Reflections on 9/11: “I have called you by name and you are mine.”

by

The Rev. Canon Susan Russell

All Saints Church, Pasadena CA

As we prepare for tomorrow's events marking the 10th anniversary of 9/11 I'm remembering the service we held at All Saints Church in Pasadena marking the first anniversary on 9/11/2002.

The candles massed in front of the altar burn in tribute to the names being read from the lectern – Naomi Leah Solomon, Daniel W. Song, Michael C. Soresse, Fabian Soto – as other names scroll above the altar projected on a video screen – John Bentley Works, William Wren, Sandra Wright, Myrna Yashkulka.

The church is silent save for the reading of the names and the careful footsteps of those who come forward to light a candle -- the gentle thud of a kneeler lowered for prayer --the quiet rustle of pages turned in a prayer book.

“American Airline Flight 11”– Anna Allison, David Lawrence Angell, Lynn Edwards Angell, Seima Aoyamma. The names began at 5:46 – the west coast moment when the first plane struck – and will continue through the morning until we gather for Eucharist at noon. The table is already set. The red frontal – blood of martyrs – covers the altar. The chalice is vested, the missal marked. The credence table is ready, too: flagons of wine, silver chalices and ciborium lined up – ready to hold the holy food and drink of new and unending life we will share here at All Saints Church.

“All Saints.” Charles’ deep voice breaks the silence as he begins reading the next segment of the list of names: “World Trade Center, continued” – Paul Riza, John Frank Rizzo, Stephen Luis Roch, Leo Roberts. I remember the ancient words of comfort from the prophet Isaiah, “I have called you by name and you are mine.” As Charles tolls the names of the dead that assurance echoes again and again in my head. These names I do not know – some I cannot even pronounce – each and every one known to God. Beloved of God.

“United Airlines Flight 93”: Christine Adams, Lorraine Berg, Todd Beamer, Alan Beaven. Gone from our sight yet gathered into God’s embrace -- seated at the heavenly banquet we can but glimpse through the sacrament we are preparing to share -- the offering of praise and thanksgiving we will present at this altar.

I look again at the ciborium massed on the credence table – the candles flickering in the polished silver – the light of lives lost reflected in the vessels holding the bread of life. It staggers the mind to consider what they represent – the magnitude of the collective loss of love, joy, hope and possibilities taken on that day a year ago with such sudden unexpectedness.

Takashi Ogawa. Albert Ogletree. Gerald Michael Olcott. The pain of death and loss mingles mysteriously in the promise of life and hope. Body and Blood. Bread and Wine. Strength for the journey and hope for the future. Hope for a world where differences enrich rather than divide. Hope for the end of wars waged in the name of the God who created us not to destroy but to love each other.

Dipti Patel. James Matthew Patrick. Sharon Christina Millan Paz. “Whoever you are and wherever you find yourself on your journey of faith there is a place for you here.” Thanks be to God. Alleluia. Amen.

Reflections on 9/11: Bringing hope and life in times of trial

by

The Rev. Dr. Caro Hall

President, Integrity USA

I was late for my first day of chaplaincy training, lost in Pasadena. Huntington Hospital was a maze of corridors and elevators, all as strangely quiet as the streets had been. I rushed into the chaplain’s room full of apologies to find myself almost totally ignored. Everyone was silently glued to a television showing a plane flying into a building.

It took several minutes to understand that this was reality, not fiction.

It took much longer for the full impact to hit me. But that day as a newbie chaplain, my job was to be there for anyone who needed a listening ear as the hospital went into lock-down mode, preparing to respond to an attack on Los Angeles. An attack which, thank, God, did not happen.

Last week I had an email from the diocese, asking parishes to prepare to be able to respond to local disaster. I admit that I groaned - another project, when just doing the work immediately at hand seems to take all our energy and more. Yet two miles over the hill is a nuclear power plant, two miles down the road is the ocean, and wildfire is an ever-present hazard. There are disasters waiting to happen. What better way to show the incredible love of God than to be prepared to act, and to pray that we are kept from the time of trial so our preparation is never needed.

Who knows when we may be called upon not just for support in personal disaster, but for a community in need. Parishes on the East Coast know at great cost what it is to have disaster hit suddenly and destroy homes and lives overnight.

One of the images which has stayed with me for the last ten years and resonates in my soul was articulated by Garrison Keillor. As the people were rushing down the stairs to get out of the towers, the firefighters were going up. They did not know what they were going to find, they did not know what would happen, but they were going into danger to find, protect and shelter others.

That is courage.

As people of faith we have the knowledge that God’s unconditional love supports us every moment and that nothing can separate us from that life-giving love. Whether we live or die, we are in Christ. This gives us the courage to walk into the not-knowingness of the future, the possibility of disaster, the certainty of pain and loss, without fear. It enables us to be there for others who do not have the rock of ages on which to stand.

May ours be the feet which are going up, bringing hope and life, when others are running down.

