Guest Blog: "The Way of Love" by the Rev. Mike Fedewa

Mike Fedewa has served as Rector of St. Andrew's in Grand Rapids since 1992.  His first assignment in the Diocese of Western Michigan was as an assistant to the rector at St. Thomas in Battle Creek from 1986-1990.  In his many years in diocese he has served on many committees.  Currently he is a member of the transition team.  Mike has been married to Linda for 28 years.   They are parents of three sons, but he and Linda  are still too young to be grandparents.  Mike was raised in Michigan and enjoys all things about living in western Michigan, especially camping, fishing, and baseball.    About once a month, Mike travels to churches around the country to preach on behalf of Food for the Poor.

As some of you know, it is the custom of the Brothers at St. Gregory’s in Three Rivers to observe silence during the meals.   While eating the brothers and guests listen to the reading of a book.   While on retreat at St. Gregory's last winter, we listened to a book entitled Peace Be With You; Monastic Wisdom for a Terror Filled World. The readings I heard during my retreat were powerful enough that I purchased the book early this summer.   I have been reading the book over the course of the month of September.

In this book, the author, David Carlson recounts visits he made some years after 2001 to various monasteries and convents located in the United States.  In this visit, Carlson interviews monks and nuns who were members of those communities on September 11, 2001.  The monks and nuns remember for Carlson how their communities reacted to the news of that terror filled days.  They also shared with Carlson reflections about how these communities, and indeed how the country and world have changed since that day.  Those interviewed bring the wisdom of their disciplined life of solitude and prayer to these reflections.

While at Gethsemane Abbey in Kentucky, Carlson reflects on an epiphany written by Thomas Merton.  That epiphany occurred for Merton on March 18, 1958 at the corner of Fourth and Walnut Streets in Louisville Kentucky.   He writes “I was suddenly overwhelmed by the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers.”  Carlson writes that this message of radical unity is what we need to survive in a world that is splintering apart.

Later, Carlson remembers an awareness that came to him during his visit to St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville Minnesota.   Carlson writes:  The only way out, is to love our way out.  “The challenge of 9/11 is spiritual, not simply political or military.” 
As we enter the twelfth year of the wars that began soon after September 11, 2001, it is obvious that despite the trillions of dollars spent on the wars, the thousands of people who have been injured or killed, the fact remains that we have still not found our way out.   Current events in Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries of the region remind us that we still live in a terror filled world.   Violence and war escalate. We are still lost.

Only the way of love lived by Jesus, the Prince of Peace, will lead us out of the terrors of our day.  This is not a sweet and easy love that comes when we all sing “kumbaya” together.  This is the love that finds its meaning in the cross.  This is the love that comes when one lays down one’s life for the beloved.  Indeed, this is the love that comes when one gives oneself for our enemies.

How do we live in a terror filled world?  How do we live in times of fear, and anxiety?   How do we live in a world that seems to be splintering?

Carlson offers us image of our radical unity.   Those we think of as “they” are ours, and we are “theirs."

Carlson calls us to place our hope not in the power of politics or the military.   Our hope must be spiritual.   Indeed, the spiritual life offers the only true hope for the world. 

"Without Facts, We Cannot Make Wise Choices by the Rev. Nurya Parish

The Rev. Nurya Parish

For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light—for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.   – Ephesians 5:8-10

Our diocese was founded in 1874. In the 138 years since, laity and clergy have continually praised God, led people to discipleship in Christ, and ministered in His name. Half the state of Michigan has been blessed by the ministry of this diocese.

As a member of the search team for our next Bishop, I’ve been studying the data about our diocese. When our profile is published early next month, our major findings will be shared with the world... including our next bishop, whomever he or she may be. At this point we’ve completed our analysis, pending independent confirmation that all our calculations are correct.

Our data includes some challenging facts about our life together.  Just about half of our churches struggle to afford a full-time priest, if they can afford one at all.

One in five congregations reported that they had no church school students in 2011. Even our largest congregations are not the size that church consultants generally consider “resource parishes” - large enough to have resources to share. Bringing these facts into the light can make us feel anxious.

Our data also includes encouraging facts. Despite the recent financial downturn, average giving to annual operating budgets of churches held steady across the diocese. Most of our congregations have at least six months of operating funds in savings. Some of our congregations have endowment funds; of those that do, a majority are using them in a way that is sustainable for the long term. Bringing these facts into the light can give us hope.

As I’ve studied and analyzed this data, I’ve been asked if I am a “numbers cruncher” or a “NT” on the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am an unabashed sensitive soul who weeps in movies and avoids even fictional accounts of violence. I haven’t taken a math class in twenty-five years; I structured my college education to avoid all exposure to the hard sciences (and lived to regret it).

