About our Bishop's Sabbatical...

Dear Ones, I began working when I was 14 years old, at Meyer's BBQ out on the highway Service Road in Bryant, Arkansas.   I worked the window and loved having a job.   I am turning 50 years old this week and I have been blessed to work ever since.  I have to say I have enjoyed most of my jobs through the years.  There were many of them I knew I would not want to do forever, but I was always grateful in having them.  In all of that time, I have never had an extended time away to focus on things I do not otherwise have time to focus on.  I realize most people never get this opportunity and that is why I am so very humbled and grateful for this upcoming sabbatical.  I know the gift that it is.   The word sabbatical comes from the Latin sabbaticus, from Greek sabatikos, from Hebrew shabbat, i.e. Sabbath, literally a "ceasing."  There are references to the idea biblically, but of course we know them most in academia.  In the bible, the seventh year was often a sabbatical.   I am not taking a year, but I am taking four months.  My belief about sabbaticals is that they are not vacations, but instead a ceasing of normal activity, and a taking up of one you would not be able to do, were you to continue on with the normal activity.   Some of you have heard what I intend to do with this time, but just in case you have not heard, I decided to share it with you now.   My main focus is to increase my facility in and with the Spanish language.   I intend to do that through an immersion experience in Costa Rica at the School of the World in Playa Jaco on the Pacific Coast. (http://www.schooloftheworld.org/)   The School believes in working both sides of the brain and so my family and I will study the language in class in the mornings and then we are asked to take a more active new learning in the afternoons.  My choice is surfing.  Yes, you heard that right: catching a wave and hanging ten!  I have never done this and know it will work that side of my brain, and I am quite sure much, much more.   Please pray for me.  I also plan to engage in focused study of the First Nations tribes of the Pacific Northwest, both by reading literature, visiting local museum collections and historic sites and hopefully being guided by the people themselves.   I am thankful for the guidance of our Diocesan First Nations Committee,  and Diane Wells, our diocesan archivist, in helping me select important texts. The direction for my sabbatical became clear while I was leading a retreat for young male clergy about a year ago in the Diocese of El Camino Real.  Two of these men were surfers and they talked about the great lessons inherent in trying to catch the right wave, the balance required, letting the wave do the work, and honoring the power of the ocean.  All of that sounded a lot like what all of us are going through right now in the church.  And so I am going to give it a try.  The First Nation peoples have always shared their Wisdom, but I find myself needing to be more intentional about learning, understanding, and honoring their teachings and their place in our church.   And so, I hope to give that some much deserved attention too. When I return there will still be much time in the sabbatical and I intend to have a language coach here and to continue to devote my time to increasing my language skills.   I have found languages to be a real challenge but I intend to gently push myself and use the time wisely. Here is a link to a video describing the sabbatical in a visual way! Sabbatical The sabbatical begins on July 1st and ends on October 31st.   During that time my email account will be shut down.  Yes, that will be a challenge for me too!  Emails sent to it will receive an auto response which will state that the email will not be read now, or when I return.  If you must get an email to me, you will need to send it on or afterNovember 1st.  During that time, if you have an emergency, of course you should contact Canon Joan Anthony and/or Blaire Notrica, Executive Assistant for the Office of Bishop, or any other diocesan staff.  They are the finest people I have ever worked with. Some have asked, "Who will be in charge while you are gone?"  Pieces of what I do will be covered by others, and the beautiful reality of our shared governance in the Episcopal Church, which is true when I am here as well as when I am gone, should be spotlighted even more.  The separation, I suspect, will teach us things about our mutual ministry we cannot even imagine in this time. Of course, there will be time for rest, being with family, reading, breathing; all of which I am looking forward to very much.  At the same time, I will miss this work I do for you.  I love being Bishop, in this place, in this time, with all of you.  It has been a joy to get to know so many of you across this great Diocese over the last six years.  I love calling the Pacific Northwest my home and while I am looking forward to the sabbatical experience, I will miss the ministry we do together.  Actually, this sabbatical is part of that ministry.  If I learn from it something that will benefit us all in some way, then this will be a successful time.   Traveling mercies to each and every one. Blessings, +Greg

Contact Info   The Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel Bishop of Olympia 1551 10th Ave E Seattle, Washington 98102 206-325-4200 206-325-4631 FAX grickel@ecww.org http://www.bishoprickel.com

2013 Baptisms at Pentecost

European icon of Pentecost -
When the Holy Spirit descended
upon the disciples (incl. St. Mary)
and the Church was born. 

