Saturday, November 28, 2015
Advent: Reflections on Time
For Advent, a group of those in formation for the priesthood here in the Episcopal Church in CT will be offering daily reflections on time. I have seen some of these reflections, and they are thought provoking and inspiring. I hope you will join me in following their blog for Advent:
http://episcopalct-advent.blogspot.com/
Advent Blessings!
Friday, October 30, 2015
Learning Inside the Box
It is a little before 5 on a Wednesday morning, and I am driving through the dark streets of West Hartford. There are very few cars on the road. Few of us crazy enough to be ought and about. Where would one be going at such an ungodly hour? Well, it is time to come clean. I have caught the bug: I do CrossFit.
If you had told me a few years ago that I would be getting up in the pitch black to go and lift weights and do push ups, I would have given you quite a quizzical stare. I like my sleep (a lot), and given my own medical history, I didn’t think I would ever be lifting anything heavier than my toddler.
Now, you are probably thinking, "What does Cross Fit have to do with church or ministry or formation?” Good question. Actually I think it has a fair amount to do. And I am not the only one. Just Google CrossFit and Church. Quite a number of articles and blog entries have been written about it in recent months. Even in The Washington Post.
Let me start by sharing my own story and how I have come to love CrossFit.
When I was thirteen, I was diagnosed with bone cancer. The year of chemotherapy and the numerous surgeries that followed taught me a lot about my body and left it permanently changed. The tumor was in my left collarbone, and so, after the chemo shrunk the tumor, they removed my left collarbone. Because of the mobile nature of this bone, there is not yet (nor may there be in my lifetime) the technology to replace this bone. They cannot put a rod or a donor bone in the way they would if it were a vertical leg or arm bone. This means all the muscles in my left shoulder are now attached to each other rather than my collarbone, which means I don’t have the same skeletal stability in my shoulder that most people do. For instance, I cannot just align my skeleton and “rest” in plank position.
On top of that one of my chemo drugs can have long term effects on my heart and so my doctors have been cautious about how much anaerobic exercise I do. Can you see why I might be skeptical of doing something that involved lifting 50 pounds above my head?
Over the years, I have sought out fitness options that help to strengthen my shoulders and to just keep me in good shape. I have done yoga and rowing. Both of those were great in many ways, but somehow they weren’t exactly the right fit. Then I started working for a bishop who is passionate about CrossFit. Listening to his stories got me intrigued. Then there was a Groupon for a Box (what you call a CrossFit gym) in my town . . . and so, I tried it a bit of a year ago and haven’t looked back.
I realize CrossFit is not and will not be for everyone, and I must say it has provided some remarkable personal and professional lessons for me. I think one of the biggest reasons I have stuck with CrossFit (beyond the fact that I am probably in the best physical shape I have ever been and that feels good) is that it has changed my definition of what is possible. Given my medical history, I was very cautious about what I might be able to do in CrossFit, but from the day I started my coaches have found ways to scale and modify workouts. They always ensure that I can do something that is challenging, but never harmful or dangerous for me. When I started CrossFit, picking up my three year old was enough of a challenge. Today I can deadlift more than my own body weight, and I can lift 50 pounds above my head. I still can’t do a pull up, but I have faith that I will get there. My slow and steady progress over the past year has taught me to trust the process, to trust my coaches and to keep trying. I thought cancer had put limits on my body that could never be overcome. Amazingly they can.
Needless to say, I cannot help but wonder what this model of self-transformation has to teach me as a leader in the Church. What does it look like to enable the same kind of spiritual transformation in those who love and follow Jesus? Do we do this as a Church? How might we do it better?
I certainly think that the Christian life is an invitation to transformation, an invitation to live our lives in new ways, an invitation to redefine what is possible for ourselves and for the world around us. But how well are we living into that invitation? Are we deliberately engaged in transformation? How might we make church (and by church I mean the gathered community of followers of Jesus not just a building or Sunday morning worship) something that people will wake up in the dark to do because it brings them joy? As ordained leaders, as “coaches,” how can we better encourage and empower those with whom we have the privilege of serving? How might we give them the tools and the skills to test their own limits (in a supportive environment)? How do we inspire them with courage to be bold without being dangerous?
I don’t know all the answers to these questions yet. And I am glad to be thinking about them. I do know that it is about taking small steps and doing something little each day. I also know it is about doing it community with good teachers. I know that if I can take the long view and trust the process and the leading of the Holy Spirit, I will end up somewhere I did not think was possible. I trust this is true for us as Church too.
