20 & 30

So much to do...

2009-10-19T16:54:00.000-07:00

Well, as most of you know, being a 20s/30s in the fall months can be a little trying. I feel like almost everyone I talk to around my age is hardwired into their career, whether that means school or a job. I suppose that towards the bottom of the ladder we are at a place where we still take the considerable brunt of the "busy season." That being said, I don't want anyone to lose hope. In fact, after a few prods from Mother Liza, I think we are well on our way towards some exciting events again. I suppose that I should start elaborating on those because there's a lot to get through and more of my rhetoric would just get in the way.

The first event coming up will be a potluck at...wait for it...my house! Wow, that should be exciting. I've been living in this apartment for well over a year now and few people in the group have seen it so I thought it would be nice to have people over. First, I love to cook, so a potluck should be fun. Second, I love to host parties, so I think I can twist everyone's arms into having a good time. It's scheduled for Friday, November 6th at around 8:30pm. We don't want to start too early because people are getting out of work and such, but I think it's still early enough that if people have other plans we won't take up their whole night unless they so desire. Anyways, I live at 446 Niagara Falls Blvd in the garage apartment out back. If you are gonna use a GPS, put the city as Buffalo and the zip should be 14223. Well, that's enough of that. Call if you get lost: 716-713-7162.

The next event coming up will be a Labyrinth at St. Paul's in the basement starting at 7pm on Wednesday the 18th of November. Now we aren't talking about David Bowie, we're talking about an actual religious event. I can't really tell you more about it, but I think Mother Liza has volunteered to give us a short introduction before we get started. From what I gather it is basically a pathway that you follow that involves considering certain questions. Gotta love the mystery! Oh, and it's extra special because we are one of the few churches in the diocese that has a labyrinth!

For those of you who would like to be a part of or know how we come up with these cooky and wild ideas, we will have another planning meeting after the 11:15am service on the 6th of December. We always welcome anyone who would like to share their ideas or watch Jason use his iPhone for everything and make me use pink pens.

An idea from our very own Kate Little, the next event we have planned is a gift-wrapping event on the 21st of December. That's a Monday for those of you who don't have a calendar handy. We plan on buying "gifts" for those in need and having a little social time with wine and wrapping paper. Sounds dangerous, but danger is part of the fun. I put gifts in quotes because I don't know if we've specified exactly what we're talking about here. We are aware of a considerable amount of needs related to refugees and may lean towards acquiring lists of what are needed and bringing those. Of course, growing up under my dad's roof, I know that sometimes practical gifts aren't always the most fun, especially for kids. We hope to get more of the congregation and greater community involved to donate gifts along with ours that we will wrap for them and donate to the proper charity. Regardless, this is gonna be a blast and right up a 20s/30s alley because we can have a few drinks and still give back to the community. Leave it to Kate to think up such a splendid idea!

Alright, we're almost done, but the two biggies are next up for discussion. As some of you may have already been notified about, there is a pretty exciting, all-expenses paid, trip to the Royal Ontario Museum being planned for Saturday, the 2nd of January to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. We will be leaving the cathedral around 6:45am and probably arrive back around 11pm. We hope to make stops at the Eton Centre and St. James' Anglican Cathedral and still have a full day to spend at the Royal Ontario Museum. Yo! I mean, yo! This is not an opportunity that you want to pass up. We'd love to have a good group of people going up, which probably means that we'll have people from outside the St. Paul's regulars, but this is a great opportunity to realize that it was only your Roman Catholic upbringing that gives you that bad taste in your mouth whenever church comes up. Anyways, your loss if you don't come. If you are interested you can call or email the St. Paul's church office and they should be able to direct you in the right direction. We'd like people to sign up sooner than late so we know how many are coming.

Next up on the agenda is a retreat we are planning for January 15-16. Another all-expense paid trip, we hope to get lodgings at some sweet retreat place (with religious affiliation) and an even more sweet facilitator who will guide us in uber sweet discussions to be determined. A couple of the ideas floating around are community building and group facilitation. I think that these are probably related, the latter being a sub-category of the former, but there isn't exactly any set agreement yet. Regardless, this should be a lot of fun as anyone who attended the last one can attest to.

Well, as I said, there's a lot of stuff going on and we're really excited to be back up and running. Please make it to what you can and consider joining us at service some day. If you come to the 11:15am service and look towards the front-middle pews on the right you can usually see a small gaggle of us getting ready to get our Jesus on. Just come up and introduce yourself and I promise we'll be inviting and not at all too eccentric.

A. Peter Snodgrass

No Apology

2009-07-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

To my handful of dedicated readers:

I know that much has happened in the St. Paul's 20s/30s group in the past few weeks and that I should have posted on them, but things come up, and summertime has a tendency to melt our brains a little and make us think from time to time that we actually are in a utopia where responsibilities and inhibitions are a thing of the past. For some reason it reminds me of the trailer for the movie The Beach. I saw the movie years later and it was very interesting, but I always remembered the shot from the trailer with the pristine view of the beach and the sun so bright that it makes you feel like wax in the oven. As many of you know, I despise the sun and the pain it wreaks on my fair skin. And most people would say that I'm crazy because I feel that way, but I would say that all of you who live in Buffalo and love the sun are crazy since you live in one of the worst places for sun in the continental US. But I digress. The point is that I have been out of it, but am still dedicated to reporting on what has been going on in the 20s/30s.