But I am also a disciple of Jesus Christ, who asks us to walk in the light and speak the truth. It seems to me that figuring out facts about our life together is part of following that call.  All of our congregations have numbers... in the operating budget, in the parochial report data, in the balance sheet.  When these numbers are tracked and reported accurately, they are facts.

Facts matter, because without facts we cannot make wise choices. It is by wise choices, “pleasing to the Lord,” we may thrive to minister for years to come. Facts serve us well when we see them in their proper place: as servants of our mission to make disciples of Christ and minister to the world in His name. We may not always like the facts before us, but as disciples of Christ we cannot fail to acknowledge them, recognizing that no fact - indeed, nothing at all - can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39).

The Rev. Nurya Love Parish is Associate Priest at St. Andrew’s, Grand Rapids and Communications liaison for the Bishop Search Team.  She blogs for buildfaith.org, an online Christian education community, and at her own blog, www.plainsongfarm.com. She welcomes your thoughts in response to this article at nuryaloveparish@gmail.com.

How Many Therapists Does it Take? The Wit and Wisdom of Psychotherapy by Kenneth Reid

A Note to the Reader
 

How many therapists does it take to change a light bulb? Answer – only one but it takes a long time – and the light bulb really has to want to change. All my professional life I have loved jokes about therapists and psychotherapy. For me they typically lighten the atmosphere, tickle the funny bone, help emphasize a point and ridicule the self-important. But, therapy jokes also do something extra – they echo back the uncertainty and incongruity of our day-to-day lives.

I began collecting jokes and funny anecdotes about therapists – many included in this book – in the 1960s while a graduate in social work. Funny stories, jokes, puns, quips, word play, and urban legends came from old joke books, cartoons, late night talk television, and more recently, the internet. Others came from my professors, fellow clinicians, and patients in the hospital where I trained. Interestingly, the jokes told by professionals were often the same ones told by the patients.

This genre of humor called psychiatrist jokes, with the stock caricature of the mad psychiatrist – a bald, bearded Viennese analyst, who himself needed a psychiatrist – was inadvertently set in motion by Sigmund Freud and his followers in the 1930s. Added to the mix were confusing stereotypes of the confusing mental hospital that made its patients crazy, and the laughable behavior of highly resourceful patients.

Over time, psychiatrist jokes gave way to therapist jokes reflecting the growing number of helping professionals – psychologists, clinical social workers, nurses and counselors – practicing psychotherapy. Characterized by folly and exaggeration, therapist jokes have come to provide a fractured mirror reflecting the human condition – and the light-hearted funny side of life.

The collection of humor in this book is about the psychotherapeutic industrial-complex so enmeshed in American culture. These are the stories and jokes therapists tell each other during team meetings or over a beer after a long day. They are about stereotypes of therapists in ludicrous situations; folks facing outrageous predicaments of daily living; and overwhelmed hospitals and clinics confusing staff and patients alike. In short this book is about irony, madness, and the outright comedy that undergirds the mental health establishment.

To laugh at ourselves and the world around us is truly a gift. It is in this spirit that this volume was compiled.

Dr. Ken Reid, a clinical social worker, coordinates the diocese's Pastoral Care and Counseling Program, which was established in 1970. Initially the program was created to address the needs of the clergy. Over the years it has evolved into an outreach ministry of the Diocese. Individual, group, premarital, marital, and family counseling are offered. In addition, pastoral care consultation is available to clergy. Ken has been with the Program since 1976. His book can be purchased by clicking here on Amazon. It is also available by clicking here on Barnes and Noble.

The Spiritual Journal by Charlene Allen

I did not set out to keep a spiritual journal. The practice of serious “spiritual journaling” came about as the result of reading Morton Kelsey’s book Adventure Inward. I had inquired at the library what books it might have by the theologian and prolific writer, Merton Kelsey; and Inward Journey was among the titles available through inter-library loan. At the time, I was unaware of the subtitle, “Christian Growth through Personal Journal Writing” and requested the book as one of a couple by Kelsey.

Although I had kept a prayer journal from time to time, written short essays on Bible verses and participated in Bible and theological studies, I had never consistently kept a daily spiritual journal. Adventure Inward changed that. After reading only a few pages, I became inspired and motivated to start a journal, and, consequently, committed to daily journaling. In sharing my personal experience with spiritual journal writing, I will attempt to summarize Kelsey’s reasons for journaling and his experience with such as well as the “how to” or mechanics of journal writing. One perhaps cannot read Adventure Inward without becoming excited about the prospect of spiritual transformation and growth through the daily practice of keeping a journal.

