Sticks and Snakes

Simul-blogging

This has been such a busy week that I practically feel like I am back in school again...in the middle of finals...or the GOE's...yikes! But wanted to take a second to direct you toward Anglican Insights, the blog maintained by my seminary alma mater, Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP).

CDSP asked me to write a blog entry about my transition from seminary to parish ministry and I happily obliged. You can read it here. 

Idea Thieves!

Those of you who have read Sticks and Snakes for a while might remember hearing a little about icon+sf, a project that I worked on in seminary that attempted to start an Emerging Church community grounded in historical Anglo-Catholic tradition. I was thoroughly obsessed with this idea for about two years and worked hard on creating a feasibility study and the first phases of a development plan before I graduated last spring. The project was put on hold when the economy tanked and I left town, but friends in San Francisco are still on board with icon or something like it launching in the future.

Well, imagine my surprise when a friend sent me this link the other day. Apparantly San Francisco has an Ikon now, only I have nothing to do with it and the spelling is reminiscent of copy machines rather than Christianity.

 

Granted. Ikon and icon are not exactly the same concept, but the similarity is striking. I'm not saying that they stole our idea, but...it sure is a coincidence! The main difference between the two ventures is, of course, an important one. Ikon seems to be non-denominational or, to use Emerging Church parlance, "post-denominational," while icon would/will be thoroughly Episcopal and intentionally Anglo-Catholic. I still believe really strongly that historically grounded Christian tradition is, at its heart, evangelical, and that the Anglo-Catholic tradition is an excellent way to experience and live the Christian faith in a community. We'll see if it happens one day!

If any of you in SF have checked out Ikon, let me know! I'd love to hear more about it. 

Does this Cassock Make my Butt Look Big?

Some of you may  have noticed that priests--maybe especially female priests--sometimes have a hard time finding ways to stay stylish post-ordination. I have thought long and hard about this phenomenon and have identified three reasons for priestly fashion violations: (1) The long hours and odd scheduling makes it hard to muster the energy to, like, wash your hair; (2) Clerical shirts are generally un-flattering and can make an otherwise cute outfit to straight to hell; and (3) On a more serious note, I think that female priests are especially self-concious of putting energy into looking attractive, either because they don't want to send the "wrong" message to parishioners or because they are afraid that they won't be taken seriously if they look "cute." Obviously, reason number three is deeply rooted and cannot be solved with a quick fix,  but reasons one and two are totally (in my opinion) avoidable! (Quick side note: When I was in seminary I was once told that I should cut my hair short and stop wearing makeup so that men will be less inclined to sexually harass me at work...seriously. I mean, just think about that.)

Anyway, I was really excited on Sunday morning when a parishioner at my church told me that a friend of hers--a 25 year-old priest in Mossouri--was selected to be on TLC's What Not to Wear. Now, I really love this show and I often hear the voices of its hosts, Clinton Kelly and Stacy London, echoing in my ears when I go shopping. Their "rules" for clothing selection have been an enormous help for me as I've transitioned to professional life. Just thinking of them doing a show on a female priest delights me! My mom has always thought that a priest would make a good candidate on the show and she's totally right. Clinton and Stacy will have a lot to work with as they deal with the inherant fasion illiteracy of clergy, the peculiar problem of the clerical collar, and maybe some style resistance. Oh, I can't wait!

The show probably won't air until sometime next year, but I'll keep you posted!

Thoughts on the Collar

It is the general practice of my new parish and diocese that clergy wear their clerical collars almost every day. Having only recently been ordained, wearing the white plastic band around my neck so often has been quite an adjustment. Since I work pretty long days I have gotten into the habit of running most of my errands (groceries, regular trips to Target) on my way home from the office, which means that I am often in secular situations with the tell-tale mark of the ordained visible for all the world to see. Since people are very often curious about the collar itself and what it's like to wear it, I thought I would devote an entry to explaining this particular piece of clergy garb. 

For starters, it should be noted that the clerical collar is--in the big history of the world--a reletivley modern invention. Some form of the collar dates all the way back to the 17th century, but the detachable band that we now associate with clergy was only invented in the 1820's. They used to be made out of starched linen or cotton, but they are usually plastic now days. They attach to special shirts with two metal brads (kind of like small cufflinks), wrapping all the way around the neck and closing at the back. The collars that are most often associated with Roman Catholics (we usually call them "tab" collars) are either made from long pieces of plastic that slip into the seam of the shirt's neck or are just regular collars partially covered by a shirt. 

