by Patricia Harden

​Leadership of the world’s great religions has long been exclusively male. For literally thousands of years. From the Pope to the Ayatollahs and the Dali Lama, men head the world’s major religions. But to quote one of Bob Dylan’s most popular songs from 1964, “The times, they are a-changin.” Albeit slowly.         
 
Women’s History Month (every March) provides us with an opportunity to celebrate the contributions and achievements of women leaders.  Our American Episcopal Church has much to celebrate. We were among the early denominations to ordain women for the priesthood, with our first woman bishop ordained in 1989.  The journey of women in Church leadership culminated with the election of the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori as the first female Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the US in 2006.
 
Long before these modern “firsts,” pioneering Episcopal women played a seminal role in the long journey of humanity toward creating a better, more just and compassionate world. The book, Holy Women, Holy Men, published by the Episcopal Church celebrates 700+ pages worth of Saints.  Among them, are the stories of many noteworthy, even iconic women, who from ancient times through today have impacted their communities—and shaped the course of history. Here are excerpts from this book saluting three brave women, all saints in our Church, whose accomplishments and life work made a lasting difference.
 
Elizabeth Cady Stanton 1815-1902   Women’s Rights Pioneer
 
She and four other women organized the first Women’s Rights Convention at Seneca Falls, New York, July 19–20, 1848. The event set her political and religious agenda for the next 50 years.
 
Although Elizabeth blamed male clergy for women’s oppression, she attended Trinity Episcopal Church in Seneca Falls, with her friend Amelia Bloomer. As a dissenting prophet, Elizabeth preached hundreds of homilies and political speeches in pulpits throughout the nation. Wherever she visited, she was experienced as a holy presence and a liberator. She never lost her sense of humor despite years of contending with opposition, even from friends. In a note to Susan B. Anthony, she said: “Do not feel depressed, my dear friend, what is good in us is immortal, and if the sore trials we have endured are sifting out pride and selfishness, we shall not have suffered in vain.”
 
Vida Dutton Scudder, 1861-1954  Teacher and Social Activist
 
Her love of scholarship was matched by her social conscience and deep spirituality. As a young woman, Scudder founded the College Settlements Association, joined the Society of Christian Socialists, and began her lifelong association with the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross in 1889, a community living in the world and devoted to intercessory prayer.
 
In 1911, Scudder founded the Episcopal Church Socialist League, and formally joined the Socialist party. Her support of the Lawrence, Massachusetts, textile workers’ strike in 1912 drew a great deal of criticism and threatened her teaching position at Wellesley College. Though she initially supported World War I, she joined the Fellowship of Reconciliation in 1923, and by the 1930s was a firm pacifist.
 
Throughout her life Scudder’s primary relationships and support network were women. After retirement, she authored 16 books on religious and political subjects, combining her intense activism with an equally vibrant spirituality. “
 
Adelaide Case: 1887 – 1948  First Full Professor at Episcopal Theological School
   
Adelaide Case received her undergraduate education at Bryn Mawr and her graduate degrees from Columbia University. By the time she completed her doctorate a position had been created for her on the faculty of the Teachers’ College at Columbia and she quickly rose to the status of full professor and head of the department of religious education. In 1941, while her professional accomplishments were at their height, the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was able to convince her to leave her distinguished and comfortable position at Columbia and join the faculty as Professor of Christian Education. Although other women had taught occasional courses in the seminaries of the church, Adelaide Case was the first to take her place as a full-time faculty member at the rank of Professor.
 
Case believed that the point of practicing the Christian faith was to make a difference in the world. As an advocate for peace, she believed that Christianity had a special vocation to call people into transformed, reconciled relationships for the sake of the wholeness of the human family.

St. John’s is excited to announce the upcoming publication of Those Seven References: A Study of the References to "Homosexuality" in the Bible and Their Impact on the Queer Community of Faith by The Rev. John F. Dwyer, one of our Associate Clergy and husband of Minister of Music Ben Riggs. Those Seven References will be released on March 17, 2021, under the Morehouse imprint of Church Publishing, the official publishing house of The Episcopal Church.
 
1. What inspired you to write Those Seven References?
 
Initially, my reasoning was to understand these scriptural passages in a clearer way. As my research continued those reasons morphed into providing myself, and others, with language to interpret and understand these scriptures in ways meant by the original authors of the text; to show that how they have been interpreted inaccurately and continue to be mis-used by those understandings, can be countered with a deeper and more clarifying perception of the texts.
 
