Tag Archives: Episcopal church

July 6, 2018 · 9:27 pm

Day 3, Episcopal General Convention

Episcopal Diocese El Camino Real Delegation GC79 discussion 6 July 2018

This was the second legislative session day of the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church “GC79” (in Austin, Texas).  I am with the Deputation of the Diocese of El Camino Real (Central California).  Early this morning, I gave testimony at a hearing for resolution D027 “Pursuing Justice for Gaza” before the Committee on Social Justice and International Policy. Episcopal Church News published an article quoting me this afternoon: “Israel-Palestine resolutions spark impassioned testimony under expedited process for review”.

After the hearings, the House of Deputies held a joint morning session with the House of Bishops discussing racial reconciliation. This featured inspiring presenters, including a hip hop poet. Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves lead the El Camino Real Deputies to the section of the hall where the Alternate Deputies sit so the whole Delegation could discuss together – since Alternates are not allowed to come onto the House floor unless we are formally substituting for a Deputy. The Alternates gallery applauded her!  After the discussion, we took a photo of the whole El Camino Delegation.

This afternoon, the House of Deputies began its discussion on whether the revise the Book of Common Prayer – a subject of much passionate and prayerful consideration.  The final vote was put off until tomorrow morning to allow for additional discussion.  After the worship service, most of our Delegation ended the day with a (late) birthday party for Bishop Mary – including spouses and kids of some of the Delegates.

The Austin weather continues to be very hot and humid – going outside feels like having a soggy warm blanket dropped on you.

These blog posts and other GC79 news are posted on the Diocese of El Camino Real website.

Barbara Miller GC79 Committee hearing 6 July 2018

Katy Dickinson giving testimony on Social Justice - International Policy, General Convention, 6 July 2018

Maurice Dyer and Katy Dickinson GC79 6 July 2018

Diocese of El Camino Real Delegation, Episcopal General Convention, 6 July 2018

Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves, Canon Stephanie Spellers, and El Camino Real Delegation GC79 on 6 July 2018

stairs Diocese of El Camino Real Delegation, Episcopal General Convention, 6 July 2018

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July 5, 2018 · 7:09 pm

Day 2, Episcopal General Convention

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry GC79 worship 5 July 2018, Austin TX

This was the first legislative session day of the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church “GC79” (in Austin, Texas).  I am with the Deputation of the Diocese of El Camino Real (Central California).  After a brief meeting of the House of Deputies, today opened with an inspiring worship service, featuring a rousing sermon by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on The Way of Love.  I was able to get a picture of Bishop Michael dancing with the moms and little kids in the Children’s Area up front.

There was some fun at the start of the day when the House of Deputies sent its opening greetings to the House of Bishops – and to Bishop Michael – by way of about twenty Delegates named Michael, wearing caps that said “Michael”. The greeting committee spontaneously serenaded the bishops with the song “Michael Row Your Boat Ashore.”  The House of Bishops sent their own greetings to the House of Deputies through a male and a female bishop solemnly wearing sparkly plastic tiaras above their purple shirts and white collars.

I made several tours of the GC79 Exhibit Area, to talk with University of the South – Education for Ministry staff at their booth, visit the Episcopal Shoppe bookstore (where I purchased the book Living Into God’s Dream for signing by author Professor Catherine Meeks), and shop with several of the vendors selling African and other crafts.

Before the late afternoon legislative session, I was able to attend a fascinating panel featuring the Rev. Ruth Casipit Paguio and the Rev. Robin Denney on “Race in the Communion: Formation and Intentional Discipleship” – and got to sit in the audience with Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves.  The most important resolution considered (and approved) today by the House of Deputies was B014 Director’s Fees for the President of the House of Deputies.

These blog posts and other GC79 news are posted on the Diocese of El Camino Real website.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry with kids at GC79 worship, 5 July 2018, Austin TX

Episcopal Diocese El Camino Real GC79 Delegation with Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves, 4 July 2018, Austin TX

Rev. Nancy Frausto Handing out The Way of Love for Presiding Bishop Curry GC79, 5 July 2018, Austin TX

GC79 exhibit vendor AfricanEverything.com 5 July 2018 Austin TX

Professor Catherine Meeks signing book GC79, 5 July 2018, Austin TX

Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves, Rev. Ruth Casipit Paguio, Robin Denney at GC79, 5 July 2018, Austin TX

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July 4, 2018 · 6:56 pm

Episcopal General Convention, Austin Texas, Day 1

Diocese of El Camino Real sign, Episcopal General Convention, House of Deputies, 4 July 2018

I arrived late last night in Austin, Texas, for the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church.  General Convention is the main governing and legislative body of the Episcopal Church and meets every three years.  I am with the Deputation of the Diocese of El Camino Real (Central California). Our Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves is in the House of Bishops (of which she is a Vice President) and we are in the House of Deputies.  This is the second time I have participated in General Convention – and I will again be blogging about the event.