Kelsey states that the purpose of journaling is to become closer to God and to enter a personal relationship with God. He carried on a dialogue with God within the pages of his journal and Adventure Inward encourages the reader to do such.

I have been diligently journaling daily for several months now, and it has become habit, as I have not missed a day. My past experience with journaling ten years ago lasted a short time, in that it perhaps it was only the recording of the day’s events, and not, a sacred ritual of seeking understanding through writing. Kelsey emphasizes that a quiet time and place is required, and although he choose the day’s end, I have chosen the day’s beginning, before the sun rises. It is when I think best, feel refreshed and unencumbered. Although perhaps, anticipatory of the day ahead, I am not caught up in the day. I may reflect on the previous day, but the purpose of my journal is not to record my activities, but my inner experience. The daily ritual is a time for me to record my thoughts, inspirations, and interpretation and application of Bible readings. The writing is many times prayerful. I have not yet “progressed” to dialoguing with God which Kelsey describes in his book. Journaling causes me to be quiet and reflective and to listen. This is what perhaps Kelsey means by his title, Adventure Inward.

The journal itself is special in that I journal in is a leather-bound book with lined pages and a ribbon marker.
I placed into service a gold-filled personalized mechanical pencil, a gift of twenty-five years ago and it is used exclusively for writing in my journal. Previously, I had recorded on sometimes loose sheets of notebook paper or in spiral notebooks which did not provide a feeling of “permanence.”

Kelsey instructs the reader to date every entry, so that the journaler may return to a previous time and review change and growth. I think that it was fortuitous that I read Kelsey’s Adventure Inward when I did. My mother had died suddenly, and I was dealing grief and loss at the time. Journaling helped me to become grounded in that I could focus my thoughts and feelings and express them on paper. By doing such, I became peaceful and reflective. It changed me in that my grief became suddenly an opportunity for growth. I recorded the reading of the Psalms that uplifted me, and I felt inspiration from them, because I was journaling my interpretation of them, while reflecting on the agony or ecstasy of David at the time.

Currently, I continue my daily Bible reading (the commitment to read the Bible in a year) and again record verses which jump out at me. My experience in journaling is somewhat different from what I perceive Kelsey’s to have been, but I imagine everyone’s experiences are different. I do not know if I have been transformed by journaling, but I doubt if one can recognize one’s own transformation. What I do know is that I wake up each morning with a purpose to sit and reflect and write in my journal. I do not even know what I will write. Kelsey warns about “automatic writing”, but the writing is not “automatic” but reflective of where I am at the moment. I write now in my journal in conjunction with my Bible reading. They seem to go hand in hand.

I do feel changed in that I see journal writing as way to deepen my commitment to growing spiritually. It is a tool for such. At first, journal writing required discipline, but now it is a habit for me. However, it is important, perhaps, for it not to become too automatic. The freshness and excitement of journal writing can be exhilarating, since it many times provides the writer with unexpected insights.

While Kelsey carried on a dialogue with God, I express thoughts, praise, and thanks. I copy and examine scripture of which I am reading. This sounds somewhat simplistic, but I believe that the journaling has made an impact on my spiritual life.

I agree with Kelsey that journaling is a learning experience. It is a discipline. I had previously written thoughts about scripture and prayer which could be considered sporadic journaling. After reading Kelsey’s book, I became excited about journaling and it did become something to which I looked forward and it has become a joy as Kelsey said it should become. Even when things seem very busy, I do not neglect writing something every day. Writing in my journal in the morning gives me the opportunity to anticipate and prepare for the day. I cherish and value the time I set aside for it.

The impetus for me to again attempt to keep a journal was the reading of Adventure Inward, and the impetus for reading the book was the sudden death of my mother, and the grief I felt. However, any time is the “right” time to begin keeping a spiritual journal. I would attest that the act of journaling is an act of expanding one’s spiritual

In decline, churches can find their true mission

By Karmel Puzzuoli, Communications Assistant to the Bishop.

The Episcopal Church made news again this summer for its inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people at its General Convention in Indianapolis. Shortly thereafter, I received an email link from a friend (a proclaimed atheist) titled: “The Collapse of the Liberal Church.”

Oh, joy.

Margaret Wente of the Toronto Globe and Mail, wrote, “In the 1960s, liberal churches bet their future on becoming more open, more inclusive, more egalitarian and more progressive. They figured that was the way to reach out to a new generation of worshippers. It was a colossal flop.”

Other critics of the Episcopal Church cite a 25 percent drop in membership in the past decade because of its progressive approach to typical Christian outsiders.

