Member Mission Newsletter #27     

This month:  
STORIES
• Woman mayor convenes all the mayors of the Black Belt of Alabama
• Member mission at St. Luke’s, Coeur D’Alene, ID
• Some ways a law firm carries on the mission in its work
RESOURCES
• “Baptismal Enrichment Teams – Presentation” – a resource for sharing leadership in a congregation by John M. LeSueur, II
• “The Child as Consumer: A North American Problem of Ambivalence Concerning the Spirituality of Childhood in Late Capitalist Consumer Culture” – an article by Joyce Ann Mercer
• “Eternal Life is the Fountain of Hope” – a sermon by the Rev. Roger Alling
• “Workshop on Ministry in Daily Life” – by the Rev. Roy Walworth
FOR MEDITATION
[Five different thoughts]
IN MEMORIAM
Diana M. Montenegro

 

STORIES

 

 

[A January headline from The Demopolis Times read “Williamson’s effort draws area leaders together” as it told of Episcopalian Cecil Williamson’s ground-breaking work as the new mayor of Demopolis, AL.  Here’s her story from a phone call. I am the interviewer.  – AWS]

 

Cecil welcomes the Hon. Artur Davis, US Representative for her district. Demopolis Times.

What led you to spearhead this effort to get the mayors together?   “Frustration – my own and hearing the frustration of others.  When I was weighing running for mayor, I talked with nearby mayors.  They were frustrated with being unable to get the attention of Montgomery (Alabama’s capital) or Washington on grants for infrastructure, economic development, or job corps work.  I saw that only if we banded together could we get anyone’s attention to our needs.  We are called the Black Belt with 60% of our people black.  We are an agri-rural area of five counties that altogether have barely 100,000 people.  Demopolis is the largest city with 8,000; the next largest is 4,000.  The schools and hospitals are the biggest ‘businesses.’  We resolved to work on our greatest common need, not the individual needs of each small community.  Twenty-seven mayors came to our first meeting.  Eighteen were black, the rest white; three were women, the rest men.

 

“We found that our common need of the moment was to know that grants were available and how to get them.  Note that, of all the mayors, I am the only one who does not have a separate full time job with mayoral work being done part time.  They don’t have time to be part of the meetings of the Alabama League of Municipalities.  So we were going to bring the people with the information we need here to us.  Twenty-four came to that next meeting.  By the July meeting, they hope to have found a common project to bring economic development to the area.   We have four consultants now for every meeting – one from Congressman Davis’ office, one from the power company, and two from the state.

 

“I had some important help.  The Dean of Economic Development at the University of West Alabama, Dr. James Mock, worked closely with me.  We talk and come up with ideas and he implements them.  He arranges for the meetings, gets the speakers, sees to lunch, everything.  I’ve only been in office since October so I need all his help.  Located in the middle of the Black Belt, the University sees its role to be the enabler for the area.

 

 

“I sensed that in the whole scheme of things.  I opened the first group saying, ‘I want us to get away from the ‘me / I’ve got to take care of myself’ attitude.  All of us here learn from scripture that the more you give, the more you get.  That’s what we are about here.  We are talking about giving and giving and giving and we are going to reap all kinds of rewards when we give and give and give.’

 

“I do believe God sent me to this spot.  I have knocked on all the doors of the church to be ordained but been refused.   All the training, all the work I’ve done, all the skills I have learned and scratched from the church, I am using in this work as mayor.  With all that’s going on in the Church right now, I am here where I can make a difference. 

 

Once the meeting got going where did you see God helping you to do it?

 

“The energy in the room.  Later, a reporter who had been there said, ‘There was so much energy in that room it was almost spiritual.’  It’s like being at a Cursillo.  I walked away from that meeting divinely inspired!  Everybody has this desire to join hands and work together.  It is phenomenal.  It is the Spirit!  If I am willing to walk into a place when I have no idea what’s there but know that God will be there with me then I will walk in with my head up and a smile on my face and say, ‘Hi, I’m Cecil Williamson and how are you?’