That being said, let's go back to June 23rd and Shakespeare in the Park presenting the Tempest. Oh wasn't that a fun time! You know, it's funny: the 20s/30s is a difficult group to read. I'm not going to claim that those of us involved in the planning of events have divined the needs of the group. More the opposite. And just because we're "not only the president, but also a member," doesn't mean that we know what other members want. There is a lot of discussion surrounding church 20s/30s and their quest to find themselves in the greater church community. There is also a lot of discussion about how 20s/30s (especially the single/non-parent ones) want to be able to balance their spirituality with their debauchery. But maybe there's a reading between the lines where people just want to hang out with people they can trust to accept them for who they are without being judged or proselytized to while having some good old-fashioned fun. Shakespeare in the Park may have been our largest event thus far since I have been at the church. And speculation on why that is seems to be that this event was something that everyone wanted/was going to do anyways, and organizing it just gave everyone an excuse to do it and opportunity to do it with people they know. I'd like to give a shout-out to Mother Cathy. She told me when I first started working with the youth group that her vision for the group was not to proselytize or indoctrinate church youth into Episcopalianism, but simply to provide a place where the youth of the church would have access to mature and sensitive adults (outside their parents) who would listen to them and talk to them about issues that people face at their age. And I think that there has been a certain extent of that introduced into the 20s/30s. I like that there are 20s/30s sponsored services, but we also do cool stuff that doesn't even require anyone introducing church-related information. So where has this digression brought us? Basically that I'm reporting how successful our Shakespeare in the Park event was/why it was so successful/how I believe that nurturing this behavior will bring more people together.

The Tempest was a wonderful play to watch. I think most would agree that none of us knew the story very well, and watching something that feels new is always more fun. Of course, it could also have been so much fun because we had an average of two bottles of wine per person and the comic relief in the play are two ship crew who were more drunk then we were. We also had more cheese and crackers, sandwiches, salads than was necessary. Jason even brought a little chocolate cake as a treat for Jim who usually doesn't get dessert apparently. We had so much fun that I think there is a plan in the works to see Shakespeare's Caesar on August 11.

Along those lines, another event we have planned that people may want to join us for because they were planning on going anyways is visiting the Body Worlds Exhibit at the Buffalo Science Museum on August 4th. I hear that someone in the group can get discounted tickets, so people are welcome to meet us there or contact us for specially priced tickets.

Moving on to the other event that I managed to not write about yet, on June 30th at 7pm we did a very unique service called the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. One of the wonderful things, in my opinion, of having 20s/30s people who are so interested in the church, is that we are not so set in our ways yet that we don't like exploring and trying new things. Services that I never knew existed are introduced to me through this group and opened up to conversation about church history that I hadn't heard of. From a layperson, here's my interpretation of the service and the controversy surrounding it. Along with Roman Catholics, Espicopalians believe that the bread is not merely a representation of the body of Christ, but, upon being consecrated, is literally the body of Christ. This adds a certain amount of reverence to the consecrated sacrament. Further, although we are all taught that Jesus exists inside of us and all around us, based on the Last Supper, Jesus' presence is heightened when we are near the sacrament. To some catholics, this places a special emphasis on knowing where the sacrament is in the church and their proximity to it. This service exists solely as a special recognition of the sacrament and its special focus for us as the literal body of Christ. The service is technically always performed in combination of another service: with evensong as a replacement for receiving communion, or with a eucharist as a way of putting emphasis on the meaning of the communion for Episcopalians. Historically, the way I understand the importance of this service and its decline in recent years is that people used to receive communion only once or twice a year, sometimes less, so this service was a way of still being close to the body of Christ. For many Christians this addon to a service was an equivalent replacement for receiving communion. In recent times, when most churches provide communion at least weekly, there is not as much of a need for this service because we get about as close to the Christ as a person can when we ingest him. Where the controversy comes in is that some people view this service as idolatry. The service basically involves kneeling the entire time, placing the big wafer inside this cross with a window in the middle for viewing the sacrament (known as the monstrance), and focusing on/worshipping the sacrament. You can imagine how this would make some uncomfortable, placing a wafer in such a prominent place in the worship service. What needs to be understood is that this wafer is not a representation of Christ, but is actually the Christ. Therefore, no amount of worshipping it can be idolatrous. But if you are the kind of person who can't wrap their mind around this and only sees a piece of cheap bread, then this service would seem almost as the antithesis of everything you were brought up in the Church to believe about our mission as Christians.

What is the point of all this? It isn't about the 20s/30s challenging the status quo, or trying to be cool, or any such nonsense. We are interested in experiencing and understanding the Church in all its forms as a way to get a fuller understanding of our faith and how it plays in to our role as 20s/30s in the Church. After the service we had a wonderful discussion with Father Glen Fuller joining us from Holy Communion at Lakeside, which is where I got all this information. We haven't decided to put this service on the docket as a permanent fixture, but now we all know a little more about our church history and the discussions that happened so many years ago, forming us into what we see today. I can also tell you that we don't always do crazy services. We have done regular services in the past, services from different prayer books, and on August 16th we're sponsoring the 9am service in Cathedral Park and the only thing that will be different about that service is that 20s/30s are going to fill all the contributing positions in the service.

As you can see, we have lots of events planned for August, hopefully something for everybody. If you are ever interested in getting more involved or getting more information, you can always contact St. Paul's and we'll be sure to get in touch with you.

A. Peter Snodgrass

Our Plans -vs.- God’s Plans

2009-06-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

When I was in Junior High, I had my life completely planned out. I was going to graduate high school, go to college in Massachusetts, and get a degree in Marine Biology. I wanted to work with Humpback Whales and what better place could there be than Wood’s Hole. I became obsessed with Massachusetts even going so far as to claim to be a fan of the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins. There’s more. I was going to get my PhD in Marine Biology by the time I was 26. I was going to get engaged at 28, married at 30 and start having kids, of which there would be six- 3 boys and 3 girls (I like symmetry!), starting with twins- 1 girl and 1 boy (I have a fascination with twins). My family and I were going to live in Massachusetts in a large Victorian house by the sea and we were going to live happily ever after! These were my plans and when I was in Junior High, I was absolutely convinced that if I believed in it enough that it was going to come true, that it would be exactly like I planned in my head.

By the time I was 16, the Marine Biology dream had faded, as dreams sometimes do. That part of the dream had ended, at least, the rest was still pretty in tact. I don’t know what occupation took its place, but school and lots of it were definitely part of the new dream. But I was still absolutely convinced that because I wanted it so badly, it would all happen, just like I dreamed. Well, it turns out, that God has had other plans for me, and if you don’t know it yet, let me tell you, God’s plans trump our plans. Sometimes, we’re lucky enough to have our plans coincide with his, but if they don’t- look out! No amount of pushing, screaming, hard-work, pleading will make them pan out if it’s not what God wants for us. It’s just that simple. God will guide us to where we ought to be, but that’s if we listen. If we don’t listen, if we choose to keep beating our heads upon the wall, then that’s when we stagnate; we get stuck- sometimes it almost seems as if we begin to rot, spiritually.

