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The Messenger
News from the Cathedral of the Incarnation
May 2011 - Centennial Issue |
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Cathedral Staff
Dean
The Very Rev.
Hal T. Ley Hayek
Assistant Priest for Christian Formation
The Rev. Sara L. Shisler
Pastoral Associate
The Rev. Ben Smith
Deacon
The Rev. Dr.
Jon Shematek
Youth Chaplain
The Rev. Beth McNamara
Parish Administrator
Caroline Bomgardner
Administrative Assistant & Wedding Coordinator
Hannah Brown
Canon for Music & Worship
Ken Brown
Children's Choir Director
Michael Morgan
Outreach Coordinator
Amy Myers
ERICA Administrators
Hadley Mellin
Jacqui DeSimone
Chapter
Senior Warden
John McDonnell
Junior Warden
Enechi Modu
Registrar
Gretchen Marcus
Treasurer
Cara Morris
Diocesan Representative
Debbie McClennan
Elected Members
Joe Briggs
Meg Craun
Karen Davis
Tom Ellwanger
David Koch
Tania Laguerre Anderson
Mark Looney
Paul Meecham
Hadley Mellin
Blessing Ogamba
Kristen Ray
Jane Vanko
Youth Representative
Caroline Davis
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Parish Register
Baptism
Sahil Aaron Vesley
May 1, 2011
Confirmation
Greg McCarty
Mara Murdoch
Terry Pritt
April 23, 2011
Received
John Maniyatt
Malia Maniyatt
Richard Thompson
April 23, 2011
Official Transfer
Allison Cappelaere
Marriage
Melissa (Missi) Walsh &
Timothy Smith II
May 14, 2011
For information about becoming a member, please contact the office
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Coffee Hour
Many thanks to our coffee hour hosts:
Kelly Duke Bryant
Joe Briggs &
Sarah Wolfenden
Sara Sides
Barb Ruble &
friends
Aleta Powell
Evelyn Zink &
Tom Ellwanger
Betsy Huttar
If you would like to host
a coffee hour, please contact
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2011 Budget
Anticipated Income
$629,383
Anticipated Expenses
$683,301
Anticipated shortfall
$53,918
Are you able to help with the deficit?
It's not too late to send in a pledge card.
They are available in the pews and in the front of the Cathedral.
Thank-you!
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The next pledge statements will be mailed out during the first week of July.
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Enduring Prayer List
We continue to offer prayers for those on our enduring prayer list.
O God, accept our prayers and grant to your serants the help of your power that their health may be restored. Amen.
Annie, Peter, Frank, Richard, Marion, Richel, Sudan, Marilyn, Peter, Shannon, Rachel, Holly, Jack, Douglas, Barbara, Norm, Donna, Ezra, Tora, Margie, Richard, Annabelle, Kirkie, Joan, Lorrie & Charlotte
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We pray for those deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries of unrest, especially Noah Price and Stephen Eres, friends of Jacqui DeSimone, Lotta Smagula, sister-in-law of Emily Hoffman, Alexander Cole, godson of Evelyn Zink and Christopher Pehrson, friend of Evelyn Zink. We pray also for the families left behind.
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Contacting Pastoral Care
· 410 467 3750
· option 4
· leave a message with contact information
When you are in need of emergency pastoral care, please call the office number and select option four. This will take you to the on-call pager system. You will be asked to leave a message. When you have left a message, the system will notify the clergy person on call.
We rotate the pastoral staff on call on a bi-weekly basis. So there is always someone on call. We will return your call as quickly as possible. Try to remember to provide a contact phone number, and where you are when you call.
A pastoral emergency can be a sudden hospitalization, news of someone's death, other issues of grief and loss, going into delivery, or a situation where you are seeking a caring person for crisis care.
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My task today is to outline the arc of our Centennial celebration. As the Incarnation community at the Cathedral of the Diocese of Maryland, we have the opportunity to offer the city of Baltimore a unique view of the world. This is a bold statement. Yet it is true.
Over the next six months we will begin a series of conversations about the purpose of our worship, the place of a 21st Century Cathedral in the public square, the needs of the city, the reality of race in the city and church, and what church might look like moving forward. My belief is that such conversations are the work of a Cathedral, stepping out and offering a safe place to talk about difficult subjects. And not only to talk about them, but to help shape a meaningful response to the challenges we live with in Baltimore.
Some of us may say: "I belong to the Cathedral, but I don't live in the city." While this may be literally true in many cases, as a faith community our reality is that all people are our brothers and sisters, especially those who live more distressed lives, whether in the city or elsewhere. Our primary metaphor as church is to be the body of Christ. Jesus did not suffer death and resurrection or give his saving and life-giving spirit for only a few of us. So considering our lives from a perspective of spiritual health, it matters to each one of us how well off everyone is, even those who we will never meet or know. This is a challenging philosophy; and we can only appreciate and understand its beauty as we act together locally, in this place, in this city.
