VOL. 5, ISSUE 1 • SPRING 2014
Marriage Equality
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The Record Spring 2014
Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Episcopal Diocese of Michigan Episcopal Church Center 4800 Woodward Ave. Detroit, MI 48201-1399 (313) 832-4400 • Toll Free (866) 545-6424 Submissions: submit@edomi.org To Subscribe: subscribe@edomi.org
The Record is the quarterly magazine for the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. Vol. 5, Issue 1 Spring 2014
The Rt. Reverend Wendell N. Gibbs Jr. Bishop of the Diocese bishop@edomi.org James Gettel Canon for Congregational Life jgettel@edomi.org Canon Jo Ann Hardy Diocesan Administrator jhardy@edomi.org Sue McCune Parrish Executive Assistant Office of the Bishop sparrish@edomi.org Beth Rowley Assistant for Program and Administration browley@edomi.org Rick Schulte Diocesan Communications Editor, The Record rschulte@edomi.org
Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
The Reverend Michelle Meech Ministry Developer Whitaker Institute mmeech@edomi.org Eric Travis Missioner for Youth and Young Adults etravis@edomi.org Mark Miliotto Director of Finance mmiliotto@edomi.org Kara Chapman Accountant kchapman@edomi.org Knena Causey Whitaker Institute kcausey@edomi.org
The role of the bishop
From a discussion at Christ Church Cranbrook, Bloomfield Hills: A candid conversation about some of the duties that go into being a bishop. Page 4
Diocesan news
Photos from ordinations, a calendar of upcoming events and news about various events. Page 6-7
Ready or not...
As an ice storm over the winter proved, emergencies can and will happen. It was just another reason for churches to examine their policies regarding emergency preparedness. Page 8
Cover Story: Marriage Equality
A court case brought the issue of marriage equality to the forefront. We explain the various issues, including the Church’s stance on this. Page 10
The wall
Even in a visit to the Holy Land, a 25-foot tall, fortified concrete wall is a reminder of the turbulance known all to well to the region. Page 12
A new place to call home
When the need to consider new living options, arieses, St. Anne’s Mead, Southfield offers ‘the best of all worlds.’ Page 15
Found on Facebook, Page 17 Book Review, Page 18 Scan for our website www.EDOMI.org
The Final Word
So you want people to be a part of your church? Here’s a reminder to make them feel like they truly are wanted. Page 19
The Record Spring 2014
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BISHOP WENDELL GIBBS JR.
‘The Role of the Bishop and the Diocese’
As part of the weekly ‘Episcopal Church in One Year’ series offered by Christ Church Cranbrook, Bloomfield Hills, Bishop Gibbs spoke on the subject of ‘The Role of the Bishop and the Diocese’ during an appearance there earlier this year. What follows are excerpts of the discussion. What is a bishop? And I want to read you of one the first things that is said to the candidate just before they’re ordained: A bishop in God’s holy Church is called to be one with the apostles in proclaiming Christ’s resurrection and interpreting the Gospel, and to testify to Christ’s sovereignty as Lord of lords and King of kings. You are called to guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the Church; to celebrate and to provide for the administration of the sacraments of the New Covenant; to ordain priests and deacons and to join in ordaining bishops; and to be in all things a faithful pastor and wholesome example for the entire flock of Christ. With your fellow bishops you will share in the leadership of the Church throughout the world. Your heritage is the faith of patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and those of every generation who have looked to God in hope. Your joy will be to follow him who came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. (From the Book of Common Prayer, page 517). Tall, tall order, and that’s only the first part! When the moment is arriving for the bishop to be ordained, there’s another whole list of things that comes up that simply reiterates this paragraph, but it tells a whole lot about what the
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“Can you imagine trying to be pastor for nearly 30,000 people? So, I delegate that to the clergy. The one thing I don’t delegate to the court is that I pastor for the clergy. I’m pastor for clergy and clergy families. That’s not as easy as it sounds. It’s kind of just like being a pastor in a church.”
church expects that a bishop is going to do and be. Having been a parish priest, who used to sit at my office at the parish and fuss about the bishop, I have learned that what is in this paragraph is only a teeny, tiny piece of what I do.
The business aspect
First of all, the bishop is the chief executive officer of the diocese. Now, I know that sounds a little businesslike, but that’s because there is a part of the church that is a business. If there is a lawsuit, if there are issues that need to be handled legally, the person who goes to court on behalf of the diocese, in addition to our attorneys, is me. And Lord knows there are
times when that’s a nuisance. And you sit there and you sit there, and there is absolutely no respect for the fact that you are the ‘right reverend!’