While a decline in the size of the church is unfortunate, I’m fairly certain that truly liberal Christians are unconcerned.

Many liberal churches, even conservative churches that fall under traditional denominational labels (Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran) have seen declines in membership. Bloggers and commentators are scrambling to figure it out. Can we blame the sexual revolution?  Busy, two-career families that have no time for church? Consumerism, materialism, multiculturalism and relativism? Mega-churches?

But in decline, and perhaps only in decline, can churches re-discover the true ministry and mission of Jesus, which was to be radically tolerant and helpful to those who are poor, sick, outcast and marginalized.

Today, Christian churches divide themselves by their own Biblical focus, some tending toward the Gospel teachings of service, while others lean into the epistles which emphasized more personal and societal living standards in a tenuous time of spreading Christianity throughout the ancient world.

Conflicts are there whether we address them or not, and there is tension in the Christian community over scriptural interpretation and integrity, which can be debated endlessly. Many liberal churches have come to believe that church growth depends on a mission-driven model that includes service to humankind as a guiding ethic with on-the-ground ministries that reach the underserved.

Churches have far too long been places of cultural and socioeconomic sameness, where people go to preserve their own comfort zone and worldview. Even liberal Christians, comprised primarily of well-educated whites, need to be careful of exclusivity and elitism in their ranks. (That was one point I’ll concede to Wente).

Gene Robinson, our first openly gay bishop, said in his sermon at General Convention, “[The Episcopal Church] will be asked to move on, because even LGBT work can’t be a tent that we live in forever. As soon as we get a real leg up on this thing, God is going to point out somebody else that we haven’t been paying attention to.”

The Episcopal Church has addressed LGBT concerns openly, to the detriment of some of its membership. Let’s hope that the time has come, or is near, to put the issue to rest, to take for granted that our LGBT brothers and sisters are welcome at the table.

But while we’ve been wringing our hands over LGBT issues, the poor are getting poorer, the sick are getting sicker, and the most marginalized members of society still await signs of hope. As the mother of an autistic child, I can tell you one of the most marginalized groups is people with developmental disabilities and cognitive impairments. Disabled people aren’t at the top of anyone’s list of priorities. There are a lot of people who need help whom we simply do not see.

Theologians and religious scholars sometimes debate whether Jesus came to establish a new religion, or to bring forth a new way of life to suffering people in a desperate and oppressive time. Christian history is larger than our present-day disagreements on  sexual orientation and gender identity. And I think the only reference we really need is that whenever Jesus was confronted with bigotry, sexism, classism, labels and prejudices, he used them as a teachable moment to reflect our own fallibility. It just makes sense, to me, to keep our feet on the ground, as he did.

This column ran in The Battle Creek Enquirer, the Kalamazoo Gazette, and was published in other newspapers' online editions.

Being Truly Progressive and open includes welcoming other viewpoints

Guest Writer: Rick Schulte

If you haven’t guessed by now – through reading some of the stories in The Record, watching the news or simply through paying attention in church – the Episcopal Church has a reputation for being somewhat progressive.

Some would say liberal. Some would even say radical. All are entitled to their opinions. Churches, like all of society, have members from all points of the spectrum.

Personally, the political slants of my friends are as diverse as can be, ranging from left of the Occupy Movement and to right of Rush Limbaugh.

I’ll note some of my own personal beliefs. I have voted for both Democrats and Republicans. I love and hate some of the things Gov. Rick Snyder has done. I like the spirit of the Occupy Movement but have some serious misgivings about its execution and messages. I believe the poor need help and social programs can be very helpful, but I’m not a fan of achieving this through enormous tax increases. I support gay marriage but also respect the opinions those who feel marriage is only meant between a man and a woman.

If only the world was a black and white place, in terms of issues and answers. As most of us know, it’s not.

Which leads me back to the original idea for the reputation of our church, which leans to the left.

A friend of mine, an Episcopalian, recently noted: “Our church is welcoming and inclusive. As long as you follow its liberal agenda, that is.

Those can be stinging words. But many members of our church also see them as accurate.
   
So what is the right answer?

Well, that’s the beauty – and the challenge – of who we are. There is no one right answer. For some issues, there may be a sense of prevailing opinion. But that doesn’t mean our answers are etched in stone.

Many mainstream religions have a fallback answer to questions regarding social issues: The only real truth is found in the Bible. Although many churches have their stance on specific issues such as abortion, gay marriage, married and gay clergy and other so-called “hot button” topics, many of their members quietly question these stances. Sometimes, they not-so-quietly question these stances. Either way, if you mention the name of a religion and a topic, you often know what the stance is on any given subject.

