now that's evangelism

I could tell you the stories and count the names of people who helped to make our witness at this year's Pride Parade so full, beautiful and holy. Minister for Justice & Action Vicki Morte organized us to truly represent, and for weeks our crews gathered on the lawn of the Life Together house in Brookline to build a float that unequivocally announces "God loves you and so do we!" Gratitude is too small a word to say how much we owe everyone who made signs, built rainbow altar rails, brainstormed slogans, painted stained glass windows, marched in the rain, gave out candy and cards, danced on a moving flatbed, chanted, prayed. A whole lot of people know that God's name is Love today, and they know because we weren't afraid to say it.

Check out the rest of this week's Life @ The Crossing blast here.

got pride?

Sorry for sending this blast out so late, but I've got a good excuse. From 2 to 8pm, I was camped out at the State House, surrounded by members of the Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality, Mass Equality and the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition and waiting to testify to the Mass. legislature in favor of the Transgender Civil Rights Bill. The measure has been hung up in committees for years.

I don't know how much difference I made, but I shared my hopes, shared a letter from our bishop and read the comments from a local rabbi, who had to leaveat 6pm because it's Shavuot, a major Jewish holiday. So it was me and the Unitarian district exec. Yes, the people of faith spoke up.

It felt right to be at the State House today, so close to Pride Weekend. Marching in parades and witnessing to God's love is important, and God knows many hands have prepared for Saturday's Pride Parade (click here for the flyer and details). But we also have to take specific action against discrimination, writing letters, talking with legislators, showing up with your cross and your desire for equality.

As long as transgendered people are disproportionately beaten and murdered, as long as they are fired and kicked out of their homes, as long as so many commit suicide rather than suffer another dehumanizing day ... as long as any child of God suffers like this, someone has to speak up. So join us and show your pride on Saturday. Just be sure you show it again every other day of the week

Click here to read the whole Life @ The Crossing weekly email update.

you belong here

What does it mean to belong to The Crossing? What does it mean to be a member? On Thursday, June 2, we'll have a Ritual of Commitment for people who want to join. But what does joining even mean?

That's a question we've mulled intensely for the last three years. The leaders of our Community Circle met over fried chicken and waffles Monday night, and Michael Zahniser, who is establishing our new Crossing house in Jamaica Plain, broke the whole idea of belonging wide open for me. He said, "We're a community that tries to hold people loosely, but membership is about wanting the community to hold me tighter."

Right. We focus so much on how transient our community is, but the fact is that everybody needs to be held, to have people love you enough to expect more of you. We worry about making heavy demands on busy people and asking too much; but maybe I want someone to ask me to stick, want to be held more tightly. You can only roam and skim the surface but so long.

Our Rule for Real Life is the primary way that we hold one another as we seek to live the Jesus Way more intentionally in our everyday, messy, mucky lives, and now we've surrounded it with more relational structures so it's got some power. Details are below, but just plan to come out next Wednesday, May 25, to learn about membership and commitment at The Crossing. Then, on June 2, you're invited to take on the Rule and to take up practices that bind us to one another and to God.

Moving away soon? Member of another Sunday church? You still need to know there is a community sending you with blessing and continuing to pray for and hold you. It's what we all need to thrive ... not just as Christians but as human beings.

Never doubt it: You belong here.

Read this week's entire e-news blast here.

rollercoaster of love

[lord help me! i manage to get a weekly email out to our community, but converting it for a blog post and placing it here for the wider world to check somehow eludes me. so now i'm catching up. here is the first of three weeks' worth of blog posts -- may 27, june 2 and june 9. they're somewhat truncated, without the basic community ministry info. just the news that's fit to print.]

POSTED TO CROSSING COMMUNITY ON TUESDAY, MAY 27

Reflections on Family, Holiness, Change and Blessings
What a roller coaster today has been, with tears at every turn! I awakened to the extraordinary news of Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court. The tears started as my Latina sister thanked the President -- son of a single mother -- and honored her own mother, a single mom who raised her and her brother in a Bronx housing project. All this was so much sweeter for me because my mother, Phyllis, raised me and my brother on her own in Kentucky. So my heart was glad.

