- Dialogue - lists.wedgeblade.net

Save the Date for a Celebration of Life for David Zahrt
by Jo Nelson 14 Aug '20

14 Aug '20

From Linda Zahrt: Dear Friends, We would like to invite you to an internet Celebration of David's Life. Please bring a story or two to share. Celebration of Life Date: Saturday, September 5, 2020 Time: 4 PM, Pacific Time RSVP: 4linderz(a)gmail.com<mailto:4linderz@gmail.com> by August 31st. Instructions: I will be sending directions to those attending, on how to join Zoom for the event on September 1st or 2nd. Hope to see you there. Thank you. Linda Zahrt -- Jo Nelson, CPF, CTF <jnelson(a)ica-associates.ca> Certified Professional Facilitator and ICA Certified ToP™ Facilitator ICA Associates, Inc. 401 Richmond Street West, Suite #405, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5V 3A8 Ph. 1 416-691-2316, x2230 Toll-free 1 877-691-1422 Fax 1 416-691-2491 Website http://ica-associates.ca Cellphone 647 233 6910 Skype "jofacilitator" Vendor of Record: Government of Ontario Learning and Training Services #OSS-00154215 Vendor of Record: Public Works and Government Services Canada E60BQ-01ISSA/353/ST, Organizational Management. Pre-qualified Vendor, Alberta Education Resource List “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” R. Buckminster Fuller

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8/13/20, Progressing Spirit, Rev. Dr.John C. Dorhauer: White Man Makes the Case for Reparations; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 13 Aug '20

