MCN Online Edition
Fall, 2009 |
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Fall, 2009 Print Edition |
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"For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve, We thank you, Lord"
(BCP, Thanksgivings, p. 837)
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| A Look Back at the 77th General Convention
By Solange De Santis |
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 The Episcopal Church, proud of its history and determined in its methods, gathered for the 76th time in General Convention, on this occasion in Anaheim, Calif. from July 8 to 17, and spoke with a clear voice. Leading from opening addresses from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson, the 1100 clergy and lay deputies and 150 bishops focused on mission. They considered mission in a time of economic scarcity, mission to all the baptized, mission to the "least" among us.
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| Helping Neighbors in Need
St. Mary's Outreach Center: Senior Stories |
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By Sandra Simmons
 St. Mary's Church, in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore, closed its doors to worshippers in 1999. But the services offered in the church building since the 1840s have opened doors to many of the residents living just steps away in low-income high-rise senior housing. It takes time for the seniors to trust St. Mary's Outreach Center Resource and Referral Services, but it is well worth the time invested. Helping seniors navigate the often confusing application processes for state and federal benefits is just one of the ways in which this neighborhood focal point assists the residents of Hampden, especially the areas older population.
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| The Tri-Parish Coordinating Committee
By the Rev. Alice Jellema |
How did it start? Was it Paul collecting from the Gentile churches for the relief of famine-stricken Jerusalem? James chiding the church to share the gifts of God? George Kromer re-distributing food and clothing in Baltimore during the Depression?
In the mid-90s, two deacon interns, the Revs. Mary Becker and Mimi Mathews, organized toy and food drives in Howard County through St. Andrew's Church, Glenwood, and sent material goods to the Church of the Guardian Angel, Remington in Baltimore. When the Rev. Lee Ann Tolzmann joined St. Andrew's staff, she broadened the connection and the Tri-Parish Coordinating Committee began.
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| Youth Experience a Week in the City
By William Hardinsky |
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From June 22-25, the Baltimore City community of Remington was visited by the Epiphany Church, Dulaney Valley, youth group. This group consisted of William Hardisky, Meghan Hoofring, Daniel and Alyssa Kornick, Scott and Thomas Thomsen. They were accompanied by Kate McAllister, the Rev. Dr. Kathryn Wajda, and the Rev. Kristofer Lindh-Payne.
Their mission was to become more aware of the city and the lives of those who live there. During their stay there, the Rev. Alice Jellema, rector of the Church of the Guardian Angel, Remington, was their guide. Jellema gave them the opportunity to meet with the residents, employees of Civic Works and AmeriCorps, and witness the results of a community art project and community garden. Many of the youth group members felt that a tighter bond existed among the citizens of the city than you'd find in the suburbs. People looked out for each other and shared the latest news with one other.
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| A Partnership with Room to Grow
By the Rev. Tracy Bruce |
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 Any good partnership allows for the growth and expansion of its partners. Paul's Place began as simple idea with a big heart and a limited budget, and has blossomed into a ministry that involves folks of many religious traditions, addresses a host of needs and now anchors an entire neighborhood. Two Episcopal churches, St. John's Church, Glyndon, and the Church of St. Paul the Apostle, Baltimore, got together 27 years ago to feed the hungry in the West Baltimore neighborhood of Pigtown. Read the entire story... |
| My Experience with Knitting Ministry
By Bayleigh Chappel, 11 |
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Knitting ministries are groups of people who make things like hats, blankets, scarves, mittens and shawls for other people. Knitting ministries donate everything they make to charity. When you make something for others in a knitting ministry you are supposed to pray for the person who will receive it while you are making it.
My church has a knitting ministry. Sometimes they make prayer shawls for people who are sick, but also for our graduating seniors who are going off to college. I just finished my first prayer shawl. It is pink, blue and purple and will likely be given to a girl who left for school this fall. Other times they make hats, scarves and mittens for the homeless community under the 28th Street Bridge in Baltimore, near the Church of the Guardian Angel. We make them all year and given them out in the fall when it starts to get really cold. We have meetings on Monday nights and on the third Saturday each month we bring lunches and stay for four hours.
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| A Chaplain's Good-bye to JHBMC |
On August 26, the Rev. Herb Lodder was honored for his work as the pastoral caremanager of the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore. For five years
Lodder ministered to the sick and dying, to their families, and to those who cared for
them. What follows is Lodder's heartfelt farewell to the medical professionals of JHBMC.
The Rev. William Bell succeeded Lodder as the chaplain at Johns Hopkins Hospital; his
story was published in the fall print edition of Maryland Church News. "There can be a
substantive difference between the anticipation of an experience and looking back on it,"
Lodder wrote in the letter to me that accompanied this speech, and I thought is fitting to
publish his reflections in the fall MCN Online.
-Sharon Tillman, editor
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