Then, just a few hours later, my heart broke with the news that California's highest court upheld a ban against marriage equality for gay and lesbian people. I thought of all the gay and lesbian friends and mentors whose relationships and marriages have taught me how to love, how to raise a family, how to put God at the center of a home. I thought of all my gay and lesbian friends and mentors in and from California -- some of whom are reading these words -- who feel they've been swept back to second-class citizenship after a too-brief taste of equality. As a black woman, as a Christian, as an American, my heart aches whenever I see discrimination, especially when the church is at the forefront, reinforcing oppression. I cannot pretend otherwise.

And yet, in the space between these historic events, I found a fledgling hope. NPR interviewed a California pastor who said he opposes marriage equality because "Every child has a right to be raised by two parents, a man and a woman." I looked up, thought, "Ah, my brother, wait!" A mother and a father are wonderful, but they're by no means the only foundation for a strong family. I know it. President Obama and Judge Sotomayor know it, too. Our mothers built non-traditional families that nurtured us, with aunts and uncles, grandparents and neighbors all investing in our well-being. I missed my dad, but I gained so much when the bounds of our family got stretched out. It was a different family, but a family nonetheless.

Likewise, I have seen beautiful, healthy Christian families with two mothers and others with two fathers, and their children are as blessed as any raised by a man and a woman. It's a different blessing, but a blessing nonetheless ... on the children and on me.

I believe my brother pastor wants what's best for children and for families. That's why I hope and pray he will someday experience gay and lesbian and other non-traditional families not as a threat or an unfortunate substitute but as a blessing that enriches his own marriage, his own family, his own Christian journey. That is what they have done for me.

I write knowing some will resonate with my words, while for others they may bring pain, confusion or anger. If you would like to sit down and talk, to share stories or hopes or questions, to explore the different ways we see God moving, I welcome that opportunity to listen and to share. If you don't have that talk with me, find a friend or another Crossing member with whom to have it. Even when we disagree, such conversations make us all stronger. They are a blessing, too.

Walking with you in the light of Christ,
Rev. Steph

lost and found

It happens to everyone. Monday was my turn. Someone snuck into my office here at church -- I had run out for 10 minutes to give a homeless man a copy of our Crossing CD because he was depressed and wanted some peaceful, good music to play on his portable CD player. The thief took both my wallet and my BlackBerry. In this day and age, you could say they took a big chunk of my life.

So I sleep-walked my way through the rest of the day, cancelling this, trying to get my hands on that. Bought a weekly T-pass to replace the stolen monthly one. Then I discovered the value of my monthly T-pass actually transfers when it's stolen. At first, the news just made me more angry. "Great! They took my money, and now I've wasted more money on a weekly pass." I headed to the T, sad and quietly fuming.

On the way, I ran into some friends who live on or near the streets. They had heard what happened, offered their support. I thanked them and kept going. Then I shook my head, clearing it of cobwebs and muck. Something made me turn back to them and ask, "Hey, do you guys know someone who rides the T a lot but doesn't have a pass or get the disabled rate? I've got this extra one." They pointed me to a young man on a bench, said he'd just gotten a job and could use a pass. I walked up, introduced myself. We chatted, and I gave him the pass.

That moment, it was like a cloud lifted. Like that chunk of life, the one I thought I had lost, suddenly clicked back into place. Generosity and gratitude work that way. They redeem us, make us human (dare I say -- holy) again, drag us out of the prison of self-absorption, knit us into community and closer to the heart of God. I'm still kinda sad. But I'm sad for people who've lost a whole lot more than I ever have. And I'm looking forward to the next chance to give again, because it works wonders on this crabby old heart.

what's happening @ the crossing?
THIS THURSDAY @ 6pm / Worship and Fellowship
Our own wise and funny Audrey O'Brien shares gospel reflections this month, and Jeremy Marks (our Boston College intern, who graduates soon!) continues our Easter season spiritual practice of finding the risen Christ in our work for justice and healing. After worship: Join us for simple hospitality and stick around for our ritual procession to Fajitas 'n Ritas for cheap food and drinks. Getting to The Crossing: Across from Park St. T. Parking: Validated parking @ Boston Common Garage on Charles Street (b/t Common and Public Garden). More info: head to www.thecrossingboston.org.