On Pentecost, Sunday, June 12, 2011, at 10 AM, we begin our celebration. I have invited Dr. Alexander Shaia to preach because of his extensive background in working with Christian formation; I have asked him to lift up how our liturgy is formative. The question for us to reflect on is how our principal act worship on Sunday mornings actually shapes how we view and live out our coming week. We will honor our Sunday school teachers and youth leaders, welcome a new member into the community, and pray for the spirits gifts to flourish through us.
Following our liturgy the community is invited to gather on the lawn at the Peace Cross for a picnic. We will take time to celebrate our life together with fellowship, food and games. This is a time for all ages to be together and enjoy one another.
Wewill continue our celebration that day at a service of Evensong in the evening of Pentecost at 5 PM. Evensong is a great service, and perfect way for Christians to worship together. Evensong is also a service that easily welcomes the interfaith community. We have invited the ecumenical and interfaith community to join us in Evensong. . We will have our new Assistant Bishop Joe Burnett to officiate. As Preacher, I will take the opportunity to lift up the community and the Cathedral as a place for serious dialogue about the future of Baltimore and the reign of God in this place. I am privileged to have this opportunity.
During July and August I hope that you will consider joining a reading group of the Cathedral of the Incarnation. There are many books that could be chosen, but I would like us to work with the book, Not in My Neighborhood, by Antero Pietila. I hope this book might help us reflect on the city we live in and how we are a part of Baltimore. I hope that it stirs us and that we can allow such stirrings to arise. My hope is through our summer reading we will be able to articulate several goals for our ministry as part of the City of Baltimore.
As we emerge from summer on Sunday, October 2 we will dedicate the Peace Chapel in honor of the ministry of the Dean Emeritus Van H Gardner. We will gather on the east lawn at 10 AM that morning to begin our celebration. Bishop Theodore Eastman will be our celebrant.
Our study is one step in continuing to understand our ministry in the city. And our celebration to dedicate the Peace Chapel reminds us that prayer is our beginning and resting origin of all our work. As we move into November our conversation will broaden to consider how our witness to being faithful is changing. We will have at least two opportunities to reflect on being church in the 21st century.
We will host a two day conference on Thursday and Friday November 10 -11 with Brian D. McLaren, Alexander Shaia, PhD., and The Rev. Mpho Tutu. This is an open dialogue about the future of being Church. Each of these author comes from a distinct prospective and will share their prospective with us. This is an event open to the East Coast Central region and so as hosts we are helping to make it available to this wider community.
As we conclude our centennial celebration on Sunday November 13 Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton will join us. This is our visitation. I have asked the Bishop to reflect on his vision of Church and leadership for 21st Century Christians. We will have this time to draw together the reflections of our centennial year. We will also join with our Bishop and look toward our ministry on our horizon.
This celebration is designed to deepen our sense of community, inspire our souls and minds, and invite us to step out further into Baltimore. As we journey together remember that the Spirit of God can cause us to do in this world more than we could ever imagine. I invite you to participate in a season of celebrating our centennial; a foundation of faith, a new century of action.
Peace, Hal
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Save the date for these special events!
Sunday, June 12
10:00 AM 100th Pentecost Holy Eucharist with
Holy Baptism Service
Dr. Alexander Shaia - Preacher
The Very Rev. Hal T. Ley Hayek
Commissioned Centennial Anthem
Prayers will be spoken in different languages
Wear Red - Perfect Pentecoastal t-shirts are available!
Picnic to follow on the Peace Cross Lawn
5:00 PM Centennial Evensong
The Very Rev. Hal T. Ley Hayek - Preacher
The Right Rev. Joe Goodwin Burnett - Officiant
1911 prayers and anthem will be sung
Reception to follow
Sunday, October 2
10:00 AM Dedication of the Gardner Peace Chapel
The Right Rev. A. Theodore Eastman - Celebrant
Dean Emeritus Van H. Gardner - Preacher
Reception to follow
Thursday - Friday, November 10-11
A conversation on the future of the church
Dr. Alexander Shaia, Brian D. McLaren and
The Rev. Mpho Tutu
Sunday, November 13
8:00 AM and 10:30 AM
The Right Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton Visitation
The future of Church
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Bring your lawn chairs and blankets... |
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B ring your lawn chairs, your blankets, and your appetite on June 12th when we continue our centennial celebration at a picnic following the 10:00 AM service. Hot dogs and hamburgers were certainly around at the beginning of the last century, but we've added veggie burgers, grilled chicken, and other picnic fare. Cathedral youth are creating games for the children and planning continues for a memorable celebration.
Volunteers are needed for set-up and clean-up, for serving, and for food preparation. Please call Fran Brown (410-467-1399) or email if you can help or have an idea or suggestion for the picnic.
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Music and Our Centennial Celebrations |
On Sunday morning, June 12, at our 10:00 service, we will be celebrating our 100th Pentecost at the Cathedral. We will have the world premiere of our commissioned anthem "Holy Sonnet XV", text by John Donne and music by Theodore Morrison. All three living former music directors, Norman Scribner, Theodore Morrison, and Herb Dimmock, will be here to take part in the service. There are rumors of several returning choir members coming in to sing, as well.
