the conference (subsidies are lower than normal due to, oh yes, budget cuts!).  There are many more college students in Province VIII that would like to go than these 50.

So are they looking at the wrong numbers?

Just for fun, last night I googled the operating budgets for Intervarsity and CCC.  It’s not surprising to see that IV’s budget in 2010 (the latest on their website) was over $85 million.  CCC was over $500 million.  Those are the numbers spent in the US alone.  And, if your campus is like mine, those groups are probably rather large.  Looking at these numbers begins to tell us why.  On my campus, those ministries have multiple full time staff and money to fund retreats and events, etc., things that are prohibitive on my budget and with just me on staff.  One day a few years ago, it hit me that proportionally speaking, my numbers – actually - are on par with those groups, when you look at it that way.

So let’s shift some numbers: what if TEC allocated $85 million to campus ministry?  What if they provided the resources and support that IV and CCC provided to their ministries?  Still not having the power of omniscience, I don’t know for sure, but my hunch is that young adults would no longer be absent from our churches.  I know people right now are mostly just wanting the $3 million to be put back in (and of that like $500,000 goes for campus ministry in particular), and that is a crucial start.  But what if even 10% of the total budget could go to these formation ministries?  Even if all it did was flow back to the local level?  Or Provincial level?  I know in Province VIII, there are dioceses that send nothing to the Province, so those funds are rapidly drying up (again: is it because dioceses are doing all this ministry themselves?  Usually – no.  They aren’t doing these ministries because they don’t have the funds, and so they don’t give to the Province either.  So at the end of the day, these ministries aren’t happening, period).

I know this is a little bit of the ‘what if’ game.  But having $104 million to spend is not an insignificant amount.  It seems what we need now is a courageous vision, leaders who will look at those resources and ask: how can we invest in mission?  In spreading the Gospel and reaching out to all in love as Jesus has asked us to do?  I know for sure that defunding these already woefully underfunded ministries does not do that.  My prayer is that we will come together to oppose this budget and encourage our Church to take a different course. 

There is so much living that we have left to do, and can do, if we have the courage to do it.

Called to Service – Grace Baranowski, Diocese of Indianapolis

Reflecting on the lessons of the UNCSW I return to an observation I noted at the end of our week together—that it does not take an official title or position to create the change one wishes to see in the world.

Much of my time was spent attending various events hosted by organizations whose work and missions aligned with the goals of the United Nations. Leaders of these groups were not major political figures or celebrities, for the most part. Instead, they were committed people who saw need and acted upon it creatively, using their energy to inspire others.

As Episcopalians, we are called to action by the 2006 General Convention to uphold the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals as the first priority of our Church. These guidelines, set by many governments worldwide, encompass education, child and maternal health, female empowerment, and hunger. Yet these goals are not just the wishes of foreign governments and politicians. They are concrete targets to achieve Christ’s vision of loving our neighbor and providing for the poor.

The Episcopalian faith finds heavenly salvation in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We can also find earthly salvation from poverty, hunger, and disease in our own unified efforts. On this earth, we are custodians of Christ’s work—and that work is achieved best by combating suffering through cooperation, hopelessness through creativity, and distress through dedication.

Our own efforts may not be advertised in newspapers or billed on national news, but each step toward creating a more perfect world while we are here is one that follows in Christ’s footsteps. We are God’s hands. We are His earthly agents. It is time to serve, as we have been called.