Where are the Young Adults?

Here they are:

Group photo at the Saturday evening Eucharist and blessing of seniors in Parke Chapel at St. Andrew’s Cathedral

Last weekend was PROV 2012.  Province VIII has a tradition of hosting an annual college student gathering in the spring each year.  Usually a campus ministry hosts it (so it rotates around the Province), and then a design team of students from around the Province plan it.  Since I landed at UC Davis 4 years ago, Prov has been held at Arizona State, San Francisco, and last year at UC Davis.  Taking on the role of Provincial Coordinator, it was my job to find this years’ host.  Unfortunately, everyone I asked said they just couldn’t do it.  I began to worry that Prov may not happen.

In December, I got a message from a student in Hawaii who had attended all those Provs I listed above.  You see, Province VIII is the geographically largest in our country, including California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, and Taiwan.  “Cohort U,” the ministry in Honolulu serving multiple campuses, has always sent 5 or more students to Prov because for them, it is one of the only times and ways they can connect with the rest of the Church.  So this conference is very important to them.

I had to admit to the Hawaiian student that no one had agreed to host it so it may not happen this year.  And then something ridiculous happened: he said the Hawaiian students would host it.  This is ridiculous because: 1) how could we afford to get broke students from broke ministries to Hawaii? 2) the students there don’t have a chaplain to help with the planning, 3) would anyone go all the way to Hawaii for just a weekend? and 4) could I help plan something in a place I’d never been and I would not get to until the day the conference began?

But I prayed about it and several things became clear: the students in Hawaii had faithfully attended Prov for many years, and so it seemed right to go to them at least once.  I had no idea how many people would attend, and prepared for the fact that it might be a small conference.  But more than that, when everyone else in our community had said no, here they were bravely saying: “YES, we’ll do it!”

And I have to hand it to my chaplain colleagues who agreed to take the plunge with me.  They fundraised, I begged for more funds from various places.  I know there are students who wanted to go but couldn’t afford it.  But all in all, 46 students and 12 chaplains from the mainland registered, and we were joined by another 10-15 Hawaiian students.  Which put us around 70 total, which is pretty much what Prov attendance is like each year.  So much for thinking this would be a small conference…

Then I had to find a location in Honolulu to host.  The students sent me a list of possibilities.  As I went down the list, I kept hearing no, after no, after no.  Then finally, I had a conversation with The Very Rev. Walter Brownridge, Dean of St. Andrew’s Cathedral.  Their parish hall is under construction, and there were other events going on that weekend (in other words, this was going to be an inconvenience), but he said YES!  Bring the students, we’ll make it work. 

Now let’s be clear: this was no resort vacation.  We were in downtown Honolulu – not the area where tourists tend to be, so we were in the midst of the ‘real’ Hawaii.  When we landed in Honolulu and picked up the rental car, the attendant asked if we needed directions and where we were going.  I said, “Downtown Honolulu.” 

“Oh, Waikiki?”  He asked.  “No, downtown Honolulu.”  I responded.  “Downtown Waikiki?”  he was so puzzled.  Clearly not many people rent minivans and head to downtown Honolulu.

During the weekend, the students were introduced to the Hawaiian Spirituality, and the history of Christianity on the Islands.  We talked about the connection between colonization, oppression, and the Church, and how Anglicanism was introduced by the King and Queen (after being treated like scum in America, they were given the royal treatment by the British Royals and that definitely influenced them a little…).

But more than that, connections were made.  As my colleague Megan+ reflected in her blog, every year at Prov one or more students talk movingly about how this is the first time they’ve worshipped with other people their age.  They talk about how campus ministry has kept them connected to the church.  Or brought them in to the church, to know Jesus.  Regardless, they talk about how it has changed their lives. 

All of this is to say, with all the budget wrangling going on across the country, and the elimination of Formation funding (which would include eliminating funding for Prov), the use of these dollars for this ministry and this purpose was only validated and strengthened.  It became abundantly clear that this is not only a good use of church monies, it is an imperative one.  And while much anger and frustration at the current state of things (budgets and what not) were expressed by chaplains and students alike, there was also a resolve to not let this happen.  That this ministry is too important.  That these young adults are not the future of the church, they are the church.  And that we will do what we can to help communicate this to the wider church in hopes that General Convention will heed the call and do the right thing in Indianapolis.

Everyone said we could never have Prov in Hawaii.  Well, we just did have Prov in Hawaii.  And if we can pull that off (a bunch of underpaid and mostly marginalized chaplains and students) then I’m pretty confident that the leaders of our church can figure out how to fund this ministry for the next triennium.  As we learned together in Hawaii, the strength of being in a denomination is that we are forced to be connected to people and places we may not choose to be otherwise.  But that is what being the Body of Christ is all about.  If we only focus on “the local level,” Prov wouldn’t have happened, and the richness and for many life changing spiritual impact that occurred last weekend wouldn’t have been possible.  Wanna see what I mean?

P.S. Prov 8 chaplains drafted a letter of protest against the budget.  I posted it on change.org, and it got reposted on social networks and is now a national petition.  Feel free to add your name and comments there.

Pilgrims, Refugees and Nomads – Ashley Pagan, Diocese of Arizona

2012 is still young, but the year has already proven to be a spiritually enriching experience, and there’s still much promise. Before describing personal spiritual experiences, it seems necessary to give a bit of context: My mother was Jewish, my father Catholic, so as a child I received the “best of both worlds” so to speak, though receiving much more Catholic education. In college I began my affiliation with the Episcopal Church, along with other meditation practices. When strangers question my religious affiliation, my response is that I’m a Catholic Buddhist Episcopalian Jew. This obviously raises some eyebrows, but for one reason or another I have never felt a conflict between the seemingly opposing systems in my personal life.

