This article first appeared in the Postmodern Realities column of the CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL, volume 39, number 05 (2016). The full text of this article in PDF format can be obtained by clicking here. For further information or to subscribe to the CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL go to: http://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/
The intersections of Christian faith and patriotism in America are varied and complex, but nothing provides quite as interesting a look into the intersections as attending a chapel service on a military installation. As a military “brat,” I’ve been to my fair share — I’ve lived on Air Force bases for a substantial portion of my life, I’ve been to more military ceremonies than I can count, and I’ve heard the preaching of many a chaplain on a Sunday morning. My identity as an American has been central to my life, particularly when my dad was deployed overseas to a dangerous region of the world or when my family struggled to find meaning in yet another cross-country relocation. However, my parental influences in this department were somewhat mixed — while my dad’s service greatly impacted our daily lives, my mom was a missionary kid, and both of her sisters moved overseas to become missionaries with their families. As a kid (and even now), I have found that the combination of these influences has produced some tension. One side of my family finds very little of their identity in their home country, while another side takes great pride in it.
Earthly Allegiances and Heavenly Citizenship. For Christians, this tension is a well-known one. Many Christian traditions in America practice a faith laced with patriotism and defined by “American values,”1 while many others find their greatest identity in shared traditions of churches on the other side of the world. Many American Christians struggle with discerning how their patriotism should operate when followers of Christ are called to work for the advancement of a kingdom greater than any earthly nation. Is America such a “Christian nation” that our loyalty to our God and our country are fundamentally compatible? Or are we to disavow all earthly allegiances (including nationality) in favor of a different kind of citizenship altogether?
A chaplain at a recent chapel I attended said this in prayer: “Lord, we know that our service to our country and our service to you do not contradict or conflict.” While it was a well-intentioned nod to that day’s observance of Memorial Day, the statement struck me as dangerous. I have, no doubt, offered some form of “service” to my nation throughout the course of my life — I have moved across the country multiple times (including once before my senior year of high school), and I have endured the absence of my father for varying periods of time during those particularly rocky teenage years. I haven’t served my country anywhere near to the extent that my father has, but even I can say truthfully that there have been instances where my service to country and my service to God produced some tension. It might be easier to think of examples when my father’s two services might force a choice between loyalties, but even civilians will face circumstances that require such a choice. Our nation will ask for support for values our God condemns, our civic institutions will ask for an allegiance that trumps all others, and our desire to protect and provide for our fellow citizens will come into conflict with our desire to care for the global church.
When Loyalties Compete. These tensions — these instances in which loyalties rub up against each other and allegiances fight for dominance — are powerful reminders that placing our “services” in hierarchical order remains important. In Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation, James K. A. Smith powerfully articulates the ways that nationalistic liturgies teach citizens to prioritize their allegiance to country above all else. Activities such as saying the Pledge of Allegiance in schoolrooms daily, singing the national anthem before important cultural events like athletic competitions, and consuming patriotic (and often militaristic) films and TV shows all teach powerful and physical lessons about the supremacy of national loyalty.2 None of these “rituals” is inherently negative, but their pervasiveness and repetition can work together in powerful ways to communicate and inscribe certain values. Smith explains that these “material tactile rituals are formative precisely because they are material — because they get hold of our passions through the body, seeping into our imaginary.”3 These rituals use powerful means to teach citizens values and ideas that shape them, which is why prioritizing our loyalties and thinking critically about the way they affect us (in sometimes contradictory ways) is important.
This election season, many of these potential conflicts have been illuminated. The ongoing debate about the current refugee crisis in Syria and elsewhere has many Christians asking, Does my loyalty to the global church outweigh my desire to protect my fellow citizens? Political disagreements about foreign military interventions ask Christians to “pick sides.” Debates about immigration rely on fundamental understandings of national loyalty and identity. Donald Trump’s recent picks for his “evangelical advisory board” highlight some of these tensions — one of the members formerly led a church called “Without Walls International,”4 while one of his major policy proposals is a giant wall spanning the United States–Mexican border. None of these questions — the refugee crisis, foreign military intervention, or illegal immigration — are simple problems with easy answers for anyone. Christians especially have to examine them critically, often balancing loyalties that may seem to conflict.
Even the slightest of potential conflicts is cause for ensuring that values are placed in an appropriate hierarchy. An earthly nation and a heavenly kingdom will not always share the same goals. The Christian’s loyalty to country may require that the protection of citizens be prioritized above the well-being of refugees, for example, while loyalty to the global church may require welcoming refugees into countries, towns, and homes. In a world of constant international conflict, increasingly we will be asked to prioritize military superiority, cultural dominance, and national identity. In other words, we will be asked to make our country our first love.
Loving Country and God in the Right Order. C. S. Lewis famously said, “In so far as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased.”5 Lewis so eloquently explained a foundational truth of the gospel: loving things rightly means loving them in the right order. Prioritizing national loyalty above loyalty to God means our country is not loved rightly, and both love of God and country will suffer. Unbridled patriotism can give rise to militarism and ethnocentrism when it is not subordinate to a greater love of God and His people. Without that subordination, there is nothing restraining violent conquest or ethnic discrimination,6 because protecting and sustaining one’s country becomes the ultimate goal. The values of an individual are shaped differently when love of country is prioritized above love of God — instead of valuing compassion and selflessness, the more prominent values become competition and success. To borrow the language of Augustine, our loves will be disordered,7 neither one receiving love the way in which it was intended.
Rightly ordering our loves allows for patriotism and love of country, but it prevents nationalism and idolization of country. These loves and loyalties become sinful only when they become disordered — prioritized or valued more highly than they deserve. A disordered love requires putting on some blinders: loving any imperfect earthly thing as we were meant to love a perfect God necessitates ignoring its sins and failures. In America, this disordered love has caused many Christians to justify any of their nation’s actions, under the assumption that Paul’s command in Romans 13:1 to “be subject to the governing authorities” (ESV) means that Christians be constantly obedient citizens.8 Disordered love will always result in idolatry — placing what was never meant to be worshiped in a place of uncritical praise.
Rightly ordering our loves doesn’t require abandonment of other loves, but it does require proper prioritization. A country rightly loved will result in better civic engagement; instead of ethnocentrism or discrimination, Christians can fight for just policies domestically and internationally. Instead of ultimate loyalty to certain leaders or political ideologies, Christians can pray for guidance from a higher ruler. Instead of letting fear drive reactionary policies, Christians can find security in an omnipotent God and advocate for policies with the wisdom only He can provide. When Christians love their God and their country rightly, they can be far better citizens of both earthly nations and the kingdom of heaven.
I will continue to find myself in many chapel pews — a place of military and religious significance. They’re places of odd intersection, yet their very existence speaks volumes about the humans that use them; even in a place that signifies military strength and national identity, there remains a felt need for something greater and more powerful. Sitting in a chapel pew always will be an exercise in ordering loves: recognizing the supremacy of the kingdom of God, while loving the broken and messy nation over which He is sovereign. —Kaitlyn Schiess
Kaitlyn Schiess is pursuing a master of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. She writes regularly at her blog (lettersfromtheexile.com) and at Christ and Pop Culture (christandpopculture.com).
- See this piece from Western Seminary’s blog: Chad Hall, “American Values Are Not Necessarily Christian Values,” Transformed: Living the Gospel in an Everyday World, January 28, 2015, https://www.westernseminary.edu/transformedblog/2015/01/28/american-values-are-not-necessarily-christian-values/.
- James K. A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009), 106.
- Ibid., 104.
- Florida “preacher and televangelist” Paula White is a member of Trump’s board. See Kate Shellnutt and Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, “Who’s Who of Trump’s ‘Tremendous’ Faith Advisers,” Christianity Today, June 22, 2016, www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/juneweb- only/whos-who-of-trumps-tremendous-faith-advisors.html.
- C. S. Lewis, The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis, Volume 3: Narnia, Cambridge, and Joy, 1950–1963 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007), 1952.
- The Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Convention offered this subordination as an important step in seeking racial reconciliation in churches and society at large in this piece: Ethics and Religious Liberty Convention, “Rejecting Separate but Equal Again,” ERLC, December 5, 2014, http://erlc.com/resource-library/ articles/rejecting-separate-but-equal-again.
- Augustine, and John K. Ryan, The Confessions of St. Augustine (New York: Image Books, 1960), 2.2.
- See Brandon O’Brien, “Is Patriotism Christian,” Christianity Today, June 28, 2011, http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/articles/spiritualformation/patriotismchristian.html.


