So we have begun our summer Camp for the month of July!  Twenty children have registered and are attending each weekday in July from 8:30 to 2:30, serving both breakfast and lunch.  The theme this year is “It’s a good G.i.G!  Growing in Grace.”  This year, we are blessed to have not only folks from the neighborhood helping lead camp, but also Morgan State University and Maryland Institute of Community Arts (M.I.C.A.) students.

The kids are extraordinary.  They are learning about  creation, themselves,  about how remarkable and gifted they are, about using our gifts to touch the world in good ways.   On Friday, the young people planned a servant project.  They prepared lemonade and set up a booth, and did a give-away on Monument Street.  They gave out free lemonade, free water, and invited people to join some of the activities happening at Amazing Grace.  Some folks even gave contributions to support the ministries.  It was pretty wonderful!  This week, the youth will be travelling to Artscape   ( http://www.artscape.org/ ) to participate and share in this remarkable community festival!  I’ll keep you posted.  If you happen to be in the neighborhood, stop by for a visit!  We’d love to welcome you!

We begin getting to know one another!

I won’t lie to you.  Sometimes, sometimes it does make me tremble.  When I heard about the death of Marquis, shot at 4:30 in the afternoon only a few blocks away from the church, my heart sank and I closed my eyes and I wept.  Wept for loss.  Wept for the violence is far too common on the streets of East Baltimore.  Wept for a life gone much too soon.   Marquis was only 17.

“Were you there?” the familiar hymn asks. “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?”  I attended the Safe Street Rally after the shooting…Many were there.  Many young people who wanted to know why.  Many who knew that Marquis is more than a statistic or a dot on the “Violent crimes in Baltimore” map.

We are preparing to enter the season of Lent.  We walk with Jesus for 40 days, knowing he is going to Jerusalem to suffer and die.  What wondrous love, that brings grace and forgiveness to all the hurting wounded places of our lives and world.  So when we break bread and drink wine, when we remember Christ broken, we remember the suffering happening even now in this world, and the living Christ who enters into that suffering to bring hope and help and healing. 

“Were you there?”  Jesus says yes…I am there.  I am there when the guns are fired and the violence flares.  When the children are battered with tongue and with hand…I am there, when the suicide bomber creates chaos and crisis and people lose their jobs unjustly.  Jesus says yes.  There is nowhere that I will not go for you!

Today Carol, who is our minister of addiction and recovery and I travelled to a nearby halfway house to chat about ways Amazing Grace can support and share the love of Jesus.  We talked about Christmas, about where they were in the journey.  I heard stories, of people losing their jobs, losing their homes, losing their kids…I heard loss. 

Today in worship at Amazing Grace we read the story of Herod’s slaughter of the innocents.  While the historicity of the story may be questioned, the grief expressed in the story reminds us that the coming of Jesus doesn’t make everything alright.  The world just doesn’t become healed.  Somehow we think that if we are connected with God, if we just trust enough, and do the right things, and keep on a good path,  that it will all turn out OK.  But we know better.   While God invites us into abundant full life, it is a life filled with risks, with uncertainties.  Sometimes faithful people battle cancer, and lose their jobs, and have their children die on the streets.  Is God absent?  Are we being punished? 

The men and women at this house humbled me with their faith in the midst of challenging circumstances.  They expressed gratitude for God’s grace and mercy, even during the most trying times.  They seemed to grasp that at least a part of what Jesus does as he arrives to meet us, is to enter into the very real dark places where people live and walk and grieve, and bring God’s presence and grace and mercy and hope, even there…maybe especially there.

We closed our time together with a thank you prayer…each person had the chance to lift up their thanks to God.  “I’m thankful for a place to live, for family, for being clean, for my children visiting.   Lord, help those still on the street.  Help those lost in addiction.  Help those who can’t find their way clean…Help.”  

