The View from Bolton Street
The Opioid Crisis: Being Part of the Solution - a discussion at Brown Memorial
This Sunday, March 18, at 12:15 pm, Dr. Leana Wen, Commissioner of Health in Baltimore City, will speak at Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church about how the faith community and wider community can alleviate suffering due to the opioid crisis, including reducing the stigma around addiction and treating it as a disease. Join us in the sanctuary after the 11:00 am worship service for this free event open to the community. The event will include a:
- 30 minute talk by Dr. Wen and a demonstration of how to use naloxone (also known as Narcan) - a drug that can reverse the effects of an opiod overdose
- 30 minute question and answer session facilitated by Rev. Andrew Foster Conners
As Commissioner of Health in Baltimore City and facing an unprecedented number of people dying from overdose, Dr. Wen has issued a blanket prescription for the opioid antidote, naloxone, which has saved 1,500 lives in two years.
“Addiction is a disease, treatment works, and recovery is possible,” says Dr. Wen. “Research shows that naloxone distribution reduces fatal overdoses without increasing drug use, and that Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), combined with psychosocial supports, are critical to treating opioid addiction. Faith communities can help dispel myths about addiction, fight stigma, and collectively advocate for medical best practices in addressing this epidemic.”
Lynda Burton, chair of Brown Memorial’s Urban Witness committee, which is organizing this event, says, “While there are a wide array of underlying causes of opioid addiction, many at a societal level beyond our reach, we accept that we have an obligation to contribute to solutions. Dr. Wen’s activism has inspired us to examine what we, as individuals and as a faith community, can do to help alleviate the enormous suffering that is occurring in our communities.”
Dr. Wen is a board-certified emergency physician. She was a Rhodes Scholar, Clinical Fellow at Harvard, consultant with the World Health Organization, and professor at George Washington University. She has published more than 100 scientific articles and is the author of the book “When Doctors Don’t Listen.” In 2016, Dr. Wen received the American Public Health Association’s highest award for local public health work.
Service Spotlight: Flower Guild
The Flower Guild is responsible for arrangements at the High Altar for every Sunday except those in Lent. Many of the flowers are from members' gardens though Trader Joe's or Whole Foods are also good sources. While the Sunday flowers are done by a different person each week, the Guild works together to decorate for Christmas and Easter. At Christmas we fill the windows with greens and berries and cover the stone altar with poinsettias. At Easter we fix bowls of daffodils and tulips for the windows, decorate the base of the paschal candle, place lilies and more early spring blooms in front of the altar and place a large spray of either keria or forsythia on the stone altar.
Easter Flowers are dedicated to loved ones through the Easter Flower envelopes. Be on the lookout for one on your chair or in your pew over the next week and consider donating something in honor of someone you love.
Members: Dale Balfour, Janet McMannis, Alice Peake, Bev Sanderson, Fin Fox-Morrow
Look Back: Sunday’s Surprise - Inviting Children into the Sanctuary
On ‘Turning over the tables Sunday’ - Father Grey and some volunteers from the parish helped to ‘turn over the chairs’ in our Sanctuary and move the Children’s PRAYGround from the corner of the historical chapel into the front of the Church.
By creating a space inside the sanctuary that puts the children at the center of the action - we hope to begin the process of changing our culture of how we welcome kids from them being a welcome (or unwelcome) distraction to full and equal participants in the life and ministry of Memorial.
In addition to this symbolic act, a number of ministries, including pastoral care, acolytes, ushers, music and the justice and green teams are looking at how they can better involve children more fully into their work and the broader life of the parish.
One important note is that this also allows us to reclaim use of the ‘Historical Chapel’ - where some of our most treasured members have been laid to rest. While it is wonderful to have the kids in Church; some folks have been troubled by having to push through toys and games to say hello to their loved ones in the columbarium.
From the look of joy on the kids faces on Sunday morning it was clear this was meaningful to them, and we hope that it will also be an important moment for all of you who desire to see more young people in church and involved in the church.
The View from Bolton Street
Memorial’s Past, Present and Future
As the son of a history teacher, I have always had an uneasy relationship with the past. “Guys, look at this (old thing in some old place that looks just like all the other old things we’ve seen this trip)!” was more or less the sum total of my childhood experience. I have seen every battlefield, church, or monument that you can find. You know those families that pull over on the side of the road to look at the historical markers? That was us. Every. Single. One.
At the same time, all that “stewing” in history has left its mark. I am keenly aware that those who don’t know their past are doomed to repeat it, and that in the words of either Paul Harvey or St. Augustine, “In times like these it is important to remember that there have always been times like these.”
That is to say — It is never quite as good or quite as bad as we might think.
It has been a joy to share with my fellow pastors at Brown and Corpus Christi as we have learned from each other and about each other in studying the histories of our three parishes and our community; and as we have also learned to speak more fluently about race, class, and religion and how it both divided and united this neighborhood through the years.
One thing that has been made apparent to me is that many things have changed about Memorial but some things have NOT. Our culture has remained very much the same! From the beginning we were a church that preferred to put money in the community and not “waste it” on the building. We were a church rooted in the community around us and willing to open our doors to all of our neighbors. We were a church that was almost pointedly stubborn when it came to doing what we were told! — especially when it was another church (Emmanuel) or the diocese telling us what to do.