13 Aug '20

| | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | A White Man Makes the Case for Reparations | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer August 13, 2020 Of all the things white allies were willing to activate for through decades of civil rights movements, reparations were the one thing that even the most committed white leaders have avoided talking about, much less fully committing to. In 1969, Jim Forman interrupted Sunday morning worship at the iconic Riverside Church in uptown Manhattan. He had already warned the Rev. Dr. Ernest T. Campbell (then pastor at Riverside) that he would be there to present the Black Manifesto. Dr. Campbell agreed to receive it but asked that there be no oral presentation. In defiance of those orders, Jim Forman marched down the center aisle and began reciting the Manifesto. It begins with these words: “We the black people, assembled in Detroit, Michigan for the National Black Economic Development Conference, are fully aware that we have been forced to come together because racist white America has exploited our resources, our minds, our bodies and our labor….” Dr. Ernest tried to drown out his voice by having the organ play. It didn’t work. That it didn’t work didn’t matter. There was certainly sympathy among white church leaders for what the movement was saying and asking for – but none of that sympathy translated into money. I can’t think of anything that more thoroughly indicts white America’s ongoing commitment to racial equity than this. You can have our words, our actions, our toil, our sweat, our pain, our righteous anger. You cannot have our money. Every time I hear reparations talked about in largely white audiences two themes quickly surface. The first is: I didn’t own slaves. Why take my money when it wasn’t me who created the injustice? The second is: I worked hard for what I have. I pulled myself up by my bootstraps (I literally hear that phrase repeated over and over again – although it really is devoid of any meaning). Let them (the most often used reference whites use for blacks – ‘them’) do the same thing. The level of either naiveté, utter and damnable ignorance, or flat out denial of all that is there to be known in order to perpetuate these mythologies is deep and consistent. This is a case for reparations. As my doctoral instructor often reminded me, think of this work as repairing the damage. America lives with a deep and festering wound. There is a passage in the book of Jeremiah where the prophet indicts the leaders of his time, religious and political leaders, with these words: “You have healed the wound of my people lightly, crying ‘Peace! Peace!’ when there is no peace.” I can’t think of a more fitting way to describe white America’s commitments to racial equity. We have healed the wounds of our people lightly. We cry ‘Peace! Peace!’ when nothing like it yet exists. That whites have made sacrifices to move the arc of history towards racial equity is undeniable. That we have made lasting and significant contributions to this cause is evident. But there is scant little, if much of anything, that demonstrates a willingness on the part of whites to battle long and hard for a crucial and, some might argue, essential missing piece to this movement: reparations. And the lingering and long denied truth of this matter is that the damage we are being asked to repair is far deeper than just the economic damage done to entire races of people. Oh, to be sure, there is that. And we will not come anywhere close to equity or to a more thorough healing without significant commitments to both the redistribution of wealth and the ongoing means of continuously accessing wealth. But the healing sought isn’t only through economic solvency and greater access to wealth for black populations. Also to be healed are the deeply damaged souls and psyches, spirits and imaginations of white and black, red and brown, yellow and tan peoples of America. All races are deeply damaged by the white race’s lingering love affair with white skin privilege – including the white race. Reparations is the balm that facilitates a transition from light healing into deep healing. Whites have consistently shown they are happy engaging in civil rights movements just long enough to assuage our guilt (and feel relatively righteous) and just deeply enough to brag about important steps forward: “Hey, look. We elected a black president!” We have yet to invest enough spiritual and psychic and emotional energy to risk losing our unfair access to and possession of wealth. Without that investment, there will be no real healing. I want to note three important works, and more importantly, three key concepts that will help me make my argument about reparations. The first comes from George Lipsitz’s The Possessive Investment in Whiteness. In it he argues “Whiteness has a cash value.” The second book is by Randall Robinson and is called The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks. He connects the dots between enslavement, Reconstruction, disenfranchisement, lynching, Jim Crow, and many other white schema to argue, quite cogently and very persuasively, that the distribution of wealth in America today unfairly favored in the past and favors now in the present those with white skin. The third work is Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the age of Colorblindness. She takes us into the smoke-filled rooms in which leaders of neo-conservative politics had to imagine pathways to maintaining white control of wealth after the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Their scheming was built on the myth of the black savage, an untamed beast for whom education could never really eliminate rage and passion. It echoed the sentiments that fueled mass lynchings across the South in the early half of the 20th century. It was a myth played out over and over again on film and TV by roles in which black men were always portrayed as unintelligent and quick to violence. Conservative politicians would win favor with largely white constituencies with a more subtle form of racism branded not in the overt racist language of George Wallace and Bull Connor, but of Richard Nixon and Barry Goldwater: Get Tough on Crime. The rewriting of drug laws and the consistently unfair enforcement of those laws to incarcerate more and more black men rebuilt the political landscape of the next generation of voters. Among the things felony convictions do is deprive you of income while incarcerated, limit earning potential after incarceration, and deprive most felons of their right to vote. Meanwhile, by the turn of the 20th century it was being reported that within a generation it would be likely that one in three black males will have been convicted of a felony. Get Tough on Crime initiatives got many white politicians elected. It got many more black men arrested and convicted. Statistical data showing the growing racial disparity between arrests rates, convictions rates, plea deals, and sentencing terms showed that this stratagem worked brilliantly. Whites and blacks entered two very different judicial systems. Whites consistently entered and left the judicial system with far fewer long-term effects on their wealth and lifetime earning potential. Blacks entered and left, in fact still live, with lives often irreparably shattered and with little hope of ever financially recovering from discriminatory sentences that permanently branded them as social outcast and unfit for employment. We are only now waking up to and paying close attention to how utterly damaging and sinisterly calculating this whole thing was from the start. Damage has been done. As for the ongoing, now centuries long, commitment to the economic disenfranchisement of black bodies and communities, whites still want to perpetuate the myths that a) it doesn’t exist; b) if it did exist it isn’t our fault because most of what caused it no longer exists; c) whatever wealth we have we earned honestly; and d) none of what we earned belongs to anybody other than us. Damage has been done. In a remarkable work of theological creativity and critique called The Wounded Heart of God, Andrew Sung Park tries to describe to western audiences the Korean concept of ‘han.’ Han, he points out, is untranslatable into English. Likely, it is un-understandable to white western culture. It is the condition of the soul one lives with under sustained and oppressive injustice. It describes the spiritual wounding one cannot escape when: a body’s labor is conscripted for/to/by an oppressor and does not feed you or your family; you know no leisure because your entire existence is subject to the will and whim of another; even your imagination succumbs to the certain knowledge that hope for a way out does not exist. That whites cannot understand han is evident in the bewilderment many whites have about why so many buildings were set on fire after the murder of George Floyd. Without the experience of han, such acts make no sense. Worse, without another framework like han to engage deeper understandings into the despair that fuels such movements, the active burning of property is seen only as a confirmation of the myth created two millennia ago in Greece and perpetuated through western culture ever since: the myth of the savage beast. Whites who know no han will always fall back on that default narrative of the savage beast who must be tamed. Overcoming not just racial bias, but also the economic disparities that racial bias will always pursue, will mean rewriting our shared mythos about what it means to be black and what it means to be white. No real healing will ever take place without that. Whites want no part of the kind of oppressive suffering that damages heart, mind, soul, and spirit with han. Fearing the rage of those who do live with han, whites are forced to cling ever more desperately to the wealth they falsely believe inoculates them from pain and suffering. To be perfectly honest, whites are willing to exchange healing for themselves and healing for those whom we have systematically oppressed for centuries now because of these things: we love our money; we appreciate living in a system that gives us access to it because of our white skin; we have no concept of han and therefore lack the empathy to see it or the desire to ameliorate it in another; we fear even more than the loss of our wealth the emergence of our guilt. The combination of enjoying wealth and fearing guilt creates a massive disincentive for whites to speak at all about reparations. The irony of course is that our unprocessed guilt and shame both fuels our consumptive fetish and deprives us of the true healing we want, need, and will never be whole without. Soon, and very soon, whites must realize that what we have always wanted - our money and wealth to provide - isn’t coming, not until we take the work of reparations seriously. Damage has been done. There are wounds to be healed. Whites are the primary impediment to that healing, including the long overdue healing that can only come from our active and willing participation in a shared and comprehensive commitment to reparations - to repairing the damage. In the essays that follow, I will try my best to lay out a white man’s argument for white investments in racial equity and justice, in healing and in repairing the damage. I invite you into the conversation and anticipate whatever and all commitments you are willing and able to make in order to change the shape and future of a lingering and persistent America in which whiteness has a cash value. ~ Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer Read online here About the Author Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer was granted a Doctoral Degree in White Privilege Studies in 2007 from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH. He also has degrees in Theology and Philosophy. He is the author of two published books, Beyond Resistance: the Institutional Church Meets the Postmodern World and Steeplejacking: How the Christian Right Hijacked Mainstream Religion. He is a recipient of Eden Seminary's "Shalom Award," given by the student body for a lifetime of committed work for peace and justice. John was ordained as a Christian minister in 1988. He currently serves as the 9th General Minister of the United Church of Christ, one of the USA's most progressive faiths, whose vision is "A Just World for All." He is a frequent speaker on the subject of white privilege, and is especially committed to engaging white audiences to come to deeper understandings of the privilege. He is particularly interested in how whites manifest privilege every day and how it impacts people of color, two things whites remain largely either ignorant of or in denial about. He has been devoted to his bride Mimi for over 36 years, and they have parented three children - a composer/musician, an author/painter, and a poet. John and Mimi have two grandchildren they dote on constantly. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By A Reader What can we as a nation learn from the aftermath of George Floyd's death? A: By Rev. Irene Monroe Dear Reader, Change is a shared responsibility. No one person or group of people can do it alone. Our elders of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement have given us wise counsel on how to proceed. For example, John Lewis's final essay titled "Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation", which he requested to be published on the occasion of his funeral, stated: "Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself." To improve our Democracy, we need to listen to one another. However, with the cacophony of voices and continued violence in the streets of America, we miss the vital importance of listening. George Floyd's death was an inflection point for many Americans, and more people are now listening. Nevertheless, listening to one another is difficult because it requires being non-defensive, hearing without judgment, taking notice and responsibility for one's action, and acting toward the request for change with good intentions. In my opinion, there are five levels of listening. However, the one that would bring about the Beloved Community, for which both Martin Luther King and John Lewis spent their lives advocating, requires compassionate listening. Ignored listening makes no effort to listen. Pretend listening gives a feigned appearance to being listening. Selective listening hears what interests or serves one's agenda. Empathic listening hears with both one's heart and mind to understand the speaker's feelings and struggles. However, what Martin Luther King preached about the Beloved Community, and John Lewis wrote about in his final request to us as Americans, requires compassionate listening. Compassionate listening and empathic listening are related. They differ in that compassionate listening not only hears with one's heart and mind, but it's listening with an impetus to help and to improve the lives of the suffering. Compassion means "to suffer together." From a theological perspective, I understand compassion to be both rooted in a praxis of action and an ethic of social justice. In other words, it is a type of consciousness and an "awokeness" to others distress - emotionally, personally, and systemically - with a desire to alleviate the suffering. Also, compassionate listening is an understanding of the interconnectedness between ourselves and others. It allows you to see the "other" as yourself, which is sacred. Compassion listening opens us up to the world and provides an opportunity for radical inclusion. Moving forward as a nation in the aftermath of Floyd’s death and in honoring the legacy of John Lewis, who said, "we can redeem the soul of our nation" if we embrace intersectional concerns and goals to best address systemic racism and police violence. James Baldwin said, "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. It starts with listening! ~ Rev. Irene Monroe Read and share online here About the Author The Reverend Monroe does a weekly Monday segment, “All Revved Up!” on NPR's WGBH. She is a weekly commentator on New England Channel NEWS and is the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail, Guided Walking Tour of Beacon Hill: Boston’s Black Women Abolitionists. A Huffington Post blogger and a syndicated religion columnist for the Boston LGBTQ newspaper Baywindows, Cambridge Chronicle, and the Boston Globe. Monroe stated that her “columns are an interdisciplinary approach drawing on critical race theory, African American, queer and religious studies. As a religion columnist she tries to inform the public of the role religion plays in discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. Her papers are at the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe College’s research library on the history of women in America. Click here to visit her website. | | | | | | | | Please continue to send us your feedback… we are listening. We aim to give voice to many different perspectives that are relevant and inspiring along this spiritually progressing path. We are not here to tell you what to believe or how to act. We are here to support your journey, to share and learn together.Thank you for being a part of this community! | | | | | | Join our FB community today! Spread the word, share with friends. Thanks! | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited The Origins of the New Testament, Part IV: The Oral Period Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong October 29, 2009 Where did the story of Jesus reside in that dark tunnel of time where no records exist? That tunnel began with the crucifixion in 30 CE and lasted until Paul wrote his first epistle to the Thessalonians in about 51 CE. From those silent years we have nothing that has survived in writing. From the years 51 to 64, we have available to us Paul alone, but he relates very little about what Jesus said or did. It is not until we get to the gospels that were written between 70 and 100 CE, or 40 to 70 years after the end of Jesus’ life, that we receive a consistent story, but little of that can be looked at as history. Today we can line up the books of the New Testament in the order in which they were written (Paul, Mark, Matthew, Luke and John) and see quite easily how the Jesus story grows and develops. For example, Mark adds miracles, Matthew adds the virgin birth, Luke adds the cosmic ascension and John adds the farewell discourses. From the years 30 to 50, however, there is absolutely nothing that remains, and these years present a huge challenge to Christian scholars. When we can see and date from gospel sources the expansions of the Jesus story from 70 to 100, we cannot help but wonder how the story might have grown during this oral tunnel of silence. In this column, I will seek to throw some light on this darkness. Where does one go to look for clues? I know of only one possible place. If a subject is filtered through any vehicle for a significant number of years, that vehicle ought to leave an imprint. So we study the gospels looking for signs that identify how the material was preserved. Such signs are not hard to find in the early gospels. The first clue comes when we examine how often the word synagogue appears in the gospels. One finds a reference to the synagogue or synagogues eleven times in Mark, nine times in Matthew, sixteen times in Luke and five times in John. Historically we know that the Christian movement was expelled from the synagogue in 88 CE and that John’s gospel is the only one of the four that reflects that expulsion, which is perhaps why synagogue references drop in John. The fact remains that deep into the fabric of the Jesus story, as we have that story in the gospels, is written a very deep connection between people’s memory of Jesus and the synagogues of the Jews. The second clue is to see how it was that by the time the gospels came to be written, Jesus had been interpreted through, presented as the fulfillment of, and his story had been wrapped inside the scriptures of the Jewish people. There are constant references to these scriptures in almost every line of the gospels, especially Mark, Matthew and Luke. Indeed the gospel writers assume that their readers or listeners will have a deep familiarity with these scriptures. In the very first verse of Mark, the first gospel, the author writes, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ; as it is written in the prophets.” And he proceeds to quote both Isaiah and Malachi. Mark moves on to tell the story of Jesus’ baptism by presenting John the Baptist as the new Elijah. Mark clothes John with camel’s hair and a leather girdle, the clothing that Elijah wore, according to the Old Testament. He suggests that John’s diet consisted of “locusts and wild honey,” the food that the Old Testament tells us Elijah ate. Mark locates John the Baptist in the desert or wilderness, which is where the Old Testament suggested that Elijah lived. Only those familiar with the Jewish Scriptures would understand the level of communication that was going on here. The feeding of the multitude by Jesus with five loaves and two fish in Mark is reminiscent of the story in the Hebrew Scriptures of Moses providing bread to feed the multitude in the book of Exodus. The miracles that Mark ties to the story of Jesus are closely identified with the miracles attributed to Old Testament heroes Moses, Elijah and Elisha, or with the miraculous cures that Isaiah says will accompany the coming of the messiah. Once again only an audience familiar with these sources would know their original form and what it was that Mark was trying to communicate. When one turns to the second gospel, Matthew, who adds the account of Jesus’ miraculous birth to the developing tradition, we discover that Matthew suggests in those opening chapters that everything that happened to the infant Jesus was a fulfillment of the prophets. Why was he born of a virgin? To fulfill words from Isaiah that Matthew immediately quotes, or in this instance actually misquotes. Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem? To fulfill the expectations of the prophet Micah, who once again Matthew quotes. Why did the wicked King Herod come to Bethlehem and slaughter the male children two years old and under? To fulfill the prophecy of Jeremiah that Rachel, one of the “mothers” of the Jewish nation, would weep for her children who were not. Why did Joseph flee to Egypt with Mary and her baby? To fulfill the prophecy of Hosea, Matthew said, who wrote that God would call his son out of Egypt. Even the later move from Bethlehem to Nazareth occurred, said Matthew, to fulfill the prophets. When we turn to Luke, this pattern continues. Luke simply copies much of his narrative from Mark, but when he adds material, it is also out of the Hebrew Scriptures. Only Luke tells the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers, one of whom is a foreigner, a Samaritan, which is deeply reminiscent of the story of Elisha healing the leprosy of a foreigner, Naaman the Syrian, from the book of II Kings. Only Luke tells the story of Jesus raising from the dead the only son of a widow in the village of Nain. This story is clearly patterned to conform to a story of Elijah raising the only son of a widow from the dead in I Kings. There are countless other illustrations of the fact that the memory of Jesus had, by the time the gospels were written, become deeply wrapped inside the Jewish Scriptures. The question is where could this coalescing of the memory of the life of Jesus with the scriptures of the Jewish people have happened? The answer is only in the synagogue! Why? Because only in the synagogue did people hear the scriptures read, taught, discussed or expounded. Only in the synagogue was there any familiarity with the Hebrew Sacred Scriptures, which would enable the readers of the gospels to understand how these Jewish stories had been applied to and retold about Jesus. The next step in this discovery process is to place ourselves inside the experience of the people who lived in the first century world, and then the picture becomes very clear. The printing press had not yet been invented. Books were rare because they were expensive. Every book had to be hand copied. Therefore, individuals did not own personal bibles. There were no Gideons to place the Hebrew Scriptures in your motel or hotel room. The only place in which first century people could possibly have become familiar with the Jewish sacred story was by attending the synagogue and hearing those scriptures read. For these scriptures to have been used to interpret Jesus’ life was an activity that could only have happened in the synagogue. For this reason, we can be fairly certain that in the silent period we call “the oral period” the memory of Jesus, including the things he said, the things he did and the narratives told about him could only have been recalled, restated and passed on in the synagogue. We add to this knowledge the tradition attested in the gospels that suggests that the life of Jesus was lived inside and interpreted through the great events of the Jewish liturgy. When that connection is made, we have another major clue. All of the gospels, for example, tell the story of Jesus’ crucifixion against the background of the Jewish observance of Passover. In the story of the transfiguration there are echoes of the Jewish observance of the Festival of Dedication, or Hanukkah. In the narrative of John the Baptist with which Mark opens his gospel, there are numerous notes of the Jewish observance of Rosh Hashanah. The memory of Jesus was not transmitted individually. It reflects rather the corporate presence of the synagogue gathered in worship. In the first century synagogue’s liturgy there would be just a long reading from the Torah, the books of Moses; then a reading from what the Jews called the former prophets (Joshua through Kings); and finally a reading from what they called the latter prophets (Isaiah through Malachi). At that point, the synagogue leader would ask if anyone wanted to bring the message. Followers of Jesus would stand and relate their memories of Jesus to the reading of that Sabbath. In this moment the story of Jesus was recalled, Sabbath by Sabbath, year by year, until the gospels appeared 40 to 70 years after the end of Jesus’ life. Thus we shine the light of the synagogue onto the dark, mysterious oral period of Christian history, and suddenly the darkness of the unknown fades and we begin to see that the gospels are the product of the synagogue. That clue will open a rich interpretive vein, which we will discover as this series on the New Testament unfolds. Paul was the first person to break that silence with his letters that we still possess. So we begin our study of the content of the New Testament with the person of Paul. When he wrote, the followers of Jesus were still participants in the synagogue. The church as a separate institution had not yet been born. These “followers of the way,” as the Christians were then called, represented a challenge to the traditions of the Jews. Paul began his life as a rabid opponent of that challenge. We turn to Paul next week. ~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements How to Build Resilience in a Polarized World - Practical Tools for Reducing Stress and Finding Balance This online Course runs August 24th - September 20th. The course has a wealth of tools to help bring this about. Using video, reflection, meditations and the fruit of current scientific research we can put together a potent toolkit to reduce stress and find balance. 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Marianna Bailey's Completed life
by Lynda C 10 Aug '20

