May, 2016
In This Issue
Listening and Learning in Five Honduras Communities
Question Session With...Rev. Susan Flanders
Remembering St. Mark's with...Bertha Martin
Live Long and Leave a Beautiful Obit.
David Durant's Farewell.
thurdinay
About the Winged Lion Review
Listening and Learning in Five
Honduras Communities
by Betsy Agle

With her warm smile and quiet voice, Lucinda Martinez described how El Puente was selected as one of the two new communities for the TCP-VH program. When Roy came to see which new communities to add, the neighboring larger village didn't respond but her community let Roy know it was very poor and really needed the VH-TCP program.  "Before we had trouble working together; now we are trying," she said. The truth of her statement was evident as we visited homes and gardens of families which have been participants for less than 1 year. 
For more than a decade, there has been a connection between St. Mark's and remote mountain communities near Trinidad, Honduras. In the early years, personal connections were built through several St. Mark's youth trips and a St. Mark's women's trip. The trips were organized by Roy Lara, a  Honduran agronomist then employed by the Episcopal Diocese of Honduras who focused on community and school tree-planting, while offering some advice in farming and storing crops.

Trip members who worked with Roy were touched by his compassion for the people he was working with and how his faith in God kept him strong in the face of the difficulties in encountered. Other churches in our area also admired in Roy's work. In 2007, St. Mark's helped co-found the network of churches and individuals that became TCP. In 2008 the TCP leaders decided to partner with a Honduran non-government organization (NGO).* Subsequent trips began to draw from several of the TCP member parishes.   
Noe Garcia has a farm of about 1.5 acres in La Majada, largely devoted to coffee plants. He sells coffee tree seedlings for income, and has purchased a mill so he can sell ready-to-roast coffee beans in
the future.
In 2015 TCP changed its local Honduran partner to Vecinos Honduras (Honduras Neighbors). Vecinos starts with an emphasis on community organizing, in addition to working with individual families. This spring my husband, Collie Agle, and I, together with two active TCP members from Capitol Hill (Bill Matuszeski and Mary Procter), took a trip to revisit TCP families who are now friends, and to see the new approach in action.
 
We visited five communities. Three of the communities have been in the TCP program since it began, while two are new.  In every community there are many new families. We came back exhilarated and inspired and more than a little touched by their hope for the future. Some quick impressions follow.

It was a privilege to see how people responded to Roy, who is now on the Vecinos staff as the TCP program director. We saw initial reserve grow into nods, smiles and laughter, as well as stories that were not always easy to listen to. Roy's message was always the same--working hard and working together are the keys to overcoming the obstacles they face. As Lucinda Martinez, a leader in one of the new communities, observed, "Before it was hard to work together, now we are trying." 

In a community where she is used to carrying all the water for household use uphill to her home, Alta Gracia is grateful for the many valuable features of this water-conserving sink, which is placed to drain water into a new nearby garden. 
Unfortunately, the potential for crop failure and hunger is very real. There has been a severe drought much of the last three years caused by climate change, which may be exacerbated by El Niņo. On a hopeful note, one man whose family has been in the TCP program for the past seven years said that using sustainable farming practices has helped reduce the effects of climate change.

Water shortages are a problem everywhere due to the drought. However, the problem is more acute in the two new communities. The tubing that brings the water down from high in the mountains to these communities is either largely or completely destroyed. One community uses a nearby spring when the tubing breaks. There is no functioning water supply in the other community. People bathe and wash clothes in the nearby river, and the women carry water on their heads for cooking and drinking.   

We were uplifted by the many stories of people helping others. Two young men, who had received training funded by a scholarship program run by St. Mark's member Margaret Crenshaw, have helped families end slash-and-burn practices in their corn and bean fields. One woman, a long-time TCP participant, is scheduled to conduct a workshop on natural medicines made from native plants to address common ailments like coughs and upset stomachs in another community.
Drought will sharply reduce the current corn crop. Seeds for the next crop will be planted before the May-June rains. If that crop fails, then many families will go hungry and may be forced to leave for  city jobs.
There was good news as well. Some farmers who have been in the program are earning more money from their efforts. An all-but-impassable road has finally been graded so that produce buyers are now bringing trucks to two communities. Families with large enough harvests are able to sell their corn, beans, fruits and vegetables at a higher price. Others are finding ways to boost their income by selling value-added products.

The Honduras Committee is identifying new ways in which St. Mark's members can be more involved in this connection. Some Ideas will support this work directly. Others might help Honduran immigrant families in the D.C. area. We would like to hear from those interested in learning more or those with ideas to offer. Contact: Jennifer Dalzell or  Betsy Agle.
* As a network of individuals and churches and not a legal entity, TCP has always partnered with a legally recognized not-for-profit organization in the U.S. and in Honduras. In 2015, TCP entered into a new set of partnerships: TCP, Groundswell International (a U.S. NGO), and Vecinos Honduras (a Honduran NGO). For more information, visit www.trinidadconservationproject.org.
 
