November 2012 - OE - lists.wedgeblade.net

Colleen Smith
by Clare Whitney 06 Nov '12

06 Nov '12

November 5, 2012 I am writing to let the community know that Colleen Smith, Order colleague, has entered hospice care at home in Moab, Utah. She is suffering from COPD and lung cancer and is experiencing a degree of pain that allows for this move. Ken and I went to see her last weekend and it was during this time that the decision was made to go into hospice mode. Colleen was with us in the South Pacific from 1982 - 1985, and had numerous assignments before that time. She lived near us in Denver for a number of years, but finally moved to be near her son in Moab. She lives in a senior housing complex that is very attractive, and has many friends in the town, including a wonderful church community. We asked Colleen if she would like the OE community to know and she agreed. She would appreciate notes, preferably by snail-mail as operating her computer keyboard is difficult due to neurapathy from the chemo she had been taking, but can no longer take. Her address is: Colleen Smith, 540 E 100 N #105, Moab, UT 84532. Phone: 435-259-7996 She says she is "free" in terms of this decision and is interested to see how this phase progresses. Ken and Clare Whitney, Denver

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Re: [Oe List ...] Death of James Meyers
by Bill Schlesinger 06 Nov '12

06 Nov '12

You have to go to 'all' on the website to find his name. It's not on the front page sidebar. Bill Schlesinger Project Vida 3607 Rivera Avenue El Paso, TX 79905 (915) 533-7057 x 207 (915) 503-1014 FAX pvida(a)whc.net www.projectvidaelpaso.org _____ From: oe-bounces(a)lists.wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of Margaret Helen Aiseayew Sent: Monday, November 05, 2012 1:02 PM To: Order Ecumenical Community Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Death of James Meyers Mike, I can't find James on the website mentioned and I have searched every way I know how. If you have an email for Mary, I would appreciate it if you could share my condolences. Thanks, Margaret ----- Original Message ----- From: Jayandem2(a)aol.com To: oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net ; Dialogue(a)wedgeblade.net Sent: Saturday, November 03, 2012 10:31 PM Subject: [Oe List ...] Death of James Meyers In an email to the Directory, Mary Meyers notified me that James died on October 15, 2012. The obituaryi from the newspaper follows: James E. Meyers 64, of Greenwood, passed away on October 15, 2012. He was born on March 19, 1948, son of John and Charlotte (Lichti) Meyers. He was a Master Gardener in Johnson County and a member of the Johnson County Garden Club. Jim worked for Gleaners Food Bank. Jim is survived by his wife, Mary E. Meyers; father, John W. Meyers, of Summerville, SC; and step mother, Alberta; sisters, Anne Bauer, of IL, Linda Harriman, of VA, and Sharon Ehrhardt, of NJ; brothers, David Meyers, of, NJ and Donald Meyers, of VA; three nieces; and four nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother, Charlotte Meyers. Friends may call on Friday, October 19, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in G.H. Herrmann Greenwood Funeral Home at The Gardens at Olive Branch, 1605 South State Road 135 and Olive Branch Road. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. in St. John's United Church of Christ, 7031 S. East Street, Indianapolis, IN. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Gleaners Food Bank, 3737 Waldemere Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46241. Jim will be laid to rest in The Gardens at Olive Branch Cemetery and Mausoleum Park, Greenwood, IN. Online condolences may be shared with the family at: <http://www.ghherrmann.com/> http://www.ghherrmann.com Published in the The Indianapolis Star on October 17, _____ _______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net

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words to Give Thanks? Re: Memorial Service for Edith " Ellery" Elizondo
by jonzondo＠juno.com 06 Nov '12

06 Nov '12

Would anyone be able to give me the words to "Give Thanks" (tune: Wendy) I left my songbook at home. Thank you. Jon ---------- Original Message ---------- From: "jonzondo(a)juno.com" <jonzondo(a)juno.com> To: oe(a)lists.wedgelade.net Cc: oe(a)wedgeblade.net, ica-dialogue(a)igc.topica.com Subject: [Oe List ...] Memorial Service for Edith "Ellery" Elizondo Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2012 16:17:07 GMT This is a reminder notice. Please call me if you intend to come to the service. Memorial Service for Edith "Ellery" Adele McKinley Elizondo Sunday October 21st at 3:00 PM The Woodlands Community Presbyterian Church 4881 West Panther Creek Drive Spring, TX 77381 (281) 363-2040 In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Presbyterian Church. Contact me if you need more information. Please forward this to others who know Ellery. Blessings to us all. Jon 425-205-3856 ____________________________________________________________ Fast, Secure, NetZero 4G Mobile Broadband. Try it. ____________________________________________________________ Woman is 53 But Looks 25 Mom reveals 1 simple wrinkle trick that has angered doctors... http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/5082d002738a8500225b8st03vuc

