--Return to Contents
(Editor's note: Before reading the following two articles from St. Ann's newsletter, it is important to give some information about the neighborhood St. Ann's serves. The Rt. Rev. Richard F. Grein, Bishop of New York, calls it "the home of some of the poorest of the poor in our nation." Anita Lemonis, Communications Officer for the Diocese of New York, in her article "Victory over Violence" in the November/December Episcopal New Yorker, writes: "Mott Haven is a rough neighborhood," says Mother Martha Overall.... "There are wars over turf and dealers shooting in the streets. There are too many drugs and too many weapons." Ms. Lemonis states,"the majority of people who live here are innocent women and children." From the jacket cover of the book, Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol, about children who grow up in the South Bronx, I quote: "The children...and their families defy the stereotypes of urban youth too frequently presented on TV and in the newspapers. Tender, generous, and often religiously devout, they speak with painful clarity about the poverty and racial isolation that have wounded but not hardened them. 'It's not like being in a jail,' says 15-year-old Isabel. 'It's more like being hidden. It's as if you have been put in a garage where, if they don't have room for something but aren't sure if they should throw it out, they put it there where they don't need to think of it again....' ")
It's like a football cheer, that's how famous author Jonathan Kozol describes grace before meals as said by children in St. Ann's after-school program. The description appears in Kozol's just-released book, Amazing Grace, (Crown), about the children of the South Bronx, which details many aspects of St. Ann's ministry.
St. Ann's after-school program picks the children up from school, helps them with their homework, gives them dinner, a snack, and supervised playtime. Since last year, the program includes "Literacy Launch" to help students improve their reading and writing skills. With places for only fifty children, this well-respected and effective program quickly fills. There is always a waiting list.
Dale Prentice - Miss Dale to the children - runs the after-school program with a loving hand. She and her family are members of St. Ann's congregation. Miss Dale loves the children and she nurtures them well. She has three children of her own, and a foster child. She led the parent-teacher association at P.S.30, next door to St. Ann's.
One visitor to St. Ann's summed up her impression of the after-school program: "I have seen programs where the children are well-disciplined. I have seen programs where the children are happy. St. Ann's is the only program I have seen where the children are both happy and well-disciplined.
Jose and Jessica appeared on a TV talk show about violence. They are two of the youngsters in a program to train young community leaders in conflict resolution and violence avoidance. These youngsters are also trained to be peer educators.
They have already put their training to good use and demonstrated a degree of fearlessness. When two groups of young people were getting ready to fight on one of the neighborhood's main streets, Porcia, one of St. Ann's active teenagers, stepped up and talked to them about the foolishness and self-destruction of fighting. This group has also been influential in persuading a local store owner to stop selling toy guns that look real.
The anti-violence program these young leaders attend is based at Hunter College of the City University. Two other churches from the South Bronx, both Lutheran, also participate.
For information about St. Ann's, contact: the Rev. Martha R. Overall, St. Ann's Church, 295 St. Ann's Ave., Bronx, NY 10454, tel: 718-585-5632.
--Return to Contents
What comes to mind when you hear the words "children's ministry"? Most likely the response would be church school or curriculum. The Treasure Kids! Project consists of nearly 20 dioceses working in partnership with the Office of Children's Ministries at the Episcopal Church Center. This project risks looking beyond the church school model, trying new and different ways of ministering to and with children, and sharing these models with the rest of the church.
The Treasure Kids! Models for Children's Ministries began in 1991 when twelve dioceses came together to discuss children's concerns. By1995 the number of dioceses involved nearly doubled, which indicates that the vision the project offers is spreading and capturing people's hearts and minds.
The project formally comes to an end at General Convention in 1997, although it is anticipated that this program will continue as a movement in the church. Plans for inclusion of children during worship and an area set aside for children and families are currently underway for General Convention. A task force is looking at possible resolutions regarding children and families.
Realizing that effective ministries happen at the local level in homes and through congregations, the dioceses looked for congregations that would offer themselves as models; congregations that were willing to experiment with different models of ministry. The number of committed congregations in dioceses range from four to thirty-three. Bishops have played a major roll by inviting congregations to participate and in some cases have focused on children's ministries at clergy conferences and diocesan conventions. Congregations that have benefited most from the project have the support and involvement of the clergy.
