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Name: Servicio de Oración
Start: 2020-07-05T13:00:00-07:00
End: 2020-07-05T14:00:00-07:00

News of St. Michael's

A thought from Thurgood MarshallJuly 2, 2020Dear Ones, A thought for today from Thurgood Marshall: “We must dissent from the fear, the hatred, and the mistrust. We must dissent from a nation that buried its head in the sand waiting in vain for the needs of its poor, its elderly, and its sick to disappear and just blow away. We must dissent from a government that has left its young without jobs, education, or hope. We must dissent from the poverty of vision and timeless absence of moral leadership. We must dissent, because America can do better, because America has no choice but to do better.” — Thurgood Marshall, US Supreme Court Justice (2 Jul 1908-1993) Faithfully,Chris+...
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Blue Sky Grant Awarded to St. Michael’sJuly 2, 2020Great News: St Michael’s has been awarded a Blue Sky Grant from Pacific Power for 2020 At St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church, in the heart of the Hollywood neighborhood, we were informed late last February that we are one of a dozen recipients of a 2020 Pacific Power Blue Sky renewable-energy award to help fund a new solar-array installation on the south-facing roof of our church. Because this project allows us to generate our own electricity, we’ll save on energy costs, meaning we can dedicate more of our budget to our core mission work and other social and outreach ministries working for environmental and other causes. The project will also serve as a model for our community. Blue Sky is an opt-in program that gives Pacific Power customers an option to match all or part of their energy use with renewable energy – reducing their carbon footprints and driving demand for new renewable energy in the West. In addition, each year organizations are invited to apply for community-project funds, which Blue Sky participants can support to help fund renewable-energy installations at schools, community centers and arts organizations throughout the region. Thanks to a funding award from Pacific Power’s Blue Sky program participants, St. Michael’s will soon generate its own clean, renewable power and reduce our utility costs by about 35% annually. This $49,102 award will support the installation of a solar electrical project at St. Michael’s, covering 72% of the installation cost of the 22kW, 71-panel solar electric system. St. Michael’s joins more than 130 organizations across Pacific Power’s service area that since 2006 have received awards for community-based renewable projects, including solar, wind, geothermal and other forms of renewable energy. In addition, we received word that our grant proposal with The Diocese of Oregon for the solar project was approved. Looking forward, construction of the solar PV system will begin at St. Michael’s in late July and is scheduled to be completed by the third week in August. Look for more solar news in the future. Your Green Team & Dan Bagwell, Solar Coordinator for St. Michael’s...
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Connecting Through CardsJuly 1, 2020As we navigate the tumultuous and uncertain times we are in, we are using a lot of technology to connect in virtual services and meetings. This is helping somewhat to keep us connected to the St. Michael’s community. A couple of us wonder if there might be interest in something a bit more old-fashioned, such as handwritten, handmade greeting cards. Sending and receiving handmade beautiful cards might brighten someone’s day. You could become a pen pal with your grandkids or reconnect with old friends, or just send the family birthday cards. We see our ideas potentially unfolding in two ways: 1. Within the congregation, are there folks who might welcome receiving a card? A small group could identify those in the congregation that might appreciate this personal touch and send cards. 2. Would you or someone you know appreciate having a set of handmade cards that you can send to family and friends far away that we can’t visit right now? Maybe it is difficult to get to a store to buy cards, or maybe there is no money for such a luxury. If you are interested in forming a small group to participate in writing and sending cards or if you know someone or someplace that might like to have greeting cards on hand to use, please contact Paula or Pamela....
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RememberJune 25, 2020Dear Ones, Our spring book group just wrapped up this past week after reading How to do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell. In her concluding chapter, she quoted Ohlone matriach, Corrina Gould, who had been working to restore a Ohlone ceremonial site in West Berkeley, California. The potential of this opportunity, she writes, is “an opportunity of all of us simply to remember our compassion, conscience and civility, to learn to be human again, together.” I wonder how we all might consider this opportunity to remember. How are you learning to be human again? Faithfully,Chris+...