This is one of the biggest problems facing today’s society. Such unprotected sex between these antipodal partners leads to generations of offspring with gigantic heads.
It is by pro-choice that these children are born. Abortion rights are mostly rejected when it comes to bringing such human deformity into the world.
God warns of this horrible consequence in Genesis 6:4.
However, these pregnancies cannot be avoided (nor the resulting population explosion) unless we can transcend our usual interpretation of Scripture. Only this will allow us to escape from this terrible predicament.
Everything in God’s Holy Word contains deeper meanings with lessons about the inner realities of our hearts and minds. Therefore, Scripture actually describes outcomes not of our physical encounters, but of our core values.
In Scripture, when one can grasp that its stories reveal the hidden dynamics of the human heart and mind, then it can be comprehended that “sons” represent the progeny of one’s intellect and understanding. Daughters represent the offspring of our heart – the things we love.
The “Sons of God,” therefore, are the progeny of divine truth and doctrine. These “sons” are our knowledge and faith in God. The “Daughters of Men” represent the corporeal qualities of the human will – that is, ego, self-love, and love of the world.
What is not known is that, psychologically, the understanding impregnates the will.
So, if the things we know about God have hanky-panky with our worldly compulsions, the resulting “birth” is a magnified and false imagination of ourselves. Anyone who has any knowledge and understanding of God, immerses these holy things in demeaning acts by making bad choices. This brings forth deformed principles and self-delusion – conceived and hatched from the copulation between one’s (unrepentant) heart and mind.
The only method of abortion for such dreadful things happening is to adopt the proper method of intercourse between faith and the human will. We each need to apply what we know about spiritual love to our heart. In other words, faith needs to be applied to our life, otherwise, faith is simply data in the memory that can be easily seduced by our inner motives (the daughters of men).
God’s Holy Word provides us with a sexual manual for obtaining eternal joy and pleasure. (It takes the concept of “safe sex” all the way to the soul.)
The purpose of religion is to stop the human tragedy of illegitimate spiritual births.


Happy Friday, leaders! Welcome to the NOVEMBER edition of the Table Leadership Monthly newsletter. The purpose of this newsletter is to improve communication among leadership and make sure you are all informed about what's going on at The Table.
Please take a few minutes to read through what's below and share any pertinent updates with your teams if it applies to them.
Remember that if you have updates for church, events that are taking place, anything from your team that you want to share with others, etc., you can post it at: www.facebook.com/groups/tablechurchdc.
NEWS + EVENTS
Pastor Kevin is on a mini sabbatical before the holidays and new year hit! We have a great line up guest speakers over the next couple weeks. Learn more here.
Heat has been restored at the CoHi Parish. Thank you for your patience with that one. You can wear your normal layers to church this Sunday. :)
Our Blank Slate series is available online. This is an excellent series to share with family or friends who are starting to explore faith. Have you heard our podcast is now on Spotify too? (Here's The Table's hymnal on Spotify as well)
Thanksgiving weekend we will have our normal service times (CoHi: 9:45 + 11:15, Downtown: 5:00) and hear from Pastor Richard.
Advent is around the corner and we are SO excited. Our advent plans and service times will be announced to the church soon but for reference, we will have two Table Family Christmas Celebration Services on Sunday, December 16. We'll have one large 10:30 a.m. service in Columbia Heights and our usual service at our Downtown location at 5 p.m. We will not have service on Sunday, December 23 at either location. We will have service on Christmas Eve at our Downtown Parish on Monday, December 24. We will not have service on Sunday, December 30 at either location.
Our Advent Legacy Offering will be announced next week! Stay tuned and encourage your teams to be in prayer about how they can give beyond our walls this Christmas season.
Our Christmas Choir will be back this year (commonly referred to as The Table Church Choral Society) and will be gracing our presence at the 10:30a and 5:00p services on December 16. There will be four rehearsals between now and December 16 (2 at each location) and all who are interested should contact Laura Kallen: email@example.com
Next Steps Track will continue to be offered after the 9:45a service and after the 5p services this month. We will not hold classes during the month of December.
Our Worship Pastor, Jeremy Green, will unfortunately be leaving us at the end of the year. Jeremy and Laura (and Evvie) have bought a home in Atlanta to be near family. Jeremy has been instrumental to our worship program and we are so grateful for all the gifts he has shared with our community this year. He will be missed greatly!
We are excited to announce that Jordan Jackson has agreed to join our team of ministry directors, and part-time staff, as our new Music Director. Jordan currently runs many of our rehearsals, coordinates our bands, and plays drums at both locations. We're excited for him to join our team and bring that same energy and passion to our leadership. He will overlap with Jeremy for the next month and a half and then be leading the music program in its entirety!
We continue to pray for sound coaches for both locations as well as a media coach for Columbia Heights. We also seek to find a Director of Production to join our team of ministry directors in a volunteer capacity and lead these coaches in their ministries. Please join us in praying for this!
Director of Family Ministries, Bethany Bolte, and her husband Jordan brought a new little one into the world last month. Take the family a meal and meet baby Avery by signing up here.
Dustin Musser has joined our Board of Trustees. We're grateful for the wisdom he'll bring to our team as we strive to be good stewards and have clear vision as an organization.
For reference, our Experience Team at both locations will now fall under the First Impressions Department (along with Greeting and Hospitality) and be supervised by Nicola Davis, our Dir. of First Impressions.
prayers of praise (P) + requests (R) for the church
P: For expanded leadership! Praise God for the gifts and skills he continues to bless our church with.
P: For the many new guests who have joined our community this fall season.
P: For an incredible Practice-style worship gathering with Aaron Niequist and the many guests that joined us for the evening.
P: For the guests who have turned into members and have begun actively serving in ministry.
P: For the new dinner party leaders who have joined our team in the past month.
P: For Josh McComas and all the energy he has poured into our Dinner Party Ministry over the past month and a half.
R: For continued direction and wisdom for leadership and provision for our ministry
R: For Pastor Kevin and Charla as they take off the month of November in preparation for the holidays and new year.
R: For newcomers this fall to be fully engaged, find community, and serve according to their gifts.
R: For new ministry team coaches. Hospitality (Downtown), Media (CoHi), Sound (both parishes).
R: For all-church Ministry Directors to fill the Next Steps, Care Team, and Production director roles
R: For our buildings, that we would have safe spaces to worship in and fruitful ministry among them.
R: For our justice + compassion ministries, that they'd remain fruitful and we'd have open doors to love our city well.
R: For unhoused friends and neighbors, especially as the weather begins to get cold.
R: Begin praying for 2019 and that God would provide vision, open doors, and provision as we continue this ministry into the future.


|Emmaus by Roy de Maistre|
A note about this homily:
Several factors contribute to the fact that the homily you'll hear on the audio and the homily you'll read in the text below are different, although there are similarities. Homilies "grow" over the course of a weekend and the audio is the latest version of what I began with on Saturday. (And, we are in our First Communion season!)
Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter(Scriptures for today's liturgy)
Audio for homily
Jesus drew near to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him…
That might sound strange to us - until we consider some of the things
that might prevent us from recognizing Jesus as he draws near to us.
Sometimes my problems and worries
consuming so much of my energy and attention
might prevent me from seeing Jesus right by my side.
Or perhaps it’s my anger, hurt and disappointment
that blur my vision and I miss seeing Jesus as he draws near to me.
Or it could be that I just don’t pay much attention to the Lord,
that I don’t look for him in prayer and in sacrament.
Perhaps I don’t recognize him because I’ve forgotten what he looks like.
But the truth is: the Lord never leaves my side - or yours.
There’s not a step we take that the Lord doesn’t walk that step with us.
There’s not a moment of any day or night
when he’s not beside us, behind us and just ahead of us.
But we can still fail to recognize him.
And we can fail to hear him when he asks us, as he did the disciples,
“What’s on your mind, what’s your story, as you walk along?”
He wants to know our story and often enough our story,
like that of the two disciples,
is a story of faith, disappointment, confusion and hope.
He wants to be part of our story with its good days and bad days,
its ups and downs, its joys and sorrows.
what in my story, and what in your story, keeps us, prevents us
from recognizing the Lord by our side?
how long has it been since we told the Lord our story
and asked him to be part of it?
how long has it been since we’ve asked the Lord
to “stay with us” and be the God of our lives?
Some of us are at church every Sunday
and some of us have come back to church today
because someone we love is receiving First Communion.
Being here is like walking the road to Emmaus
and the Lord has drawn near and is speaking to us.
Can we open our eyes to recognize him?
Do we hear him asking us about the story of our lives?
Can we invite him into our story and ask him to be with us?
It was only when the two disciples broke bread with Jesus
that they recognized who he was
and that’s precisely why we’re here today:
to bread with Jesus and to recognize his presence among us
and especially in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Every time we celebrate the Eucharist
we bless, break and share the Bread of Life
and in Holy Communion we recognize Jesus
and who gives himself to us, as once he did on the Cross,
now in the sacrifice of this altar.
Think of our First Communion children today
as the disciples walking along the road to Emmaus.
Think of them as leading us to recognize the Lord
who has never left our side
even if we have failed to see him there.
These children and the sacrament they are receiving
are leading us to the Lord who loves them
and all of us, too.
It was the Lord who guided us to come here today.
It’s the Lord who is with us in the breaking of the Bread.
And it’s the Lord who will walk with us when we leave here today
and who will never leave our side.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Subscribe to A Concord Pastor Comments