Question Session With...
Rev. Susan Flanders, Adjunct Clergy

Q: How would you define your role as St. Mark's
adjunct clergy?

A: For decades, St. Mark's has invited Episcopal clergy who are members of St. Mark's but not paid staff to serve as adjunct clergy, assisting occasionally at services as celebrant or preacher or in administering communion. They sometimes help with pastoral care as well, in consultation with the parish clergy. This has been my role since I returned to St. Mark's in 2010 as a retired priest.  

Q: Please give readers a brief overview of your background and experience as an Episcopal priest.

A: I was baptized Presbyterian, left church in college and discovered the Episcopal Church in 1975, when I became a member of St. John's Broad Creek in Ft. Washington, Md. From there I was sponsored for the priesthood, attended Virginia Theological Seminary and was ordained by Bishop John Walker to the priesthood in 1985. After a brief, part-time assignment at St. John's Norwood Parish in Chevy Chase, I was called to St. Mark's as Curate, and then Associate Rector, working with Rector Jim Adams. In 1997 I left St. Mark's and served a six month interim at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. From the fall of 1997 until June 1998, I served as Priest-in-Charge in my home parish in Ft. Washington, and was then called as Rector of St. John's Norwood. I retired in 2008.  

Q: What are some of your most vivid memories of serving as St. Mark's associate rector?

A: Many of these are captured in my recent memoir: Going To Church: It's Not What You Think!  Mostly I remember the close collegiality of working with Jim, the creativity and energy that went into crafting liturgy, a particular Palm Sunday sermon, the excitement of so many new folks joining us in those years, and of course, my farewell party--a never-to-be-forgotten dinner dance!

Q: What are some of the most important ways that St. Mark's has changed since you
first arrived?

A: Nowadays at St. Mark's, we are more diverse and far less focused on the particular niche of being a church for skeptics. Functional education is no longer the core of belonging nor a litmus test for inclusion. And if it still remains so in some quarters, that should change! Our outreach programs are much more developed, and there are more opportunities for children and youth, although we could go much farther.  

Q: What do you see as the critical issues facing St. Mark's, under the leadership of Priest in Charge Michele Morgan?

A: Michele has articulated these issues better than I, but they center around growth and commitment, a strengthening of our sense of mutual responsibility for the health of St. Mark's, a stronger financial base, and perhaps a better organized process for welcoming newcomers and then offering them the tools and opportunities to become active, long-term members.

Q: How would you characterize the current state of the Episcopal Church, including its role in the worldwide Anglican Community, and what prospects do you see for its future amid declining membership?

A: I think the Episcopal Church continues to play an important role in the worldwide Anglican Community despite recent strictures. We represent the openness and inclusivity deserved by all people and modeled by Jesus, and our witness continues to draw people.  Obviously our churches differ widely, but I believe that progressive Christianity as practiced in thousands of churches, big and small, to greater and lesser degrees, is slowly transforming the Episcopal church, and that it is these churches that will better survive the overall decline of traditional Christianity. I believe a new Church is being born and that the understanding of Jesus as God's incarnation of Godself in our humanity and the implications of that for all of us is too important to just die along with all the old pious trappings of faith.

Q: When not considering such weighty topics, what do you like to do for fun and
personal renewal?

A: When not engaging in the above kinds of theologizing (and reading about and discussing with my husband, Bill Flanders), I hugely enjoy staying in touch with my three sons and their families, Bill's extended family, reading both non-fiction and fiction and trying to write, walking our dog Barney, practicing yoga and traveling.  

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: It is wonderful that this role of adjunct clergy has allowed me to return to a beloved community after a long period away, and to exercise my priesthood in ways that are fulfilling to me and seemingly well received by parishioners. It means so much to still be to be part of St. Mark's, with all of my memories and history there, and to continue to contribute, whether it be coffee set-up or an occasional sermon.
Editor's Note: Copies of Susan's book are available from the author, or can be ordered from Amazon. Click here to order her book: Going To Church: It's Not What You Think!
 
Remembering St. Mark's with
Bertha Martin

I came to St. Mark's in 1969, my daughter had been coming to dance class. One day Lily March, who was a teacher at Burgundy Farm Country Day School, where my daughter, Beryl, was a student, stopped by my house in Southwest. She observed the 14th St. Bridge from my living room. She mentioned she came across the bridge every Sunday going to church. I asked her about her church, and she said she went to St. Mark's. I asked her if the  Rector was Jim Adams' whose children also went to Burgundy Farm. I said I was thinking about going to St. Mark's, and she promised to let me know the next time the dancers-who appeared more frequently in the service in those days-would be appearing. When I walked into the church, I was greeted warmly by the parents of the kids that went to Burgundy, and another quarter were my pediatric dentistry patients, so I felt right at home. I had visited other churches in the past, but no one ever spoke to me, but here I felt so welcome.