10 Aug '20

Yesterday morning, there was a small East Coast earthquake whose epicenter was Sparta, NC and its neighboring town of Mt. Airy, NC, the hometown of Marianna and Bill Bailey. Yesterday I sent a note to “our favorite Mt. Airy colleague” thus the subject line below. Marianna died that evening. Our care to the Bailey family in this earth-changing event in their lives, and celebrate the gift of Marianna’s life to so many of us. Lynda Cock Daughter Lynn Brailsford has posted some lovely photos on Facebook. From: Tricia Bailey <tricia.bailey813(a)gmail.com> Date: Monday, August 10, 2020 at 10:55 AM To: Lynda Cock <lynda860(a)outlook.com> Subject: Re: Marianna and the Mt Airy Earthquake Lynda, Marianna passed away last night. Please share with your group and I will keep you updated. Tricia

2 1

the John Singleton Memorial Service Sat August 8, 11:00 Mountain Time (US & Canada)
by Lynda C 07 Aug '20

07 Aug '20

A reminder that if you haven’t registered for John Singleton’s Memorial Service tomorrow, it needs to be done today. Contact info below. Also see note at bottom if you are too late to register. The service and virtual reception will be in Denver at Mountview Boulevard Presbyterian Church, the LCX church where Ken and Zoe Barley served for many years. The Singletons were dedicated members and a vital part of the LCX ministry there. Louise’s new contact info is lrsingleton85(a)gmail.com<mailto:lrsingleton85@gmail.com>. 3101 Old Pecos Trail, Unit 509, Santa Fe, NM. 87505. Her cell phone is 505-428-0623. With gratitude for the life and service of John Singleton and his generous contributions to the work of the ICA and to the health treks around the world. Grace and peace, Lynda From: Wayne Marshall <no-reply(a)zoom.us> Reply-To: "waynemarshal(a)gmail.com" <waynemarshal(a)gmail.com> Date: Saturday, July 11, 2020 at 5:34 PM To: Lynda Cock <Lynda860(a)outlook.com> Subject: You are registered for the John Singleton Memorial Service [Webinar banner] Hi Lynda or John Cock, Thank you for registering for "John Weir Singleton Memorial". You will need the special link below to join so please save this email for easy reference. A reminder email will be sent to you several days before the service with the link. If you know people who would be interested whom we may have missed, please feel free to forward them to this link: http://bit.ly/johnweirsingleton Please join us for a “virtual” reception after the service to offer stories about John and being part of his life. If you wish to speak, please email Will Singleton at wmsingleton(a)mac.com. Please limit your comments to two to three minutes. Technical questions may be sent to our tech advisor Wayne Marshall at the email below. Please submit any questions to: waynemarshal(a)gmail.com Date Time: Aug 8, 2020 11:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada) Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device: Click Here to Join<https://us02web.zoom.us/w/88438186386?tk=xIrS9Ln2DrpG5dNoTEOi6tUh-MQMru87Pw…> Note: This link should not be shared with others; it is unique to you. Add to Calendar<https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/tZwpdOGppj0pEtI_FmLLAKbpS403u2s_eCKS/ics?us…> Add to Google Calendar<https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/tZwpdOGppj0pEtI_FmLLAKbpS403u2s_eCKS/calend…> Add to Yahoo Calendar<https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/tZwpdOGppj0pEtI_FmLLAKbpS403u2s_eCKS/ics?us…> Description: We plan a virtual Gathering of Gratitude to celebrate the life of John Singleton on August 8 at 11:00 a.m. MDT. The celebration will consist of a service and, after a five minute break, a virtual reception. You'll get a confirmation email and a reminder email again sent 2 days before with the webinar link. Or iPhone one-tap : US: +13017158592,,88438186386# or +13126266799,,88438186386# Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 6833 Webinar ID: 884 3818 6386 International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kIMTGJ5O6 As an alternative to the link above, you may also log into your zoom account and enter the meeting ID shown above. You can cancel<https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/88438186386/success?act=cancel&use…> your registration at any time.

