Remembering Jocelyn Bowman

I was scanning back over my posts on the St. Dunstan’s blog, looking for mentions of Jocelyn. I tend to write what I see, and for one extended period, Nancy Dillon kept landing in the blog by virtue of being at the center of whatever church activity I happened to be writing about (standing around the King cake, chatting in a circle in the church library about house blessings and so on).

And that’s how I’ve written about Jocelyn. She was such a part of St. Dunstan’s. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw her, often enough late for the early service. She was generally in time to pass peace and take communion. Our thing was that we hung back after the service, huddled together in a pew and began spilling all about our lives--we have both had our share of rough patches these past couple of years. I don’t think she ever judged—cause she was always so ready with heartfelt sympathy and a hug. She gave you the impression her prayer list was a good one to be on. It was a good one.

The calling post message about her death was sent the day before Thanksgiving. Not much information. She’d been in a car accident on Monday and died in the hospital on Wednesday, down around Columbus, Ga.

I miss her and I know everyone else does. If you have a memory or a prayer you’d like to share about Jocelyn, please respond to this post.

Thanksgiving

I’ve read we are the heirs of divine guidance. I think that means the potential of everything is right there for us, even the mind of God. It is there for the taking or there for the struggle or winding journey to reach it. Or maybe just a fleeting moment.

I know why fear is so often personified by demons—it’s like a living breathing thing that is also very elusive. You can’t catch a squirmy little red demon on your shoulder—the only way you can get rid of it is through trust that everything will be ok, prayer that everyone you love will be ok.

I’ve also been told to have faith means not to have fear. Maybe, in part, that’s why we ask God to take that away. And we replace it with confidence that comes from participating fully in life, without seeking reward for ourselves. And that we should do this with grace.

In this season, we take stock of our family and of our friends as we can count the place settings for the great feast where we will give thanks: what we’re doing right, the good that we know intimately, the people we love and those we miss.

I think, though it’s not written into the Thanksgiving holiday, working on your ability to forgive and to accept forgiveness would be very good thing to practice, to pray for. And to be as much a part of your own life as you can every single day. And to do it in a spirit of thanksgiving.

Join Us at the “Hugging Service”

Ever wake up on Sunday morning, and just feel like you need a hug? Then we have the answer for you!

If you have ever attended the 8:30 service at St. Dunstan’s, you may know that this is a usually small and intimate service. We all come to the altar rail, or sometimes even stand immediately around the altar, for all of the communion service. When we pass the peace, we make sure that we each greet every other parishioner who is there that morning. And, as we passed the peace this morning, we realized that we are a group of “hugging” folks – and that when you come to the 8:30 service, you are very likely to receive a hug from every other member of St. Dunstan’s who is worshipping with you.

So, if you wake up early next Sunday or any other Sunday, and feel the need for a quiet, more intimate morning with God and your fellow parishioners, or if you just feel like you need some hugs, please join us at the 8:30 service. I guarantee you will leave feeling loved – both by God and by your fellow St. Dunstanites!

Renee' Kastanakis

Renee's Report on Diocesan Council to St. Dunstan's, Nov. 6

Tricia, Maggie, Bruce Lafitte and I just returned from the 105^th Annual council of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta which took place in Rome, GA Friday and Saturday.

This was Bishop Alexander’s last council as bishop as he leaves to become a teacher at Emory. So, instead of adjourning on Sat. as e normally would, we went into recess until we reconvene on June 2, 2012 to elect the next bishop of our diocese.

We heard from the Nominating Committee that they have now received a number of excellent applications for the new bishop. We also heard from Tricia as to the many activities her Transition Committee will be involved with in helping the diocese in working towards the election of the new bishop next year.

Bishop Alexander gave his annual address with some goo d news items and not so good news. As the Episcopal Church in the US lost 55,000 members from 2009 to 2010, the size of our diocese stayed about the same. And although the commitments of the parishes of the diocese were up very slightly this year, the overall income of the diocese had decreased. Because of this, the diocese budget that was approved by council included an outreach budget with no increases; no increases in salaries for the diocesan staff for the 4^th year in a row; and an actual cut in a few social justice programs of the diocese.