THIS SATURDAY @ 6pm at St. Peter's Church in Weston / Jubilee Celebrates Africa
Join this celebration to raise money and build relationships & awareness around global poverty and healing, particularly in Africa. Sponsored by Jubilee Ministry, the diocesan group that coordinates ministry and relationships on the ground in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. The celebration features music, an auction (Red Sox tix and more!) and African crafts sale. Tickets: $25. Location: St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 320 Boston Post Road, Weston. Contact: Maggie Geller 617-482-4826, ext. 351 or mgeller@diomass.org or Kate at rubins@wi.mit.edu.

THIS SUNDAY @ 6:30-9pm / Summer Small Groups Planning Dinner
We're planning on sharing plenty of formation and fun this summer. If you’d like to help plan summer small groups and formation offerings, join our Minister for Community Life, Jason Long, for dinner at his home this Sunday night. Contact: Jason at jlong@diomass.org or 617-519-1538 to RSVP and get directions.

community notes
InBetweenCrossings: groups.google.com/group/inbetweencrossings
You got stuff to share (a job, a couch, a theater gig you want people to attend …)? You need stuff (lost scarf, dog-sitter, a summer sublet …)? Log onto our brand new online forum to connect and share information about random community announcements -- including upcoming events, apartment sublets, job opportunities, lost-and-found, furniture exchange, help requests, etc.

Giving @ The Crossing
If you'd like to make a contribution to support the ministries of The Crossing -- and yes, this ministry depends on all of our giving, to meet our goal of raising $20,000 in 2009 -- we've got new pledge cards available at worship. You can make a one-time gift, or prayerfully consider pledging (setting out an amount you'd like to give over the course of a year). Give however you're able: cash, check or credit cards. Contact Chris Ashley at chris.ashley@gmail.com to learn more.

Share the Groove -- Buy a copy of The Crossing CD
The Crossing has released its first CD, Songs @ The Crossing. It's a collection of 14 favorite songs from our worship community, and you can get it for $15. Reply to this email or buy one on a Thursday. Fair Trade @ The CrossingWant to pitch in with our effort to become a Fair Trade Ministry? The first move: changes in hospitality (fair trade/organic food, eco-friendly products, re-usable dishes that we wash after worship). To help and imagine more ways to transform life @ The Crossing, contact Bill Comer at bill.comer.jr@gmail.com or 617.818.5124. And join friends at Boston Faith and Justice Network as they put the spotlight on fair trade and justice issues locally and globally. Go to www.bostonfaithjustice.org for more info.

ongoing justice and healing ministries
We're serious about joining ministries that serve our homeless and hungry brothers and sisters. Please join us any day of the week!
** Monday Lunch Program: Cathedral every Monday, 10am to help with set-up, or 11:30am-12:45pm to help serve & build community with our neighbors. Contact Jeremy at jeremyrmarks@gmail.com.
** St. Francis House: Volunteers needed every day to help serve meals and provide care. Boylston St, near Chinatown. Contact Lynn Campbell at lynnmcam@aol.com.
** Haley House is a Catholic-worker style community in the South End. Volunteers needed for meals programs 6-10am every day AND 1:30-5pm Saturday and Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Could use help tending an urban orchard in Mission Hill. See www.haleyhouse.org.

getting connected @ the crossing
If you'd like to be in touch, we'd love to connect with YOU! Look at the list and then reach out:
** Stephanie Spellers: revsteph@gmail.com / 617.482.4826, x318 (priest, communications, pastoral care)
** Jason Long: jlong@diomass.org / 617.482.4826, x311 (newcomers)
** Chris Ashley: chris.ashley@gmail.com (budget, hospitality)
** Lynn Campbell: lynnmcam@aol.com (ministries with the homeless)
** Jeremy Marks: jeremyrmarks@gmail.com (Monday Lunch Program)
** Ashley Merrell: ashleynmerrell@gmail.com (music ministry)
** Travis Stevens: tstevens@hds.harvard.edu (arts and outreach)

Blessings in the groove,
Rev. Steph

this summer is hot!

