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December 8, 2017 by Jane Gerdsen

Southern Ohio ESC Alumni Doing Amazing Things

 

Jed Dearing –  Jed served as the director of Confluence for the first 4 years and is currently a postulant for priesthood attending seminary at CDSP in Berkley, CA.

 

 

Monica Payne – Monica was a member of Brendan’s Crossing for two years, following a year of overseas mission. She is currently serving as the Program Director of Brendan’s Crossing.

 

 

 

Charles Graves – Charles was a member of Brendan’s Crossing last year, after a year of service in Italy and completing seminary at Berkley Divinity School at Yale. He is now a transitional deacon and serving at Church of the Advent in Cincinnati.

 

 

 

 

Melanie Peterson – Melanie spent a year at Confluence, she later helped found the Near East House, another intentional community in Columbus and a community garden initiative through a young adult UTO grant. She is now an MDiv student at Union in NYC.

 

Katie Guy – Following her Confluence Year, Katie is now serving as a missionary in Jamaica.

 

 

 

Katie Blodgett – Katie spent a year at Confluence, and now is serving with a not-for-profit in Indianapolis, working with homeless youth.

 

Leslie Stevenson – Leslie spent two years as part of Brendan’s Crossing, she now works for United Way in Cincinnati and was just elected as a council member in the city of Norwood.

 

 

Hilary Wolkan – Hilary spent a year at Brendan’s Crossing serving at Lydia’s House in Cincinnati working with homeless women and children. She continued to serve the homeless first as an Americorps Intern in Boston and currently at a non-profit, Housing Families, in the Boston area.

 

 

 

 

Brianna Kelly – spent three years at Brendan’s Crossing, working at Redeemer and then as a missioner and community leader in Northside. She is currently making music with her band and released her second album, she is also assisting in the development of a new worship service at the Cathedral.

 

 

Maggie Foote – Following her year of service at Brendan’s Crossing, Maggie went to seminary at CDSP in Berkley, CA  and is now an ordained priest serving at Ascension and Holy Trinity Wyoming and at the Latino Ministry Center in Forest Park.

 

 

 

Hannah Teetor – Hannah spent two years at Brendan’s Crossing. After graduating from Emory University last spring, she is now serving as the Director for Christian Formation at Christ Church Cathedral.  She also was the Assistant Director at Procter Camp this past summer.

 

 

 

 

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October 11, 2017 by Praxis

Find a Spiritual Director

Spiritual Direction is a way of offering companionship to people who are seeking God and a greater sense of themselves.  It is non-judgmental and generous, and always trusts that the seeker knows more about their own life, thoughts, and longings than the director does.  The director’s role is to listen carefully, invite the presence of the Holy Spirit, practice compassion, and ask questions that will help the directee grow in wisdom and grace.

L. William Countryman writes that:

Spiritualities flourish in face-to-face-conversation, the arena of the spoken word, where counsel is given and received, the arena where people who have found themselves, perhaps quite against their own preferences, living in the presence of the divine Mysteries seek each other out in the hope of sharing the task of discernment and understanding.(1)

Use the form below if you are looking for a spiritual director.  We will respond with several recommendations as quickly as we can.

Fill out my online form.

(1) L. William Countryman, The Poetic Imagination: An Anglican Spiritual Tradition, p. 17.

 

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May 10, 2017 by Jane Gerdsen

Campus Ministry Grants 2017

The Campus Ministry community is preparing to allocate its budget, with many thoughts of thanksgiving directed at Diocesan Convention, which supports our work.  We use a collaborative process to allocate the funds.  To apply for a grant, please fill out the attached form and return it and all supplementary materials by June 30th to:

The Reverend Deborah Woolsey
c/o Church of the Good Shepherd
64 University Terrace, Athens, OH 45701

or, preferably, by e-mail to
revdebwoolsey@gmail.com

Grant Application

 

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April 3, 2016 by Jane Gerdsen