He was educated at the City of London School and at St John's College, Cambridge, where he took the highest honours in classics, mathematics and theology, and became fellow of his college. In 1862 he took orders. After holding masterships at King Edward's School, Birmingham, and at Clifton College, he succeeded G. F. Mortimer as headmaster of the City of London School in 1865 at the early age of twenty-six. He was Hulsean lecturer in 1876.
He retired in 1889, and devoted himself to literary and theological pursuits. Dr. Abbott's liberal inclinations in theology were prominent both in his educational views and in his books. His Shakespearian Grammar (1870) is a permanent contribution to English philology. In 1885 he published a life of Francis Bacon. His theological writings include three anonymously published religious romances - Philochristus (1878), Onesimus (1882), and Sitanus (1906).
More weighty contributions are the anonymous theological discussion The Kernel and the Husk (1886), Philomythus (1891), his book The Anglican Career of Cardinal Newman (1892), and his article "The Gospels" in the ninth edition of the Encyclopędia Britannica, embodying a critical view which caused considerable stir in the English theological world. He also wrote St Thomas of Canterbury, his Death and Miracles (1898), Johannine Vocabulary (1905), Johannine Grammar (1906). Flatland was published in 1884.


When our elders don’t know what to do, they know what to do about not knowing what to do: They pray.
Pastor Sam Crabtree is Bethlehem's Pastor for Small Groups, North.
Subscribe via feed Subscribe via Email
View related media
...“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Learn more about our Scripture memory program.
© 2015 Bethlehem Baptist Church


Friday, October 30, 2015, at St. Marks Church from 4:00-6:00pm
You may have seen this story about homeless families who started camping in North Philly as Church of the Poor to draw Pope Francis’ attention to the homeless. http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/…/homeless-families-kensi…/
St. Mark’s Church has given 5 families sanctuary at the church. There are 22 people including 6 kids – some young. Bob and I talked with Dean Jon and Deacon Phil about how we could help. We were told that these were some of the families’ immediate needs: toilet paper
soap – bathing
laundry detergent (no pods as kids think it’s candy)
food – dry goods (the families are able to cook for themselves)
If you prefer, you can send a donation c/o Family Sanctuary, St. Mark’s Church, 4442 Frankford Ave, Phila., PA 19124
Thank you! God bless for your care and concern!
St. Mark’s Church, 4442 Frankford Ave., is hosting a Vacation Bible School from Monday, July 13 through Wednesday, July 15, from 10 AM until 1 PM. Sponsored by Keep the Faith in Frankford and the Yardley United Methodist Church Youth Group, we are able to enroll 30 children (4-9 years old) and 6 “counselors” (10 years – 13 years) to help assist in this program.
Our theme is “Into the Wilderness” and the children will learn about God’s covenant with the 12 tribes of Israel! Lunch is included and we will learn Bible stories and have activities that are filled with fun!
You must register for this program. For more information, please call Pat Smiley, 215.520.5616 or email me at email@example.com
You can download a registration form here. Completed forms may be returned to St. Mark’s Church office or calling Pat Smiley.
Frankford has a rich history of faith and believers. We are blessed with many denominations whose people are active and live their beliefs. We believe in a spirit of interfaith dialogue which helps to connect us all.
Keep the Faith in Frankford is a group of Catholics whose two churches were closed in June 2013. St. Mark’s Church kindly invited us in and has graciously allowed us to meet there and make plans to try to reopen at least one church. We meet every Wednesday night at 6:30 PM. We realize that we have been given a responsibility to care about our brothers and sisters and are trying to do our best to help make Frankford a better place for all.
We would like your support and help with some of our activities. If you are interested, please join us this coming Wednesday night, April 29, at St. Mark’s at 6:30 PM. More information is shared below.


Sermons That Work
La Iglesia Episcopal
Find a Church
What We Believe
Book of Common Prayer
The Five Marks of Mission
History of the Episcopal Church
Revised Common Lectionary
What We Do
The Missionary Society
Evangelism tools and Marketing Support
Haiti: More than a Cathedral
Lesson Plans that Work
Navajoland: Our American Heritage
Pray for Sudan
Weekly Bulletin Inserts
Who We Are
The Anglican Communion
Archives of the Episcopal Church
I Am an Episcopalian
General Convention / Executive Council
House of Bishops
House of Deputies
LGBT in the Church
Men in the Church
Organizations Associated with the Episcopal Church
President of the House of Deputies
Public Affairs Office
Religious Orders and Faith Communities
Women in the Church
Adult Formation & Lifelong Learning
Ecumenical / Interreligious
Episcopal Migration Ministries
Justice and Advocacy Ministries
New Church Starts and Missional Initiatives
Older Adult Ministries
Office of Global Partnerships
People Living with Disabilities
Research and Statistics
Social Justice and Advocacy Engagement
United Thank Offering
Young Adult/Campus Ministries
Young Adult Service Corps
Local Mission Uploads
Civil Discourse in America: Finding Common Ground for the Greater Good
Episcopal Web Radio
Fifty Years Later: The State of Racism in America
Intersection of Poverty and Environment Forum
Live & On-Demand Worship
Local Mission Video
Pray along with our community, or
submit your own
Please enter your first name and last initial. eg - John D.
verify using audio
Type the characters you see in the picture above; if you can't read them, submit the form and a new image will be generated. Not case sensitive.
Please pray for my nephew who started his basic in The Army last month. We were blessed to hear from him once and I pray he is doing well and The Lord is keeping him in His mighty hands.
- Thomas G.
In thanksgiving for the blessings received from God in my five years of my bachelor degree in college. Thank God for helping me to complete this journey. Amen.
- Ethan R.
Please continue to pray as I struggle with an ended relationship, possible job loss, and serious, chronic depression.
- Wentworth B
Thanks be to God that after 7 years of infertility, I am pregnant for the first time. Please pray for a healthy pregnancy for me and a healthy baby. I am older and this is probably my last chance.
- Jeany C.
please pray for those who do not know gods word and pray for the kapphuff family and also the clark family that thry may have a safe journey
- rufus bradbury clark
Please pray for healing for Luke. Restore this young boy's health, strength and spirit. Give his family strength and peace as they struggle through this difficult path together. Help them to trust you in all things!
- Darlene L.
Please pray that I will have a swift recovery through bipolar disorder, and that the Holy Spirit will guide me through these difficult times.
- Natalie M.
Please pray for women, minorities, and homosexuals facing inequality and injustice. I pray that equality arrives for them.
- Natalie M.
Please pray for healing for those suffering from physical, spiritual, emotional, or mental difficulties, particularly Shelli, Martin, and their family.
- Alison G.


