Member Mission Newsletter #24    

This month:  
STORIES
Nebraska priests explore living the baptismal covenant in all of life
Cindy in her home mission
"A time of opening" for teachers, couples, parents, and liturgy
RESOURCES
"No More Invisible, Silent Christians!"
Planning the Easter Vigil
Religion&Ethics Newsweekly Community and Educational Outreach Kit
FOR MEDITATION
Empowered for mission

 

STORIES

 

 

Bishop Joe G. Burnett had said he wants to see all the members of the diocese "doing the best they can to live out the baptismal covenant as individuals, as congregations, as groups, and as committees."  We were talking by phone planning for my leading the annual priest's conference for 1/31 - 2/3/05.  I asked what he saw as the place of member mission in the life of the diocese at this time.  "Your coming is part of a plan developing for several months to focus on ministry, mission, and equipping people to live out the baptismal covenant."  Accordingly, we opened with the following goal for "Full Living of the Baptismal Covenant."
"For each participant to go home with:
– a fresh appreciation of what God is doing right now through each member;
– ways to increase their members' awareness of what God is doing and their collaboration  with God in God's mission; and
– satisfaction from having had rich dialog about taking baptismal living into all of daily life and the congregation's role in helping that to occur."

 

Six pictures of people, all from one small community, living the baptismal covenant told the story of the church on mission.  Each talked of how they saw God at work in what they were doing and how God was helping them.  Wanda delivering the mail; Sandy, the board chair of a counseling agency; Bruce, the hiker; Cindy at home with six-month old Auden; Kristin and Mark, organic farmers; and Edwina and Phoebe, high school seniors, reading up on Thailand where they are now teaching English for three months.

 

Next, all looked at their own baptismal living with each describing what they were now doing to make the world better at home, at work, in their local community, the wider world, their leisure, and their church – their own spirituality and their part in church life and outreach.  These daily arenas were called their daily mission fields and the primacy of these "member missions" over "congregational missions" in today's world considered.  We discerned God's gifts for carrying on some of the missions described.  A theology affirmed the basis for seeing daily living this way and
worksheets helped each look in depth at one of their daily missions. 

 

Now it was time to explore how congregations might support their members in their daily living of the baptismal covenant.  Participants discussed interesting options from worship; education; spiritual formation; outreach, evangelism, and receiving newcomers; preparation for baptism and confirmation; small groups; and organizations and parish events.  Answering "What do we need for all to live the baptismal covenant fully (in home, work, local community, wider world, leisure, and church – own spirituality; part of my church's life and outreach)?" came next with the bishop observing that member mission needed to be on the agenda for the diocesan program planning session two weeks later.  We concluded with the moving sharing of what was already being done by members in their missions as part of their congregations' outreach.  Of note, was the key part of diocesan aid in getting many of these missions started.

 

Talk of the Windsor Report and diocesan matters were interspersed in the conference.  Rough drafts of two workbooks for member mission – one for individual members and one for clergy – were left for use throughout the diocese.  Many commented on how they might use the exercises done during the conference back home.  Bishop Burnett noted that this was the best turnout yet for the annual priest's conference.
       

 

Cindy in her home mission 

 

Cindy and Auden

 

Cindy and Auden and Jeremiah (working at the time of picture-taking) were Mary, Jesus and Joseph for the Christmas pageant at St. John's, Essex, NY. Mary came in obviously expecting and at ". . . she gave birth . . . " opened her costume to reveal Auden with his delighted smile saying, "I'm so glad to see you all!"  They are at every Tuesday night supper where Auden is a favorite.  When I recalled that Cindy had prayed to become pregnant about five years ago, she said, "It worked?" When asked where she saw God in her mothering, she exclaimed, "Everywhere!"  How does she see God helping her?  "I prayed we be compatible with this new person coming into our house whom we'd not met before.  We are!  I'm amazed how God always seems to prepare you for what's ahead.  Pregnancy prepared me for his arrival.  I fell in love with him as soon as he was born – in a way I've never loved before.  With that love, there's no question of getting through a bad day.  You just do it."
 