On the way home from Council, Bruce and I discussed what we would most like to report about Council. First, there was the story of one of those social justice programs that had just been cut – the Church of the Common Ground. The Church of the Common Ground, which was started around 2006, is a spiritual community for the homeless people of Atlanta, which holds church services for the homeless in Woodruff Park downtown every Sunday, in addition to providing other services to the homeless throughout the week. Obviously, the “congregants” of Church of the Common Ground do not create any income, so the church is completely supported by the diocese. Shortly after Bishop Neil stopped talking, a representative from the Cathedral went to the microphone and announced that representatives from the 4 or 5 largest churches in the diocese had gathered and had committed the resources to help develop a strategic plan for the Church of the Common Good so that it could become a sustainable organization. In addition, until that plan could be completed, they had each committed to donate enough to raise $50,000 for the Church of the Common Ground’s 2012 budget – and they challenged the other congregations to donate to complete the total. Immediately representatives of churches all over the diocese rose to the microphones – creating long lines throughout the hall – with most churches committing at least $1000 – or more if they could go back and get their Vestry’s approval. The “best” of the diocese shone through. Missions like Emmaus House and Holy Comforter came forward with commitments to find ways to raise some funds. The young people from the campus ministries challenged each other and came up with pledges of several thousand dollars.  It was an incredibly moving experience – I’m not sure there was a dry eye in the hall as we actually raised even more than was needed. St. Dunstan’s committed $1500, and I hope we will find a Sunday when we can all join the Church of the Common Ground at one of their 1 pm services in Woodruff Park, and feed lunch to the congregants.

The other message Bruce and I took from the work of this Council was perhaps best characterized by some of the resolutions we adopted. One resolution supported the work that is being headed by our own Maggie Harney – and she is now the head of a brand new Commission created at this council – the Commission on Human Trafficking. In support of this resolution, Maggie presented a very moving and powerful slideshow on the “slavery” of human trafficking, and how prevalent this horror is within the area of the Diocese of Atlanta. This Commission allows Maggie and others to have additional support from the diocese in finding ways to prevent human trafficking in our state and beyond.

We adopted a three part resolution on the death penalty in Georgia. This resolution called for the diocese to seek a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Georgia; called on parishes to study, consider and pray about this issue; and further requires the diocese to ask our Governor and legislators to introduce legislation that would abolish the death penalty in Georgia.

Another resolution addressed the impact the diocese is seeing and feeling from HB87 – the Georgia immigration reform act. This resolution also asked congregations to study and pray about this issue, and requires the diocese to issue letters letting the Georgia Governor and legislators know the ways in which this Act is adversely affecting many members of the Diocese of Atlanta, and also many of the groups helped by the work of the diocese.

 The message from this Council to me was as follows: Even in the face of financial and other limitations and barriers – because of and through our faith, the Diocese of Atlanta will continue to care for those who need our help – especially those who we identify as “the least of them”; the Diocese will stand up and fight for those who cannot stand up for themselves; and the Diocese will offer its support to those causes which reflect our beliefs as Christians.

Renee' Kastanakis

Nov. 6, 2011

Mind Reading

I was reading a story in the Economist last night that said scientifically speaking, we can already read people’s minds through new technology and discoveries. Think of seeing a movie of what's in someone else’s head, the potential of that both terrible and beautiful.

Up until now, the only One who’s been considered capable of mind reading is God. And if that’s true, I’m not sure it’s a skill She’d want to use that often. It’d hardly be fair to wish on her every single last thing we’re thinking. A lot of it would be a huge waste of Her time to suffer through. Did I pay the phone bill? Should I clean the top half of the window or just pull the blinds down and do the bottom? Why would God ever want to spend Her time that way? Why do we?

Yes, human beings are basically good, we want good things for ourselves and our families, but we can also be incredibly petty and small and jealous and lazy and content in our misery. (I say “us” but I’m talking about “me.”) Everything—literally everything under the sun or that we could ever imagine--is in our nature to do. But which traits do we choose to cultivate? And if God did have to sit in once and a while and listen to us thinking, what would we want Her to hear?