My Parish 2 | ***Dave Does the Blog

Retreat notes

So, as previously noted, I spent Friday evening and pretty much all day today at the parish men’s retreat. I nattered at length about the whole “men’s group” thing…

So, as previously noted, I spent Friday evening and pretty much all day today at the parish men’s retreat. I nattered at length about the whole “men’s group” thing last time out, and my feelings haven’t much changed (short story: no women were harmed in the forming of this retreat).

A few random items that I didn’t manage to Twitter while up there.

The retreat was intentionally set up to be “Friday night at the church, Saturday up in the mountains” — no overnight (to save costs and inconvenience), but the Friday session kind of gave everyone a chance to get acquainted with each other. It was nice to be able to come home last night and hang with Margie — and to be home this evening (we broke up at 4) to do the same.
The “mountains” session was up in Genesee, at “The Pines at Genesee” — which is all of about 30 minutes from the house, and about 7 minutes max up the grade on I-70 into the mountains (for those who need more info, it’s just downhill from the Chart House restaurant, and down the mountain more or less from the Sleeper House). The Pines is a conference / meeting / event center and it has a nice setting, nice facilities (inside and out), very friendly service, and excellent food. If I were doing an event (large meeting or reception) that could make use of the place, I’d certainly have it high on my list of places to consider. Recommended
Despite being a church retreat, the discussions were not all Bible-bound, nor was there chanting in tongues or casting out of demons (just in case you wondered). While faith elements wove themselves into the conversation, the overall theme for the meeting was on Past, Present and Future, and our personal (and spiritual) journey through same — but was still as much on more philosophical and personal contemplations on the subject than on what the Bible says about it. Indeed, with the exception of one discussion on Friday, there were more non-Biblical culture references and discussion than Scriptural citations (including but not limited to Talladega Nights, Bob Seger, Big Trouble in Little China, and passing references to The Time Machine, Time Tunnel, and Back to the Future). All in all, good conversations, even if the presentations were a bit unfocused at times.
Basic format was to start a section with some churchy music, followed by a 10-15 minute presentation, followed by a 40-45 minute small group discussion (folks self-selecting random around the building). Interspersed by some very good food. We also closed last evening with Compline and did a Morning Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer to start the session this morning this morning (these sorts of bits of liturgical treasure are one reason I like the Episcopal Church so much).
On a different note: why are sports analogies and metaphors and anecdotes so pervasive? I mena, why, instead of baseball or football or hockey stories used to illustrate a point, more people don’t use Babylon 5 references, or Star Trek memes, or Lord of the Rings similes to illuminate their discussions? I’d be so there …
Along those lines, though it wasn’t a reference directly made during the discussion, I fear now that whenever folks are talking about God saying “and He has a Plan” … I think about Cylons.
I like Constant Comment tea, but the decaf version sucks. Pomegranate tea is also not as good as it sounds like it should be.
I find music transcendent, and deeply moving in a spiritual fashion, particularly when participating in it, raising voices with others in unity and harmony and purpose. Joining in a “Hallelujah Chorus” (which we didn’t, but as an example) is such an ecstatic experience, I can understand why some people think joining on a heavenly chorus for eternity singing Glory to God (which, on the face of it, sounds a bit boring after a millennium or two) would actually be kind of cool.
While there was a lot of good discussion to digest about past, present, and future, it occurs to me, as just one thought, that the problem is not that some people live in the past, but that they live in a past that never really happened.
The weather was fabulous up there, given that in January we could have been having a blizzard (I’m glad we did it today and not tomorrow, as the forecast is a bit less clement).
Each of us did a “one minute intro” to the group on Friday night, including “something people don’t know about you.” I mentioned that I collect quotations and put them online — and had a dozen people ask me for the URL. Hmmm. Welcome to any new parishioners who have found their way here.

Overall, a good experience once again, and I’ll most likely sign up again next year.

Retreating

So I’m signed up for this year’s Men’s Retreat at our church, tonight and all day Saturday. I had a decent, constructive time last year, so I anticipate a good,…

So I’m signed up for this year’s Men’s Retreat at our church, tonight and all day Saturday. I had a decent, constructive time last year, so I anticipate a good, contemplative time with a good group of fellas. And heaven knows I could probably use with some away-from-it-all introspection for a few brief hours.

A pleasant weekend …

… if seemingly very short. FRIDAY Relatively quiet evening at home that turned into a Very Late Night. I got sucked into doing quotation research (tracked down some pretty…

… if seemingly very short.