On the Feast of Pentecost, the 19th of May, 2013, we celebrated four four new births into the Household of God; two adults and two infants. You can see pictures here. The newly Baptized included Yoko Kobori who was introduced to us by a friend and new member at St. Peter's, Tsuneko Nakatani. Greg Musick was introduced to us through Kathy Cox and our annual Multicultural Holiday Craft Fair. And the toddlers (unnamed for child web policy reasons) were introduced to us through their parents, Tony and Stacey (Asato) Edin and Annaka and Fr. James Thibodeaux.

An outdoor Baptism at Pentecost?! 

Baptism at St. Peter's Episcopal, Seattle

The Church is changing. And here I mean the capital 'C' Church, not just St. Peter's. You may notice that many parishes have become more open and inviting at the Communion Table, having discovered that it is God who invites us to Communion. As this has evolved so have new practices about Baptism.

Baptism has gone from a private event with very little preparation and using very little water to a very public event using LOTS of water and requiring much more formation and learning for the candidates. Baptismal Fonts have taken a prevalent place at the entrances to the worship space, indicating it is through Baptism we enter into God's Household and Covenant of Salvation. And the Book of Common Prayer now indicates that Baptisms should occur on Easter or any of the other 7 Principle Feasts (Can you name them? Hint: Pentecost is one!), emphasizing the importance and meanings of the Sacrament of Baptism. All these changes are a recovery of the Early Church's practice of Baptism.

Medieval style of Baptism -
private and infant focused

Beginning in the Medieval period and continuing till just recently, the Church assumed that most Baptisms were going to be infants and that the children would pick up the essentials of the Christian Faith as they grew up. (See the headings of the Catechism in your Book of Common Prayer for a list of faith essentials) We were mistaken. Decades later many of those children had left the Church and many of those who remained were confused or had little understanding of the faith beyond ethics (i.e. being good and doing the right thing). Spirituality, theology, liturgy, polity (structure and culture of a denomination), and major history have often been neglected. To counter that experience, the Church has been moving towards showing how Baptism is and always has been a major commitment (i.e. eternal covenant) requiring a deep shift (i.e. conversion) in one's thinking, being, and acting.

Ancient Baptismal Font in Rome -
public, large, adult and infant focused.
The Early Church practice emphasized
that Baptism marked public conversion to
a Christ-like life.

In very simple terms, it has been getting easier to come to the Altar for Communion, but becoming more challenging to enter into Baptism. And this reflects our belief that God always accepts us as we are, but is never content to let us remain as we are. God is a perfectionist. And because God loves us, God will settle for nothing less than perfection for us (Heaven) and in us (Divinity). Baptism is where God's promise begins.


For more about Witsunday, Pentecost, traditions, and meanings, see this article from "Full Homely Divinity"

The BIG Take Out, June 29 2013

St. Peter's Events Calendar

Looking for St. Peter's Events Calendar?

Click this link:

 http://bit.ly/stpetereventscalendar  

 (don't forget the 's' in 'events' !)

When you get there, don't forget to click the little "Google" button at the bottom right to add to your Google Calendars or iCalendar !

St. Peter's Bids Deacon Richard "Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord"

Deacon Richard (left of Bishop) at Fr. James' 2008 ordination 

You may not remember this, but back on May 18, 2008, when St. Peter's 3rd elected Rector was

being ordained a priest, a quiet deacon stood next to Bishop Nedi throughout the liturgy. That very same deacon became our very own deacon, Richard Buhrer, just a few years later.

During his time with us Deacon Richard has helped plan liturgies, composed our weekly Prayers of the People, made pastoral visits, preached, taxied the priest to diocesan events, conducted discernment meetings, taught coffee connections, advised the Altar Guild and a host of other things. And now our Deacon is headed of for a Sabbatical after which the Bishop will reassign him to another ministry as needed. It is natural to ask why. And I can say that aside from his own health concerns, there is no great catalyst for Deacon Richard's departure. It is just time. As Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens."

For years now, our Deacon has sent us out at the end of every service bidding us to "go in peace to love and serve the Lord." And now, on Sunday, May 12th, it is our turn to bid him the same. I hope you will join us after the service for an appreciative celebration of ministry with Deacon Richard and that you will hold him in your prayers as he follows Christ's call.

Fr. James+

Update: You can see pictures of the event here.

