Tag Archives: St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church

September 5, 2018 · 3:20 pm

Collect from Jail

I am getting ready to go to my Education for Ministry (EfM) seminar at Elmwood Jail in Milpitas tonight. Before driving from San Jose to Milpitas after dinner, I make printouts of the varied information the guys requested during the last class. Today, I am bringing in:

Pictures of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (from my visit in 2017)
Opera summaries from The Barber of Seville and Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street – for someone who wants to compare them
A timeline of Christianity – developed for the “The Transforming Literature of the Bible” (TLB) course I lead on Fridays
An icon of Julian of Norwich – by Brother Robert Lentz, OFM
Copies of the Collect the class wrote together last week.

Each term, the students write at least one Collect together at the end of a theological reflection. A collect is a prayer meant to gather the intentions of the people and the focus of worship into a succinct prayer. Their group prayer last week was:

Dear God: holy, righteous, omnipresent, all-knowing, superstar, elusive, father of lights, love…

You are: so cool, great, ever-powerful, gracious, miraculous, creative…

We pray that you: forgive us for our sins, bless us, reconcile us with those we have hurt, make us more humble in spirit, make us happy, will illuminate our hearts and minds…

So that we: can forgive ourselves, live what we confess with our mouths, can live our lives in a state of grace, can be your hands and feet in the world.

Amen.

I have from time to time posted other collects written by earlier Elmwood classes.

If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right).
Photos Copyright 2018 by Katy Dickinson

Starting Master of Arts in Social Transformation, Finished Revising TLB

Today is my first day of orientation at Pacific School of Religion (PSR) in Berkeley for the Master of Arts in Social Transformation degree.

Yesterday, I finished editing and revising the final document for the “Transforming Literature of the Bible” (TLB) program. I have been working on TLB since May 2018 and have finished two books, 36 sessions, 604 pages total.

This has been a busy few days but I wanted to finish TLB before starting studies at PSR. Literary selections are included in TLB to provide a diverse context in which to understand some of the major themes in the Bible passages under consideration. In addition to readings in the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible), the students of Book One also read:

“The Welcome Table” story by Alice Walker (1973)
“A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1955)
“My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Sink of the Bathroom at Sears” poem by Mohja Kahf (2003)
“The Son from America” story by Isaac Bashevis Singer (1973)
“The Big Red Apples” story by Zitkála-Šá aka Red Bird (1900)
“My Last Duchess” poem by Robert Browning (1842)
“I Have a Dream” speech by the Rev. Martin Luther King (1963)
O Pioneers! excerpt by Willa Cather (1913)
“The Family of Little Feet” story by Sandra Cisneros (1984)
The Gangster We Are All Looking For excerpt by Lê Thị Diễm Thúy (2003)

In Book Two, in addition to New Testament readings, the literary selections are:

“At the Arraignment” poem by Debra Spencer (2004)
“A Private Experience” story excerpt by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2009)
“Sonnet XXVII” by William Shakespeare (1609)
“Under the Poplars” poem by César Vallejo (1919)
“The Grand Inquisitor” excerpt from The Brothers Karamazov, by Feodor Dostoevsky (1879-1880)
Farewell to Manzanar excerpt by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston & James D. Houston (1973)
“XVI” poem by Emily Dickinson (circa 1890)
“Limits” poem by Jorge Luis Borges (circa 1961)
“A Discreet Miracle” excerpt by Isabel Allende, from The Stories of Eva Luna (1989)
“The Fullness of Time” poem by James Stephens (circa 1900)

I am collaborating on the revision of TLB with the Rev. Canon William H. Barnwell who wrote the original course. In addition to revising Canon William’s 2008 course materials, I am running a pilot version of the class itself at Elmwood Jail (Milpitas, California). I am grateful to my Co-Mentors Diane Lovelace, and my husband, John Plocher (with the Rev. Peggy Bryan as backup). This program is supported by the Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy (CIC) and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Thanks to Collette Lynner of CIC for supporting TLB production.

More pictures from my PSR Orientation week:

If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right).
Photos Copyright 2018 by Katy Dickinson.

2 Comments

Filed under Church, News & Reviews

Tagged as Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy - CIC, Episcopal church, Jail, Pacific School of Religion, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, teaching

August 25, 2018 · 5:38 pm

The Way of Love – in Jail

Joel Martinez and I are Education for Ministry (EfM) Co-Mentors for a weekly class at Elmwood Jail in Milpitas, California. We were recently part of a class to renew our mentor accreditation in the University of the South – School of Theology‘s EfM program. During the training, Joel and I discussed how we could extend the theological reflections and discussions with the jail inmates. We decided to use the structure of “The Way of Love – Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life” – a new program of the Episcopal Church, by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Canon Stephanie Spellers.

Joel reviewed the published material and prepared a handout about The Way of Love. I edited the handout and added more Bible quotes and passages from the Book of Common Prayer. We distributed the handout as homework to the EfM seminar on 15 August 2018. With permission of the inmates, Below is some of what they said in class 22 August 2018 about what they found valuable and world continue to work on in their lives. This EfM program is supported by the Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.