I am not assigned to any committees, so I plan to attend as many Social Justice resolution hearings as I can.  For United States policy, I am particularly interested in the resolutions on mass incarceration and immigration. For Social Justice and International Policy, I want to sit in on the hearings about Israel and Palestine.  I am also showing interested groups the first half of the “Transforming Literature of the Bible” course materials I have edited and am already using at Elmwood Jail.  In addition, I looking forward to meeting with the Education for Ministry staff who are here in the Exhibit Hall with the University of the South – School of Theology.

According to the Episcopal News Service, the big topics for discussion at this General Convention are:

  1. Marriage Equality
  2. Revising the Book of Common Prayer
  3. The Episcopal Church and the #MeToo movement (for which we had a moving Bishops Listening service tonight)
  4. A salary for the president of the House of Deputies
  5. Following up on the church’s three priorities: evangelism, racial reconciliation and justice and care of creation
  6. Formulating the 2019-2021 triennial budget
  7. Middle East peace

In many ways, General Convention is like a family reunion every three years.  We get to talk with folks with whom we have a great deal in common but do not see very often.  Today, I already met briefly with the Rev. Canon Eric Law (Kaleidoscope Institute, Los Angeles), some of whose work I am using at Elmwood Jail. We had a rousing welcome (“not a sermon”) by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry who received two standing ovations.  I will be here until 13th July.

Today is not only American Independence Day but also my 18th wedding anniversary with John Plocher – happy day, love!

These blog posts and other GC79 news are posted on the Diocese of El Camino Real website.

Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves poster at Episcopal General Convention 4 July 2018

Katy Dickinson and Rev. Canon Eric Law Kaleidoscope 4 July 2018

Episcopal General Convention 4 July 2018

Transforming Literature of the Bible - Old Testament June 2018

4th of July Independence Day flowers at Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church Saratoga California 2018

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Images Copyright 2018 by Katy Dickinson.

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May 18, 2018 · 2:06 pm

New Jail Curriculum

Collaborating with the Rev. Canon William H. Barnwell, this month I have been designing a new curriculum for studying faith and literature at Elmwood Jail (Milpitas, California). In 1980, at the University of New Orleans (UNO), Canon Barnwell started developing a program which would eventually be called The Transforming Literature of the Bible (TLB). TLB is based on his original class in the “Bible as Literature” in the UNO English Department. From the mid-eighties, Canon Barnwell continued to work on TLB for both the university and at his churches: first at Trinity Episcopal in New Orleans, then at Trinity in Boston, and finally at the Washington National Cathedral where he served as Canon Missioner. TLB has been presented dozens of times in a variety of settings.  The TLB version we are updating now is dated 2008.

I had been looking for a shorter course to offer at Elmwood Jail where I have been leading seminars in Education for Ministry (EfM) since 2015. Unfortunately, EfM takes nine months per program year and many of the inmates are not at Elmwood that long. EfM continues to be the right program for some Elmwood dorms; however, I was glad to find TLB for faster-cycle dorms.  I think we can complete both Old and New Testament studies using TLB in about four months.

With Canon Barnwell’s enthusiastic support, I have edited the first six TLB sessions. I plan to edit the next 30 sessions starting next week. The first six sessions cover “The Hebrew Scriptures, Part One: The Great Stories of Genesis”. In addition to reading all of the Bible book of Genesis, students will also read:

I am grateful to have Diane Lovelace and my husband, John Plocher, as my Co-Mentors in this new venture.  I am giving the inmates Bibles, Books of Common Prayer, dictionaries, pencils and journals to support their studies.  Some books are in Spanish and some in English.  Ten inmates came last week to hear about the new program.  They are a varied group from many faith backgrounds: Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim. We are looking forward to developing the TLB pilot program together.

This program is supported by the Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.


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Images Copyright 2018 by Katy Dickinson.

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March 26, 2018 · 5:33 pm

Refugees in Bunia, Congo

Last month, I posted a disturbing story and images: Help Needed for Displaced in Congo. The number of internal refugees who have settled in Bunia, Congo, continues to grow.  The camp now holds over 86,000 people, many of whom are women and children who have traveled for weeks under very dangerous circumstances.  The Congo Network of the Episcopal and Anglican churches gets regular updates from the Reverend Bisoke Balikenga who lives and works in Bunia, DRC.  The Congo Network is chaired by the Rev. Canon Dr. Isaac Kawuki Mukasa (Africa Relations, Episcopal Church).  The US media is reporting very little on this massive humanitarian crisis. I asked the Rev. Bisoke to send the Congo Network photos so that we could help tell the story.