Sunday evening at 5:00 we will be inviting the Diocese and members of other faith communities to a choral Evensong to celebrate our Centennial. This worship service will include prayers, hymns and even the anthem sung at the first service. This worship service from 1911 was played by the Cathedral's first organist, John Paul Tingle. His great-grandaughter and her two sons are planning to attend this special service. |
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How did we get to be 100 years old? |
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--Mary Klein
Archivist, Epsicopal Diocese of Maryland
Before a Cathedral could be build for the Diocese of Maryland in the city of Baltimore, support, both philosophical and monetary, had to be raised. Bishop William Paret (who was bishop from 1885-1911) remembered his initial response to the question of building a cathedral."... I had been asked whether I wanted a Cathedral. I said that I did, if I could have it after my own ideas. I did not want the five millions proposed for New York and for Washington. I would be content with one-third of that sum. I should want it placed not in the rich or aristocratic part of the city, for the enjoyment of the wealthy, but among the poor. One-half of the money should be used for buildings, and one-half as an endowment for the support of the work. The seats must always be free; no pew rents or pledges, but voluntary offerings at every service, which should be used for missions and for charity. The ushers should be instructed to give the best seats to the plainer people, and to put those in gay clothing further off. This idea
 of a Cathedral did not meet the popular wish."
Many of Bp. Paret's ideas sound familiar to twenty-first century parishioners of the Cathedral of the Incarnation. His idea of using money received at free-will offerings "for mission and for charity" resound with the Cathedral's commitment to outreach within the city of Baltimore - building homes for Habitat for Humanity, supporting ERICA's priority of resettling refugees, our partnership with inner city schools, helping to supply a food pantry in partnership with the Church of the Guardian Angel, supporting the House of Ruth and the Women's Housing Coalition, to name a few ongoing ministries.
The Cathedral has been blessed with clergy who have stayed in the same place for many years, taking time to grow and support their commitments to ministry. The Rev. Harold Noel Arrowsmith was canon at what was known as  the Pro-Cathedral for 35 years - from 1916-1951. Canon Arrowsmith was attuned to national world events and issues of world peace, having served as a chaplain in France during World War I. The topics listed for sermons preached at afternoon services at the Cathedral for 1937 included "Social conditions and our young people", "Recent developments in Europe", "the Church and the Negro", and "Prospects for peace". Guest preachers at the morning service included a missionary to Alaska College ministry was also important to Canon Arrowsmith, the Cathedral hosting college conferences, and youth ministry flowered in the Young People's Fellowship which met on Sunday evenings and discussed "psychology, missions, the negro problem, and various religious topics". Children regularly participated in the festivals of the church and an active Sunday School was emphasized.
The Rev. John Peabody came to the Cathedral in 1952 and stayed until 1984. He stressed commitment to ecumenical work, college work, the world mission of the Church, working towards world p eace, and refugee resettlement. Early in his ministry at the Cathedral, he challenged Chapter members to make a courageous commitment to the mission of the church at home and abroad by setting the lofty goal of committing 50% of its revenue for mission. Under his leadership, the Cathedral was consecrated in 1955 following the elimination of all debt, and he was named the first Dean. The Cathedral House was built in 1967 to house offices, the Cathedral kindergarten, and Sunday School rooms.
The Rev. Van H. Gardner was called as the Cathedral's second Dean in 1987, and promptly set to work revitalizing a congregatio n in a sad state of depression. Immediate attention was called to understanding the Baptismal Covenant by creating small foyer groups, creating an early Christmas Eve service friendly to children, establishing the Cathedral Re-Entry Program, and inaugurating the annual Chapter retreat. To provide the Cathedral with a more open-looking and welcoming entry, Dean Gardner proposed that the wall in front of the building be removed and a new stair way built. And all in his first year! In his 21 years as Dean, the vibrant, exciting community committed to outreach and spiritual growth emerged, setting the stage for a new century of progress.
As we celebrate one-hundred years of worship at the corner of University Parkway and Charles Street, The Very Rev. Hal T. Ley Hayek's tenure as Dean is not yet two years old, but if the pattern holds true, he can be expected to stay for many years to come. The vision of the Cathedral in the city square serving as a beacon of hope and courage in a needy world encourages us to be in community, to build up the body of Christ, so that we can continue in Bishop Paret's initial vision of a people committed to works of "mission and charity". |
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--Mary Jane Hall
The colors of Pentecost will be very present on the altar on June 12. We are reminded, visually, of the coming of the Holy Spirit-the colors of flame, the tongues of fire-the great celebration of Pentecost in the Christian faith.
It is also the celebration of the first Eucharist of our community of the Church of the Incarnation, the 100th anniversary of our parish. We are also reminded of the financial gifts of the two small parishes which used their endowments to form the new parish: The fantastic vision that permitted the eventual birth of the parish that became our cathedral community. There were many efforts that finally culminated in who we are today.