Who thought the summer would be slow? Ha! We're not worshiping tonight or the rest of the summer (returning Sept. 4), but there's plenty of good news to share about Life @ The Crossing. So I'm gonna get straight to it ... and then go praise God at the beach!

WHAT'S GOING ON @ THE CROSSING?

Summer Community Gatherings
Starting next week, we're organizing community happenings every Thursday. Read on and then mark your calendar. And if you'd like to host or organize a gathering, reply to this email!
** AUG. 7 @ 6:30pm / Party @ Kendra McLaughlin's house in the Fenway (56 Queensberry Street, Apt. 7): Kendra will have snacks and drinks to get things started, but you're welcome to bring more of either. To get directions or check in with Kendra (esp. if you can bring something!): kendra.mclaughlin@gmail.com or 857.939.0353.
** AUG. 14 @ 6:30pm / Bowling and Ice Cream in Hyde Park: Ron's Ice Cream (1231 Hyde Park Ave) sports the best ice cream in America (yup, it's official) and plenty of bowling (sticky lanes? hmm ...). Directions are here: http://ronsicecream.com/location.html. Ron's is located about 4 miles from the Forest Hills T stop. No car? Contact Rev. Steph for ride info (pick-ups @ Forest Hills).
** AUG. 21 @ 6:30pm / Games and a Movie in the Cambridge area -- location TBA
** AUG. 28 @ 6:30pm / Wide Open!!

Planning for the Year
SUN., AUG. 18 @ 5-8pm / Open Scrum @ Rev. Steph's Place in Central Square (65 Magazine Street, Apt. 2, six blocks off Mass Ave). Scrum is usually the monthly gathering where leaders of The Crossing look at the past month and see what's on the horizon and plan accordingly. THIS TIME, Scrum will be an open gathering where everyone in the community is welcome to offer feedback on the last year and plan for the year to come around 1) worship, 2) community, 3) practice, 4) action and 5) leadership. Want to come? RSVP: Contact Rev. Steph at revsteph@gmail.com or 617.482.4826, x318 for directions (and so she's got enough food). Street parking available.

The Rule for Real Life & Prayer Partners
Attached is a draft of the Rule for Real Life, the working doc members of our community created recently to help all of us to journey more closely and intentionally with God and each other in our real lives. What to do with it?
1. Read it, pray with it, feel how it resonates with your own yearning to walk Jesus' way (and where you most need some support or challenge).
2. Offer your own thoughts about what you see, what's compelling, what's missing.
3. Try on The Rule this summer and fall.
4. Get a Prayer Partner: another member of The Crossing community who also wants to live out The Rule.
To share feedback or get linked with a Prayer Partner, contact Penny at penny@pennylarson.net or 617.558.8420.

Summer Justice and Healing Opportunities
Aug. 15 and Aug. 29 / Fair Trade Films This Summer: We're teaming up with Boston Faith and Justice Network (www.bostonfaithjustice.org) this summer to spread info about fair trade and everybody's role in advancing global economic & environmental justice.
** Friday, August 15 @ 7pm: "The Fair Trade" at Hope Fellowship Church, 16 Beech Street, Cambridge (near Porter T stop).
** Friday, August 29 @ 7pm: We host a showing of "The Price of Sugar" right here at The Crossing.
NOTE: This fall, we're taking steps to make The Crossing a fair trade, sustainable ministry: using fair trade and environmentally sustainable products, serving on real dishes instead of paper or plastic (and then washing up afterward). Stay tuned for info on how you can pitch in.

