The View from Bolton Hill

By The Rev. Grey Maggiano

Memorial Episcopal Church continues to be a unique community of faith, steeped in our traditions and open to the work of justice in the world around us –or as I like to call it, following Jesus’ example.  

This year our children’s program is bursting at the seams, our justice and reparations work is on track and picking up steam, and we are feeling a return to pre-pandemic-type attendance as our numbers for church attendance and volunteerism are picking up. All the while we continue to offer streaming services.  We welcomed two new young members to the faith with confirmations this Holy Week, and continue to see new members who have joined the Church in the last year.  It is energizing and exciting!  Did I mention the new floors are finally installed and the air conditioning should be operational any day now?  It has certainly been a long time coming.

Speaker

Come meet Marlo Hargrow!

 FACE (Freedom Advocates Celebrating Ex-Offenders) works on prisoner re-entry and violence interruption efforts in West Baltimore. As our city struggles to deal with a rise in violence directed towards youth and a lack of strategies to deal with it - programs like FACE are critical. Please join us Thursday, April 20, 2023.

For questions about the event, please contact 

justice@memorialepiscopal.org

You can bring your own lunch or enjoy one of our free lunches.

One of our core commitments in our reparations initiative is Environmental Justice. This Earth Day come and celebrate all the good work going on in Harlem Park - curated by our own Anthony Francis, Minister of Justice and Reparations. There will be food, music, and community. 

The COVID pandemic continues to evolve and so must Memorial.  Our services were exclusively on Zoom for more than two years as we complied with public health and diocesan mandates.   During those first years of COVID, our congregation numbers attending on Zoom were often very high and sometimes rivaled pre-pandemic attendance, and we invested in state-of-the-art technology to make virtual worship a rewarding experience.  When in-person activities resumed, we created a hybrid model of in-person worship and the virtual option on Zoom.  

However, this year’s attendance on Zoom is significantly lower.  But the Zoom option has helped build a virtual community in Memorial and provides an important vehicle for members of our parish family who for health, location, or other reasons can only attend or best attend worship virtually on Zoom.  

As in-person attendance stabilizes and grows, and as Memorial faces resource constraints, we must ask ourselves these questions: 

• Should we and can we continue offering the virtual option on Zoom?  
• What do parishioners attending on Zoom need for their virtual worship experience to continue being rewarding?  

We will explore these questions and hear from you at a special discussion on Zoom immediately following the 10:30 service on Sunday, April 23.  All who regularly attend services on Zoom are especially invited.  

The link to participate will be the service Zoom link for Sunday, April 23. 

Join us on Zoom and give us your thoughts and feedback as we continue seeking ways to feed the Memorial family with rewarding liturgical experiences for us all.  

See you on Zoom on April 23 immediately following the 10:30 service. 

Thank you!

Grey and the Worship Committee

An evening of dinner and conversation with Peter Jarrett Schell author of Reparations: A Plan for Churches

Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church, located at 1316 Park Avenue, in Baltimore's Bolton Hill neighborhood has arranged to have training conducted by the Baltimore Police Department on how a house of worship can be trained to respond in the event of an Active Shooter situation. The training will take place at Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, June 27th, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

The deadline to register is May 3, 2023

We are looking for a dedicated individual to serve on our vestry as the Registrar.

The registrar plays a crucial role in supporting the backbone of Memorial's work in the church and beyond. Your service will directly impact our ability to effectively carry out our mission and serve our congregation and community.

So, do you feel called to support the backbone of Memorial's work in the church and beyond? If so, submit your interest below.

‘It’s All About Love’ festival in July 2023

Episcopalians everywhere are invited to register to join a churchwide festival of worship, learning, community, and action July 9-12 at the Baltimore (Maryland) Convention Center.

“It’s All About Love: A Festival for the Jesus Movement” will open at 7 p.m. Sunday, July 9, with a revival worship service featuring Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. It closes at noon on Wednesday, July 12, following a festival Eucharist preached by House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris. The Rev. Mariama White-Hammond will preach on July 10.

Kwok Pui Lan, dean’s professor of systematic theology at Candler School of Theology, will speak during the July 10 morning plenary on racial reconciliation; Sarah Augustine, co-founder and director of the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery, will speak July 11 on racial reconciliation and becoming Beloved Community. Author and speaker Brian McLaren will join Curry for a morning plenary July 12 on the future of evangelism. View the schedule online.

Worship will be led by Live Hymnal and friends from across The Episcopal Church, and a special prayer space will be curated by Lilly Lewin of Free-Range Worship.

“It’s All About Love” will feature three “tents”—evangelism, creation care, and racial justice—that will host evening revival worship services, as well as daytime workshops, panels, practice opportunities, and other ways to engage. Workshop proposals are being accepted through April 15.

“As we emerge from COVID, we need more of God’s love, guidance and power in order to keep becoming a church that truly looks, lives and loves like Jesus,” said the Rev. Stephanie Spellers, the presiding bishop’s canon for evangelism, reconciliation ,and creation care. “In other words, we need a revival of relationships and love. That’s what this festival is all about.”

Registration is open online. Through May 8, the cost is $185; after May 8, the cost is $225. Registration for students and seminarians is half-off. Discounted room blocks have been reserved at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor, Marriott Baltimore Inner Harbor, and Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace.

Those interested in sponsorship opportunities or reserving an exhibit table can learn more here. View sponsors online.

Follow festival updates online and on Facebook.

Additional questions? Email evangelism@episcopalchurch.org

The e-newsletter is an excellent opportunity to share news about upcoming events, recent accomplishments, and other important updates with our community. We encourage all members of our community to take advantage of this resource and share your news with us.

Please note that the deadline for submitting announcements for Wednesday's e-newsletter is Monday at 5 p.m. This means that all announcements must be submitted by this time to be considered for inclusion in the upcoming publication (same week the eNewsletter is published).

To submit an announcement, simply click the button below to email our office. Be sure to include all relevant information, such as the event date, time, location, and point of contact name and email (if available), as well as any necessary registration or RSVP instructions or links.

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