Reflections on 9/11: An Experience of Pain & Grace

By

Rev. Dr. Jennifer Phillips

Rector, St. Francis Church,

 Rio Rancho, NM

As soon as I got the news in the rectory of my parish in Rhode Island, I thought of the 15 thousand students arriving for classes at the university next door- a big portion of them from New York and New Jersey - hearing about the cataclysm on the car radio or seeing the images on the TVs in the lobby as they arrived. It was hard to leave my church and trust members to care for one another as some came to pray or check in, but the greatest need seemed to be with young people, many unable to reach their families. That evening I and some staff from the Multi Cultural Center gathered students for a candlelight march across campus - we thought we might gather a few dozen, but as we began passing out candles and walking, hundred of students and others came to join us. We finished up at St. Augustine's Episcopal Church - over 200 students crammed into our post-and-beam sanctuary for a non-denominational prayer service, some literally climbing into the rafters to find space - and we prayed and lots stood up to offer their hopes and fear, prayers and wishes for those in harm's way and for the peace of the whole world as well.

A couple of weeks later I took a bus down to NYC to take part in the wonderful St. Paul's/Trinity Wall Street/ St. John the Divine volunteer ministry effort at Ground Zero. I remember the great gentleness of those who gathered at St. Paul's to offer ministry through the many days and nights as workers recovered remains and cleared debris bit by bit. As one of many clergy who came to minister and pray there, I was touched by the children's drawings for safety workers, hung in the pews to comfort those who stopped in to pray or get food or a change of socks, or even sleep for a little while. I remember the tired grimy faces and the boots melted into holes, and the crowd of faces on flyers and photos hung on the wrought iron fence by desperate people missing loved ones. I remember an exhausted bulldozer driver catching a nap in the pew with the plaque that said George Washington used to sit there. I remember the spectral and sad paper and scraps hanging from the trees in the graveyard from which the leaves had mostly been blasted away. It was an experience of pain and grace, and I was humbled by those colleagues who were laboring day after day not just to care for workers and stunned residents of the neighborhood, but also to the endless shifts of volunteers who came to offer their briefer labor each of whom carried away a fragment of the grief of the place and time. I remain grateful for and to them.

Integriity USA welcomes your reflections on 9/11. Send them to Louise Brooks, Director of Communications; tvprod@earthlink.net

Reflections on 9/11: Heal and Unite the Human Family

by

The Rev. Dr. George Regas

Rector Emeritus

All Saints Church

Pasadena, California

The Urgency of 9/11


Mary Regas and I were at LAX on Sept. 11, 2001 for a 7 a.m. flight to New York for a national meeting of progressive religious leaders. We were checking our bags around 5:45 a.m. when great confusion erupted.

“We can’t check your bag,” the person at the counter said softly. “All flights have been canceled.”

I challenged her.

“Get us a flight anywhere on the East Coast,” I said. “It is important that I find a flight.”

In a few minutes she said, “All flights in the country are canceled.”

Soon word spread: “New York has been attacked.”

In confusion and grief, we left and drove to the nearest hotel to watch the horrendous television news of the planes flying into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

When we got home, I immediately called my close friend, Rabbi Leonard Beerman, to discuss these tragic events and how we might respond creatively to the disaster. We both called people who had been colleagues in peacemaking activities over the years.

The next day, 15 people gathered with us at All Saints Church. Jews, Christians, Muslims, Unitarians, Buddhists and other traditions — we were all seeking a way to respond that was compatible with our religious commitments.

Three-thousand people from 90 countries at the World Trade Center, Shanksville, Pa., and the Pentagon died on that heartbreaking day. The enormity of hatred unleashed against America weighed heavily on all of us. The tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001 will be on my mind as long as God gives me a memory.

Yet we were all troubled by the cries for retaliation that would later take us into war. Unquestionably, the US should bring to justice Osama bin Laden and the other terrorists responsible for the horror of 9/11; bring them before an international court. This does not require the devastation of war; it demands the work of justice.

Within a week, we came together bringing other peacemakers; after two hours 85 of us had a name: Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP). For the past 10 years we’ve met every Friday at 7 a.m. at Immanuel Presbyterian Church.

From the day ICUJP was founded in September 2001, in coalition with a growing chorus of voices, we pleaded with President Bush and other elected officials to reject fear and embrace the rule of law, to avoid overreaction and pursue reconciliation and, above all else, say that religious communities must stop blessing war and violence.

Our voices fell on deaf ears, as blind patriotism captured America and the Bush administration lied to the American public to gain support for the US attack on Afghanistan and then Iraq.

Over these 10 years, the US has established a permanent state of undeclared war, violence and occupation. Our government has suspended civil liberties, violated human rights and engaged in torture. During these tragic years of war, the US has demonized Muslims, Arabs and South Asians.

We have plundered our communities at home, given tax breaks to our wealthiest citizens and removed essential support from the sick and the poor of our nation.

The brilliant, highly respected economist Joseph Stiglitz says the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will cost the US $6 trillion. And for most of the 10 years, the cost of the wars was put on the nation’s credit card.

As I live with the enormous human needs of our nation and the diminishing budgets throughout the country, and then look at the human and financial costs of these wars of Bush and Obama, I believe we are at a point where people are ready to say: I will give my life and energies to creating a peaceful world. I must stop these wars!

War takes the financial resources that could save lives, feed the hungry, heal the world’s suffering, and uses these resources to destroy — I hate war for that.

If we are to have any hope, there must be a massive act of conscience that says: Stop the wars; use our resources to heal and unite the human family.