I was touched and humbled by our time together.  And it reminded me how much we have left to do.  And God has called us to be a people who boldly carry out ministry an mission for God’s glory.  And that is just what we are trying to do at Amazing Grace!  Remember these dear sisters and Brother’s at Bernie’s Place in prayer, that God will continue to touch them with healing.  And remember Amazing Grace too, that we will find ways to continue to connect people with the life-changing power of Jesus Christ.

One of the little challenges we deal with at Amazing Grace is rides.  Many of the folks get around on Baltimore’s public transportation, which is somewhat limited.  Some people drive or walk or ride their bikes.  But some folks who maybe have moved out of the neighborhood, and have limited mobility, may rely on others to pick them up for church events and worship.  We are blessed to have a couple in the community that makes this ride ministry a priority.   But on Thanksgiving they were out of town.

Generally, I haven’t been able to give rides to folks.  Part of that is due to busyness…and part of that has been due to unwillingness.  So on Thanksgiving Eve I took the trek to pick some folks up.  I was a little rushed and a lot grumpy.  Not a great way to prepare for a Jazz and Thanksgiving Evening Prayer worship.  We drove to the church and chatted on the way…my grumpiness subsided somewhat. 

But then, as we began worship, something wonderful happened.

The jazz was lovely!  It was alive and vibrant.  And as we sang the Psalms, as we listened to the beat and lifted our prayers in song…as I tapped my feet with other worshippers, especially with these dear ones who were fellow travelers, I was  grateful.  And I realized that we often receive great gifts through doing things that are inconvinient.  I mean, it would have been much easier to not be rushed.  To not have made the extra effort… except…except our worship together wouldn’t have been our worship together.  We are more fully who were meant to be when we’re together.  And I can say with certainty that there was a change in me…as we sat singing, listening, tapping our toes and lifting our hearts together in prayer, there was a change, a good change. 

I gave thanks.

It hasn’t been a great week…for  a lot of reasons.  Tuesday we discovered that the Center for Grace-Full Living had been broken into again.  The Center is the place we operate community wellness initiatives, like the food ministry and NA group and massage stress reduction therapy and the garden club.  This is the third break in since September.  But here’s the rub.  It isn’t food that’s being stolen.  It isn’t electronics or pawn worthy items, though candidly, we don’t have many of those.  It’s root beer candy.  So for 25 or so pieces of root beer candy, and a place to hang out, we have a $200 double paned window that was broken out.  $200 we could have used for food.

You think that would be what made this a bad week…but it really isn’t.  I found out last night that one of the guys that came to youth group in the past died over the weekend.  He was stabbed to death.  And as I processed this with some of the other young people who live here in East Baltimore, what made me sad is that this sort of violence is almost thought of as the norm.

WHY?!  I mean I know, each week there are several violent deaths in this city.  I know that everyone of those who are killed have people who know them and love them and will miss their sometimes funny jokes and their silly smiles.  But I suppose this death hit home to me more, even if every violent death should hit me hard, because I knew this boy.  I knew his mannerisms.  I remember his silly smile.

There should be outrage that young people die this way!  There should be outrage that there are young people who grow to expect that violence and death are a normal part of living;  That they will have friends who are shot or stabbed, friends who will die…It is simply wrong!  And I don’t know how we reach these young people before the violence does…but we must try!  WE MUST!

Pray with me.  For God’s comfort for David’s family.  Pray with me, for wisdom to embrace and invite children who are unaware God has a larger purpose for them then breaking windows and stealing root beer candy.  Pray with me, that fear and distrust not have the last word, but instead compassion, care, forgiveness, and God’s amazing grace.

I am always grateful for the young people that show up at Amazing Grace.  Grateful for a lot of reasons.  First, these kids are bright, smart, energetic, winsome, and often wanting to be helpful.  Second, the teach me about life.  They teach me about faith and trust.  As we shared our highs and lows tonight at youth group, one girl shared a story about God helping a girl make it home through an alley where many girls had been raped before after she prayed.  When the rapist was asked why he didn’t attack the girl, he said there was a man walking with her.