What We Learned on our UK Pilgrimage

Several of us traveled to England in February, 2016.  While we are each reflecting in our own words what this experience meant to us and how it might be integrated back into our lives and ministry, we wanted to share some of the themes and most important learnings in one place.  So here are the highlights:IMG_0013

  1. We need two kinds of dissenters to create change:
    • Path finding dissenters – those who will find a new path and have the courage to follow it.  These are the people who propose alternatives and inspire creative innovation.
    • Authority dissenters – those who spot path finding dissenters and encourage and protect them from the critique of those who like the status quo. – Jonny Baker (via Gerald Arbuckle)

“Real change and newness has a much better chance of taking root if it has this interplay between the two.” (Jonny Baker)

  1. The new belongs elsewhere. Let practices happen along the edge of the church, then shine a light on it and begin to share stories and connect people together. – Jonny Baker

“If the dreamers are put in an environment with guardians of the status quo, the chances are they will put a lot of their energies into justifying themselves, and be under constant critique…which can sap a lot of energy.  That energy would be better served in mission.” (Jonny Baker)

  1. Crack the code of the church – hack the canons when necessary, find a way to make church language and rules fit what’s actually needed on the ground. – Jonny Baker
  2. Allow yourself to be taken into other people’s worlds – In a multi-faith and multi-cultural world, we must enter fully into other cultures and find God seekers.“I am looking for God seekers so that we can journey together toward Christ who is the fullest expression of God….I need to present a Jesus who does not belong exclusively to Christianity.” – Andrew Jones
  3. The Church is gift and should be freely given away to others as gift. The church is a way to draw people into community with Christ and to transform the world – it is a sign and a foretaste of God’s kingdom. – Michael Moynagh

“Just as you might share a stick of French bread with someone by breaking a piece off, so the church breaks off of piece of itself and offers it to others as a new expression of church. Similarly, just as you might share a bottle of wine by pouring it into glasses for other people to drink, so the church pours itself out in new expressions of church for others to enjoy. As the church does this, it passes itself on sacramentally. It gives part of its own body away in a way that other people are able to receive. Far from being diminished in this giving, just as Jesus is not diminished when he gives himself in the Eucharist, the church is enriched by this sharing of its body because others are drawn into its communal life.” (Michael Moynagh)

  1. God’s mission comes first. God is out ahead of us doing new things and the Holy Spirit is at work in the church at the same time. “God’s missional grace is active both in the cosmos and in the church.” – Michael Moynagh
  2. “Just get on with it” – spend less time talking about what you are going to do and more time doing it. Understanding and integration normally come after engaging in ministry. If you don’t, you will be 90 before you live out your calling. – Michael Moynagh
  3. Contextual Ministry Matters – pioneers understand the importance of context. Knowing your context, understanding it, and even being able to critique means that you have spent enough time in your context AND that you are willing to be changed by your context. You will change if you enter fully into the context to which you are called. Theologically, this is Jesus entering fully into the Jewish world in which he found himself, becoming not just fully human, but fully part of the culture – eating foods, praying, sharing life in such a way that he became one of them.“The turn to context in global Christianity is massive. To make sense of the context will involve, for example, exploring notions of identity, reading, cultures, economics, religion, locale, myths, texts, symbols, power relations, gender, ethnicity.” (Jonny Baker)
  4. God’s people gathered is more important than the rules. A deep commitment to sacramental life undergirds everything. – Mark Berry
  5. Graciousness leads to unity. There is treasure everywhere, in the inherited church and in the new. Polite disagreement and a generous sense of catholicity means that we can disagree on the details and still see ourselves as part of God’s missional work. – Jonny Baker and Michael Moynagh and all
  6. Pioneers stand outside the doors. Pioneers are most comfortable outside the walls of the church and will stand by the door and show people how to draw close to God.  – Ben Norton
  7. What is good news? If this no longer sounds like good news to this community, find out what is and learn to share the gospel with different words and actions. – Chris Hembury
  8. Be bold – overcome your fear. Share yourself, your values, and your love of God even if you are afraid. – Chris Hembury
  9. Feed your soul – Remember to play, do what you love, unleash your imagination, experience life even if it doesn’t connect to your ministry at all. Paint, ride a bike, make music, listen to your soul’s deep longing. – Sam DonaldsonIMG_0059
  10. Training works best if you develop modules or classes that meet the needs of the pioneer. Allow the pioneer to remain in their context, to fill in the gaps of their knowledge, and to learn how to seek wisdom from the inherited church. One size doesn’t fit all.