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Death of James Meyers
by Jayandem2＠aol.com 05 Nov '12

05 Nov '12

In an email to the Directory, Mary Meyers notified me that James died on October 15, 2012. The obituaryi from the newspaper follows: James E. Meyers 64, of Greenwood, passed away on October 15, 2012. He was born on March 19, 1948, son of John and Charlotte (Lichti) Meyers. He was a Master Gardener in Johnson County and a member of the Johnson County Garden Club. Jim worked for Gleaners Food Bank. Jim is survived by his wife, Mary E. Meyers; father, John W. Meyers, of Summerville, SC; and step mother, Alberta; sisters, Anne Bauer, of IL, Linda Harriman, of VA, and Sharon Ehrhardt, of NJ; brothers, David Meyers, of, NJ and Donald Meyers, of VA; three nieces; and four nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother, Charlotte Meyers. Friends may call on Friday, October 19, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in G.H. Herrmann Greenwood Funeral Home at The Gardens at Olive Branch, 1605 South State Road 135 and Olive Branch Road. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. in St. John's United Church of Christ, 7031 S. East Street, Indianapolis, IN. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Gleaners Food Bank, 3737 Waldemere Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46241. Jim will be laid to rest in The Gardens at Olive Branch Cemetery and Mausoleum Park, Greenwood, IN. Online condolences may be shared with the family at: _http://www.ghherrmann.com_ (http://www.ghherrmann.com/) Published in the The Indianapolis Star on October 17,

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Re: [Oe List ...] Video of Carol Pierce's Memorial Service—Saturday, October ...
by PSchrijnen＠aol.com 04 Nov '12

04 Nov '12

Thanks so much for those present there... and those connecting us together on youtube... Thank you, Paul In a message dated 30/10/2012 20:52:35 GMT Standard Time, dmdunn1(a)gmail.com writes: Colleagues. Carol Pierce's Memorial Service on Saturday, October 20, 2012, was videoed by Jim Wiegel and edited by Tom Wray, ICA Communications office. Here’s the link for the video on YouTube: _http://youtu.be/97yDkmnCln4_ (http://youtu.be/97yDkmnCln4) Mary Laura Jones _mljones2022(a)gmail.com_ (mailto:mljones2022@gmail.com) [forwarded for Mary Laura] David Dunn 740 S Alton Way 9B Denver, CO 80247 -- _dmdunn1(a)gmail.com_ (mailto:dmdunn1@gmail.com) 720-314-5991 = _______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net

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Viral video where Romney explains Mormon beliefs
by Herman Greene 04 Nov '12

04 Nov '12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxMD02zU9SE <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxMD02zU9SE&feature=youtu.be> &feature=youtu.be _____________________________________________ Herman Greene 2516 Winningham Drive Chapel Hill, NC 27516 919-929-4116 (h) 919-624-0579 (c) 919-942-4358 (f) Skype: hgreene-nc hfgreene(a)mindspring.com

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Re: [Oe List ...] Video of Carol Pierce's Memorial Service‹Saturday, October ...
by LAURELCG＠aol.com 04 Nov '12

04 Nov '12

I, too, profoundly appreciate the video, and all those who made Carol's memorial so meaningfull. It was wonderful to see the changed, yet familiar faces of dear colleagues. Blessings, Jann In a message dated 11/4/2012 12:28:37 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, icatrue(a)igc.org writes: Thank you for taking and sharing the video. It gives all a way to be “in the room” to honor and share in Carol’s life, gifts, and journey. Bob

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39 Reasons for Obama
by John Cock 04 Nov '12