Friday, September 25, 2015
Of Bishops, DUCs and a table . . .
Last weekend, a group of eleven postulants for the diaconate gathered together to officially begin their formation program. The story of this wonderful weekend and how it came to be is rather interesting, and it seems to me, a wonderful testament to what God is up to in New England. So now to explain the title of this post . . .
Bishops
None of this program or the weekend would have happened with out the incredible support and leadership of our bishops. We are blessed in Province 1 to have bishops who gather regularly and are committed to thinking about how we can do things more collaboratively. We are fortunate to be such a geographically small Province that we can actually gather together in person! As you can see above, we were blessed to have a bishop from each of the dioceses engaged in this collaborative formation effort with us last weekend! On Saturday morning, we had a wonderful presentation and conversation with the bishops on the vision of the diaconate in each diocese and some dreams for the future. Bishop Ahrens was able to stay with us for additional time and conversation over the weeked, as well as leading an engaging discussion of Parker Palmer's Let Your Life Speak and celebrating Eucharist on Sunday.
Four of the seven dioceses in Province 1 are participating in this program. At present the other three are offering their own local formation programs. The weekend was led by the Archdeacon from Rhode Island, the director of Diaconal Formation from Western Mass and me (Dean of Formation in CT). At present CT, NH and WMA all have postulants in the process. Rhode Island hopes to have more postulants next year. We are particularly grateful to the diocese of Rhode Island for its ongoing support of the program (more on that when we get to the table).
DUCs
One of our postulants here in Connecticut once referred to himself as a "Deacon Under Construction," hence the term "DUC," and it seems to have caught on. I must say, this group of DUCs is quite an inspiring bunch! They are enthusiastic, committed, wise and tremendously gifted. I was particularly reminded this weekend, as we were 4 bishops, 2 priests, 2 deacons and 11 deacon postulants, what a joy it is to be gathered as a diverse group of ordained leaders. Each order is so distinct, and we are each so enriched by being in conversation with each other! I have been blessed, from my sponsoring parish in Maine to my various calls as a priest, to serve frequently with deacons. I am so grateful for their particular gifts and perspective, for the questions they ask all of us as followers of Jesus and for the myriad of ways they help and inspire the Church (and me!) out of our comfort zones.
So the very exciting thing is that together we have 11 deacons under construction. I hope in future years this number will be much higher! It will be a wonderful day when all our worshiping communities are blessed by the particular ministry of a deacon!
A Table
So this collaborative effort started with a conversation among our bishops and those involved in the formation of clergy in Province 1. It has come to fruition through commitment and hard work of many individuals. AND it is possible because of a particular resource of the Diocese of Rhode Island.
A few years ago, folks were cleaning out some things from the Cathedral in Providence. They found an old table that was not needed, and so they were going to just toss it. Thankfully, someone spoke up and said it might be worth getting it appraised first, just in case. So they did. Phew! Turns out that table was worth some money. Actually, a lot of money. Thousands and thousands of dollars! That money was put into a fund that throws of income every year. That income is helping to underwrite this collaborative effort of deacon formation. It is enabling us to be responsive to the Holy Spirit and to try on a new way of doing formation - together!
It seems particularly fitting that the funds to help underwrite this effort are from the sale of a table. A table is helping to fund the formation of deacons, those who serve at the Table and who call us from the Table to go out and be God's people in the world.
So thanks to our bishops, DUCs and a table, we had a remarkable weekend of getting to know each other, sharing our stories, imagining the future and continuing to be formed into who God is calling us to be. Thanks be to God!
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Poverty and Hunger
Poverty and Hunger in CT and Beyond
This spring the Deacon's Council did a book study of Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America. This is book is a remarkable window into the issues of domestic poverty and hunger in America. The conversation at the Council meeting resulted in some excellent work by our deacon postulants about how we as the Episcopal Church in CT can more faithfully live into God's Mission and do something to address the issue of poverty on a local level. At our 2014 Annual Convention a resolution was passed to promote the practice of paying a living wage in our parishes. The deacon postulants have done some excellent work developing resources to help our parishes do just that.