1 0

8/06/20, Progressing Spirit, Rev. Irene Monroe: The “Good Trouble” of John Lewis; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 06 Aug '20

06 Aug '20

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#yiv3695842066templateHeader .yiv3695842066mcnTextContent p{font-size:16px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv3695842066 #yiv3695842066templateBody .yiv3695842066mcnTextContent, #yiv3695842066 #yiv3695842066templateBody .yiv3695842066mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv3695842066 #yiv3695842066templateFooter .yiv3695842066mcnTextContent, #yiv3695842066 #yiv3695842066templateFooter .yiv3695842066mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}} | | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The “Good Trouble” of John Lewis | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Irene Monroe August 6, 2020All Votes Matter!Civil rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who died on July 17th of pancreatic cancer, spent his life advocating for equal access to the ballot for all Americans. Lewis nearly lost his life on Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965, when he attempted to lead a nonviolent voting-rights march from Selma to Montgomery. He was beaten at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, resulting in a fractured skull. Fifty-five years later, on July 26th, was Lewis’s final crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge as a horse-drawn carriage carried his flag-draped casket. John Lewis, the 'conscience of Congress', preached a lived theology and activism of "good trouble." Good trouble was the work of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, and it was an expression of Lewis's faith. The immediacy of his "good trouble" was heard in his jeremiads, inviting all to action. "If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” Lewis repeatedly said throughout his lifetime.As a theological trained, ordained Baptist minister Lewis' Good Trouble Theology is an early form of activist theology or theological activism. It is rooted in religious activism of the Anti- Slavery Abolitionist movement, the 1960s Black Civil Rights Movement, and the Black Liberation Theology Movement. Activist Theology was demonstrated in the public speeches, sermons, and marches by Martin Luther King, Jr. Activist Theology was also the work of C. T. Vivian. He and Lewis died on the same day, were good friends, and attended seminary together. Vivian participated in Freedom Rides and sit-ins throughout the South. Martin Luther King, Jr. depicts Vivian as "the greatest preacher ever to live, and was MLK's Field General. Vivian, like Lewis, was flogged in Selma, too. He later joined Lewis and others to march across Edmund Pettus Bridge. Vivian was the bridge between MLK's Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Lewis's more direct-action-oriented Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Lewis, who headed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee known as SNCC, was the 1960's version of the Black Lives Matter Movement. For Lewis, C.T. Vivian, MLK, and other foot soldiers of the civil rights era, their theological activism was transformative and lived out amid anti-black violence. I can hear Jesus saying to all three, “Well done, good and faithful servants!""We are made in the image of God, and then there is John Lewis," Joe Biden wrote in a public statement honoring Lewis. “How could someone in flesh and blood be so courageous, so full of hope and love in the face of so much hate, violence, and vengeance?… And may you continue to inspire righteous good trouble down from the Heavens.”Lewis' clarion call for "good trouble" forces us to look at where we are in our democracy. All Americans having access to the ballot is a moral imperative we must address. To honor Lewis's life and legacy and work of “good trouble”, Democratic lawmakers want to pass the 2019 Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA) he fought for, and name it the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2020. The VRAA would prohibit discrimination against people of color and other marginalized communities by assigning election observers to states or municipalities with repeated problems, especially those with a history of discrimination, and would give the federal government the ability to take action against them if the discrimination continued. These are needed safeguards in this upcoming election. Lewis championed the bill to reverse the deleterious damage done by the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, which invalidated a key portion of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Regrettably, the Republican-controlled Senate ignored Lewis' request. Since the passing of the 1965 Civil Rights Voting Act, which gave African-Americans access to the ballot, the GOP has had ongoing tactics to suppress minority voting. Such old Jim Crow tactics like literacy tests, poll taxes and Grandfather clauses have given way to these new tactics: random voter roll purging, changing polling locations or hours, eliminating early voting days, reducing the number of polling places, packing majority-minority districts, dividing minority districts, and the notorious voter ID laws, which disproportionately disenfranchise minority voters. They are all part and parcel of the Republican playbook. And they have serious effects on our democracy. Here are just a few recent examples of voter suppression against Black Americans: In 2000, the outcome of the presidential race between Democratic Vice President Al Gore and Republican Texas Gov. George W. Bush was decided in a recount of Florida ballots due to hanging chads. In predominantly Black voting precincts, which are overwhelmingly Democratic, it was reported that piles of ballots were left uncounted. The Florida vote was settled in Bush's favor, winning him the presidency. His brother Jeb was governor at the time. In 2013, by a 5-to-4 Republican majority, the U. S. Supreme Court case Shelby County v. Holder eviscerated Section 4 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which identified problematic voting precincts with shameful histories of racial discrimination. Not surprisingly, these precincts are predominately GOP strongholds. The Court ruled that the rule, which historically protected African-Americans and other disenfranchised people of color, was outdated. The ruling contests a fictive post-racial premise that racial minorities, especially in the South, no longer confront discriminatory barriers voting, because Obama was president. And while the 1965 VRA applied to nine states in the South, let me disabuse you of any notion that voter suppression doesn't happen in the North. Scores of counties and municipalities in the North, like New York City, the Bronx, and my borough of Brooklyn, were covered in the 1965 VRA, too. In 2018, the Associated Press reported that 53,000 voting applications were put on hold — of which 70% were Black voters — before the epic gubernatorial battle between Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams and Republican candidate Brian Kemp. Kemp, while running for governor, was Georgia's secretary of state, where he oversaw Georgia's elections and was responsible for the "exact match" policy that states that a voter application must "exactly match" their social security or driver's license information. The GOP tactics to dissuade people of color to the polls pose challenges for many transgender voters who have transitioned but do not have a government-issued photo ID reflecting their gender. The Williams Institute at UCLA found that ahead of this November's election, over 378,000 "voter-eligible transgender people do not have IDs that reflect their correct name and/or gender." Last year, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell voiced opposition to making Election Day a federal holiday. However, allowing American voters a more relaxed and stress-free trip to their voting precincts should be a no-brainer. The For the People Act of 2019, passed by the House last year, would do just that. McConnell mocked the legislation as the "Democrat Politician Protection Act."The Act would "expand Americans" access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, and strengthen ethics rules for public servants, and other purposes," as well as improve access for voters with disabilities, reform automatic voter registration and felon re-enfranchisement. In other words, the For the People Act would modernize a century-old bankrupt voting system to mirror America today, thus allowing for a participatory democracy. John Lewis said, "Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble." To honor him, good trouble this November election would be to vote out our present Republican thugocracy. As voters, we don't have to capitulate to the powers that be, because the power of the people is greater than the people in power. ~ Rev. Irene Monroe Read online here About the Author The Reverend Monroe does a weekly Monday segment, “All Revved Up!” on NPR's WGBH (89.7 FM). She is a weekly Friday commentator on New England Channel NEWS. Monroe is the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail, Guided Walking Tour of Beacon Hill: Boston’s Black Women Abolitionists. A Huffington Post blogger and a syndicated religion columnist; her columns appear the Boston LGBTQ newspaper Baywindows, Cambridge Chronicle, and the Boston Globe. Monroe stated that her “columns are an interdisciplinary approach drawing on critical race theory, African American, queer and religious studies. As a religion columnist I try to inform the public of the role religion plays in discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. Because homophobia is both a hatred of the “other” and it’s usually acted upon ‘in the name of religion,” by reporting religion in the news I aim to highlight how religious intolerance and fundamentalism not only shatters the goal of American democracy, but also aids in perpetuating other forms of oppression such as racism, sexism, classism and anti-Semitism.” Her papers are at the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe College’s research library on the history of women in America. Click here to visit her website. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By A Reader People say “rest in peace” after someone has died. But, do people really get to rest after death? A: By Toni Anne ReynoldsDear One, There is lots of talk of ancestors, and healing ancestral lines these days. As people become aware of how cyclical oppression and suffering is, there seems to be a collective desire to get to the root of the issue. During my days as a Christian, the closest I got to a sense of realizing the ancestors was when “The Cloud of Witnesses” was talked about. The image that came to mind for me then was one of every great person sitting in the sky looking down. Catching the prayers we sent up and consequently finding ways to help us help ourselves. I even found myself imagining that angels would zip through the ether, diligently protecting God’s Creatures. Somehow, I never questioned whether or not these active agents had peace, and it never occurred to me that they may not be resting… This question makes me think of the way productivity and work require a kind of rest that is unattainable. In this life, we are often pressured to work ‘til we drop. Living to work instead of working to live. It makes sense, then, that idea of entering a realm where there are no to-do lists or demands to be productive, can be liberating all by itself. A realm where peace and rest are inevitable. I’m sorry that I cannot say for sure if any of us will find rest, even in my own mind the forces that we call on for assistance are doing quite a bit. It makes me wonder if this doubt, this question, could form in a world where we were truly free while alive in these bodies. In other words, I wonder if we say this phrase, we are blessing the deceased with something we don’t feel we have access to ourselves. So, if we are able to access it, what do