News from the Congregation January 21, 2023

Jan 22

Written By Steven Lee; Marsha Ra & Joan Adams

‘‘‘ Paternity Leave for our Vicar’ ; ‘Loving one’s Friends?’ ” | Dates to Remember | Sunday Programs: 10:30am Worship Service In-Person and Online, 11:30am All Are Welcome Coffee Hour, 12:00 | Weekday Programs: M-S Morning and Evening Prayer (Zoom)

Canon Lee

Starting next week, I will be going on parental leave until March 21. I planned this leave several months ago, and the wardens and vestry are fully prepared to lead the Congregation in my absence. For some of the Sundays during the leave, I will be worshipping from the Cathedral "pews" with my family, so we will still see each other.

Since making these plans, we have learned from Evelyn's cardiologist that Evelyn will likely need an additional procedure this spring to correct an issue with her heart. If this procedure does not fix the issue, then Evelyn will need another round of open-heart surgery.

As you might imagine, this news has not been easy to accept. I try to remember, however, that every facet of Evelyn's life has been a manifestation of God's grace.

Evelyn's first successful open-heart surgery was not only the result of advanced scientific knowledge and sophisticated medical technology. It was the result of moral and ethical reflection in our culture that insists every human life is valuable because that life is made in God's likeness and image.

When Evelyn was first born, I was so moved by the number of different doctors in the room who were there to care for her. There were doctors from the NICU, the cardiology team, the maternal fetal medicine specialist team, and so on, filling up the maternity ward. All of them there because of a single baby.

I have a few non-Cathedral tasks planned for these next two months. As a board member of the New York Episcopal Federal Credit Union, I have work to do as the credit union prepares for the official launch on May 18. I have a few prior Cathedral commitments. My primary task, however, will be to care for Evelyn, as she reminds me to be grateful for the gift that is her life.

A Message from the Wardens

Senior Warden Marsha Ra on Loving

Throughout the Bible we are encouraged to “love our neighbor as ourselves,” to love the alien residing in our land, to love and care for the stranger and finally Jesus tells us to love our enemies—quite a challenge. Various recent sermons, our attempts at hospitality on Sundays, and Steven’s Wednesday night Bible Study on Paul’s letter to the Romans, have all raised up in me questions and issues about loving.

I fear I have been rather glib about what it means to love the stranger, but if I’m really honest, what I call love is often just being nice. We can be very “nice” to strangers who we will never see again. A visitor from France drops by the coffee hour and we have a nice chat. We offer him a cup of coffee and ask where he is from and how long he is spending in New York. “What have you seen? What did you think of the service?” We hope that he will leave the Cathedral remembering it as a welcoming place, but we will probably never get to know him on a deep level. Never discover that he is easy or difficult to work with, flies off the handle, would be a challenge or a joy in a deeper relationship.

What of the beggar on the street? In some situations there is a sense of danger when I encounter the homeless pan-handler. But often it is really easy to put aside any discomfort and hand him a dollar. It is often satisfying to smile and say a few words. Then off I go very proud of myself “what a good girl am I!” “What a well-developed Christian!” I understand that God loves the beggar as much as He loves me, so having arrived at that understanding I am overcome with pride. Treating the beggar as a child of God by saying a few words and handing over some cash, is actually just about as easy as talking to the French tourist who has come to the coffee hour. I have hardly risen to the level of the Good Samaritan!

Political action can be a whole different level of loving. There are no warm fuzzy feelings. In fact, what I think is politically important to do out of an abstract concept of loving my neighbor(s), may actually not be in my own personal best interests. Now I feel I may be moving into a kind of loving that matters.

