In the latest edition of The Chimes, I have an article outlining church as not just a building, but a destination. Lately I have been reflecting a lot on my own childhood---being raised in the church---and how that history has anchored me through my life. I certainly don't mean that if your children attend church regularly they will end up being clergy or that they won't have problems! But I am very sure that they will have an extra place to call home, an extra place to feel safe, an extra place to grow up. Our youth program is called Journey to Adulthood for a very specific reason---our kids are growing up and it is a journey. A journey toward being an adult. Take a good look at our world, don't we need some stable, thoughtful, peace loving adults? To get them, we must raise them. That's what we are doing at St. Paul's Cathedral--we are raising some good solid people who have a foundation of faith to carry them through the rough times and to feed the joy of the good times.
To this end, if your child, ages 12-15 is interested in confirmation, call Cathy Dempesy at 855-0900 ext. 231 ASAP. Or if you are interested in learning more about opportunities for children and youth, call the same number.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Halloween Thanksgiving and Christmas
Tis the season for pumpkins and the witch of Endor, turkeys and thanksgivings for our abundant blessings, Christmas trees and watchful anticipation. Although it has felt a lot more like July than October, in just a few days it will be November and that insidious "holiday rush" will be upon us. The church doesn't slow down at all as we try to keep up with all the secularism of these days. We have already had our Halloween Party (with many thanks to Kelly Giordano, Alma Brown, Kara Schwabel and Ellie Bender who made the day a big success) and we are deep into our plans for the Thanksgiving Eve Eucharist, a St. Paul's contingent at the Turkey Trot, my ordination to the transitional diaconate (thanks be to God!), Advent, that wonderfully anxious time as we await the incarnation, and Christmas. These are the times parents can get caught up in buying the latest fad item for their kids, kids can get caught up in the materialism of an "I need" society and everyone can become irritable and ill at ease. Let St. Paul's Cathedral be an oasis for you over the next 8 weeks--find some quiet time at our 12:05 Eucharists, daily Morning Prayer (9 AM), Tuesday-Thursday Evensongs (5:45 PM), Friends of Music concerts, education hours and, of course, Sunday Eucharist. Our doors are open and our arms spread wide in welcome. Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving and with wishes for a holy, peaceful and mysterious Advent I ask you to take a deep breath and let us, your family at St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo, welcome you.
Want to join us for the turkey trot? Want to learn more about our weekday services? Interested in confirmation classes for your youth? Would your children like to participate in the Christmas Pageant? Email me at cathy.dempesy@stpaulscathedral.org
Want to join us for the turkey trot? Want to learn more about our weekday services? Interested in confirmation classes for your youth? Would your children like to participate in the Christmas Pageant? Email me at cathy.dempesy@stpaulscathedral.org
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The Question About Health Care
On Sunday, we had an interesting discussion about the S-CHIP controversy. Here's a perspective from the New York Times.
Political Memo
Capitol Feud: A 12-Year-Old Is the Fodder
·
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: October 10, 2007
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 — There have been moments when the fight between Congressional Democrats and President Bush over the State Children’s Health Insurance Program seemed to devolve into a shouting match about who loves children more.
So when Democrats enlisted 12-year-old Graeme Frost, who along with a younger sister relied on the program for treatment of severe brain injuries suffered in a car crash, to give the response to Mr. Bush’s weekly radio address on Sept. 29, Republican opponents quickly accused them of exploiting the boy to score political points.
Then, they wasted little time in going after him to score their own.
In recent days, Graeme and his family have been attacked by conservative bloggers and other critics of the Democrats’ plan to expand the insurance program, known as S-chip. They scrutinized the family’s income and assets — even alleged the counters in their kitchen to be granite — and declared that the Frosts did not seem needy enough for government benefits.
But what on the surface appears to be yet another partisan feud, all the nastier because a child is at the center of it, actually cuts to the most substantive debate around S-chip. Democrats say it is crucially needed to help the working poor — Medicaid already helps the impoverished — but many Republicans say it now helps too many people with the means to help themselves.
The feud also illustrates what can happen when politicians showcase real people to make a point, a popular but often perilous technique. And in this case, the discourse has been anything but polite.
The critics accused Graeme’s father, Halsey, a self-employed woodworker, of choosing not to provide insurance for his family of six, even though he owned his own business. They pointed out that Graeme attends an expensive private school. And they asserted that the family’s home had undergone extensive remodeling, and that its market value could exceed $400,000.
