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CHI RHO CONNECTION The eNewsletter of Chi Rho Press, Your LGBT Christian Publishing House

Vol. VI, No. 13
16 July 2005
 

Contents:

1.  "The Journey is Our Home:" Sharing Our Faith Journeys:  Reflections on a First Year as a Bishop, by the Most Rev. Robert T. Fuentes

We recently read the following on a Gay Clergy list-serve by the Most Rev. Robert T. Fuentes, Bishop, Old Catholic Diocese of Napa and Pastor, Holy Family Old Catholic Church, Fairfield, CA.  Bishop Fuentes has recently completed his first year as a Bishop and was moved to write some reflections on his experience.  We share this with you with joy and in celebration of the good Bishop's first anniversary.  Many thanks to Bishop Fuentes for granting us permission to reprint this as part of our 'The Journey is Our Home' series.

My experience as bishop is still one of awe, and surprisingly, one that can cause me to tremble.  I'm very cognizant that at times what I say out loud in my official role has impact on others, and so, believe it or not, I try to say little and listen more (not exactly my strongest trait).  As I listen more, here are some things that I have learned:

1.  God speaks loudly -- at times to the point of shouting!  This I believe is because we humans spend so much more time talking rather than sitting still, so God speaks up to get our attention, or at least mine.  When I listen with my heart, the voice of God is more distinct and recognizable.  So keeping my yap shut is a good thing.

2.  Listening with the heart also works with people.  If I spend more time talking, the people I counsel don't get to work through whatever issue they are bringing up, instead they get a lecture and walk away as needy as when they first came.  I've also learned that some of the best counseling happens is when no one speaks, but sit quietly in the room together.

 3.  You can't persuade someone to believe something that they have already made their minds up about.  If people need to believe so badly that one is less than another and use Scripture to justify it, I just say "fine;" then I move on.  "Or God bless," and then move on.  No need to waste energy on trying to convince them that my view of God or Scripture is the right one, because if the truth be known, none of us have it right.  Only God does.  If only we would listen (see number 1).

4.  Being a leader is more than giving orders and expecting people to walk in step.  Giving orders is the easy part.  Living out those rules is harder.  I've learned to say "I dunno" quite a bit.  God didn't give me a Bat phone to call when things got rough.  So again, I've learned to say, "we are in this together.  I don't have all the answers, but this is what I think.  Is it something you can agree with?  If the remedy is wrong, well then, it's wrong and we adjust."  Honesty and integrity is what is expected of leaders, not barking of orders.

5.  People seek after God at times desperately, for themselves and for their families.  We are to try to help people find God and help them find peace.  Rules that impede people finding God are not rules, but rods of oppression.  Break the rods so that people can find God.  God will bless the rod breaking; in fact, God will show you how to break them.

6.  The sacraments are seeds that are to be sown abundantly, and are not to be considered rewards for behavior.  Remember that Jesus said that the sick need a physician, not the healthy.  The Sacrament of the Eucharist at many times is medicine for the sick and withholding it is not necessarily life affirming.  When in doubt, see number 5.

7.  Sharing the Eucharist despite lack of unity among us Christians is faithfully living Jesus' prayer for unity.  Requiring all to believe as I before feeding or giving drink means that many will go away hungry from the Table of Plenty.  It's like the hungry one looking at the bread in the window and unable to reach it.  Desperately hungry ones will break the window.  Before jumping to conclusions, consider that that act of desperation could be God inspired.

8.  One person's absolute truth will still be relative to another.  Morality is indeed based upon votes.  The more people say that this is moral, the more it becomes moral.  But not everyone will see morality in the same way.  How I live out the moral imperative of loving neighbor as self will not necessarily be the way another one will live out this same imperative.  And sooner or later we have to come to peace with that.  God will sort out the inconsistencies.

9.  God is on everyone's side.  God wants the best for all and when God looks into the heart, God doesn't see Christian, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, atheist.  God sees only what God created.  I am Christian and will live out my life as a Christian, but God isn't Christian.  And by how we behave, it would hard pressed for God to become a Christian, or Jewish, or Buddhist for that matter.

10.  Becoming holy really is becoming self, seeing self as the unique expression of God.  I don't have to give up anything, not even my sin, to be holy, I am holy because I am God's expression in the world.

Just of few of my learnings.

The Most Rev. Robert T. Fuentes, Bishop, Old Catholic Diocese of Napa, Pastor, Holy Family Old Catholic Church,  Fairfield, CA

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2. Have you read "The Least of These" and "Writing to Congress"?