The liturgical aspect
However, the other part of what I do as bishop is (act as) chief liturgical officer. Now that helps move squarely out of secular world and into liturgical world. What does it mean? Well, what it doesn’t mean is that I’m the liturgical police and I have to review every bulletin every week. That would be silly. We have a prayer book (The Book of Common Prayer). It’s approved by General Convention. We have hymnals that are authorized by General Convention. However, it is my authority to allow or disal-
The Record Spring 2014
low use of extra resources. Now, I want to go there for a minute. We have a prayer book and I’m sure somewhere along the line…You’ll learn about how the prayer book comes into existence. And it’s a pain, because our prayer book is a constitutional document. And a constitutional document, anything that’s constitutional in this church, must pass two General Conventions in identical form. So, when we started changing the prayer book, way back when, and we went from the ‘28 prayer book to the 1979 prayerbook – which everybody still calls the ‘new prayer book’ – we went through all sorts of iterations. The problem was that when it finally got to the General Convention…When it was approved, it had to be the same way as it Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
BISHOP WENDELL GIBBS JR. was in 1976. And boy, those three years between passages can be a real nuisance because you can’t change anything. Nothing. Well, because that’s such a nuisance, the church has learned that coming up with new prayer books is not a good idea all the time. So, what we’ve taken to is resources…In the Episcopal Church, we have decided to call them ‘Enriching Our Worship.’ There are several volumes that have been published over the years of Enriching Our Worship that cover morning and evening prayer, the Eucharist, various and sundry other services that go on in the book. There is one little glitch. In order for Enriching Our Worship to be used anywhere, first of all, its authorization has to be renewed at every General Convention, and each chief liturgical officer, each bishop, has to allow its use in his or her diocese…Let’s suffice it to say there are people who still want the prayer book before the ’28 prayer book, and don’t want any changes, and so they don’t like anything that’s in Enriching Our Worship. They don’t like anything that’s in the current
“You are called to guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the Church; to celebrate and to provide for the administration of the sacraments of the New Covenant; to ordain priests and deacons and to join in ordaining bishops; and to be in all things a faithful pastor and wholesome example for the entire flock of Christ.” prayer book, either, so in their dioceses, they don’t authorize it. There are dioceses not far from us that you will never find anything from Enriching Our Worship in any service.
A solution
In this diocese, because I can’t stand paperwork, I issued a decree that anything from Enriching Our Worship is hereby blanketly given permission to be used. Please don’t call me, don’t ask, just do it. I’ve also spent six years on the standing Liturgical Commission in this church, and the work of liturgy is so much work that’s one of the reasons why I’ve given blanket permission. So as chief liturgical officer, I get the right to say that.
We also have some very creative people in the church. Very creative. So there’s always people that think that even the new resources we come up with aren’t enough, that they can do better. That they’re poets, or they think they are. They’re theologians, most of the time. And they like to write their own consecration prayers...Sometimes, they’re really, really good. And sometimes they’re really, really bad. Well, those are not authorized resources and that has to come to me. Every time I got email that says ‘liturgical permission’… Sometimes, I’m absolutely delighted at what I read. The poetry, the theology, the way it flows is wonderful and I’ll say, yes, use this and please get back to me.
Tell me how the people liked it. What were their comments, what did they say? Is this is something that maybe we can promote to be used in another Enriching Our Worship, so other people can use it?. Where it goes really well, I hear back…. While I’m busy doing paperwork and going to court sometimes, I’m also the overseer for the whole diocese. Overseer is an old word that is used for bishop. Chief pastor is another word. I think the most expeditious way to explain that is to say that as chief pastor I’m the pastor of everybody in the diocese. Well, that doesn’t work. Can you imagine trying to be pastor for nearly 30,000 people? So, I delegate that to the clergy. The one thing I don’t delegate to the court is that I pastor for the clergy. I’m pastor for clergy and clergy families. That’s not as easy as it sounds. It’s kind of just like being a pastor in a church.
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The Record Spring 2014
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NEWS
Ordinations
The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit hosted two ordination ceremonies to close out 2013. First was the ceremony for Deacon Juan Perez; next, the Revs. Maryjane Prill Peck, Marcia Ledford and Paula Miller were ordained. Perez and Ledford are now active with the new La Iglesia Detroit Hispanic ministry in southwest Detroit. Christ Church, Dearborn is where Prill Peck is working, while Miller is at St. Michael’s and All Angels, Lincoln Park.
Diocesan Calendar May 29 Confirmation Christ Church Cranbrook, Bloomfield Hills 7 p.m. May 31 RE: New Event St. John’s, Royal Oak May 31 Diocesan Council Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit
June 7 Confirmation St. John’s, Plymouth 11 a.m. June 14 Diocesan Ordination Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit 11 a.m. June 28 Diocesan Council St. Paul’s, Brighton Times, dates and location subject to change.
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The Record Spring 2014
Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
NEWS
Constable grant helps fund anti-racism training programs
The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, along with the dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan, will benefit from a $25,000 Constable Fund grant geared toward anti-racism training. Crossroads Anti-Racism Training and Education has been hired to administer the training. Along with a May 17 training event at St. John’s, Alma, another program is set for Sept. 13 in Grand Rapids. In all, four basic anti-racism training programs will be provided. From that, nine participants will be chosen to attend an extended fall training program in Kalamazoo. There, participants will form a Lower Peninsula task force, which will decide how all three dioceses will be involved going forward. These participants can be either lay or clergy; representatives from the Diocese of Michigan have not yet been named. “That’s the best way to approach it, to assign people who are passionate about it, to develop a fuller response,” said the Rev. Michelle Meech, provisional director for Whitaker Institute. “This is more than just training. We need to develop an actual response to racism, (such as) how are we going to inform people and how will we change peoples’ hearts.” Two trainings have already been hosted by the Diocese of Michigan. Whitaker will be handling all registration. Training events are not restricted to people living in the diocese hosting each event. The process of getting a Constable Grant begins with each province of the Episcopal Church being allowed to submit no more than one grant request. From there, the Constable Grant committee examines each request and sends recommendations to the Church’s Executive Council, which approves or denies each request. What may have helped this grant request was the fact all three lower Michigan dioceses would be working in unison. Childcare, lunch and travel for trainers and paying Crossroads their training fee is the benefit of the grant – meaning this money does not have to come from a diocesan budget. There’s room for up to 40 people to take part in each training session. Contact Knena Causey at kcausey@edomi.org for registration information.