Got extra time this summer? Consider helping with these downtown ministries with homeless and hungry people:
** Monday Lunch Program takes place here at The Cathedral every Monday. Show up @ 10am to help with set-up, or at 11:30am-12:45pm to help serve & build community with our neighbors. Contact Rev. Steph at revsteph@gmail.com or 617.482.4826, x318.
** St. Francis House: Volunteers needed everyday to help serve meals and provide care. Boylston St, near Chinatown. Contact Lynn Campbell at lynnmcam@aol.com or 617.654.1212.
** Haley House is a Catholic-worker style community in the South End. Volunteers needed for meals programs 6-10am every day AND 1:30-5pm Saturday and Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Could also use help tending an urban orchard in Mission Hill. See www.haleyhouse.org or contact Christine Evans at cevans@haleyhouse.org.

Community Notes
** Alleluia! The Crossing has been selected to host a "relational evangelist" starting in September, and it's our own Jason Long! A small group of these relational evangelists will serve as organizers 20-hrs/week with young adult-related ministries throughout the Episcopal Church in Massachusetts, stirring the pot so we all get more relational, more passionate about God's mission, and more connected with each other and with our community. Want to know more? Contact Jason at jason.long.1@googlemail.com.
** Need furniture? Kendra is moving from The Fenway soon and wants to sell or give away a lot of stuff: bookshelves, end tables, etc. Contact her at kendra.mclaughlin@gmail.com or 857.939.0353.
** Know any students looking to intern this fall? We've got several opportunities: traditional field education for seminarians, field site for work on small groups or justice efforts. Contact Rev. Steph at revsteph@gmail.com or 617.482.4826, x318.

Getting Connected @ The Crossing
If you'd like to be in touch, we'd love to connect with YOU! Look at the list and then reach out:
** Stephanie Spellers: revsteph@gmail.com / 617.482.4826, x318 (priest, communications, pastoral care)
** Chris Ashley: chris.ashley@gmail.com (budget, hospitality, worship arts)
** Lynn Campbell: lynnmcam@aol.com (ministries with the homeless)
** Andrea Castner-Wyatt: revandrea@gmail.com (worship arts)
** Christine Evans: thatevansgirl@gmail.com (admin, newcomers)
** Jason Long: jason.long.1@googlemail.com (small groups)
** Ashley Merrell: amerrell@berklee.net (music ministry)

Wishing you all kinds of love and peace in Christ,
Rev. Steph

worship @ 6pm all summer long!

We're making it a little easier to fit church into busy summer schedules - WORSHIP @ 6pm starting THIS THURSDAY and running through June and July. If you're planning way ahead, take note: No worship on July 29 or in the month of August. So come in to praise God and then head back outside with a grateful heart to praise the sun (come on, you know you want to) ...

What's going on @ The Crossing?
THIS THURS. / Worship @ 6pm: Christine Evans shares June reflections; no early spiritual practice this summer. Subway: Park Street (red or green line) or Downtown Crossing (orange line). Driving: For $3, we validate parking at Boston Common Garage (Charles Street b/t the Common and Public Gardens.) More info: www.thecrossingboston.org.

NO MONDAY SCRIPTURE CHAT THIS SUMMER: That is, no official every-other-Monday date at Grendel's Den. But if you want to connect to reflect on the great crossing between God's story and our stories, contact Chris Ashley at chris.ashley@gmail.com. He'll let you know about ad hoc Bible Study gatherings this summer.

SAT., 6/14 @ 2pm / Got Pride? Get Blessed!: Following the LGBT Pride Parade, our own Bishop Tom Shaw will open the doors of The Cathedral to bless people, relationships and families. Starts at 2pm with "Party on the Porch" (lemonade, cookies and music outside). At 2:30pm, come in for a simple, celebratory gathering featuring music, blessings from the bishop and prayer. All are welcome! Want to help? Contact Rev. Steph at revsteph@gmail.com. And if you want to march with a bunch of surprisingly wild Episcopalians in the parade (step off @ noon in the South End), contact Rev. Steph for those details, too.