Of course, this was only a story, but it was a great help and assurance to this young person that God was deeply present in one of the most horrendous and horrible situations one could be in.  And in addition, that God kept the girl in the story safe.   Safety is something I largely don’t have to worry about.  I don’t have to keep my blinds pulled and my doors and windows bolted shut.  While I try to be smart, I generally don’t worry about being robbed.  I am acutely aware that for many of the kids that live around the church, this is not their reality.  There are robberies, there are street fights, there are lots of noises that go bump in the night…scary noises, and happenings.

I want Amazing Grace to be a safe place.  I want Amazing Grace to not only be safe as in the absence of violence, though I certainly want that.  But I also want it to be a place where these young people are reminded, as we all need to be reminded sometimes, that we are precious and beloved.   A place where kids can be themselves and share the concerns of their hearts and receive care and support and the love of God.

And the good news is…I think its happening.  I am so grateful for the kids that show up at Amazing Grace!

OK, so its ridiculous how long its been since I’ve updated…and there were so many great things to update about.  Since the last blog we had a ridiculous amount of snow, as in “waist- high-deep-sidewalks-and-streets-blocked- people’s-cars-being-buried-under-snow” amount of snow.  As 12 of us met to try to dig a way into the sanctuary, a bull dozer driver at the end of the block noted the snails pace progress we were making…and he responded.  He came and shovelled load after load of snow, taking it to a dump truck that took it to the harbor…load after load after load.  He did in front of the church, and then some of the shovelers had folks move their cars so he could clear the road as well.  He worked for several hours on McElderry Street, filling truck after truck after truck…it was good stuff.

Since the last blog we had an amazing group of 35 youth and adults come from Trinity Lutheran Church in Mt. Joy, Pa.  This group spent most of a saturday helping us with several projects at the church and Center For Grace-Full Living, and they prepared and served lunch for folks in the neighborhood.  I was humbled at their energy, their eagerness to help, and their desire to learn from the people of McElderry Park.

Since the last blog wrote we had nearly 6000 pounds of fresh produce delivered to Amazing Grace by the Maryland Food Bank.  With the help of friends from several transition houses, we were able to unload the truck and provide fresh green food to over 130 families!  Food like lettuce and carrots and grapes and mushrooms and fresh herbs and organic spinach.  (Mmmmm- Spinach.)

Since the last blog we have begun to make plans for the gardens at Port Street and Rose Street!  These gardens will provide a place for neighbors  to gather and work together and also fresh healthy food for the neighborhood.  Morgan Blizzard ( the Food Ministry Coordinator at Amazing Grace and Lutheran Volunteer Corp staff person) and I dug in the dirt to get soil samples to make sure were growing in dirt that is free from heavy metals and to find out what we should add for enrichment to make this good soil.  We are excited about what will be happening in the gardens this year.  An afterschool garden club, a partnership with Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, continued partnerships with Civic Works and Charm City Land Trust, as well as folks from the neighborhood. 

Many many good things have happened since the last blog was posted…now spring is here and new life is budding and blooming and beginning to burst.  Even in us.  Soon we will hear again the story of God’s great love for us…soon we will be reminded just how far Jesus will go to help us never forget: we are God’s, we are loved, we are claimed for a purpose.  And no matter how much happens, how many things occur, both good things and challenging things…God promises to walk with us.

Always.

I’ll try to be better!  Peace

Of course it was dissappointing…I love worshipping.  One of the great gifts I’ve been grateful for is the lively and grace filled worship at Amazing Grace…when the snow came and came and came and we weren’t able to have worship, it was such a downer…YET, yet sometimes snow has a way of interrupting our routine.  When you have an imposed disruption, a forced slowing down- the disruption makes us pause. 

I walked around today soaking in the sites…not that I don’t try to be mindful of things in all of life.  But today I walked up Broadway street.  There were more people out walking than there were cars on the streets.  It was beautiful..bright.  Three feet of snow covered the sidewalks, so most of us walked the streets.  I bathed in the experience…the variety of families, the diversity, black, latino, asian and white.  I observed the variety of  archetecture…classic row houses, decorative cornaces, a boarded up catholic school.  I watched as some teenagers  had a snowball fight on a street that hadn’t been plowed yet.  And I gave thanks.