 

"A time of opening" for teachers, couples, parents, and liturgy

 

Michelle Mooney, a deacon at St. Mark's in Milwaukee, WI, meets with a group twice a month on Thursday mornings to discuss how to integrate faith into life – how they are doing and where they need support.   While the participants vary, usually four to five meet.  Out of their talk has come a desire to see more done with this sense of a ministry on the other six days of the week.

 

Michelle recalls that the rector, David Pfaff, had already given her a copy of The Alban Institute's recent Congregations which focused on various ministries of lay people.  She made copies and gave them to the group to read.  They decided, after talking with the rector, to convene an affinity group of K - 12 public school teachers who would meet for three Wednesday nights beginning in mid-January.  Simply saying, "Come and talk about your vocation," they began.

 

The first week was given to: what made you want to teach? and what's it like?  The next week: how do you see your faith connecting with your work? where do you find God? of what openings and possibilities are aware?  The third week:  how can we as parish support what you do? and would you like to be an ongoing group?  Fifteen came!  A couple of them said after the first session, "This is wonderful.  We never had anything like this!"  The clergy, David and Kevin Carroll said, "Maybe during Lent let's try affinity groups in the larger parish."  Their previous offerings on Wednesday night had not been well attended.  Sessions are planned with married couples and with parents for Lent.

 

Also out of the Thursday morning group came questions about the new service before Sunday School which is more newcomer friendly and family oriented.  During worship, they want to stand and say, "I need help with . . . " or "I'm facing this (challenge)."  With Michelle's guidance, they have scheduled talks with David that will be open to others who want to join the group.  They will seek to understand David's theology of worship and what things he believes just have to be there by canon and the like. 

 

Michelle is pleased to see this progress toward meeting and talking – "this time of opening" she calls it.  Note some elements that make it possible: people saying what they want; a guide – Michelle – ready to guide them in how to express their desires; and clergy and laity planning to sit and talk through the concerns.
 Contact: The Rev. Michelle Mooney, Deacon, (at home) 2633 North Hackett Ave., Milwaukee, WI 5321; p: 414-964-3118; f: 414-964-3583; michellemooney@sbcglobal.net; (at church) 2618 N. Hackett Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53222 with phone 414-962-0500

 

 

"No More Invisible, Silent Christians!" by A. Wayne Schwab; the phrase "Christ died for your sins" is central to Christian rhetoric. Schwab believes that it has been misinterpreted, however.   He says this leads to people's inability to do the "mission field work" of joining Jesus and making all of life more loving and just.  Go to The Witness: On-line at http://www.thewitness.org/agw/schwab012005.html

 

Planning the Easter Vigil: Consider adding the prophets call to justice to the readings with a passage from Amos or Micah; end the readings with Easter Story followed by the sermon and Holy Baptism – as Louis Weil recommends.  Thus, the readings announce that the candidates are being baptized into the resurrection faith and its call to join the mission of Jesus Christ.

 

Religion&Ethics Newsweekly Community and Educational Outreach Kit uses brief program clips and a detailed leader's guide to explore: Islam and Democracy; Narrative Medicine and Ethics; America's Evangelicals; Religion and the Arts; The Spirit and the Flesh (sexuality); and God and Politics.  A useful introduction to mission in the wider world for all participants.  The current edition is free – funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. – for the asking from czajka@thirteen.org or p212-560-6816 or f212-560-6948.

 

   
FOR MEDITATION: Empowered for mission

 

Jesus was empowered for mission at his baptism.  The whole of the Trinity – the Father and the Spirit – were there with the Son for the empowerment.  So are we empowered for mission in our own baptism, the whole of the Trinity lining up to enable each of us to live the baptismal covenant in our daily mission fields. 
[With thanks to the Rev. Kip Colegrove of St. Mary's, Nebraska City, NE.]