So, am I saying that we should never make plans, that we should drift on the universal tide that is God’s will? No. As humans, we need to make plans. They drive us, make us get out of bed and go to work and do all of the things that we feel that we have to do, and as I said, if they’re meant to, they come to fruition. If they’re not meant to, they have an amazing way of just fizzling out and some people are left with the feeling that they would have been better off beating they’re heads against that wall. And we do have free will after all, which means that we are allowed to choose our plans, the direction in which we would like our lives to go, and God will be there to guide us along. God’s pretty busy, but ultimately, I think that all God really wants for us is to find our way to contentment and He knows us far better than we know ourselves, which is why we’ll get tossed some divine curve balls every now and again, ensuring that our plans coincide with His plans for us.

Andrea Szymanski

Dinner with the Bishop and more...

2009-05-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

So, there has been some excitement in the 20s/30s group in the last couple weeks. Not to say that there isn't always excitement, but sometimes there's a surge that really pushes us forward in a short amount of time. I'm going to try and keep this brief, so let's keep the wisecracks to a minimum.

A couple Saturdays ago we had a wonderful Eucharist, a little Rite II style for those of us who grew up in a little less "high church" kinda church. And we had a guest: Greg Kay! Greg joined us to help out with our greater discussion of how the 20s/30s was going to start the community outreach aspect of our ministry. He brought a lot of great ideas to the table, and a booklet of opportunities for us to peruse. So, hopefully very soon we'll start checking out different organizations and seeing where the 20s/30s group is needed and feels at home. We'd really like to find one organization that provides opportunities for everyone's preferences. Once we find that place we can really dive in which will allow us to be a little more Christlike and will also give us a common experience with which we can share and develop as a group. After Eucharist we went to Pearl Street for drinks and dinner, which was a lot of fun. Really great hanging out with Greg Kay if you haven't done it before, and we think that maybe we'll start asking more people in the parish to be special guests in the future.

The following Monday we were invited over to the Bishop's house for dinner. Bishop Michael and Carol were lovely hosts, serving chips and salsa and homemade guacamole (one of my favorites!). There was also great wine and homemade margaritas just before dinner. For dinner we had tacos, and flan for dessert. As I said, I'm trying to keep this brief, so I won't go on about how great the food was. But, if you're lucky enough to get an invite to the Bishop's house for dinner then I suggest you do what you do for Thanksgiving and starve yourself during the day so you'll have a hardy appetite when you get there. Bishop Michael and Carol are so delightful and great hosts, they will be missed when they leave.

As the summer approaches (or is it already here?), we really want to transition into summer in a few ways. One is the community outreach aspect. Another is that we want to start adjusting our gatherings to more summer-centric ventures. For example, on June 23 we are going to see The Tempest at Shakespeare in the Park. There will be more to follow on where we are meeting, but I suspect that, like all things 20s/30s, we'll most likely have a very loose structure. A final way in which the 20s/30s is transitioning into summer is that we want to have more free form social gatherings. The way we envision this playing out is that more people will step up to have barbecues at their homes or picnics or just to go out drinking. There really is no reason why a group in our demographic should not be able to use the group network to enlist a few delightful people in ventures that aren't inherently religious in nature. Thus far I tip my hat to Jason and Jim, who invited the group to their home for the Burns dinner, and also to Gus, who throws parties at her house almost monthly and always invites the group. I, for all my procrastination, definitely plan on having people over for beer and barbecue. So, if anyone is having or would like to have a social event and invite the 20s/30s group, just contact one of us or someone in the church office and we'll make sure to post it. And I promise that we'll all bring our own alcohol (and probably enough to share), and we won't proselytize anyone.

Lastly, Andrea submitted another piece to me that she wrote a while ago and wondered if I would post it. I decided to tack it on to the end of this, so it is included below. It's really a wonderful piece, and if you are interested in some thoughts from a fellow 20s/30s, I do suggest reading it. I'm going to give a little disclaimer, but this does not reflect on Andrea. It's more administrative. The 20s/30s can only survive in the church as a place where young adults feel free and unhindered by the professional church to speak their minds and share their feelings. We are in a transitional time, being old enough to make a commitment to the church, but young enough to still not know exactly how we feel about everything that the media and greater community are throwing at us. So when you read Andrea's piece, don't judge it for its content if you don't agree; respect that someone else very close to you is thinking about these things and is willing to share those thoughts with us.

A. Peter Snodgrass

Scientists say that the entire universe has been created from one inconsequentially tiny piece of - well, I don’t know what- but that this thing was smaller than an atom. Smaller than an atom. It’s impossible to imagine. On the other hand, it’s impossible to imagine the entire universe, which those same scientists still say is expanding and goes on and on and on- ad infinitum. How could one smaller- than- the- tiniest- speck of super matter create everything in the known universe? And still keep creating? It leads to one conclusion- God.

You don’t have to believe in God. And I’m not going to say, “You don’t have to believe in God because God believes in You!” (Frankly, not even I am that hokey.) After all, we all have free will. And I’m not saying that my idea/ conception/ belief of God is THE interpretation and that everyone else is going to HELL! The problem with organized religion is that their definitions of God are far too simplistic and narrow and, I suspect, that even if you put all of the religions together, amalgamated them into something, it would still be too narrow.

I tend to think of God as a male, probably because that is the notion that I was advertently or inadvertently raised with (I’m not sure, which.) This is also despite the teachings that God is neither male nor female, but still that is the idea that lingers in my head- big guy, booming voice, white hair and beard, muscular, handsome- rather Zeus like, I suppose. I know that this is not really God. God is so very much more.

