Studying the Exile in the Old Testament

Today we're starting a new subject in the Vicar's Bible Study. Our subject is the Exile in the Old Testament.

I find this period of time in scripture fascinating because it's a time of upheaval and change, not unlike our time. In the Exile, the Jewish people were conquered, the temple was destroyed, and a good portion of the population were deported to Babylon where they lived as resident aliens.

Surprisingly, the people did not lose their faith. In fact, some of the most creative and lively expressions of faith came about during the exile. It forced the people to re-examine their identity and find new ways to remain faithful to their understanding of God. Some of the richest literature of the Bible sprung out of the time in exile.

I'm using a book by Walter Bruegemann, Cadences of Home, for this class. In it, he writes,

"The exiles experienced a loss of the structured, reliable world which gave them meaning and coherence, and they found themselves in a context where their most treasured and trusted symbols of faith were mocked, trivialized, or dismissed. Exile is not primarily geographical, but it is social, moral, and cultural."

Here's the ROSE model for our class:

Rationale – The story of the Jewish Exile in the Old Testament demonstrates how the Jewish people coped with displacement and change, and may help us as we cope with displacement and change.
Objective – To learn about the religious, historical and cultural conditions of the Jewish Exile; to understand how we are “in exile”; and to draw parallels between the Biblical story and our own story.
Strategies – Presentation on the scriptural resources about the Exile; exploration and discussion of the scripture story; sharing of our stories of “exile”; excerpts from Walter Breuggemann’s book Cadences of Home; poems; and art.
Evaluation – Discussion, short written evaluation.
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An evening in prison

This evening I went to prison. Luckily, it was only for a short time, and they let me out! The occasion was the volunteer appreciation dinner at the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW)

I accompanied a parishioner, Norma, who goes to the prison once a week to teach inmates how to make quilts. Norma has been doing this for about eight years and has developed a passion for her ministry with the women in prison. I saw her interact with her quilting students and it was clear there is a lot of love between them.

This is my second visit to WCCW, and both times I've found myself unaccountably nervous as I surrender my drivers license, my keys and my wallet and watch the locked gates close behind me. Prisons are serious institutions.

Before we entered, we had to wait half an hour because the inmate count was not right, and they had to count all over again. Apparently this happens fairly often. Someone said, "WCCW stands for, 'We Can't Count Women.'"

About 100 volunteers were there for the dinner held in the prison gym - everyone from quilters to Bible study leaders to musicians. There were even two Muslim women present. After a dinner of baked potatoes and toppings, we heard a speech from an inmate in the Toastmasters program. She told her life story: an alcoholic father who left her mother, drug use and neglect by her mother, being put in foster homes and becoming rebellious, running away, joining a gang, her own drug use, babies, losing the babies to foster homes, committing a crime and finally getting her life together in prison. She was a good speaker and a strong woman, and I admired her greatly.

The prison choir sang for us, and what a sound! Nineteen women were directed by a talented African-American woman volunteer. They came out singing an African marching song a capella, and their voices were strong and clear. They performed several Gospel songs, and you could see their faces light up as they sang their hearts out. One of the songs said, "Give me a clean heart, and I'll follow thee."

One woman in the Creative Expressions class read a poem she wrote that began with gratitude. "Gratitude for every day. Gratitude for the air I breath. Gratitude for the light in the sky." I was impressed that she could be grateful even when living behind bars.

I felt that the the atmosphere in the room was one of love and gratitude. The volunteers sacrifice a lot of their time, and you could tell they receive back more than they give. And the inmates were truly grateful. It was very touching. I'm glad I could attend.
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The Lord's Neighborhood Diner

Tonight at the Outreach Team meeting, we heard a presentation by Joann Winesdorfer, a member of the board of the Lord's Neighborhood Diner.

The Lord's Diner offers a weekly meal for homeless people. Meals are prepared and served at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Bremerton, and although the Lord's Diner itself is a separate organization, it has close ties to St. Paul's. Joann and several other board members are members of St. Paul's.

Currently the Lord's Diner is in transition and has not served meals since last year. The woman who used to run the program died and it was necessary to re-structure and re-vision the Lord's Diner. The board has been working for months to re-write its bylaws and articles of incorporation. They've worked with attorneys and other professionals to make sure they're meeting all the standards necessary, and they're working to recruit enough churches and organizations to make it a successful program.

Joann asked if St. Antony's would be able to assume responsibility for one meal every two months. Meals will be served from 3:00 to 5:00 PM on Saturdays, and it takes 6-12 people to set up, prepare and serve the meal, and clean up afterward. We decided that we would take her request to our parish and see what response we get.