Jim immediately asked if he could visit, but I put him off because I had just moved to a new house. So he said he would call me in a month. A month to the day, he called and didn't ask if he could come by, but said when! I've been at St. Mark's ever since. I stayed because of the friendliness of the people, who made me feel welcome.

One person who was very influential in my life at St. Mark's was Margareta Trusheim. I noticed that she was doing the altar all by herself, and I decided to see what I could do to help. Everyone said it wouldn't work, because other people had had trouble working with Margareta. But I just watched everything she did, and the two of us ran the altar for years. Finally she was having trouble stepping up on the altar platform and had to retire, so I went to Jim and asked if I could organize a group. That was the beginning of the Altar Guild. I was here for many years before I ran for the Vestry. In my candidate speech, I admitted that I hadn't run before because I didn't want to have to give a speech.

At one time, Paul Woodman was doing all the money counting. So I started helping with that, and we would count it all on Monday. When Paul left this parish, I again asked Jim if I could start a money counting committee. He agreed, but said that all members would have to be approved by the Vestry. And that's still how we get the money counted.

When my daughter went away to school, I got the idea that I should join a church that had more people of color, and not stay at St. Mark's. But she was killed in an auto accident, and at that time the people of St. Mark's were really there for me. I couldn't have made it without them, and for that reason I could not leave.

There have been a lot of changes since I first came. It was much larger in Jim Adams' time, and attendance seems to be going down. The last three Sundays have had very few people at the services I attended. Some of that was because there were other things going on, but I hope we can get more people. I'm concerned about having three services during the summer, because they may not be well attended. 
 
The Coffee Bean as a Means of Grace, or Why You Should Help Revive the St. Mark's Coffee Hour
by Jim Steed

"The sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace. . . What are the two great sacraments of the Gospel? The two great sacraments given by Christ to his Church are Holy Baptism and the Holy Eucharist." [Book of Common Prayer, pp. 857-858]

And as we live out our common life together, there are other activities that take on a quasi-sacramental character. One of these, I would suggest, is coffee hour. The number of churches and synagogues that fail to offer coffee or some alternative after worship services must be small to vanishing. My reading of English crime fiction suggests to me that tea is equally ubiquitous in England. And we offer these things for a reason: not, certainly, to replace the sacraments that Jesus Himself instituted, but because we want those who are looking for a welcoming place in this world to find it with us.

We know that coffee was first introduced to the world from Ethiopia, and that one of the first biblical examples of outreach is St. Philip, who evangelized the Treasurer of the Candace, the Queen of Ethiopia [Acts 8:26-40]. Even earlier, we know that the Queen of Sheba had visited Solomon in great state and gave to him 120 talents of gold as well as gems and spices in great quantity [I Chron 9:9].  Surely we could infer that a knowledge of coffee passed at this same time to those to whom the Ethiopian monarchs--South Arabia in the case of Sheba, but right across the Red Sea from Africa--felt especially indebted.

So, let's consider the St. Mark's coffee hour. Is it sacramental? No, it is not. But it does represent the outward and visible signs of hospitality and welcome that we extend to visitors, and St. Mark's has long recognized its value. When I arrived here, we offered Taster's Choice or Nescafe instant coffee, or, on bad days, Maxwell House. Then we graduated to coffee made in large urns, but prepared with such vicissitudes that its quality ranged from suspect to truly dreadful.

Now, thanks to the foresight of the 2020 Campaign, we have a coffee-making system that actually produces good, drinkable coffee, unlike the instant swill of yore. A cadre of volunteers ensures that the coffee is enjoyed and made regularly available. We enjoyed a preview of a new, better run coffee hour on Sunday, May 8.

Fritz Henn [9 a.m. service] and Jim Steed [11:15] have agreed to co-ordinate coffee hour and refreshments going forward and will furnish the ingredients for a time, BUT WE NEED HELP TO MAKE THIS WORK REGULARLY. There is no budgeted funding for this effort, so we are asking for freewill offerings, to be placed in a receptacle we will provide.  We also need people to step up with contributions in kind. 

Coffee and tea will be provided, but simple contributions of crackers, cheese, breads and other snackable items are needed and welcomed from Sunday to Sunday. While we will still have pub lunches from time to time as needed, with more complete food service, the two coffee hours are meant to give people a chance to talk over a nosh. We look forward to building up community and welcoming newcomers in this way.
 
Live Long and Leave a Beautiful Obit
by Bart Barnes
 
(Editor's note: Bart Barnes, who wrote obituaries for the Washington Post for many years and continues to do so on a part-time basis, recently spoke to the Third Agers on the perennially interesting topic of one's one obituary. Following are edited excerpts from his remarks.)