Their paper and other resources around Domestic Poverty can be found on the ECCT website: https://www.episcopalct.org/resources/Concerns/Domestic-Poverty/
If you are interested in learning more about what you can do to help address issues of hunger and poverty here in CT, there are also some great resources through Feeding America.
http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-America/our-research/map-the-meal-gap/2013/CT_AllCounties_CDs_MMG_2013.pdf
This is a link to a report on Hunger in Connecticut based on data from the Connecticut Food Bank.
http://help.feedingamerica.org/HungerInAmerica/FB56_CT_EastHaven_report.pdf?s_src=W149REFER&s_referrer=donated_media&s_subsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fhelp.feedingamerica.org%2Fsite%2FPageServer%2F%3Fpagename%3DHIA_hunger_in_america&_ga=1.263919375.2091024846.1437347282
Thursday, June 18, 2015
South Carolina - Resources on Challenging Violence and Racism
As with many of you, my heart is breaking this morning at the news out of Charleston. Nine people dead in what seems to be a racially motivated killing in a church. How do we feel safe if our houses of worship are under attack?
In the midst of this, I am grateful for the variety of resources we have at our fingertips to find comfort and to do the important, holy work of Challenging Violence and Racism in our country.
Here are links to some of those resources:
Inspiring words from our bishops this morning, posted here.
Resource pages on the ECCT website:
https://www.episcopalct.org/Beliefs-and-Practices/Challenging-Violence/
https://www.episcopalct.org/Find-Resources/Concerns/Racism/
http://bishopsagainstgunviolence.org/
Episcopal Peace Fellowship
May we be inspired to join with our brothers and sisters in faith to carry the light of Christ out into the world and to live into our calling to challenge violence and transform unjust structures in our society.
Monday, June 15, 2015
For this week, I refer you to my post on our newly created General Convention Blog for ECCT: http://gc78ecct.blogspot.com/Please subscribe to follow along on thoughts from the CT Deputation during the 78th General Convention!
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Looking Ahead to General Convention
As we approach our 78th General Convention in a few weeks time, I wanted to be sure that you have some resources with which to prepare and follow the action!
Our Canon for Communications and Media, Karin Hamilton, does a fabulous job of keeping the folks in CT informed about the happenings at General Convention. Be sure to sign up for the ECCT General Convention E-News: https://www.episcopalct.org/News-and-Events/Electronic-Newsletters/
Karin also maintains a great page of resources on the ECCT website: https://www.episcopalct.org/GeneralConvention2015/
Some other sites that may be useful:
The central clearing house of all things GC:
http://www.generalconvention.org/
Hashtag to follow on Twitter: #GC78
Episcopal News Service: http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/
Updates from Episcopal Church Public Affairs: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/blog/PublicAffairs
Some Sites and Blogs to watch:
Memorial to the Church mentioned in recent E-News:
http://www.episcopalresurrection.org/memorial/
Scott Gunn (Forward Movement) blogs the Blue Book:
http://www.sevenwholedays.org/category/general-convention/
Tom Furgeson on the Memorial:
http://crustyoldean.blogspot.com/
Keith Voets (member of COM) on Marriage:
http://theyoungcurmudgeonpriest.blogspot.com/
On Marriage:
http://fullyalive.squarespace.com/
Blog from Deputy Don Reed:
http://opensourcetheology.blogspot.com/
Friday, May 15, 2015
Citizen Science, Citizen Church?
I spend a lot of time in my time in my car. A number of years ago, Reade and I discovered that we could have satellite radio in our cars for the same amount of money we were paying for three days of the newspaper. Since we spend so much time in the car we made the switch, and we haven't missed the paper. One of the reasons I love satellite radio is how much I learn while driving in my car!
Last week I heard a program on the Diane Rehm show on Citizen Science. I only caught part of the show. They talked about how smart phone technology and computers were enabling the average person to participate in some of the greatest scientific efforts of our time. I knew there were programs use spare computing power to search for Extra-Terrestrial Life (SETI@home) or to fold proteins for cancer research (folding@home). The interviews that day made me realize how much bigger citizen science could be than just something your computer does in its spare time. This program talked about how children in classrooms and the average person with a smartphone were helping NASA and NOAA or helping biologists track bird migration or any other numbers of scientific projects.
One of the people interviewed on the program talked about how inspiring and empowering it was for people to be participating in a program that was so much bigger than themselves. How they could spend there few minutes with a smartphone and know that they were making a difference and connecting with others who also cared about the world in which we live.
