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 February 10 is Children's Charter Day
Dear Friends in Christ;
From the time that I learned to sing "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know," (I think I was four), I have had the abiding sense that I was always welcome in the Episcopal Church. I learned Bible stories from a young curate who told them with the aid of a felt-board that was the single most popular piece of technology in the whole Sunday School back in 1957. But I also was welcome in the nave. I learned the sung canticles for Morning Prayer just by listening to my mother as I stood next to her in the pew, and I burned with envy watching my older brother on the Sundays he served as an acolyte. This experience played a huge role in my growing faith in Christ, sustained me in the lean years of my adolescence, and provided the seed-ground for my vocation to the priesthood.
The easy lesson to draw from this story would be that our children are the future of the Church. However, Jesus teaches a different lesson, when he says, let the little children come to me, for to such as these belongs the Kingdom of God (Luke 18:16). I note that "belongs" is in the present tense. They already belong. We belong insofar as we imitate them, in their willingness to trust God and be led by Him. So, among other messages, this text suggests that our children and youth are the present of the Church, not merely her future. They are a substantial sign of Christ among us, a witness to the Kingdom of God in our midst.
That is why the Children's Charter, which we endorsed by vote of Diocesan Convention in November, is such an important commitment for our common life. I invite us all to reflect on this commitment, and to celebrate the varied ministries of our children, with special emphasis on Sunday, February 10th. A copy of the Children's Charter appears below, along with links to materials from the diocesan Christian Education Committee which include suggestions for ways to respond to the resolution.
Please join with me on February 10th as we lift up together the essential role of children in the Church's mission for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
Faithfully your Bishop,
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 Children's Charter of the Episcopal Church
Nurture of the child
Children are a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is a gift. Psalm 127:4 (BCP)
THE CHURCH IS CALLED:
- to receive, nurture and treasure each child as a gift from God;
- to proclaim the Gospel to children, in ways that empower them to receive and respond to God's love;
- to give high priority to the quality of planning for children and the preparation and support of those who minister with them;
- to include children, in fulfillment of the Baptismal Covenant, as members and full participants in the Eucharistic community and in the church's common life of prayer, witness and service.
Ministry to the child
Then Jesus took the children in his arms, placed his hands on each of them and blessed them. Mark 10:16
THE CHURCH IS CALLED:
- to love, shelter, protect and defend children within its own community and in the world, especially those who are abused, neglected or in danger;
- to nurture and support families in caring for their children, acting in their children's best interest, and recognizing and fostering their children's spirituality and unique gifts;
- to embrace children who seek Christian nurture independently of their parents' participation in the church;
- to advocate for the integrity of childhood and the dignity of all children at every level of our religious, civic and political structures.
Ministry of the child
A child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:6
THE CHURCH IS CALLED:
- to receive children's special gifts as signs of the Reign of God;
- to foster community beyond the family unit, in which children, youth and adults know each other by name, minister to each other, and are partners together in serving Christ in the world;
- to appreciate children's abilities and readiness to represent Christ and his church, to bear witness to him wherever they may be, and according to gifts given them, to carry on
- Christ's work of reconciliation in the world, and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the church. (Ministry of the Laity, pg. 855 BCP)
A printable version of the above Children's Charter is available by clicking here. A study guide for implementing the Children's Charter is available here. A list of suggestions for celebrating Children's Charter Day in your parish on Feb. 10 is available here. |
The Social Justice Education Program at Church of the Redeemer in Squirrel Hill will show the 68-minute 2012 film Broken on All Sides: Race, Mass Incarceration, and New Visions for Criminal Justice in the U.S. on Thursday, January 24, at 7:30 p.m.
This film, exploring the intersection of race, poverty, and our criminal justice and penal systems, demonstrates that people of color have been targeted at significantly higher rates for stops, searches, arrests, prosecution, and harsher sentences, with the result that more African-Americans are under control of the correctional system today than were enslaved in 1850.
Since time in prison reduces people's life opportunities even after they are released, this mass incarceration is creating a new caste system in America. A panel will follow with Martha Conley, chair of Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, and Bret Grote, of Human Rights Coalition/FedUp.