Dr. George Regas is a dominant voice for peace and justice in the United States. For three decades, Dr. Regas served as Rector of All-Saints Church. Under the leadership of Dr. Regas, All Saints Church opposed the Vietnam War, the escalating nuclear arms race, the covert Central America wars, and both the Gulf Wars I and II. During his 28 years of service with the church, Dr. Regas established the largest AIDS service center in the San Gabriel Valley; supervised the creation of the Young & Healthy Program, which serves uninsured and under-insured children; and established the homeless shelter, Union Station.



In 1998, Dr. Regas founded The Regas Institute. The Institute is dedicated to the study and examination of Progressive Religion that seeks to counter the dominance of the Religious Right. The Regas Institute seeks to organize and advocate locally and nationally for a Progressive Religion that speaks and acts on both economic and racial justice, as well as gender equality, gay justice and reproductive choice.

He was the first priest in the Episcopal Church to bless same sex unions.


ICUJP has played a significant role in Southern California advocating for peace and seeking to be an alternative voice to the war on terrorism.

Integrity USA welcomes your reflections on 9/11. Send them to Louise Brooks, Director of Communications: tvprod@earthlink.net

Reflections on 9/11: God make me an instrument of your peace.

By
Max Niedzwiecki
Executive Director
Integrity USA




On September 11th I was in Washington, DC, where I lived until moving to New Orleans in 2009. When the first plan struck the World Trade Center, I was in a meeting on 16th Street, less than a mile north of the White House. I rushed off to my own office, where we huddled around a tiny TV with bad reception and saw the second strike, and then began to get news of the disasters in Pennsylvania and Washington, DC. The first hour or so after that is a blur ... calls to loved ones saying we were OK, figuring out where everyone would go to feel safe, trying to parse the true news from the rumors that began to spread right away... There were stories about car bombs throughout the city, and at least one reporter said the Department of State had been attacked.

My partner Albert and I made our way to our apartment, in Dupont Circle, with his Palestinian-American colleague. Already there was talk of "Muslim terrorists" on CNN, and along with that came fear that people who were Muslim (or appeared to be) would become targets in the panic. We stayed there, glued to the TV for a few hours, until a sense of calm set in and she decided to drive home across the Potomac.

By late afternoon, Washington had the strangest sense of calm. All morning and through lunchtime commuters had clogged the streets, frantic to get back home. Once everyone was out and many streets had been closed, Albert and I ventured out. We rode our bikes past the White House, down to the Capitol Building, and along the National Mall, then across the river and to the Pentagon. It almost seemed that a neutron bomb had exploded, removing the people but leaving the environment intact. No planes flew overhead. Birds chirped, and squirrels scampered about collecting acorns in the cool, dry, sunny late-afternoon. We rode on the closed freeways until we got about 100 feet away from the Pentagon, and saw the the big, nasty, sooty, smoking gash that kept smouldering for so long afterwards.

On the one hand, there was the brutality of the attacks, the horrific loss of life, and the surreal spectacle of the day. There was also fear that people who "looked like" they were Muslim or foreign would become skapegoats. That point was especially salient for me, since I was working at the time with refugees and immigrants, including many Muslims and their community leaders. On the other hand, beauty made its appearance in those first few days: The racial tension that I usually felt on the street between blacks and whites seemed to have been put aside. When black and white people smiled at one another on the street, and held doors open for one another, we were using those gestures to say "We are together in this and we care for one another." Our President and many others were saying that we needed to figure out how we could have arrived at this point, and to find ways to create a healthier world. For a while, I let myself dream that as people, as a society, and as a global community we could use this tragedy as a wake up call. September 11th seemed like a dividing line between one epoch from another. I dreamed that the world after September 11th would be marked by the quest for a more real, lasting, and deeper peace than we had known on September 10th. And I prayed that God would use me to help build that peace, although I didn't have a clear idea of what that might mean for my life.

All of that optimism turned out to be naive, of course. Fear, greed for power, delusional thinking, and ignorance led our President and the people who supported him to squander the incredible opportunities for unity and reconciliation that September 11th presented. Instead, they decided that "an eye for an eye" should be the order of the day, and they made sure the world saw America as the biggest bully. It makes me sick to think of the lives that have been lost since then, and the ways our reactions to the attacks have made the world sicker, more divided, and farther away from anything we might be able to call "peace."

For me personally, September 11th still serves as a spiritual touchstone. Thinking about that day helps me to remember that I asked God to use me as an instrument of peace in ways I would probably not understand.
And more clearly as the years go by, I hear God's answer to my prayer.



Integrity USA welcomes your reflections on September 11th, 2001. Send them to Louise Brooks, Director of Communications: tvprod@earthlink.net

Presiding Bishop calls for reflection on tenth anniversary of September 11 attacks

The Presiding Bishop issued these remarks on August 18, 2011

As we mark the tenth anniversary of the events of September 11, The Episcopal Church continues to work for healing and reconciliation.

Americans experienced the first large non-domestic terrorist attack on our own soil that day, a reality that is far too much a present and continuing reality in other parts of the world. We joined that reality in 2001. Many people died senselessly that day, and many still grieve their loss. All Americans live with the aftermath – less trust of strangers, security procedures for travelers that are intrusive and often offensive, and a sense that the world is a far more dangerous place than it was before that day. Our own nation has gone to war in two distant places as a result of those events. The dying continues, and the world does not seem to have become a significantly safer place.