And this program got me thinking. What would "Citizen Church" look like? How might we use social media and technology to accomplish something together that we could never do on our own? In many ways this is what we already do as Church - we focus in our little community to do our work of building up God's Kingdom, hoping and trusting that others are doing the same and that each of us is making a difference. But I think too often we are so focused in our own lives and communities that we can forget that we are part of something larger. We belong to the Body of Christ. We are one part of a much larger whole. How might we deepen our awareness and connectedness to God and to each other? How do we shift our mindset to see ourselves in partnership with sisters and brothers across town and around the world? How can we live into the reality that "the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20)?
I don't know what the answers might be yet. I just think it is an idea worth considering and a conversation worth starting.
Last week I heard a program on the Diane Rehm show on Citizen Science. I only caught part of the show. They talked about how smart phone technology and computers were enabling the average person to participate in some of the greatest scientific efforts of our time. I knew there were programs use spare computing power to search for Extra-Terrestrial Life (SETI@home) or to fold proteins for cancer research (folding@home). The interviews that day made me realize how much bigger citizen science could be than just something your computer does in its spare time. This program talked about how children in classrooms and the average person with a smartphone were helping NASA and NOAA or helping biologists track bird migration or any other numbers of scientific projects.
One of the people interviewed on the program talked about how inspiring and empowering it was for people to be participating in a program that was so much bigger than themselves. How they could spend there few minutes with a smartphone and know that they were making a difference and connecting with others who also cared about the world in which we live.
And this program got me thinking. What would "Citizen Church" look like? How might we use social media and technology to accomplish something together that we could never do on our own? In many ways this is what we already do as Church - we focus in our little community to do our work of building up God's Kingdom, hoping and trusting that others are doing the same and that each of us is making a difference. But I think too often we are so focused in our own lives and communities that we can forget that we are part of something larger. We belong to the Body of Christ. We are one part of a much larger whole. How might we deepen our awareness and connectedness to God and to each other? How do we shift our mindset to see ourselves in partnership with sisters and brothers across town and around the world? How can we live into the reality that "the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20)?
I don't know what the answers might be yet. I just think it is an idea worth considering and a conversation worth starting.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Sermon on TREC-CT
Rev. Molly F. James, PhD
Retired Clergy Gathering
April 16, 2015, Feast Day of Molly Brant
May God’s Word be spoken. May God’s Word be heard. May that point us to the Living Word who is Jesus Christ our Lord.
It is 8am on a Wednesday morning. I sit at a table at Effie’s Place in West Hartford, sipping coffee and chatting with friends. We have just come from celebrating the 7:15 Eucharist at Grace Church in Hartford. I was the celebrant on this morning, and am on my way to work, and so I am wearing my clerical collar. There are six others at the table. All men, and most of them have children who are older than I am. Clearly we seem to make an interesting group, because about half way through breakfast an older lady comes up and asks me, “What is this?” I explain that we are sharing breakfast after Church. I come later to learn that a significant portion of the clientele at Effie’s are Roman Catholic, and so I begin to realize why a young, female cleric with a bunch of older men would be such a surprising sight!
In some ways I can understand her surprise. All of the others at the table grew up in a Church that used the 1928 Prayer Book and where only men were priests. Three of the men at the table are retired priests and were all ordained before 1976. In my case, women have been priests longer than I have been alive, and I have only ever known the “new” Prayer Book as our Book of Common Prayer. On the surface it could seem that we have little in common. And yet I cherish these Wednesday morning breakfasts. There is much laughter at that table. The conversations range from the mundane to the sublime. There is talk of church, of politics, of history, of the things of daily life. And I think these Wednesday morning breakfasts have something to offer our gathering and conversation here today.
Today is the feast day of Molly Brant. If you were following Lent Madness then this name will be familiar to you. Molly was a Mohawk woman in pre-Revolutionary America who grew up Anglican and was a remarkable bridge between the Mohawk and British communities. She was a leader in her communities at a time of great political and societal upheaval. As scholars have noted, “Although Molly received an education from Christian missionaries and was a devout Anglican, she retained a respectful devotion to many Mohawk customs, which allowed her to serve as a consensus-builder between two nations.”
This is not unlike where we find ourselves today as the Episcopal Church in CT. We are faced with the challenge of moving forward into a new world, a new century, a new way of being without losing our heritage or our identity. I think the Holy Spirit was up to something that this gathering is held on the feast day of Molly Brant. It has been noted that Molly Brant was “a woman who lived beyond the cultural, political, and religious limitations of her era. She faithfully integrated her Anglican faith with her Mohawk heritage without confusing the two.” She can be a model for us as one who knew how to hold on to one’s heritage, to bring together the best of two seemingly disparate sides to create a more promising future. Re-imagining the Episcopal Church in CT is about thinking outside the box. It is about re-shaping ourselves to best fit the needs of the 21st century, while simultaneously preserving the best of our heritage and traditions.