Discomfort with discussing sexuality and a focus on the family over the individual are two cultural factors that affect how the clergy abuse crisis has unfolded in Latinx Catholic communities, according to expert panelists at a Fordham University event held virtually on January 28.
The conversation, moderated by J.D. Long-Garcia, senior editor for America magazine, was the first of a series of panels to consider the impact of clerical sexual abuse on historically marginalized communities. The panels are part of a Fordham initiative called Taking Responsibility: Jesuit Institutions Confront the Causes and Legacy of Clergy Sexual Abuse.
“Culture and immigration status, race, ethnicity, and class have all been largely neglected” in research and discussion of the sexual abuse crisis, explained panelist Dr. Susan Bigelow Reynolds, assistant professor of Catholic studies at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, who has done extensive research in Latino parishes. “This really shapes perceptions of who survivors are, how justice occurs, what justice means, and what reform might entail.” Ignoring elements such as culture, immigration status, and race “not only writes some victims out of the narrative of the crisis, but also excludes them from potential solutions,” she said.
A Culture of Silence
The panelists considered particular aspects of Latinx cultures that may prevent people from speaking openly about abuse, including familialism, or prioritizing the good of the family over the needs of individual family members. This leads some Latinx survivors or their parents to avoid reporting abuse by clergy, out of concern that it could bring distress or shame to the family.
Panelist Damellys Sacriste, who serves as the faith formation and education coordinator at the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Atlanta, and the Hispanic outreach coordinator for the Aquinas Center at Emory, spoke about her experiences working with families who have made sexual abuse reports. They have “gone through all that trauma of dealing with it, and at the end, nothing happens. It’s a ‘he said, she said’ type thing,” said Sacriste, who was born in Venezuela. “In our culture we may as well not said anything, because we have exposed ourselves, we have exposed our child.”
Sacriste also mentioned that a lack of open conversation by Latinx families about sex may leave young people vulnerable. “I think the hardest thing in our culture is to talk about sex, period,” she said. “I never had ‘The Talk’ in my house.” This means that many kids don’t get guidance from family members about the risk of abuse or how to protect their bodies. Safe environment training in Hispanic communities can be complicated because many Latinx Catholics view scrutiny of priests and deacons “as synonymous with distrusting God,” Sacriste said. Hispanic cultures tend to elevate clergy members above other people, placing them on pedestals. Sacriste mentioned a priest who told her that he loved leading a majority Latinx parish because whenever he proposes an idea, the parishioners respond, “Si, padre.”
And she noted that some Latinx Catholics think of sexual abuse in the Church as happening in other corners of the Catholic Church but not their own, because these crimes are under-reported and rarely discussed.
The “Geographic Solution”
Reynolds suggested that undocumented immigrant communities may be the source of a future wave of abuse revelations. Personnel files of abusive priests show evidence of what survivor advocate Patrick Wall has called the “geographic solution,” in which Church leaders moved priests with abuse histories to new and often remote locations. In communities with many undocumented immigrants, victims would be less likely to speak up and report abusers to authorities. “Citizenship status plays a really, really important role,” in the abuse crisis, Reynolds said. For example, undocumented families often have been threatened by their abusers with deportation. Given the hesitation among these families to engage with the legal system, the “accountability that takes place through the work of lawyers and courts is not a form of justice that’s available to everyone,” she added. Justice should involve remedies beyond court cases and monetary settlements.
Reynolds stressed that the Church must consider these cultural barriers as it weighs new policies and reforms to address the sexual abuse crisis. “But policies are only as just as the institutions, and societies and individuals tasked with enforcing them,” she said.
She also spoke powerfully about the meaning she draws from decisions by Church leaders to deal with abusive priests by sending them to marginalized communities. “What that says about the Church is that there are lives that do not matter to people who are in power,” she said. “At the end of the day, it’s a question of whose life matters? Whose financial donations matter? Does staying in the good graces of certain communities matter more than protecting the lives of the vulnerable?”
The Taking Responsibility initiative at Fordham will offer additional panel discussions this spring examining the impact of the clerical abuse crisis in the Native American community, Black community, and Asian American community. Members of the Awake Milwaukee leadership team are looking forward to these conversations, which feel long overdue and essential in helping us grapple with the abuse crisis in the Church. Watch this spot for future posts sharing what we learn.
—Erin O’Donnell, Editor, Awake Blog
4 thoughts on “Understanding Clergy Abuse in Latinx Communities”
I was really surprised that language barriers weren’t also found to be a contributing factor. I live in a primarily Hispanic, Mexican-American community, and the older generations often speak Spanish as their primary language, even if their families have been here for a couple generations.
hi Emily! Thanks for mentioning the importance of language. The panelists DID indeed mention language as one of the barriers that prevents people in Latino communities from getting justice when abuse takes place.
I’m glad to hear it. I’ll admit that I only had time to read the summary, not watch the replay.


All these people died still believing what God had promised them...Obviously people who say such things are looking forward...(NLT)
Heb 11:15 If they had been thinking with [homesick] remembrance of that country from which they were emigrants, they would have found constant opportunity to return to it. (AMP)
Heb 11:16 But they were looking for a better place…(NLT)
Yesterday, I met with about 70 other pastors from around the world to listen to a round-table discussion of significant church leaders give their take on the condition of the Church. During a break from the larger session several of us gathered in our own small circle and thrashed out why Christians were leaving their faith altogether.
As we talked I thought about the verse, “All these people died still believing what God promised them.” According to this, faith always looks forward and never gives up, even if the one believing for the promise dies while believing and never receiving.
Faith has no reverse. There’s no “R” on the gear shift of faith.
This being true, I’ve found that one of the great enemies of my faith is feelings. “If they had been thinking with [homesick] remembrance of that country from which they were emigrants, they would have found constant opportunity to return to it.” The writer warned that thinking would open the door for feeling homesick, whereby they would find an opportunity to return.
Okay, here’s the deal with this verse. When the Israelites walked through the Red Sea they threw a party on the other side. After the party was over, the days became hot and the nights were cold; all the beer was gone (not really, but I’m trying to make a point here) and the place was a mess; the journey had become long and the manna became tasteless; moms got grumpy, dads became bored and kids started fighting; and the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night no longer thrilled them when they worshiped.
So what did they do? They did the same thing we do…they thought back on the good ole days in Egypt. Their thoughts stirred up feelings and desires when they sat around camp fires at night after pulling a hard day in Egypt’s brick yards. Sure they had it rough back then, but they appreciated what they had. They may have been slaves but they missed the old life.
Thinking back is the biggest mistake you’ll ever make when God has called you forward. Thinking back stirs up feelings and plunders faith. Going back is easy. Trudging forward in faith is hard, but in the long run, the most fruitful direction to take.
Know what gets me off my diet plan and causes me to eat fattening food? Thinking. Thinking about eating hot, chocolate chip cookies straight out of the oven with a big glass of milk—oh, savor the thought! (Let’s all pause for a moment of silence…) I don’t have to see them or even smell them. Thinking about them is all it takes. And if I think about them enough, by golly I’ll FIND cookies!
An addict, it doesn’t matter if it’s chocolate or crack, will get what they want if they think about it long enough. We long to return to the high we felt in the old life. Keep thinking about it and you’ll find a way to go back to it.
Thinking about the feelings you experienced in the past destroys the faith you need to move forward in the future. Dwelling upon past feelings can eradicate present faith. It did for the Israelites in the Old Testament, the Hebrew Christians in the New Testament, and it does for us too! Is it any wonder the Bible says, “Think the same way Christ Jesus thought” (CEV, italics mine). If we think right, we’ll live right.
If Jesus had thought about all He left in heaven would He have gone to the cross on earth? Had He pondered leaving the beauty of the throne, would Jesus have settled for the pain of crucifixion? Maybe not.
The leaders in our little group agreed that there’s a battle for the mind and emotions of twenty-first century humanity and it’s being yielded to by what feels good. Sadly, most twenty-first century Christians live like most non-Christians, by our feelings. Our consensus was that today’s church has positioned herself to be forced to present the Gospel with a Disney World feel before we can get people’s attention. Personally, I think there’s room for creativity in how we present Jesus, but there’s certainly merit to this conclusion.
“Finally…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Phil 4:7, NIV, italics mine).
We are told to "Walk by faith, not by sight" [feelings] (2 Cor. 5:7, brackets, my addition). Sometimes faith is all we have. So don’t squander yours by thinking about your past, stirring up feelings, and returning to what didn’t work. Shift into “F” and move forward in God.
Meanwhile, I’ll try to stop thinking about Chocolate Chip cookies.


Feb 26, 2023
Pastor Seth shares about his experience with the outpouring of God's love at Asbury University and around the nation. He teaches on the pearl of great price and surrendering it all for the sake of God.
MATTHEW 13: 44-46
WELLSPRING CHURCH NYC 02/26/2023
📒 Show Notes and Resources 📒
Download our app: http://churchcenter.com/setup
📘 Connect With Wellspring
➡ Website: http://wellspring.nyc
➡ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@wellspringchurchnyc
➡ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellspringchurchnyc
📘 Connect With Seth Bazacas
➡ Instagram: @sbazacas
📘 Looking to grow in spiritual formation this year? Sign up for your FREE Rhythm of Life.
📘 Do you need help finding community? Don’t miss out on Wellspring events.
📘 Stay up to date with Wellspring by signing up for our newsletter.
📘 Do you have questions about life and spirituality? Try Alpha.


ROME — Pope Francis advanced the sainthood causes of four men and four women, including Blessed Dulce Lopes Pontes, the “Mother Teresa” of Brazil.
The pope signed the decrees May 13 during a meeting with Cardinal Angelo Becciu, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes. The Vatican published the decrees May 14.
The pope recognized the miracle needed for the canonization of the Brazilian nun, who was a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception.
Born in 1914, she was known to Brazilian Catholics as Sister Dulce, the mother of the poor. She founded the first Catholic workers’ organization in the state of Bahia, started a health clinic for poor workers and opened a school for working families. She created a hospital, an orphanage and care centers for the elderly and disabled.
She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by then-President Jose Sarney in 1988. St. John Paul II, who called her work “an example for humanity,” met her in 1980 during his first trip to Brazil and, returning in 1991, he visited her in the hospital. She died in 1992 at the age of 77 with tens of thousands attending her funeral and even more gathering for her beatification in 2011.
Francis also authorized the publication of a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Josephine Vannini, who was born in Rome in 1859 and died in 1911. She co-founded the Daughters of St. Camillus, who serve the sick and elderly.
Another decree the pope signed recognizes the miracle needed for the beatification of Sister Maria Ripamonti, also known as Sister Lucia of the Immaculate. Born in Italy in 1909, she was a member of the Handmaids of Charity. She died in 1954.
The pope also recognized the heroic virtues of:
— Auxiliary Bishop Giovanni Battista Pinardi of Turin. Born in 1880, he promoted the Catholic press, workers’ rights and social projects during a time of considerable fascist opposition. He believed Catholic media was important to counteract the hatred and worldly values being spread at the time. He died in 1962.
— Father Carlo Salerio, born in Milan in 1827. He aided those wounded during the city’s war against Austrian control and he fought in Italy’s first war of independence against the Austrian Empire in 1848. He became a missionary of what is now the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, serving in Papua New Guinea. When he returned to Milan, he founded the Sisters of Reparation. He died in 1870.
— Marianist Father Domingo Lazaro Castro, who was the order’s first Spanish provincial. He was born in Spain in 1877 and died in 1935.
— Capuchin Father Salvatore da Casca, who was born Erminio Pinzetta in Brazil in 1911 and died in 1972.
— Mother Maria Eufrasia Iaconis, who was born in Italy in 1867. She founded the Congregation of the Daughters of the Immaculate Conception in Buenos Aires, where she and the other sisters served Italian immigrants in the capital. After her death in 1916, her life and work were promoted by her Jesuit confessor. The diocesan phase of her sainthood cause was concluded by the future Pope Francis, then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, in 2012.