In January, I went to Israel on Taglit-birthright, a free trip to Israel for Jewish youth. Being in a place unlike any other, completely surrounded in sacred energy and ancient history, is beyond what any words can possibly describe. Being able to put a place to a story strengthened my zeal and placed my religion in perspective. (Faith is absolutely necessary, but having something tangible never hurts!)

The story and land of Israel is shared by so many cultures: Egyptians, Romans, Jews, Christians, Muslims; the land is equally as varied, from the bone-dry pure sand deserts of the Negev shared with the Bedouins, to the lush fertile northern borders shared with Syria. I was in Israel for 12 days, so naturally some experiences were more profound than others. After 18 hours between planes, we drove to the Hebrew University (atop Mount Scopus), and caught our first glimpse of the ancient holy city of Jerusalem, its’ defining white stones gleaming as gold in the sunset. We broke bread and had wine with prayers, a welcome emotional and spiritual respite after such a long journey, one that had been much longer for the faithful of the past. The trip to Kotel, “the wailing wall,” was equally profound. People crowded towards the wall and around in each other, leaving hopeful prayers wedged into stone and bathing in the sacred atmosphere of the ancient temple, with the Islam Dome of the Rock directly behind, and eastern chanting coming from yet another direction. The knowledge that so many had passed on in hopes of one day seeing the temple struck me, while I, a privileged American college graduate, stood there, not any more or less deserving. The Mount of Olives, a mountain with extensive Old and New Testament significance, was another early stop, with thousands upon thousands of Jewish, Christian, and Islam graves all waiting in hopeful expectation for the resurrection of the body and final judgment. The remainder of our trip was spent between a Kibbutz and Bedouin tents, in an interdependent communal atmosphere where the stranger is welcomed and all look out for one another. The (strangely) most profound experience for me was our visit to the mountaintop ruins of Masada, even though I had never heard the story before. The history behind it is extremely extensive, but boils down to a group of early Zionist Jews who were equally unsatisfied with the perversion of rabbinic leadership and Roman rule, and escaped to a mountain to live out their ideals. They were pursued by the Romans, ever paranoid of any rebellion, and ultimately killed each other (since suicide was outlawed) rather than succumb to slavery or death by Roman soldiers. But something on this mountain holds an air of reverence, of awe, of remembrance; to the north you can see the faint glimmer of Jerusalem, to the east is the Dead Sea, and all around is lonely barren sand. In this environment we sang a Hebrew song of remembrance and goodbye, while dancing in a circle with locals.  Everywhere in Israel we travelled, we still experienced that same warm welcome and kinship with the local people.

Fast forward from January to March, and time for the Episcopal Migration Ministries conference. I went with a group of very intelligent, articulate, open-minded young adults, which would help ease me into the challenging days to come. It was a completely new experience, being at a professional conference with much older folks, and surrounded by Episcopalians. Being so far out of my element and comfort zone required a great deal of patience, but with the compassion and understanding of others, I made it through and learned a lot both professionally and personally. I had my first experience saying Compline, which really touched my heart. Reverend Kim Jackson came to talk to our young adult group on our second night, and her words gave me a better framework for understanding. Some of the questions she posed, applicable to both the conference and real life, were:

How can you turn ignorance into light?

Where does God want us to shed the most light?

Are we serving selflessly, or serving self?

Are we active contemplatives, or contemplative activists?

Where can your life use some untangling?

Where do you fit in the story?

These are all questions I’m still wrestling with, and ones I don’t think I’ll ever forget, and far more profound than any professional experience attained. Maybe we’re all refugees, pilgrims, and wanderers in life, looking for welcome, safety, a home, a church, a community, a better life, personal fulfillment, or simply basic nourishment. Maybe it’s our fate as humans to wander and search endlessly until we rest in peace, and even then, maybe we shall just lie in expectancy, along with all of the faithful buried on the Mount of Olives. Whether we are shedding a bright light alike those serving the refugee community, or softly glowing while engaging our own communities as a local advocate for whatever cause we choose, we have a fire to keep burning, a road to keep walking, and a responsibility to both God and neighbor; we are indeed our brother’s keeper, and by no means the protagonist in our story.

One last scholarship opportunity for the Young Adult Festival (Respond by Monday)

Want to get a behind the scenes look at advocacy at the Episcopal Church’s triennial General Convention? One last great opportunity to intern with an organization as part of the Young Adult Festival has opened up. The Chicago Consultation is looking for two young adults (ages 18-30) to join them in advocacy during General Convention 2012, July 5-10 in Indianapolis, IN. (If you are selected as an intern, the Chicago Consultation will cover your registration costs.)

The Chicago Consultation, a group of Episcopal and Anglican bishops, clergy and lay people, supports the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) Christians in the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.  The Chicago Consultation works with other advocacy groups to advance the movement towards same-sex blessings, affirm GLBT people in all orders of ministry, and forge relationships with Christians across the Anglican Communion to deepen the conversation on the topic of sexuality and justice.  At General Convention, you will interact with leaders from across the church and Anglican Communion, talk with bishops, deputies and attendees about the church’s call to  full inclusion, assist at special events and the exhibit booth, and help track legislation.

In addition, you will have full access to the Young Adult Festival, including 5 nights housing, two receptions, daily breakfast, briefings and worship, a celebratory dinner, a visitor’s pass to GC and, of course, the company of other young adults with whom to experience Convention.

If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, please contact Jason Sierra in the Episcopal Church office for Young Adult and Campus Ministries at jsierra@episcopalchurch.org no later than Monday, April 9 with your name, diocese, phone number, and two paragraphs answering the following questions: How would partnering with these organizations further your ministry/vocational goals? and Describe any relevant experience including current church engagement.