2. Who do you hope will read your book?
 
I hope people who have had these texts inappropriately hurled at them because of who they are as a person, and have as a result left church or communities of faith, will learn that God's love of them is true and pure and strong. I also hope that they will find that there are loving communities of faithful people with hearts open and (post-pandemic) arms outstretched to hug them in welcome. I believe this work can open minds and the hearts of those who have not delved deeply into these texts but have simply believed what they have been told from misguided preachers.
 
3. What surprised you the most while researching and writing Those Seven References?
 
I was surprised by the inter-connectivity of these passages, orally created and then written thousands of years apart from each other. The concept that resonates through the multiple ages these passages focus on the importance of respect for individuals, for love of that individual person no matter their heritage or upbringing and is the foundation of God's love for all of us. 
 
4. Why do you think this book remains relevant for today’s readers?
 
In the headlines this week, one of the world's largest Christian sects, the one based in Rome, has again proved the necessity for this kind of work to exist. Although there have been enormous strides toward equality for the queer community in recent years, there have also been regressive local legislative actions seeking to limit those national steps toward equality. The type of education from this type of study is imperative to counter those regressive steps.

JOHN F. DWYER is an Episcopal priest who has served the church in both seminary and parish settings, and had legal and corporate work experiences prior to being ordained. Throughout his life, he searched for ways to witness to and express the all-inclusive love of God, particularly as a married gay man.
 
“John Dwyer masterfully navigates the reader through a biblical journey of re-discover…. This is a must-read not only for the LGBTQIA+ community but also for anyone who seeks to be an ally in the building of the Beloved Community.” —The Rt. Rev. Deon K. Johnson, Eleventh Bishop of Missouri
 
Find out more about Those Seven References and where you can purchase:
Church Publishing 
Amazon 
Barnes & Noble 
Bookshop ​

by the Rev. Scott Denman
​
I recently asked my congregation to give up something for the season of Epiphany. Perhaps it’s something to consider for Lent as well. I suggested that when someone asks them how they were doing, instead of responding “I’m fine”, consider a response that might be more honest. I sometimes respond, “I think I am going to make it”. This response is hopeful, maybe even a little humorous and it doesn’t scare off the person asking about your well-being. It also might present an opportunity for deeper conversation that both of you just might benefit from. You are not alone in those struggles you hide from others.  
 
I really do think I am going to make it, but recently I had to admit how much this time of isolation was impacting me. As someone trying to lead a congregation through a pandemic, I found myself coming face to face with my own tiredness. It happened in the vegetable aisle in Safeway.  I dropped my grocery list on the floor and as I bent over to pick it up, discovered I was still wearing my slippers. I had never been so grateful for my mask. This experience surprisingly became a moment of revelation. I had realized that nearly a year of living in accentuated isolation had caught up to me. I was clearly tired.
 
All this was divine preparation for Sunday’s readings from the book of Isaiah:
 
“Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.”  (Is. 40:28-31)
 
If even the young fall exhausted maybe it was ok to admit my own tiredness. Psychologists are discovering how deeply this time of isolation has impacted us. It has made everyone faint, whether we see it or not. They have learned that even those seemingly insignificant encounters with folks in the grocery line or a passerby you might normally greet or even strike up a conversation with, are important to our well-being. They also attribute the rise of conspiracy thinking to this lack of holding each other in check through daily interaction. It made me wonder if my personal conspiracy was to pretend I was fine.
 
Normal social interactions are like a bubbler in an aquarium, oxygenating the water. If the bubbler is cut off the fish keep swimming but they are slowly being depleted of what they need to thrive. As our social oxygen is depleted we become faint.  We are not fine.
 
The airlines teach us to put our own oxygen mask on first. But what I realized that day in the vegetable aisle was that I needed to see myself on the other side of that equation. I spend most of my life trying to help others get some spiritual oxygen but this time I was the one discovering my need to have someone help me with my mask. It took a walk in my slippers though the vegetable aisle to hear God inviting me to accept some divine help. My strength was renewed by the invitation to be among those who needed oxygen and I was given some hope that I was, indeed, going to make it, but this time I would remember that I will make it with God’s help.

by Kathy Araujo

Background: After decorating our maple tree with photos and names of people from the "Say Their Names" project, a campaign that remembers victims of police brutality we asked parishioners to take an ornament home, research the person and spend time in prayer for the victim. We then asked if participants were willing to share their experience. Here is our first story.

When we were asked to choose one of the people displayed on our maple tree in the Meditation Garden and pray for them, I chose Daniel Prude – for no other reason that I could reach him on the branch. I took him home and did some research, never realizing that he died in police custody, 7 days after his arrest. As I read the horrific details of his death, I began to understand that George Floyd’s death was the tip of the iceberg. I remember sitting at the computer, staring at the screen and shaking my head – over and over again. Dear God.

