The Moon By Night is one year old!

One year ago I created The Moon By Night and posted my first blog entry.

It's been a wonderful year. My readership has soared to five, and the majority of them visit as often as once a month!

Back from Hanford

An eventful day, to say the least!

Faithful Episcopalians from all over the Diocese of San Joaquin met at Church of the Saviour, Hanford with the theme: "Moving Forward, Welcoming All."

I blogged some comments from the floor over at Father Jake's place (the church had wifi) so I will only do a brief recap here.

The first thing was that we had far more people than we expected. We ran out of seating space early on and had to put up folding chairs. We think there was about three hundred fifty people there.

Cynthia and the Hanford people did a phenomenal job of hosting the event. There were a few mike failures and Liam did a great job of rolling with the punches when they changed the order of the PB's address (we thought it was supposed to come before Bonnie Anderson's presentation) and holding up a mike to his Mac when the sound system wouldn't work.

I searched throughout the assemblage for any sign of Brother Causticus, to no avail. (What was I looking for? I don't know, some piercingly intelligent, relatively young man with a verge) Perhaps, as Lisa pointed out over at Father Jake's, it is the idea of B.C. that is the important thing, knowing who he was may spoil that element of mystery...

A very moving theme that came out in the the Q and A is how many people in the DoSJ are waking up--finding out that they have been misled, and they are not happy about it.

Perhaps the most significant observation that crossed my mind today is the idea that we really are going to make it. Before today I had my doubts but after today there is no doubt in my mind that we will remain as a viable Diocese. And it's a wonderful realization.

So, many, many thanks to all of you who kept us in your thoughts and prayers. Please keep it up. But guess what:

The Kids Are Alright.

Holy Family has its Annual Meeting

So the Episcopal Church of the Holy Family had its annual meeting today. An overflow crowd (spilling over into the back field) met to reflect on the past year and look to the future.

We are grateful for the strong leadership of Father Keith Axberg (as one parishioner proclaimed to a standing ovation) and Marshal Johnston (our outgoing senior warden). We also unanimously passed the following resolution:

"We the parishioners of Holy Family Episcopal Church, Fresno, California,

"AFFIRM that we are and intend to remain a parish in the Diocese of San Joaquin, a part of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and a member of the Worldwide Anglican Communion;

"ACKNOWLEDGE the leadership of our Presiding Bishop, the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, and thank her for the prayers and support she has provided our Diocese and parish;

"PRAY for the reconciliation of the parishes and people in the Diocese of San Joaquin so that we can move beyond those things that prevent and distract us from presenting our common witness to Christ's presence in the world. "

Amen!

And, as a newly elected member of the Vestry of Holy Family, I pledge my heart, hands and mind to the service of this parish, and the Episcopal Church.

When the Going Gets Weird

The Weird Turn Pro.

The words of the immortal Hunter S. Thompson are especially appropriate in the aftermath of the aptly named "Saturday Morning Massacre."

So now that the quondam Bishop of San Joaquin has fired 6 out of the 8 members of the standing committee, what next? Rumor has it that the six contain all four clergy members. Since Father Snell did NOT vote at convention (perhaps as a function of his position on the dais) has he all along reserved the option of determining the relative verdancy of the pasture involved? It's time for him to put his money where his mouth should be.

Given this circumstance, and the dubious legality of this action, and the fact that it only takes a single member of the standing committee to call a special convention, one wonders if indeed the ousted members of the Standing Committee will take their apparent dismissal with equanimity. If I were them, I would immediately call a convention.

As Grendel would say, Do It Now!

I have been blessed

Yes, it was quite some time ago, but I have been woefully negligent lately owing to the start of the Spring semester.

The always-delightful Kirsten has blessed me--in more ways than one!

I hope I can meet her someday--she seems like a wonderful person and so positive. She will make a great priest. And now it appears that she will actually be able someday to come to the (now and improved) Diocese of San Joaquin and celebrate. So I bless her right back.

I bless Father Jake for all he has done for the marginalized. I bless him for his ministry in giving us a voice and a place to get info.

I bless Padre Mickey for being such a fantastic priest. I wish we could steal him away from Panama to come to San Joaquin!

I bless FranIAm for her joie de vivre and exuberant sense of humor.