Upcoming re: new conference offers training for child, youth workers
A new training program – re:new, which takes place May 31 at St. John’s, Royal Oak – has been established to offer training for those who work with children and youth. But more than the training, it’s an opportunity to say ‘thank you’ in a tangible way. “The idea is to offer a day really focused at the lay ministers in our churches, focusing on those working with children and youth,” said Eric Travis, Missioner for Youth and Young Adults. “But it’s not just training, but rather a day of renewal and pampering…to let them know they are appreciated.” Travis explained those who work with young people often do so with some level of sacrifice – namely, missing the full worship experience. It’s important to let these workers know they are never in it alone. This shouldn’t be confused with educational opportunities offered at the annual Ministry Fair. This is “a renewal of their spirit and their Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
sense of calling,” Travis said. Although this initial re: new conference will be a small, one-day conference (with three morning and afternoon workshops, lunch and an opportunity to collaborate on inter-generational worship), the hope is to grow this into a provincial or national event. To find more information online, including how to register, go to www. edomi.org/renew-conf.
Deacon Juan Perez.
La Iglesia Detroit builds up name, momentum in southwest Detroit
For Ash Wednesday, they were highly visible along Vernor Highway in the Mexicantown area of Detroit. And at the end of Lent, they were out again, celebrating Stations of the Cross out in the open air of a warm spring day. That’s how things work currently for La Iglesia Detroit, which doesn’t have its own physical worship space but has been going out to the people, introducing itself. A $100,000 grant from the Episcopal Church is serving to help fund the start-up of the program. With the Rev. Marcia Ledford and Deacon Juan Perez laying the early foundation, La Iglesia Detroit will respond to the need of reaching the region’s rapidly-growing Hispanic population. “We have to have a street presence,” Ledford said. “In 10 years, demographers and statisticians predict one in three persons in the United States will have Hispanic heritage. That’s the reality and it’s a good opportunity.” In other words, watch for more news regarding La Iglesia Detroit in the coming months.
The Rev. Marcia Ledford.
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PLANNING
Get ready, be ready
Emergency preparedness takes on many forms By Rick Schulte If the empty seats in the pews weren’t enough of a sign, a show of hands confirmed to the Rev. Kit Carlson that there was a crisis going on. “I asked people to raise their hands if they lost power,” said Carlson, rector for All Saints, East Lansing. “Of the 61 people who managed to get out after the ice storm, two-thirds raised their hands.” An ice storm hit the Lansing area Dec. 21, 2013 – the Saturday night before Christmas – causing great hardship. Fortunately, All Saints was prepared to help its parishioners, plus other local residents who needed it. In a time of crisis, the All Saints community knew there was a means to deal with it. That’s crucial, according to Glenn Morrison, disaster preparedness and response coordinator for the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. First, it’s up to churches to take the time to plan in advance. This begins with individual churches making an overall self-assessment. “Each and every one needs to discern the need for their individual disaster preparedness plan,” said Morrison, a member of St. Andrew’s, Waterford, who is also a candidate to the deaconate. “It provides them a guideline in case something were to happen. “When you draw up your individual plan, say a tornado hits or an ice storm occurs, you look at the big picture. You look at what your parish’s gifts are. When anything happens, you can resort back to your plan and say, ‘We have this lined up, or we know how to do that.’ That’s where you start.”
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In the case of All Saints, the church knew what it already had in place. First and foremost, it had power – something with which many living nearby were without during the ice storm. It also had a large gathering area and industrial kitchen, among other useful resources. Being open regularly from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, it wasn’t a stretch to stay open throughout the weekend. While some residents knew the affects of the ice storm would only be temporary, others realized they were in a bind. Regardless of the situation, All Saints was able to accommodate its East Lansing community. “If you’re cold, or if you want to charge your cell phone or cook in the kitchen, from that Saturday until the Saturday after Christmas, we were open,” Carlson said. As it turned out, fixing the power outages in the Lansing area took quite longer than most anticipated. Still, All Saints was able to accommodate during this time of need. Families moved into various available rooms for a night here and there; even the family of the Rev. Ronald Byrd from St. Katherine’s, Williamston moved into the rectory for the night. His family included a young baby. One family was forced to move in for five nights because of its own special member. “A lot of the hotels wouldn’t let them have dogs,” Carlson said. “So they came here.” Sheila Wiitala, All Saints’ coordinator of children and youth, was also without power. Her family spent Christmas at the church; she also helped coordinate a Christmas dinner for about two dozen people who were without
“We have to learn to lean on each other. You’re not walking through this alone. Nobody does,” said Glenn Morrison, disaster preparedness and response coordinator for the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan.
power. Also, the Rev. Andrew Shirota opened his nearby home to those who needed a warm shower. Carlson said what All Saints did was simply fulfill its duty as Christians. She acknowledged East Lansing is a middle-class community, but occurrences like this are obviously stressful. The thought of losing their Christmas dinners to a power outage and not knowing when normal life would resume was very stressful. “I knew personally what it would be like by day three,” she said. “I knew emotionally where people were going to be on their journey, thinking about the power. It must be coming back today. “Now what are we going to do? It’s 40 degrees in the house.” Carlson explained how All Saints – like most churches – has various emergency plans in place.