 We are featuring two Christian Social Action resources by Adam DeBaugh this month.  They are small booklets, but have sold well over the years.  As churches restart their education and small group programs next Autumn, we recommend these resources.

The first of these books is an excellent small group course that lays the foundations of a program of Christian Social Action in a local church or other organization:

"The Least of These: A Christian Social Action Bible Study on Matthew 25:31-46," by R. Adam DeBaugh.  This seven part Bible study is perfect for small groups, cell groups, discussion groups, and Christian education classes.  The author was Director of UFMCC's Department of Christian Social Action for 11 years.  It is a powerful study series on a vital Biblical mandate for all Christian social action ministries.  $2.00 each, six or more copies for $1.50 each, plus shipping and handling.

http://www.chirhopress.com/products/product_details/BookRevTheLeastOfThese.htm

The second book is a basic primer used to equip people of faith to communicate with their elected representatives in government.

"Writing to Congress: 'Prophesy Against the Shepherds of Israel,' Ezekiel 34:2," by R. Adam DeBaugh.  A description of how best to write and visit your elected representatives in government, with ten tips for effective communications, and a fascinating Bible study about the responsibility of the person of faith to address his or her government.  This is the third edition.  Adam was director of the UFMCC Washington Field Office and (starting in 1975) was the first person ever hired to lobby the US Congress on LGBT civil rights.  $1.00 each, six or more copies for $0.75 each, plus shipping and handling.

http://www.chirhopress.com/products/product_details/BookRevWritingToCongress.htm

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3.  "Christian with a Twist"

Here is a selection from our second major book of reflections, "Christian with a Twist: Reflections on Scripture that are a bit more inclusive, a bit more relevant, and with a bit of a bite," by the late William Gaston.

"Christian with a Twist" is available for $19.95 each, $14.95 each for six or more copies, plus shipping and handling.  You can read more about it and order it at http://www.chirhopress.com/products/product_details/BookRevChristianWithATwist.htm

As the subtitle suggests, Bill's writing has a bit of a bite, and we believe you will enjoy his sharp, but loving take on Scripture, life, and faith.

Here is a selection entitled "Refuge" from the Ordinary Time section of "Christian with a Twist."

Please read Psalm 46:1-2, 6 and Matthew 7:21-27

We refer to the main room of our church as the sanctuary, a sacred place, a place to seek refuge.  It is that, and maybe even more.  It is the place where we come to be fed spiritually.  Though it is cumbersome, I am glad that in MCC Washington we make a point to refer to the congregation as the church and the building as the ministry facility.

Our building is mostly a glass house.  It could never afford protection on its own.  We protect one another by declaring our place of worship to be a safe place where all are welcome to come and seek to know the God of all creation.

We are a Christian Church.  We do not just come together to do any old thing.  We try to follow the path Jesus laid out for his disciples and the church leaders who came after them.  Like our sanctuary, the rituals we carry out and the lessons we teach and learn are fashioned by human hands and minds.  God-given and Christ-guided hands and minds, but still very human.  We cannot depend on them any more than we can depend on the glass and cinder block walls.

The God of Creation is our ultimate refuge and the source of our strength.  Church buildings and even congregations will come and go.  The best of them get corrupted and fall.  God never falls and God never fails.

Jesus taught us the greatest commandments: to love one another and the God who created us.  Doing that, we can always build a beautiful sanctuary and gather together another group of supportive people.  We cannot create an uproar that God cannot calm with the word by which God created us all: LOVE.

http://www.chirhopress.com/products/product_details/BookRevChristianWithATwist.htm

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4.  Sanctoral Cycle

As a regular feature in the Chi Rho Connection, we are offering up traditional saints listed in the 2005 Liturgical Calendar and Lectionary from today until our next scheduled electronic newsletter.

*****

Fri., Jul. 15, St. Henry the Emperor.  Offerings:  St. Henry gave up and deprived himself of many things that his offerings could enrich the house of God.  We spend money on ourselves and leave Jesus in poverty and neglect.  "For here in the church all our wealth is treasured; here lies all our hope," St. John Chrysostom.

Sat., Jul. 16, Blessed Virgin Mary.  Mary our mother:  The church teaches us to strengthen our own prayers by seeking those of the saints and blessed in heaven, who can hear and intercede for us.  And above them all, she who can speak most powerfully for us is Mary, Mother of God.  "Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; be it done unto me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).

