St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
"A Wing and A Prayer", by Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori
Group Discussion Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, November 4, 2007

The group discussed various aspects derived from Part Four:  FUNNY PURPLE SHIRTS -- The Church.  The sections in the book included:  "In the New Millennium" / "Walking on Water" / "Finding God in the Differences" / "Traveling Light" / "Lab Report" / "Sibling Rivalry" / "The Family Table" / "Live Long and Prosper / and "Everybody in the Pool."

Group discussion this week began by discussing the high cost our country is paying for the war in Iraq.  Not only the financial cost to the taxpayers, but the amount of energy and natural resources being used and most importantly, the many human lives being destroyed or severely wounded as a direct result of the fighting.  There are many soldiers now coming back with permanent brain damage from all of the shelling and bombings.  This is costing us for addition medical care as well as noting significant increases in divorce rates and family break-ups

It was noted that not all of our parishes wish to be together as would be the desires of the author.  The one parish in Westerville, for example, will be proposing resolutions at the upcoming Diocesan Convention to accept the Windsor Report, to allow any parish that wishes to separate to keep the church buildings and property, and finally, a resolution for the bishop not to take any action against clergy who wish to separate.  This clearly does not follow the desires of Jefferts-Schori to have everyone continue to worship together even if there are disagreements among ourselves.  Discussion then turned to property ownership and how legally the diocese owns all of the individual church properties.  There may be some few exceptions to this on the east coast where there are very old parishes.  The question was also raised if the whole diocese could change and split from the mainstream church.

It was noted that even within Dayton, there are a few different factions that had spun off of the mainstream church, such as the Reformed Episcopal Church and the American Anglican Church.  Within the Roman Catholic Church there are also similar liberal and conservative factions  Finally, it was noted that in the area around St. Mark's, there seems to be a growing trend to have a closer relationship between the mainstream Episcopal, Lutheran, and Methodists churches.  This is exemplified by our shared Thanksgiving service and the use of the liturgy from each church when they are the host parish.

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
"A Wing and A Prayer", by Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori
Group Discussion Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, October 28, 2007

The group discussed various aspects derived from Part Four:  FUNNY PURPLE SHIRTS -- The Church.  The sections in the book included:  "In the New Millennium" / "Walking on Water" / "Finding God in the Differences" / "Traveling Light" / "Lab Report" / "Sibling Rivalry" / "The Family Table" / "Live Long and Prosper / and "Everybody in the Pool."

Mike Kreutzer was on vacation this week, so the group was led by Deacon George Snyder.  We also had Rev. Jerry Adinolfi, former St. Mark's parishioner and now  Rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Coffeyville, Kansas join us today for the discussion.  Continuing with Part Four and starting on page 74 it was noted that within the church, it seems like the "desire to be right" causes divisions within the church.  Although, it was brought up that there were many other areas to discuss besides the recent one that has divided the Episcopal Church, the discussion still turned in that direction.  It was particularly interesting to get another viewpoint from Rev. Adinolfi.

The author's emphasis on inclusiveness within her book, seems to not be of significant importance to the groups who wish to break off from the mainstream Episcopal Church.  Instead, they opt to worship as a separate entity.  Even things like which version of the Bible should be used, can get some people disagreeing.  It was pointed out that we should be focused instead on evangelism and inviting people to come worship with us who otherwise would not have that experience.  The recent events within the church have certainly caused many to lose this focus.

It was also noted that as Christians, we should be able to accept others even if they aren't cast from the same mold that we are.  All of us, after all, are part of  God's overall creation.

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
"A Wing and A Prayer", by Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori
Group Discussion Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, October 21, 2007

The group discussed various aspects derived from Part Four:  FUNNY PURPLE SHIRTS -- The Church.  The sections in the book included:  "In the New Millennium" / "Walking on Water" / "Finding God in the Differences" / "Traveling Light" / "Lab Report" / "Sibling Rivalry" / "The Family Table" / "Live Long and Prosper / and "Everybody in the Pool."