Here’s the story.
On March 23, 2020, Daniel Prude, a 41-year-old African American was fatally injured after being physically restrained by Rochester, New York, police officers. Prude had been suffering from a mental health episode after ingesting PCP. The officers put a spit hood over his head after he began spitting. They held him face down on the pavement for two minutes and fifteen seconds, and he stopped breathing. Mr. Prude pleaded to be let up, but he seemed to struggle to breathe, according to the body cam footage. His words turned to gurgles, then stopped. After two minutes, Mr. Prude was no longer moving or speaking, and an officer asked, “You good, man?”

When paramedics arrived, Mr. Prude had no heartbeat, and they began CPR. He was revived and taken to a hospital. He later died of complications from asphyxia after being taken off life support.

The autopsy report ruled Prude's death a homicide and also included the contributing factors to his death as "excited delirium and acute intoxication by phencyclidine, or PCP". The killing first received attention in September 2020 (remember, the incident happened in MARCH!) when the police body cam video and written reports were released along with the autopsy report. Seven Rochester police officers involved in the encounter with Mr. Prude were suspended on Sept. 3, the day after the release of the body camera footage and more than five months after Mr. Prude’s death. The disciplinary action was the first taken in the more than five months since Mr. Prude died.

It’s too late to pray for Mr. Prude. But it isn’t too late to pray for justice for him!
​
Dear God, open the hearts of those who perpetrate this horrific and cruel behavior and those who turn a blind eye to the suffering of the helpless who feel the brutal force of another person’s knee on their neck. Help us find the courage to speak up and demand justice for those who can no longer speak for themselves. Amen.

Jerry and Bonnie Moran, along with Sallie Sadler, created what they called VISION — Volunteers in Support of Oakland’s Needs.

“Our desire was to get some food into the hands of people in the homeless camps,” Jerry said.

Soon, the three found themselves standing in a drugstore parking lot in Oakland’s Fruitvale district, meeting with Pastor Vincent. Vincent had arrived in his delivery van, which, Jerry suspects, “he kind of lives in.”

Food for the Camps
The three volunteers learned that the need in Oakland’s homeless camps was for food that didn’t need refrigeration. Food that Pastor Vincent could deliver to people he knew as well as to people he had just met at the various camps, bus stops and doorways around town.

The group met, talked and settled on a meal of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches combined with a hard boiled egg and whatever the VISON crew could pick up each week at the Alameda County Community Food Bank  — fruit, shelf stable milk, juice boxes, protein bars, or pop top cans of chicken and tuna. Later, stores like Trader Joe’s, Safeway and Lucky would contribute much-needed bottled water.

"Often stereotyped as annoying, categorized as worthless, the homeless easily become objects of neglect and abuse . . . we continue to recognize them without judgment or condemnation".  — Mission for the Homeless website

When Kellor Smith, the youth and family ministries director at St. John’s, heard about the VISION idea, she saw a way for the church’s youth to get involved.

“All were getting a little COVID lock-down crazy and many wanted todo a hands-on action that went directly to a person in need,” she said.

A Mission Trip Canceled
The pandemic had shut down much of the church’s youth ministry, including a mission trip to the Mexico-Texas border to work with families coming into the U.S.  Kellor saw the VISION program as a way for the church’s children and teens to stay connected and to be of service.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Hard boiled eggs? Kellor was pretty sure the youth of St. John’s were up to the task. Some outreach quickly resulted in sixteen families becoming part of the 45  households who ultimately participated.

Now every Thursday morning volunteers gather, outdoors when possible, at St. John’s. Masked and socially distanced, they fill 160 oversized shopping bags with items from the food bank. Later 16 or so St. John’s families will come by, each with ten homemade sandwiches and ten hardboiled eggs to place into the bags.

A similar operation is conducted at St. John’s on Wednesdays to prepare sixty bag lunches for Operation Dignity, which also serves local homeless, including veterans.

Big Bags of Food, Ready for Delivery
The fact that the St. John’s bags — large No. 8 bags from a restaurant supplier — are filled and ready to distribute to Oakland’s homeless camps is a huge help, Pastor Vincent said. On other days, the contributions from multiple sources require the time-consuming work of putting together the individual bags.

The PB & J project has been going on for eight months now, and the St. John’s families continue to find a place in their already busy routines for spreading peanut butter and boiling eggs.

Second Thoughts
Last September, one St. John’s teen pointed out to his mother that school would be starting up soon and “I won’t have to time to make the sandwiches.”

But then he added, “Oh, wait. They are hungry every day . . . I will fit it in each week.”

This story was originally published on Barbara's website, BarbaraFalconerNewhall.com, where she posts her weekly Riffs on Life. A long-time member of St. John's, Barbara is the author of "Wrestling with God: Stories of Doubt and Faith," which includes a fascinating interview with former St. John's parishioner Geoff Machin.