JOIN THE REVOLUTION THIS SUMMER / We could use help with set-up (creative stuff and the really basic stuff), greeting on the porch, justice and newcomer ministries, etc. If you've got some time this summer AND a passion for building the beloved community, contact Rev. Steph at revsteph@gmail.com.

PRAYERS NEEDED: Please pray for our sisters Audrey and Lynn, as they prepare to go before church committees that will decide whether to sponsor them for ordination to the priesthood. Pray for everybody who is hunting for work or housing, interviewing for jobs and simply struggling in this tight economy. Pray for our sister Lianne Marquis, who is in the Holy Land working on behalf of the Palestinian people this summer.

JUSTICE & HEALING OPPORTUNITIES
Ministries with Poor People in Boston: We're closely connected to three downtown ministries with homeless and hungry people:
** Monday Lunch Program takes place here at The Cathedral every Monday. Show up @ 10am to help with set-up, or at 11:30am-12:45pm to help serve & build community. Contact Rev. Steph at revsteph@gmail.com or 617.482.4826, x318.
** St. Francis House: Volunteers needed everyday to help serve meals and provide care. Contact Lynn Campbell at lynnmcam@aol.com or 617.654.1212.
** Haley House is a Catholic-worker style community in the South End. Volunteers needed for meals programs 6-10am every day AND 1:30-5pm Saturday and Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Could also use help tending an urban orchard in Mission Hill. See www.haleyhouse.org or contact Christine Evans at cevans@haleyhouse.org.

Give it 4 Good: One way to put your economic stimulus check to real use is to "Give it 4 good." Go to www.e4gr.org/giveit4good and donate part or all of your check to groups working to alleviate global poverty. Sponsored by Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation.

GETTING CONNECTED @ THE CROSSING
If you'd like to be in touch, we'd love to connect with YOU! Look at the list and then reach out:
** Stephanie Spellers: revsteph@gmail.com (priest, communications, pastoral care)
** Chris Ashley: chris.ashley@gmail.com (scripture chat, hospitality)
** Lynn Campbell: lynnmcam@aol.com (ministries with the homeless)
** Ben Garren: bgarren@alumni.unc.edu (worship/creative stuff)
** Jason Long: jason.long.1@googlemail.com (small groups)
** Ashley Merrell: amerrell@berklee.net (music ministry)
** Kirsten Wesselhoeft: kirsten.m.w@gmail.com (newcomers)

Blessings in the groove!
Rev. Steph

on the road again

God is clearly doing something here at The Crossing. Last weekend, we discovered God is doing something THROUGH us, too. Friday night, we shared our spirit-filled, contemplative/funky, ancient/future emergent worship gathering with a group of churches in Washington, D.C. Then we did it again Sunday with more than 200 people at a celebration north of Boston. I could go on, but just know this: we're part of a movement, and God is at the center of it. Amen? Amen!

What's Going on @ The Crossing?
WORKING on the REVOLUTION / Interns are splitting, so we're looking for office help this summer. Come in from 3-6pm on Thursdays, help with worship sheets and set-up; stay to worship. What could be easier? $11/hr, 3 hrs/week, May 29-July 24. General volunteer help also much appreciated! We're also looking for field ed interns to serve this fall. Know a good one? Contact Rev. Steph at revsteph@gmail.com.

THURS. / Worship @ 6:30pm, Spiritual practice @ 6pm: Every Thursday, we worship and engage in spiritual practice -- it's how we give thanks, ask forgiveness, open to God's transforming Spirit, get steeped in the vision and soul-power of God. This month, Ben Garren and Jason Long team up to offer scripture reflections, while Kevin Casey leads centering spiritual practices. Subway: Park Street (red or green line) or Downtown Crossing (orange line). Driving: For $3, we validate parking at Boston Common Garage (Charles Street b/t the Common and Public Gardens.) More info: www.thecrossingboston.org.