Starting with the story about "Finding God in the Differences," it was noted that the focus was on community and not the individual.  It was noted that the description of the Trinity was very interesting.  Also, some found it hard to be able to accept that we should all look at other people in the same way, whether they are friend  or foe.  The author seems to repeat this theme over and over again, yet many find it difficult to accept.

It may also be difficult to associate an evil person with God.  Another example is when the Bible uses the image of God as father.  This could be a problem for abused women to accept, for example.  Another example is a child raised by her grandparents due to parents that abandoned her.  The Bible also notes, "Could a mother forget her own child?"

The trends in school organizations are now to make more smaller schools of less than 300-400 students.  This is thought to promote community.  Sometimes organizations turn back to their previous styles.  Sometimes young new companies grow into large bureaucracies.  Old concepts also return in church groups.

It was noted that change can be good in that enthusiasms tends to accompany change.  However, sometimes when things change they result more inefficiencies.  In teaching today, there seems to be too much accountability.  The teachers have very little freedom left to try anything different.  Many classrooms now are simply geared toward teaching only what is necessary to pass the state mandated tests.  The teachers can no longer adapt their curriculum to the needs of individual students who need the most help.  However, there are also many other distractions in the classrooms such as the Internet and cell phones.

In private schools where the parents pay tuition and are highly involved with their sons' and daughters' educations, the success rate is very high.  There is also the move towards home schooling as another alternate form of education.  The big difference seems to be the parents and how much they focus on their child's education.

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
"A Wing and A Prayer", by Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori
Group Discussion Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, October 14, 2007

The group discussed various aspects derived from Part Four:  FUNNY PURPLE SHIRTS -- The Church.  The sections in the book included:  "In the New Millennium" / "Walking on Water" / "Finding God in the Differences" / "Traveling Light" / "Lab Report" / "Sibling Rivalry" / "The Family Table" / "Live Long and Prosper / and "Everybody in the Pool."

The first story starts out with the image of a boat and walking on water.  The comment was made that it is indeed a very nice image, but how do we accomplish a task such as that?  It was then noted how the role of the pastor may change depending upon the size of the church.  In a very small church of less than 50 participants each week, there is typically involvement from nearly all of the members.  In a "pastoral" size church, it is common that the minister takes over more of the roles.  In a very large church, often the clergy must take on more administrative types of duties or hire a staff to do so.  A more common experience is that is seems like 10% of the parishioners are the ones who do 90% of the work!

It was then noted in some less densely populated states such as Nevada, many of the churches do not have full-time rectors.  This is also very true in parts of our own diocese.  In those cases lay people lead the services.

Articles entitled "The Predicament of the Tolerant" by Horace Meyer Kallen and "A Lust for Certitude" by Robert Towler were mentioned as examples of cases where some people and followers of certain religions know that theirs is the only one and they feel compelled to sway you likewise.  Did Mother Theresa, for example have "certitude?"  Jefferts Schori promotes that we should "compel" our guest to come into our church services.  How strong of an action is to compel?

We were then reminded of some of the writings from Luke and Acts of the Apostles.  In regards to Jesus' visit to Nazareth, it was known that it was a very conservative town.  Capernaum, on the other hand, was made up of some very mixed groups of people.  After the death of Stephen, everyone left except the apostles, and those who did leave accepted not only the Jews, but other groups as well.  This is somewhat analogous to the situation with the Anglican Church today.  The Episcopal Church accepts the conservative preaching of Nigerian Anglican Archbishop Peter Akinola, but is also accepts gays and lesbians into the church, considering those groups also to be God's creation.  Other parts of the Episcopal Church have chosen to join forces with Anglican Bishop John Rucyahana, who follows some very strict guidelines as dictated by the Nigerian government.

Many religions "proclaim the truth!"  The question was raised as to what exactly that  meant, since from at least a scientific viewpoint, we don't really know "the truth."  Will we finally get it right at the second coming or at the end of time?  We really can't afford to wait that long!

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
"A Wing and A Prayer", by Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori
Group Discussion Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, October 7, 2007

The group discussed various aspects derived from Part Three:  A BILLION PEOPLE, A DOLLAR A DAY -- Working for Justice and Peace.  The sections in the book included:  "God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions" / "Doing is Believing" / "A Cup of Starbucks" / "Sharing the Wealth" / and "Ready for Grace."