All of you will need obituaries, and none of you will see your obituary in print. So you need to leave some instructions to your friends and family about what you might think was appropriate for your obituary. They may or may not do what you want, but you'll never know that either!

First of all, an obituary is about what you do. It's what you do as a definition of who you are, even though that's not fully who you are. We write obituaries about what people can see that you did, and what you are known for in your community. It's really what you do, not your title. I've written about people who were deputy assistant undersecretaries. Anybody know what a deputy assistant undersecretary does? I don't, although I assume they help the assistant undersecretary, who helps the undersecretary, who helps the secretary. It would be better if you could say what you really do. If it's, "Read memos, went to meetings, and wrote memos," that may be a little harder to put in a subhead, under the title "Memo Reader." So try to think of something a little more colorful.

Even profession has its jargon. The worst is the military, which has words like CINCPAC. I've asked parents if we can say things in English, but they always say that everyone in the Navy will know what this is. But we're not writing obits for the Navy, but for everyone, and not everyone knows what CINCPAC is. So try to provide your instructions in English.

The longest obit I ever wrote was for former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry. It was 6,000 words and took me 24 years to write! When he was being tried in 1990 for drug possession and use, a senior editor came to me on a Friday afternoon and said that the evidence against Barry was so overwhelming that he must be suicidal. So an obit was needed right away. I spent a weekend in the office writing, but he lived 24 more years. I had to update it every two or three years.

Sometimes it's a good obituary move not to live too long. I did the obit for Clark Clifford, a former Secretary of State who in his day was the man to see in Washington if you needed something done. I interviewed him when he was 79, and got what I thought would be a good obit, describing his achievements and reputation. But he lived another 12 years, during which time he was indicted. The indictment was dropped, but we had to include the fact in his obit when he did die. The family would have loved the first version I wrote right after the interview.

We try to include humor in obits, if we can. When you write an obit, you try to cast things in a way that is kind and respectful-loving in a teasing kind of way. You don't want to say that someone who died cheated in tennis, but if you say that the calls went his way with unusual frequency, that conveys the same thing. It's like what you might use in a "celebrity roast."

During my years at the Post, the paper was run by Ben Bradlee and Don Graham, both of whom were graduates of Harvard. If you know any Harvard people, you know that everyone at Harvard thinks that everyone else there is the best in the world at what they do. So we were always under pressure to put in obits for Harvard people. One day an obit came in on a guy who was a chef at one of the Harvard dining clubs. It turned out he had been in the German army during World War II, as General Rommel's chef. He was captured, taken to the U.S. and became a chef at an officers' club here. He ended up staying in this country, and later got a job at Harvard. So when he died, we put in a subhead for the obit: "Nazi and Harvard chef."

I like the obituaries of "regular people," which are more fun and more challenging than celebrities. The Post still does obits, but not in as much detail as I'd like.
 
David Durant's Farewell
 
(Editor's Note: Now that St. Mark's has switched to a new maintenance contractor, David Durant will no longer be around on Sundays, working to clean up and generally restore order amid the chaos. The parish recently honored David during the 11:15 service, presenting him with a gift of appreciation. David, who is an avid writer, responded by reading the following piece, which we print in tribute to his hard work and gentle demeanor.)

Inspiration of a Lifetime

David with his grandchildren Rakihia, Rolant'e, and Russell.
Two things I believe in-GOD and discipline, and they are both in this book of David. My approach and ambition to bring the best path to the lost souls' feet will transcend time my spirit God kept on line, we exist for the opportunity to bring you closer to the center of HIS heart. Please take time to let us know your heart early and often as opposed to later or never. My fingers are crossed in the direction of the Lord and this is a invite to the opening of the gates. God has me at a level where the heart and mind are on one accord in HIS eyesight, top shelf of course and exquisite if I might add-cannot be shaken or stirred-because I am planted the heaven's gate. One thing for sure--God's promise never answered my hope, it was my prayers. Read Ezekiel 34:23. "I will set-up over them one shepherd my servant David-and he shall feed them my spirit and be their shepherd." Be it know to all and beyond as far as the eyes could see, David's faith built from God's special choice before my time looking ahead, an unparalleled legacy with so much passion you would of thought I was the man who fell to earth and you didn't see me coming, join and icon whose star will last longer than a lifetime. Don't sell yourself short because God's son did not pay the price cheap for me to shine this bright. Never before have you thought things were arranged so perfectly by a KING for a King. Now I can give others perfectly what they need in works of inspiration of a lifetime. It's not a four leaf clover or a rabbit's foot or a horseshoe, it's overall a measure of more gains than losses.
 
thurdinay
by Stewart Andrews  
 
 
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