04 Nov '12

VOTE: 1. The first bill President Obama signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, to help women fight back when they don't get equal pay for equal work. 2. His Recovery Act supported millions of jobs and helped to stave off a second Great Depression. 3. He pushed for and won middle-class tax cuts that benefitted every American worker, and saved the typical family $3,600 in taxes over the last four years. 4. President Obama rescued the auto industry, and now GM and Chrysler are healthier than they've ever been. The American auto industry has added nearly a quarter of a million jobs since June 2009 -- and they most likely wouldn't exist right now without President Obama's leadership. 5. He doubled funding for Pell Grants, helping to make college more affordable for nearly 10 million families. 6. His student loan reform ended billions in subsidies to banks serving as middlemen and reinvested those savings directly into students. 7. The President established the American Opportunity Tax Credit, worth up to $10,000 over four years of college. 8. His Race to the Top Initiative helped spur nearly every state to raise academic standards. 9. His tax cuts, social-welfare programs, and economic policies lifted nearly 7 million Americans above the federal poverty line in 2010. 10. President Obama has signed 18 tax cuts for small businesses since taking office. 11. We've seen 5.2 million new private-sector jobs over the last 31 months. 12. The unemployment rate is at the lowest level since President Obama took office. 13. Health care reform -- passed after decades of failed attempts by every previous President -- provides affordable health coverage to every American and will lower premiums by an average of $2,000 per family by 2019. 14. Obamacare expanded access to lifesaving preventive care such as cancer screenings and immunizations with no out-of-pocket costs for 54 million Americans. 15. Obamacare ends insurance discrimination against the 129 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. 16. Because of Obamacare, over 3 million more young adults have health insurance today than would if the new law hadn't passed. 17. The parents of over 17 million children with pre-existing conditions no longer have to worry that their children will be denied coverage. 18. President Obama has ordered the overhaul of federal government regulations to make them smarter, practical, and more efficient. Just a fraction of these commonsense initiatives will help save businesses $10 billion in the next five years alone. 19. His historic investments in clean energy have helped more than double the amount of electricity we obtain from wind and solar sources and helped increase biofuel production to its highest level in history. 20. President Obama is doubling fuel efficiency standards, which will save drivers more than $8,000 at the gas pump, not to mention lessen the impact of automobiles on our environment. 21. President Obama has taken unprecedented action to address climate change, reaching historic international agreements to curb carbon emissions, and taking action here at home to reduce carbon pollution from our vehicles and promote clean energy production. 22. He has taken historic action to protect our environment -- signing one of the largest expansions of protected wilderness in a generation and putting in place standards to reduce toxic air pollution that will save thousands of lives. 23. President Obama fought for and won landmark Wall Street reform that reins in the abuses that led to the financial crisis and ends the era of taxpayer bailouts and "too big to fail." 24. Wall Street reform created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the nation's first federal agency focused solely on consumer financial protection -- and the Bureau is already protecting families from unfair and abusive financial practices from Wall Street banks and shadowy corners of the financial industry. 25. As part of President Obama's commitment to transparency, the White House has posted its visitor records online for the first time ever. 26. President Obama's all-of-the-above approach to energy has helped cut the United States' dependence on foreign oil to its lowest level in 20 years. 27. President Obama responsibly ended the war in Iraq. 28. He announced a plan to end the war in Afghanistan and transition security responsibility to the Afghan people. 29. President Obama sent the largest security assistance package to Israel in history and funded the Iron Dome system, which is protecting Israeli homes and schools from rocket attacks. 30. President Obama rallied the international community to implement the toughest sanctions on Iran in history. 31. Through the President's historic increases in Veterans Affairs funding, he has expanded and improved healthcare and job training access for our returning veterans. 32. President Obama negotiated the New START Treaty with Russia to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in both countries. At the same time, he also secured commitments from dozens of other countries to lock down nuclear materials. 33. His administration naturalized 11,146 military service members as U.S. citizens in 2010; more than in any year since 1955. 34. President Obama set a bold new plan for the future of NASA space exploration, using the skill and ability of the private sector for short trips to the International Space Station, while building a new vehicle for exploration of distant space, and doing everything in his power to support the economy on Florida's Space Coast. 35. President Obama recognizes that tourism is one of America's largest economic engines; he's worked to encourage international visitors to come here, maintaining our security while keeping millions of Americans in good, paying jobs. 36. He has affirmed his personal support of marriage equality, directed the Justice Department to stop defending DOMA in federal courts, and took the practical and compassionate step of extending hospital visitation rights to same-sex partners. 37. He fought for and won the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, allowing gay and lesbian members of the military to serve openly for the first time in history. 38. When Congress failed to fix our broken immigration system, his administration did everything in its power to improve it, streamlining the legal immigration process and announcing a policy that lifts the shadow of deportation from hard working young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. 39. Oh, and he gave the order to send troops in after Osama Bin Laden -- and has decimated al-Qaeda's senior leadership. --From Obama team <https://my.barackobama.com/page/o/55c1a608/5075db99/28ea11e01/1253361b/3698 455307/open.gif>