The Record Spring 2014
These can include events happening in a church (a medical emergency or an intruder), acts of nature and community emergencies (shootings, riots or other unrest). No matter what happens, she stressed the importance of having good pastoral care in place beforehand. Advanced preparedness is crucial, Morrison said. “A disaster plan is also more of a long-range plan,” he said. “It’s not so much an immediate need at the time of a disaster. It talks about gifts, such as outreaches or a place where people can sleep, but also people who can help.” Not every individual church has all the resources needed to get through every type of emergency situation. But collectively – perhaps a cluster of Episcopal churches in a deanery, or churches of various faiths in a town or Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
region – it’s easier to find more available resources. “We have to lean on each other. You’re not walking through this alone. Nobody does,” Morrison said. “A disaster plan will more or less make you look real hard at how you communicate with your Episcopal churches, but also with our Catholic friends and Presbyterians and Baptist churches. “Once you start talking with your neighbors you learn what they are going to do and what can they do. You need to talk with them. Tell them we’re putting together our plan.” Ideally, through the course of conversation and networking, churches learn about the unique resources available. For instance, one church could have extra cots or mattresses; knowing this would allow another church to not spend their money on matching resources, but perhaps for other unique items of need. Once these conversations are had and contacts are established, “This shows you’re on top of things,” Morrison said. “And that goes in the disaster plan as well. “So when you look at your plan, you already know they can do this, and here’s the contact person. You can’t really do it afterwards, it’s a lot harder.” This sort of planning is crucial
PLANNING
Although the church itself was not physically damaged, St. James, Dexter had to respond to the needs of its community, which was devastated by a tornado in March 2012. A well-organized plan of action allowed the church to be responsive.
when the need arises to contact an organization such as Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD). Although it doesn’t have a bottomless supply of money, ERD is able to help in times of crisis. “Believe it or not, they do have money and can assist,” Morrison said. Once ERD sees a church community needs help, but also has the means to oversee funding and the connections to be suc-
cessful, it’s much easier for the organization to provide its financial backing. As the diocesan disaster response coordinator, Morrison is able to help churches take the steps needed to get a plan in order. He says his role is not to oversee, but to serve as a facilitator in helping churches get the planning underway. He’s also able to serve as a liaison to help churches
work with ERD’s resources to handle whatever situations arise. “That’s where we come in,” Morrison said. “When we need to help our communities, we have a plan in place.” To get in touch with Glenn Morrison or to learn more about emergency preparedness, you can refer to www.edomi.org/ emergency.
Episcopal Relief and Development offers knowledge, hope • Alleviate hunger and improve food supply • Create economic opportunities and strengthen communities • Promote health and fight disease • Respond to disasters and rebuild communities. The efforts of ERD are not limited to local or foreign response. Rather, ERD offers insight and assistance throughout the world. In terms of how it can help locally, ERD works with church agencies and other organizations after natural disasters (tornadoes, floods, earthquakes and hurricanes), acts of violence or domestic unrest and other related emergencies. In times of need, ERD and its partnerships are able to provide essentials such as food and water; but ERD is also able to provide pre-emptive intervention, too, by helping develop preparedness and response programs at the diocesan level. According to ERD, “we may also provide emergency financial assistance to supplement these resources, enabling churches to reach out to their most vulnerable neighbors. Emergency funds are distributed through the local bishop’s office, often with the help of a diocesan disaster coordinator, who communicates with Episcopal Relief & Development’s US Disaster Program Manager.” Disaster response also is not limited to the window of time where an emergency takes place. As was the case with a March 2012 tornado, St. James, Dexter continued to minister to the needs of its community long after debris was cleaned up and hauled away. ERD recognizes the need for follow-up care. All this is why the organization is willing to help dioceses help craft response plans. For those unsure of where to begin, the organization even has a resource library on its website, allowing visitors to see what other churches and dioceses have enacted. Learn more about ERD online at www.episcopalrelief.org.
Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
The Record Spring 2014
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COVER STORY
Interpreting the issues of marriage equality Michigan’s four bishops stand in support; church members offer various viewpoints
The list of states allowing samesex marriages is growing, with Michigan joining the marriage equality discussion. In March, U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman issued a ruling that – temporarily – allowed same-sex marriage licenses to be granted in the state of Michigan. Although his ruling came in the DeBoer vs. Snyder case after the close of business hours on a Friday, many county clerks were open on the following Saturday, granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples. This was halted by a stay, issued by an appeals court. However, that still gave enough time for nearly 300 samesex couples to get married. These marriages will be recognized by the federal government, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said. The stay will remain in place until a federal ruling is handed down. This has pushed the issue of same-sex marriages to the forefront. Many feel the time has come for same-sex couples to be afforded the same benefits as heterosexual couples and should be allowed to marry. Others feel same-sex marriages are wrong, based on a combination of their religious beliefs, acceptance of the LGBT community or a statewide referendum in 2004, with 59 percent of voters casting their ballot against same-sex marriages. The issue’s current focus came about during the trial of a Hazel Park lesbian couple, Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer, which argued for the right to adopt each other’s children. In theory, if ei-
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Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer were greeted by differing opinions as well as supporters during a marriage equality trial in Detroit.
ther Rowse or DeBoer died, the existing law did not provide for the surviving spouse to have parental rights over their partner’s adopted children. As the trial progressed, Bishop Wendell Gibbs Jr. issued this statement. “Justice has been elusive in too many segments of our society. Often, those ‘in power’ who make declarations about what is just seem unable to set aside their personal biases in the interest of impartiality. The result: segregation, dehumanization and irrational fear that promotes bullying and other forms of violence. “Despite opposition from various forces, support for marriage equality is growing. In fact, it is growing across all segments of our society. Support is not determined by age, ethnicity, sexuality or even religious beliefs. Rather, growing support is arising out of
The demonstrations outside the courthouse were peaceful.