And what is it with this fixation with “I’m going to hell!”? “Oh, I know I’m going to hell for Saying/ Thinking/ Doing …” What makes you think that you’re so important that God has time to worry about what You did, have done, will do, thought, or said? Asides from the biggies- murder, child molestation, genocide, serial rape, abuse (spousal, child, other)- do you really think that God- with everything in the entire universe to worry about/ preside over/ deal with- that God has time and energy to worry about the everyday little things that humans do? God has much bigger fish to fry, like stopping wars, ending famines, helping us to save our planet- and these are just some of the things that are on our planet, on our little world, and then there’s an entire universe out there that we can’t imagine, that we can’t even begin to comprehend! And persons have the nerve, the audacity to say, “How can this happen to Me!” like you’re so special that you should be exempt. I say just be thankful and count your blessings. We’re so little and inconsequential in the grand scheme of things and here for such a short time, barely a blip on the universal radar, that we need to remember to live our lives in the best possible way, to the best of our abilities. What else really matters?

Andrea Szymanski

Whisper of God

2009-05-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

Although I have been consistently writing the blog entries since Father Paul left, I would like to remind all our readers that this is the St. Paul's Cathedral 20s/30s group blog, not the A. Peter Snodgrass blog. I invite anyone who would like to post something to email it to me or Jason Elliott and we'll happily put it on for you. With that said, here is a lovely and profound entry from our own Andrea Szymanski.

A. Peter Snodgrass

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "Let us be silent that we may hear the whisper of God." (I'm not that well read. It was stitched on a cross-stitch, but nonetheless...) When I saw it I had one of those Eureka! moments, an epiphany of great import. Words on a cross-stitch from a poet spoke to me, and those words left a deep imprint upon my soul.

I think it's always assumed that because God is so great, so profoundly awesome (in the traditional sense of the word as opposed to the less inspiring, modern vernacular) that God is bombastic and loud; that His influence upon us is terrible and grand, but I believe that God, who has made things as wondrous and multi-hued as sunsets and fields of wildflowers, is much subtler than that. God's influence is not bombastic. More often it is the voice in the back of one's head saying, "Perhaps, you should do this..." And because He loves us, God gives us a choice. "Yes, perhaps we should do this, but I think I'll choose this instead..."

I believe that whisper of God, or conscience or whatever you choose to call it, was once so much easier for us to hear, before we, as a species, got too smart for our own good and created the chaos that surrounds us. We've gotten louder. Our lives, everything around us, have gotten louder and so we shout over the cacophony of sound and light and over-stimulation. It's hard to find peace and quiet in a world like that. We shout. God does not.

My personal challenge to myself, which came out of the retreat, was to hear God's voice more clearly. I know God is always with me and tries to help me to be the best possible version of myself. I wouldn't say that I've stopped listening to God but I would admit that He's harder to hear and that by making different choices I've strayed a bit from where God intended me to be. My challenge is to drown out the noise, put aside things that can wait, and to just stop and listen to God's whisper. It's always there. If you stop for a moment, I know you'll hear God, too. After all, he's always there, waiting for us to listen.

Andrea Szymanski

Ministries Retreat

2009-05-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

Now that we've gotten Easter stuff out of the way, let's talk about the next big thing that the 20s/30s group did. This would be the retreat we did at Christ the King Seminary, led by Douglas Fenton from the Episcopal Church Center, discussing the various ministries we were individually called to. Now I'll spend the next little while breaking that sentence down. All the way down.

We arrived at the seminary on Friday April 24th for a prompt 5:45pm dinner. I don't know if this was a Friday thing or what, but dinner was fish, rice, and oily carrots. Now I don't want anyone to think I'm complaining (after all, the retreat was completely free, paid for by the funds from the Trinity Grant we received), but I'm not a fish person so it's easy for me to be unhappy when faced with only one choice. They could have served shrimp and lobster and I would complain. But, they had wonderful strawberry shortcake for dessert so I just filled up on that instead. After dinner we gathered in the common room of the dorm we were staying at to get to know each other a little before starting.

Douglas is a very nice, soft-spoken slightly older gentlemen with a very good spirit. He obviously has a lot of practice facilitating these events, but I must really say that I was thoroughly impressed. A difficulty that the church has always had is with effective facilitation. There inevitably comes a time with certain groups where someone needs to put their foot down or even act as a taskmaster if the goals are to be accomplished. But regardless of what makes a good Christian, many people in the Church are really just nice (harmless) people who just want to hang out with other nice (harmless) people. (Aside: Making statements like this last sentence is a) one reason I believe I am not called to be ordained, and b) the reason I jokingly add disclaimers to my entries.) But Douglas has a certain way about him that gives him the ability to say to someone's face, "No, we are not doing that. We are doing this," without anyone getting offended or even batting an eye. And I can imagine that working with 20s/30s that this is an effective skill which he must use often. But that is not the extent of Douglas' abilities. He's also a very active listener with thoughtful follow-on questions. And lastly, taking a holistic approach to the retreat, there was a definite carefully laid out plan that was systematic, with the result of accomplishing more than I would have thought possible in about 22 hours. And that plan was all Douglas (even though he did tell us it was our retreat and we could do whatever we wanted...which no one did, so maybe he's also a Jedi).

So you want to know what this plan was and where it took us? First things first, we started with roundtable introductions, starting with Douglas and discussing what we do and what brought us to that place. Next we read a poem by Billy Collins entitled "Introduction to Poetry," which gave us a starting point for how we should be reading the Bible passages Douglas assigned. Then we gave a shoutout to Saint Mark (that is, read the collect for his feast day) and said a prayer for Ministry. Afterward, we read some of the "Call" stories from the Bible: the man who wants to inherit eternal life from Mark 10:17-22, God's call to Moses, Samuel, and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and Jesus' call to the brothers. Finally we read John's announcement to the people of the coming of Jesus from Luke's Gospel. After we had read and discussed each of these readings, focusing on the similarities and differences, we were handed a sheet of paper with the 34 Marks of Discipleship. We went around the room, each reading one in turn and reflecting on them. Then we were asked to pick five marks that we found appealing, and one mark that was not something we were good at. After discussing these, we had a short compline and finished for the evening. This was around 9pm. I think I crawled into bed around 2am after much merriment, including some wine (bottles and a box) and Tanqueray. This, I think, was also part of the retreat because it gave us an opportunity to unwind and have some unstructured time to better get to know the people who'd attended and for Douglas to get a better feel for us as a group.