FRIDAY

Relatively quiet evening at home that turned into a Very Late Night. I got sucked into doing quotation research (tracked down some pretty tricky ones, and culled several more for future WIST installments), and looked up to realize it was after 1 a.m.

I still claimed moral victory over Margie, though, who had gotten up at 10 saying she was heading for bed, started checking her e-mail, etc., and was still at it when I finally declared I was going to bed.

SATURDAY

Slept in until 10:30, which was not my intent, but as late as I could sleep with the phone ringing for various reasons every hour or so from 8 a.m.

We went out and did some errands that I’d expected would take about an hour-plus, and basically ran us to the end of the day. Got some solar-powered yard lights to try out, as well as some other stuff we’d been looking for at Target. We also bought some Christmas storage boxes for our more valuable/fragile ornaments.

Got home in enough time to do some prep work for our parish Hungry Flock dinner thang. Jackie swung by with Kaylee to pick up Katherine. Dinner party thang was fun as usual, and then we had a chance to chat with Jackie a bit before heading home.

Fell asleep on the couch with Margie watching Colbert.

SUNDAY

Got up and did churchy stuff. I got to do the reading for Genesis 1:1-5, which is pretty iconic.

Did the January watering out front. Yay!

Spent the afternoon doing bills.

Doyce and Kate invited me and family out for dinner for my birthday. We went to Big Bill’s, which was yummy as usual.

Came home, caught up on some blogging, and hit the sack at a reasonable hour.

A Winter’s Tale

This morning opened up what’s supposed to be a series of never-breaking-freezing days here in Denver until at least after we’ve headed out to Faerie for the Holidays. And, indeed,…

This morning opened up what’s supposed to be a series of never-breaking-freezing days here in Denver until at least after we’ve headed out to Faerie for the Holidays. And, indeed, the temps today never even cracked the double-digits, so far as I spotted on the thermometer.

Which made it a good day for a fire, and popcorn, and egg nog with a bit of Irish.

Tonight was the Lessons & Carols service at church, which we might have blown off if Margie and I hadn’t volunteered to do a couple of the Lessons / Readings. And since Margie is feeling a bit under the weather, Katherine and I went and I did both readings (the rather downer Genesis tale of Adam passing the buck to Eve, and Eve to the Serpent, when God catches them all aware of their nekkidnesss, and the much upper tale of the shepherds abiding in their fields, etc.).

All in all, a nice day. Should have done more with the Christmas shopping, but so be it.

Potpourri for a Monday night

THESE MAKE ME SAD Ill-advised movie sequels – “Ill-advised” as in “crime against humanity.” Or at least “against culture.” Schneier on Security: Hand Grenades as Weapons of Mass Destruction – The devaluation…

THESE MAKE ME SAD

Ill-advised movie sequels – “Ill-advised” as in “crime against humanity.” Or at least “against culture.”
Schneier on Security: Hand Grenades as Weapons of Mass Destruction – The devaluation of the term “weapons of mass destruction.” Read the comments for actual legal definitions — yeesh!
The problem with the one-eye veil for women, and a… – The willingness of ideologues to tromp on any semblance of human liberty in order to make people comply with their beliefs never fails to amaze (and disgust) me.
Nick Reynolds, RIP – Boing Boing – The short member of the Kingston Trio.

THESE MAKE ME THOUGHTFUL

Who is “essential” during a pandemic? – Clearly the societal necessity of IT Directors has been greatly underestimated.
Save a Tree – Shrink Your Sunday Bulletin – I can’t imagine doing a full-up service bulletin with all the text each week. That would be incredibly wasteful. We don’t force people to flip back and forth within the BCP, but we do create season service booklets that are used for 2-3 months.
Bush’s sad finale | Reaping the whirlwind | The Economist – When The Economist proclaims your conservative presidency a failure, that’s pretty darned sad … for you. (And, I suppose, for the rest of us as innocent bystanders.)
What’s missing from the oldest Bible – Pish-tosh — we all know the King James Bible is the final, ultimate, perfectly revealed Word of God, right?
The J-Walk Blog: Christ As Magician – An interesting archaeological find, though not particularly decision-making in in particular directoin.
Pam’s House Blend:: Gay or queer? – Um, you people settle it amongst yourselves and send me the memo. Meantime, I’ll try not to be linguistically offensive while writing in support of your rights.
317 – Tea As A North/South Litmus Test « Strange Maps – If it weren’t for slavery, I’ve little doubt that Sweet Tea would have been the eventual cause of a civil war.
Obsidian Wings: Mark To Market – What I don’t understand about the current financial crisis could fill a book (or twelve), but this is an interesting article about “mark to market” vs “mark to model” asset pricing.