Yet we believe there is hope. People of faith gave sacrificially in the immediate aftermath of the plane crashes, trying to rescue those in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, trying to subdue the aggressors on the plane over Pennsylvania, and reaching out to neighbors and strangers alike on that apocalyptic day. Clergy and laity responded to the crisis in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania, and prayer services erupted in churches and communities across the nation. St. Paul’s Chapel, near the site of the Towers, opened its doors to the emergency responders, and volunteers appeared with food and socks, massaging hands and praying hearts. Volunteers continued to staff the Chapel for months afterward, and prayers were offered as human remains were sought and retrieved in the ruins of the Towers.

Church communities in many places began to reach out to their neighbors of other faiths, offering reassurance in the face of mindless violence. That desire for greater understanding of other traditions has continued, and there are growing numbers of congregations engaged in interfaith dialogue, discovering that all the great religions of the world are fundamentally focused on peace. The violence unleashed on September 11th and in its aftermath was the work of zealots, disconnected from the heart of their religions’ foundations.

This tenth anniversary is above all an opportunity for reflection. Have we become more effective reconcilers as a result? Are we more committed to peace-making? The greatest memorial to those who died ten years ago will be a world more inclined toward peace. What are you doing to build a living memorial like that?


The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church


Integrity USA welcomes your reflections on September 11th, 2001. Send them to Louise Brooks, Director of Communications : tvprod@earthlink.net

Good News from New Zealand

A Prayer for Labor Day:

Almighty God, you have so linked our lives one with another that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives: So guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but for the common good; and, as we seek a proper return for our own labor, make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of other workers, and arouse our concern for those who are out of work; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

On this Labor Day Integrity celebrates all those who labor for the full inclusion of all the baptized in all the sacraments -- especially for those whose lives are linked with ours in the Anglican Church in New Zealand and for the good news of the fruits of their labor.

From a report received via email this morning: This weekend both Auckland and Waiapu (East Coast Noth island) diocesan synods passed similar motions:

• declining to support Clause 4 of the Covenant
• declaring that they saw no impediment to the ordination of someone in a commited same-sex relationship.

The two motions were passed by two thirds majorities in Auckland, and by 90% plus in Waiapu.

Here's the text of the Auckland resolution:

"That this Synod

[1] Holds that sexual orientation should not be an impediment to the discernment, ordination, and licensing of gay and lesbian members to any lay and ordained offices of the Church; and further

[2] persons in committed same-sex relationships likewise should not be excluded from being considered for discernment, ordination, and licensing to any lay and ordained offices of the Church.

[3] commits to an intentional process of listening to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people, organized by the Archdeacons in consultation with the gay and lesbian community.

[4] commits to an ongoing discussion with the ministry units, asks the Archdeacons to facilitate this, and invites responses to those discussions to be submitted to Diocesan Council by 31st March 2012; and

[5] commits to support the process and work of the Commission to be appointed by General Synod Standing Committee, as resolved at its meeting in July 2011."

Thanks to the Rev. Glynn Cardy for the text of the motion and for this note: "This motion was put in parts, and members voted via a paper ballot. The most contentious clause, [2], passed by nearly a two-thirds majority."

As we pause today from our labors and celebrate this Labor Day holiday let us ask the One who inspires us to work for justice to also equip us to continue in that work -- to be steadfast in that struggle -- until the full inclusion of LGBT people in the work and witness of the worldwide Communion is not just a resolution we pass but a reality we celebrate.

Knowing Our History: A Trailblazer in Pumps and Pearls

From Susan Russell's blog, An Inch At A Time
http://inchatatime.blogspot.com/2011/08/remembering-pamela-chinnis.html

It was Dr. Fredrica Harris Thompsett who taught me that we learn our history in order to back up and get a running start on our future. And you can’t know the recent history of the Episcopal Church in general -- or the history LGBT inclusion in the Episcopal Church in particular -- without knowing about Pam Chinnis.


The first notice of Pam’s passing on August 24th came in an email that evening from House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson:

Dr. Pamela Chinnis, 30th President of the House of Deputies, died this evening at 6:31 p.m. Dr. Chinnis, a lay person, was the first woman to serve as President of the HOD. She is remembered for her many achievements, writings and service to this Church she loved so much. Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers. May she rest in eternal peace.

And literally within minutes the tributes started pouring in. Elizabeth Kaeton called her “a trailblazer in pumps and pearls.” “No one in a position of leadership in the Episcopal Church was more committed to full inclusion of LGBT people or did more to bring it about than did Pamela Chinnis,” said Kim Byham (Integrity President from 1987-1990) "What a blessing she has been to us all," said Integrity founder Louie Crew.

Integrity President Caro Hall, in the tribute Integrity issued on August 25th wrote:

“Dr. Chinnis’ proactive advocacy for LGBT inclusion literally changed the face of The Episcopal Church. In 1993, as the church looked toward its 1994 General Convention in Indianapolis, Dr. Chinnis became the first President of the House of Deputies to address an Integrity gathering. At that historic meeting she promised to appoint “out” gay and lesbian deputies to legislative committees at the upcoming convention and pledged personal vigilance for "the whole issue of gay and lesbian rights," speaking, she said, "as the mother of a gay son."