One critic, in an e-mail message to Graeme’s mother, Bonnie, warned: “Lie down with dogs, and expect to get fleas.” As it turns out, the Frosts say, Graeme attends the private school on scholarship. The business that the critics said Mr. Frost owned was dissolved in 1999. The family’s home, in the modest Butchers Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, was bought for $55,000 in 1990 and is now worth about $260,000, according to public records. And, for the record, the Frosts say, their kitchen counters are concrete.
Certainly the Frosts are not destitute. They also own a commercial property, valued at about $160,000, that provides rental income. Mr. Frost works intermittently in woodworking and as a welder, while Mrs. Frost has a part-time job at a firm that provides services to publishers of medical journals. Her job does not provide health coverage.
Under the Maryland child health program, a family of six must earn less than $55,220 a year for children to qualify. The program does not require applicants to list their assets, which do not affect eligibility.
In a telephone interview, the Frosts said they had recently been rejected by three private insurance companies because of pre-existing medical conditions. “We stood up in the first place because S-chip really helped our family and we wanted to help other families,” Mrs. Frost said.
“We work hard, we’re honest, we pay our taxes,” Mr. Frost said, adding, “There are hard-working families that really need affordable health insurance.”
Democrats, including the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, have risen to the Frosts’ defense, saying they earn about $45,000 a year and are precisely the type of working-poor Americans that the program was intended to help.
Ms. Pelosi on Tuesday said, “I think it’s really a sad statement about how bankrupt some of these people are in their arguments against S-chip that they would attack a 12-year-old boy.”
The House and Senate approved legislation to expand the child health program by $35 billion over five years. President Bush, who proposed a lower increase, vetoed the bill last week. Mr. Bush said the Democrats’ plan was fiscally unsound and would raise taxes; the Democrats say he is willing to spend billions on the Iraq war but not on health care for American children.
Mr. Bush’s plan could force states to tighten eligibility limits, but it seemed likely that the Frost children would still be covered.
Republicans on Capitol Hill, who were gearing up to use Graeme as evidence that Democrats have overexpanded the health program to include families wealthy enough to afford private insurance, have backed off.
An aide to Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, expressed relief that his office had not issued a press release criticizing the Frosts.
But Michelle Malkin, one of the bloggers who have strongly criticized the Frosts, insisted Republicans should hold their ground and not pull punches.
“The bottom line here is that this family has considerable assets,” Ms. Malkin wrote in an e-mail message. “Maryland’s S-chip program does not means-test. The refusal to do assets tests on federal health insurance programs is why federal entitlements are exploding and government keeps expanding. If Republicans don’t have the guts to hold the line, they deserve to lose their seats.”
As for accusations that bloggers were unfairly attacking a 12-year-old, Ms. Malkin wrote on her blog, “If you don’t want questions, don’t foist these children onto the public stage.”
Mr. and Mrs. Frost said they were bothered by the assertion that they lacked health coverage by their own choice.
“That is not true at all,” Mrs. Frost said. “Basically all these naysayers need to lay the facts out on the page, and say, ‘How could a family be able to do this?’ S-chip is a stopgap.”
Political Memo
Capitol Feud: A 12-Year-Old Is the Fodder
·
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: October 10, 2007
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 — There have been moments when the fight between Congressional Democrats and President Bush over the State Children’s Health Insurance Program seemed to devolve into a shouting match about who loves children more.
So when Democrats enlisted 12-year-old Graeme Frost, who along with a younger sister relied on the program for treatment of severe brain injuries suffered in a car crash, to give the response to Mr. Bush’s weekly radio address on Sept. 29, Republican opponents quickly accused them of exploiting the boy to score political points.
Then, they wasted little time in going after him to score their own.
In recent days, Graeme and his family have been attacked by conservative bloggers and other critics of the Democrats’ plan to expand the insurance program, known as S-chip. They scrutinized the family’s income and assets — even alleged the counters in their kitchen to be granite — and declared that the Frosts did not seem needy enough for government benefits.
But what on the surface appears to be yet another partisan feud, all the nastier because a child is at the center of it, actually cuts to the most substantive debate around S-chip. Democrats say it is crucially needed to help the working poor — Medicaid already helps the impoverished — but many Republicans say it now helps too many people with the means to help themselves.
The feud also illustrates what can happen when politicians showcase real people to make a point, a popular but often perilous technique. And in this case, the discourse has been anything but polite.