The next morning we had an early breakfast at 8:15am and reconvened at 9:30am for the next big step in the process. I apologize that I am not exactly clear on all these times so I'm taking a little license in the story, but I can assure you that if I'm off by any amount of 15-minute segments the effect is negligible. Douglas handed out a short "workbook" along with excerpts from The Message, apparently a book that tells the Bible stories as though they were written today. It's hard to explain if you don't know what it is and it's doubly hard to explain because I don't know exactly what it is. It's not a modern day translation because the words are changed considerably but the ideas are all still present. Hopefully that makes sense. I felt that it was really geared towards younger crowds and made the stories more accessible instead of having to read the story in the Bible and then translate it into a modern setting to make it applicable to my life, which was the reason we were reading them in the first place.

The workbook had instructions, which included reading a Bible passage and then reading a section of the workbook that discussed the different types of ministry, which the workbook explained to be gifts: Apostle, Prophet, Teacher, Miracle Worker, Healer, Helper, and Administrator. After reading the description of each gift, the workbook asked us to consider whether we or anyone in the group fit the description of that particular gift. I should tell you that the labels for the gifts are not meant to be construed in the strict sense we may think of them in. I'm gonna make some quick, gross generalizations, but that will have to do. Apostles are called to be ordained, Prophets are called to communicate God's message, Teacher are called to impart knowledge and train disciples, Miracle Workers are called to affect positive change in large and small ways, Healers are called to heal the mentally and physically sick, Helpers are called to encourage and keep the church moving, and Administrators are called to establish goals and execute plans. So, what type of ministry are you called to?

We were given about two hours to go off on our own to complete the workbook and contemplate our answers. Most people went somewhere outside where it was warm with a nice breeze. When the two hours were over we gathered for lunch. Although the culmination of the retreat happened after lunch when we discussed the gifts and who fit into which ones, there really isn't much to say about it. We basically discussed each gift individually and then identified people we thought fit that description. Sometimes Douglas would ask if a certain person was surprised at being identified with a certain gift or he would ask how the rationale given for identifying a person with a gift made them feel. After we had covered all the gifts we focused on each person individually and went around the room identifying what gift(s) we thought best fit that particular person. Each person wrote down the gift(s) that they were identified with and then Douglas asked us to think as we prepared for Eucharist about one way in the next year that we would further our ministry and offer it up at the service.

We had a pleasant Eucharist, which wrapped up the retreat, and by 3:45pm we were each off in our separate directions, me and Gus with Douglas in tow to get him to the airport. We hope to gather again in a few months to discuss any thoughts on the retreat and any progress we have made. It was truly an inspirational event, both for those of us who reaffirmed what we already knew about ourselves and those of us who may have found out something new about ourselves. I urge anyone who reads this that did not attend to take some time and consider what your own gift of ministry is and how you can possibly unleash it on the greater community.

There are some great tentative plans for summer gatherings, including Eucharists, Community Outreach, and social events (including a party at the Bishop's place!). Please stay posted on our facebook page and in the bulletin to keep track of what we have planned.

A. Peter Snodgrass

Hello Easter! Long time no see!

2009-04-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Well, this is what I get for taking so long to post again. Probably my whole fan base has fallen out from under me and now I'm just a Greek Cynic like Diogenes, but with access to the internet. Put that in your apple and smoke it, Diogenes! Now, there is much more important information I could be putting out than my imaginary discussions with old, dead men. But, if we want to speak about who's not dead this month, it's Jesus! Who'd have guessed. I'll tell you though, if you were there for the Easter services at St. Paul's then you definitely knew. There was no way to avoid knowing that this is one of (if not the) most important celebrations in the church calendar. And if you were in the 20s/30s group at St. Paul's, then you had an extra reminder that Jesus was risen every time you felt the sting of that whip on your back delivered by Miss Kate Little herself (don't worry Kate, that joke is probably far from over). I guess we all have our cross to bear, and this season mine consisted mostly of food organized beautifully on festive plates.

So what am I talking about? The Easter Vigil. Did you know that there is this secret service that we have at St. Paul's every year where we have this beautiful service before a glorious champagne party with various sweets and snacks? We even try to keep it secret for as long as we can by beginning the service with all the lights out. That being said, I think we make a pretty loud announcement that the party had started when everyone whipped out bells brought from home and shook those babies for so long that I wouldn't be surprised that someone had suffered a psychotic episode (in church we call that a "vision"). Speaking of babies, John and Hannah's youngest was catching Z's for the entire bell-ringing, so maybe we'll have to be a little louder next year.

Let me talk a little about the 20s/30s part in the Easter Vigil. It's not just that we do it the best or that no one else will do it. We really enjoy it. We all must be servants before we can serve. We gather Friday morning the day before for a 7am oatmeal breakfast and fasting until after the Good Friday service. If your name was, let's say, Peter, you may have had a turkey sandwich for lunch, but I think "it's the thought that counts" is either in the Bible or a Hallmark card, and either is infallible. Throughout the day on Friday we pop in and out of the church as our schedule's allow to prep food (with Kate at the helm), decorate the Walker Room (Jason), or set up champagne glasses (Jim). Saturday is much of the same. After the Holy Saturday service in the morning we are back to work, and pretty much we don't stop until the Easter Vigil service has started. And even then there is much running up and down the stairs during the service to make sure everything is just right for the rush of people coming down after the service. If I had to point out some useful suggestions for anyone who is involved in this in future years, just to name a few, I would say: 1) if you are going to set out all the champagne glasses make sure the tablecloths are laid out just right first or suffer the wrath of Jason, and 2) if you find yourself in the vicinity of the kitchen and your name isn't Ali then you had better have a good reason to be there or keep your mouth shut and keep walking or suffer the wrath of Kate (can I get an "Amen" Joe?).