 

 

“It was a huge decision and not one I made lightly.  My husband mentioned it first.  I said, ‘No, I’d be crazy and I couldn’t get elected.’  Well, I tried to recruit some to run but each said no.  Then, one Sunday, a friend at church said, ‘Why don’t you run?’  I prayed; talked to my husband and my children and my spiritual director and my priest; and I started to go to Council meetings.  Then I talked with the nearby mayors asking a lot of questions including, ‘Is a woman electable?  Am I electable?’  One day, that same woman asked me again about running.  I said, ‘Okay, if you’ll be my campaign manager.’  She said, ‘Okay, but you have to do just what I tell you.’

 

“My campaign committee was thoroughly mixed by work, age, gender and race.  I insisted we meet in my home.  We met every two weeks for just one hour.  I thought if nothing else comes out of this we have had blacks and whites meeting in a home on this side of town.  That was what told me God was at work.

 

“I went door-to-door asking, ‘What do you want to see happen in Demopolis?’ and writing down the answers on a notepad.  Even though I grew up in this city, there are areas I had never traveled. With that said, never once in all my door knocking was I afraid or did I feel alone. In fact, in one very questionable neighborhood, a man walked by me and said, ‘Miss, I know why you are down here.  You need to get on with your business and get out of here.’  I replied, ‘I am not here alone.’  It was an awesome and powerful feeling to know it, to feel it, and to say it out loud.  On another day, I was advised by a member of the black community how to respond when asked, ‘How are you?’  The correct response is ‘I am very blessed, thank you; and how are you?’  This is my normal response now.

 

 

[Cecil had two weeks of training in how to consult with congregations wanting to develop their ministry in evangelism.  This training was offered through the Evangelism Ministries Office of the Episcopal Church Center during the late 80s and early 90s.]

 

“All of it was very, very helpful – group design skills, how to get people on board, how to build consensus, how to empower people so they felt they were part of the decision, and let them know they are part of the decision.  Bringing diverse groups to the table and coming away with consensus – that is huge.  Bill Yon had me read Getting to Yes (Penguin, 1991) on negotiating skills.  It’s about people’s points being valid; and giving everybody the chance to put what they need on the table so that everybody has respect.  That’s unheard of in small rural areas.

 

“If asked about this training, I’d say, ‘It training will help you to be a better person; a better parent; a better worker; a better participant in civic life; a better child of an aging parent.  This training will give you the pieces to make sense of those situations and to make them work better for both others and for you.  It enables me to say to myself, ‘Step back here and be a better listener – hear what people are really saying, not just the words.’  Whether it’s one of my children on the phone; or my spouse; or someone complaining about a water bill; or a board that is not getting anywhere with just talk, talk, talk; listen!  That’s the gift of this kind of training.  It does not focus on you but on how you function where God places you.

 

“Thank you for letting me share a relearning – that God is truly in charge, we just have to get out of the way and allow that to happen.  I would not be where I am today had I not just given up and said ‘OK, what is it you want from me?’  Wayne, every day is a surprise, to me.  I am so blessed to be in this chair . . .”

 

 

 

After last Fall’s Sunday morning discussion sessions of WTMATM with a small group, Pat Bell says St. Luke’s is finding it “to be monumental for us.”  Pat comes out of Eastern Oregon’s long work on mutual ministry.  The mid-March vestry retreat used the book as a resource in planning.  Pat has been using material from the book and from Wes Frensdorf in sermons with very good response.  Pat talks of “the home place, the work place, and the play place.”  He also emphasizes being willing to work together with others in a variety of ways to serve in the community.  They partner with the local branch of St. Vincent’s de Paul which supports transitional housing for families and children in need.  To get them involved, the children of St. Luke’s did art work which was auctioned for $800 on Palm Sunday.  The income will buy sports equipment and a thousand books for the 36 children at St. Vincent’s who range from newborn to early teens.  Some 60 church members help in that ministry alone.
  Contact: The Rev. Patrick Bell, 501 E. Wallace Ave., Coeur D’Alene, ID 83814–2955; 208-664-5533; frpbell@ spirituality.