The critics accused Graeme’s father, Halsey, a self-employed woodworker, of choosing not to provide insurance for his family of six, even though he owned his own business. They pointed out that Graeme attends an expensive private school. And they asserted that the family’s home had undergone extensive remodeling, and that its market value could exceed $400,000.
One critic, in an e-mail message to Graeme’s mother, Bonnie, warned: “Lie down with dogs, and expect to get fleas.” As it turns out, the Frosts say, Graeme attends the private school on scholarship. The business that the critics said Mr. Frost owned was dissolved in 1999. The family’s home, in the modest Butchers Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, was bought for $55,000 in 1990 and is now worth about $260,000, according to public records. And, for the record, the Frosts say, their kitchen counters are concrete.
Certainly the Frosts are not destitute. They also own a commercial property, valued at about $160,000, that provides rental income. Mr. Frost works intermittently in woodworking and as a welder, while Mrs. Frost has a part-time job at a firm that provides services to publishers of medical journals. Her job does not provide health coverage.
Under the Maryland child health program, a family of six must earn less than $55,220 a year for children to qualify. The program does not require applicants to list their assets, which do not affect eligibility.
In a telephone interview, the Frosts said they had recently been rejected by three private insurance companies because of pre-existing medical conditions. “We stood up in the first place because S-chip really helped our family and we wanted to help other families,” Mrs. Frost said.
“We work hard, we’re honest, we pay our taxes,” Mr. Frost said, adding, “There are hard-working families that really need affordable health insurance.”
Democrats, including the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, have risen to the Frosts’ defense, saying they earn about $45,000 a year and are precisely the type of working-poor Americans that the program was intended to help.
Ms. Pelosi on Tuesday said, “I think it’s really a sad statement about how bankrupt some of these people are in their arguments against S-chip that they would attack a 12-year-old boy.”
The House and Senate approved legislation to expand the child health program by $35 billion over five years. President Bush, who proposed a lower increase, vetoed the bill last week. Mr. Bush said the Democrats’ plan was fiscally unsound and would raise taxes; the Democrats say he is willing to spend billions on the Iraq war but not on health care for American children.
Mr. Bush’s plan could force states to tighten eligibility limits, but it seemed likely that the Frost children would still be covered.
Republicans on Capitol Hill, who were gearing up to use Graeme as evidence that Democrats have overexpanded the health program to include families wealthy enough to afford private insurance, have backed off.
An aide to Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, expressed relief that his office had not issued a press release criticizing the Frosts.
But Michelle Malkin, one of the bloggers who have strongly criticized the Frosts, insisted Republicans should hold their ground and not pull punches.
“The bottom line here is that this family has considerable assets,” Ms. Malkin wrote in an e-mail message. “Maryland’s S-chip program does not means-test. The refusal to do assets tests on federal health insurance programs is why federal entitlements are exploding and government keeps expanding. If Republicans don’t have the guts to hold the line, they deserve to lose their seats.”
As for accusations that bloggers were unfairly attacking a 12-year-old, Ms. Malkin wrote on her blog, “If you don’t want questions, don’t foist these children onto the public stage.”
Mr. and Mrs. Frost said they were bothered by the assertion that they lacked health coverage by their own choice.
“That is not true at all,” Mrs. Frost said. “Basically all these naysayers need to lay the facts out on the page, and say, ‘How could a family be able to do this?’ S-chip is a stopgap.”
Thursday, September 27, 2007
What Else Should We Be Doing?
What is it that youth want at church? I am asking a number of my kids this question so if you have a response, let me know. Maybe a better way to ask this question is: why do you come to church? If the answer is because your parents say you have to then answer this: what makes it "not so bad?" I want to do more of what you like and less of what is a drag. I also want to try and get some grant money to expand our programming. What DO YOU think would work?
Also, just a quick thought for tonight: I realized, as I sat in one of my classes this week that God is Enough. I worry about money, I worry about peace in the world, I worry about the safety of those I love...but really I needn't worry....for God is Enough. Just a thought.
Also, just a quick thought for tonight: I realized, as I sat in one of my classes this week that God is Enough. I worry about money, I worry about peace in the world, I worry about the safety of those I love...but really I needn't worry....for God is Enough. Just a thought.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
The Last Jew in Afghanistan
This AFP article was on Yahoo today. What would it be like to be the only person in Buffalo to worship at the Cathedral? This article was written by by Beatrice Khadige, she writes from Kabul in Afghanistan:
Zebulon Simentov, the last Jew in Afghanistan, is once again marking the Jewish holy day of fasting in solitude, in a deserted synagogue in the capital of a devoutly Islamic nation.