What people are saying - Write a review
We haven't found any reviews in the usual places.
Other editions - View all
Ahura-Mazda ancient apostle appear Arhat asserted authority believe Bodhisattva body Brahmanas Buddha Buddhist Burnouf Canon cause Ch'un Ts'ew chapter character Chinese Christ Christian Chung Chung Yung conception Confucius consciousness creed death deity disciples divine doctrine Dr Legge earth Epistle evil existence expression fact faith father favour feeling Gathas gods Heaven Hebrew holy honour human hymns Ibid idea Indra Isaiah Israel Israelites Jehovah Jehovistic Jesus Jewish Jews living Lord Lun Yu matter Mencius mind monarch monotheism moral nation nature Nirvana object origin Parsee Paul peculiar person phenomena portion possess praise Pratimoksha prayer priests prophet Purna race relation religion religious render Rig-Veda ruler Sacred Books sacrifice Shoo King soul speak spirit Subdivision supposed Sutras thee theology things thou thought tion translation Tripitaka truth universal unknown Unkulunkulu Varuna Veda virtue words worship writings Yajur-Veda Yaou Yashts Zarathustra
Page 222 - And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good : and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Page 267 - Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
Page 248 - And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
Page 287 - See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
Page 330 - I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago (whether in the body I cannot tell; or whether out of the body I cannot tell: God knoweth); such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth); How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Page 37 - When one cultivates to the utmost the principles of his nature, and exercises them on the principle of reciprocity, he is not far from the path. What you do not like, when done to yourself, do not do to others.
Page 37 - While there are no stirrings of pleasure, anger, sorrow or joy, the mind may be said to be in the state of EQUILIBRIUM. When those feelings have been stirred, and they act in their due degree, there ensues what may be called the state of HARMONY. This EQUILIBRIUM is the great root from which grow all the human actions in the world, and this HARMONY is the universal path which they all should pursue. Let the states of equilibrium and harmony exist in perfection, and a happy order will prevail throughout...
Page 267 - Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord ; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.


“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” (1 Corinthians 12:7, KJV)
It is football season right now. I do enjoy watching these games on the television. One thing about football is that it is a team sport. Each person on the team has a position and certain abilities for the position they play. I never played football in organized league. About as close as I go was playing in pick-up games after school in the schoolyard. Yes, we played tackle without helmets, pads, or the like and no one I knew ever got seriously injured. I guess things are different now.
One of the things about football is that each player on the team has to function in their position for the common goal. That is to score goals or prevent the other team from doing so. One thing in our pick-up games after school, we would have to play both offense and defense. We understood the need for teamwork. Those games were less about winning, that everyone was having a good time and being able to excel in what they were doing. Looking back at it, I cannot remember one game that we either won or lost. However, I can still remember some specific plays where we succeeded.
The big takeaway from these games was that we worked together to build these friendships and memories. Everyone worked together and we all went away from each of these games with a few bruises, some talking points, and fond memories. Our teamwork was mutually beneficial.
I read a book once titled, “Church is a Team Sport.” It spoke about how the entire church, every believer, was to work together for a goal. Paul here indicated as such in discussing spiritual gifts. He indicated that the Holy Spirit manifested a spiritual gift in each believer to profit the whole church. There are two aspects of this.
First, all the gifts in the church are to enable the church to fulfill her great mission. That is the Great Commission, which is to make disciples. To the degree that every person uses his or her gift, the church will be successful in the mission assigned.
Yet, there is a second aspect. It has to do with the health of the church body, which is a function of the spiritual health of every individual believer. Many of the spiritual gifts have to do directly with ministering to each other within the church and thus, supporting the whole. It is not to be forgotten that healthy bodies do healthy work. Thus, spiritual health is essential to the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
In this way, the church is edified, that is built up, as each person ministers within the body using his or her spiritual gift. Therefore, it behooves every believer to do two things. The first is to understand his or her gifting and place of service in the context of the church’s mission. Second, every believer must seek to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18) in using his or her gift in the church.


Service Title: Winter Offensive: “All these things will be given unto you”
Preacher: Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, director of the Kairos Center
Scripture: Matthew 6:25-33
The Winter Offensive continues. This week the founder of the Apache Stronghold, Wendsler Nosie, along with Rev. Liz and other leaders from the movement led us in a discussion of Thanksgiving, the first chapter of American history, and the curse (not blessing) of poverty. The following is the reflection offered by Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis.
Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis:
I used to avoid this passage at all costs. It seemed to say that God is not concerned with material things like food or housing or clothing, and even belittles people struggling to survive, and worrying about where their next meal will come. As if the earth was not plentiful for all to share in its abundance.
I have heard it used to assert that people are poor because we are of little faith, and therefore those with money and individual prosperity have it because they pray hard and exploit the earth. As if God blesses those deserving with abundance but punishes the poor and weak with poverty.
It’s often interpreted to juxtapose God’s kingdom with a community where all are fed, clothed and housed and portrays God’s kingdom as a patriarchal, hierarchical, trickle down economy and political system, and that this kingdom is what really matters, rather than a mutual society where feeding and housing and clothing of the people and of all creation is what is God’s concern.
I even remember when I was petitioning my church to be ordained to do the work of addressing and ending poverty, that church leaders affirmed that the work was good but not the core work of the church and Jesus’ followers.
But just like so many biblical texts are used to beat up on the poor and those who would aspire to transform this world for the better, for the poor and everyone, we have been hearing this passage interpreted wrongly as well.
As we continue in this winter offensive and prepare for the observance of Thanksgiving, where we cannot leave out the first chapter of American history, the historic and ongoing genocide of indigenous and native peoples, we would do well to explore the biblical passage from Matthew, one of our lectionary texts for today, in a little more depth.
Matthew 6:25-33 follows directly after one of the most radical statements about God, poverty and wealth in the entire Bible. Matthew 6:24 says that you can’t worship both God and Mammon or wealth. In fact it says that those who look to money and power and wealth or a justice system that only produces injustice for their security, cannot also look to the God of justice, the God who led the people out of slavery and poverty for solutions to our problems and a good life – because Mammon and God are not compatible.
Rather, everyone must choose. Do we worship the Creator of all, in my case, as a Christian, a brown-skinned Palestinian Jew who turned over tables of oppression and never charged a leper a co-pay? Or do we worship, offer deference to, and look to solutions from Wall Street, Congress, Resolution Copper, those who would take the abundance of the world and hoard it for themselves?
And then we get to Matthew 6:25-33. Which might be the biggest critique of capitalism and economic systems that exploit the labor of the poor for the benefit of the rich in the entire Bible.
This passage tells Jesus’ followers – which we must remember are poor fisherpeople and farmers, day laborers and city dwellers who were indebted, overworked, enslaved – that they should not have to worry about having adequate food and clothing and housing. It’s a story and a message about everyone having the right to live.
And the passage points out that the birds don’t have to work to deserve good food and the flowers don’t have to earn a wage so that they have beautiful clothing.
It says that instead these poor movement leaders should work first towards making God’s reign, God’s empire, a reality here on earth. In fact, a few lines before this passage in Matthew, in the prayer that Jesus teaches, often referred to as the Lord’s Prayer, debts are cancelled, everyone is fed, and earth, today is the focus, rather than having pie in the sky when you die.
These passages say that if Jesus’ followers seek God’s (not Rome’s) empire and God’s (not Rome’s) justice, then there will be a reign of abundant food, and housing and clothing for absolutely all. It will be a kingdom, a reign of everybody in, nobody out.
The passage tells the impoverished followers of Jesus and movement leaders that worrying takes up so much energy. It’s so hard to be poor and blamed for your poverty. To internalize that it’s your fault that you don’t have adequate food to feed your kids takes too much out of you. It’s a lie of empire. And God does not wish such abuse, such lies on anyone.
But instead, like in other passages throughout the Bible, we are reminded that God created abundance. If we follow God’s economy, there is no poverty, there is no hunger, there is no homelessness. And there isn’t just the absence of poverty and need and want, but the presence of justice, if we follow God’s commandments, if we are stewards of the earth and not exploiters of it.
Perhaps you have heard this quote from Dr. King – that “peace is not just the absence of tension but the presence of justice”. Or from Bryan Stevenson of Equal Justice Initiative, that “the opposite of poverty is not wealth, it is justice”.
This is the meaning of this passage. In this moment, as we prepare to continue the struggle and give thanks for God’s abundance, but mostly for the abundance of leaders coming together to build a beloved community, let us usher in God’s reign and push out Mammon and the empire’s reign of poverty, dispossession, and oppression.
In the name of a God of abundance and justice, let it be so. Amen.
Watch the full service from November 21, 2021 here. Join the Freedom Church of the Poor this Sunday at 6pmET/5pmCT/3pmPT and La Iglesia del Pueblo at 7:30pmET/6:30pmCT/4:30pmPT on the Kairos Center Facebook page.
This season, Freedom Church of the Poor has released an Advent study series built off of several entries from the We Cry Justice devotional. We hope it will be used to reinforce the Winter Offensive and engage communities, especially as we mobilize for a Mass Poor People’s and Low Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington, June 18th, 2022.