THESE MAKE ME HAPPY

Barbarian Class Playtest – Wait! I already have characters figured out! No fair introducing new D&D 4E classes!
Simon Says… – A clever way to deal with NPC generation in a game.
Bailout Provides More Mental Health Coverage – NYTimes.com – Okay, earmarks = bad. But that they were able to slip this into the bailout bill is both remarkable and, I’ll say, a net gain.
a new twist on alternate energy – Coolness. At least until Homeowner Associations get wind of it (so to speak) and ban them.
A Is For Alignment: The Geek Alphabet – Probably a scosh sophisticated for folks who really need ABCs, but still cool.
314 – Watch the Road: World’s Earliest SatNav « Strange Maps – Way too cool — I’m surprised that Lord Peter Wimsey didn’t have one of these.
318 – The Semicolonial State of San Serriffe « Strange Maps – A greatly amusing story.
Document sans nom – Helvetica Monopoly
Texting drives viewing of subtitled movies? – An interesting idea — texting is making subtitles more acceptible, as are CNN-style TV tickers.

Katherine earns eternal damnation

At the dunk-a-priest booth at the parish carnival….

At the dunk-a-priest booth at the parish carnival.

Ecumenism

So when ever I talk about the Episcopal Church, it seems like I’m dwelling on the divisions within it from controversies over gays and women and whatever. And that raises…

So when ever I talk about the Episcopal Church, it seems like I’m dwelling on the divisions within it from controversies over gays and women and whatever. And that raises the bigger issue of divisions between various Christian sects/denominations. While there may be some cynically pragmatic reasons why it’s maybe just as well that Christian unity is more of a distant goal and slogan than a reality, it is one of the directives that Christians — as informed by Jesus in the Bible — ought to be striving for.

Our rector now posts his sermons on a blog at our church, and a couple of weeks ago he included this quote:

The great labor of ecumenism has barely managed to dent the walls of separation that keep the divided Christian denominations from a genuinely common life… Protestant and Catholic, East and West, Christians remain divided –- and seem by and large content with their separation.

I started writing a response to the blog/sermon, but it got long enough in thought that I decided to post it here instead.

Why is it, in the face of calls by their founder to be “one” that Christians seem to be divided into so many sects and denominations and groups and subgroups. It’s such a recognized phenomenon that it’s made its way into the (ostensibly) world’s funniest religious joke:

I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump. I ran over and said: “Stop. Don’t do it.”

“Why shouldn’t I?” he asked.

“Well, there’s so much to live for!”

“Like what?”

“Are you religious?”

He said: “Yes.”

I said: “Me too. Are you Christian or Buddhist?”

“Christian.”

“Me too. Are you Catholic or Protestant?”

“Protestant.”

“Me too. Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?”

“Baptist.”

“Wow. Me too. Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?”

“Baptist Church of God.”

“Me too. Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?”

“Reformed Baptist Church of God.”

“Me too. Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915?”

He said: “Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915.”

I said: “Die, heretic scum,” and pushed him off.

(Alternate versions here, here, here, and elsewhere around the Net.)

Part of it is, I think, tribalism. We like to herd together with birds of a feather. Even within a given parish (take my own), you end up with folks banding together by service time, by participation in different groups, by the choir folks vs the “contemporary music” people, by the women vs the men, etc.

But that’s only a part of it. When you look at the rhetoric that gets thrown about disagreeing between Christian groups — heck, just the things that are said (on both sides, though I have my preference) in the current Episcopal divisions — it’s not just herding, but downright hostility, even hatred. Which, for folks who’ve been told in no uncertain terms, to love one another, is pretty (as they used to say in the old days) scandalous.

It seems to me, watching these sorts of contentions, is that a lot of people aren’t interested in being One, they’re interested in being Right. Or, more importantly, in being the Winners, the ones whose beliefs are proven and vindicated by other folks agreeing with (or giving in to) them. They may want unity, but it’s a unity on their terms, by their rules. They want to win the debate, to be acknowledged as right in every jot and tittle of theological controversy, rather than in working together to further what they’re supposed to be doing in God’s name — feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, etc. They are more interested in asserting what the “Good News” is (“Now pay special attention under section three, paragraph twelve, clause 47/a, where it clearly states that …”) than in sharing it.