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Small Groups FormingJune 25, 2020From Associate Rector James Joiner: Last week, we finished up a round of our new small groups by Zoom, and they turned out to be a great way to connect with each other in the midst of uncertain times to process all the things going on in our world right now. For me personally, I know I can spend a lot of time reading the news right now and tumbling through a whole roller coaster of responses from fear to anger to confusion and more. I’ve found that roller coaster can become even more amplified when I’m processing all those things alone in my own house without others to check in with. Over the past month, especially, the small groups became a great place for folks to discuss those kinds of things together; and we found that often times we left our conversations feeling more hopeful and uplifted after having talked to and prayed with one another. If you’ve been through our Catechumenate program, these small groups are similar in some ways to those – getting to know a handful of folks over a small period of time, deepening relationships one conversation and prayer at a time. I facilitate the conversation and lead the prayers at the end of each group. Right now, I’d say this is one of the biggest places where I’m able to connect with other parishioners while we’re distanced. If you’d like to sign up to be in a four-week group in July, you can click here. Also, new this month, Julie Ort will be leading a small group to pray the Anglican Rosary on Wednesday nights. This can also be a wonderful way to spend time drawing closer to God together. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the Anglican Rosary, you’ll find support and instruction for joining in. The signup for this group is the same as above....
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Environmental Activities for FamiliesJune 24, 2020The web platform Medium and the organization Environment America offer many ideas for children and families seeking to make a difference through environmental activities. There are ideas for learning about plants, conservation, reducing waste and much more, plus links to many other resources. Please click here for the website to explore what activities might engage your family....
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Celebrating VictoriesJune 18, 2020Dear Ones, As the protests continue, as the demands grow more clear, as the need to hear and respond to the cries that Black Lives Matter, we pray, we repent, we act, we love. We also take a moment to celebrate some important victories. This week, we are grateful that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of protecting gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination. We are also grateful that today the Supreme Court rejected the dismantling of DACA, and our youth and young adults, our “dreamers” and the nearly 650,000 dreamers across the country, remain protected. Your voice matters. Your attention matters. Faithfully,Chris Craun...
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A Passion for Planned GivingJune 11, 2020Watch this interview between Rector Chris Craun, and parishioners Mick Seidl and Carl Braginsky, who share their passion and interest in planned giving. This is a long overdue follow-up to conversations we had at our end-of-life workshop in March. Learn about how your legacy can uphold the next generation of St. Michael’s. ...
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11th Bishop of Oregon Search & TransitionJune 11, 2020Bishop Transition Update As you are undoubtedly aware, this is an election year. Aside from the elections that were just held for many of those who will represent us in the state and national legislatures and the presidential election taking place in November, Episcopalians in the Diocese of Oregon are electing a new bishop on August 29. Once the election has taken place, the Bishop-elect will work for a few months with Bishop Michael Hanley to effect a smooth transition, which will be completed by the end of the year. Susie Silva-Strommer, St. Michael’s parishioner and member of the Transition Committee, has compiled a number of questions and answers about the process and shared ways in which you can be involved — most directly by submitting questions to the candidates. Please click here for a pdf of this document in English and here for the document in Spanish. Walkabout Questions and Answers with the Transition Committee Q: Will there still be a Walkabout with presentations by the Candidates for Bishop and a chance for people to meet them? A: Yes and no. YES, all four of the Candidates for Bishop will be coming to visit the Diocese of Oregon on August 9-15. YES, there will be a Walkabout with question-and-answer presentations with the four Candidates for Bishop. Unfortunately, with the State of Oregon/Counties limiting public gatherings to 25-50 people (with six feet of social distancing), we will need to limit the participants invited to the presentations to elected voting delegates and voting clergy only. Q: How will the rest of the people in the Diocese get to know the candidates if they are not invited to the presentations? A: In order to accommodate the 360 or so voting delegates/voting clergy, we have added four additional presentations for a total of nine two-hour presentations across the Diocese. Eight of the nine presentations will be filmed and live-streamed so that people can view them at home on their computer, laptop, phone, etc. You can check the Walkabout flyer to find the dates and times of the presentations. The link for how to watch the presentations in real time will be posted on the Diocesan website, www.diocese-oregon.org. If you miss any of the presentations when they are live, you will also be able to go back and watch a recording of them later. The link to the recordings will be posted on the Diocesan website a day or so after the actual presentation. The live-feed/delayed viewing option will give people across the Diocese a total of 18 hours of questions and answers to get to know the Candidates! Q: This doesn’t feel like it will be the same as seeing the candidates live and in person. A: We agree, it won’t be the same. It was hard for us to abandon our original Walkabout itinerary that gave everyone in the Diocese the chance to meet the Candidates in person. The priority of the Transition Team has always been, and remains, to bring the Candidates for the 11th Bishop of Oregon to as many people across our Diocese as possible. In this time of Covid19, however, we need to honor the limits set by the state and counties, and most of