And then there was this from Michael Hopkins:

To say Pam was a faithful Christian and Episcopalian is to make a vast understatement. She was gracious beyond the telling, but she also had a backbone of steel. She was supportive of lesbian and gay people in the church long before that was popular, and her commitment to our full inclusion never wavered. She was extraordinarily well thought of among African-American Episcopalians and was one of the primary encouragers of the House of Bishops to do its work on racism that resulted in the Pastoral Letter of 1994, "The Sin of Racism."

And those are just the tip of the iceberg of those offering tributes to and memories of the work and witness of a woman whose commitment to the gospel agenda of justice, compassion and inclusion was such an extraordinary and inspirational example. So let me add mine.

My memories of Pam Chinnis are ones of a strong, graceful, confident presence leading the House of Deputies in Indianapolis (1994), Philadelphia (1997) and Denver (2000). They are of an early and fervent supporter of the ordination of women with deep roots in the ECW (Episcopal Church Women) – who modeled for my generation the power of the laity and the call to challenge the interlocking oppressions of racism, sexism and heterosexism in the Church.

They are memories of her great friendship with then Presiding Bishop Ed Browning and their shared commitment to the ideal of a church where “there will be no outcasts.” They are memories of her support of our Claiming the Blessing collaborative – launched after her tenure as President of the House of Deputies – and of her sharing pitchers of margaritas with our steering committee at a National Cathedral adjacent restaurant in 2002 after our inaugural meeting.

They are memories of a woman of privilege who used her platform of privilege to live out the baptismal promise to strive for peace and justice and to respect the dignity of every human being – even when it earned her the animosity of those determined to maintain the status quo. In stepping out of her comfort zone, as a straight ally she became the target of some of the same slings and arrows aimed at LGBT Episcopalians.

To illustrate, here’s some more history. It is an ENS (Episcopal News Service) report from Pam’s last hurrah as President of the House of Deputies -- the 73rd General Convention held in Denver in 2000.

Nelson Koscheski Jr. of Dallas, a clerical member of the House of Deputies, had scattered salt beneath the tables of deputies from Newark (N.J.), Dallas, Ft. Worth, South Carolina, and other dioceses. He also scattered salt beneath the seat of Pamela Chinnis, president of the House of Deputies and an outspoken supporter of homosexual rights within the Episcopal Church. Deputy Louie Crew, the best-known homosexual activist in the Episcopal Church, protested Koscheski's action.


"The deputation of Newark is sitting in salt," Crew said. He asked that the House of Deputies stand in recess while the salt was removed, and that the deputies use the time to "meditate on what it means to respect the dignity of every human being, including the deputy who spread the salt."Many deputies gathered near the Newark deputation. Holding hands or locking arms, and swaying in unison, they sang "We Shall Overcome," "Jesus Loves Me," "Jesus Loves the Little Children," and "Balm in Gilead."

Koscheski later protested that he meant the salt as a gesture of healing, pointing out that he spread it among both liberal and conservative deputations. The Dallas deputation apologized to the House of Deputies twice. Koscheski resigned the deputation and returned to Dallas.

For the record, salt has historically been a symbol of exorcism – not healing. It is used to expel or protect from evil spirits. Not even the Dallas deputation bought Koscheski’s efforts to “revision” his actions on the floor that dayAnd as part of Integrity’s communication team in Denver that summer I remember the bemused secular media folks in the press room trying to wrap their heads around what came to be known as “the salting incident.” Trying to grasp that a Clergy Deputy to General Convention resorted to an ancient exorcism practice -- scattering salt – to “protect” the Church from “homosexual activists” … including President of the House of Deputies Pam Chinnis.

I also remember – like it was last week, if not yesterday – the legislative progress we made in Denver … passing a groundbreaking resolution (GC2000-D039) which included these two “resolves:”

That we acknowledge that while the issues of human sexuality are not yet resolved, there are currently couples in the Body of Christ and in this Church who are living in marriage and couples in the Body of Christ and in this Church who are living in other life-long committed relationships; and

That we expect such relationships will be characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God.

There were originally eight “resolves” – the eighth and final instructing the SCLM (Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music) to create rites for the blessing of same-sex relationships.

The resolution was crafted knowing that the “8th Resolve” was going to be a bridge-too-far for this convention. And so when it came to pass in the legislative process that it was separated off and failed by a narrow margin, our strategists inwardly celebrated the victory of writing into the record both a de facto recognition that same sex relationships fell within the bounds of our common life and the characterization of those relationships that continues to inform the work of the Episcopal Church over a decade later.

It was -- as I described it in a Denver 2000 press statement --“Not the whole enchilada but it has enough guacamole for me.” Setting the goalpost further than we expected to go and then stepping back to “compromise” for what we wanted to achieve in the first place was a carefully orchestrated strategy which paved the way for further movement forward in 2003. And at GC-2006. And GC-2009.

And like Fredrica told us, re-learning our history helps us get a head start on our future as we work toward GC-2012 in Indianapolis – where compromises will again be made. And progress will again be achieved. And like the Persistent Widow in Luke’s gospel, we’ll keep coming back – again and again – until justice is done, equality is achieved and we don’t have just the whole enchilada but the combo plate … with guacamole.