It’s a matter of pride, in other words. And, yeah, I can be that way sometimes, too. Though I try to hold it in check.

Too, I think ecumenism and a “common life” is misperceived. Too much emphasis is given on coming up with a fully agreed-upon theology and formal; recognition of each others’ flavors of priesthood and hierarchy and so forth. Too much emphasis is placed on uniformity vs unity. Arguments over ordaining women, or married priests, or bishops vs presbyters vs congregational control, which flavor of creed to adhere to or whether the eucharist is symbolic, transubstantiational, or consubstantiational, all miss the point; trying to settle them is like trying to convince everyone in a big crowd what restaurant go to — and what to order there. The goal in the latter is not that everyone eat mushu pork, but that everyone go out for a good time.

From my way of thinking (and, yes, I’m cognizant that I’m dancing around a bit of hypocrisy here, but bear with me), God didn’t make everyone the same, so why do we have to come up with a laundry list of identical and identically interpreted rules in order to work and live together? Wasn’t over-adherence to rules something that Christ himself is recorded as condemning? I’m willing to live with a little ambiguity, mystery, and disagreement over the specifics of God’s will — because I think the general guidelines are pretty clear. “In essentials unity, in non-essentials freedom, in all things love.” I’m less interested in folks’ theology than in what they do with it.

Or, looked at another way, I can be good neighbors, coworkers, even friends, with people with whom I disagree in one or more particulars (religious, political, recreational, aesthetic, etc.). Heck, Margie and I don’t agree on everything, but we seem to get along together pretty well.

The “non-essentials” aren’t unimportant — but they aren’t (by definition) essential to be in agreement about. The trick, of course, is that what is “essential.” My own opinion is that the “essentials” in Christianity need to boil down to the actual dictates by Christ as to what the most important commandments are, to wit, loving God and loving our neighbors. Most of the creedal and theological differences between Christian denominations — let alone the organizational and ritual differences — have only tangential importance to those commandments.

But, of course, they aren’t something you can win at, play power games with, easily condemn people for, or otherwise use as a club for being holier-than-Them. Perhaps that’s why they have such a hard time catching on.

But until they do, or until people act more on them than in hurling vitriol over which direction to cross themselves, or what sort of paraphernalia to have up on the altar, or what version of the song book is being used, or who’s married to whom — it seems unlikely we’ll ever have much in the way of unity within Christianity.

Volunteerism

So I think I ended up volunteering for something new down at the church — which is probably the last thing I need to be doing, given the “busy” and…

So I think I ended up volunteering for something new down at the church — which is probably the last thing I need to be doing, given the “busy” and all that. But it should be relatively quick, not too fraught with politics, and a fun bit of community-building: creating a Cafepress page for the parish.

Of course, I’m sure there will be as-yet-unresolved conflicts between the “new logo” people and the “old logo” people. The old logo was a stylized sheep next to running waters. The new logo shows our church steeple in front of the mountains (which is a particularly nice view we get of it driving down Dry Creek). The new logo came about with our new web page, stationary, etc., and has much to advise it as a logo and all that good thing. That said, the old logo has a lot of nostalgia with it, and many of the old-timers seem to prefer it.

Nobody’s actually brought the two groups into conflict as yet — but I’m sure if we end up with a just-new-logo web page, someone will raise the question. And if we do two connected stores, then there will be those who wonder why we’re watering down the “brand” with both, and whether it promotes divisions within the congregation …

When given the opportunity to argue about stuff, Episcopalians seem to be great leaders.

Hmmmm …

On the other hand, doing a Cafepress thang would be fun (contention over logos aside), and, once set up, minimum effort to keep up. Just the sort of volunteering I like to do! And, honestly, if we can get over the (probably hyperbolized) conflicty bits, I think people will really like it. And we can make a small amount of money to be used for good things, too.

An intimate little get-together for 65 of our dearest friends

Well, not quite, but Margie did volunteer to do a breakfast and lunch for a diocesan event down at the church, planning for the 65 who RSVPed (though the actual…

Well, not quite, but Margie did volunteer to do a breakfast and lunch for a diocesan event down at the church, planning for the 65 who RSVPed (though the actual total was closer to 50). Muffins and croissants and yogurt and granola for breakfast (plus fruit and juice coffee). For lunch, two yummy soups (potato cheese bacon and italian chicken), plus five different salads, bread, cookies and fruit for dessert. And lemonade.