an emergent desire for true justice for all. “In my opinion, picking and choosing whose rights should be protected or which civil rights the church will support is neither American ‘justice for all’ nor supported by the God of salvation history. “I stand in support of marriage equality and pray that our justice
The Record Spring 2014
system will work to break down the walls of segregation, promote the humanity of all and calm our irrational fears.” Similar to the greater society itself, there are differing viewpoints on the concept of samesex marriages within the Episcopal Church and its members. “Two persons of the same sex can certainly share a God-given love for one another, and a sharing in their lives of participating in a Godly mission,” wrote Chris Arnold, a member of St. Paul’s, Romeo. “But the scriptures make it clear that the physical intimacy which is to be experienced in marriage is reserved for a man and a woman. “If the church of Christ deigns to sanction the union of two persons of the same sex in a marriage relationship, this would be tantamount to endorsement a physical relationship that is expressly condemned in the Scriptures. Certainly, we can acknowledge and respect same-sex unions allowed by secular government, but the Church should stand firm in its stance that, for believers in Christ, the marriage covenant ordained by God is ‘from the beginning of creation God made them male and female…and the two shall become one flesh…what therefore God has joined together, let no one separate’.” Arnold’s views are not uncommon; neither are those which look at marriage equality differently. When Bishop Gibbs joined the other Michigan bishops (see related story) in trumpeting the need for marriage equality, Sara Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
Freeland from St. Luke’s, Ypsilanti was excited. “Christians in the United States, as a rule, have a very bad reputation and much of has to do with the anti-equality stance many denominations have taken over the years,” she said. “I stood up a little straighter when our Michigan bishops joined together to make a public statement regarding same-sex marriage rights in the state. “It was not only a ray of hope for Michigan Episcopalians and those fighting for marriage equality in our state, but a sign of what Christian leadership can and should look like.” The Rev. Kit Carlson (from All Saints, East Lansing) offered a unique perspective, having officiated a same-sex marriage late last year in the Diocese of Long Island. “What I discovered through the process of counseling and
The Rev. Michelle Meech, being interviewed by WXYZ-TV, explains the church’s position on marriage equality.
walking with this couple from engagement through to marriage is that love is love. Living together is living together. Caring for one another in a respectful, holy, and lifelong manner transcends gender or sexual orientation,” she said. “Certainly there are issues particular to a same-sex couple, just as there are issues particular to a very young couple, a very
old couple, a previously-married couple, an interracial couple, or an interfaith couple. “Each couple comes with a unique story and set of circumstances. But love is love. And the desire to commit to a lifetime love in the presence of God and the beloved community is not gender-based, it is human.” To be clear, churches within
the Diocese of Michigan must follow local law. Until the time comes where same-sex marriage will (once again) be recognized as legal, no clergyperson may officiate over a same-sex marriage in this diocese. “We encourage anyone considering getting married in our churches – this includes a same-sex marriage in addition to a man and a woman looking to get married – to get to know their church,” said Rick Schulte, director of communications for the Diocese of Michigan. “Meet their priest. And understand, if or when same-sex marriages are recognized by the state, everyone must follow the same learning process. “We treat all marriages very seriously and will continue to do so, no matter what the courts determine.”
A commentary from Michigan’s four Episcopal bishops
As bishops of the Episcopal Church in Michigan, we are compelled by our office and our conscience to present a perspective on marriage equality that differs substantively from the positions of our state’s top elected leaders and the religious leaders whose voices have dominated the public square. We offer a message of hope to those alienated by the traditional teachings of the church and the constitutional denial of civil rights. When asked what is the greatest commandment, Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-38 NRSV). Condemning love and condemning those seeking to make a faithful, committed, and covenantal relationship to one another under God is not a message built on the teachings of Christ, but is rather a fear-laden response to one’s neighbor. Our faith is in a loving and compassionate God who does not condemn love, and in our experience, there is holy goodness in the love of gay and lesbian couples and their families. As the case of DeBoer v. Snyder continues to work its way through our judicial system, we hope that judges will find that the denial of marriage to those whose expression of love is same-gendered is both a denial of human dignity and a denial of rights under the law. We pray that Michigan will finally be able to proudly stand on the right side of history and join the 17 other states whose laws affirm the equality of all faithful, committed and covenantal relationships. As Christians, we cannot be silent as our state’s highest laws discriminate against segments of our society based on the personal biases of those in power, particularly when a majority of Michigan’s population now supports marriage equality. To remain silent is to be complicit in the decline of our society through demonizing unprotected minorities, segregation based on sexual preference, denial of benefits to selected groups, and fear-based prejudice. Our continued silence can lead only to further discrimination, bullying and other forms of physical, emotional and spiritual violence. In a state marked by growing violence and desperate poverty, marks of love and grace ought to be welcomed in abundance and without qualification or restriction. We need to remove discriminatory policies that bar certain groups of people from enjoying the same benefits and privileges afforded other members of society. We need to ensure that our schools are safe places for our young people to be open about who they are without fear of persecution or violence. We need to create a Beloved Community in which all persons are equal, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sex, class, religion, disability, or sexual orientation. And we need the full opportunity to recognize faithful and covenantal relationships between any two people seeking our blessing, both within the church and within our civil society. We look forward in hopeful anticipation to the day when all people receive equal treatment from one another and under the law. May justice prevail. This originally appeared March 25 in the Detroit Free Press and was jointly written by the four bishops representing the state of Michigan: The Rt. Rev. Wendell Gibbs Jr. (Diocese of Michigan), the Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley (Diocese of Eastern Michigan), the Rt. Rev. Rayford J. Ray (Diocese of Northern Michigan) and the Rt. Rev. Whayne M. Hougland Jr. (Diocese of Western Michigan).
Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
The Record Spring 2014
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TRAVEL
THE ON THE WALL Thoughts on a recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land By the Very Rev. Ian Reed Twiss
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The Record Spring 2014
Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
TRAVEL
“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,” Robert Frost observes in the opening of his famous poem “Mending Wall.” Further down, he adds,“Before I built a wall I’d ask to know What I was walling in or walling out, And to whom I was like to give offense. Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That wants it down…” These words come to me as I stand on the Palestinian side of the Israeli security wall on a gray, March day. It is close to the end of my 10-day visit to the Holy Land, throughout which a group of fellow travelers and I have been encountering a jarring mix of holy and unholy. And this place, just a mile or so from the birthplace of Jesus, is no exception. Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, that wants it down… especially when the wall plows across a landscape in faceless, gray, 25-foot-high, reinforced concrete, topped with razor wire, guard turrets and cameras. Especially when it divides a farmer from his orchard, a sister from her siblings, a road from its own destination, the imprisoned from the free. I have already passed through the cattle chute bars and metal cages and anonymous loudspeakers of an Israeli checkpoint, and this wall is as de-humanizing a construction as I have ever seen. Walking along under its immensity, I feel surveyed. Who is gazing down from behind the turrets’ dirty glass panels, tracking my movements, making note of my camera? I’m glad to have two others with me – Tom, a retired NSA employee, and our driver, Mohammed, a small, sprightly Palestinian who speaks and acts as if he doesn’t care who sees him. Asked if he would mind our taking his photo, he shrugs. “I am Palestinian! What more they are going to do to me?” Mohammed is 32 and works for the Lutheran Guesthouse at which we are staying in the West Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
Bank town of Beit Jala, having been raised as an orphan by the affiliated Lutheran Church of the Reformation. As we walk along the wall, he rehearses many of the sentiments I have already heard from other Palestinians. He has no freedom of movement in his own country, he explains. He is a few miles from Jerusalem, and yet he has never been there. The Palestinian economy can’t thrive when goods are routinely turned back at checkpoints, West Bank water aquifers and hilltops are seized by Israeli settlements, and cities are not allowed to grow. (This town of Bethlehem is now almost completely surrounded, and economically choked off, by Israeli walls). Mohammed clarifies he doesn’t want war with Israel. He only wants peace and freedom. But he fears his land is headed toward a third intifada – a popular uprising – more destructive than either of the last. As we wander along, Mohammed points out places where the wall cuts right down the middle of a former street, towering over the houses along it and driving their occupants away, or where it swings out to swallow a fertile olive grove, long farmed by Palestinian farmers, into Israeli territory. Yet part of the reason we are here is because this side of the wall also hosts a courageous, constantly shifting public work of art, a kind of visual conversation between finely-wrought images, ironic cartoons, commentary and primitive spray-paintings. The Statue of Liberty weeps over
Although the wall is incredibly present, it does serve as a sort of concrete canvas, providing an artistic avenue for social commentary.
a limp, faceless figure in her arms. A group of hearts with arms and legs pry sections of the wall apart. Someone stamps the massive concrete with a wry “Fragile: Handle with Care” tag. A Christmas tree stands encircled by tall, cartoon segments of wall. One message says, “RIP Trayvon. 1995-2012.” Another reads, “A country is not only what it does.
The Record Spring 2014
It is also what it tolerates. – Kurt Tucholsky, 1933.” And then there is the passage from Ephesians 2:14: “For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.” I have come on this trip in part to walk in the footsteps of Jesus to move more deeply into his sto-
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“As one Palestinian pastor said to us, ‘The church does not take sides with Israel or Palestine. Only with justice.” ry by experiencing the physical places that he knew. And some wonderful insights and holy moments have visited me in these sites. Watching the Sea of Galilee whip into sudden whitecaps in the kind of wind that gave the disciples so much trouble. Peering into the warren of caves that made up a first-century home in Nazareth. Moving among the wizened olive trees of Gethsemane – some of them ancient enough to have stood sentinel over Jesus’ prayer to “let this cup pass from me.” Touching the rock face of Golgotha under an altar in the hushed chapel of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. But to my surprise, I feel perhaps closest to Jesus here, at the base of the wall of separation, more than at any place or time on this trip. I think of how the
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Bethlehem into which Jesus was born, and the actual Bethlehem in which I am walking, are both constricted and controlled by forces of empire. This is not to say that Palestinians are all in the right and Israel is all in the wrong. As one Palestinian pastor said to us, “The church does not take sides with Israel or with Palestine. Only with justice.” But to me, Jesus is palpable in the wise, anguished outrage sprayed across all this vertical concrete. Jesus lives in the ironic, hopeful, eloquent cry of the human heart not for walls but for bridges, not for separation but for connection. Several people commented during this visit that perhaps the most brilliant and demonic thing about the “wall of separation” is that it does just that. It separates one people from another,
a crucial step in the process of dehumanizing others and thus justifying their inhumane treatment. The only exposure most Palestinians now have to Israelis are to settlers and soldiers – the most hostile, least tolerant members of Israeli society. Likewise, the main exposure Israelis now have to Palestinians is to terrorists, corrupt officials and Muslim extremists (currently growing in number). On both sides, the majority of the people want a just peace to reign. On both sides, the other side looks destructive, unreasonable, exploitive, not to be trusted. And because the power lies primarily with Israel at this time, it is the Palestinians who face permanent economic exploitation, segregation, apartheid. Maybe this place is the true fulfillment of my pilgrimage.
The Record Spring 2014
Not Nazareth or the Jordan River or the Mount of Olives or the Church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor or the Altar of Calvary in Jerusalem, but here, where hope and beauty bloom on ugly concrete in an open-air prison. Something there is that doesn’t love a wall. The wall is going up, but even as it does, the assurance of its eventual disintegration rises from the collective dreams of all those who dare to make their mark upon it: “For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.” The Very Rev. Ian Reed-Twiss is rector of Holy Faith Church, Saline.
Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
SENIOR CARE
St. Anne’s Mead: A community enriching the lives of seniors In the fall of 2011, Joe Bassett knew he was still living a full life. But at the age of 90, he realized a few things were changing. Earlier in the year, his wife of 70 years died. And there were concerns that being alone in the house where he and his wife lived for 60 years could pose some risks. “At my age, my balance was not too great,” Bassett said. “Based on my age and my balance, I thought I ought to find a safer place to live.” A solution that made sense to him was not far away. In fact, he had heard good things about St. Anne’s Mead, a community care residential center for seniors located in Southfield. Nestled in a wooded area just off 12 Mile Road (next to St. David’s Episcopal Church), the community was founded in 1966 by members of local churches and with assistance from the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. Despite the Episcopal history associated with St. Anne’s Mead, people of all faiths are welcome. Weekly services for various denominations at the community chapel are offered, as is Bible study and spiritual counseling. Aside from providing for the spiritual well-being of its residents, physical, emotional and mental fitness are just as important. A wellness program is meant to keep residents of St. Anne’s Mead engaged and challenged. Exercise and yoga and art programs are among the offerings. Physical and occupational therapy is also available, as is vision care, dental care and podiatry services. Nutritional counseling is provided, as is access to physician services. Even a beautician is regularly available. All these opEpiscopal Diocese of Michigan
“I think I’ve got the best of all worlds,” says Joe Bassett, who has lived at St. Anne’s Mead since 2011.
Worship opportunities are available for all residents, regardless of their religious preference. The grounds of St. Anne’s Mead Senior Center are tranquil in the heart of Southfield.
tions are meant to provide on-site services, creating a well-rounded environment designed to fill the needs of all residents. “I have art every week and I learned to be a watercolor artist,” Bassett said. “I’m also president of the resident council, so I have some requirements to serve the community here. So part of my stewardship is this. “I have most of my marbles and physically, I’m in pretty good
shape. I think I’ve got the best of all worlds.” Bassett, who worshiped previously at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul and who occasionally makes it out to attend services at St. John’s, Royal Oak, knew of the reputation of St. Anne’s Mead. So when the time came to decide about his living arrangements, he knew where to go after leaving his longtime home. “I’ve got a nice spot with two
The Record Spring 2014
rooms,” he said. “I’ve got a nice spot. I can look out on a little park here, and I have all my things from my patio and my yard. My son, he’s my survivor, he helped me see what furniture I could bring here. It’s worked out well.” To learn more about St. Anne’s Mead, visit the community’s website at www.stannesmead.org or call (248) 557-1221.
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YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS
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The Record Spring 2014
Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
FOUND ON FACEBOOK
Does your church (as St. Paul’s, Jackson does) have an archive ministry or anything similar to this? We just came across this from our friends at St. Paul’s, Jackson: An archive ministry. Does your church have such a similar ministry? …We have just begun a St. John’s (Detroit) Historical Society to go through our archival materials, write articles, set up rotating displays in the parish hall, and solicit more recent materials from parishioners current and former. Our archives were greatly organized leading up to our centennial (1958) but has been piecemeal since then. The Rev. Steven Kelly
There IS growth in our church! I drove by there and it looks amazing. Anita Wesserling A joint op-ed piece in the Free Press from our state’s four Episcopal bishops, including Bishop Gibbs. I very much appreciate that our diocese has taken a lead on this issue. Too many people assume that to be Christian must be to believe that homosexuality is a sin; I am glad that our Church is offering this perspective instead. Douglas Chapel
St. Paul’s was my church as a kid. I enjoyed reading its history. Eric Anderson
This is one of the many reasons why I am proud to be an Episcopalian! Diane Weinman
Ice storms, snowstorms, general winter mayhem: How has it affected life at your church in recent weeks? I never expected to be preparing, serving and eating Christmas dinner in the All Saints East Lansing kitchen and undercroft with old friends and new. One of the best parts of being without electricity at our house for a week. It was good to know that folks could go there to experience warmth, fellowship, food, electricity, arrangements for a shower, even shelter in some cases, etc. Carol Swinehart
Woohoo! Jesus said, ‘Love one another’! Judy Rednour Anderson
What a great bit of news we got at this morning’s Diocesan Council meeting. (The June 21 dedication and consecration of St. Paul’s, Brighton following a large renovation project). I don’t care what the Pew Report or any other numbers say:
Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
What would Metropolitan Detroit be like without a worldclass symphony orchestra? Detroit would be indeed poverty-stricken beyond measure. The DSO is indeed one of our two greatest treasures: The DSO and the DIA. God bless them both. Charles Rileigh
St. Andrew’s, Ann Arbor
This photo was posted on Facebook by Ann Davis Garvin
‘Like’ us on Facebook, then join in the conversation with other members of the diocesan household and beyond. Look for the daily happenings of the diocese at www.facebook.com/EpiscopalMichigan.