we start to desire for those who are free of the body? Does the potential for REAL rest become more feasible for us after we’ve known what it means to rest just a little bit before we die? I will join you in pondering this question. Maybe these two sources will help you along the way: linktr.ee/dr.rosalesmeza and https://thenapministry.wordpress.com/ ~ Toni Anne Reynolds Read and share online here About the Author Minister Toni Anne Reynolds is committed to singing flesh onto the bones of the Christian tradition by incorporating recently found texts of the ancient world into liturgy, sermons, and poetry. Toni’s Christianity forms a holy trinity with the psychological medicine of Tibetan Buddhism and the eternal Life found in Yoruba traditions. Balanced in an eclectic faith and focused in theology, Toni’s ministry offers a unique perspective on life, theology, and spirituality. | | | | | | | | Please continue to send us your feedback… we are listening. We aim to give voice to many different perspectives that are relevant and inspiring along this spiritually progressing path. We are not here to tell you what to believe or how to act. We are here to support your journey, to share and learn together.Thank you for being a part of this community! | | | | | | Join our FB community today! Spread the word, share with friends. Thanks! | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited An Evening of Beer and Theology — A Lutheran Experience Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong October 8, 2009With this description, the Rev. Dawn Hutchings, pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in New Market, Ontario, invited members of her congregation and any interested people in the community at large to join her at this congregation’s regular Monday night feature. This activity would not take place in the church, however, but in the second-floor Upper Room of a local pub known as The Crow’s Nest. This was the place, she announced, where people would be allowed to participate in a free and open discussion about theology over beer. It was, she said, a “Lutheran Experience.” In this discussion no questions would be illegitimate, no challenger would be out of bounds and no attempt to proselytize would occur. This gathering was to be a “come as you are” party, a “come no matter what you believe” occasion. It was one more way this remarkable pastor and this remarkable church sought to engage their community of some 85,000 people.One does not expect to experience one of the most remarkable congregations I have ever met in a rather quiet community less than an hour north of Toronto in the center of Ontario. By most external measures, Holy Cross Church is not especially impressive. Its frame building looks more like a house than a church. This structure was originally built to be a “Kingdom Hall” for the Jehovah’s Witness tradition. When that enterprise folded, it was sold to a Montessori School and only later did the Lutherans buy it and turn it into a church. The entrance level is a large room that serves both as a sanctuary on Sunday and a gathering place for all church activities at other times. One room has been cut into this space to provide a small office for the pastor. On the lower levels are washrooms, a kitchen, additional rooms that house a daycare center and storage space. The maximum numbers of worshipers this church can accommodate at one time is 85. The average Sunday attendance is normally about 55. Yet the smallness of their numbers has not limited the largeness of their vision.The pastor and congregation of Holy Cross Church are self-consciously about the task of reinventing worship and recreating what it means to be the church. “Beer and Theology” on Monday nights throughout the program year in a local pub is only one facet of their corporate life. A series of lectures on “Rethinking Christianity” is another part of their offering to the community. I was there this fall to be the speaker at the first of this year’s series. There was a spirit of anticipation and preparation in the air and I had the sense that my presence was the result of a long period of preparation on the part of the congregation.The format for these lectures included two presentations of about an hour each followed by another hour of questions and discussion. They were held in the church itself on a Saturday. A box lunch divided the four-hour day into two equal halves. With the capacity of their space limited, they refused to exceed the maximum number they could accommodate and so the class was closed when 85 people had signed up. To accommodate more people in their community and surrounding area, however, they also arranged for me to do a third lecture open to the public, held on Sunday night in the auditorium of a local school that could accommodate 500 people. That was a remarkable undertaking for this very small church to offer to its community, but the people in that area have learned to expect big things from these Lutherans.On Sunday morning I was the guest preacher at their regular Sunday service, which gave me a great insight into their understanding of liturgy and worship. True to the traditions of the German Lutheran Church, music plays a large part in this congregation’s worship life. Singing is made easy by the fact that both the words and the music are printed in the bulletin so there is no searching through books to find the correct number. In the congregation there were also two male voices of superior and trained ability that made congregational singing a joy to hear. One of these men studied opera and actually toured with an opera company and has recorded CDs on the market. He is a strong tenor and his CD that I have contains most of the familiar chestnuts that tenors regularly sing to the joy of their audiences. Only “O Danny Boy” is missing from his repertoire. The other man also studied voice and is a trained musician. He actually married his accompanist and she is today the musician who accompanies the congregation’s singing on the piano. An unvested choir of about six people presents an anthem each week. The words of the hymns are remarkably refreshing, filled as they are with hope and affirmation rather than the guilt, sin, fear and references to the cleansing blood of Jesus that seems to mark so much of Christian hymnody. The music with which this congregation’s Sunday worship opened when I was there set a mood of expectation. Beginning the service, we sang: “Longing for light, we wait in darkness Looking for truth, we turn to you. Make us your own, your holy people Light for the world to see.” The hymn continued for five verses in which the themes of peace and hope for a troubled world were heard and a desire was expressed that they might become “bread broken for others until all are fed.” The refrain proclaimed the prayer that Christ might shine in their hearts, shine through the darkness, and concluded with the petition that Christ “might shine in this church gathered today.” I thought about other hymns I have endured recently that pronounced me “a wretch” and called me “vile” and spoke of “blood from the veins of Jesus” that might cleanse me of my sins. The contrast was refreshing.Another hymn that we sang defined God, not theistically as a supernatural, miracle-working deity who lived above the sky, but as the “Oneness” we seek, the “life that is part of us,” and as the “love and the joy that makes us whole.” It was a joy to be enveloped in those words.When we came to the “affirmation of faith” it was not the convoluted words of the fourth century Nicene Creed that seeks to build security fences to keep out heresy, but was something the people of the congregation worked on to define their faith in words they could understand. Yet it still contained all of the marks of historic Christianity, including references to God as creator; Christ as the Incarnation of love to whom his disciples responded, “My Lord and my God;” and as the Holy Spirit who was defined quite biblically as breath, the wind of God, the giver of life and as holy wisdom. It was, however, open, affirming and joyously proclaimed. “We are a community of faith,” this affirmation began, and then what their faith meant was spelled out: We share a vision of God, whose spirit is love. We search for the meaning of God in our experience. We share a vision of Jesus, who “forgave those who crucified him,” who in the “mystery of the resurrection continues to live even more profoundly through the ages,” and who calls us to be reconciled with the whole of creation. The congregation acknowledged that the Holy Spirit bids them “to cry out for justice for the powerless and oppressed and to see the presence of God in every created thing.” Their creed concluded with these words: “We reach out to one another for strength beyond our own. This is our community. This is our faith.” I found myself inspired and enfolded as I repeated these words.When the time came for the prayers, the phrase “Lord have mercy” was mercifully absent. That phrase is little more than the petition of a beggar before the righteous judge, and it serves to relate the worshiper to an authoritarian God who does little more than fill worshippers with a sense of guilt and failure. The response of the people in these prayers on that particular Sunday was the ringing affirmation “Let it be so!” They prayed to let the beauty of creation inspire them to walk lightly upon the earth, so that they might be empowered to end to greed, violence and war. They prayed that they might embody the gifts of eternal life and seek justice for all, that wholeness might be their goal and that they might walk in the ways of love. I was almost shouting “Let it be so!” when the prayers ended in the sharing of the peace.The Communion table was open. No external barriers were erected. No one said this sacrament is for the baptized only, the confirmed only, Catholics only, Christians only. It was open to all who were hungry for what God means. The Lord’s Prayer was sung in such a way as the constant refrain was heard, “Let the will of God be done on earth as in heaven.” The communion hymn announced that God is in our questions as well as in our answers and that the sacrament draws those who are many throughout the world into one bread and one body gathered for the sake of the world.The closing hymn was the prayer of St. Francis, “Make me the channel of your peace, where there is hatred, let me sow love.” The traditional God who is so often located above the sky in our liturgies was now located inside the worshipers who were to be the channels through which the love of God engaged history. Obviously the one presiding over the Eucharist faced the people, for that is where God is to be found. God’s dwelling place was not “up there” or “out there,” but in the midst of the people.I left that church elated, refreshed, committed and filled with joy. My life had been affirmed and I had been stretched to a new level of humanity. I was no longer a “miserable offender” who was not worthy “to gather up the crumbs” from the divine altar. It would almost be worth it to commute to Holy Cross Lutheran Church in New Market, Ontario, to attend worship each Sunday. There I got a vision of what a church is supposed to be.– John Shelby SpongNote: Those who wish to know more about this church may visit its Web site at www.holycrosslutheran.ca. Better still, write a note of encouragement and affirmation to the Reverend Dawn Hutchings at dawnhutchings(a)rogers.com. That can be your positive and life-affirming deed of the day.~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Webithon! Spend 24-hours with COMPASSION! What the world needs now is COMPASSION. We are embarking on a 24-hour extravaganza in a Compassion Webithon. Come hear stories, be challenged and leave inspired! Starting on the west coast of the United States at 5 pm Pacific time, August 14th, ending at 5pm PT on August 15. READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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Marianna Bailey and Bill Bailey memory
by Evelyn Kurihara Philbrook 06 Aug '20

