Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. 

Joseph says: Who will give lodging to these pilgrims who are weary of traveling the roads? We have come exhausted from Nazareth. I’m a carpenter, by the name of Joseph. In the name of the heavens, I beg you for lodging, my beloved wife can no longer travel.
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People inside the Church answer: Although you tell us that you are weary, we do not give lodging to strangers. We don’t care what your name is; let us sleep. We are telling you that we will not let you enter.

​On Sunday, December 19, 2021, the South Bronx Team Ministry [a shared ministry comprised of Misión de San Juan Bautista, St. David’s, St. Edmund’s, and St. Simeon’s] and St. Margaret’s celebrated Las Posadas (A Service of shelter for the Holy family) jointly for the first time. These two entities collaborated and worshipped at this one-of-a-kind bilingual Christian, biblical, and evangelistic service which bears its roots from the Hispanic culture. The service embodied a collection of Advent, Marian and Christmas songs accompanied with prayers and reflections in both English and Spanish.  Las Posadas is a cherished Advent tradition that has been celebrated among families in Mexico and other Latin American countries for hundreds of years. In 1857, an enthusiastic priest, Fray Diego de Soria, a monk of the Order of St. Augustine, introduced the devotion in a church in Mexico.  These celebrations were precisely at Christmas time and were a strong attraction to new Christians.  Las Posadas became so popular that soon the celebration was taken up by other churches in Mexico and neighboring countries.  Soon homeowners began celebrating in their homes where travelers went from house to house led by the angel with a little donkey on which the Virgin, Mary, was seated and Joseph walked by her side. For the most part, this celebration takes pace during Advent from December 16 through December 23 with a special service on December 24.  During this novena (nine days of preparing our hearts to welcome Jesus into the world), the community gathers every night.  While Las Posadas is celebrated in many unique ways today, the theme of hospitality remains vital.  See a photo album of the event >

Today some churches embrace the Posadas celebration to help connect with new Latino neighbors. The Reverends Benjamin Nnaji [ Priest-in-Charge: St. Edmund’s, St. David’s, Misión de San Juan Bautista, St, Simeon’s, Bronx], Mario Martinez [Assistant priest:  Misión de San Juan Bautista] and Theodora Brooks [priest-in-charge: St. Margaret’s, Longwood] and their respective congregations partnered and sought to do the same – connect with our neighbors. The service began with the priests accompanied by Mary, Joseph and the infant seeking entry into the Church. A dialog ensues between both groups - those inside and those outside:
 People inside say: Who are the children of God?
People outside say: All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
People inside say:  To what does the Spirit of God guide us?
People outside say: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self–control.  
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Once the people inside of the Church were persuaded to admit the entourage, they said, “Lodging we will give you with much happiness; enter, good Joseph; enter with Mary. Enter, holy pilgrims. Receive this corner not of this humble home, but of our hearts.” The entourage was received joyously to the music provided by a mariachi band.  In his sermon, The Reverend Canon Victor Conrado, Canon for Congregational Vitality and Formation, encouraged us to be adventurous like Mary. He went on to further engage us in identifying the degradation of our individual communities which may be attributed to the pandemic – homelessness, unemployment, food insufficiencies, depression, lawlessness, fear. We have become estranged in our own skin; becoming to accustomed to isolation and alienation. Where is God throughout all this? What is God telling us to do during this time? These questions were also asked when the travelling Holy family sought a place to rest - How do we know we love the Lord and have faith?
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What good is it, my brothers, and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have work? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. A simple statement that appears to be on a loop in my head is ‘meet people where they are’.  In doing so, by God’s mercy we may again find ourselves as we seek to serve others and treat each other with love.
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The celebration concluded with a procession into the neighborhood. Mary, Miss Hailey Montilla, rode the pony holding the infant and Joseph, Mr. David Ash, walked alongside. As we traversed the neighborhood singing, we saw onlookers through their windows; they waved enthusiastically from their warm abodes as we passed by. It was our aspiration that our neighbors would join us even if it was simply out of curiosity. Again – meet people where they are. At least they now know that we are not just a building but a group of people within that building. We anticipate this service being a staple during Advent. When our neighbors are ready, our doors will be open to receive them and with this reception may we each find ourselves and offer a corner of our hearts in the process. 