Yeah.

Katherine and I did go down to help with final prep and setup and serving and cleanup for lunch, but Margie deserves the kudos. It was all quite yummy. And, given how ostensibly easily she did it, quite marvelous.

(No, it wasn’t actually that trivial an effort on her part, by any means. But if I had to do it, it would have been five times the work for something a third as good, so Margie really does deserve a big round of applause for it all.)

(Kitten was helpful, except when she was deciding not to be helpful, in which case she was passively helpful by staying out of the way.)

April Showers

A soft, steady rain down at home as I started off this morning, turning a bit slushy as I got up to the office. All the ops folks in my…

A soft, steady rain down at home as I started off this morning, turning a bit slushy as I got up to the office.

All the ops folks in my wing are packing up to move to the other building this weekend. I have no idea when I am slated to move over there, as it’s a different floor and the move coordination is being handled with all the planning, coordination, and aplomb of a bunch of three-year-olds (with IT saving the day more often than not).

Someone I’ve worked with for many years — in fact, who I hired into the company — is shifting their base of operations to the downtown office we gained in the acquisition last year. And someone else I’ve known here for some time is, rather goofily, being made redundant by that same office/acquisition, so I’m busy trying to figure out if I have a position in my department for them.

Last night was Family Art Night down at Katherine’s school, with a (mostly) Asian Art theme. Katherine performed in a puppet play about the building of the Great Wall of China, and there were various calligraphy and painting projects, free food, Chinese dancers, dragon dancers (Katherine’s favorite), and some Ultimate Martial Arts guys who were as much dancers and Power Rangers as actual self-defense masters (no matter how many degrees of black belt they claimed or how high they kicked). Good fun for all.

We’re getting ready for some travel coming up. We’re off to New York in a week for Doyce and Kate’s wedding — we’ll be staying on a couple of days beyond so as to do some whirlwind touring (it’s my First Time). Jim and Ginger are coming out on Monday to stay for a couple of weeks, including taking care of Katherine while we’re gone; they have some fun touring plans, too.

While I’m glad that tomorrow’s Friday, Saturday Margie’s volunteered to do breakfast and lunch for 65 down at the church, Which we’ll be helping her with, of course.

A busy, unsettled, changing, promising time.

Blogging categories

Unlike all the Cool Kids, I’ve never gotten down with using Tags for my blog entries. I don’t trust myself enough to tag things consistently, frankly. So I use categories…

Unlike all the Cool Kids, I’ve never gotten down with using Tags for my blog entries. I don’t trust myself enough to tag things consistently, frankly. So I use categories to group things together for those times I want to review a subject (vs. searching for individual posts).

I’ve added a bunch of new subcategories today for several categories that had grown unwieldingly large. In most cases, these were categories I’d been pondering for a while, but which I finally got around to building. I’ve done them as subcategories of the parent categories I’m trying to break up.

Now, in theory, I should go back through those parent categories and reassign things appropriately. Alas, with over 12,000 entries, that’s a herculean job that I’m saving for when I have a week with nothing else to do. Perhaps when retire …

So for the most part these categories are starting off as stubs that will build from this point, with possible backfilling if I reference back to an earlier post. Let’s see how that works for now; in another 12,000 posts, nobody will remember the difference.

Sub-categories being added:

Blogging – Technical (to track posts about MT and technical issues with my blog, vs. other general Blogging subjects)
Family (broken out from Personal)
Health – Science (to distinguish from “I am down with the grippe” Health posts)
Media – Art (to make various reference to the Tate Modern, etc.)
Media – Sports (for the occasional obligatory sports post)
My Mobile / PDA (for stuff having to do with cell phones and PDAs and combos thereof)
Religion – Episcopal Church (broken out from the general Religion category)
Religion – My Parish (my local church activities)
Religion – Me (my own musings on the subject)

And I’m doing this post as much to note these changes as “starter” posts for those new subcategories than as anything I figure anyone would be interested in actually reading. We now resume my regular blather, normally scheduled for this time.

The Weekend Ahead

Ah, for a relaxing weekend … FRIDAY Assuming I get out of here in a timely fashion today (not a safe bet these days), my number one job at home…

Ah, for a relaxing weekend …

FRIDAY

Assuming I get out of here in a timely fashion today (not a safe bet these days), my number one job at home is sorting out some of the fallen branches around the house. A guy named “Ox” (not kidding, though he’s not what I would describe as Ox-like) is going to be by in about a week to haul it off, but in the meantime I want to get it off the plants and fences.