The flowers that will represent this vision could not have been imagined in 1911. They could not have been transported to Baltimore at that time, though they were growing in an environment, fiery and exotic. Baltimore had just survived a serious and destructive fire. Our bright floral flames of fire will represent our future in our community. |
| Cathedral T-shirts - available May 22nd! |
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T-shirt sales begin May 22
Perfect P entecostal Picnic-wear!
Childrens sizes $10
Adult sizes $15
All proceeds will support the Centennial Fund
logo design by Julia Myers
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--Deacon Jon
 For the most part, many of us really have no trouble getting to church on Sunday mornings. We gather for all our individual reasons, some to re-charge our spiritual batteries, some to share in the mystery of faith, some to fulfill a sense of obligation. We hear the word of Holy Scripture and the message from the preacher of the day. We pray for the church, the world, the suffering, the forgotten, the dying. We give thanks for new birth, for family and friends. We lift our voices and sing (or listen) to magnificent music. We break bread together, hearing and reciting ancient holy words. And then we are sent forth into the world. The community of gathered persons is dispersed, sent forth to "love and serve the Lord."
Some of us have become physically separated from the Cathedral Community due to temporary or permanent illness or infirmity. Under those circumstances, such persons become especially vulnerable and isolated. For our sisters and brothers who are separated from us in this way, we are privileged to offer a special ministry, that of the Eucharistic Visitor. Recently we commissioned a group of Eucharistic Visitors (EVs), who are called to bring the sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood to those who are unable to attend services at the Cathedral. These ten lay ministers have received special training to bring the Eucharist to those in need, to be a listening ear, a quiet presence... and most importantly, to be a representative and ambassador of our community. It's all about re-connecting with those who must be away from us. While this is not to take the place of visits by clergy, it is a meaningful way to maintain sacramental and pastoral relationships within our community.
This means that you will notice that on most Sunday mornings, as the service is ending, a team of two EVs will come to the altar to be sent forth, out into the world, to take the sacrament to the homebound.
The deacon or celebrant will address the EVs by name with these words:
Take these Holy gifts of our Lord's Body and Blood.
To which the congregation (all of us) will respond:
We send you forth in the name of the Cathedral of the Incarnation, bearing these Holy gifts, so that those to whom you go may experience with us God's presence, through the sharing of the bread and wine. May you carry the prayers of all of us. We who are many are one body because we all share one bread, one cup.
If you know of any parishioner who would like to receive a visit from an EV team, or if you would like more information about this ministry, please contact me. |
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We thank the West Liberty Concert Choir for enriching our worship on Sunday, May 15. To hear the anthem, "I was glad" by CHH Parry, sung by both West Liberty and the Cathedral choirs, and conducted by Alfred de Jaager, visit our website and scroll down to "Selected anthem".
Photo by Douglas Gemas, PA
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Gathering in Faith Together (GIFT) |
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May 22 - we will join the Bible Study group in the spiritual practice of studying scripture together in community.
May 29 - the Rev. Beth McNamara, just back from her studies at the Shalem institute, will lead a reflection and meditation on light.
June 5 - the Rev. Ben Smith will lead a session on the spiritual practice of reading poetry.
Sunday, June 5, will be our last GIFT of the season. Please stay tuned for special adult formation activities over the summer.
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 This is a ministry of prayer and a creative way of praying for others. We meet every third Sunday of each month, after the 10:30 service. Shawls are given to those in particular need of prayers and to the newly baptized. All are welcome. For more information please contact Betsy Remley. If you have received a prayer shawl from the Cathedral and would like to share your story, please contact the office.
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Group meditation continues at the Cathedral every Monday at 5:30 PM and each Tuesday at 7:30 AM through the end of July. Please join us as often as you can to find for yourself and provide for others support for this contemplative spiritual pathway. For more information please contact Franklin Adkinson.
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Reel Spirit - Well for the Journey |
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 Led by the Rev. Ben Smith and Kathy Schnurr, reel spirit is sponsored by Well for the Journey, Inc., a non-profit ecumenical organization offering spiritual nourishment for daily living. Participants gather on the evening of the first Sunday of the month at the Charles Theater and stay after each movie for a free discussion. No registration is required. To learn which movie has been selected, call The Well office (410-377-9520) or check the website, not more than one week in advance.
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Sunday School and Youth News
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Sunday School
On Sunday May 29th we will have our last All Sunday School Event of the program year. Please join us down in the Undercroft as we hear the story of Pentecost and work together to make two Pentecost banners in preparation for celebrating our 100th Pentecost as the Cathedral of the Incarnation on June 12th.