What, exactly goes on at a General Convention of the Episcopal Church?  This is old hat to deputies who have been to five or six General Conventions, as many have, but it is always a mystery to people who have never attended the week-long gathering.  So here  is what the Diocese of New York is doing this year!

Your Diocesan Deputation to the
2022 General Convention
invites you to an
Online General Convention Orientation Session
with
The Rev. Matt Mead, Clerical Deputy
and
Diane Pollard, Alternate Lay Deputy
on Monday, January 31
from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Via Zoom
Join us and learn about our diocese's
presence and participation at
the 80th General Convention of the Episcopal Church
to be held in Baltimore, Maryland, July 7-14​

Drive-Through Journey to Bethlehem was born of necessity at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church during the pandemic when there were more limitations on the number of folks who could gather. But the fruitfulness of this program was so great, that they are doing it again in 2021. You can find dozens of other articles on Advent here from Building Faith. 

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An Illustrated Advent for Families: God With Us is just one of several affordable resources from Illustrated Ministry. This resource offers families the opportunity to take time each week of the Advent season to be intentional about their faith. There are five family devotions, coloring pages, and an Advent Calendar with a simple activity for each day.

The Advent Planning Workshop from Lifelong Learning is now available asynchronously. You will watch Cole Arthur Riley's meditation on Advent, receive a fillable planning worksheet with reflection questions and scripture verses, hear seasonal ideas from Building Faith editor, Sarah Bentley Allred, and receive an extensive resource list. ​

You may have seen an article in the Religious News Service (https://religionnews.com/2019/06/27/on-madison-avenue-an-episcopal-priest-blesses-passersby/) about the Rev. Adrian Dannhauser, associate rector of the Church of the Incarnation in Manhattan, NY.  She stands outside the doors of the church in her vestments every Tuesday morning for a half an hour with a sign that says “Ask me for a blessing. God’s grace is meant to be shared”.
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The people passing by are mostly in a hurry to get on with their days, but a few greet Dannhauser and some ask her for a blessing.  These are not generally the people who attend Incarnation.  Many of them probably do not attend any church.  She says in her blog (https://www.askmeforablessing.com/) :

​Not every congregation has a busy street right in front of the church, so this particular version of a blessing ministry isn’t tailored to a rural congregation or even to the average suburban congregation.  The concept, however, of being present in a community in a public setting offering a blessing, sharing God’s grace, can be adapted.  We aren’t called, after all, to fill our church pews, but we have been sent out to share the Good News with everyone.

There are many examples of ministry in action throughout Province II.  An example is Laundry Love, a special ministry of St John’s in Somerville, NJ (Diocese of New Jersey).  Through Laundry Love, parishioners assist neighbors in need who are unable, or cannot afford, to wash and clean their clothes.
 
Once a month, St John’s volunteers station themselves at a laundromat and provide a needed service to many in the community through Laundry Love. The volunteers help clients prepare their laundry for the washing machine, feed the quarters into the machine, and repeat with the dryers.
 
Flyers announcing Laundry Love are posted in the area shelters, social service agencies, the food bank, and the local luncheon program (housed at St John’s). There
are no questions asked – just a willingness on the part of St John’s to help the young and old, families and couples, children and seniors who arrive at the laundromat.  The numbers of those being assisted have gradually risen over the months, a tribute to the effectiveness of this ministry, and a sad commentary on the needs of society.  Laundry Love is a community effort: members of St John’s donate quarters, clothes soap pods and dryer sheets: volunteers from the church are on hand to coordinate and assist the clients.  And, Laundry Love could not happen if not for the generosity and cooperation of a local laundromat.
 
Laundry Love is a ministry that first developed in California. Over the years, pockets of Laundry Love have emerged across the Episcopal Church.  At St John’s, Laundry Love has become a mainstay of ministry in the community.
 
For more information contact St John’s, 908-722-1250.
Neva Rae Fox, St. John’s, Somerville