We will be digging into these ideas a bit more in future blog posts.  Stay tuned!

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April 3, 2016 by Jane Gerdsen

Pilgrim Path: A Fresh Expressions Pilgrimage

IMG_0044In February, a group of us traveled to England to explore fresh expressions of church and learn from some of the innovative leaders and pioneers of the fresh expressions movement. We set out as pilgrims. We were not simply travelers. We were not wandering, although the path sometimes led us to unexpected places. We were pilgrims with an intention to draw closer to God, to learn about ourselves, to be changed through the journey.

This journey was in many ways sacramental – an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. And thus, we expected to return transformed or changed or converted even from the people we were when we began our journey. Pilgrims often return from their journey with a “boon”something good that will enrich their lives in the everyday world back at home. We hoped to see something of how God was moving in a new place.   And thus to learn to see the world and our communities anew upon our return. T.S. Eliot in the Four Quartets put it this way:

“We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

will be to arrive where we started

and to know the place for the first time.”

BrendanPuzzleI think in some ways that’s why St. Brendan the Navigator has been such a powerful story in our work with Praxis Communities. For when we set off into the unknown with a clear intention,[1] it is in the navigating of unknown places that we discover God guiding us through the outward journey ever deeper in our spiritual journey.

Part of our real life navigation was learning the language of roundabouts, and a GPS that seemingly pointed one way but was actually pointing to the next turn up ahead. We found ourselves missing turns and heading the wrong way down a road more than once. We had to orient ourselves and begin to see not just where we were but where we were heading. And as we learned the driving cues, I realized that it is in this process of finding our way that we discover our own voice, our own true North as our friend Jonny Baker calls it. By discovering a clear intention for our lives, our work, our call, we notice that all of life begins to orient around this guiding point.

compassAs we find ourselves back where we started, we now know more about the direction we are headed and have a deeper understanding of ourselves and our response to God’s call to mission in the place we call home. Here are some of the things, we learned while we were in England. In the coming weeks we will be sharing more reflections and musings on our pilgrimage. We invite you to follow along here.

Our Pilgrims:

IMG_0055

Brianna Coey, Melanie Williams, Ben Norton, Becky Norton, Aaron Wright, Jane Gerdsen, and Jed Dearing

Our pilgrim group included members of a variety of Praxis Communities.  I, (Jane), serve as Missioner for Fresh Expressions and Praxis Communities.  I have been dreaming of taking such a journey for the last 4 years.  I was honored to have with me core team members Aaron Wright who serves as program director for Brendan’s Crossing and Jed Dearing, program director for Confluence and member of the Franklinton community.  We also had with us Brianna Coey, who is the Missioner for Northside Abbey and Melanie Williams who is one of the founding members of the Near East House in Columbus.  Each of our pilgrims brought their own questions and experience to this pilgrimage.  One of the gifts of our time was the bonding of our team and deepening of our call to this work.

Our Path:angleterre74

We started in Oxford where we met with Jonny Baker and pioneer students at the Church Mission Society. While in Oxford, we also met with Michael Moynagh, Tutor for Pioneer Ministry at Wycliff Hall and the Director of Network Development for Fresh Expressions.  We also enjoyed an evensong at Magdalene College in Oxford and visited Christ Church College for a tour.