At the national education conference, "Continuing in the Apostles Teaching," at Estes Park, Colorado last April, the International Task Force for Treasure Kids! offered the part of the program concerned with children's ministries. The Rt. Rev. Telesforo Isaac (South West Florida), who is intimately involved with the Treasure Kids! Project, opened the program with a startling story that acclaimed, "It Takes a Whole Village to Raise a Child." The Rt. Rev. Arthur Walmsley (retired), a well-known advocate for children, presented a balanced view advocating for children in the church and for children outside the church.
The Rev. Howard Williams, Coordinator of Children's Ministries at the Episcopal Church Center, introduced and sparked discussion on the Children's Charter for the Church, the heart of the project. The charter is user friendly as compared to wrestling with a mission statement and goals. Using scripture as the foundation, the charter focuses on the church's call in nurturing the ministry of the child, to the child, and with the child. It is printed on heavy marbleized paper making it attractive for framing. Churches and committees could use it for a mission statement as it pertains to every human being with no age barriers. Copies of the Children's Charter for the Church are available through the Episcopal Parish Services for the cost of $1.00 by calling 1-800-903-5544. A study guide is included.
Violence in the lives of children is of utmost concern. We all have heard the unsettling statistics and unbelievable stories. An initiative called Young People Against Violence, including several groups inside and outside the Episcopal Church including Treasure Kids!, is underway to take steps in counteracting violence and promoting peacemaking. The initiative is under the banner Children Should Be Seen and Not Hurt. More details and information on how children, families, congregations, and whole communities can be involved may be obtained from the Office of Children's Ministries at the church center.
A video is also in preparation to help people capture the vision and heart of Treasure Kids! It should be available the summer of 1996. Several dioceses have developed items for sale - such as tee-shirts, bumper stickers, pins, and banners - to help promote the program.
Treasure Bear, a stuffed animal especially made for the Treasure Kids! Project, is highly sought after. He travels from diocese to diocese, parish to parish, and arm to arm, giving hugs to whomever he encounters. Measures are being taken to mass produce him.
For information about Treasure Kids! and other areas of children's ministries contact: Nancy Wart, tel: 315-474-6596 or the Rev. Howard Williams, Coordiantor or Children's Ministries, 815 Second Ave., New York, NY10017, tel: 1-800-334-7626.
--Return to Contents
When Treasure Bear came to visit All Saints', we hardly realized what a ministry he would have with us. Somehow he always shows up at meetings, church functions, and intergenerational events. He can be found in the arms of anyone from two to eighty-two.
His greatest gift seems to be in his "visiting" during Sunday services. He usually begins sitting in the back pew with whomever happens to be there. During the service he makes his way around the church, sitting with young and old alike. No one is able to resist a hug.
One Sunday when I was sitting next to a child who always has a difficult time sitting still, I realized what a gift Treasure Bear has. As we came back from taking communion, Treasure was waiting for us. The child took Treasure Bear in his arms and knelt, folding Treasure's arms in prayer. For the rest of the service, the child made sure that Treasure Bear was following along as they both did just what everyone else was doing.
I asked the children, "If someone were to walk into our church from outside, how would they know that this is a parish that treasures kids?" They responded by saying that people would know that kids are treasured because kids are included in the Eucharist, learn to be acolytes, sing in the junior choir, light the Advent candles, write prayers for the Children's Sabbath, and read verses in Prayers of the People. Also, they have sweatshirts that say, "In the Episcopal Church We Treasure Kids" and the church sign says, "We Treasure Kids." The youth group gathers and participates in community service and the children brought bears to A Party with God to go to El Salvador. Treasure Bear is welcome at church services.
Thank you Treasure Bear for the love you bring us.
Contact: Barbara Dexter, RD 1, Box 370, Fulton, NY 13069, tel: 315-593-2208
--Return to Contents
The North Porch Women and Infants' Center is an emergency service providing four-day supplies of formula, baby food, diapers, and clothing for infants in Newark and Paterson and surrounding communities. The name reflects the custom of the ancient church to regard the "north porch" as a refuge and gathering place for women.
North Porch has been in operation at Cathedral House in Newark since 1984 and at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Paterson, in conjunction with its food pantry, since 1990. This service is open three afternoons a week in Newark and our Paterson center serves clients throughout the week.
North Porch is a project of the Episcopal Church Women in the Diocese of Newark and serves women of all faiths. It is the only such agency in Newark. A board of trustees has overall responsibility for both centers. The Newark center employs a part-time, paid manager who is assisted by volunteers. Our Paterson center is staffed by a group of unemployed, homeless men supervised by the Community Services program at St. Paul's.
Funds are received through outreach efforts of many organizations and from concerned individuals and granting agencies. Many supplies and all clothing are donated. There is a constant need for supplies to help these young women and their small children.