In a 1992 speech to the Episcopal Women’s Caucus, Pam Chinnis said: "One day we will overcome barriers -- but not in my lifetime or in yours. However small the gains are, or seem to be, we were and are not willing to make peace with oppression." The gains we make from General Convention to General Convention may seem to some to be small ones but cumulatively they have and will continue to move the Episcopal Church forward to more fully becoming the Church God is calling it -- and Pam Chinnis helped lead it -- to be.

“The greatest tribute we could make to the life and leadership of Pamela Chinnis is to complete the work of fully including all the baptized in all the sacraments,” said Caro Hall in Integrity’s statement on Dr. Chinnis’ passing. “As we prepare to gather again in Indianapolis for General Convention 2012, let us not only give thanks for her work and witness -- let us also pray for the power and perseverance to move the church forward in our generation as she did in hers.”

And let us always remember that we stand on the shoulders of Pam Chinnis and other of Giants of Justice as we move forward into God’s future.

Rest eternal grant to her, O Lord;
And let light perpetual shine upon her.
May her soul, and the souls of all the departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Michael Hopkins Remembers Pam Chinnis

With thanks to Michael Hopkins for sharing with Integrity this reflection -- written for his parish blog -- on the work and witness of Pam Chinnis.

On Wednesday evening Dr. Pamela Chinnis died. I fear that many Episcopalians do not know who she is, which is a tragedy. She was one of the great shapers of the Episcopal Church in the late 20th century.

Pam was the first woman elected as President of the House of Deputies of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. She served the Conventions of 1991, 1994 and 1997. This may seem like not a very big accomplishment in the 1990's, but remember that women were not seated as deputies to General Convention until 1967. That means six Conventions later, one of them is elected President (she was elected at the end of the Convention in 1988). She had served as Vice-president of the House in 1985 and 1988.

In the late 1960's, Pam and others emerged as strong voices promoting the ordination of women. Several of these came out of the Diocese of Washington, where Pam was a member of the Church of the Epiphany (To prove it's a small church, her rector of many years was Edgar Romig, who was best-buddy to our own John Harmon in World War II. Edgar's brother, David, was pastor of Downtown Presbyterian down the street from Two Saints for many years). I was fortunate to know many of these women: besides Pam, Verna Dozier, and Sally Buckley (there were others--my apologies for not remembering names well this morning). Pam was President of the Episcopal Church Women in 1976 when the ordination vote occurred and insured that organization's strong support.

To say Pam was a faithful Christian and Episcopalian is to make a vast understatement. She was gracious beyond the telling, but she also had a backbone of steel. She was supportive of lesbian and gay people in the church long before that was popular, and her commitment to our full inclusion never wavered. She was extraordinarily well thought of among African-American Episcopalians and was one of the primary encouragers of the House of Bishops to do its work on racism that resulted in the Pastoral Letter of 1994, "The Sin of Racism."

I submit that when the history is properly told on the late 20th century Episcopal Church, which may take yet another twenty years or so, Pam Chinnis will be found to have been one of the guiding lights, equal to any bishop or other ordained person who might be named, including her beloved friend and colleague, Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning (with whom she is pictured above). I pray that the remembrance of her life and deeds will not fade away, so that she may be for generations to come one of whom it is said and sung, "They were all of them saints of God--and I mean, God helping, to be one to."

Pamela Chinnis: Giant of LGBT Justice

Integrity joins those throughout the Episcopal Church mourning the death of Pamela Chinnis – a prophetic leader who both challenged and shaped The Episcopal Church on issues of justice and inclusion. As the first woman President of the House of Deputies Dr. Chinnis worked tirelessly to combat both sexism and homophobia in the church and presided over many landmark decisions on the road to full inclusion.

“Dr. Chinnis’ proactive advocacy for LGBT inclusion literally changed the face of The Episcopal Church,” said Integrity President the Reverend Dr. Caro Hall.

“In 1993, as the church looked toward its 1994 General Convention in Indianapolis, Dr. Chinnis became the first President of the House of Deputies to address an Integrity gathering. At that historic meeting she promised to appoint “out” gay and lesbian deputies to legislative committees at the upcoming convention and pledged personal vigilance for "the whole issue of gay and lesbian rights," speaking, she said, "as the mother of a gay son."

Other Integrity leaders remembered Pam Chinnis and celebrated her support for justice and inclusion. “I knew Pam not only as President of the House of Deputies, but also as a fellow member of the Diocese of Washington,” said Michael Hopkins (1997-2003). “Pam was an amazing combination of graciousness and conviction. Her commitment to LGBT people was unsurpassed. What a gift she was to the church!”

“No one in a position of leadership in the Episcopal Church was more committed to full inclusion of LGBT people or did more to bring it about than did Pamela Chinnis,” said Kim Byham (1987-1990) "What a blessing she has been to us all," said Integrity founder Louie Crew.

“The greatest tribute we could make to the life and leadership of Pamela Chinnis is to complete the work of fully including all the baptized in all the sacraments,” Hall continued. “As we prepare to gather again in Indianapolis for General Convention 2012, let us not only give thanks for her work and witness -- let us also pray for the power and perseverance to move the church forward in our generation as she did in hers.”