"I have everything I need for the 24 hours of praying and fasting," Simentov tells AFP before the start of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, at sunset on Friday.
Around two decades ago, there were still about 20 Afghan Jewish families living in Kabul, although all were from Herat -- the largest city in northwestern Afghanistan near the border with Iran.
Through the Soviet occupation of the 1980s, the subsequent civil war and the Taliban's 1996-2001 regime, all went to Israel or moved to neighbouring former Soviet republics -- undoing a Jewish presence built up from the seventh century.
Only Simentov has been left behind, becoming by default the guardian of Kabul's empty synagogue.
The room where he receives visitors was once a prayer room for women. On the wall are pictures of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the late ultra-orthodox Lubavitch rabbi, Menahem Scheerson.
Adjoining this room is the bare-walled "small synagogue" for men, where he prefers to pray.
Simentov, approaching 50, dislikes the "big synagogue" across the corridor -- another large and dirty room in which stands only a platform traditionally reserved for the rabbi.
A cupboard built into the wall faces Jerusalem. Its doors are open and it has been stripped of its treasure, a scroll of the Torah.
The precious document was stolen by a Taliban during the rule of the Islamist movement which was driven from government six years ago by a coalition led by the United States.
The man "wanted to sell it, thinking it was valuable," Simentov says in Dari, one of the main languages in Afghanistan. He says he reads Hebrew perfectly but prefers not to speak it.
"Today that Taliban is jailed at Guantanamo Bay and I am waiting for him to be freed so I can ask him to return the Tables of the Law," says Simentov, who wears a Jewish cap called a kippa, but is otherwise dressed like an Afghan.
Simentov is alone. His wife and two children are in Israel, which he says he has not visited since 1998.
"I have been the only Jew in Afghanistan for two years," he says. Ishaq Levin, the synagogue's former guardian, died from illness two years ago aged around 80.
Simentov says it is not easy to practise his religion alone.
But he has obtained special permission from a rabbi in Tashkent, capital of neighbouring Uzbekistan and home to 15,000 Jews, to slaughter his own meat in the kosher way that can normally only be done by a special rabbi.
Otherwise this former carpet salesman appears perfectly integrated into Kabul, where he is well-known by people who live around the synagogue, and warmly greeted when he is outside.
Jews have lived in several regions of Afghanistan and legends abound about their presence.
One says the Pashtuns, one of the main ethnic groups in Afghanistan, descended from a tribe from Israel. Another says the name Afghanistan comes from Afghana, grandson of King Saul -- the first king of the ancient Kingdom of Israel.
Zebulon Simentov, the last Jew in Afghanistan, is once again marking the Jewish holy day of fasting in solitude, in a deserted synagogue in the capital of a devoutly Islamic nation.
"I have everything I need for the 24 hours of praying and fasting," Simentov tells AFP before the start of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, at sunset on Friday.
Around two decades ago, there were still about 20 Afghan Jewish families living in Kabul, although all were from Herat -- the largest city in northwestern Afghanistan near the border with Iran.
Through the Soviet occupation of the 1980s, the subsequent civil war and the Taliban's 1996-2001 regime, all went to Israel or moved to neighbouring former Soviet republics -- undoing a Jewish presence built up from the seventh century.
Only Simentov has been left behind, becoming by default the guardian of Kabul's empty synagogue.
The room where he receives visitors was once a prayer room for women. On the wall are pictures of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the late ultra-orthodox Lubavitch rabbi, Menahem Scheerson.
Adjoining this room is the bare-walled "small synagogue" for men, where he prefers to pray.
Simentov, approaching 50, dislikes the "big synagogue" across the corridor -- another large and dirty room in which stands only a platform traditionally reserved for the rabbi.
A cupboard built into the wall faces Jerusalem. Its doors are open and it has been stripped of its treasure, a scroll of the Torah.
The precious document was stolen by a Taliban during the rule of the Islamist movement which was driven from government six years ago by a coalition led by the United States.
The man "wanted to sell it, thinking it was valuable," Simentov says in Dari, one of the main languages in Afghanistan. He says he reads Hebrew perfectly but prefers not to speak it.