Fortunately, the Old Tree Trunk neighbors are picking up the bill for that tree’s branches that are all over our driveway. In the back, I could imagine dunning the neighbors for the remains of their trees, but it’s not worth it.
Also on today’s hit parade, cleaning the house. Oh, boy!
Computer-related stuff (see below).
Tonight is a big dinner/dance/silent auction fundraiser for our church, same deal as the last time. Should be fun. We have up for auction the same three things we did last time — a couple hundred dollars of wine, a “five dinners for a family of four, delivered pre-made and ready to be heated” deal, and a “gourmet multi-course dinner served in your home for up to 6, wine included” deal. The latter was so well received last time that they’re going to do it as a live auction, which should be fun.

Now all we have to do is get a sitter. Margie made several phone calls earlier in the week, but nothing doing. Rrg.

SATURDAY

Another function Saturday night, another sitter we’ve yet to obtain. Rrg. “Hungry Flock” progressive dinner thang, again for the church. Should be fun, as usual, but …

SUNDAY

Assuming anyone can make it, it’s our official Game Day at the house. The second of the several that have come and gone that we can actually do. Yeesh. But, hence, the cleaning up on Friday, since the place is a mess.

Also on the docket for this weekend — finally got a replacement PC for Margie, who’s been struggling along with her old one. It’s a refurbed Compaq Presario SR1475CL, via CostCo. Should be adequate for 2-3 years (the main restriction on Margie’s PC — RAM limit of 512Mb). Arrived in the mail yesterday. Amongst that things that need doing:

Identifying the applications that need installing.
Backing up configurations.
Backing up data.
Installing applications over on the new machine.
Restoring data to the new machine.
Moving the graphics card from the old machine to the new machine.
Upgrade the RAM on the new computer from 512Mb to 1Gb (or more, depending on my whims).
Reloading City of Heroes (and CoV/test server stuff).
Endless tweaking.

Not sure how much of that will be done this weekend. I can use my external HD for the backup purposes — but I need to do some cleaning of it (it’s got stuff from several laptop backups on it, and some of it is stuff that’s no longer on my current machine).

I think “sleep” shows up on the list somewhere here. Oh, and “relax,” too. We’ll have to see about that.

Coffee klatsch

We hosted a parish get-together at our house last night, one of several after-dinner coffee meetings that Fr Craig is having with the congregation — getting to know folks, telling…

We hosted a parish get-together at our house last night, one of several after-dinner coffee meetings that Fr Craig is having with the congregation — getting to know folks, telling about his background and current perceptions and future plans, and inviting conversation. It was a good meeting, with varying opinions expressed and broad-ranging discussions.

It was also a good “reason” to get the downstairs all nice and clean — though, as it turned out, nobody really went beyond the dining room, as we were able to set up everything on the new buffet, which was most convenient.

The left-over cookies (of which there were a plenitude, all admired by the visitors) are at the office today.

In other news … Baby Watch 2005 continues …

Timing is Everything

So as a grand, climactic, cathartic finale to our big church construction project, we’re having a large pot-luck dinner, dance, dedication by Bp. Winterrowd, big excitement, etc. Two hundred-odd folk have RSVPed, which is pretty incredible for our church, and Margie’s been hip-deep in prep work.

And, of course, it’s tonight, and …

… Winter Storm Warning in effect until 6 am MST Sunday…

The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Winter Storm Warning. Snow will increase and become heavy at times today and tonight… then taper off Sunday morning.

Storm total snow amounts will range from 8 to 16 inches in the foothills and mountains… mainly east of the Continental Divide. Snowfall totals from 6 to 12 inches are possible at lower elevations along and west of Interstate 25.

A Winter Storm Warning means that hazardous weather conditions are imminent or highly likely. Road conditions will deteriorate by this evening. Travelers should check the latest conditions and allow extra time for safe travel.

*Sigh*

But wait! There’s a sequel!

Evidently not satisfied with Bishop O’Neill’s letter of reprimand (a/k/a “Godly Admonition”) to Bonnie, or interested in giving the bishop time to complete his policy review on such matters, the…

Conservative Episcopalians will ask Bishop Rob O’Neill to impose harsher sanctions against the Rev. Bonnie Spencer, an assistant pastor who participated in a same-sex ritual at Good Shepherd Church in Centennial.