Sun., Jul. 17, St. Alexis.  Affections:  We must always be ready to sacrifice our dearest and best natural affections in obedience to the call of our heavenly parent.  Our Lord has taught us this not by words only, but by his own example and by that of the saints.  "O God, who made blessed Alexis, thy confessor, wonderful in his contempt for the world; grant we beseech thee, that by the help of his intercession thy faithful people may reject earthly things and ever seek those that are heavenly.  Amen," The Roman Breviary.

Mon., Jul. 18, St. Bonaventure.  Self-effacing:  "The fear of God forbids one to give the heart to transitory things, which are the true seed of sin," St. Bonaventure.  "Price makes a person almost insane, for it teaches one to despise what is most precious, grace and glory, and to make esteem what is most contemptible, vanity and ambition," St. Bonaventure.

Tues., Jul. 19, St. Alexius of Rome (Patron saint: nurses, beggars, travelers).  For the love of God:  Alexius wanted to devote himself to God, but his parents arranged a marriage for him.  He left his bride on their wedding day and became a beggar at his own family's house, where he was not recognized.  His family found a note on his body which told them who he was and how he had lived his life of penance from the day of his wedding until then, for the love of God.

Wed., Jul. 20, St. Margaret of Antioch.  Steadfastness of belief:  St. Margaret teaches us to be steadfast in our belief of Christ.  She chose to be true to her faith over the comforts of life and was rewarded by being beheaded instead of sacrificing to pagan gods.  We must learn to not compromise our beliefs for comforts nor expediency.  Boldly proclaim your faith and trust in Christ at all opportunities to you are given to witness.

Thurs., Jul. 21, St. Cyril of Caesarea.  Home:  Souls on fire with longing for heaven look forward to death and cannot understand the sorrow of those who would hold them back.  Ask Jesus to fill you with a constant desire for heaven.  This desire will make you fervent and detached, and bring you even here a foretaste of that eternal joy and peace to which you have ransomed.  "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands" (2 Corinthians 5:1).

Fri., Jul. 22, St. Mary Magdalen.  Loving repentance:  "True sorrow for sin is a good infinitely to be desired, and an unspeakable gladness to the heart.  It is healing to the soul, it is forgiveness of sins, it brings the Holy Spirit back again into the humble and loving heart," St. Bernard.

Sat., Jul. 23, St. Laurence of Brindisi.  Respect:  St. Laurence was always a simple monk, his habit and crucifix were the secret of his success.  Let our faith also be proved in word and work, and the world which we fear, will be under our feet.  "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16).

Sun., Jul. 24, St. Ippolito Galantini.  Teaching:  St. Ippolito worked to remove that ignorance which is the cause of sin and he never lost an opportunity to teach anyone.  He was known to spend up to sixteen hours instructing an obstinate sinner.  God has given us more of this world's goods; what are we doing for the instruction of those souls for whom Jesus died?  "Let us try to teach our children virtue and fear of God, and let all other things take second place,"  St. John Chyrsostom.

Mon., Jul. 25, St. James the Greater.  The cross as the way to glory:  We must all desire a place in the realm of our Creator, but can we drink the chalice that Christ holds out to each of us?  We can, but only in the strength of Jesus, who has drunk it first for us!

Diversity Date: Constitution Day:  Puerto Rico

Tues., Jul. 26, St. Pius V.  Respect for the crucifix:  St. Pius used to always kiss the feet of the crucifix on entering and leaving his room.  He learned that energetic perseverance and heroic constancy which enabled him to do so much for the Christian world.  "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).

Wed., Jul. 27, St. Hyacintha Mariscotti.  New beginnings:  St. Hyacintha teaches us that the only way to repair any fault great or small, is humbly to renew our purpose and begin again.  Hyacintha began her new life by handing over all her property to the abbess, keeping only a crucifix.  "Forget all that is past, and imagine each day that you do but begin," St. Augustine.

Thurs., Jul. 28, St. Swithin.  Concern for the poor:  The hurt of poverty is soothed even more by a word of true sympathy than by the alms we give.  Alms coldly and casually given irritate rather than soothe.  Even when we cannot give, words of kindness do their healing work; and when we can give, they are the salt and seasoning of our alms.

Fri., Jul. 29, St. Martha (Patron saint: cooks).  Active service:  "If you seek Jesus truly in all things, you will find Jesus.  And if you seek yourself you will find yourself,"  Imitation of Christ, St. Thomas á Kempis.