- spent all night last Sunday saying goodbye to and later in the week burying our dear friend
- spent two days with our youngest son in the hospital and the other three in and out of doctor's offices
- got to write a check for more than $1200 for car repairs
- celebrated two of our son's birthday's with a party that couldn't be postponed
- welcomed a new puppy into our home
In between all that we tried to work honorably at our full time jobs and keep some normalcy for our boys.
To say it's been a difficult week doesn't begin to describe.
I know part of me and Rex both just wanted to stop everything- turn life off for a bit so we could catch our breath and grieve.
But life doesn't stop for us because it ended for our friend. So, through the heaviness of heart we kept moving. From what seemed like one crisis to the next, we kept moving with Psalm 61 close to our thoughts and hearts..
"Hear my cry, O God, attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.... I will trust in the shelter of your wings"
With Danny and his wisdom on our minds we were intentional not to miss an opportunity to say I love you. Our steps this week included a little more appreciation for little things and the people we may have taken for granted.
So we went forward and celebrated life.
And there was a glimpse of healing in the Son and in the laughter of children playing and friends chatting and bats swinging and his new puppy. And cake. Lots of cake.
Thanks to my sister for dropping everything and coming "home" to help us put one foot in front of the other this week. With our hearts torn between our boys and our friend- we couldn't have done it without you. You've blessed us abundantly.
|Renee. The sister.|
I hope you got some rest yesterday maybe a little? Love you!ReplyDelete
Hi there, just became alert to your blog throughReplyDelete
Google, and found that it's really informative. I am going to watch out for brussels. I will be grateful if you continue this in future. Many people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
My blog ... windows registry cleaner


NEWS & Events
Welcome to our news and events page! Information about events and activities will be posted here. Click the link below to scroll through our events archive.
Events during 2020
8th November: Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance: a time to Remember, Reflect and Give Thanks
During this 75th Anniversary year of the ending of war in Europe and Japan, Remembrance weekend was particularly poignant. The traditional Act of Remembrance took place in the Windrush Garden with local councillors laying wreaths at our sundial installation.
3rd November: Honeypot Playgroup Opening
The Kensal Green Community Playgroup has opened under a new name, the Honeypot Playgroup. There are two sessions (with a cleaning break) in order to accommodate numbers. Carers can sign up for sessions running from 09.30am to 10.30am and from 10.45am to 11.45am.
A new outdoor play area will be opening in the Spring, sponsored by the Allchurches Trust .
Although current guidance means that there will be some changes to routine, we will ensure that the stay-and-play remains as fun and familiar as ever.
27th September: Evensong
Choral Evensong was held to mark the Feast of St Michael and All Angels. The Evensong was followed by the blessing of two new bells at St John's. The church now has a ring of eight bells!
20th September: Harvest Festival
Harvest Festival was celebrated at the 11.00 am mass, with thanks to all those who gave items of food for distribution.
5th September: Lady Hospitallers
On 5th September St John's welcomed the Lady Hospitallers for a (socially distanced) meeting in the vicarage garden. It was an extremely enjoyable occasion and the Ladies said they would be back!
16th August: Opening of Windrush Garden!
St John's Windrush Garden was officially opened on 16th August (postponed from May) by Mrs Curline Hibbert MBE in the presence of Hon Alderman Jan Prendergast, representing The Right Worshipful The Lord Mayor of Westminster. We are grateful to all those who have supported this project and to those who have worked hard to create a beautiful garden for enjoyment by the local community.
Our thanks to everyone who supported us during 2019 when we celebrated St John's 175th Anniversary..........
6th & 7th December: Bells Blessing & Pageant!
On 6th December St John's bells were blessed by the Bishop of Fulham during a ceremony which has its roots dating back to the 7th century. The following day a Children's Celebration took place in church which included an interactive play about bells and featured the arrival of St Nicholas.
The bells will be rung for the first time on Christmas Day.
The Bells are Born!: 19th September
A small group from St John's visited the Loughborough Foundry on 19th September to witness the first three of six new bells for St John's being cast. It was a fascinating day which included a presentation on the history of the foundry and a tour of the site. It is planned that the bells will arrive in time for Christmas with a blessing by the Bishop of Fulham on 6th December. The project is being largely funded by a generous donation from Tony Fernandes, the owner of QPR football club.
Bishop Sarah Visits St John's: 8th September
Bishop Sarah was welcomed to St John's on 8th September for a special Evensong as part of this year's 175th anniversary celebrations. Guests included the Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Westminster, the Representative Deputy Lieutenant for the London Borough of the City of Westminster and the Worshipful Major of Brent.
Prior to the service, the Silver Mace of the old county of Middlesex (on loan from Harrow Council) was placed before the High Altar.
After the service Bishop Sarah saw the new church decorative scheme for Our Lady of Walsingham which was blessed earlier by the Archdeacon of London, during the morning 11.00am service.
(Photos by Rodycloud)
Summer Fete: 20th July
Our thanks to everyone who helped with this year's Summer Fete on 20th July, including the very welcome refreshments. The weather was kind and fundraising receipts from the raffle and stalls totaled over £1000! Congratulations to those who won the splendid raffle prizes and a big thank you to those who donated prizes and stall items.
Tony Fernandes Visits St John's: 29 June
Tony Fernandes, owner of QPR, visited during St John's Open Day on 29th June. The visit followed Mr Fernandes' generous donation of £35,000 towards the bell fund. The church is now preparing to receive the bells in December so that that they will be in place for Christmas! (Photo by Rodycloud)
Confirmations: 26th May
We were delighted to welcome the Bishop of Fulham for the Mass of Confirmation on Sunday 26th May. Numbers confirmed on the day were the most since 1976 - that was over 40 years ago!
The Bishop kindly agreed to pose for the camera with our Churchwardens, Pastoral Lay Minister and other members of the Parochial Church Council (PCC).
George & The Dragon: 26th & 27th April
On the 26th & 27th April local children were treated to a performance of George & The Dragon. The show took place inside the church and outside on the forecourt lawn. The youngsters all joined in, making their own shields and helping to defeat the Dragon!
Easter Vestry & APCM: 25th March
Our thanks to everyone who attended the Easter Vestry and Annual Parochial Church Meeting. Congratulations to Nigel Clark and Michael Tavenier who were elected Churchwardens for a further year. We were also pleased to welcome three new PCC members: Steve Emeh, Frances Ikemefuna and Carol Smith. Rupert Gather has now stood down and we are grateful for all he has contributed during his time on the PCC. A full list of members and other appointments can be seen here.
2019 New Years Honours: Award
The Lay Pastoral Minister at St John's, Anne Abel, was awarded the British Empire Medal by Her Majesty The Queen in the New Year's Birthday Honours. Fr David said he was "thrilled" by Anne's honour. "Anne has worked for many years for three organisations dedicated to St John: St John's Ambulance, the St John's Guild for the Blind and St John's church. At the church she is Pastoral Assistant and served for nearly thirty years as Churchwarden. Her latest role is helping lead our new playgroup. This is a richly deserved honour and we are all so proud of her".
175th Anniversary Concert
Our Anniversary Concert, celebrating 175 years of church life at St John's, took place on Saturday 26th January. The Vaska Quartet provided a programme which was designed to appeal to a family audience. Read more on our CONCERTS page.
ll so proud of her".
The Honeypot stay & play for the under 5s - meets at St John's church on Tuesday mornings.
Activity Afternoons & Junior Church
Children's activity afternoons take place on Saturdays during holidays while Junior Church (Sunday School) is held at 11.00 on Sundays. If you are new to St John's and would like your child to attend Junior Church, please speak to Father David.
Events Archive - take a look at past events and activities here.
St John's Vicarage
020 8969 2615