In a letter sent to O’Neill last weekend, a conservative leader criticized the bishop’s handling of the matter, which was to impose a “godly admonition,” the lightest rebuke possible. In his decision, issued last week, O’Neill also authorized Spencer to take a six-week leave of absence.

The Rev. Don Armstrong, of Colorado Springs, warned in a letter to O’Neill that conservatives plan to demand that he consider defrocking Spencer and firing the church’s interim rector who approved the ritual.
“What Bonnie did . . . is clearly a same-sex blessing, and that must be stopped,” Armstrong said.

Now, given that the actual letter from Rev. Armstrong isn’t available, and given the through-a-word-processor-darkly nature of how previous letters from folks in this case have been somewhat mangled by the Rocky, I hate to draw too many conclusions here.

Still, it seems to me extraordinary that there be a demand to have Bonnie “defrocked” in this matter. And Rev. Armstrong would know as well as anyone else that our interim rector is actually hired by the parish, not the bishop; while I’m sure the bishop could, should he choose to do so, exert pressure on our parish to let Rev. Need go, I don’t believe he can actually “fire” her on our behalf.

I’m also not sure how this balances with Armstrong’s previous statement, in the Denver Post, apparently approving of the bishop’s actions (which had been communcated at that time): “”I think what he’s done is struck the right chord for the moment.”

I’ll wait until the apparently-leaked (if not CCed) letter to the bishop makes it online to make any further comment.

Why, yes, this is my church, Part III

This story about the hopeful final (or at least climactic) chapter the brouhaha at our parish is relatively accurate, if still in error in a couple of particulars. Colorado Episcopal…

This story about the hopeful final (or at least climactic) chapter the brouhaha at our parish is relatively accurate, if still in error in a couple of particulars.

Colorado Episcopal Bishop Rob O’Neill said his warning to an assistant rector who took part in a commitment ceremony with her lesbian partner could help the diocese’s efforts to navigate divisions over sexual orientation.

O’Neill told the state’s clergy Friday that the Rev. Bonnie Sarah Spencer of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Centennial did not violate church canons, diocesan ethics guidelines or its sexual misconduct policy.

However, O’Neill issued Spencer a “Godly Admonition” – “a written, solemn warning” that includes teaching and direction. Spencer, who wrote a letter of apology to her colleagues, will begin a six-week leave of absence Tuesday, it was decided.

All of which is true so far as it goes. The gist of the bishop’s conclusions was that there had been no wrong-doing, but that in proceeding with the “commitment ceremony” without explicit, unequivocal permission from the bishop, Bonnie had exercised poor judgment in the broader context of the overall state of the church. The “Godly Admonition” can be considered a letter of reprimand in her file, something that is usually handled in private between bishop and priest but, because of the public nature of the matter, it, and Bonnie’s apology, had to be made known.

To my understanding, though, the six week leave by Bonnie is not directly tied to any sort of punishment, but was mutually agreed upon between her and the bishop. She’s clearly exhausted by the whole brouhaha (not just the last month or two, but the several months (and more), leading up to it).

It’s notetworthy, again, that the bishop’s concern, from a diocesan perspective, was how this episode brought to the fore some of the conflict over this general subject that has been brewing in the diocese for some time. I can clearly understand how this cause him troubles, since it was during a period when he’d committed to everyone that, while his task force was working on what the common ground was between those accepting of same-sex blessings and those not, he’d make no changes in diocesan practice and policy (which have been similarly conflicted).

It’s an odd situation, because while I can understand his big-picture concerns here …

“I think one of the issues this holds up is the need for all of us to be particularly attentive to our corporate life – our life as a community – recognizing our individual decisions do have an impact on the life of the larger body.”

… I also understand (and cannot condemn) the personal aspect of why Bonnie moved forward with this at this time. I think both are right, in their own ways and in their own contexts, and it is part of the tension between one’s personal spiritual life and health, and that of the community about one.

I found the conclusion of the article pretty interesting, too.

The Rev. Don Armstrong of Colorado Springs, a conservative leader, said O’Neill focused not on sexuality but on unilateral actions at a time when the church’s Lambeth Commission is working toward solutions. “I think what he’s done is struck the right chord for the moment,” Armstrong said.

And if Armstrong’s on board with it, perhaps the situation might be defused for the moment after all.