The highest form of loving, and the most difficult, in my opinion, is loving people with whom I have a long-standing personal relationship. Family, neighbors in my building, people I worship with, people I work with, there is the real challenge to love. Over time disagreements, hurts, failures occur and yet we come back together, we forgive and heal our relationships. Having spent 50 years at the Cathedral, I can assure you that I have been involved in many arguments, one or two really serious disputes, and have hurt people and been hurt by them right within the great stone walls of Saint John the Divine. Yet in every single case when I stand around the altar sensing God’s love for all of us, I feel very deeply how beautiful it is that we can share the Eucharist and go forward together. “Here we are God. Please help us forgive and heal.” Over time in every single case, love and forgiveness have dominated these relationships. In a funny way, I feel closer to people with whom I have argued and struggled then to anyone else.

NEWS FROM THE CATHEDRAL - Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (stjohndivine.org

DATES TO REMEMBER

Jan 6 - Epiphany service at the Cathedral
Jan 14 - Funeral of Kristin Stanton Jones in St. James Chapel
Jan 22 - Religious Life Sunday with Dialogue Sermon at the Cathedral
Jan 28 - Diocesan Chorister Festival at the Cathedral
Feb 1 - Cathedral Planned Giving seminar on Zooml
Feb 5 - Annual Meeting of the Congregation of Saint Saviour at the Cathedral
Feb 14 - Renewal of Vows service at the Cathedral
Feb 15 - Mother Eva Suarez begins at the Cathedral
Feb 19 - St. Martin's Episcopal Church worships at the Cathedral in celebration of its 95th anniversary and its rector, the Rev. Patrick Williams, will preach
Feb 22 - Ash Wednesday

HUMANITARIAN RELIEF FOR UKRAINE

Episcopal Relief & Development is supporting Action by Churches Together (ACT Alliance) as it provides critical assistance to support people affected by violence in Ukraine. Working through ACT member Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) and other local organizations, ACT Alliance is providing emergency assistance such as food, shelter, water and basic supplies to refugees and people displaced within Ukraine. Donations to Episcopal Relief & Development’s Ukraine Crisis Response Fund will help the organization and its partners continue to provide assistance to people displaced by the crisis in Ukraine.

NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE Home - Episcopal Diocese of New York (dioceseny.org)

NEWS FROM THE CONGREGATION

The Weekly Sunday Hospitality continues.

Research shows that the more you give the more you get. The more you help, the more invested you become in your church and the more it feeds you. Isn’t that amazing? Do you enjoy the coffee and the treats--the time together every week for conversation and welcoming of visitors? To keep this ministry going we need to expand the number of people involved. If you are on the list of helpers and providers of snacks, THANK YOU! If you haven’t volunteered yet— why not join the team? There is nothing exclusive about it. All are welcome to help out. If you can come once a month or every 6 -8 weeks to set up before the service and clean-up after the coffee hour, please contact Marsha Ra or Sue Sobolewski. Or talk to us on any Sunday. We will get you started on this ministry.

NEWS FROM THE VESTRY

The Nominations Committee is pleased to announce the following candidates for Warden and Vestry to be elected at the Annual Meeting on February 5. Candidate biographies will be available on the Congregation website in the coming days.

Warden: Robert Deming

Class of 2024: Michael Nixon

Class of 2026: Paula McKenzie, Cecilia Amadi, Gail Felix

From the bylaws: "The Nominations Committee shall also post as nominees the names of any other qualified lay voters who have been proposed in writing by not less than ten qualified voters; any such names must be received not less than two Sundays prior to the Annual Meeting and shall be promptly posted. No other nominees shall be considered at the Annual Meeting."

GIVE/SERVE

Questions about Realm, the Congregation’s Online Hub for Giving, Volunteering, and Reaching Out to One Another
The Admin team would love to hear from you. Whether you need help making the shift to online donations, setting up your account, or just want to know what Realm can do for you, please contact Laura and Bob at this email address: info@saintsaviour.org

THIS SUNDAY

In-Person Worship at the Cathedral
10:00 am - Doors to Cathedral open.
10:30 am - Eucharist Service
11:30 am - All Are Welcome Coffee Hour

You can also watch a Livestream of the Cathedral Worship Service
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/StJohnDivineNYC
On the Cathedral website: http://www.stjohndivine.org