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 Anti-Racism Workshop Reunion
Dear Participants of any diocesan Anti-Racism Training Workshop, The first reunion of workshop participants was a huge success last year and those attending requested another. Please come to our second Anti-Racism Training Reunion - January 25, 6- 9 p.m. at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 378 Delaware Ave., Oakmont, PA 15139. Appetizers start at 6 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. followed by a program and discussion.There is no charge for this dinner, but we need to know how many plan to attend. Please e-mail your RSVP to me by January 21. See you at the reunion! Regards, Darrell Powell |
4th Annual Winter Wake Up Call! Youth Concert
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 2013 Absalom Jones Day Celebration
A Celebration of the Life and Ministry of the First African American to be ordained in the Episcopal Church
"Reconciliation and Healing Through Knowledge"
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Trinity Cathedral
328 Sixth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Celebration Day Events:
Program Video and Panel Discussion
Luncheon - $8 per person or $15 per family
Frank E. Bolden Literary Contest Award
Performance by youth of the Neighborhood Youth Outreach Program
Holy Eucharist - Bishop Dorsey McConnell, Celebrant
Guest Preacher - The Rev. Canon Angela F. Shepherd
If possible, please register online at www.episcopalpgh.org/ajd and pay at the door. The registration deadline is January 25, 2013.
Questions? Call Nancy Travis Bolden at 412-683-8888 or the Rev. Nancy Chalfant-Walker at 412-243-6100
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 Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper in Homestead
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper sponsored by the Men of St. Matthew's on February 12, 2013, 5 - 7 p.m.
Menu: Regular or Buckwheat Pancakes (all you can eat), sausage, applesauce, orange juice, apple juice, coffee or tea.
Cost: $6 Adults, $3 Children under 12
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, 10th and McClure Ave., Homestead, PA
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 Theological Reading Group for Lent
Calvary Episcopal Church, East Liberty, invites you to join a theological reading group for Lent this year. The last two years have brought together a broad range of participants into a deep and reflective conversation about both ancient and modern theology, moving from Rowan Williams in 2011 to St. Gregory of Nyssa in 2012. This year, the group will be exploring a collection of essays by Dorothy Sayers (1893-1957) titled Letters to a Diminished Church: Passionate Arguments for the Relevance of Christian Doctrine. Although perhaps best known for her fictional mystery stories, Sayers was also a renowned theological essayist and her translation of Dante's Divine Comedy is still in print today. From the text: "It is only with the confident assertion of the creative divinity of the Son that the doctrine of the Incarnation becomes a real revelation of the structure of the world." The group will meet in Calvary's McClintic Hall (the choir room) from 7-9 p.m. on Monday nights beginning on February 18. Please email Jamie McMahon if you are interested, jamie.mcmahon@gmail.com. Copies of the book are available in the Calvary Bookstore. |
Rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Chula Vista, CA, Writes About Bullying
The excerpt below is from a moving story about coming to terms with bullying. It was originally published at "Where SunDays are Better Than Others," the blog for the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego. The article was written by the Rev. Dave Marshall and is titled simply, "Scott."
----  As a priest, educator and leader at St. John's, I wondered, and frankly worried, about how his message would be received. Would they even listen? Would it make a difference?
Scott said, "Being bullied hurts: being laughed at, being the butt of their jokes, being made fun of, having no one to talk to. I didn't have any friends or anyone to talk to on the bus. I was completely alone. In junior high I was picked on by a few guys. Instead of talking to someone about how I felt or getting an adult involved, I just kept my feelings and resentment bottled up inside."
Watching 300 people, from third grade students to senior adults, sit quietly and listen was moving beyond words.
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 Around the Diocese
Bishop McConnell's Visitation Schedule
January 27:St. James, Penn Hills
February 3: Holy Cross, Homewood
February 10: St. Thomas, Canonsburg
February 17: St. Stephen's, McKeesport
Clergy Lenten Quiet Day: Friday, March 1, 2013, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at St. Brendan's, Franklin Park. Facilitator will be Sr. Catherine Higgins, SSJ, a well-known authority on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Additional details and registration information will be available soon.
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All submissions to the Grace Happens weekly newsletter are welcome and should be sent to asmuhl@episcopalpgh.org. Material should be sent before the close of business on Monday to be considered for inclusion in the current week's newsletter. Please be sure to include your contact information with any submission.
Submissions for publication of items on the diocesan web site and calendar should also be sent electronically to asmuhl@episcopalpgh.org.
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