The program year is coming to a close - many thanks to all the teachers and doorkeepers who have contributed to the spiritual journey of our children. - see article by the Rev. Sara. The last Sunday School classes will be held on Sunday, June 5th as we will all gather in the Cathedral at 10:00 AM on Sunday, June 12th to celebrate our 100th Birthday! Diocesan Mission Trip to Honduras From July 11- 18th Emily Bomgardner, Sarah Bomgardner, Sophia Springer and the Rev. Sara Shisler will join the Rev. Wes Wubbenhorst and other members from the Diocese of Maryland on a mission trip to Honduras. Our group will be going to Villanueva and working with a local Episcopal Church and a bi-lingual school. We will help wtih some light construction and have the opportunity to work with the school and the students on different activities. On this trip we will also have home visits with parishioners, tours of San Pedro Sula and a special visit to the Copan Ruins (an incredible site of the Mayan Civilization). Please keep our missioners in your prayers as we prepare for this trip and while we are in Honduras. Stay tuned for a list of school supplies we will be collecting and offering to the students and teachers. If you have any questions or are interested in future mission trips, please see the Rev. Sara. Youth Events
J2A News: J2A is starting a recycle program at the Cathedral to help protect the environment and raise money for their pilgrimage in 2013. Please help by donating your used electronics and print cartridges. An orange collection box is located outside Rev. Sara's office. All items donated are tax deductible. J2A will be collecting: Ink cartridges, cell phones, digital cameras, radar detectors, digital video cameras, hand held game systems, MP3 players, and GPS devices. Extra, extra: please bring your old laptops to the Cathedral on Friday, May 20th between 5-9 PM, thank-you!
J2A Lock-in:
The next J2A lock-in is scheduled for Friday, May 20th at 5:00 PM. Please remember to bring your permission slips, sleeping bags, pillows, toothbrushes, snacks to share and positive attitude!
Attention Graduates
On June 5 at the 10:30 AM service, we will celebrate all those in our Cathedral community graduating from high school, college and post-college programs! We will honor the high school graduates as part of the liturgy and pray for all our graduates in the prayers. Please submit to Rev. Sara details of the graduates in your household: name, school, degree, and future plans - if known.
Vacation Bible School
Let's get cookin' at Shake It Up Cafe with some faith-filled activities! All kids between the ages of 3 years old and 5th grade are invited to join in the fun.
Plan to come and experience living out God's word, as kids become chefs in training as we discover God's recipe for faithful living. We will have a new Bible lesson each day and expand on this story by making art projects at Tart and Tangy Arts; singing at Wok and Roll Hit; exploring science at Foodology Factory; and stretching our muscles at Sweet Sports. All recipes at our cafe include heaping helpings of fun.
July 25-July 29, 2011
9AM - 12PM
Location:
First English Lutheran Church
3807 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21218
Sponsored by:
Cathedral of the Incarnation
First English Lutheran Church
Second Presbyterian Church
Registration (Before June 1st): $20
(After June 1st): $25
(Walk In): $30
Aftercare (12pm-5pm every day): $75 for the week (ONLY 10 slots left)
To register go to the website at Second Presbyterian Church.
We still need teachers for music, art, science and games. Contact the Rev. Sara for further information. |
| From the Rev. Sara Shisler |
I don't know about you, but summer is so close I can almost taste it! We made it through Lent and Holy week and now it seems like the final push to get us to June 12th. We have had quite a full and exciting year together at the Cathedral. From All Sunday School Events, to our Lenten series with Alexander Shaia, to our faithful Sunday morning bible study we have continued to grow together in the knowledge and love of God and service through his Son Jesus Christ. It is my hope that everyone who walks through the doors of the Cathedral and enters into our community will be invited to experience the transforming and inspiring power of God through prayer, worship, learning, teaching, reflection and relationships. For it is through this work of "formation" that we are nourished by the Spirit of God and called to intentionally reach out in service to others. Formation leads to Outreach, and Outreach leads to formation. (I think someone has been saying that around here recently.... ) The Christian Formation Team and I hope to continue to provide a plethora of tried and true formation opportunities like Bible study, centering prayer, and Sunday School, as well as listen to where the Spirit may be calling us to something new, like "Womp with Jesus" with our youth or create a beautiful piece of art together or interview each other about our "Cathedral stories".
I want to take this time to give special and heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in a leadership role in Christian Formation this past year especially our Godly Play teachers and helpers: Margie Brown, Andreas Aslaksen, Emily Bomgardner, Sarah Bomgardner, Quentin Klein-Alfano, Negretta Walsh, John Lawrence, Paul Myers, Chris Klots, Jane Vanko, Mike May, Lydia Lang, Katherine Barrett Zywan, Sophia Springer, Katie Liu, Sarah Wolfenden, Jack Beebe, Kristen Ray, Ann Greenia, as well as our substitute teachers Dolly Chin and Caroline Bomgardner and Lilly Richardson who helped with our All Sunday School Events. It certainly does take a village to raise our children. Thank you all for your loving ministry to our kids!
Thank you to our youth leaders and their ministry with our young people: Marianne Hayek, Mike Jackson, David Naka, Sarah McKittrick, Hadley Mellin, Ghani Raines, Will Pass, Brad Peabody, Jacqui DeSimone and our Youth Chaplain, Beth McNamara. Thank you for all the hours, energy and love you put into the lives of our youth!!
And of course thank you to the parents!! It is no small task getting your kids to Sunday School and Youth Group, as well as the extra activities we often have going on here in the Church. With all the demands on your families' time, energy and resources, I just want to make sure you know that your efforts and your support of our children and youth do not go unnoticed or unappreciated.