I am actually very excited about the opportunity that lies before us. One of the things I love about serving as the Dean of Formation is that I have the opportunity to work with folks in discernment, in the ordination process and those who are newly ordained. No matter their chronological age, these folks are full of hope and new ideas. They are passionate about their love for Jesus, for our Church and for God’s people. They are chomping at the bit to get started and to make a difference. They also see things differently. Few of them are anticipating careers in full-time parish ministry. They imagine ministries in prisons, in schools, in hospitals, in coffee shops and art studios. They imagine ministries that take them out into the world to meet people. Their passion is contagious. Their excitement and new ideas have shown me that we need a church structure, locally and across the Episcopal Church that can better serve the leaders of the future.
How radically different the future structure might be from the current or the past remains to be seen. One of the things I love about my Wednesday morning breakfasts is that they are a mix of the old and the new Church. As I have noted, the collective experience of most of those at the table spans a good portion of the mid and late 20th century Episcopal Church. I, on the other hand, was born at the end of the 20th century. I have only been ordained for 10 years. God willing, I have many more decades of ordained ministry ahead of me. From my friends at the breakfast table, I have gained a greater knowledge of and appreciation for the richness of our Anglican heritage. And I have received a deep appreciation of my ministry, as well as the efforts to imagine and create a more nimble Episcopal Church that is even more deeply engaged in God’s mission in the world.
Our readings remind us of our unity and that there is much to be learned from each other. I hope our time together today, and going forward can be one of rich engagement and sharing. You all bring great wisdom and experience, as well as a lived appreciation for the depths and riches of the Anglican tradition. As together we imagine the future, I hope your collective wisdom can be the foundation on which we build a new structure for our common life as faithful Episcopalians in Connecticut.
AMEN.
Monday, March 30, 2015
A recent clergy gathering focused on the issues of Alcoholism and Addiction in the Church. Clergy, in particular, can have an important role to play in helping people get the help they need. Clergy are also at risk for substance abuse, and so the whole Church needs to be aware of these issues and on the lookout for anyone in our community who may be struggling. Below are some valuable resources. Please let me know if you have more to add to this list. Thank you!
Letter from our Bishops, including link to model Alcohol Policy:
https://www.episcopalct.org/news/bishops39-letter-on-health-and-wholeness/
Alcoholics Anonymous CT meeting finder:
http://www.ct-aa.org/find-a-meeting/
AA Resources
http://www.ct-aa.org/home/
Alcoholism and the Church
http://www.amazon.com/You-Think-Dont-Know-Congregations/dp/081922412X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427730627&sr=1-1&keywords=chilton+knudsen
General Convention Resolution on Alcohol and Drug Abuse:
http://www.episcopalarchives.org/cgi-bin/acts/acts_resolution.pl?resolution=1985-a083
End of Life Resources
I recently gave a talk at an Adult Forum on end of life issues, and wanted to share these resources here, in case they are of assistance in your ministry.
ONLINE RESOURCES
HAVING THE CONVERSATION . . .
When to talk?
Over Coffee
Professional Capacity
Major Life Events - Baptism, Wedding, etc.
Onset of Illness
Advance Planning of Funerals
Adult Education Forum at our places of Worship
Sparked by something in news or conversation
Anytime - because it is important to YOU
Questions to Ask
What are are your hopes? What are your fears?
What experiences have shaped your thoughts about medical care at the end of life?
What is YOUR definition of good quality of life?
When would you want your care to change from aggressive to palliative?
What gives your life meaning?
What brings you joy?
What questions do you have?
What does your ideal death look like?
What rituals/religious practices are most important to you?
Who would you like to make decisions for you?
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Summer Study Opportunities
Opportunities for learning this summer
While the quantity of snow on the ground in CT may have us wondering if summer will ever be here, it is time to make plans. And many of these places have offerings this spring as well!