"Today that Taliban is jailed at Guantanamo Bay and I am waiting for him to be freed so I can ask him to return the Tables of the Law," says Simentov, who wears a Jewish cap called a kippa, but is otherwise dressed like an Afghan.
Simentov is alone. His wife and two children are in Israel, which he says he has not visited since 1998.
"I have been the only Jew in Afghanistan for two years," he says. Ishaq Levin, the synagogue's former guardian, died from illness two years ago aged around 80.
Simentov says it is not easy to practise his religion alone.
But he has obtained special permission from a rabbi in Tashkent, capital of neighbouring Uzbekistan and home to 15,000 Jews, to slaughter his own meat in the kosher way that can normally only be done by a special rabbi.
Otherwise this former carpet salesman appears perfectly integrated into Kabul, where he is well-known by people who live around the synagogue, and warmly greeted when he is outside.
Jews have lived in several regions of Afghanistan and legends abound about their presence.
One says the Pashtuns, one of the main ethnic groups in Afghanistan, descended from a tribe from Israel. Another says the name Afghanistan comes from Afghana, grandson of King Saul -- the first king of the ancient Kingdom of Israel.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Walking for a Cure
Even adults need mentors, and I have several who are helping me through this process toward becoming a priest. Of course here at the Cathedral I have Mother Liza and Father Paul, but I also have other priests and deacons (even some bishops!) who support me by sharing their wisdom. One such man is Bill Wipfler who is an associate priest at St. Matthias in East Aurora, NY. Bill's wife Pauline has Alzheimer's disease. She no longer recognizes Bill or any of their children. She cannot feed herself, as this disease has ravaged her mind and now her body. On September 29 I will participate in the Memory Walk to raise money for research in hopes of finding a cure. If you are interested in contributing , walking with me and/or in learning more about the organization, go to www.alz.org/wny
Thanks!
Thanks!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Welcome and Patience
Hello all,
This is my first time doing a blog so be patient! As the Coordinator for Children and Youth Education at the Episcopal Cathedral in Buffalo, New York, I wanted to communicate with the youth at the Cathedral and beyond about issues of life in general and, more specifically, faith. I have added some links so you can get to know a little more about our Cathedral, our Diocese and the national church---explore. I will also post some sermons and summaries of discussions we have in the Youth Group and in Sunday School. First some definitions--the Sunday School program we use at St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo is Godly Play. This Montessori based curriculum is for children from pre-K through 5th grade. I often refer to them as the Godly Players. Our youth follow the Journey to Adulthood model and they are referred to as J2Aers. Sometimes I just refer to the kids and youth of the church as "my kids." Because, that is how I think of them---they are my kids, they are our kids--the kids at the Cathedral are the kids Of the Cathedral.
I love our kids.
I am a third year seminarian at Bexley Hall Episcopal Seminary in Rochester, NY. I am set to graduate in May of '08 and am on the ordination track. Currently I am a Candidate for Holy Orders which means that the next step in this process is to interviewed and evaluated for ordination. My interviews will be in mid-October. My goal, God and the people consenting, is to be ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church. Some of those experiences will find their way into this blog, too.
This is my first time doing a blog so be patient! As the Coordinator for Children and Youth Education at the Episcopal Cathedral in Buffalo, New York, I wanted to communicate with the youth at the Cathedral and beyond about issues of life in general and, more specifically, faith. I have added some links so you can get to know a little more about our Cathedral, our Diocese and the national church---explore. I will also post some sermons and summaries of discussions we have in the Youth Group and in Sunday School. First some definitions--the Sunday School program we use at St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo is Godly Play. This Montessori based curriculum is for children from pre-K through 5th grade. I often refer to them as the Godly Players. Our youth follow the Journey to Adulthood model and they are referred to as J2Aers. Sometimes I just refer to the kids and youth of the church as "my kids." Because, that is how I think of them---they are my kids, they are our kids--the kids at the Cathedral are the kids Of the Cathedral.
I love our kids.
I am a third year seminarian at Bexley Hall Episcopal Seminary in Rochester, NY. I am set to graduate in May of '08 and am on the ordination track. Currently I am a Candidate for Holy Orders which means that the next step in this process is to interviewed and evaluated for ordination. My interviews will be in mid-October. My goal, God and the people consenting, is to be ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church. Some of those experiences will find their way into this blog, too.
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