Reflections on our Summer Challenge Program
by Barbara Bolles

I love pretty much everything about St. Barnabas. Parallel with the National Episcopal Church, our Vision is simply stated but contains the challenge of a lifetime: Becoming Beloved Community. We take our Baptismal Covenant to heart and find ways to bend our path to come into closer and closer alignment with it. In particular “…respect the dignity of every human being” is the promise that jumps off the page every time I see it. It feels like a prerequisite to Becoming Beloved Community. The indisputable “Christianity” of it reassures me; the urgency and clarity grab me.

I am so grateful to belong to a parish that pursues broadening and deepening our compassion through the unflinching inquiry into a deeper understanding of the history that didn’t make it into our textbooks. Collectively and individually, we have embarked on a quest to move past the vague uneasiness of ineffective guilt into the work to undo harm and stop perpetuating oppression. We have used a tool provided by the national church, a program that many members of St. Barnabas have participated in, called Sacred Ground. Participants read essays and books, watch films, and meet in small groups to discuss what we’ve learned and how it connects to our lives. The learning is breathtaking and life-altering, enlivening the impetus to seek and serve Jesus in every human being, loving our neighbors as ourselves.

But then the program ends.

At St. Barnabas it ended with a whole group Eucharist and a discussion, “Now what?” It didn’t feel right to pass the peace among ourselves and go home. What’s the next step? How do we take this to the next level? Our friends Phil Fergusson, Jeanne Powell, and Linda Maier stepped forward to lead a team effort to shine a light on that path by researching and compiling a thoughtful list of challenges into a guidebook. From reading and listening to attending and acting, offerings make room for each person’s approach and ability. The team also provided a passport, so that participants can track our involvement and reflect on our growth.

What a great tool this is! Of course I have not participated to the degree I aspired to. BUT I did some focused reading, listening, and attending, and am now much more aware of the opportunities around me where I can show up, help out, learn, and build community. Those things I have made space to participate in have sometimes made me uncomfortable but have ultimately gladdened my heart and opened it.

The culminating event for our Summer Challenge occurs on September 12. There is yet time to continue the quest or to step into the challenge and make space to grow. Please find a link to the guidebook and passport here.

If this has opened up questions for you, please seek out Rev. Dianne. As author Rev. Debie Thomas assures us, Christianity is spacious; there is room for all our ways of embracing the call of Jesus.

—Barbara Bolles