[Magdalen] News

[Suzie Buchanan]

oh I feel so sure that there are certainly more!  But we are all struggling
to get our feet under us and figure out what it is that WE can specifically
offer. We spent much time in our outreach committee this morning talking
about responses as we looked at possible governmental funding cuts for many
of the social services that we rely on across our communities. (Regular 1
hr meeting went 2.5 hours)  We decided to publish all the telephone numbers
of our elected people in Washington (both local offices and DC offices) in
our newsletter this week, with the urging for people to call about whatever
issues concern them.  But they insisted that we do that on behalf of the
whole committee so that they could try to help protect ME from parish
retribution.  Doing it under their auspices and their concern specifically
with Food Bank support.  Like any parish, we have a mix of people
politically, although we are quite predominantly and openly more
progressive (the only Episcopal Church in a county that voted 75% for
Trump).  We have a number of gay/lesbian couples.  Two lesbian couples have
even raised their adopted children from infancy to young adulthood in the
church - they've been a part of our community for decades. (One of them is
my senior warden right now!) But we are in that category that struggles to
pay a full-time priest.  They realize it wouldn't take a lot for the church
to suddenly not be able to afford to keep me here full-time.

On Saturday we held the largest funeral anyone can remember there - packed
to the gills in the sanctuary space and with another 76 in our parish hall
(we livestreamed it to there).  The second largest service held in the
church had been Chuck & Chad's wedding 8 years ago.  They had been life
partners for over 32 years, and were well loved across the community (the
community that voted 75% for Trump).  Chuck died (he's my age) following
complications from kidney failure a few years ago, and then RSV recently.
Died during dialysis.  It's been a heartbreaking tragedy.  Most of the
people at the funeral were not Episcopalians, and I suspect that the
majority of them had voted for Trump. It was so disconcerting for me to see
that outpouring of love for these two specific people, from those willing
to vote the way they did.  I just don't get it.

On Mon, Feb 3, 2025 at 6:49 PM Marilyn Cepeda <mcepeda514 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Impressive!  I hope there are many more like you and your church.
>
> Marilyn (Owens, Palmero) Cepeda
>
>
> On Mon, Feb 3, 2025 at 5:41 PM Ginga Wilder <gingawilder at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Thank you, Susan+.  God bless your ministry and your parish.
> > Ginga
> >
> > On Mon, Feb 3, 2025 at 6:36 PM Suzie Buchanan <buchanan.suzie at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Our church has been contemplating this on a couple of different levels.
> > A
> > > couple of weeks ago (just after the inauguration and Bishop Budde's
> > sermon)
> > > I was asked to pull the sermon out of the YouTube livestream and also
> > post
> > > it separately, to help make our message more accessible.  The sermon
> > video
> > > by itself is getting a whole lot more views than the livestream ever
> did.
> > > We have had a few new (and a few returned for the first time since
> COVID)
> > > people since doing that. We already have a midweek noon Eucharist.  And
> > our
> > > Sunday morning Adult Forum has long been known around town as safe
> space
> > > and we regularly get people from other churches who come for that, and
> > then
> > > go back to places like First Baptist for worship!
> > >
> > > I (with the knowledge of my Senior Warden) have given our hispanic
> > cleaning
> > > crew express instructions to make use of the church building if need be
> > for
> > > sanctuary.  They have a key, and their alarm code, and now they also
> have
> > > my cell phone number and are to call me immediately if there are any
> > within
> > > the community who feel in danger.  They are to get them to the church
> and
> > > lock themselves in and call me.  My Senior Warden has my back on this
> and
> > > is my next phone call to get others en route to the church as well.
> Our
> > > building might no longer be considered sanctuary, but we are determined
> > to
> > > make it hard for it to be anything else.
> > >
> > > Suzie
> > >
> > > On Sun, Feb 2, 2025 at 6:46 PM Marilyn Cepeda <mcepeda514 at gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > Some people are very anxious about the future of our country.
> Wondering
> > > if
> > > > there are new ways the church can be a safe haven for people. We have
> > > added
> > > > a midweek noon Eucharist and discussion group. I have not attended
> > > because
> > > > I am doing car pool line!
> > > >
> > > > Marilyn (Owens, Palmero) Cepeda
> > > >
> > >
> >
>