More: Joel’s blog on 26 August 2018, discussing The Way of Love with St.Andrew’s Youth.

TURN

Meditating on issues, problems, and God – alone, without distractions when possible	EfM, having a solo-cell, quiet time	Pay it forward, doing nice things for others without expectation of reimbursement
Praying	Spiritual discussions, joining EfM	Meeting with spiritual advisor, EfM, prayers at night
Will continue to work with priest, other EfM students and mentors	Pray at night and daytime – for other people and for my family	.

LEARN

Compare scripture stories and verses to life experiences	See an action that reflects what God wants us to do – doing the right thing for the right reason. Know that I am doing OK in this situation	Reading scripture in a more modern context – seeing Jesus in the world today – “new age Jesus” – even among non-Christians
Imagining scripture scenarios inspires – look for wording to break down meaning – how it is presented	Share with EfM classmates, cellie, my Mom	Referring to prior Bible passages that were meaningful when I read them before

PRAY

Remember to pray at meals and certain times of the day – thank God throughout the day	A single cell helps – quiet time	Use the “Catholic Prayers” book – favorite prayers tied to times of day – grace at meals – say guardian angel prayer when I wake up
Grace before meals, thanks throughout the day	Read “Daily Bread” every morning, pray with EfM class	Devotions before dinner

WORSHIP

Saturday chapel, Sunday mass, read the Bible after church, read biographies of saints

EfM weekly – being part of the class

Only regular service in the jail dorm is Catholic, go to Episcopal service when available

BLESS

Talk about God a lot – show my faith through kindness and love, smiling, laughing	Give people hope – spin negative to positive	Opportunities to advise, counsel, bless, help feed when I can, give wisdom and encouragement – do what I can
Can try to advise but can’t always convince, bless the hungry and those truly in need, choose to help based on real need – try to be smart and not be taken advantage of	Never say no – follow the example of St. Francis – learning when to set barriers	.

Programs help – like RRR (Re-educate, Recovery, Re-entry), and MRT (Moral Recognition Therapy), and Enneagram, and EfM	Outside programs for recovery – letters and certificates help to get in	EfM, thanking God during the court process, talking with other inmates when in transit
Sometimes have good conversations in the holding tanks	Coach and guide new inmates – scared people – reassure them	.

REST

Meditation, working out, stretching	Exercise, sleep, daydream	Stopped being a dorm Trustee so could get more sleep
Rest in God’s grace – know he is sufficient – pray for help to get through this (not to get out of it)	Meditation – close my eyes and breathe – meditate lying down: pull energy through body into the world	Use “Be still and know that I am God” prayer for meditation, to quiet my mind – still trying

If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right).
The Way of Love image is from The Episcopal Church, 2018.

Finished Shakespeare’s Henry VI

Since the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (Saratoga, California) Shakespeare Reading Group started meeting in 2012, we have read almost all of the Bard’s plays at least once. We meet about every two months for a potluck dinner and to read a play – taking turns hosting. Since April, we have been reading one of Shakespeare’s early hits, the three play history series on Henry VI and the Wars of the Roses. Our group of 13 last night ranged in age from 92 to 16 years. I am the group Mentor – sending out recommended reading and movie links in advance, assigning roles, and giving an overview on each play before we read. The Rev. Stephenie Cooper prepares a role analysis to keep us from having too many readers being assigned roles who speak with each other. Melita Thorpe is in charge of the theater program for the parish. Some of us read from paper books and others from iPads.

The favored roles in our group are the evil characters. Our 16-year-old reader of Richard of York (the future Richard III) enthusiastically murdered most of the other characters. John Watson-Williams, our 92-year-old reader, asked to read the role of the classic politician Warwick the Kingmaker. I read King Edward IV whose unwise marriage to Elizabeth Woodville changes his reign. My husband John Plocher read all of the messenger roles in his usual energetic and irreverent style. We had a delightful evening!

If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right).
Image Copyright 2018 by Katy Dickinson.

Starting Book Two

Last month, I finished revising and printing/binding 256 pages (in 17 sessions of Book One – “The Hebrew Bible“) for the pilot version of the new “The Transforming Literature of the Bible” (TLB) course. Today, I finished revising 140 pages in the first 9 sessions (out of 19) of TLB Book Two (“The New Testament“). Production starts tomorrow. I am collaborating on the revision of TLB with the Rev. Canon William H. Barnwell who wrote the original course. In addition to revising Canon William’s 2008 course materials, I am running a pilot version of the class itself at Elmwood Jail (Milpitas, California). I am grateful to my Co-Mentors Diane Lovelace, and my husband, John Plocher (with the Rev. Peggy Bryan as backup). This program is supported by the Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy (CIC) and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Thanks to Collette Lynner of CIC for supporting TLB production.