Why, yes, this is my church, Part II

A new article in the Rocky about goings-on at our parish. Days before Episcopal Bishop Rob O’Neill acts in the matter, a Denver assistant pastor has written to parishioners to…

A new article in the Rocky about goings-on at our parish.

Days before Episcopal Bishop Rob O’Neill acts in the matter, a Denver assistant pastor has written to parishioners to explain the same-sex ritual she participated in with her partner in April.

“I did not intend to deceive or hurt anyone,” the Rev. Bonnie Spencer said in a letter sent this week to members of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Centennial.

She said Thursday she wanted to explain to her parishioners what happened before they read it in the newspaper. Spencer said she and her partner exchanged rings, “made promises to one another” and read a Psalm.
O’Neill has said he will announce today what sanctions, if any, he intends to take against Spencer.

All of which is true, as far as it goes. It distills a pretty lengthy letter from Bonnie to a few sentences, though not unrepresentative ones. It’s worth noting that the the letter’s issuance was not directly linked (“days before”) to the bishop’s anticipated actions, and, in fact, it was released over a week ago, while the bishop has indicated he’ll have some announcments on it this weekend.

Having met with the bishop this past Monday, with the Vestry, I expect any fireworks will take place after the bishop’s announcement (and that would be the case no matter what his judgment in this matter would be).

(via Stan)

Why, yes, this is my church

I’ve been in the know on this for a couple of weeks, but didn’t blog about it here because — well, it’s likely to be getting all too much press…

I’ve been in the know on this for a couple of weeks, but didn’t blog about it here because — well, it’s likely to be getting all too much press and other coverage over the next weeks/months.

And to that end, I’ll decline to go into backstory of the sort that would be liable to end up being quoted somewhere in the press should this site be stumbled upon by someone. It’s not secret stuff, by any means, but in a brouhaha like this, stuff happens.

Same-sex event at church has conservatives seeking answers

Actually, plenty of folks seeking “answers” on this. But there are indeed some folks who are seeking answers they can use to further an end.

It wasn’t a same-sex blessing – but it was close enough that conservative Episcopalians are demanding to know from Bishop Rob O’Neill what happened last weekend at the Good Shepherd parish in Centennial.
A church official confirmed Thursday that the parish hosted a same-sex celebration in honor of Bonnie Spencer, an assistant pastor at the church, and her partner.
Spencer said she would have no comment until she spoke to O’Neill, who is out of town until next week. She added, however, that “there was no same-sex blessing.”

That is, in fact, in keeping with the information I have (and have every reason to believe). And saying that the “parish hosted” the celebration is perhaps overstating matters. The couple, and two witnesses each, were allowed use of the sanctuary on a Saturday, with the permission of the rector. No others were present.

The Rev. Lou Blanchard, who is the overseer of the region that includes the parish, said she was informed as “a matter of common courtesy” of the celebration.
“They had a party celebrating their relationship,” Blanchard said. Since she did not attend, Blanchard said she didn’t know what form the celebration took, or whether a spiritual ceremony was involved.

In point of fact, to avoid appearances of a formal church blessing, clergy were specifically instructed not to attend the event. Which, for something involving a priest, is greatly unfortunate.

Blanchard said that several months ago O’Neill denied the couple permission to perform a same-sex blessing. The bishop could not be reached for comment.
Same-sex blessings have been approved by the Episcopal Church USA, a move that has outraged conservatives in the denomination. While he supports same-sex issues, O’Neill promised conservatives he would not even consider moving ahead on developing such liturgies until after he had been in office six months. He took office in January.

Actually, the General Convention did not “approve” same-sex blessings, but acknowledged that they have been occuring, declined to condemn them, and continued to leave the matter as a “local option” to bishops while the church strives to reach consensus on the matter.

As a buzz began to build this week over what happened at Good Shepherd, a number of letters were sent to O’Neill asking exactly what happened at the 800-member parish, according to the Rev. Ephraim Radner, a writer, theologian and pastor of the Ascension parish in Pueblo.
“People are all wondering what’s going on,” Radner said.

Perhaps they should have asked the principles — Bonnie, or the parish rector, rather than just “wondering” aloud.

Speaking only as a parishioner, from my understanding of the events and the people involved, I don’t believe anything wrong or improper have occured — and, in fact, that this should be a time of joy and celebration for the couple involved. I suspect that some folk, however, will have a differing opinion, and that some will make it a fairly ugly mess.

And that’s probably all I should say at the moment, at least in this venue.