all we need to protect the health and safety of the Bishop Candidates. Q: Will we get a chance to ask questions at the presentations? A: Yes and no. We won’t be able to have folks ask questions from the floor or via the live feed. But we are accepting questions online RIGHT NOW through June 30 on the Diocesan website. We encourage people to submit as many questions as they’d like via the website. PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS! Q: How do I know if my question will get asked? A: We anticipate getting more questions than we can ask even across 18 hours of presentations. There is a sub-group of the Transition Committee that is made up of both clergy and lay people who will review the questions. We may consolidate several questions with the same basic theme down to one. Some questions may be asked exactly as submitted. Our goal is to have a cross section of questions that address a variety of issues as well as representing all the convocations and geographic areas across the Diocese. In order to be able to do this, WE NEED YOU TO SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS! Q: Is my question anonymous? A: Yes. The online form to submit questions asks for your name and affiliated church. This information will only be used by the sub-group reviewing the questions as we try to assure that the questions we ask the candidates represents a cross section of congregants and clergy across the Diocese. Q: Is there a message you are trying to send about questions? A: YES, PLEASE submit your questions. The election of the 11th Bishop of Diocese of Oregon is important for all of us. The number of people who can meet the candidates in person is limited so the best way for the Candidates for Bishop to get to know your concerns, hopes and priorities is through your questions. Q: Will any of the information about the Candidates for Bishop or the Walkabout be available in Spanish? A: Yes. Currently, the biographies for the Candidates for Bishop are posted in Spanish on the Diocesan website. Information about the Walkabout and the Electing Convention are also available in Spanish on the Diocesan website. Additionally, two of the presentations will be available via live-feed in both English and Spanish. There will be one link to watch the live feed in English and another link to watch the presentation with a live simultaneous Spanish translation. Please check the flyer for the dates/times of the two presentations in Spanish. The Transition Committee is also working with the Diocesan Missioners to the Latino community to sort out the best way to disseminate as much information as possible about the Bishop Candidates to our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters. Q: How long after the Walkabout will we know who is selected to be our next Bishop? A: The Electing Convention will be held on the morning of August 29. Like the Walkabout, the Electing Convention has had to be adjusted to the limitations imposed by Covid-19. You can read more about the Electing Convention on the Diocesan website. Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share about the Bishop Candidate Walkabout? A: We’d like people across the Diocese to know that much in the same way that their lives have been thrown in to turmoil by the circumstances of Covid-19, so has the Transition Committee and the plans for the Walkabout. The Transition Committee has worked hard and quickly to redesign the Walkabout under what feels like almost impossible circumstances. But we will make it happen and it’s going to be great! We want people to feel that despite the crazy time we are living in, they got to know the Candidates for Bishop. You can do this by submitting your questions so your voices are heard and by watching the presentations via video (either live or via delayed viewing). Q: What is the link to the Diocesan website where I can find all of this information? A: https://www.oregonbishopsearch.org...
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Advocacy Action NewsJune 8, 2020The St. Michael’s Advocacy Action team is gearing up for a busy election year. A proposed initiative for the November 2020 ballot, Initiative Petition 57, would create an independent Oregon Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw state legislative and congressional districts in an impartial and fully transparent manner. At present, politicians draw the boundary maps for their own state and congressional districts. This has resulted in 96.3% of incumbent politicians being re-elected year after year, in districts they have drawn themselves. This proposal would reject partisan gerrymandering and provide greater opportunity for districts to represent under-represented communities like low-income citizens, persons of color, and rural Oregonians to have a voice in their representation. The initiative is backed by the NAACP, League of Women Voters, and Common Cause. For more information, or to request a petition, contact People Not Politicians through their website or call 503/386-7996. Gather signatures from everyone in your household as quickly as possible, then return the signed petition to People Not Politicians. Time is of the essence as the due date for petitions is coming soon. ...
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New anti-racism resources for familiesJune 5, 2020Leslie Sackett, our associate for children & families, has begun to compile resources, including links and articles, to help us teach about racism, how to recognize it, and how to grow beyond it. We have started a new page that will have those resources listed and we will continue to build that feature. There will also be posts of new connections and resources in our news section, so be sure and stay tuned to the website. As always, these new things will be included in the weekly email, so if you’re not signed up, do so by clicking here. CNN and ‘Sesame Street’ to host a town hall addressing racism. https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/02/us/cnn-sesame-street-standing-up-to-racism/index.html The 60-minute special “Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism. A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Kids and Families” will air on Saturday, June 6, at 10 a.m. ET. The show will talk to kids about racism, the recent nationwide protests, embracing diversity and being more empathetic and understanding.Big Bird will join CNN commentator Van Jones and CNN anchor and national correspondent Erica Hill to moderate the event. They will be joined by “Sesame Street” characters — including Elmo, Abby Cadabby and Rosita — and other experts answering questions submitted by families....