If you have a bit of time in your summer, you may be interested in some of these opportunities, near, far and online. I will add more as I find them!
http://eds.edu/course-listings#June2015
http://ants.edu/courses/schedule/category/summer-2015/
http://ants.edu/lifelong-learning/
http://www.bc.edu/schools/stm/summer.html
http://www.bu.edu/summer/courses/theology/
http://summerstudy.yale.edu/
http://www.hartsem.edu/current-students/course-schedule/summer-2015/
https://www.gts.edu/take-a-course-today
https://utsnyc.edu/academics/lifelong-learning/
http://www.drew.edu/undergraduate/what-you-learn/summer-term
http://www.nyts.edu/academic-resources/partnerships-and-collaborations/
http://hispanicsummerprogram.org/
http://www.bexleyseabury.edu/courses/current-upcoming/
http://cdsp.edu/continuing-education/center-for-anglican-learning-and-leadership/
http://www.vts.edu/intensives
https://divinity.duke.edu/summer-institute
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Tools for Personal Devotions
A conversation arose recently among one of our formation groups around tools for one's personal prayer life, so I thought I would collect some of the resources mentioned (with a few additions) here. If you have other resources to add, please comment or send them to me. Thank you!
Apps and Online Resources
http://www.sacredspace.ie/
http://www.missionstclare.com/english/
http://prayer.forwardmovement.org/forward_day_by_day.php?d=24&m=2&y=2015
http://prayer.forwardmovement.org/the_calendar.php?k=3
https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer.aspx
http://www.missionstclare.com/english/
http://prayer.forwardmovement.org/forward_day_by_day.php?d=24&m=2&y=2015
http://prayer.forwardmovement.org/the_calendar.php?k=3
https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer.aspx
Podcasts
http://www.episcopalchurchingarrettcounty.org/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/audio-daily-office-trinity/id604914110?mt=2&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
http://www.episcopalchurchingarrettcounty.org/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/audio-daily-office-trinity/id604914110?mt=2&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
The gifts and challenges of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
Thoughts on CPE
One requirement of the ordination process that strikes fear into the heart of many is the requirement to do a unit of CPE (Clincal Pastoral Education). In a nutshell, CPE is a practical internship that provides training in pastoral care and chaplaincy, usually done in a health care setting. For some it is simply the fear of the unknown. For others it is a fear or dislike of hospitals. For the introverts among us, the thought of walking cold into someone's hospital room and introducing yourself as the chaplain is terrifying. We might prefer a root canal. Others have heard stories of harsh supervisors or problematic group dynamics that have made for unpleasant CPE experiences. While it is true that not everyone comes to love CPE or have a wonderful experience, I hope some of my reflections below can help ease some fears and help you to get the most out of your CPE experience.
First off, I will confess to being one who loves CPE. I have done four units of it, and I am incredibly grateful for the gifts and ways it has shaped me and my ministry. I also know that it can be an incredibly challenging time, and for many one unit is all they would like to do!
Pick your site
We in CT are blessed to be in a rather CPE dense area of the country. Within CT or within an hour of our borders we have numerous CPE sites. This means it will likely be possible for you to have some choice in where you do your CPE. I strongly recommend applying to more than one place. Go and interview. CPE is a profound and enriching experience, and much of it hinges on the relationship with your supervisor. Think of the interview as an opportunity for you to interview the site and your potential supervisor as much as it is an interview of you. If at all possible, choose the site that feels like the best match for you.
Variety and Breadth
If at all possible, I recommend doing CPE in a Level 1 Trauma facility. For the most part this means a large, urban (often teaching) hospital. This is not to say that you cannot have a great experience at a small town hospital - you certainly can! The advantage of a Level 1 Trauma facility is that it will allow you to see a great variety of people and circumstances. You will truly see the breadth of the human condition and the human family there.
Extended vs. Intensive
If the constraints of your professional obligations or family life are such that you cannot take a summer off to spend 40-60 hours a week doing CPE, then the answer is that you need to do an Extended Unit (part-time, ~ 10-15 hours a week during the academic year). If you have flexibility in your schedule, there is certainly something to be said for doing it all at once in a 10 week internship. Particularly, if you think you might be called to healthcare chaplaincy, I would strongly recommend the Summer Intensive as a way to try that on.
Be Gentle with Yourself
While CPE is an incredibly rewarding and enriching experience, it is also exhausting - physically and emotionally. It is not a good idea to plan to accomplish a whole lot else while doing CPE. You need time to do your clinic hours, time to write verbatims, and most of all, you need time to process. The incredible privilege of chaplaincy is that you are right there to walk with people in some of the most profound moments of their lives. That is a gift and a burden. In CPE you will witness a great deal of suffering, and you need time to process that. We can suffer vicariously just by witnessing trauma, and so it is important to be gentle with yourself. Additionally, CPE helps us to be better caregivers because it asks us to examine our own lives and stories to see what baggage it is that we bring with us into the hospital rooms we visit. That is essential work to our formation as ministers, and it is challenging and exhausting. Be sure you have your personal emotional and spiritual support system strongly in place while doing CPE. Prayer, conversation, time to laugh with friends will all be very important in helping you cope with the remarkable learning experience that is CPE!