You may be thinking that this does not sound like fun, but we must remember that it wouldn't be called service if we always enjoyed and loved doing it. And one of my favorite parts that makes it a "win-win" situation? You know that at the end of the tunnel is a great party with great food, more champagne then you need, and much praise and thanks. I will name a few of the foods we had, but I apologize if I missed something: shrimp skewers, cheese plates with crackers, baked brie, cream cheese wrapped in salami, fruit plates, sushi, carrot cake, almond cookies, brownies. Oh my gosh it was so good! Consider joining us next year.

Well, I'm going to take a break now that I see how long this has gotten, but in the next couple days I'll tell you about what the 20s/30s group did last weekend. A little hint, it starts with "re" and ends with "treat," and what a treat it was! Wow, way to end on a cheesy line, Peter.

A. Peter Snodgrass

Disclaimer: As a result of the lack of official support for the views in this blog, the author has been forced to establish a dummy corporation to deal with questions of liability and insurance claims. Please forward all correspondence to:

EZ Enterprises
42 Is This Joke Still Funny Street
Seriouslyville, OK 12321

My name is Legion; for we are many.

2009-03-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

Alright, so this entry probably will be found to have been more appropriate a week ago, but you know how things are. So let's talk about what happened a week ago that could necessitate a visit to the blog. As everyone knows, the St. Patrick's Day Parade was last Sunday, which was probably a lot of fun. However, if wearing lots of green and being drunk before noon is not really your cup of tea, you could have come and spent it with us at 4pm for a guided meditation brought to you by Jason Elliott. Trust me, this was not an anti-St. Patrick's Day event, nor was it a moral stance. We honestly forgot that this particular Sunday was a special event. Personally, I was there because I had helped plan this exciting event, and my younger brother had been in town the previous five days, so my liver was already on the verge of meltdown.

Aside: So, at 3pm that day was evensong at St. Paul's. Me and Gus Perfect attended and got to share a beautiful service with the officiant, the men's choir, and three other people. The title of this post is a quote from the second reading in Mark 5:1-20. It's the one about the demoniac full of unclean spirits who lived among the tombs. Jesus meets him and makes a deal with the unclean spirits to send them into a nearby herd of swine who, upon being possessed, rushed 2,000 strong down to the sea and committed mass suicide by drowning. See what happens when you make a deal with the devil? That's a lot of lost bacon. Maybe Jesus was getting payoffs from the cattle industry.

Back to the story at hand, the meditation was phenomenal. Jason started out explaining to us the purpose of Ignatian meditation and what we were supposed to walk away with. The Gospel reading was the one about Jesus trashing the vendors in the Temple. After a few minutes to clear our minds and prepare for the meditation, Jason started in with a full description of the scene. We were imagining ourselves as one of Jesus' followers making our way with Jesus and the disciples to the Temple. Jason helped us place ourselves in that particular time and setting through his vivid descriptions of the climate, dress, sounds, smells, and general goings-on en route to the Temple. At the Temple Jason described what we were seeing to prepare us for what comes next. You could really see in your mind's eye as Jesus cracked: money lender booths were overturned and coins flew all over the place causing a mad scramble for the money and making the lender's very irate, cages containing pigeons were smashed sending a huge amount of pigeons flying all over the place, flapping their wings, making annoying cooing sounds, and running straight into people in the havoc, and, finally, pens containing oxen and cattle being loosed, causing newly freed animals stampeding through the Temple, occasionally trampling someone. And just when you didn't know what was to come next or even if you could imagine yourself out of this predicament, everything comes to a halt and it's just you and Jesus. He's welcoming you forward, several tables before him. The tables represent the things about you that are unclean, things that clog your conduit to Jesus. He invites you to flip these tables, ridding yourself of your impurities. No easy task, but one that seems more attainable after watching Jesus clean his own house.

We are told that meditation like this is something that should be done often. There should always be what Jason calls a "fruit." Something that you are striving for and trying to attain. Once you know what that fruit is, you take a story and imagine yourself into it. The deeper you place yourself in the story, the more fully the effect of attaining the fruit will be. It can be any story at any time, but you must focus on the end goal. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of this paragraph, it's simply what I recall a week after Jason explained it to us. If you have any interest in this subject, I'm sure that he would be more than willing to walk you through the process. From all of us in the 20s/30s group at St. Paul's, thank you Jason for entertaining us and making another event a wonderful and memorable experience (even though watching you eat that first piece of sushi slathered with wasabi at the mixer was pretty priceless).

A. Peter Snodgrass

Disclaimer: Nothing said above is the official views of the St. Paul's 20s/30s group, St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York, the Presiding Bishop, the Archbishop, or God. Any grievances should be promptly written down, folded, sealed, and dropped in the nearest waste receptacle, where it will hopefully become part of the collective consciousness, rippling out until it reaches me. After all, "My name is Legion; for we are many."

Goodbye Paul, Hello us!

2009-03-01T17:36:00.000-08:00

First an apology to those of you who follow this blog and are concerned that there have been no postings since Father Paul left. Well, the 20s/30s group is under new management. Who, pray tell, could fill such big shoes? Well, I honestly couldn't tell you. There are a few of us who gather for brunch the first Sunday of every month to make sure that there are events happening (always open invitation), but I think we'd be hard-pressed to point to one person as the “leader” (although I vote for Jason!).

Now, you may be thinking that such a communal method is ludicrous for a group that has enough trouble getting organized for even one event a month, but I would beg to differ. First, a more fluid approach allows more people to be involved in the decision-making process, which hopefully means that more people will make it out to events without as much poking and prodding. Second, more people involved in management means distribution of labor, which plays out to more events and a broader reach (Yes, this blog is one example of how that has not been as successful as of yet, but this entry is the beginning of something beautiful, I promise.). Third, an open system makes people more likely to take it upon themselves to plan events and contribute to preparation, instead of letting Father Paul deal with everything. That being said, if anyone thinks that this is a diatribe on how much better the new school is than Father Paul, you are sorely mistaken. I raise my glass to him and all the hard work he did to plan events and get people to come out. Keep it old school islander! And by old school I mean high church.