The statement was simply made that we shouldn't discriminate and we should feed the world.  It was noted that these are very nice words, but how do we accomplish these tasks.  It has been calculated that donations of 0.7% of everyone's income would be enough to feed the world.

Then the question was raised that if everyone in the world is fed and healthy, would the population continue to explode even more, which would make it exceeding difficult to feed the additional people?

What about the rising middle classes of some of the third world countries.  As the earth's resources continue to be strained more and more, will we they eventually dry up?  What impact would this have on the rest of the world.?  Thus, just blindly giving money may not solve the root cause of the problem.

There are projects such as Heifer International or Oxfam International where people can donate to buy an animal such as a goat for a family in need.  This type of gift keeps on giving.  So what can one person do?  A good start would be to make a donation directly to one of the above organizations or to an organization such as Episcopal Relief and Development.

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
"A Wing and A Prayer", by Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori
Group Discussion Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, September 30, 2007

The group discussed various aspects derived from Part Two:  SHALOM EVERYBODY -- The Vision of Peace.  The sections in the book included:  "City of God" / "How 
Can We Keep From Singing" / and "Shalom Around the World."

The initial discussion centered around the idea that peace is easier to achieve if everyone has enough to eat, adequate medical care, and meaningful jobs.  However, even with those conditions there can still be unrest.

Discussion then turned to the Anglican Communion and the roles that Canada and Australia play.  Within those countries, there are both conservative and liberal arms of the Anglican Church.  Of course, this is not much different than the differences observed in the United States as witnessed by the the comparison of the Episcopal Church in New England the the Episcopal Church in the South a number of years ago.

It was then commented that it may be very difficult to re-orient to a peaceful lifestyle after a war.  Finally the discussion turned to some of the great artists and performers in the world and how they give pleasure to many people who experience their talents.  However, it is easily forgotten that these are the same people who may dedicate their entire lives to honing their skills through countless hours of practice.

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
"A Wing and A Prayer", by Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori
Group Discussion Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, September 23, 2007

The group discussed various aspects derived from Part One:  BODY-BUILDING -- Nurturing the Body of Christ of the Jefferts Schori book.  The sections in the book included:  "One Body, Many Members" / "Tending the Wounded Body of Christ" / "Collective Memory" / "You Can't Always Get What You Want" / "Total Ministry" / "Saints in Our Midst" / and "Who's Got a Hold on You?"

St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
"A Wing and A Prayer", by Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori
Group Discussion Series Led By Rev. Mike Kreutzer
Sunday, September 16, 2007

Mike began the meeting by explaining that this series would be based around group discussion of reading the short chapters of the book.  There would be no set agenda as in previous adult education sessions.  The books had just arrived and most participants did not have a chance to read any of the chapters.  So Mike thought it would be a good idea just to read the introduction to the group to begin understanding Jeffert Schori's main messages she was trying to convey.

As an avid aviator, Jefferts Schori compares the Holy Spirit with a headwind.  We don't know exactly how it will move us.  She then wonders how we will react to such situations as the abuse of children in America or the starvation in India and other countries.  The Spirit comforts us at the Eucharist as we are transformed into new people.  "We are all afloat in the sea of the Spirit!"

There are many languages and ways to receive the Spirit and ways to praise God.  We need to be eager and open to receive the Spirit... to "drink in God!"  Breathe deeply, receive the Spirit, and change the world!

Group discussion ensued.  There are many things in the world that are beyond our control.  So where is the Spirit leading us?  At the Diocesan meeting last week, Bishop Breidenthal noted that his vision is to let the members of the entire Diocese determine its own path.  He will serve more as an editor to pull the various ideas together.  It was also noted how the Presiding Bishop emphasized the interdependency of all peoples in her book.  At the recent Habitat dedication, Gordon Price noted that Christ will come again... through us!  Another example was how St. Christopher's came to be as the "accidental church" via. a mix-up in the counting and registering of the votes.

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