Santa (my daughter) dropped off cookie kits to all the youth. We had set a date to decorate them together for a youth group meeting.
 
We gathered, shared our rose and thorns for the season. When we talked, we shared the positives and negatives of how we would be celebrating Christmas in 2020. Each of them enjoyed sharing their decorated cookies, as you can see in the photos.
 
During our gathering there were times of chatter and times of silence.  When I asked, “if they enjoyed the silence?” 
 
One of the kids said, "my head does not often have a chance for inner and outer silence these days. It is nice. Decorating the cookies is like a prayer. We are not trying to answer a school question. You are letting us be together with smiles on our faces and I can't wait to fill my smile with these cookies!"
 
I shared that as we are in a community and breaking "cookies " together, it was like communion. So, we said a prayer together. We all wished we had a glass of milk to share too. We all prayed for a vaccine and that we would be able to decorate cookies together in 2021.
 
-Kellor Smith
Director of Youth and Families
 

As we enter Advent, we begin thinking of new ways to engage and prepare for the coming of Christ. Things are going to be a little different than we are used to this year, but that means we have an opportunity to do something new!

I am very excited to see how our Christmas Drive Through is shaping up. From December 18th to 29th from 5-9 PM St. John’s will host a quarantine-friendly drive through Nativity complete with lights, music, Wise Men and, of course, the Holy Family. Be sure to drive through and tell your friends and family to come by! Great way to celebrate from the safety of your own car.

This year we also figured out ways that will help us engage in our community, by having a drive through where our neighbors can attend from the safe distance in their cars. We created postcards so you can share a ZOOM worship experience with friends and family on the east coast or anywhere in the world. This is a chance to share the good news with people about a story of hope, love, and joy.

It is amazing how global we have become - last Sunday we had some visitors from Idaho, and at our Harriet Tubman Bible Study, people from New York and Calgary, Canada joined us. This is what sharing the Good News looks like. We continue to find new ways to engage.

​Last month when I preached, you might remember I asked people to take an ornament from our maple tree and “say their names”. We in fact had 30 people interested in doing this sort of prayer work. As our VISION ministry expands during winter not only to provide food but needed warm clothing, St John’s members have stepped up and will continue to step up this month. Even though this year is different, I am excited about this season, and I’m looking forward in anticipation of the Christ Child coming. There are so many ways to greet our Lord and Savior!

​Jon +

Throughout 2020 I have been amazed at how this year has invited us deeper into the stories of our faith. When the pandemic arrived, forcing us to isolate, I sadly, but somewhat jokingly, wrote to you, saying, “I bet you never thought you would give up church for Lent.” We all felt this dread that we were being thrown out of orbit from the planet of our faith, never to return. That fear has proven vastly unfounded.

Giving up church for Lent became more like giving up ways of doing church that we were comfortable with. That has not been a bad exercise, quite the contrary. Learning new ways of being church has not closed down our sense of possibility but, instead, opened our minds to new ways of being open and more inclusive as a church.

More profoundly, we did not lose our faith, but were introduced to it in a new way. I for one, found it easier to preach an Easter sermon, because we were closer to the experience of the disciples who, as the story goes, were also surrounded by political turmoil, filled with fear and practicing a lock down of their own. The stories of our faith actually came alive because we were all living in a context that had significant similarities with the original story. And now as we enter Advent, a season of waiting and longing, don’t we also know more clearly the things we long for, and what it’s like to practice the patience we need to wait for solutions to arrive?

In a way, the story of Christmas can be seen as the ultimate story to meet everything 2020 has thrown at us. It is a story of a frightened couple whose lives have been disrupted, seeking a safe place to call home. It is a story about shepherds, the essential workers of that day, being filled with fear as angelic messengers interrupt their lives with a challenge to embrace hope. It is a story about wise thought leaders seeking a new narrative, even crossing borders to find a new beginning with people of different cultures and ethnicities.

The Christmas story even happened during a census, a sign of political turmoil in that day. Christmas is the story of God becoming one of us, choosing to be right in the middle of our lives. The stories of faith did not float away into obscurity during 2020, they came alive, finding their way to the center of own story. So here we are, in the darkest time of the year, waiting and hoping for things to change. Welcome to Advent. May we all continue to discover that the stories of our faith are actually stories about our own lives. Both

Advent and Christmas are Whose Story Is It? about embracing a very old story as a very new story, discovering that their message continues to be birthed every moment of every day as we journey into the future. These stories are our stories. So, let us journey with a renewed sense of God’s love and presence in our lives, for unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given.

Scott+