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Re: [Oe List ...] Question about the social process triangles . . .
by jlepps＠pc.jaring.my 04 Nov '12

04 Nov '12

Hello Jim. Have this friend look for Clancy Mann's book, Borderless Business: Managing the Far-Flung Enterprise (Mann & Goetz, Westport, Conn., Praeger Publishing, 2006) chapter 7 in which he lays out the Social Process Triangle as a basis for Managing Country Risk. Clancy's chapter in Bending History II is also a good "promotion of its use." I currently teach a graduate business course through University of Maryland University College in which the SPT is presented and used as a basic method for analyzing a country. You could say that I use it at least weekly, and have for the past 10 years. Roughly 350 students have taken the course and they generally love it as a comprehensive tool for analyzing a country's business environment. It's far better than Porter's Diamond, which is the standard business method for the purpose. John At 08:10 PM 11/3/2012, James Wiegel wrote: >I got this question from a fellow I know who is intrigued with the >Social Process triangles. Any responses?? > >He said: I think there are very few people who currently care about >the Social Process Triangle as a tool to be used for social >transformation. Can you point me to someone is promotes it's use, >trains others on at least an biannual basis using it, or has tried >to implement it in a recognizable or tangible manner other than the >Jenkins? Short mentions in books on other topics is, for my >purposes, great, but is there anyone you know using it daily, >weekly, or monthly to train or manage something or anything? > >Jim Wiegel > >"Life has got a habit of not standing hitched. You got to ride it >like you find it.. You got to change with it." Woody Guthrie > > >401 North Beverly Way, Tolleson, Arizona 85353-2401 >+1 623-363-3277 skype: jfredwiegel >jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com www.partnersinparticipation.com > >Upcoming public course opportunities: >ToP Facilitation Methods Coming in February. Ask about an inhouse course >ToP Strategic Planning, Oct 9-10, 2012 >The AZ Community of Practice meets the 1st Friday of every month >Facilitation Mastery : Our Mastering the Technology of Participation >program is available in Phoenix in 2012-3. Program begins on Nov 14-16, 2012 >See short video http://partnersinparticipation.com/?page_id=55 and >website for further details.

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11/01/12, Spong: A Nun Becomes a Methodist Pastor and Lights up the Big Sky of Montana
by Ellie Stock 01 Nov '12