Requiescant in pace: Cynthia Gilliatt

Dr. Gilliatt was a fervent golfer, a lover of 17th century English poetry and a passionate priest whose ministry was marked by a lived commitment to give voice to the voiceless and to respect the dignity of every human being.

We just received word that long-time Integrity leader Cynthia Gilliatt died on Tuesday, August 16th. Pictured below (back row, far right) with the 2000-2003 Integrity Board on a visit to retired Presiding Bishop Ed Browning, Cynthia was an valiant witness to God's inclusive love and a true Giant of Justice.


From the obituary in The Newsleader. com:

HARRISONBURG — The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Ann Gilliatt, 67, of Harrisonburg, passed away on Tuesday Aug. 16, 2011, at Rockingham Memorial Hospital. Dr. Gilliatt was born Dec. 2, 1943, in St. Louis, and was the daughter of the late Sidney George and Aline Day Gilliatt.

The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Ann Gilliatt helped to found and was a major supporter of Integrity/Virginia during its 1998-2004 existence, often driving to Northern Virginia to attend worship services and programs and to provide spiritual leadership and to share her wise counsel. Integrity/Virginia was a worship-based organization that provided safe spiritual space for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender [LGBT] people in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.

Cynthia also served as secretary on the Board of Directors of the national integrity organization in 2000-03 and in 2007-09. Integrity/USA continues to work for the equal access to all the rites of the church for all people.

Dr. Gilliatt also was an active member of Safe Zones at James Madison University. Safe Zones is a voluntary network of faculty, staff and students who promote an atmosphere of acceptance and assistance for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Safe Zones was established in 1997 and Dr. Gilliatt was instrumental in its founding and served as a co-coordinator of the program for many years. She was a strong advocate for equal rights and addressed many issues related to sexual orientation through seminars, information sessions and programs.

Dr. Gilliatt was an associate professor of English for James Madison University, Priest Associate at Emmanuel Episcopal Church and Priest-in-Charge of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Blue Grass.

Dr. Gilliatt was a fervent golfer, a lover of 17th century English poetry and a passionate priest whose ministry was marked by a lived commitment to give voice to the voiceless and to respect the dignity of every human being. She was ordained deacon in 1988 and priest in 1989 in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. During her tenure as english professor, she also served as chaplain to the Canterbury Club at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Harrisonburg.

A Requiem Eucharist will be celebrated at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011, at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 660 S. Main St., Harrisonburg, with the Bishop of Virginia, The Right Reverend Shannon Sherwood Johnston, presiding. Visiting clergy are invited to vest for the service (white stole). Interment will be private.

Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to Emmanuel Episcopal Church or to First Tee of Harrisonburg, c/o Heritage Oaks Golf Course.

Almighty God, with whom still live the spirits of those who die in the Lord, and with whom the souls of the faithful are in joy and felicity: We give you heartfelt thanks for the good examples of all your servants, who, having finished their course in faith, now find rest and refreshment. May we, with all who have died in the true faith of your holy Name, have perfect fulfillment and bliss in your eternal and everlasting glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Stories from the Pews: Integrity Proud Parish Wins Pride Float Award

A letter From William Weightman
Member
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

Frago, ND

Hi Integrity! Just wanted to update you on one of your parishes!

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Fargo, ND, took home the Judges Choice Award for Best Float in the 2011 Fargo Moorhead Pride Parade on Sunday, August 14! The prize included a trophy that will be displayed in the church.

St. Stephen's is an Integrity Proud Parish. The float had the theme of "Love: It's Natural" and was Noah's Ark, complete with animals that science has show to exhibit Homosexual Behavior.

Thanks again for being a great resource and we at St. Stephen's are proud to be an IntegrityUSA Parish!

William Weightman

Congrats to St. Stephen's for their great work!

If youy have a story from your parish that you would like to share, please send an email to tvprod@earthlink.net and we will post your story.

Stories From the Pews: Integrity Georgia's Powerful Witness

By

Michael Wood

Convener, Integrity Georgia

I recently went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic which completely changed me and my life, I hope, forever.

This past June fellow Integrity member Fred Richter and I were part of a mission trip organized by the Rev. Tar Drazdowski of Christ Church Valdosta, which included 30 people from 5 different dioceses of the Episcopal church and 1 diocese of the Roman Catholic church. This trip marked the 10th year that the Diocese of Georgia has come to Campamento Monte De La Transfiguracion in El Pedregal. The team flew nonstop from Orlando to Santo Domingo on June 18th and rode in a chartered bus to our destination in the mountains in West Central Dominican Republic.



Reverend Tar instructed that we were to be “Christ for them, not to them". While Fred and I went primarily as missionaries of our diocese, we did not leave behind that we are active members of Integrity Georgia. Our Georgia chapter is committed to showing Christ's spirit in us, through our presence as neighbors, friends, co-workers, and fellow parishioners at the communion rail. We pray that our witness will reveal the love and light of Christ that we wish to share. Many gay people here and in the Dominican Republic have been turned away by religion. However, Christ has not turned us away. We exist to fill-in that hole in the hearts of gay and straight people that was created by being left at the closed door of religion.