I learned about the mystical body of Christ from Fr. Judge, our pastor, when I was in eighth-grade religion class. I remember even today being mesmerized with the idea that my actions, even my thoughts, have impact on people around the world I will never know or see. I felt both excited and scared thinking about that kind of influence I might have on others.
This interconnectedness of humans — and now, the Earth, as well — is not new, but was believed by sages of many cultures and spiritual traditions in the past. Today, the Global Consciousness Project at Princeton University has scientists and engineers studying and mapping how "subtle interactions link us with each other and the Earth." They believe large-scale group consciousness has effects in the physical world.
An organization that provides a link for development of this kind of group consciousness is the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), whose members represent the 400,000 women religious in most countries of the world.
UISG divides the world of sister leaders into constellations so that between international general assemblies, held every three years in Rome, they will work together to reflect on common issues and collaborate on activities of significance throughout the globe.
The leaders meet on occasion in their regions and gather as constellation delegates to share what has been happening in their parts of the world. The constellations can be groupings of smaller countries or single larger countries, as is the case of the United States.
From left: Sr. Illumina Virginia Jenny Katsukunya of the Little Children of Our Blessed Lady in Zimbabwe; Sr. Patricia Siemen of the Adrian Dominicans of Adrian, Michigan; and Sr. Constance Phelps of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas, during the ceremony at the UISG delegates meeting in the Philippines in November 2017 (GSR photo/Gail DeGeorge)
An Aug. 15 meeting of sisters who are members of both the United States' UISG constellation and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious provided updates on important local and global developments that women religious are engaged with.
As I listened to the various speakers, I was struck most powerfully with the idea of "noospheres" (unifying fields of consciousness) evolving among sisters globally, suggested by St. Joseph Sr. Carol Zinn, executive director of LCWR, in a conversation with Loreto Sr. Patricia Murray, executive director of UISG.
The two agreed that as sisters engage globally, praying, thinking and working together, a unifying consciousness, a synergy, is developing that will not only impact the Earth, those made poor and particularly women, but also regenerate religious life globally. They suggested that conversation is the pathway.
Conversation may seem a simple way to create synergy, but, as Murray suggested, it is also challenging. As vowed religious, committed to the Gospel of justice and compassion, particularly in today's climate of recognizing our complicity in racism, we need to become authentically intercultural in our thinking and action at all levels: local, national and international.
Our national sisters' conferences need to embed these intercultural movements of conversation, contemplation and action in their lives to help members companion one another and overcome differences, particularly through these vulnerable and uncertain times. We need to help each other foster an adventurous spirit of exploration.
The gathering began with Sr. Sheila Kinsey, a member of the Franciscan Sisters, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and director of Sowing Hope for the Planet, a UISG project launched in 2018 to integrate Pope Francis' "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home" into the fabric of our lives as religious. She encouraged us to plant the mustard seeds of the Gospel, do what we can do and inspire our congregational members and youth to what Murray called "sacred activism" to comfort those in need, challenge injustice and create a future vision for the world.
Changing the world for the future is a huge task that takes all of us working together as one community. Kinsey noted the synod for the Amazon, COP24 in Poland, the Global Catholic Climate Movement, and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development as energies bringing together people with common goals for systemic change.
She said it takes 21% of the population to make change, and sisters need to be at the forefront with lifestyle, inclusion and collaborating with others.
Murray then updated us on what has been happening with women religious during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many sisters and family members have died, creating an atmosphere of grief in our communities. Foundations have reached out to help congregations that did not have resources to meet the needs required to keep their sisters safe from contracting COVID-19.
She shared a long list of "sacred activism" at UISG level, including, to mention only a few:
- Talitha Kum, which is celebrating 10 years of training sisters in anti-trafficking, partnering with other organizations engaged in this work, and continuing to expand its reach worldwide;
- Formation training for women religious;
- The UISG-sponsored migrant project;
- Partnerships with a variety of U.S. and European foundations;
- Progress in having women in positions in Vatican commissions.
Some new developments include a joint commission of UISG and the Union of Superiors General (the international umbrella group of men religious) on care and protection of minors, and a new office at UISG called Catholic Care for Children International. It was an exciting array.
Dominican Sr. Patricia Siemen and Charity Sr. Constance Phelps, UISG delegates chosen by the U.S. constellation, then reported on U.S. activities. Siemen noted the congruencies and nuances between LCWR and UISG and the importance of that partnership. She also confirmed the LCWR commitment to porous borders that keeps U.S. sisters globally minded and will impact the future structure of LCWR.
Two topics from the 102 sisters gathered on Zoom resonated with me.
One concerned Asian voices. "They seem to be missing," even though they are the largest group of international sisters newly arrived in the U.S., one sister noted.
Another question for all of us to ponder was: "What will religious life look like without the current overlay of Western influence, and how will it be peeled away?"
I came away from the meeting full of energy and hope, as I, too, believe that coherent consciousness among the sisters will have significant impact in creating a new order in our world.
[Joyce Meyer is a member of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is GSR's liaison to women religious outside of the United States.]