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Staying Connected
A few thoughts on staying connected . . .
Note on the image: I chose this image because it shows people (not just a graphic of connecting wires or puzzle pieces) and because it shows the virtual connection of a video conference. I think both kinds of connecting are important - incarnate and virtual - and both have their place. Often times the virtual method makes connections possible that would not otherwise be possible, and we also need to be sure that our connections are not only virtual.
Bishop Ian recently passed along this article on the value of bi-vocational clergy: http://thomrainer.com/2015/01/19/eight-reasons-fulltime-pastors-staff-go-bivocational/
While it makes a number of excellent points about the gifts bi-vocational clergy bring to the church, what I'd like to reflect on here is the broader theme of staying connected. Thom Rainer argues that one of the main gifts bi-vocational clergy bring are a connectedness to the outside world. It is so easy in life generally, and somehow in the church particularly, to become inwardly focused and insulated from the world. We can become so concerned about maintaining the status quo and responding to our own needs and desires that we can miss what is going on in the world around us. By necessity bi-vocational clergy are back and forth between church and world. They are bridges. Sounds a bit like a deacon. Perhaps we could refer to deacons as "the original bi-vocational clergy." :)
While I do think this is a gift of bi-vocational clergy, I also think it touches on a point that is relevant to all of us who work in the church (lay and ordained). It would behoove all of us to note the value of staying connected to the world. If the church exists as to serve God's mission in the world, then we always need to be communicating the needs of the world to the church and forming and supporting the members of the church to help meet those needs. So all of us need to stay connected to the world. Not to mention, it is also just good for one's sense of self and for self-care to be connected more broadly than the institution of the church. So, here are 5 tips for staying connected to the world.
1. Read the Newspaper
Okay, well maybe not the literal newspaper. Perhaps it is an app on your smartphone or a or the start page in your browser. Maybe you get email alerts of breaking news from your local newspaper, or at least the biggest paper in your state. Maybe you scan the headlines on the BBC, The New York Times or CNN. Maybe you listen to NPR when driving in your car. However you access it, there is great value in keeping track of the news in your town and around the world. Our sermons are better, our relationships stronger because we are connected to our communities and the needs of the world.
2. Shop Local
Get to know the business in your local area. Whether you are in an urban setting with lots around you or a small rural setting with miles between you and "civilization," try to build relationships with those around you. You never know what opportunities for service or evangelism might arise because of a conversation you had with the proprietor of a local restaurant or the post office employee.
3. Colleagues
A great way to remember that the church and the world are bigger than whatever little corner of it we might be serving, is to develop colleague relationships across the wider church. Whether this is through seminary classmates, people you meet at CREDO or another professional education event or even a local colleague group, there is much to be said for hearing what others are up to in their ministry. There is much support and great idea sharing that can happen in this groups, so be sure they are a part of your ministry!
4. Old Friends and some new
While it is great to have those with whom you can "talk shop," it is also essential to stay connected to people who are not in the church. Be sure that you keep a few friends who knew you before you ever went to seminary or started working for the church. They are essential for keeping us humble. Particularly for us clergy, if we are not careful the power of our office can easily go to our heads. We also need people who help us remember that there is more to who we are than our job titles. We need people with whom we do not have any professional obligations. People with whom we can laugh, cry and be ourselves. If you don't have old friends nearby or that you can connect with regularly, it can definitely be worthwhile to work on making some new ones.
5. Sabbath - Practices of Prayer and Refreshment
And of course there is another connection that needs to be maintained for us to flourish in our ministry - the connected to God. While it can be tempting to get lost in or become beholden to our "To Do" List, practices of prayer and refreshment are essential for keeping us well - in all senses. This should perhaps be number one, for without this connection, without a regular rhythm of prayer and relaxation built into our lives we run the risk of being overwhelmed by the needs of the world or become mired in the minutia of daily life in the church. May our spiritual disciplines and practices be the foundation from which we build the rest of our connections to each other and to the world.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Funerals
A Reflection on Funerals
My grandfather died recently. He was 94 and lived a long, full, wonderful life. His funeral was truly a celebration of a remarkable man and the life he led. As I had the opportunity to be more of a family member than a pastor for his funeral, it also got me thinking about funerals more broadly. Funerals are some of the most important work we do as the Church. As I have reflected on in past sermons (see here), we (the Church) know how to do suffering and grief. We know how to help people find comfort and make meaning in the midst of loss. This is why churches were full on the Sunday after 9/11, people knew that the Church was the place to go to help them make sense of or at least cope with tragedy . . . the question is are we ready to respond well when people come seeking that wisdom? I hope so.