01 Nov '12

HOMEPAGE MY PROFILE ESSAY ARCHIVE MESSAGE BOARDS CALENDAR A Nun Becomes a Methodist Pastor and Lights up the Big Sky of Montana Try to imagine, if you can, a woman who was a Roman Catholic nun for 18 years, working during those years on a Native American reservation and later taking the level of academic training required of those who wish to become Roman Catholic priests. Next try to imagine this same women wondering just why it was that she was not able to consider a priestly vocation solely because she was a woman. Then try to imagine this woman seeking to follow what she believed was her vocation to be a pastor, leaving her convent and seeking ordination in the United Methodist Church. Then, try to imagine this same woman now for the last nineteen years serving as the senior pastor of one of Montana’s largest Methodist congregations, located in the heart of the state capital of Helena, a church that sits literally in the shadow, less than half a block from the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena. Finally try to envision her now not only happily married to a retired Methodist district superintendent, but also widely respected as one of Montana’s leading citizens. If you can put all of these things together you will have, at least, the external lines that characterize the Rev. Marianne Niesen, the senior pastor of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Helena, Montana. The internal lines of her story are just as impressive. She succeeded in this position a man named the Rev. George Harper, who moved to Montana with his wife and five children about 50 years ago to be the Methodist youth minister for the state of Montana and in time became the pastor of St. Paul’s Church, imprinting his large and open personality on that congregation for 25 years. He then lived 25 more years as a retired man about town, deeply loved and admired by all, while his wife taught drama at a local college and their children became business, social and political leaders in Montana. One of their daughters was even chosen to be “Miss Montana” in the Miss America beauty pageant. George worked all of his life with the young people in the local high school, actually coaching the track team officially and unofficially until just shortly before his death. When he died, about a year ago, the problem his former church faced was where to find a building big enough to accommodate the crowds that were determined to attend his funeral. The auditorium in Helena’s Carroll College was offered and accepted and three thousand plus citizens attended this Methodist ceremony led by former nun, Marianne Niesen, held on the campus of a Roman Catholic school. Among those who attended that service were the Democratic Governor of the state, Brian Schweitzer, the Republican Lt. Governor, John Bohlinger, the two United States Democratic Senators, Max Baucus and Jon Tester, and the single Montana member of the House of Representatives, Republican Danny Rehburg. Several years ago, as part of her commitment to adult education and of her desire to build a theologically trained congregation, the Reverend Marianne Niesen began an annual lecture series in St. Paul’s entitled “Expanding Faith,” which now draws people from as far away as Olympia, Washington; Salt Lake City, Utah; Minneapolis, Minnesota and Arizona. I was their “Expanding Faith” lecturer two years ago and had the pleasure not only of meeting George Harper, but of tasting the life of this incredible congregation, built as it was on George Harper’s love of music, his open and accepting personality and his theological learning. Its life has now been further expanded by Marianne Niesen’s equally broad experience and sensitive leadership. Since his death the lectureship has been renamed “The George Harper Expanding Faith Lecture Series.” Close to three hundred people attended this lecture series this year giving us all a vision of what a church can actually be. The members of the congregation are open theologically, liturgically and socially. They are welcoming to all, including those the world likes to marginalize: minorities, women, and gay, lesbian and transgender people, just to name a few. They are unafraid of “disturbing the faithful” with new knowledge, whether that knowledge be the effects that learning something of the size of the universe has had on our definition of God, the way natural law has forced us to reorder our understanding of prayer, or how the insights of Charles Darwin have not only shaken our biblical fundamentalism, but have also destroyed the way we have traditionally told the Jesus story. If, as Darwin suggests, there was an ever evolving past and not an original perfection, then there could have been no “fall’ into “original sin.” If there was no fall from perfection then it makes little sense to refer to Jesus as “Savior” or to repeat the mantra that “Jesus died for my sins.” Yet this church under the skillful, loving and creative leadership of Marianne Niesen reflects none of the fear that drives some church people into mindless fundamentalism at the same time that others are dropping out of a church life that has become meaningless to them to take up citizenship in “the secular city.” This congregation tackles all issues, welcomes all people and assists all of its members in the task of walking as citizens of the 21st century into the wonder of the mystery of God. I loved being part of this church’s life for a weekend. I loved experiencing the beauty, the openness and the wonder of life in the west under the “big sky.” I loved seeing a church that understands its role in life to be not that of seeking converts, but of enhancing our humanity, of being the leavening yeast in life, the seasoning in the soup of life and the light in the dark corners of life. The biblical image of being a “saving remnant” that exists for the sake and well-being of the whole society is the vocation that the people of this congregation have adopted as their vocation, one they live out boldly in Helena, Montana, where one of their major streets is named “Last Chance Gulch.” For two days prior to my lectures at St. Paul’s, Marianne, her husband Lyle, Christine and I hiked for ten miles or so in the Glacier National Park of Montana, a protected expanse of over one million acres. This protected area was set aside by the farsightedness of the most environmentally sensitive president this nation has ever had, Republican Theodore Roosevelt, and was designated a national park in 1910 by another Republican President, William Howard Taft. On our hikes in that exquisite setting we were not surprised to discover that the only forest ranger we met on the trails greeted Marianne by name! We were also interested to note the concern in this politically conservative western state about what climate change is doing to the natural beauty of our nation. There was no silly talk or uninformed debate in Montana about the reality of climate change, nor any doubt that it is the product of human