We then traveled down to London. In London, we met Andy Matheson to learn about Oasis. We had the good fortune to connect with Mark Berry of Safe Space in Telford who happened to be in London for the day. We met with the Community of St. George in the East including members of their intentional community and their vicar, Canon Dr. Angus Ritchie. We also visited two fresh expressions coffee shop communities – Host Café at Moot (St. Mary Alderbury) and Kahaila Café.

On Sunday, we made our way north to Nottingam where we met with the Rev. Mark Rodel and Lady Bay Mission Community. We joined them for their family worship gathering (called Don’t Forget the Cornflakes) and enjoyed sharing breakfast and meeting members of the community. Later, we had lunch at the vicarage with pioneer students and their families who were part of the Lady Bay team.

From there we made our way to Hull – we stopped by Holy Trinity Hull, where the Rev. Ben Norton is helping curate a new worship service and fellowship. The next morning, we made a quick visit to York to meet the Rev. Christian Silveratnam, who planted G2, a growing fresh expression of church and is part of mentoring young leaders. We also got to see Yorkminster while we were there. We returned to Hull and visited Archbishop Sentamu Academy – a secondary school started by the Church of England in an inner city area of Hull. We met the Rev. Anne Richards the chaplain and some of the staff. Our final stop, was to meet with Chris Hembury who has lived in community in Hull for 20 years. He now works with CMS and is heading up an intentional community in an old vicarage. We shared lunch and a beautiful and inspiring conversation with Ben, Chris and some of their community before heading back to London to fly home.

 

 

[1] Brendan was sent by God on a mission to discover the Land of Promise

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December 22, 2015 by Praxis

2016 Provincial Gathering in Chicago!

Sing to the Lord a new song!  Music has always been integral to the spiritual life, and to worship in particular.  In recent years, campus ministries have been at the forefront of experimenting with music, creating music, and leading the church in singing a new song. When Amy McCreath was the chaplain at MIT, she wrote the piece that has become the unofficial song of Music that Makes Community.  Our own Reid Hamilton of University of Michigan has written the book on improvisational music and preaching in worship.  When it comes to music, we have a lot to offer each other!  And a lot to offer the world.  Religious communities are among the few remaining communities that sing together, and we find our relationships deepened through singing.  Whether one is musical or not, the effects of music play out in our individual and corporate lives together.

Join us on February 19th-21st as students and young adults in Province V come together to make music in Chicago!  We’ll welcome members of Music that Makes Community into our midst, and fill the weekend with workshops and worship experiences that emphasize the power of music to deepen our faith and stand as a metaphor for the different ways in which we encounter the world.

The retreat will take place at Hosteling International Chicago, in the South Loop (24 E. Congress Parkway).  Register below or contact the Rev. Karl Stevens, kstevens@praxiscommunities.org, for more information.

Fill out my online form.

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September 15, 2015 by Karl Stevens

Prayer for Graduate Students and Post Docs

by Jared Talbot

Dear Lord, please be with the graduate students and postdocs who are coming to campus this year; those sojourning on and those who are wrapping up. As they discover their passions in research and thought, help them to find balance and not be consumed by the work. Help them to sense the zest that inspired their work in the first place when faced with the doubt that makes it even sharper. Give them the ability to mix passionate perseverance with the capacity to let go and change course when the time is right.

Help them to find community and support in the midst of what can be a very isolating career. As graduate students, most have left friends and family; as post-docs they did so again. You promised that anyone who left homes and fields for your sake would find a hundred-fold again. Please bring your presence and care to the students and post-docs on campus.  As they build relationships and families, help them to be filled with the same grace that you offered to them.

Please guide these students and post-docs as they contemplate their uncertain futures. Help them to follow a course that will lead to wholeness, even when it is not the one that they set out on originally. Help them to remember that even if nothing goes the way they had hoped- they will never be alone; please, help them to find you through these struggles.

All this we ask in the name of your Son, who could find peace inside raging storms, and through the power of the spirit who offers counsel to those who need it most. Amen.