Since funerals are a large part of what we can do to help people find hope in the midst of loss, here are a few reflections and ideas on how to do a funeral well:
1. PLAN YOUR FUNERAL
I cannot stress enough the gift it is for family members to have a funeral already planned out so that they can just fulfill your wishes. It saves so much questioning and potential family stress to have a service already planned out! So, please plan your own funeral and encourage family, friends and parishioners to do the same!
2. Funeral or Memorial
One of the first questions to sort is whether or not it will be a funeral or a memorial service. Will the body or ashes be present? Will the burial be done before, immediately after or at some later date? This is really for the family to decide. And I think that it many cases it can be helpful to do the burial first, so that the service in the church can be even more of a celebration of the life of the deceased. That is, however, much more easily done when the person who died lived a long full life. When the death was of a child, young person or in violent circumstances, it may be necessary or appropriate to do things differently. Of course there are also many people or family members who may just wish for a simple graveside service. Graveside services can be lovely and if that is what is preferred, some of what is below may not apply.
3. Liturgy
Since we are Episcopalians, the good news is that this pretty well covered in the Book of Common Prayer. Great comfort is found in the words of the burial service, in the ritual of that liturgy. There is something about praying the same prayers that others have prayed over the centuries that is quite healing. Our circle of support is widened because we are connected to so many others who have known what it is to grieve.
Planning a funeral liturgy is really about filling in the outline offered in the BCP. The prayers are there, suggested readings and psalms are there. The questions are: Communion or no? Burial before or after or at another time? What hymns to use? Who will preach? Who will offer remembrances? I highly recommend creating or adapting a funeral planning form, such as this one created by my good friend and colleague, Rev. Jeremiah Williamson: http://www.ecfvp.org/yourturn/funeral-planning-form/
4. Music
I cannot emphasize enough the healing and cathartic properties of many of our hymns and other pieces of sacred music. I would, therefore, strongly advocate for having at least some hymns at every funeral. They can help people begin to grieve in a way prayers or readings may not.
That being said, a few recommendations on the music front. Keep the secular music out of the body of the liturgy. It just may be that the deceased's favorite song is Stairway to Heaven, but it will like detract from the flow and ambiance of the liturgy if used as the sequence hymn. Try to keep secular music in the prelude or postlude, or better yet for the reception.
4. Remembrances and Homily
As the services are celebrations of someone's whole life it is often quite appropriate for family or friends to offer some remembrances. Generally, it is best to limit this to 2 or 3, as you will likely be offering a homily as well. If people want to have an open mic of remembrance time, that might be best done at the reception. If there are others who would like to be involved in the service, they can be invited to assist in the liturgy or do a reading. It is also a good idea to require those speaking to write down their remarks. It will help them get through an emotional time, and you might also gently suggest a word limit, so that they don't go on and on. In writing your homily, the goal is of course to connect the Scriptures to the person's life and to preach the Good News of resurrection. Even if you didn't know the person, try to make the homily at least a little personal. Talk with the family members and read the obituary. You do not need to pretend the person was your best friend. Just finding a few personal connections with Scripture or things to note will be a wonderful gift to the family.
5. Funeral Directors
This perhaps should have come first, as they are in indispensable part of the process. Funeral directors often get a bad rap for their prices. It is unfair to paint a whole profession with a broad brush. I have had the privilege of working with a number of them, and for the majority of them their work is a true calling that they take very seriously. They are pastoral and offer a lot of support to families. They also have great sense of humor and are wonderful colleagues. In many cases they will add your honorarium to the familys' bill and issue you a check. So, in addition to the gift of having colleagues who understand many of the challenges of our work, it can be to your financial benefit to build a good relationship with your local funeral directors. :)
Preparing for and presiding at a funeral is one of the great gifts of ministry. It is a true privilege to preach the Good News of the eternal nature of God's love and the gift of the resurrection. May you feel the blessing of God's presence as you do that holy work!
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