West Central Mission News
from the Episcopal Mission Center at Holy Trinity
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Dear Friends,
 We're not supposed to have favorites. But sometimes we encounter someone in our work in West Central who blesses us and everyone else he meets. This month we mourn the passing of Matthew "Pops" Bolar. Pops was a share cropper's son who migrated with his family from the South. He was the cousin of the R&B singer/songwriter Sam Cooke and Pops' father knew some of the greats like Muddy Waters. Growing up, his mother told him "Don't you be no blues man." But a blues man he was. After running with gangs in his youth, Pops said he had a lot to make up for. In his later years, he lived in a motorhome on the streets of Spokane. He mentored young homeless men and women, and blessed multiple meal sites with his soulful piano and voice. Although he wasn't wealthy, Pops was rich in spirit and compassion. He had the unique ability to make everyone feels as if he or she was his close friend.
In searching my computer, I found this poem I wrote a few years ago after hearing Pops' sing a song by Sam Cooke. I offer it here in his memory and with gratitude for the light he shed in among Spokane's homeless and those who love them.
Clearing the plates while Matthew sings about heaven
and the dozen tables where we dish
bread and prayer give way
to the weed-wracked streets
he loves, he sings them into me until
good sense is a wire stretched taut and trembling,
memory and breath of despair,
whoa Lord, that's heaven to me,
a watery shimmer of highway running
somewhere, distance, all these
diminishments, leaves blowing out, blowing out, blowing out, blowing
out on the trees, that's heaven, no
it doesn't have to be a miracle
of spit and fingertips to see, I know,
oh Lord, his voice and the moth wings' gray complicity
with the soot that robes this city, the white
chimneys and goodness of my, my Savior, woah, woah,
old black hands a prayer that makes me know
the Lord is somewhere, and he sings.
Let light perpetual shine upon him.
Sincerely,
The Rev. Kris Christensen, Deacon & Urban Missioner
The Episcopal Church in West Central
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Pizza Fundraiser Supports Meal Ministries
Our pizza party fundraiser, on May 11, was a great success! With your support we raised over $2,000 to help continue Dinner Table and Breakfast Table.
Guests dined on gourmet pizza hand-crafted by our own Brooks Goode. Paul Grove and Michael and Keleren Millham provided amazing live music.
Special thanks to: our fabulous musicians; our hosts, Bill Ellis and the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist; the mission center dishwashing and kitchen crews; Spokane Falls Community College Service Learning students; and Gary & Maggie Krug. Your dedication and support made this evening possible!
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Springtime at West Central Community Garden
As the weather warms, the West Central Community Garden is coming to life. Neighbors and volunteers have begun planting in our raised beds. Numerous beds have been planted for Dinner Table and as gleaning beds for our hungry neighbors.
Volunteers from Health Resource Group are tending several beds and have painted them in fun colors. (Look for photos in the next newsletter.) They are also assisting with the general upkeep of the garden.
A donation of fruit trees from Ed and Carolyn Holmes will grace the North end of the garden. We also have hopes to tackle the remaining lot converting it into an open green space.
We are currently seeking:
- Donations of bedding plants.
- Donations of tools (especially hand tools) in good repair and garden gloves
- Volunteers to help tend the Dinner Table, Breakfast Table, and gleaning beds and to assist with overall garden maintenance.
If you can provide any of these items, or have questions about the garden, please email Peggy at peggy@trinityspokane.org.
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Trinity Baked Goods Available at West Central Farmers' Market
Trinity Fine Baking & Cooking produces quality baked goods and provides chef services for special events. Funds raised support the neighborhood ministries of the Episcopal Church in West Central.
The West Central Farmer's Market will reopen on Tuesday, June 18, from 3pm to 6pm, in its new location at Cannon Park near Maxwell & Elm. We'll be there with fresh-baked breads and pastries.
Contact Trinity Fine Baking & Cooking for:
- Fine baked goods including breads, sweet or savory danish, cakes, tarts, and specialty desserts. Gluten-free options are available.
- CSB (Community Supported Bakery): Pay a weekly fee and receive a weekly supply of bread, rolls, and other delicious baked goods.
- Chef services: Custom cooking for your special event--from finger foods to full meals.
- Teaching: Would you like to learn to bake bread or hone your cooking skills? Gather a group of your friends to learn everything from kitchen basics to advanced baking.
To learn more about our offerings, call Brooks at 326-6471 or email him at kitchen@trinityspokane.org.
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Ordination & After-Party
 Join us Saturday, June 1st, at 1pm at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (12th & Grand) for the ordination of our urban missioner, the Rev. Kris Christensen, to the Sacred Order of Priests. Also to be ordained is Karen Schomburg of the Cathedral, who will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons.
An after-party for Kris will take place at 4:30pm at the Mission Center at Holy Trinity (Dean & Elm). Meat and seafood will be provided. Those who are able are asked to bring a side dish to share. R.S.V.P. for the after-party at 326.6471.
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Mission Center Volunteers Fishing Trip
All mission center volunteers are invited to participate in our second annual fishing trip on Sunday afternoon, June 9, at Fish Lake. The second weekend in June is free fishing weekend in Washington, so no one needs a license! And we have a number of rods and reels that you can use if you don't have your own.