It isn’t that I wasn’t grateful before the storm.  It isn’t that I didn’t appreciate the variety of row houses or diversity of the human family I see in this city…But somehow the snow gave me the occasion to NOTICE…or at least to take the time to notice and be mindful of these good gifts.

Here’s hoping you too were able to receive the gifts of the Blizzard.  Peace

I worked with the food pantry today.  Actually, that’s not  entirely true.  I helped in the food pantry because our food ministry coordinator Morgan is out of town this week.  Our Food Ministry currently serves around 50 households.  Folks can sign up between 10 and 2 Monday through Thursday, and then pick up food on Mondays or Wednesdays between 3 and 5. 

But everyone can’t get boxes at once, so while folks wait, we hang out in the fellowship hall.  We share coffee or hot tea and visit.  Today a massage therapist came and did hand massages.  It was nice, relaxing.  But today as I chatted with one of the dear neighbors of the church, our thoughts and conversation went to the suffering of our sisters and brothers in Haiti.  We. like so many, can’t even begin to absorb the weight of the sadness and loss.  And suddenly, the woman I was visiting with asked me if our congregation was responding to the crisis.  “Absolutely!”  We already began collecting money for Lutheran World Relief and Disaster Response last Sunday.

As the woman was called to go next door to the Center for Graceful Living to pick up her food, she reached into her bag and gave me some money.  “Please use this to help those suffering in Haiti.”  Her gift surprised me.  I was humbled and touched by her graciousness.  This woman who is facing challenges in feeding herself and her children, choose to give generously to  help other sisters and brothers in pain. 

We know God is with us always.  We who follow Jesus trust that God is in the very center of things, bringing help and hope and healing;  bringing guidance and care to our lives and world…But sometimes… sometimes we get caught off guard.  The extravagant grace and love and forgiveness of God gets reflected in a  holy moment we experience.   And it almost takes our breath away, to be touched so profoundly.  Oh, that we all live with such extravagent generosity!

It was only a week before Christmas when I and the other members of “Perfect Praise” choir from Amazing Grace travelled to Hopkins hospital to visit and sing with the young women who are in the CAP program.  CAP stands for the Center for Addiction and Pregnancy, a place to support and help women and their babies who are in recovery for drug addictions.  They are largely young women on the edge.   Many don’t have family support.  But they are here, moving toward healing. 

We sing about our longing for God to come anew into our lives and world.  We sing about anticipating the arrival of something new, about God doing new things.  Several of the young women are pregnant.  One gently rocks her small new born child.

One of the rich gifts I’ve received at Amazing Grace is that abundant life comes from receiving from others…or really, receiving together from God and each other.  Sometimes the temptation in the church is to suggest that we have this something that people need, and were going to go give it to them, share it with them, let them  have what we have.  Like we’re going to go sing to those CAP women because we can help them.  And don’t get me wrong, we do want to help, support, and love them.  BUT, what I’ve discovered is that honestly, walking with Jesus isn’t about them…its about us.  In fact, its about us together, and no them.  As we gather.  As we sing.  As we pray and talk and laugh at a cooing baby, Jesus shows up.  Right there with us.  Bringing forgiveness, and grace and compassion.

 My heart is drawn to the uncertainty Mary must have felt as a young pregnant woman in the Middle East.  And when one woman comes in and ask to pray with us as we are winding down, I can’t help but wonder if  Mary too would have wanted others to lift her up.  Soon, a baby would be born that would change her life… that would change all our lives…that has changed everything!

It is the 12th day of Christmas.  Epiphany season begins tommorrow.  The season when the wise ones arrived  to worship the Christ child.  The season when the light and love of Christ shines to all places and people…even us, especially us, all of us.