SAT., 5/24 @ 9:30-11:30am / Greater Boston Church Planting Collaborative: A monthly gathering of new-church planters in the Boston area. Let's go learn from experienced brothers and sisters who know what it takes to launch a new congregation. Emmanuel Gospel Center, 2 San Juan St, in Boston's South End. Call 617.262.3363 for more info; contact Rev. Steph at revsteph@gmail.com if you'd like to come.

MON., 5/26 @ 6:30pm / Harvard Square Scripture Chat: Yup, it's Memorial Day, but we'll still head to Grendel's Den for our relaxed Bible Study focused on our stories/God's story (not who's got the most verses memorized). Half-price menu and cheap drinks sweeten the deal. Grendel's Den: Corner of JFK St & Winthrop St, between Peet's Coffee and Staples in Harvard Square. Contact Chris at chris.ashley@gmail.com or 312.451.5124.

TUE., 6/3 @ 7pm / Boston Emergent Cohort: Join the Emergent Cohort at Danny's Diner in Somerville and share the emergent conversation, rich community and a direct plug into God's radical dream as it's breaking out all over our region. Go to www.emergentvillage.com/cohorts-locations/boston-emergent-cohort for info on the Boston Emergent Cohort AND cohorts of all sorts.

SAT., 6/14 @ 2pm / Got Pride? Get Blessed!: Following the Pride Parade, our own Bishop Tom Shaw will open the doors of The Cathedral to bless people, relationships and families. Starts at 2pm with lemonade, cookies and music on the church porch. At 2:30pm, come in for a simple, celebratory gathering featuring music, blessings and prayer. All are welcome! Want to help? Contact Rev. Steph at revsteph@gmail.com.

JUSTICE & HEALING OPPORTUNITIES:
Give it 4 Good: One way to put your economic stimulus check to real use is to "Give it 4 good." Go to www.e4gr.org/giveit4good and donate part or all of your check to groups working to alleviate global poverty. Sponsored by Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation.

Burmese Cyclone Relief: Keep praying for the tens of thousands who have died, and for the hundreds of thousands who will suffer for years to come. Then, dig deep and make a contribution that provides immediate relief and invests in long-term solutions. One way is through Episcopal Relief and Development's Emergency Relief Fund: donate online at www.er-d.org or send a check to PO Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116.

Ministries with Poor People in Boston: We're closely connected to three downtown ministries with homeless and hungry people:
** Monday Lunch Program takes place here at The Cathedral every Monday. Show up @ 10am to help with set-up, or at 11:30am-12:45pm to help serve & build community. Contact Rev. Steph at revsteph@gmail.com or 617.482.4826, x318.
** St. Francis House: Volunteers needed everyday to help serve meals and provide care. Contact Lynn Campbell at lynnmcam@aol.com or 617.654.1212.
** Haley House is a Catholic-worker style community in the South End. Volunteers needed for meals programs 6-10am every day AND 1:30-5pm Saturday and Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Could also use help tending an urban orchard in Mission Hill. See www.haleyhouse.org or contact Christine Evans at cevans@haleyhouse.org.

GETTING CONNECTED @ THE CROSSING:If you'd like to be in touch, we'd love to connect with YOU! Look at the list and then reach out:
** Stephanie Spellers: revsteph@gmail.com (priest, communications, newcomers)
** Chris Ashley: chris.ashley@gmail.com (scripture chat, hospitality)
** Lynn Campbell: lynnmcam@aol.com (ministries with the homeless)
** Ben Garren: bgarren@alumni.unc.edu (worship/creative stuff)
** Jason Long: jason.long.1@googlemail.com (small groups)
** Ashley Merrell: amerrell@berklee.net (music ministry)
** Kirsten Wesselhoeft: kirsten.m.w@gmail.com (justice and service, newcomers)

Blessings on the journey we share!
Rev. Steph