Particularly disturbing were the photos of the girl Rachel and her little sister.  The Rev. Bisoke wrote with the photo below: “Rachel sister just come from the hospital, her left arm was cut by the rebel and Rachel was cut in the head and the mother was killed. Rachel is not in a good condition you can see her head. Please pray for them because the life which they have now it is not the good one.”  The Rev. Bisoke has taken 30 refugees into his own home, in addition to his family of 8.  He is getting some help from friends.  If you would like to help displaced people in the Congo, please donate to Episcopal Relief and Development (designate your donation to DRC). Your money will go toward food, clothing, shelter and assistance with trauma.

 


Recent news stories include:

Photos copyright 2018 by the Rev. Bisoke Balikenga – used with permission.
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February 18, 2018 · 9:54 pm

Help Needed for Displaced in Congo

Bunia, Congo 18 Feb 2018 by Rev. Bisoke Balikenga

Violence has recently gotten worse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I was on a call a few days ago during which we learned of tens of thousands of displaced people, about two thousand of whom are now seeking help near a hospital in Bunia. The Reverend Bisoke Balikenga sent us the photos you see here of families in Bunia in need of food, water, firewood, bedding, and schools for the children. We are coordinating our aid efforts through Episcopal Relief and Development.

Since 2015, I have been a part of the Congo Network group of the Episcopal Church. The group is chaired by the Rev. Canon Dr. Isaac Kawuki Mukasa (Africa Relations, Episcopal Church). I was nominated to join the Congo Network group by my Bishop, the Right Rev. Mary Gray-Reeves (of the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real, California).  We meet by phone and online about quarterly to share information and coordinate support work. I have been taking the Congo Network minutes.

Bunia, Congo 18 Feb 2018 by Rev. Bisoke Balikenga

There is small awareness in the United States about the size and severity of the Congo’s humanitarian crisis. Little news is published, mostly by non-US media and organizations:

However, if I did not know about it directly from the Congo Network, I may not have heard about this crisis at all. I have to go searching for news of the Congo – it does not appear in my regular news sources.  I have never been so aware of the limitations of the US media and how news is distributed.

Congo is about 70% Christian and many of the displaced people are seeking help from their churches. Pope Francis has raised awareness by holding a day of prayer and fasting on 23 February for those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.

If you would like to help displaced people in the Congo, please donate to Episcopal Relief and Development (designate your donation to DRC).

Bunia, Congo 18 Feb 2018 by Rev. Bisoke Balikenga

Photos copyright 2018 by the Rev. Bisoke Balikenga – used with permission.
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January 24, 2018 · 2:22 pm

Prayers from Jail

Collect for Elmwood Jail M4C Dorm 10 Jan 2018

In Week 16 of our Education for Ministry (EfM) 36 week seminar, the students write a Collect together. A collect is a prayer meant to gather the intentions of the people and the focus of worship into a succinct prayer. In the Week 16 exercise, EfM prompts us with the first few words of each line and the students fill in the rest. By writing their own Collect, students learn the difference between kinds of prayer: Petition, Intercession, Penitence, Thanksgiving, and Adoration.

I lead three EfM seminars a week, two at at Elmwood Jail in Milpitas and the third at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (all in the Silicon Valley). My Co-Mentors Joel and Diane and Karen and I are all Accredited Mentors.  After each group wrote their own Collect, I read them the prayers written by the others.

Here are the three Collects:

Collect from Elmwood M4C Dorm EfM Class

God is holy, love, protection, comfort, security, and shares our burdens.

The world is corrupt, burnt, an abomination, and beautiful.

We ask for guidance, strength, compassion, and PopTarts.

We ask for healing, health, guidance, protection, and peace.

We confess our sins, faults, shortcomings, news, fears, prejudices, and hope.

We come together in awe and wonder at His majesty, the love of others, guidance.

So that we can have peace, good will, and understanding.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Collect from Elmwood M2B Dorm EfM Class

God is wonderful, loving, father, strong, life.

The world is a mess, suffering, needing peace, capable.

We ask for peace, mercy, love, hope, freedom, safety, protection.

We ask for food for the hungry, a house for the homeless, peace for those in war-torn countries, and health for the unhealthy.

We confess sin, misgivings, our love, ignorance – lack of knowledge.

We give thanks for life, families, safety, health, our EfM Mentors, friendships, and Honey Bun pastry.

We come together in awe and wonder at new learning, every day, God’s presence at Elmwood Jail.

So that we can have love, understanding, faithfulness.

In the name of Jesus.
Amen.

Collect from St. Andrew’s EfM Class

God is love, healer, generous, compassionate.

The world is sick, poor, in need, progressive.

We ask for health, healing, open hearts and minds.

We ask for abundance for the poor, courage for leaders, wholeness for the sick.

We confess our prejudice, limitations, slowness.

We give thanks for those who came before us, healers, saints, new babies and parents, courageous leaders.

We come together in awe and wonder at a new year, God’s presence in our lives, grace.

So that we can be fearless, and the sick will be comforted.

In the name of our healing Father.
Amen.

This jail-based EfM program is supported by the Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy, the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (Saratoga, California), and the University of the South – School of Theology.

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