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September 9, 2015 by Karl Stevens

Register for the “Consider the Lilies” Campus Ministry Retreat

Is it possible to set aside anxiety in an anxious world, particularly during a time of life when the future looms large and every choice we make might effect that future for good or ill?  Much of our anxiety is merited, and we can hear Jesus’s call not to be anxious as too simplistic or, worse, as belittling something that is very real.  But what if he’s calling us to an action, rather than a mindset?  What if he simply wants us to go out in nature and contemplate its beauty?  Although this won’t end all of our anxiety, it will give us a respite from us.  Our hope is that this retreat will provide that respite to you.  Please use the flyer below to promote the retreat, and register at the bottom of this page.

consider the lilies retreat

Fill out my online form.

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June 30, 2015 by Jane Gerdsen

New Hope Christian African Fellowship – A Story of God With Us

I first met Emmanuel in 2008.  He knocked on the door of the church where I was working.  He introduced himself as an Episcopalian new to this country (he had only been in the US for a few weeks) looking for a church home in Dayton. He told me his story of leaving Rwanda following the war that led to horrible tragedy and personal loss for him and so many as part of the genocide.   He told me of his long journey to America and how God had walked with him and led him to our church.

Emmanuel quickly became both a faithful member of the parish as well as a prophetic voice calling us to see the need in the refugee community outside the doors of the parish. He would bring friends and fellow immigrants to worship on Sunday and would also bring the needs of the community to us and challenge us to find creative ways to respond. He helped organize members of the parish and people beyond the parish to host a Christmas party for refugee children. He took me to people’s homes, to meet them and hear their stories. He organized a choir to sing both in our church and for community gatherings and events.

emmanuelandsimone

In his own personal life, he quickly found a job, applied for and was granted asylum (a process that takes many months if not years for many people). He is raising four children and caring for his parents and extended family members. AND he finds time to help organize the refugee community. He spends his spare time taking people to the doctor or to Job and Family Services or even driving them to Chicago to go through the process of applying for asylum. He helps newer refugees learn how to live in America even as he himself is still learning.

newhopebiblestudy

About two years after we first met, he approached me about beginning a Prayer Fellowship for the community – telling me that although he and his community loved our church, the people missed praying in their own language and singing their own songs. He and his wife, Simone, and several others began to meet every other Saturday for worship and prayer. The community quickly grew and led primarily by him and his wife with support from trusted clergy colleagues, they began a new community. They now meet every Sunday afternoon at St. Andrew’s and have about 70 people who pray, sing, and listen to and reflect on God’s word together. I continue to be inspired by this fresh expression of church in our midst. However, most often it is Emmanuel, who continues to gather the people and care for their needs, that teaches me what it means to be a leader of a community of faith and a faithful servant of the Spirit.  Emmanuel is a gift to all who know him and a witness to ‘God with us.’

newhopewithbishop

 New Hope Christian African Fellowship meets on Sundays at 1 pm at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Dayton, Ohio.  For more information you can find them on Facebook.

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April 10, 2015 by Praxis

Viriditas Retreat in the Diocese of Ohio

Saturday, May 2, 2015—10:00-4:00 at Red Oak Camp 9057 Kirtland Chardon Road, Kirtland, adjoining The Holden Arboretum.

A day to explore the arts & nature as ways to grow in relationship with God, leading us toward healing & justice in the wider world.

with the Rev. Nancy Roth, priest, retreat leader & writer; Denise Stewart, printmaker & member of Church of the Good Shepherd, Lyndhurst, and Rev. Lydia Bailey, deacon & artist.

$35.00 includes continental breakfast, lunch, registration fees & camp facilities.

Register: http://viriditas15.eventbrite.com For people of all artistic ability levels – For all ages & degrees of fitness.

Wear comfortable clothes for indoor & outdoor activities

Questions? Please call Rev. Nancy Roth 440-774-1813 or Rev. Lydia Bailey 440-525-3219

Sponsored by the NE Mission area of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio

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