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BOOK REVIEW
Discovering, using our own gifts a key element of ‘Mansfield Park’
All of us have difher poverty, a sparferent natural gifts to kling wit, extraordinary good looks or extend, use, or waste a robust constituas our lives unfold. In tion. Alas, Fanny is Mansfield Park (published in 1814), the use small for her age and of one’s gifts is a major timid. She’s given to theme. Characters of headaches and when Dawn the older generation criticized, she rarely McDuffie certainly have used defends herself. She knows she does not or misused their forbelong to her cousins’ tunes, but Jane Austen captures the younger generation world of inherited wealth. Austen gives the reader only as their decisions are being made. Maria and Julia Bertram, daugh- a glimpse of Fanny’s childhood, ters of a wealthy father, have then skips forward to a time of pride and the prospect of rich crisis. Sir Thomas has left Manshusbands. Their oldest brother, field to attend to his property in Tom, has money to burn with the new world. For almost two gambling and drinking; another years, the young people are left brother, Edmund, has a calling to to their own devices and to the the ministry and a willingness to flattery and manipulation of their Aunt Norris. She has encourtake that calling seriously. The only person who has little aged the foolish Mr. Rushworth money of her own is Fanny Price, to make an offer of marriage to niece of Sir Thomas and Lady Maria, who has no affection or Bertram. She has come to live respect for him. However, his with them, because her parents grand estate and large income do not have enough money to soothe Maria’s sense of self-imfeed all their children and they portance. They marry, and when have begged Sir Thomas to take Maria can’t stand him any longer, on the expense and education of she elopes with Henry Crawford, one of the many little Prices. It the charismatic young man she would have been lovely if Fanny hoped would offer to marry her. had some clear compensation for Henry and his sister Mary are
a matched set. They love their independent lives, both with large fortunes, and both guided by essential selfishness. Yet, for all their sophistication, brother and sister are drawn to goodness. Although Mary satirizes the clergy as a group, and Edmund’s projected career in the church appalls her, she is attracted to him. But because she would like to marry a man with more style and money, she tries to convince Edmund to select a new career. Henry decides he is in love with Fanny Price after flirting intently with both Julia and Maria. He’s pretty sure all he needs to do is
tell Fanny he wants to marry her, and her joy will overflow. However, Fanny has taken her meager assets; love of solitude and nature, an unheated sitting room, and a willingness to create her own life around the people she loves. She has used these gifts to foster strength of character. When Henry proposes, she has the courage to say no. Her uncle condemns and isolates her, but she has been condemned every day since she moved to Mansfield Park, and she prefers isolation to false or meaningless company. It’s painful for her to be called ungrateful and selfish, but pain is better than life with an unprincipled man. In the middle of his courtship of Fanny, Henry announces, “My conduct will speak for me.” This is true of all the young people in the novel. Henry’s conduct speaks for his selfishness as Fanny’s behavior speaks for her loyalty and steadfastness. By the end of the novel, a reader can evaluate each character and how resources have been wasted or used. Freelance reviewer Dawn McDuffy is a member of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit.
New digs The men of St. Luke’s, Ypsilanti were happily buzzing about on Shrove Tuesday whipping up a pancake dinner. The job was made much easier by a newly-updated kitchen. The Shrove Tuesday event was the first one to make use the new kitchen.
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The Record Spring 2014
Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
THE FINAL WORD
How to chase interested people away from your church Young enough to have children of the age to attend Sunday school, this couple wanted nothing more than to become active in their neighborhood Episcopal church. “We saw the same people were signing up every week to host coffee hour,” said Nancy. It’s not her real name, but she doesn’t want to offend her friends who are still members of this church. Wait? She’s not a member of this church anymore? Yeah, we can see where this all-too-familiar story is headed. “I know what it’s like to organize events, hoping someone else picks up the ball and runs with it,” Nancy said. She talked about her experience with the youth baseball program, where she organized many picnics and fundraisers with a great amount of success. Nancy knew that, while having an event run smoothly was important, it was just as important to make all the parents feel like they had a stake in things. So she tirelessly worked to bring new parents on board to have them feel involved and, hopefully, want to spend time working with the program in future years. “I didn’t want my involvement as a volunteer to feel like a job,” Nancy said. “Once it felt like a job to me, I know others would look at it and say ‘no thanks’ if I ever tried to enlist some help.” So she had a pretty good sense of why it was important to get new people involved. And after organizing large-scale events associated with the baseball program and also helping out with school events, how hard could coffee hour be? “They talked to me like I was Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
stupid,” Nancy said. greeted by a nice, older woman who said “Are you sure you ‘Are you new to our want to serve this? church?’ We had been You know, that seems coming there for two like a lot of work. Stuff years, with our kids in like that. Sunday school,” Nan“And then she cy said. “I know she dropped the atomic didn’t mean anything bomb of chasing off Rick bad by it, but I thought helpers: ‘We don’t Schulte if people didn’t know usually do it like that.’ us, maybe hosting cofWe’re talking coffee fee hour would be a hour for maybe 60 or 70 people. I was so looking for- nice start. ward to it, and before the first “It wasn’t so nice. I felt like I person even came through the was being watched and judged.” door, I was made to feel like I Incidents like that and noticing wasn’t worthy.” the same people running every Nancy’s story is not unusual. event made her feel like there was Many churches rely on the same no future for her and her family go-to people to host specific ac- in that church. tivities. And while it’s good to Still, she likes the church. She have some dependable continu- likes its proximity to her home ity, it’s also important to be com- – a three-minute walk. After tryfortable enough to let go a little ing out other area churches, she bit. knows this church is for her. So Nancy also noticed a few other she will return. telltale signs that this church was But a little bit of work on being in need of working on becoming more welcoming is in order for more welcoming. her church, too. “I actually decided to try hostThe Rev. Ann Webber, rector at ing coffee hour because we went Holy Cross, Novi, said her church there one morning and were was already welcoming when she
arrived four years ago. But they still make it a point to make all visitors feel at home. “We regard radical hospitality a corporate responsibility,” she said. “So we are all called to reach out, extending God’s welcome to everyone.” Webber explained the ushers and greeters at Holy Cross welcome all who come through the doors on Sunday morning “and if a person is new will make sure that they are given any information they may need.” Also, if a newcomer is spotted, a point is made to invite them to the parish hall for coffee hour, in addition to introducing them to other church members. Nancy liked the sounds of Holy Cross’s method of welcoming newcomers. “They kind of did that at our church, but not very well,” she said. “Who knows. If things go better this time, I’ll see about getting on our hospitality committee.” Rick Schulte is director of communications for the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan and editor of The Record.
“We regard radical hospitality as a corporate responsibility. So we are all called to reach out, extending God’s welcome to everyone.”
- The Rev. Ann Webber Rector of Holy Cross, Novi
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