06 Aug '20

Dearest Marianna, Evelyn Kurihara Philbrook here in Taipei with ICA Taiwan, Larry and Evelyn Philbrook with Dick and Gail West. Dick remembers attending your book reading group these past years every week, sharing ideas and jokes galore with you all! I am sorry to say I never had an assignment to work with you two, except for OKLAHOMA 100. A group of us drove up from Texas to support the effort to make every county gold for the bi-centenial of the USA. This was the state that would be holding all TOWN MEETING 76 events all on one weekend, all in one day. I was impressed with both you and Bill at the time. He was tall, humorous and on that day, a bit quiet. You were sincerely welcoming, and interested in who arrived from Dallas, elegant with a glance that looked straight in our eyes and asked if we had held or been to any Town Meetings yet. Just attending, or a workshop leader, I believe I said I had been to the Sacramento Town Meeting in California earlier in the year. I think and remember being in the Song, Story, Symbol group. I had seen you both at a summer program, in Chicago. It was a whirlwind of a day. Bill Grow and I were partners and we drove off to a small town in a county on the border heading north that was known as a junkyard. We walked around the community after meeting the mayor and he recommended we talk with some key people and agreed to meet that day with us. It was a great town meeting and I learned alot about the good ole boy network. If so- and-so said we should meet, I’ll be there! Governor’s letter, OKLAHOMA 100 you say… can we keep that book you keep showing us? Bill Grow was all smiles and very positive and informative to get a yes from each one we spoke with. After the wonderful meeting we drove back to the house, left our notes, ate some food, and then drove back to Dallas. What a special day to be part of for the whole nation and so many people coming in to help! What a great moment! Someone said, a few fell out of bed and will be held later. But over all Oklahoma would never be the same again, and neither would we! May God give you peace, blessings to you on your life journey and this time of transition. Evelyn This song, though only sung while working, comes to mind as a celebration to life… Glory, Glory, Hallelujah! Since I Laid my Burdens Down (Negro Spiritual) 1. Glory, Glory, Hallelujah Since I laid my burdens down! Glory, Glory, Hallelujah Since I laid my burdens down! 2. I feel better, so much better, Since I laid my burdens down! I feel better, so much better, Since I laid my burdens down! Refrain 3. Friends don’t treat me like they used to Since I laid my burdens down! Friends don’t treat me like they used to Since I laid my burdens down! Refrain closing: Glory, Glory, Glory hallelujah, (start low) Glory, Glory, Glory hallelujah (next octive) Glory, Glory, Glory hallelujah (highest octive) Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah…. (shouting-distinct and short) Since I laid, my burden’s down… (slow and deliberate) After House Church in San Francisco at a Methodist church of Bob Stewart in the basement, we would wash dishes and clean to this song, among many spirtuals… Patricia Newkirk, Emily Wood, and many others just sang, and sang. I think George and Carol Walters where priors. (there are other verses, but we did not sing them…only these)