behavior patterns, primarily the use of fossil fuels. A direct correlation can be demonstrated between the beginning of the industrial revolution in the 19th century and the rise of the use of both the automobile and air travel in the 20th century and the environmental crisis of today. No one that I heard in Montana, no matter how conservative they were politically, referred to environmentalists as “eco-fascists” or “tree huggers,” as Tea Party types do in other parts of our nation. Of the almost 200 glaciers in this park in the 1800’s there are only about 20 today and scientists believe that at the current rate of melting all of this park’s glaciers will be gone by 2020. Some species of trout that require a very cold water temperature to survive are today viewed as an endangered species headed toward the possibility of extinction. The larger animals in Glacier Park are migrating northward toward the climate that they once knew here. On our hikes we saw bears, moose, elk, mountain goats and big-horned sheep. In fact our encounter with a large bull moose with full antlers was at a distance of no more than 15 yards. The nasal snort of this agitated creature was quite clear to our ears. We retreated to safety behind a tree and stood still and silent until the moose finally continued on its journey toward the lake presumably for water, but we became aware of how fragile the park’s life is for many of its inhabitants. That moose is a part of our world and its life and its future are intimately bound up with our life and future. I thought of the present political debate between business leaders who do not want their bottom lines to be affected by environmental concerns and recalled the biblical story of Esau and Jacob in the book of Genesis. Esau represents those human beings who want their needs to be gratified immediately and so he was willing to sell his birthright, and thus his future, to his brother Jacob for a bowl of red lentil soup. That is just the kind of biblical connection that Marianne Niesen, the nun turned Methodist pastor, would call her congregation to consider. I returned to New Jersey grateful that in the Christian Church there are people like Pastor George Harper and Pastor Marianne Niesen. I invite my readers to take a moment and send a message to Marianne at mniesen(a)stpauls-helena.org. Thank her for her witness and her ministry. People ought not to have to wait until their funerals to hear “well done thou good and faithful servant.” ~John Shelby Spong Read the essay online here. Question & Answer Ione O'Hara from North Carolina writes: Question: For years as an Episcopalian, I have taken Holy Communion, questioning along the way the words in the bulletin and announced by the clergy, "All baptized Christians are welcome..." Over the last few years, these words have become so loud and exclusive. I look around and wonder if there are visitors, someone who wandered in off the street, or an unbaptized person...all of them feeling excluded. Recently, our priest gave a beautiful sermon, "This is the House of Prayer for all People." Then the younger clergy person stood before service of Holy Communion began, raised her arms and announced to the congregation," all baptized Christians are welcome..." I have spoken with her about this and she believes that it is important that Holy Communion be kept sacred. In his book, Living Buddha, Living Christ, Thich Naht Hanh describes the time he shared Holy Communion with Daniel Berrigan. How beautiful. I believe our Jesus of history would welcome all. I attended Myers Baptists Church in Charlotte until I moved to Davidson NC, where I met a remarkable priest, David Buck, and welcoming parishioners at St. Alban's Episcopal Church, so I decided to return to the Episcopal Church. At our Sunday services, the “all baptized” words still precede Holy Communion. I am told this is in the Canon. Once a month, there is a Celtic service which does not use the exclusive language so that is where I participate in the ritual of Holy Communion. It is a beautiful time. I continue to go to Charlotte to attend the sessions of Bible Workbench, published by the Education Center here in Charlotte and begun by Bill Dols. In reading and discussing the text, we explore far beyond the literal words, asking ourselves what is the scripture saying to me, my community and the world. In these sessions, I find the New Testament wisdom is not about the rules of the Church but about love and caring. Can you recommend any way in which I might suggest to the Episcopal Church that they consider these words, “All baptized Christians are welcome,” and the impact they may have? Thank you for the wisdom in your books, especially for your historical perspective of the Jesus whose teachings (especially from the Gospel of Thomas) I try to follow. Answer: Dear Ione, I share your concern but the problem is in how the communion service is understood. Is it the “meal of the faithful” for whom the presence of those who are “not baptized” would invalidate its meaning? Or is it the meal of the Kingdom to which people come from north, south, east and west to sit down at the table of Abraham and to share in the meal of human unity. Both of these ideas are present in Christian history. I know of an Episcopal church that has a sign on its door proclaiming: “The only pre-requisite for receiving Holy Communion in this church is that you be hungry.” I recall a Jewish friend of mine who after receiving communion in my church said that since the Last Supper was the first Christian Eucharist, he thought it ought to be noted that all of the Jewish disciples who received the bread and wine from Jesus on that night had neither been baptized or confirmed and yet they were not excluded. When Jesus was quoted as having said, “Come unto me, all ye that travail and are heavily laden and I will give you rest,” he seemed not to exclude anyone. When the church sings the hymn “Just as I am without one plea—O Lamb of God I come” it seems to announce a radical inclusiveness. In the “Parable of the Judgment” related only in Matthew’s gospel, the only standard for judgment in the Kingdom of God appears to be the ability to see the presence or face of God in “the least of these,” who are our brothers and sisters. The activities of attending church, assenting to the creeds or being baptized do not seem to be pre-requisites. That is where I come down. Institutional Christianity in its majority form is in quite another place. I hope you will work for a change away from exclusion. ~John Shelby Spong Announcements Any questions or concerns, please contact us at support(a)johnshelbyspong.com or 503-236-3545. Copyright © 2012 ProgressiveChristianity.org, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have a membership at our website. Our mailing address is: ProgressiveChristianity.org 3530 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Unit 1 Portland, OR 97214 Add us to your address book

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