Rumor has it that some of us will also bring our kayaks and/or small boats. (Internal combustion engines are prohibited).
We'll depart from Holy Trinity after chapel on June 9--or meet us there around noon. (Fish Lake is located here--between Spokane and Cheney). RSVP to 326.6471 or kris@trinityspokane.org so that we have a head count for food. Drinks and meat provided. Please bring a side dish to share if you are able.
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Gluten-Free Cooking Class
Wondering how you can make delicious food for yourself or your loved ones with gluten sensitivities? Join our kitchen coordinator, Brooks Goode, for a gluten-free cooking class at the Mission Center (Dean & Elm) on Saturday, June 22nd, from noon to 3pm.
The cost of the class is $25 per person, with a limit of 10 people. Proceeds benefit our Episcopal meal ministries in West Central.
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More happenings around the Diocese of Spokane
SED Talks
Are you in outreach ministry? Hear the stories of ministry leaders, just like you, throughout the Diocese of Spokane. Join us to network, share stories, discover new resources, tell us your ministry needs, & learn new leadership skills. The SED talk for the Northeast region of the diocese will be Saturday, June 8 from 10am to 2pm at St. Andrews, Spokane. It's free and easy to register here.
"A Place at the Table" It's time for a serious conversation about hunger in Spokane. St. John's invites you to join us, sharing a place at our table for a conversation and free showing of the documentary "A Place at the Table," Monday, June 10, 5:30 - 8:00 pm in the Great Hall, Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (12th & Grand, Spokane). Child care: Due to the serious nature of the film and the discussion following its showing, we ask that you leave your children with our professional sitters. 50 million people in the U.S.--one in four children--don't know where their next meal is coming from, despite our having the means to provide nutritious, affordable food for all Americans. Directors Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush examine this issue through the lens of three people who are struggling with food insecurity: Barbie, a single Philadelphia mother who grew up in poverty and is trying to provide a better life for her two kids; Rosie, a Colorado fifth-grader who often has to depend on friends and neighbors to feed her and has trouble concentrating in school; and Tremonica, a Mississippi second-grader whose asthma and health issues are exacerbated by the largely empty calories her hardworking mother can afford.
Episcopal Church Women (ECW) Province VIII Annual Gathering: Bad Girls of the Bible
Women from around our province will gather in our Diocese, June 21-23, exploring how and why women are perceived as 'Bad Girls' in the Bible. This weekend is designed to feed you spiritually and physically as we live into being BELOVED children of God.
Registration $100 including meals/snacks/program/transportation to Wallace. Arrive by 4:00pm the 21st for dinner at Holy Trinity in Spokane and then off to Wallace. Depart Sunday after 3:00. Schedule time to check out our great Gothic Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, tours available Friday or Sunday afternoon.
All women are welcome to join us as we spend time with our sisters exploring the 'Bad Girls' and how ECW continues to evolve as a part of the larger Church.
More info here.
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Mission Center Schedule
6.1 - 4:30pm - Kris's Ordination After-Party
6.5 @ 5:30pm - Dinner Table 6.8 @ 9am - Breakfast Table 6.8 @ 10am-2pm - SED Talks Regional Mission Gathering @ St. Andrews 6.10 @ 5:30pm - "A Place at the Table" Screening - The Cathedral of St. John 6.12 @ 5:30pm - Dinner Table 6.15 @ 9am - Breakfast Table 6.18 @ 3pm-6pm - West Central Farmers' Market 6.19 @ 5:30 pm - Dinner Table 6.21 @ 9am-noon - Project HOPE Youth Cooking Class 6.21 @ 5:30pm - ECW Dinner @ Mission Center (part of ECW Province VIII Gathering) 6.22 @ 9am - Breakfast Table 6.22 @ noon-3pm - Gluten Free Cooking Class 6.25 @ 3pm-6pm - West Central Farmers' Market 6.26 @ 5:30pm - Dinner Table 6.28 @ 9am-noon - Project HOPE Youth Cooking Class 6.29 @ 9am - Breakfast Table
Trinity Chapel Schedule
Wednesdays @ 12:15pm - Midday Prayer & Occasional Eucharist
6.2 @ 10am - Holy Eucharist
6.9 @ 10am - Holy Eucharist
6.16 @ 10am - Mission Sunday
6.23 @ 10am - Holy Eucharist
6.30 @ 10am - Holy Eucharist
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How you can help . . .
Share your time and talent:
Share your treasures:
- donate garden tools, supplies, and gloves - email Peggy Johnson
- we can often use food donations in large amounts (such as leftovers from special events) - call Brooks Goode at 326-6471 to see if we can use what you have
$25 provides water for a neighbor's garden bed for the season
$50 provides a hot, healthy dinner for 40 neighbors
$100 provides coffee and lemonade for 10 Dinner Table evenings
$150 provides a cooking class for 8 neighbors
donations may be sent to:
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
P. O. Box 8508
Spokane, WA 99203
Church Phone: 509.326.6471
If you have a preference, please tell us how you'd like us to use your contribution. We also appreciate undesignated contributions to support our facilities and staff.
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