Six students are finishing the 17 sessions in Book One this Friday. We start studying Book Two next week. The inmates are very enthusiastic, doing their extensive homework reading and participating energetically in in-class discussions and reflections. There is a waiting list of inmates from two dorms to join us.

Literary selections are included in TLB to provide a diverse context in which to understand some of the major themes in the Bible passages under consideration. In addition to readings in the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible), the students of Book One have also read:

“The Welcome Table” story by Alice Walker (1973)
“A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1955)
“My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Sink of the Bathroom at Sears” poem by Mohja Kahf (2003)
“The Son from America” story by Isaac Bashevis Singer (1973)
“The Big Red Apples” story by Zitkála-Šá aka Red Bird (1900)
“My Last Duchess” poem by Robert Browning (1842)
“I Have a Dream” speech by the Rev. Martin Luther King (1963)
O Pioneers! excerpt by Willa Cather (1913)
“The Family of Little Feet” story by Sandra Cisneros (1984)
The Gangster We Are All Looking For excerpt by Lê Thị Diễm Thúy (2003)

The Book Two (New Testament) students will read these literary selections in Part One “A Journey With Mark“:

“At the Arraignment” poem by Debra Spencer (2004)
“A Private Experience” story excerpt by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2009)
“Sonnet XXVII” by William Shakespeare (1609)
“Under the Poplars” poem by César Vallejo (1919)

One of the TLB students wants me to start another Education for Ministry (EfM) seminar in their dorm after I finish Books One and Two of TLB. Joel Martinez and I are Co-Mentors for a weekly EfM seminar which started in 2015 in another dorm where inmates tend to stay inside longer. I designed TLB to be finished in 5 months but EfM takes four 9-month terms to complete. I told him that if he can find ten other students who will be there for long enough, I will start another EfM class.

Other than my ongoing project as the Mentor for the Shakespeare Reading Group, TLB is one of the few times since I was graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in English (with a specialty in Shakespeare) that my knowledge and passion for literature has been of such use. I am very much enjoying reviewing potential TLB selections. Thanks to my daughter Jessica Dickinson Goodman for her advice on some of the selections, and to John for reviewing my drafts.

If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right).
Image Copyright 2018 by Katy Dickinson.

2 Comments

Filed under Church, Home & Family, Mentoring & Other Business, News & Reviews

Tagged as Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy - CIC, Education for Ministry, Episcopal church, Jail, Jessica, John, Shakespeare, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, teaching, University of California

July 11, 2018 · 8:35 pm

Day 8, General Convention

This was the seventh 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).

Today, the GC79 legislative calendar was so full that we had to add an after-dinner session. Very long day! Bishop Griselda Delgado Del Carpio was welcomed with a sustained standing ovation and joyous singing to the House of Deputies after the enthusiastic passage of a historic resolution welcoming the church of Cuba as a diocese of the Episcopal Church. We considered the budget for the first time in a joint session of the House of Deputies and House of Bishops. The House of Bishops rejected the Isreal-Palestine resolution but passed a “Marriage Rites for the Whole Church” resolution with a small amendment.

Marriage Rites now return to the House of Deputies for a final vote. The House of Deputies today agreed on a plan for liturgical and Prayer Book revision plus a great many less-controversial resolutions (including one welcoming nursing mother Deputies). We are proud of El Camino Real Deputy Jeff Diehl who appeared briefly on the House of Deputies big platform as Co-Chair of the Environmental Stewardship and Care of Creation committee today.

Deputies in wheelchairs and Deputies who find it hard to hear spoke passionately in support of a resolution to “Establish an Advisory Council on Disability and Deaf Access” – which was passed. Deputy Sarah Watkins of Texas said “nothing about us without us.” She and Deputy Charis and others made the point that there had been nine such resolutions passed in General Convention since 1985 but little effective change has been made – perhaps because few who are themselves impaired have been represented in the groups making the decisions. There have been signers for the deaf at House of Deputy and House of Bishop sessions and worship services but not at most other meetings. There was an interesting moment during Tuesday evening’s worship service when flute player Dakota Wind from Standing Rock spoke silently in Lakota signs with the GC79 deaf interpreter on the stage.

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

1 Comment

Filed under Church, News & Reviews, Politics

Tagged as Disabilities, General Convention, Israel, Middle East, Palestine, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

July 4, 2018 · 6:56 pm

Episcopal General Convention, Austin Texas, Day 1

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:

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

If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right).
Images Copyright 2018 by Katy Dickinson.

1 Comment

Filed under Church, News & Reviews, Politics

Tagged as Education for Ministry, Episcopal church, General Convention, Jail, John, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

Tag Archives: St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church

Collect from Jail

Starting Master of Arts in Social Transformation, Finished Revising TLB

The Way of Love – in Jail

Finished Shakespeare’s Henry VI

Starting Book Two

Day 8, General Convention

Episcopal General Convention, Austin Texas, Day 1

Email Subscription

Categories

Blogroll

Recent Posts