 

Some ways a law firm carries on the mission in its work

 

The senior managers of a large insurance company in a southern state are firm believers.  Monthly staff meetings open with prayer and close with a five minute devotional.  The preacher is an outsider.  While open, the office empties out before noon  on Good Friday.  They seek to practice the Golden Rule and focus on helping both their customers and each other.  In their seeking to love their neighbors, they put others before themselves and, in times of conflict, are steadfast in adhering to their principles.
     Contact: A lawyer who has worked with them as clients for over five years.

 

RESOURCES
 
“Baptismal Enrichment Teams – Presentation”  This CD in Power Point slides is a resource to develop shared leadership by clergy and laity in congregational life.  It connects with member mission in seeing that the church does not have a mission.  God has the mission and God’s mission has a church.  It also uses the diagram of a congregation in member mission that appears on page 122 of WTMATM.  Get a copy from Deacon John T. LeSueur, II, 18 Gaita Drive, Derry, NH 03080; 603-216-2625; lesueurj@comcast.net.
    
“The Child as Consumer: A North American Problem of Ambivalence Concerning the Spirituality of Childhood in Late Capitalist Consumer Culture”  Sewanee Theological Review (Christmas 2004), by Joyce Ann Mercer.  Advertising teaches children to accept TVs and cell phones in place of their parents.  Relationships with children are structured around consumption and the market values of self-interest and utilitarianism.  For a copy, call 1-800-722-1974 and ask for the STR office; or write STR, School of Theology, Sewanee, TN 37383-0001.  Mercer’s book, Welcoming Children (to be published in November 2005; see www.chalicepress.com or 1-800-231-8500), will address strategies of resistance and action for parents. 

 

“Eternal Life is the Fountain of Hope”  A sermon on a spirituality grounded in hope is revolutionary.  Link it with our mission to change the world around us.  The Rev. Roger Alling: Lent V, Year A; Ezekiel 37:1-14, John 11: 1-44; at St. Boniface Church, Sarasota, FL; March 13, 2005.  Find it on the web site at Making the Vision Work > Sermons.

 

“Workshop on Ministry in Daily Life”  An outline for sharing our experiences of encounters with Jesus and connecting them with our ministries in daily life; used with Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of Wyoming at their Spring Conference, April 2, 2005; by the Rev. Roy Walworth of Evanston, WY at rwalw@allwest.net; home, 307-789-1931; work, 307-444-2601.  Find it on the website at Making the Vision Work > Session plans and ideas.

 

FOR MEDITATION

 

“. . . relevance means not so much translating the church’s language to the culture as translating the culture’s language back to the church; relevance means making theological sense of the depth that people discover in the oddest places of ordinary living and then using that experience to draw them to the source of that depth.”  Scott Bader-Saye in The Christian Century, 11/30/04, p. 25.

 

“. . . the poor are invisible and poverty is a culture . . . poverty has many causes – discrimination, lack of educational opportunity, economic policies, lifestyle and more.”  Michael Harrington as summarized in Initiatives, Jan. and Feb., 2005, p. 4.

 

Emphasizing that the six mission fields are with us 24/7/365 is one way to free each other of individualism and a spirituality centered on inwardness.  – AWS

 

“Every worshiper should know where the eucharistic bread was made and where the altar wine comes from.”  Initiatives, Dec., 2004, p. 3.

 

Samuel Huntington says the “core culture” of Protestantism is individualism, the work ethic, and moralism (from Religion in the News, Winter 2005, p.17).  How often do Christians seek to reinterpret these values?   –AWS

 

IN MEMORIAM