If you have been thinking about volunteering to minister with our children, if you have felt a nagging feeling like God might be calling you to be more involved in the lives of our youth, or if you have been looking for a way to get more involved at the Cathedral but you just don't know how, I would encourage you to consider thinking about joining a teaching team for Sunday School or volunteering to be a youth leader. Yes, you will be giving of your time and your self to minister to our kids, but what they will give you in return is priceless.
Beginning in September each Godly Play class will have a team of three teachers and a rotation schedule of six 5-7 week sections. Each teacher will have the chance to teach two sections, assist/be a door person for two sections and be off for two sections! This will hopefully be a more manageable schedule and allow folks who have been hesitant to teach Sunday school in the past to volunteer to teach. There will be at least one male and one female youth leader for each youth group and of course the support of your fearless youth chaplain, Beth McNamera.
If you are interested in teaching Sunday school or being a youth leader please do not hesitate to come talk to me, Mother Sara, Jane Vanko, who is on our Chapter and Christian Formation Team, or approach a current Sunday school teacher or youth leader to ask for more information. Ministry with our children and youth is so important and fulfilling- it is a way to serve others in formation as well as be formed yourself. I encourage everyone to discern if they are being called to serve in this way!
There are many new exciting opportunities on the horizon and new things just starting to sprout and grow in Christian Formation here at the Cathedral. The last 100 years in this place have given us a strong and deep spiritual foundation on which we stand and look into our future. It is my privilege and my joy to stand with you on the cusp of the next 100 years of Incarnating God's love in this place, in this time, in us.
Peace, Sara+
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The next opportunities for Baptism are: June 12 - Feast of Pentecost, August 7 - Transfiguration and November 6 - All Saints' Day. All parents of young candidates (and godparents when at all possible) are asked to attend a Baptism workshop to help get ready for this great Sacrament on the morning before. Older candidates are asked to speak to Dean Hayek. Please register with the church office.
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The Outreach Team meets Wednesday, May 25 at 6:00 PM. Please join us. All are welcome. Questions? Contact Amy Myers 410-467-3750 x228.
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Trees for Haiti
$2,130.00 collected as of May 15,
representing 2,130 trees!
We exceeded our goal of 1911 trees.
Thank you! |
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A letter from El Hogar Amor Y Esperanza, Tegucigalpa, Honduras |
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--Amy Myers
The Cathedral community supports the education of two children at El Hogar, a mission project of the Episcopal Diocese of Honduras, which provides a home and education of orphaned and abandoned children in Tegucigalpa. Stop by the Outreach board to see pictures from El Hogar. We recently received a letter from one of the children we support, Iris Araceli Munoz. Her letter to us is translated as follows:
"For my Godparents: Hello! How are you? I hope this finds you well. I am very well. I am happy because I began 5th grade. I am doing well in all my classes. My favorite class is math...Thank you for your love and support for me and my classmates. May God bless you. Kisses and hugs, Iris."
Iris would love to hear from us! A postcard with even a few words will be most appreciated. The postage for a one ounce letter to Honduras is 98 cents. If you don't know any Spanish, you can visit freetranslations.com and get help with simple phrases. Write to Iris at:
Iris Araceli Munoz
El Hogar
Apartado Postal 764
Tegucigalpa, DC, Honduras |
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Sandtown - Habitat for Humanity |
 20th Annual Summer Building Week - June 20-24, 2011
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"Greater Love Has No One Than This..."
In memory of longtime Sandtown Habitat co-director Allan Mark Tibbels
If you would like to volunteer on a house during this building blitz week, please contact Cathedral Habitat volunteer coordinator (and Chapter member) Meg Craun at habitat@thecathedral.ang-md.org or call Outreach Coordinator Amy Myers at 410-467-3750. It's a wonderful week of building relationships, houses and community!
If you would like to support the Cathedral's work in Sandtown, but can't work on a house, sign up to provide lunch for 300 + volunteers who come from all across the region to work in Sandtown during this week. Our Cathedral community has committed to serving lunch on MONDAY, JUNE 20 at noon. Volunteers are needed to shop for supplies in the days before June 20, assemble lunches on Sunday, June 19, after the 10:30 service, as well as serve lunches on Monday, June 20, in Sandtown. All ages can participate in this effort! Call Amy Myers for more information or email.
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The following reflection is from Habitat volunteer, Brian McDonnell, deacon at The
Church of the Good Shepherd, Ruxton:
There is a phenomenal electric air of fellowship on Lorman St. with a m ultitude of houses simultaneously under construction. This is a great venue for witnessing the healthy neighborhood revival syndrome that we've all worked so hard for (Allan Tibbel's vision readily on display). To see neighbors on their door steps saying hello, children playing up and down the sidewalks, and most everyone you run into glad to have you around; these are all incredibly positive developments (God moments); joyful outcomes that I sometimes doubted would ever transpire back in the rougher days of the 1990s. Bottom line: there is no doubting that we have helped make a huge difference through the years. Somehow, we have got to keep plodding on.