I think our participation in the Lord's Diner is a good idea for the following reasons:

• Feeding the homeless is part of our core mission -- the "Go" in "Gather, Grow, and Go".
• We need a hands-on ministry where we actually serve our neighbors.
• There's a growing homeless community and people need to eat.
• St. Paul's is our sister church and partnering with them is a good thing.
• There's a new rector at St. Paul's and it's a good time to start a new phase of our relationship.
• The Lord's Diner is starting a new phase of their life and it's a good time to join them.
• We have a history of helping with the Lord's Diner.
• Serving meals to the homeless will be energizing and rewarding for us at St. Antony's.

I believe this mission is important and I plan to preach about us partnering with the Lord's Diner. I'm sure we'll get a positive response and I hope this will be the beginning of a new and rewarding ministry at St. Antony's.

Pastor's Appreciation Breakfast at Martha and Mary

This morning I attended the pastor's appreciation breakfast at Martha and Mary in Poulsbo. I've spent some time at Martha and Mary visiting with parishioners who were residents of the health care facility, so I know a little about it. Plus, I know two young women who work for the preschool programs run by Martha and Mary.

It's always nice to have a free breakfast, and it's always nice to be appreciated. So I was glad to be there with some other clergy friends (Lutheran pastors I know from our weekly text studies) and listen to the CEO, Chad Solvie, give a Powerpoint presentation.

I was impressed. Solvie is a bright, articulate young man and gave a persuasive talk with stories to make his points. Martha and Mary has changed to meet the needs of our communities, has reached out to create partnerships in the community, has an impressive career track for employees, and has done amazing intergenerational programs.

Solvie told a story he heard from a young mother who brought her two daughters, ages 6 and 10, to a program  to meet residents in the health care facility. She wasn't worried about her ten-year-old, but thought she should make sure her six-year-old wouldn't be scared by the older residents. But what happened was that her ten-year-old was quite apprehensive and withdrawn, while the six-year-old scampered happily among the residents, going from wheelchair to wheelchair. Then the mother realized that her younger daughter had been in the Martha and Mary preschool and had become comfortable with the elderly people from her visits to M & M in preschool, while her older daughter hadn't had that experience.

I'm glad I went and learned about Martha and Mary and met more people in our community, part of my effort to connect with our neighbors.

Getting to know our neighbors

Katy and I have lived in Tracyton for a year now, and we're starting to get to know our neighbors. It's a very friendly place -- folks in our neighborhood often stop by and chat. When Frank, who lives up Tracy Avenue, mentioned that we could use his tiller to make a garden space, I jumped at the chance. Today he not only loaned me the tiller, but he and his brother-in-law, Craig , actually did most of the work tilling up our lawn to make a garden!

It's wonderful to have neighbors like Frank, and it's good to become part of the neighborhood. It's all part of getting to know people in my part of the world. And now we have a beautiful garden space of soft soil ready for planting.

Arthritis Foundation Walk

Dean and Mackenzie (in the green t-shirts)

This morning I attended the Arthritis Foundation Walk. One of our young parishioners, Mackenzie Wagner, was honored as a young person who is living with juvenile onset arthritis. Mackenzie's family was there supporting her and I joined with them as we walked through Old Town.

At the ceremony starting the walk, Mackenzie's father, Dean, told how Mackenzie had a fever for 30 days last year that the doctors couldn't diagnose. Finally they figured out it is a juvenile form of arthritis, and she's been treated successfully. Now she's able to be very active in sports and she feels good again.

It was good for me to be there with so many positive Silverdale people supporting this cause.

Visiting the Hospice care center

On Thursday, I visited the Hospice Care Center in Bremerton. I was invited for a tour by the Rev. Sandy Bochonuk, the director of bereavement services for Hospice. Joining us were the Rev. Kathleen Kingslight, the new rector of St. Paul's, Bremerton, and the Rev. Debbie Little, pastor of First Christian Church of Bremerton.

Sandy showed us the facility, which is new, clean, and a very pleasant environment. The colors are muted but there's lots of light. The rooms have wood flooring, drapes, and are decorated like a home bedroom except that there's a hospital bed. The idea is to have a home-like environment for those who are nearing death, and for their families who are encourage to spend time there.

Clients who use the facility are usually at the point where they need more care than the family can provide. There is round-the-clock nursing, and the care appears to be first-rate. Medicaid can be billed for the clients, so that burden is lifted from the family.

We shared a bowl of soup and a cup of coffee in the small dining room, and enjoyed being together. Sandy spends most Thursdays there giving spiritual care, and her compassionate presence is a gift to the facility. Sandy is in charge of the chaplains and social workers for Hospice. It was a good introduction to the Hospice care center.
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