Much of that has not changed.
It also has helped me realize that culture change is hard in an institution. And while many of our good qualities shine through in our common culture, some of our negative qualities do as well.
On the vestry retreat we wrestled with two very different but quite related questions: WHY does Memorial have a hard time maintaining a strong children’s program? WHY does Memorial continue to be a predominantly white church in a predominantly black city? Much of our discernment came down to an issue of culture and of hospitality.
As much as we say we are welcoming, we have never, in our long history, done anything to change our culture in order to make Memorial Church feel like a home for young children and people of color. Two comments that reflect this that I have heard recently are: “My children like it here, but they don’t feel like they belong here” and “I love Memorial, but I don’t feel like I can be my whole self in this community.” I believe I am on form ground saying this is not the kind of culture that this community can tolerate for very long.
We began a bit of that work on Sunday by “flipping over the tables” (or the chairs at least) in the sanctuary. But the work is far from over. The Vestry and your Rector look forward to working with you more fully on this transformation of culture as we seek to really be, as our Presiding Bishop has asked, the Beloved Community, “the body within which we promote the fruits of the Spirit and grow to recognize our kinship as people who love God and love the image of God that we find in our neighbors, in ourselves, and in creation.”
Look Back: Diocesan Advocacy Day
Education was a significant focus among a number of areas of interest at Episcopal Advocacy Day. David Hornbeck had the opportunity to be the luncheon speaker for the day, sharing the goals and strategies of Strong Schools Maryland. He extended an invitation to the assembled to consider forming a Team of Ten, taking the opportunity to note that Memorial's Team of Ten has fifteen members at this point. At least a half dozen people expressed interest. In addition to three or four people representing congregations in the Diocese, contact was made and interest expressed from both the Washington diocese and the Episcopal Diocese of Easton. That is significant since Strong Schools has significantly less representation from those two dioceses.
At the Advocacy Day there were no meetings with Legislators on the subject of Bail Reform, however, in the time since there has been some progress and Lois Eldred reports that "As a follow up to Episcopal Advocacy day a small contingent of Memorialites are going to Annapolis on March 7 to meet legislators regarding two correctional education bills (HB291/SB1137 and HB295/SB1113) and one Pre-trial Services bill (HB447/SB1156) . The first two would improve correctional education and the third enhances pretrial services. The Criminal Justice Committee is working with MAJR, The Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform on this advocacy effort.
Green Team: Mt Royal School Micro-Habitat/Garden Classroom
Now that you ask, here's an update on the
Pollinator Micro-Habitat/Garden Classroom
planned for Mount Royal Elementary/Middle School.
The Sheet Mulching Event "happened" last Saturday, the 3rd, and was finished Monday, the 5th. More fun is to be had Friday afternoon, March 16th, when 20 cu. yds. of tan bark mulch will be spread atop the sheet mulching around the project site. Good at throwing hay with a pitchfork? Well, mulch is spread the same way so bring that talent to bear on the 16th. That's an invitation!
Look Back: Children's and Youth Ministries
This past weekend, February 25, The Rev. Shivaun Wilkinson, Director of Children's and Youth Ministries for the Diocese of Washington, D.C., preached and met with parents and the vestry of Memorial. Shivaun+ arrived with a wealth of experience and guidance; and listened to what Memorialites had in mind. Over the course of the weekend we landed on a few general structural guidelines to help us in our progress toward a relevant, sustainable youth ministry.
At the top of the list was to begin with the end in mind by answering the question,"what spiritual qualities and attributes do we want our children to have as they approach adulthood and develop their own personal relationship with God?" In making this happen, several themes emerged including integration of children into as many aspects of church life as possible, including creating opportunities for youth to be as involved in services as possible. Other ideas that emerged were the importance of involving youth in other important church missions including justice efforts, caring for God’s creation, and pastoral care. Another key aspect to consider is the importance of inter-generational opportunities for our children.
We have a host of opportunities that already exist at Memorial and expanding our youth ministry should start with our existing talents and assets ranging from Green Team, to the Justice Ministry to Memorial Players and beyond.
There is still much work to be done to continue the transformation of our youth ministry but Shivaun+ has left us with a good start, and one that holds much promise. It also means you don't have to be a parent to a school-aged child to get involved. If you would like to get more involved, please contact Amy Rial and let her know how you can help.
The View from Bolton St.
This week's reflection is a Bolton Bites video: "What are your 10 commandments?"
which you can view here:
Green Team Call to Action: Chlorpyrifos
We just heard the ban on the pesticide Chlorpyrifos may stall in the Maryland Senate. This is a very important bill that will ban this highly toxic nerve agent pesticide that is known to cause brain damage in children.
Click here to send an email directly to your state Senator to support SB 500.
Please send your email this week, but prior to Thursday is especially helpful.
A national ban on Chlorpyrifos was in the works at the EPA following years of study, but the current administration reversed the planned ban. Banning this in Maryland is our last line of defense!
Jodi Rose