Fred and I were merely present as Episcopalians. We worked together with men and women to build new roofs on small homes, (these homes house 8-15 people and are no larger than most peoples' living room). We also hung new ceilings in a dormitory bathroom; removed an old fence to make room for a newer one. Most importantly we were present and Out. One missioner approached me and Fred to ask us about being Out. Shortly afterward he came out and is our newest member of Integrity! (In Georgia one can still be fired for being gay, so he has to be careful).

I was moved by the joy and caring of the Dominican people. This trip has taught me to appreciate the blessings that God has seen fit to give me. The Dominicans have helped me far more than I could have ever hoped to help them. They are poor in material things but as individuals they are the richest people I have ever met.

 

In addition to our mission outside of  the US, Integrity Georgia, of The Diocese of Georgia, has donated a new sign to the Episcopal Campus Ministry house, as part of our outreach to Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia.

Integrity Georgia has begun work with Episcopal Campus Ministries in Savannah, Statesboro, Augusta, and Valdosta, Georgia to further the ministry of Integrity Georgia.

The Georgia chapter is committed to showing Christ's spirit through its' presence as neighbors, friends, co-workers, and fellow parishioners at the communion rail. Their prayer is that their example will reveal the love and light of Christ that they wish to share.

"Stories From The Pews" is a continuing series about the experiences of Integrity members throughout the church. If you have a "Story From The Pews" that you would like to share, please contact Integrity USA Director of Communications Louise Brooks at tvprod@earthlink.net. We would love to post your story.

Integrity Says "Thank You" to the Church Pension Group

Over the past month, there has been so much good news on the marriage equality front that some of it has received less notice than it should have.

One item that hasn't been celebrated enough is that the Church Pension Group - which handles benefits for Episcopal clergy, lay employees and their families - announced that it will offer "parity of benefits for legally-married same-gender spouses."

Integrity celebrates this milestone towards full inclusion in the Episcopal Church, and looks forward to the day when LGBT people and their families will have full parity in the Church and the wider society.

To learn more about this important policy change, read Integrity's open letter to the Church Pension Group below, visit the Church Pension Group website and read "New York's same-gender marriage law prompts diocesan, pension fund changes" on the Episcopal News Service website.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

August 8, 2011

T. Dennis Sullivan
President and CEO
Church Pension Group
445 Fifth Ave
New York, NY 10016

Dear Mr. Sullivan:

I am writing on behalf of Integrity USA to thank the Church Pension Group for deciding to provide “parity of benefits for legally married same-gender spouses.”

Integrity USA is a community of approximately 2,000 dues-paying members, 60 chapters, and 500 affiliated parishes. Our mission is to be a witness of God’s inclusive love to The Episcopal Church and to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities.

When Integrity was founded thirty-six years ago by Dr. Louie Crew, equality for LGBT people within The Episcopal Church seemed to be a far-off dream. In 1976, General Convention proclaimed that “Homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church.” However, those who govern the Church have been rather slow to specify how that proclamation should be implemented within our institutional structures and practices.

Your actions provide a concrete witness of God’s inclusive love within The Episcopal Church. You have taken the initiative to specify just what “a full and equal claim” means in a very specific and meaningful way. For that we give you our heartfelt thanks.

Sincerely,

The Rev. Caroline Hall

President
Integrity USA

cc. Mary Kate Wold, President and CEO (incoming), Church Pension Group
The Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee, DD, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Church Pension Group
Integrity USA Membership

Integrity and NGLTF: Our Faith Demands Marriage Equality

Do you think it's about time this country had full marriage equality?

We all know that many of our opponents - the folks who are against marriage for all – use religious language when they argue against us. Now it's time for more of us to tell the world that the Holy Bible and our loving God require nothing less than full equality for all people.

Integrity USA is joining with our partners at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Institute for Welcoming Resources, and colleague groups in other denominations to say that we need to support and defend marriage - for everyone. Over the coming months we'll be reaching out to many of you to see if your parish or chapter would like to become a part of this effort, or if you personally would consider taking leadership in it.

But don't wait for us to come to you! Contact us at info@integrityusa.org, or our colleagues below, and let us know you're interested.

Max Niedzwiecki, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Integrity USA

---------------------------

Greetings Integrity members! We are so excited to share the Faith Partners Organizing Project with you. This project will join with people to close the gap between how political justice organizers or campaigners do justice work and how people of faith do justice work and how both resonate with their outcomes whether in campaigns for LGBT liberation or outside of campaigns. Looking at core differences has the power to make us whole and work as one.

We are looking for more partners from welcoming and affirming congregations across the country, and especially in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Michigan, North Carolina and Oregon. Together, we will be experimenting with new ways that political justice campaigns and faith communities can grow together through faithful social and political engagement. With your participation, we can build networks of faith justice partners from inclusive churches who are working with political justice campaigns to better the lives of LGBT people in their congregations and beyond walls of the church.

Along with Integrity leaders, we’ll be contacting you to talk to you more about our project, and to ask you to participate with us. Please reach out to us with your interests as well. We look forward to learning from and creating with you.

Orelia Busch: 202-639-6306; orelia@welcomingresources.org
Kathleen Campisano: 202-639-6327; kcampisano@thetaskforce.org

Orelia Busch and Kathleen Campisano work with the Institute for Welcoming Resources at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force . Currently, they are working closely with Integrity and other programs that support LGBT-inclusive congregations as part of the Faith Partners Organizing Project.