There is no theological significance attached to the collar. Their only purpose is to identify a person as a member of the clergy--which probably worked better in the 19th century than it does now. 

Episcoland

Some of you may have heard that the Episcopal Church's 76th General Convention begins tomorrow in Anaheim, California. General Convention is kind of a big deal for the Episcopal Church, as it functions as the primary governmental and legislative body of the entire denomination. Much of the news that the world receives about the Episcopal Church (remember Bishop Gene Robinson?) directly result from actions and decisions made at Convention. Since you might hear about it in the media in the next couple of weeks, I thought I would post a bit of a GC primer here on Sticks and Snakes. 

General Convention is held once ever three years (individual dioceses hold conventions/councils annually, however). The Convention is made up of two houses: the House of Bishops, which is comprised of every diocesan bishop in the Episcopal Church, and the House of Deputies, which consists of up to four lay persons and four clergy persons from every diocese. Does this sound at all familiar? The structure of the General Convention was determined around the same time that the United States decided on a bicameral legislature. Since the Episcopal Church was newly autonomous from the Church of England at the time of its first Convention in 1785, it decided to follow the lead of the nation's new government, establishing a democratic system of governance. At the time, representative democracy was a new concept in church polity. 

One of the primary purposes of General Convention (other than praying and partying) is to pass resolutions into canon law. Resolutions must pass in each house for approval, with clergy and lay delegates voting separately in the House of Deputies. Big things happen at Conventions, as they occasion one of the only times when the whole denomination comes together to make decisions. In addition to passing resolutions--which range in issues from theology to polity--another important role of the General Convention is to gather all the bishops together so that they can vote on the consecration of new bishops. Dioceses elect their own bishops but their choices must be confirmed by the bishops of the Episcopal Church before going forward. 

While the Convention is certainly political, it is above all else a prayerful gathering of the Church. Every day bishops, delegates, and alternates gather for Bible study and a Eucharist that focuses on a particular theme (this year's theme is Ubuntu, a Zulu word that reflects a sense of harmony with all of creation). Both the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies has their own chaplain, who leads the houses in regular prayer and the beginning and end of each session. Volunteers staff a prayer room that offers round the clock intercession on behalf of the work of the Convention. 

Although this year's General Convention sounds like it will be fun (Disneyland!), controversial (human sexuality!), and exciting (Disneyland!), I will not be attending. I will, however, be saying my prayers for all of those who are working hard for the health and mission of the Church. 

If you are interested in learning more about General Convention, head on over to the official website.

Master of Divinity!

Well, I received the hood, walked across the stage, and sat down with four new little letters after my name: MDiv. The  Master of Divinity degree is both academic and professional. Part theology, part vocational training, the MDiv (or some variation of it) is required for ordination in most Christian denominations. Considered a "terminal degree," the MDiv requires a little more work than most Master's Degrees (or, if not more actual work, more time in school). In Episcopal seminaries, the standard MDiv takes three years, requires Field Education, and does not necessarily require a thesis. 

Here is a picture of my entire graduating class, including the brand new PHD's in the fancy robes. I would love to get a PHD, but I think I am pretty much done with school, at least for a good decade. Right now, I aspire for an honorary doctorate. If you know of any academic institutions who would like to make me a Doctor of Philosophy (or Ministry, or Letters) with no work required, do let me know. 

That's me at the front and center. I am not crying. Rather, in typical fashion, I am laughing at an inappropriate joke. 

photo/flickr

Clergy...They're Just Like You!

I ran across this article in the New York Times today about how seminary graduates are facing difficulties finding full time calls in the current economy. The article explains that churches are being forced to cut salaried positions from their budgets, often choosing to have one priest/pastor where they had several in the past. 