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Global Buzz August
by ICA International 06 Aug '20

06 Aug '20

Enjoy catching up with what is happening in ICAs across the globe.... And please click the link below for the latest issue of the Global Buzz Global Buzz Report: August 2020 or copy and paste this URL into your browser's address bar http://globalbuzz.icai-archives.org/7dayreport-20/2020-08-01.php Read the latest ICAI Winds & Waves Magazine brought to you now on Medium.com See here: https://medium.com/winds-and-waves ICAI Communications

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Global Buzz August
by ICA International 06 Aug '20

06 Aug '20

Hello everyone, This week's Family Buzz: http://family-buzz.org/buzz/familybuzz-20/fambuzz-20-08-01.php If there is no response from clicking (or double clicking) the above link please copy it and paste it into your browser's address bar. If you are asked to log in to read the present and past issues: Username: remember Password: dontforget

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Living Tributes for Marianna Bailey.
by Lynda C 05 Aug '20

05 Aug '20

Dear Colleagues, At the request of Tom and Tricia Bailey, I’m sending out this note and asking for memories and stories, poetry, songs and prayers of care for Marianna. Marianna has been diagnosed with a painful cancer and has entered Hospice at the Deerfield Assisted Living in Asheville, NC. Please send e-mails that the family will share with her to Tricia and Tom at Tricia.bailey813(a)gmail.com<mailto:Tricia.bailey813@gmail.com>. Tricia’s cell phone is 828-782-0644. Marianna has stopped all other medication, so Trish requests that replies be made soon. John and I were never assigned with the Baileys, except at lots of councils and summer programs, but a special kinship developed because of our common Mountain Heritage. They were from Mt. Airy, NC, and John’s home was just over the mountain in Galax, VA. After we both retired from our global travels, we’ve enjoyed a meaningful relationship as NC neighbors again. Marianna’s gracious southern manner is matched by a fierce resolve to be a powerhouse of care and action in whatever she touches. That same resolve is seen in her decision to have no more testing or treatments. She and Bill received a wonderful formal recognition by the city of Asheville for their devoted work with Asheville communities and the environment. I will have to share that article with you later. We send care to Tom, Lynn and Nan and their families as they care for their dear mom in her farewell journey. Marianna, you are loved! Journey on with Grace and Peace, Lynda and John Cock Davidson, NC

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Re: [Dialogue] [Oe List ...] Living Tributes for Marianna Bailey.
by Janet Sanders 04 Aug '20

04 Aug '20

Dear Marianna, Nan, Tom and Lyn, We send our love and compassion to you at this time of transition. The most recent memories are our visits to Ashville or the years. We were fascinated with the life, care and community you were creating. Your sparks of creativity were still brilliantly shining. Perhaps you can envision all of us surrounding you, providing a send-out into the Final Mystery. Blessings and light, Jan Sanders and Richard Sims Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows 10 From: Bill Parker via OE<mailto:oe@lists.wedgeblade.net> Sent: August 4, 2020 4:44 PM To: Order Ecumenical Community<mailto:oe@lists.wedgeblade.net>; ICA Dialogue List<mailto:dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net> Cc: Bill Parker<mailto:bparker175@cox.net> Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Living Tributes for Marianna Bailey. Suzanne and I left Oklahoma before you and Bill came but we returned in 1985. You had spearheaded the Oklahoma 100 Campaign, the pilot for turning every county Gold. Plus, it was a model for the Global Town Meeting that had a significant impact on the places we were assigned. One never knows the ultimate impact or the success of what we do but I must say that the list of sponsors in Oklahoma for that Campaign showed an amazing power and interconnectedness of the entire State at that time. Everywhere I have gone in Oklahoma since 1985, I encounter someone who knows, remembers, and asks about the Baileys. So, you’ve been gone from Oklahoma for many years but your labor and care still underlies the harsh façade of what is now considered a very red state. We are grateful to you for what you have done here and “here” is only one place among many. Peace be with you and Bill, and Tom, Lyn, and Nan. We think of you often. Bill Parker Sent from Mail<https://eur06.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.micros…> for Windows 10 From: Lynda C via OE<mailto:oe@lists.wedgeblade.net> Sent: Monday, August 3, 2020 6:09 PM To: OE List<mailto:OE@lists.wedgeblade.net>; ICA Dialogue List<mailto:dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net> Cc: Lynda C<mailto:lynda860@outlook.com> Subject: [Oe List ...] Living Tributes for Marianna Bailey. Dear Colleagues, At the request of Tom and Tricia Bailey, I’m sending out this note and asking for memories and stories, poetry, songs and prayers of care for Marianna. Marianna has been diagnosed with a painful cancer and has entered Hospice at the Deerfield Assisted Living in Asheville, NC. Please send e-mails that the family will share with her to Tricia and Tom at Tricia.bailey813(a)gmail.com<mailto:Tricia.bailey813@gmail.com>. Tricia’s cell phone is 828-782-0644. Marianna has stopped all other medication, so Trish requests that replies be made soon. John and I were never assigned with the Baileys, except at lots of councils and summer programs, but a special kinship developed because of our common Mountain Heritage. They were from Mt. Airy, NC, and John’s home was just over the mountain in Galax, VA. After we both retired from our global travels, we’ve enjoyed a meaningful relationship as NC neighbors again. Marianna’s gracious southern manner is matched by a fierce resolve to be a powerhouse of care and action in whatever she touches. That same resolve is seen in her decision to have no more testing or treatments. She and Bill received a wonderful formal recognition by the city of Asheville for their devoted work with Asheville communities and the environment. I will have to share that article with you later. We send care to Tom, Lynn and Nan and their families as they care for their dear mom in her farewell journey. Marianna, you are loved! Journey on with Grace and Peace, Lynda and John Cock Davidson, NC

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