Sat., Jul. 30, St. Guthlac.  Obedience to grace:  Every good thought is the whisper of grace in our hearts.  Listen and obey instantly, or you may grieve and extinguish the holy spirit of God.  "If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land, but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword" (Isaiah 1:19).

Sun., Jul. 31, St. Ignatius of Loyola (Patron saint:  retreats).  Zeal for God's Glory:  When you have gone so far that tribulation becomes routine and acceptable to you for the love of Christ, then know that it is well with you, for you have found a paradise on earth.  "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do" (John 17:4).

*****

Order the 2004-2005 Liturgical Calendar and Lectionary, complete with the entire year's Sanctoral Cycle, at this link:

http://www.chirhopress.com/products/product_details/BookRevLiturgicalCa04_05.html

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5.  Adam's Last Word

What were you doing at midnight last night?  Well, if you are like me, we were witness to a publishing phenomenon.  I left home after the 11 pm news Friday night and drove over to the Barnes and Noble store in the Washingtonian Center in Gaithersburg.  I had a gift certificate I got as a birthday present from my dearest friend and mutually adopted "little brother," Craig Arnold.  But even if I had not had a gift certificate, I just had to be at a bookstore at midnight on July 16.

Why, you ask?  You don't know?  The latest Harry Potter book was released around the world at midnight.  Bookstores all over were filled with literally hundreds of kids, teens, young adults, and (ahem!) not so young adults like me!

J. K. Rowling and the Harry Potter series are a publishing phenomenon.  This is the sixth in the series (there are seven planned) and they have made Ms. Rowling a very wealthy woman indeed.  But why?  What is this literary phenomenon?  Well, first of all, I understand that Scholastic had an initial press run of 10 million copies!

Secondly, her writing is just so durn good!  It appeals on so many different levels.  Little kids adore her (more on that soon), but teens and young adults and old curmudgeons like me get a lot out of her amazing word play, great character development, and strong good vs. evil plots.  My good friend Barbara is a fourth grade teacher and she loves the books, as do her kids.

So I got to Barnes and Noble, and the store was packed.  It is a pretty big suburban store, with the obligatory coffee bar that new bookstores can't seem to do without.  But it was hard to move around, it was so crowded.  Lots of kids, and they were sprawled all over the floors, counters, and many chairs strewn around.  What were they doing?  They were reading, and chatting, and reading!  Not just Harry Potter, but all kinds of books.  Kids are reading again!  That is the main reason J. K. Rowling is my hero!  Kids are reading!  And that is the reason Harry Potter is a publishing phenomenon.

When I got to Barnes and Noble, people who had pre-ordered books got numbered yellow bracelets.  When midnight struck to cheers and applause, they got to pick up their books first.  There were 450 people with yellow bracelets, many of whom had pre-ordered more than one book!  Those of us who had not pre-ordered got numbered orange bracelets.  I was number 406!

While waiting I talked at length with a wonderful pair of lesbians who work at B&N (thanks for the coffee, Val!) and I watched the scene around us.  It was very exciting, to say the least.  (I know, only a publisher geek would think this was exciting, but there you go!)  Aside from some curmudgeon who threatened to mug a kid for a book, it was a very friendly and happy crowd.  (OK, I was only joking, I would never mug a kid for a book!  Well, maybe if they ran out of books at number 400 orange, perhaps!)

B&N was incredibly well organized and all of us had gotten our books and were out the door by 1:30 am, which was pretty remarkable!

I am saving Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for when I go to Calgary for MCC’s General Conference on Wednesday, though it will be difficult not to open it before then!

Oh yes, and I do confess to being just a little jealous of Scholastic.  I sure wish Chi Rho Press had published it!

*****

As I mentioned, I will be leaving this Wednesday for Calgary for the UFMCC General Conference.  It is a very special conference in that the Rev. Elder Troy Perry, founder of MCC and our Moderator throughout the life of the church so far, is retiring.  The Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson is being presented as the candidate for Moderator, for election by the clergy and lay delegates.

MCC will be celebrating the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.  Please keep all of MCC in your prayers as we meet in Calgary over the next week.

*****

And please check out the Chi Rho Cards! Our line of greeting cards, by the talented New York artist Timothy Leetch, are now available. See the descriptions of the cards on our Web site at:
http://www.chirhopress.com/products/cards.html.

Order some cards today!

*****

Have a wonderful summer!

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*****

Gracia y paz,

R. Adam DeBaugh, Director, Adam@ChiRhoPress.com.

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Copyright 2005, Chi Rho Press, Inc.

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