“There is none holy as the Lord … neither is there any rock like our God.”
These profound words were uttered by Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:2. They are part of her magnificent prophecy after giving birth to Samuel.
How much does this statement mean to you? Is God truly the Rock in your life, as He was to so many of God’s great saints down through the centuries?
Conditions in this world are getting worse, and will deteriorate far more as we approach Jesus Christ’s Second Coming. Our need for that Rock will grow more urgent and intense all the time!
‘Thou Art My Rock’
King David continually looked to God as his Rock, his fortress, his protection, his deliverer. No one calls God his Rock in Scripture more often than the future king of Israel. It is a title we should feel comfortable using in our prayers.
“Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress” (Psalm 71:3). So often in David’s life, he literally dwelt in the rock of mountains and caves, hiding for his life. Imagine your very life hanging in the balance day after week after month—for over a decade. Time and again he had to make his escape from King Saul! Yet he looked to God for help, even penning psalms while taking up haven within the rocky hideaways throughout the countryside.
God loved David very much. Many psalms show how God rescued him from dire circumstances—repeatedly, miraculously helping him evade bands of men trying to kill him! David praised God for His deliverance with song, and his praise has been a witness to many.
We, too, may continually rely on God. Because of God’s protection, we may offer sacrifices of joy, singing praises to Him. We do this at regular services and at God’s Feast sites. It’s always easier to do that when we’re feeling safe and secure, isn’t it?
“O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation” (Psalm 95:1). This is just one example where we see a direct connection between music and the Rock. We may never play an instrument, but we can all sing praises to our mighty fortress. (The way it’s expressed here—make a “joyful noise”—takes into account that most can’t sing like Pavarotti.)
Study Psalm 62, which is about putting our trust wholly in God. “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God,” David wrote in verse 7. “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah” (verse 8).
In verse 2, David wrote, “He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.” In verse 6, he repeated: “He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.” David grew in confidence—in verse 2, he said merely that he wouldn’t be greatly moved. Later, he said that he wouldn’t be moved at all!
Do you allow even the smallest of trials to move you away from God? We must sometimes wait on God for healing, a better job, a job, a mate, children and many other things. Patience is a precious trait and a rare virtue in this age of instant gratification. The psalmist—being just as human as we are—sometimes asked his Rock why He forgot him (e.g. Psalm 42:9). We are even more prone to think God may never answer us.
Yet David waited on God for answers and for his deliverance. He said he would cry from the ends of the Earth to be heard by the Rock that was higher than him (Psalm 61:2). Never quitting in any area—waiting loyally until the end—is a mark of fine character.
David was prevented from building what he desired most: a house for God. Psalm 27:4-6 show how King David deeply desired to commune with God and seek His favor in the temple. Why? “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock” (verse 5). He longed for the protection and comfort that only God can give.
This has to be personal and real to each of us to help see us through any and all tough times. We can have that same supreme confidence in God any time, but especially during trouble! He will hide us in His pavilion—in the secret depths of His tabernacle. But He can also lift us up above any enemies who surround us.
To the End of His Life
Even at the end of his trial-filled life, David kept this wonderful perspective. “The Lord is my Rock,” he said in song (2 Samuel 22:2). He used the Hebrew word sela, meaning lofty; a craggy rock.
“For who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God?” David continued. “God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. … The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation” (verses 32–33, 47). The rest of the chapter shows how God dealt with David’s enemies.
That song in 2 Samuel 22 is repeated in Psalm 18, with some variations. There it begins, “I will love thee, O Lord, my strength” (Psalm 18:1). The better translation for “I will love thee” is “fervently do I love thee.” The Hebrew implies loving compassionately. If our love is this personal and deep, it will result in a great quality and quantity of time spent with God. God our Father and Jesus Christ should form the basis of everything we think and do in our lives!
“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower” (verse 2). If we ascend to God, our high tower of strength, we are safe and secure from such a height. Our vision is better for miles around, to see enemies and other mortal dangers.
“I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies” (verse 3). Our Rock gives us promise after promise of deliverance from everything—but He wants us to ask! “For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God? … The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted” (verses 31, 46). David knew God was the One who secured him—“my rock.”
Look at what the Bible calls “the last words of David” in 2 Samuel 23: “The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God” (verse 3). That shows how close David was with God. Biblical history shows that God often spoke to the king through prophets like Nathan and Gad—but David saw it as God Himself, the Rock of Israel, speaking to him. The Rock of Israel speaks to us through His apostle and ministers. Do we hear God’s voice?
A Rock to the Israelites
Long before David, even before Hannah, God was a Rock to the Israelites under the leadership of Moses. In fact, as they journeyed to the Promised Land, they carried with them a literal rock that symbolized Christ: Jacob’s pillar stone.
Jesus Christ was the God of the Old Testament, their Rock. 1 Corinthians 10:4 says the ancient Israelite fathers “drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” As the people of ancient Israel miraculously drew water from that stone of destiny, they drew spiritual strength from God (e.g. Exodus 17:6; Deuteronomy 8:15).
Christ is also our Rock today. He is often referred to as our “Rock” in Scripture. Like the Israelites, we also have abundant water available from our Rock: God’s precious Holy Spirit. So much may be accomplished with God’s help when we look to Him as our Rock.
Moses spent a lifetime dealing with the hardheaded Israelites. In the 40th year after the Exodus, at the desert of Zin, the faithless people were complaining about the things they lacked. Moses and Aaron prayed for direction, and God commanded Moses to take the rod, to gather the people, and to speak to the rock so it would give water (Numbers 20:8). Moses, under the strain of this situation, shouted, “Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?” (verse 10). He then abandoned God’s clear instructions and cracked his rod down upon the stone—twice. Water then spilled out of it.
Of course, God wants us to look to Moses’s example overall. But here, because Moses did not allow God to be glorified in the eyes of the people, God told him he would not enter the Promised Land with the people (verse 12).
There was a lesson in this event, not only for Moses but also for us and the world. This whole, blind world will soon be taught that all people—not just Moses—smote Jesus Christ, the Rock. He allowed Himself to be smitten for the sins of all humanity.
Israel Lightly Esteemed the Rock!
In some of his last inspired instructions to Israel, Moses himself declared the symbolism: “He is the Rock, his work is perfect” (Deuteronomy 32:4).
God kept His covenant with ancient Israel and Judah. Everything He promised them came to pass. If they failed—as the vast majority did—it was their fault! If we fail, we only have ourselves to blame.
Verse 15 reads, “But Jeshurun [an affectionate name for Israel] waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.” God was a Father to them and had formed them as a nation—but they forsook Him (verse 16). “Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee” (verse 18). Many of God’s people have made the same mistake in the end time.
As a result, the Israelites were punished with bitter destruction. “How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up?” (verse 30). God “sold” them—allowed them to be defeated and taken into captivity. With God’s blessings, one of us will chase 1,000; two of us will put 10,000 to flight! Instead, because of their disobedience, it was just the opposite.
“For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah …” (verses 31-32). The Israelites would have been able to smite their enemies because their Rock was far superior to that of the pagans—had their fruit not been that of sin and rebellion. The same has befallen God’s rebellious people today.
God has promised to fight for us. He is the source of all blessings and true success. Our enemies will fall before us by the sword with His help.
There’s no possible way we could win, humanly, against the even greater odds we face. The number of our opponents is huge, but so is our assurance of winning!
A Stone of Stumbling
In Isaiah 8:14, Christ is prophesied to be a “sanctuary”—or a sacred or holy place. He will provide peace, safety, comfort and security for us. Yet it also says He will be for a “stone of stumbling” and “rock of offence” to Israel. Yes, the very Rock that provides security to the righteous is an obstacle to the wicked.
Luke 20:17 states, “The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head.” This verse originates in Psalm 118:22. These prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church of God.
Our Father sent His Son the first time, not as a mighty prince and a conqueror that everyone would desire to trust in, but as a man of sorrows, humiliation and death. The Jews stumbled at Christ for that reason, and also because He didn’t come to deliver them from the Romans at that time. He was a “poor” man with little appeal to worldly people. Most find it difficult to believe He is offering salvation to us in the way He is doing it today. The tiny handful of firstfruits who trust in Him will not be ashamed of Him or confused.
The Jews were ignorant of or resistant to God’s righteousness, which comes only by faith in Jesus Christ. They went about to establish their own righteousness, “not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone” (Romans 9:32). They kept a laundry list of man-made rituals. When Jesus Christ brought the gospel of the Kingdom of God offering free salvation to Gentiles as well as Jews on the basis of grace and faith, and being rewarded according to their works, they took offense and rejected it.
The principle we must get is how vital it is to simply do what God tells us. We must lay a foundation of the right way of life, brick by brick, that can’t be moved.
1 Peter 2:7-8 expand on Christ being “a rock of offence.” The word offense means a snare, or a trap stick—like a bent sapling, pulled back and ready to whip forward with a stinging strike. This is what Christ became “to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient.” They stumbled because they were disobedient to God’s government and law! But anyone who willingly obeys God will not stumble at Jesus Christ!
In an August 1996 Trumpet article about the stone of destiny, Gerald Flurry wrote, “The leaders of ancient Israel and the world have been stumbling over Jesus Christ for thousands of years.” Yet, though they stumble, we must not. Although He has been a cause of stumbling for the world, the Church is founded on God’s Son. He has set us upon a solid Rock.
Church Founded on Christ
The Church of God is founded on Jesus Christ, the Rock. As Christ said, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [Greek Petros, meaning a pebble or stone], and upon this rock [Greek Petra, meaning a large rock, cliff or rocky fortress] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The word rock in this verse should be capitalized—because Christ used it to refer to Himself!
The Church we are a part of—though small, scattered and scorned—is founded on this same Rock!
That Greek word brings to mind the Jordanian rock-fortress city of Petra. “Petra is a symbol of Christ’s enormous strength,” Mr. Flurry writes in his Obadiah booklet. “I know of no place on Earth that comes close to being such a powerful symbol of Christ. … Through Mr. Armstrong, Christ built the wcg on this Rock. God empowered and protected that Church for over 50 years. The members were in a spiritual Rock fortress—just as Petra is physically.”
Commenting on Matthew 7:24-25, where Christ said: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock,” Mr. Flurry writes: “This is the stone or rock to which we should anchor everything in our lives. If we build our lives on this rock we will never be confounded” (The Key of David).
United in the Rock
“[Y]e that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn …” (Isaiah 51:1). Abraham and Sarah are great examples of looking to the Rock from which Israel was cut. The picture here is that of a rock being chiseled out of a quarry. The same God who caused this royal couple to bring Israel into existence as a nation through the miracle birth of Isaac will cause them to flourish once again.
How solid is your foundation on the Rock? How cemented is your relationship with the Rock, our Husband, the foundation of this Church?
In Mr. Flurry’s first Feast of Tabernacles 2010 sermon, he gave the Church new revelation from Genesis 28, which describes the origin of the stone of destiny. The stones Jacob used for his pillow became united as one pillar stone. Mr. Flurry said this miraculous event was analogous to us becoming married to Jesus Christ—the Rock!
We are going to become one stone with Christ! We should be growing in unity with our Husband even now. Then, at our birth into God’s Family, our incredible future together will begin in earnest!
Truly there is no Rock like our God!


Every Monday, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
The study of Revelation will be starting September 11, going through December 4. The time will be 2:00 - 3:30. We will be meeting in Room 2. You will need your Bible and may need a notebook. All are invited. This study will be led by Lori Freeberg.


Adam Hearlson, a Ph.D. candidate in homiletics at Princeton Seminary from Newport Beach, California, was one of two students in the United States awarded the “Make a Difference! Doctoral Studies Award” given annually to members of the United Church of Christ engaged in a program of study that prepares them to teach at seminary upon completion of their degree.
Five Princeton Seminary students have been awarded national fellowships by The Fund for Theological Education (FTE), whose mission is to “call and cultivate a new generation of leaders to serve the church and world.”
Master of Divinity students Jeremiah I. Chester from West Palm Beach, Florida, Richard A. DeVries from Nashville, Tennessee, and Nicholas A. Johnson from Irvington, New Jersey, were each awarded a 2010 FTE Congregational Fellowship. Daniel J. Stulac, a Master of Divinity student from St. Louis, Missouri, received a 2010 FTE Ministry Fellowship.
Xavier D. Pickett, a PTS doctoral student from Atlanta, Georgia, received a 2010 FTE Doctoral Fellowship.