I have to apologize, but I'm in law school right now so this is going to look like a legal argument. Introduction, Argument, Examples, Conclusion. So I think we're up to Examples. We started with a January 16^th Potluck at Mother Liza and Luanne's house. We had a good turnout, with a great variety of foods (salad, lasagna, sushi, brownies, and others), icebreakers (what condiment would YOU like to be able to dispense through your navel?), and some discussion of the direction for the 20s/30s group and various plans in the works. We posted a survey on surveymonkey.com and got some really good and helpful responses. On February 18^th we did a 7:30pm Scottish Eucharist, which was a lot of fun for everyone, especially wondering if Mother Liza was going to make it through all the reading she had to do, without even a glass of water! Afterwards we went to Century Grill (Ali's favorite!) and had some great food and a couple beers. Then, two days later Jason Elliott and James Rayburg hosted a Robert Burns dinner at their new home, including kilts, Scottish beer and more alcohol than is safe to serve to Episcopalians, haggis with a Burns blessing, and many other great foods and company, including two handsome dogs. Most recently the 20s/30s “hosted” 7am oatmeal breakfast on Ash Wednesday with a 12-hour fast, and a vegetarian simple soup supper afterwards. Thank you for all who either prepared soup, helped in the kitchen, or did dishes. Gold star to Kate Little for doing all three (you should have seen her man-handling that huge dishwashing contraption!).

Hopefully by now you understand that we've been keeping ourselves busy. But we have even bigger plans to come. On March 15 at 4pm please join us for a guided meditation led by Jason Elliott. He's training for the Vocational Diaconate, and if you don't know what that is then you should come so you can ask him. And I can't make any promises, but I always like food and beer after a good meditation, so don't be surprised if there are some dinner plans afterwards. We're also looking at trying something we call Lenten Buddies. About two newer members will be randomly assigned to seasoned veterans of St. Paul's. All you have to do is wait for the person you've been assigned to to make contact with you and get together for coffee or something like that. This is just a way for those of us newer members to ask questions about St. Paul's from someone who has been around, and also to get to know each other a little better outside of the 20s/30s big group sessions. Lastly, we are looking into an overnight retreat possibly on April 24^th. We hope to get Douglas Fenton from NYC to lead the retreat. Oh, and did I mention that if everything works out this event will be FREE?! You can't beat THAT with a stick!

Let me just close by saying that our mission is to make the 20s/30s group more inclusive, but also more free-form so everyone can find their own way to enjoy the group and maybe even share some of their interests with the group. Although Mother Liza does not technically fall within the preferred age range (don't tell her I told you), she has adopted the group as spiritual liaison (not her official title) in Father Paul's absence. So, if you have any questions about the group you can always contact her, but the best thing to do is read the entries in the bulletins and get your email address to karen.bull@stpaulscathedral.org so we can include you in our e-mailings.

A. Peter Snodgrass

Disclaimer: Nothing stated above is the official position of either St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral or the 20s/30s group therein. If anything is misstated please email someone and your complaint will be addressed in a timely manner.

Great Discussion

2008-10-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who came last Sunday night! To have so many people come and contribute to our conversation was great. Just a couple of years ago our group only number about five, and now we have a running list that is over thirty--this is great!

Thank you also to Mother Liza and Luanne for opening their home to us.

The discussion was very good, and I know that I took away a lot of ideas to keep thinking about--I hope it is the same for all of you. I am also glad that everyone was so receptive to having a retreat for 20s/30s sometime this Epiphany or Lent. Plans are already in progress to get this going.

Again, thanks to everyone for coming.

Paul +

Pizza and Discussion Gathering

2008-09-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

All 20s/30s are invited to the home of Mother Liza on Sunday, October 19 at 6:00 pm for pizza and discussion. This is a chance for us to gather informally over dinner, and then have a discussion about some of the issues that young adults face in their everyday lives. It is the perfect opportunity to also invite a friend. Please come and join us. For further information, as well as for the dean's address, e-mail me. Thanks!

Paul +

Yesterday's Reception

2008-09-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard on the reception following the Ordination Eucharist yesterday. The liturgy was beautiful, and the reception was stunning. The delectable desserts and the many hor d'oevres were enjoyed by everyone. I know that our newly ordained priest, Mother Cathy Dempesy, is especially grateful. You truly have the gift of hospitality.

God bless,
Paul +

Candles, Icons, & Holy Space

2008-08-27T09:15:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I hope all of you have had an enjoyable summer! It is time to get back together for the Fall program year.

We will gather for Eucharist on Wednesday, September 17 at 7:30 pm in the church, and then we will go to a local pub for conversation. I hope all of you can join us! There are lots of exciting plans in the works for this year.

This Eucharist will make special use of candles, icons, music, and of course, the Cathedral's magnificent space. All are welcome.

Please make every effort to join us for Eucharist on the 17th.

God bless,
Paul +

It's Summer

2008-08-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

As you can see there have not been any posts on the blog for awhile. It is summer, and I know that many of you are taking some time to recharge your hearts and minds. Enjoy this time before we get started with many activities this autumn.

In Christ,
Paul +

Bisons' Game This Friday

2008-06-24T06:28:00.000-07:00

For those of you going to the Bison's game this Friday, it begins at 7:35 pm. If you have not picked up your tickets from the Cathedral yet, Deacon Cathy will be at the parish house on Friday night until 7:00 pm. After that, she will head over to the ball park.

For more information you can speak with either Allie, myself, or Deacon Cathy. This event is in conjunction with the Cathedral Youth Group.

Paul +

Bisons' Baseball Game

2008-06-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

Friends,

The deadline to get tickets for the Buffalo Bisons' Baseball game on Friday, June 27 at 7:35 pm is this Friday, June 6. We are going to this event with the Youth Group from St. Paul's. If you wish to get tickets, please see Deacon Cathy.

I hope many of you can attend.

Paul +

Time to Catchup: Confirmations, Lacrosse, an Interfaith Seder, a Newcomer Brunch, & a Walk for Unity

2008-05-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

There are so many things to mention, that I am just going to list them numerically.