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Cathedral Advocates for Public Education (CAPE) |
Hadley Mellin, Co-Chair of CAPE, represented the Cathedral community at the citywide Baltimore Education Coalition celebration held at City Neighbors High School, May 17. As you know, as a result of the work CAPE did on behalf of the Cathedral community and together with many other schools, neighborhoods, parents and teachers, city and statewide, nearly all proposed cuts to state education funding were restored. In just three years in existence, Baltimore Education Coalition has become a powerful voice for all our children's educational needs not only in Baltimore, but throughout the state. Hadley Mellin (also a Chapter member) reported on Tuesday's event, saying, "What a wonderful feeling to represent the Cathedral; how great that the Cathedral is an integral part of this effort." CAPE was born in the undercroft in 2007 with a group of twelve parishioners passionate about access to excellent educational opportunities for all children, regardless of race, family income, neighborhood or city or county in which they live. What should be CAPE's priorities in the upcoming months? Talk to Hadley Mellin or Outreach Coordinator Amy Myers. |
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Book Drive for Waverly Elementary/Middle School
477 books by June 5! |
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 Reading loss during the summer is a very real problem for kids who don't have regular access to books or a library. The teachers and staff at our partner school plan to combat this problem this summer in two ways: opening the school library on targeted days throughout the summer and creating incentives for kids to keep reading. The kickoff for this program is providing each child in the school (477 kids!) with a brand spanking new book to call their very own. Our Cathedral community has committed to get every child a book. We have already collected 140 books as of this writing. The books are carefully chosen by the teachers to match the reading level and needs of their students. Sign up to purchase a book yourself and return it to the Cathedral by June 5 OR make a donation to the effort and we will order the books on your behalf. (Please make checks payable to the Cathedral with BOOKS in the memo line).
Remember your favorite book when you were a child? One of mine was E.L. Konigsburg's From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler about an 11-year old girl who feels unappreciated by her family and runs away from home to live in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. I loved this book. I couldn't imagine anything more adventurous than running away to live in a museum...and winning the admiration (and attention) of adults by discovering a long-hidden secret about a famous work of art. Kids today still read this book and it happens to be on the Summer Reading List provided by Waverly's fourth-grade teachers. To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, the Frog and Toad series, the Amelia Bedelia series...perhaps your favorite (or your child's or your grandchild's favorite book) is on the list. Consider donating to this book drive in order that other children may discover their favorite books. Call Outreach Coordinator Amy Myers at 410-467-3750 or look for our book drive tables after church.
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Buy a Bag, Reunite a Family |
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--Margo Landon
Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? On every second and fourth Sunday, we will have the opportunity to not only purchase delicious fair-trade organically-grown coffees and teas, but support three ministries here at home and around the world. Episcopal Relief and Development has partnered with Pura Vida to develop and distribute Bishop's Blend coffees and teas.
· Pura Vida is a Seattle roaster that invests all profits into its Create Good Foundation, supporting clean water and economic infrastructure projects in coffee growing regions in Latin America and Africa.
· Fifteen percent of our wholesale purchase of product is donated by Pura Vida to Episcopal Relief and Development. ERD is working in more than forty countries to support long-term initiatives to address hunger, disease, support economic development and provide disaster response.
· Our profit of $1.40 - $2.90 per item is allocated to the Marian Lyle Family Reunification Loan Fund of ERICA. This unique and special fund allows for interest-free loans to our refugee and asylee clients to bring together family, often after long and painful separations.
Whether you'd like to stock up for your morning caffeine fix or shop for a tasteful gift, know that your purchase of Bishop's Blend coffees and teas will be guilt-free.
Stop by the table in the Marble Lobby after the 10:30 service!
For your out-of-town friends and family who can't make it in person, online orders can be made through the Bishop's Blend link on the Cathedral website. We'll receive a 15% rebate for ERICA for every purchase made through the link!
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Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD) Update |
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 As a member of BUILD, the Cathedral community has a voice in shaping the vision of Baltimore that we, alongside other churches, neighborhoods, and communities across the city and the region, will work on in the coming months. On Thursday, May 5th, the Cathedral hosted a citywide gathering of about 100 lay leaders and clergy to start this visioning process. For those of us who live in the city, this year is an election year (the Mayoral primary is on September 13th). For all of us - no matter where we live - this election is an opportunity to reach out across the city and greater Baltimore region to talk to one another about what we want Baltimore to be. What vision will move Baltimore in a positive direction for all our citizens? While there seems to be plenty of political will to invest in the tourist economy (the Grand Prix, casinos), is there political will to invest in all our neighborhoods? What investments do our neighborhoods truly need anyway? Renovated schools? Economic investment not tied to tourism? Something else altogether? We can only answer these questions as a collective. We can only build a vision for Baltimore as a city a little closer to the kingdom of God as a collective - that is, together. Look for more opportunities to have these conversations in the coming months.