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Social Justice ResourcesJune 4, 2020RACE TALKS’ mission is to support interracial and cross-cultural communication and relationships through the development of sensitivity and understanding, and social justice activism supported by educational panels / or films, good food, and great discussions. RACE TALKS believes that establishing relationship is the most important action needed to help us learn about and support others. As such RACE TALKS encourages its participants to Become diversity and equity activistsMake friends across cultural, racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual orientation linesPut your beliefs into action and get actively involved in community reform and developing cross-cultural relationsBe the change you want to see https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/ SURJ’s role as part of a multi-racial movement is to undermine white support for white supremacy and to help build a racially just society. That work cannot be done in isolation from or disconnected from the powerful leadership of communities of color. It is one part of a multi-racial, cross-class movement centering people of color leadership. Therefore, SURJ believes in resourcing organizing led by people of color, and maintaining strong accountability relationships with organizers and communities of color as central part of our theory of change. Antiracist Resources and Reads: Lists for All Ages As rage sweeps across the country, we recognize that white people, privileged simply by the color of their skin, have an important role to play in creating a just and equitable society for everyone. Some of us are already active in this fight for racial justice. Others have just begun. Some have not yet started. We must all fight against racism. The time to act is now. We offer this list: Anti Racism Resources and Reads: Lists for All Ages. It recommends books, articles, videos and podcasts on anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice. We hope these resources will help community members educate themselves further and inspire us all to take actions for the greater good. 75 things white people can do for racial justice. Speaking up for humanity through intersectional social justice. https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234 Performative Allyship Is Deadly (Here’s What to Do Instead) We encourage you to research the following organizations that are committed to supporting Black communities. List compiled by Regional Arts & Culture Council. Don’t Shoot Portland https://www.dontshootpdx.org/about-us/ Black United Fundhttps://www.bufor.org/about For over 30 years, Black United Fund of Oregon (BUF) has been committed to providing financial support and life-changing programs for low-income communities and communities of color in Oregon. The ultimate goal of BUF is to increase opportunities for growth by encouraging philanthropic activity in our state and putting funds in the hands of organizations providing resources for underserved communities. Coalition of Communities of Colorhttps://www.coalitioncommunitiescolor.org/take-action The Coalition of Communities of Color’s mission is to address the socioeconomic disparities, institutional racism, and inequity of services experienced by our families, children and communities; and to organize our communities for collective action resulting in social change to obtain self-determination, wellness, justice, and prosperity. PAALFhttps://www.paalf.org The Portland African American Leadership Forum helps our Black community imagine the alternatives we deserve and build our civic participation and leadership to achieve those alternatives. NAACP of Portlandhttps://pdxnaacp.org The NAACP of Portland works to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and eliminating racial hatred and discrimination. The Urban League of Portlandhttps://ulpdx.org The Urban League of Portland’s mission is to empower African-Americans and others to achieve equality in education, employment, health, economic security, and quality of life. The MRG Foundationhttps://www.mrgfoundation.org The MRG Foundation believes in the power of collective action to change the world. Kanopy is a FREE service to watch documentaries. You log in with your LIBRARY card, and it works on all devices. https://www.kanopy.com Here’s a playlist one of our parishioners compiled: LGBTQ/POC Justice 🏳️‍🌈✊🏾 1. We All We Got (2014) 8 min.2. P.S. I Can’t Breathe (2015) 20 min.3. Passing: Profiling the Lives of Young Transmen of Color (2015) 22 min.4. When Justice Isn’t Just (2015) 42 min.5. Profiled: The Mothers of Murdered Black and Latino Youth (2016) 52 min.6. Every Mother’s Son: Policing and Race in America (2004) 53 min.7. The Gospel of Eureka: Love, Faith and Civil Rights Collide in the South (2019) 72 min.8. I Am Not Your Negro: James Baldwin and Race in America (2016) 93 min.9. Stranger Fruit: An Investigation into the Death of Michael Brown (2018) 97 min.10. Venus Boyz (2002) 102 min....
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