1.) Thank you to everyone who came to the Buffalo Bandits game. It was a lot of fun, and I am glad we had such a great turnout! A special thank you to Jennifer and Christopher who joined us for a 20s/30s event for the first time.

2.) Congratulations to Jayson who was confirmed at the Ascension Day Eucharist, and congratulations to Jim who was received into the Anglican Communion. It was quite the service, with over 25 people being either confirmed or received. I do not think the Cathedral has had so many candidates in quite some time. It was also good to see so many of your family members and friends here for the occasion.

3.) Thank you also to Jayson, John, Jason, and Deacon Bruce for accompanying me to the Interfaith Seder at Temple Beth Am. The Cathedral has a long history of participating in this event.

4.) Thank you to Kate, John, and James for their help with the Newcomer Committee and last Sunday's Newcomer Brunch. A very special thanks to James for sharing his faith journey at St. Paul's--a sign of major commitment considering he has only been at St. Paul's for one year!

5.) Mark your calendars. The National Federation for Just Communities is having their annual Walk for CommUNITY on Sunday, June 21. I know some of you are already walking for your employers; if you are not, I have sponsorship forms. They are expecting over 1000 walkers this year, and the gathering point is behind the Albright Knox Art Gallery on Lincoln Parkway. If you are not familiar with the NFJC, they do a lot of wonderful work in the Buffalo area, working for greater inclusion of all people into our community. Their many programs seek to eliminate all forms of prejudice and discrimination. If you are interested, let me know.

Thanks to each of you for everything you do.

In Christ,
Paul +

Easter Vigil Photos

2008-04-03T18:53:00.001-07:00

Photos from the Easter Vigil Reception and the group's preparations.

Easter Vigil Writeup

2008-04-03T07:19:00.000-07:00

The following article about the Easter Vigil has been submitted to Church Acts by the Cathedral.

It has become a 20s/30s tradition to host the Easter Vigil Champagne Reception at the Cathedral, and this year was another great success. Meeting on Good Friday morning at 7:00 am for some very plain oatmeal, the 20s/30s had their simple breakfast before fasting for the rest of the day—fasting while they started cooking! For all of Friday and all of Saturday, the group spent their time cooking in the Cathedral kitchen, while others set up the decorations in the Walker Room.

Almost everyone took Good Friday off from work to help, and when the Cathedral was short of ushers for the noonday Good Friday service, they even took a break from their efforts to fill in that gap! It was a real marathon, for from Maundy Thursday through to Easter Sunday, it was as if the 20s/30s Group had a Holy Week clergy schedule.

However, the hard work was rewarded. The Easter Vigil reception was a great success, with many people smiling as they tasted the vast array of delectable food. Grilled asparagus and prosciutto, gorgonzola and honey glazed apricots, raspberry and brie en croute, and portobella, red peppers, and fontina in filo were just a few of the items enjoyed by the crowd. The decorations were beautiful too—many colorful origami brightened the displays of willow branches throughout the Walker Room, magnified by mirrors placed throughout the buffet tables. Lots of hard work led to much Easter joy.

The 20s/30s Group at St. Paul’s gathers for a variety of activities throughout the year, but the Easter Vigil reception is their major event. More than anything, the group knows how to have fun, even when they are fasting on Good Friday. Other past events have included watching the Sabres at local pubs, field trips to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Haunted Allentown tours, Lenten book studies, and summer barbeques.

A Blessed Easter

2008-03-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

Friends,

It is Saturday morning, and the church smells wonderful from all of the food the 20s/30s Group started preparing yesterday for tonight's Easter Vigil Champagne Reception. Thank you to all of you who took Good Friday off from work to begin the preparations. This promises to be a great Easter.

May everyone have a great Easter.

Paul +

Holy Week is here

2008-03-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

Friends,

Thanks to everyone who hosted an evening of our Lenten study, and thanks to our leaders, Allie and Jason.

Many of you played crucial parts in today's Palm Sunday liturgies, whether it was serving on the altar guild, serving as thurifer, or reading this afternoon for our Lessons and Carols on the Passion Service (which by the way was one of the most beautiful liturgies I think I have ever experienced!).

Kate is in charge of the preparations for this year's Easter Vigil Champagne Reception. I know that many of you have taken Good Friday off from work to start the baking and cooking. It is not too late to volunteer to help--just let me or Kate know. The preparations for the reception are a two day event, beginning on Friday when we fast all day, meeting for oatmeal at 7:00 am, and ending on Saturday with the Vigil at 7:00 pm.

Be sure to check out the cathedral website for a complete listing of services--many of you have a tradition of coming to all of them, and that is great. I will see many of you for the next service this coming Wednesday at 7:00 pm--Choral Tenebrae.

In Christ,
Paul +

Our final Wednesday Study

2008-03-06T05:54:00.001-08:00

Good morning everyone.

Thanks to Allie for hosting last night's study. Next week we meet at Drew and Janelle's. If you need directions or the address, please e-mail me. Everyone should have finished reading the book by next Wednesday.

Thanks to everyone who has made this such a Good Lenten study,
Paul +

This Wednesday at Allie's

2008-03-02T14:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Midlent to everyone. This Wednesday we gather at Allie's for our continued study of the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Everyone should read up to chapter 26.

See you Wednesday,
Paul +

C.S. Lewis & This Wednesday

2008-02-25T04:36:00.001-08:00

Good morning everyone.

This coming Wednesday, February 25, we meet at my place for our continued study on CS Lewis' Screwtape Letters. Please have read through letter 15. If you need directions, send me an e-mail. Since some of you have gone vegan for Lent, we will all be eating vegan on Wednesday night.

See you Wednesday.

Paul +

Lenten Study Book

2008-02-16T07:16:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who came to Starbuck's last Wednesday. Allie and Jason have decided to have us read the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis for Lent. You can buy the book online or at local book shops such as Talking Leaves.

This coming Wednesday we meet at Jim and Jason's at 6:15 pm. They live close to the Cathedral, so come to evensong at 5:30 before if you like. E-mail me if you need specifics as to their home's location.

Paul +