Checking the Compass: Outcomes of our 2013 Mutual Ministry Review

Hikers and backpackers and any would-be John Muir know that not only are a map and compass essential to one's wilderness kit, but just as essential is the act of checking them from time to time. In fact, looking at a compass and map and surveying the surrounding terrain before becoming lost helps keep the traveler from losing the way.

At first glance, the prospect may seem unnecessary or tedious. After all, if the way is known, why check a map?  But by stopping, orienting, and observing the surroundings the journey is truly made more sweet.

The map and compass discipline is very analogous to the Mutual Ministry Review process now in place in the Diocese of Olympia and many of its congregations. In February St. Peter's held its own Mutual Ministry Review facilitated by a diocesan consultant, The Rev. Marda Steedman-Sandborn. (Results are provided in a a link within the Valor). The questions were simple but designed to identify areas of strength and of challenge. The process allowed for more voices to be heard and validated. Among the results were
1) the sense that the congregation has the energy to undertake transformative change and
2) that while we can identify a number of strengths, we were unable to identify our collective passion.  

What is 'passion'? 

In English we might use passion to describe
(a) deeply emotional and unrestrained love,
(b) a thing or activity, such as a hobby, about which one might obsess and find joy in having or doing,
(c) or as referring to the sufferings of Christ for the sake of humanity, as in "the Passion of Christ."
In our case, we mean the word in all three senses. For whom do we have or could we have unrestrained love? What activity or cause would we, as a parish, find joy of the Spirit in taking up with single-minded focus? For whom and what are we called to bear the Cross in passion and compassion and in imitation of Christ?

After meeting with Rev. Marda once more on March 3rd, the Vestry discerned that answering these kinds of questions centered on our passion would be the most helpful next step for us in our congregational journey.

Next Steps

On April 20th, the vestry met for an all day retreat. At the retreat it was agreed that these kinds of questions cannot be answered by the leadership for the congregation. Our passion comes from our own experience of where God's Salvation meets the World's greatest need. And yet we need a framework from which we can do congregational discernment together.

Looking at the past congregational meetings, surveys, and choices, the missional theme of engaging the disenfranchised, especially women and children, appeared again and again. Thus, the leadership decided to discern by trial. We would like to engage in missional outreach to Mary's Place, a Seattle
non-profit that "offers programs and services ... where homeless women and their children can build community, enrich their days and find resources to restore their lives."

We will be talking and doing more in regards to discovering our passion and the ministry of Mary's Place in the days to come. Your voice and sense of the Spirit is needed. I hope you will join in St. Peter's discernment of God's call on us and God's gifts to us as parish family for the sake of a World that deeply needs Christ.

In love and service,

Fr. James+


 

Bricks for Haiti Campaign: A HUGE Success!

[From our Bishop, The Right Rev. Gregory H. Rickel]

Dear Ones,

Today, I am full of gratitude for your generosity and for your vision. When our diocese joined the effort to help rebuild Holy Trinity Cathedral in Haiti, I knew to expect great things. Our diocese has a long history of responding to the needs of others, both abroad and at home. Our dedicated parish lay leaders and clergy "walked the walk" in supporting recovery in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, fighting malaria in Africa through NetsforLife, and providing clean water through the Wine Into Water campaign. I knew that despite the daily demands of your lives and the economic challenges of our time, you would share generously of all your gifts in answering the call of our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

Today, I am pleased to say that the people of the Diocese of Olympia have exceeded all our hopes
and expectations! Working together, the members of more than 65 churches have contributed over $118,700 toward rebuilding the center of spiritual life and community in the largest and poorest diocese of the Episcopal Church. As is typical for our diverse diocese, each church "did it their own way" -- tailoring the campaign to fit their talents, capabilities and priorities. We know that some gave directly, individually, and that was just as crucial and appreciated in our reaching this goal. As a result, our diocese is one of the most generous in "grass-roots giving" in the Episcopal Church. Thank you! I give special thanks to all of the local organizers, and most especially to the person I entrusted with this campaign, and who "knocked it out of the park" Jennifer Daugherty. She has proven herself an amazing leader.

As the Bishop of Haiti has said, your generosity will do more than raise up bricks and cement. It  ill raise the hopes of a people who have lost so much of their earthly habitation. It will raise the spirit of a community made weary, and it will inspire the minds and hearts of the young men and women who knew Trinity as their intellectual and artistic home. On behalf of them all, I am deeply grateful and I bless you.

Faithfully,

The Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel
Bishop of Olympia