The article follows a Presbyterian seminarian whose story reveals the problems that many new clergy are facing. For one thing, there are very few full-time jobs available at all. Married or partnered clergy who would been able to get by with only a part-time job because of their spouse's income are in whole different financial ball-game now, as their spouses lose their jobs or become only partially employed themselves. Clergy who needed a full-time call to begin with are now in a bigger pool of applicants than they expected and are facing a much smaller number of open positions. The Times sums it up this way:

...A contracting national economy has led congregations across the religious spectrum to cut or downsize clergy positions, hire part-time lay people instead and delay filling vacancies. Veteran clergy members, watching their retirement accounts wither, are postponing retirement.

All of these factors together combine to create a very difficult climate for newly-minted pastors. 

Money has always been an issue that seminarians and clergy have difficulty talking about, yet have had to confront in most major denominations. With the exception of Roman Catholics, most clergy have to pay for the their seminary education themselves, and therefore graduate with as much educational debt as most every one else with a Master's degree. Those clergy who feel called to marginal ministries (ministering to poor, rural, urban, or homeless populations, for example) are unable to fulfill those calls because they would never make enough money to meet their monthly loan payments. This problem, obviously, is made all the worse in the current economy. 

Anyway, it's an interesting article and an interesting problem--one that my graduating class has definitely been struggling with this  year. Pray that graduating seminarians find jobs ASAP so that they can live into the ministry to which God has called them and for which they have worked so hard to fulfill!

image/cdsp

Some Advice You Didn't Ask For

As graduation approaches, I have found myself spending a lot of time reflecting on my seminary experience and thinking critically about what I have learned and what I wish I had known before I began. So, I have decided to compile a short list of “advice” for new seminarians. Some of these things I learned from trusted mentors, some I learned by myself, and some I learned through trial and error (i.e. failure). 

Seminary is, of course, filled with advice from different voices, and you will have to become adept at filtering through the noise of other people’s opinions. What follows are things that I didn't hear prior to beginning this journey. A lot of the advice that I did receive ended up being life-saving, and I bet that you will end up hearing it too (the basics, like don't forget to pray!), so I'll skip it. This is just one seminarian's opinion, so take what you want and leave the rest!

Playing Priest

Growing up in the Episcopal Church, I never thought too hard about how priests learned how to do what they do. I guess I knew that they went to a special school to get specific training (seminary), but I didn't give too much thought to how they figured out how to do all the things that go into a regular worship service. In fact, I remember specifically thinking it was weird that the priest had to look at a book during the Eucharist in order to know what prayers to say--I mean, they do it every week! Can't they memorize it? 

Turns out the whole thing is a little more complicated than I realized, and the big picture of seminary focuses a lot more on theology, pastoral skills and parish leadership than it does on what to do with your hands on Sunday morning. 

At my seminary, one of the very last classes that we take before graduation is called "Liturgical Leadership" (we call it "Magic Hands"). In it, we learn how to do the basics of the liturgy, essentially becoming adept at thinking liturgically. There is actually a lot of stuff to know--so much stuff, in fact, that memorization is pretty much out of the question. 

In "Magic Hands," each student is assigned to a particular liturgy. We truncate the service to make it fit into an hour, and then the whole class participates in it together. A few weeks ago I dressed up as the assistant priest in an Easter Vigil liturgy (no one in the class is actually a priest, so we are really just putting on the clothes and doing our best). As I've mentioned before, the Vigil is one of the most important liturgies in the Christian calendar, and also the longest. I was amazed that we were able to it in only an hour. We even had time to baptize some one! 

It felt really strange to put on a priest's stole and lead a congregation through an entire service, and the whole thing managed to feel really prayerful even though we were all basically play acting. Sometimes I wonder if people think that this is all that we do in seminary. Like for three years we try on different fancy outfits and learn how to physically perform sacraments. Of course, it's not like that at all, but the image does have a certain "Harry Potter-esque" feel to it. And like I've said before, seminary is a spitting image of Hogwart's School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

Seattle, Here I Come!

 

I am on way to Seattle for my ordination as a deacon. In the Episcopal Church, there are three orders of ordained ministry--deacons, priests, and bishops. Some people are called to the diaconate, some to the priesthood, and some are called to be bishops. If one is called to the priesthood (me), they are first ordained as a deacon, which is sometimes called the "transitional diaconate." Deacons are often considered ministers "in the world," and they are usually called to work with marginalized people, bridging the church with the community outside its doors. It's a great ministry! For more on deacons, click here.