Even in this church, issues are approached differently. One church may openly embrace the concept of female clergy or LGBT acceptance. Others may have more “traditional” views that do not look on either with much approval.

Does that mean one church is more Episcopal than another? Is one church any less right? Of course not. It may be a hard pill to swallow in listening to the views of someone who is similar to you in many ways, but a polar opposite in others.

I have had friends ask me, rather pointedly, why my bishop (Bishop Wendell Gibbs Jr.) simply does not enforce one doctrine for all churches to follow. (If you haven’t guessed, those friends are from another religion). As much as I’d like to see that sometimes, that wouldn’t be who we are as a church. You see, for as open and inclusive as we like to think we are of all lifestyles and choices, that also has to include those who don’t agree with us.

It would be rather hypocritical if we believed otherwise.

Rick Schulte is the Director of Communications for
The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan.   

Episcopal Youth Camp: All About Joy

Blog Post by Karmel Puzzuoli

Camp Newaygo has been the home of Episcopal Youth Camp (EYC) for the past seven years. It sits on 101 acres of land along a chain of lakes in the Manistee National Forest Region of mid-western Michigan. It is nestled on the eastern edge of Pickerel Lake in Newaygo County, where the hustle and bustle of city life, cell phones and televisions can’t be heard.

The quiet our campers encounter can be disorienting to them.

“This is probably the first time some of these children have experienced silence for any period of time,” said Bobbie Traxler (Holy Spirit, Belmont). “They are bombarded by advertising, electronic media, chaotic schedules, and often they don’t have enough time to form their own thoughts. Here we make it okay to be silent.”

However, the silence where gadgets and television once were is replaced by chatter of meeting new friends, reuniting with old friends, singing, laughing, splashing in the lake, and the reverent sounds of an outdoor Eucharist in a place in the woods called Walden.

You find generations of campers here. Many of the camp staff were young campers at Episcopal Youth Camp decades ago. There’s a sense of continuity.

“This is a time bubble,” said Christine Tillman, deacon for children and youth ministries. “We can create a different piece of the kingdom, something that grows and is exciting. We are all loving learning about God.”

EYC is held in three one week-sessions for different age groups throughout the summer. The first week was Senior Camp, held in the middle of June, for youth entering grades 9-12. The second camp, Middle Schol Camp for children entering grades 6-8 was held this week, and next week, the younger children entering grades 3-5 will arrive for Junior Camp.

In addition, new camp counselors and Christian leaders are constantly being trained through the Counselors in Training (CIT) and Leaders in Training (LIT) programs. CIT is open to young people who are 16, 17 and 18 and not yet out of high school.  CITs lodge together and spend part of the time in a classroom setting, learning about child development and leadership skills.  LITs also lodge together with their adult mentors.  LIT is a new initiative for young people between the ages of 13 and 16 who are interested in learning more about Christian-based leadership.  Their focus is on living into a community with God in the center, and to find and name their own gifts and skills and encouraging others to live into theirs.

Judy Fleener (St. Paul’s, Muskegon) has been working at EYCs since the 1970s, and was a camp counselor when Gennie Callard, Assistant to the Bishop for Children, Youth and Young Adult Ministries, was a camper here.

“Every year I load up a toolbox of stuff that will help the kids connect with God,” said Judy. “I am sharing what I have, who I am. I am also the beneficiary of this experience. I get to be who I am. And I think the best thing for the inside of a child is the outside – at camp. Kids who come here for a week can be themselves, nobody has preconceived expectations. And the kids love to come back.”

Each day is full of activities, including formation, arts and crafts, outdoor time, Eucharist, restful time, and even an outreach project, but not necessarily in that order.
In fact, this year’s EYC will make a generous donation to the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry at nearby Holy Spirit Episcopal Church in Belmont. Each week of camp made a food item to donate. Senior Camp filled canning jars with beans and the ingredients for a homemade soup, Middle Camp is filling jars with the ingredients for chocolate cake, and Junior Camp will put together a collection of personal care items.

“Sometimes a week at camp gives them as much or more than a half hour of Sunday School every week,” said camp counselor Becky Searles, who also attended camp as a child.

Christine Tillman added that more than camp being a place for kids, it’s a place for adults to understand the spirituality of young people.

“This camp gives me hope for the church and a sense of how the Spirit is moving through the youth. It looks different from what some of us may be used to,” said Christine. “Our youth want a chance to be part of the church and to be loved. They are in love with the church and they are spiritual.”

– Karmel Puzzuoli
Assistant to the Bishop for Communications