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Food Pantry - special requests |
Food Coll  ection for the Church of the Guardian Angel, Remington Food Pantry - Our community continues to collect nonperishable food for our neighbors in Remington. Especially needed now are: peanut butter, canned fruit of any kind, canned vegetables of any kind, and tuna fish. Please choose regular sized items (as opposed to jumbo sizes); these are easier for families to use and easier for the Food Pantry volunteers to distribute. Collection bins are located in the hallway across from Rev. Sara's office. Questions? See Outreach Coordinator Amy Myers.
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Final Friday Family Fling! |
Final Friday Family Fling - No fling in May
Watch this space for information about June 24th's Fling
For more information, email Amy Myers
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--Beth McNamara+
What's summer without a summer reading list? Below are a few suggestions for children, parents, grandparents, adults young and old - if you're looking to deepen your relationship with God this summer, there's something here for you!
Fo r the youngest seekers - "How Did The Animals Help God?" (by Nancy Swartz, $7.99 from Skylight Paths). This board book captivates from it's first sentence - "in the beginning, God created heaven and earth, but something was missing...". A playful twist on the Genesis story.
Ages 3-6 - Try one of a series designed with young children in mind: "The Bible for Young Children", "Psalms for Young Children", and "Images of God for Young Children". With entrancing illustrations and text that touches the youngest hearts. All from Eerdmans Publishers, $16.50 - $16.95.
For early elementary students - "Snook Alone" (by Marilyn Nelson, $16.99 from Candlewick Press). Contemporary monk-scientist and his inquisitive dog Snook relish every moment of their lives together, until inquisitive Snook wanders far afield and they are separated. The subsequent patient searching, hopeful waiting, fear of loss, and eventual joyful reunion (the actual phrase is "pee-dribbling delight") gently hints at our relationship with God in prayer. Really. What's not to like, especially if you're 8 years old?
Older elementary students - "Wild Things" (by Clay Carmichael, Front Street Press, $18.99). A vulnerable young protaganist, a metal-sculpting artist, a mystery, a feral cat, in a story all about learning to love and trust. Lovely.
Young adults (actually, adults of any age looking for new ways to imagine God) will welcome "Fragments of Your Ancient Name: 365 Glimpses of the Divine for Daily Meditation" (Joyce Rupp, Sorin Books, $22.95). The author draws from the Gospels and the Psalms as well as Sufi saints, Hindu mystics, and her own prayer life to expand readers' imaginations and touch their hearts.
Looking for a new perspective on your spiritual journey? Try Richard Rohr's latest, "Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life" (Jossey-Bass, $19.95). Reviewers note that this "small, provocative book will make a particularly good gift for a thoughtful, open (person)". The reviewers are right.
For families: The publishers of Gavin Long's "At Home With God: A Complete Liturgical Guide for the Christian Home" (Paraclete Press, $24.95) ask "With busy work lives, extra-curricular activities and other pressing demands on the schedule, how does the family live and celebrate the gospel of Jesus Christ at home?" Don't let the slightly daunting title put you off - this volume is filled with simple, straightforward rituals any family can use.
All titles are usually in stock at St. Bede's books. Looking forward to seeing you this summer!
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Store hours and contact info:
Open Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs and Fri 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sat 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
410 243 1727
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News from around the Diocese
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Integrity: Service and Fellowship
The next gathering of the Baltimore Chapter of Integrity will be Friday, May 20th at the Cathedral of the Incarnation, 4 East University Parkway. The Eucharist will begin at 7 PM in the Peace Chapel and The Rev. Florence Ledyard will be the celebrant. Potluck supper follows - please bring something to share - conversation and fellowship until 9 PM. All are welcome to join us.
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Interfaith Peace Partners
We invite you to join us to pray for Peace on the 22nd of each month. Our prayers are needed more than ever as we pray for Peace in the Holy Land of our three faiths, Christian, Jewish and Muslim. For more information please contact the Rev. Charles Cloughen. We will meet together to pray for Peace at 7:30 PM, Sunday, May 22nd at First Christian Church, 5902 Roland Avenue, Baltimore.
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Diocese of Maryland Night at Camden Yards
Gather your group, invite your friends and fellow parishioners and make plans now to see the O's play the Rays at Diocese of Maryland night at Camden Yards.
Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays
Friday, June 10 at 7:05 p.m.
$6 Tickets
Tickets on Sale Now!
Click here for a ticket order form.
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--Caroline Bomgarder, Parish Administrator
My daughter, Emily, and I thought we would enter the Avenue at White Marsh's "Mother and Daughter look-a-like" competition - just for fun! While watching over 100 other competitors, we chatted and casually worked out a plan for next year...we were amazed and surprised when our names were called out as the overall winners!! Our prize - a shopping spree on the Avenue!
Emily and Caroline with Lauire De Young, from WPOC Radio station
Photo by Jeffrey Doran
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1911-2011 Cathedral of the Incarnation...what's our story? Photos and artifacts are displayed in our hallways. |
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Cathedral of the Incarnation
The next issue of the newsletter will be published during June. Please submit any articles by June 20.
Contact the Editor
410-467-3750
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