Assistance to clients is provided only through referrals. These come from a number of social agencies connected with North Porch as cooperative agreements and from some area churches.
The board of trustees has established a trust fund, North Porch Future Fund, which will allow North Porch to continue to serve needy women and children for many years. However, our need for regular contributions for day-to-day operations will continue to be great.
A board member wrote, "It is always a source of amazement that the needy mothers who come to North Porch are so full of hope. Their ability to survive in the face of so many obstacles is an inspiration."
Contact: Marjorie Hartmeyer, 320 Schraalenburgh Road, Haworth, NJ 07641, tel: 201-384-4032.
--Return to Contents
Persuading adults of the merits and importance of the Great Vigil of Easter can be a difficult and slow process. In the parish where I am currently serving, I was told repeatedly, "Yes, I attended a vigil once - NEVER AGAIN!"
In spite of the resistance, we made three moderately successful attempts at celebrating the Great Vigil. Then, last year, we scheduled a joint celebration with a neighboring parish in the evening and a liturgy just for children in the late afternoon. The response to the children's liturgy was more than double what we had anticipated!
Over a hundred children and parents crowded into the dark basement of our new parish hall. Just when the youngest were beginning to express discomfort with the darkness, there was a fire and the Pascal candle was lit. We asked God to bless the fire and the candle, then listened as an older child read us the story of creation. Adults and older children lit candles from the Paschal candle. As they did so there was a brief explanation/homily tying together the reading and the lighting of the candles. At the conclusion of this first part, the children lead the adults in singing their own version of the Exsultet -- " Rejoice in the Lord, always."
At the conclusion of the song, we processed upstairs where the younger ones placed flowers and plants in the Easter garden, which was then solemnly blessed. We then sat as quietly as children can for eleven minutes to watch a Franciscan Communications video: "Baptism - Sacrament of Belonging." In response to the film, we all gathered around a large, brass baptismal font and renewed our baptismal promises using words suitable for young children but faithful to the meaning of those in the Book of Common Prayer . The children, who had never seen their priest play, were startled when he seemed to delight in splashing everyone with the water from the font.
Once again, it was time to move. This time we were carried into the church by festive Easter hymns played on the organ. After joyously shouting the Easter acclamation three times, we listened to the Easter gospel and then watched as older children acted out a portion of C. S. Lewis' book, The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader" . Young, mean, and selfish Eustace was transformed into a dragon. Then, after an inner conversation, Aslan the lion restored Eustace to his true nature. Throughout the eucharistic prayer the children responded with cries of "Hosanna in the highest!" At the conclusion we all shouted "Amen" three times and applauded to thank God for hearing our prayers. New meaning was given to the Lord's Prayer as the familiar words were accompanied by simple gestures. Then, less than an hour after we first gathered in the dark basement, the deacon dismissed us and sent us forth rejoicing.
In the liturgy there were moments of solemnity, celebration, play, and love. We watched in darkness, listened to God's word, gathered around the waters of baptism, and were nourished at the Lord's table. All of these elements can be found in an adult celebration of the Great Vigil. As these children grow and mature, I hope and pray they will recognize the same patterns and discover the riches of the Easter liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer.
Contact: the Rev. Canon William R. Hinrichs, 912 Rt. 146, Clifton Park, NY 12065, tel: 518-371-6351.
--Return to Contents
"We shall rise!" These are the words being said or sung by the people of this diocese since the devastation of the territory by hurricane Marilyn which hit the islands on Friday, September 15, 1995.
Water and winds, reported to have reached 130 miles per hour in some places, spared nothing. Churches, buildings, homes, cars, boats, airplanes, and vegetation were blown away or damaged. Electricity, telephones, and running water were cut in many places. The people of the islands experienced many hours of fear.
Within the diocese, the island of St. Thomas was the hardest hit, suffering the loss of the Cathedral of All Saints on Garden Street and St. Luke Church in Smith Bay. St. Ursula Church on the island of St. John sustained some damage. On the island of St. Croix, all the churches received minor damage either by wind or water. We thank God that the British Virgin Islands were spared.
The islands are now on the road to recovery. Homes are being rebuilt or repaired, electricity has been restored, some of the telephones are in service, and toursim is on the rise.
Sincere thanks and appreciation to the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief and to Province II for their financial assistance. (See "Around the Province" .) We ask that you remember us in your prayers for we have again suffered a loss on the island of St. Croix. In the town of Frederiksted, St. Paul Church was gutted by fire on January 8, 1996.
--Return to Contents