Christ's Mission in Liverpool

Advent and Christmas in Liverpool

Realistically, the thought of not being busy this time of year was dead at least by the time November rolled around, with more and more talk of the things called Carol Services and other activities. It turns out that I ended up at least as busy (and happily so!) as I was at University. And it’s been such an activity-filled month that I haven’t had a moment to stop and take stock of what Advent and Christmas is like in Liverpool.

When I arrived here, it’s safe to say that I didn’t then expect to be performing in three months time in a theatrical production in the Cathedral’s Main Space. But the Director of Choral Outreach Stephen had me playing Bob Cratchitt in a musical version of A Christmas Carol, for which he wrote songs and a local music director wrote the script. The true stars of the production were the many school children who sang the songs, but folks from around the Cathedral pitched in to play a role and help get the whole thing together. It was quite the revelation to consider myself having a wife and six children as Bob Cratchitt!

Another new exciting part of my work at the Cathedral has been preparing for the Christmas Questionnaire. The Canon Theologian of Liverpool Cathedral, Canon Leslie Francis, put together a questionnaire in order to learn more about the folks who come to the services in Advent and Christmas at the Cathedral. We administered at both Carol Services on Christmas Eve, as well as the Evening Service on Advent IV called the Holly Bough Service. The questionnaire is designed in two parts, the first to be completed before the service begins, the next towards the end. The differences in the responses between the two parts—and between the responses between the surveys taken from the different services—-will hopefully tell us something about the people who come to these special services, and furthermore, how the Cathedral might attract them back. It was quite a production to make sure each soul received a questionnaire upon arrival at the Cathedral for each of the services. The first Carol Service on Christmas Eve at the Cathedral ends at 3pm and the next begins at 4, which meant myself, Jen, Canon Leslie and others were running around collecting questionnaires like mad before returning to the West End to distribute more to the next group of worshippers as they arrived!

A word about the Holly Bough on Advent IV— I understand it to be a service originally created by the first Dean of Liverpool, Dean Dwelly. A Holly-adorned stand with five lit candles (four red, one white) is processed from the West to the East End of the Cathedral, or, from where the Nativity Scene is to the High Altar, over which the Crucifixion is enshrined in the Reredos. The holly, walked from “Crib to Cross” as it were, represents a central tension in the Christian Faith—the Baby in Bethlehem is also the Dying Savior on Calvary. These two salvific actins of the Savior betray an even deeper mystery of our faith, that through these events, we know for certain that the God of Bethlehem and Calvary loves each of us unconditionally and knows the inner life of our souls.

I was very excited to lead Morning and Evening Prayer at the Cathedral a few times this month. Both Jen and I have cassocks in the Cathedral burnt-red color with cloth cinctures to wear when we take part in liturgies here, and we are both scheduled to lead Offices a few times between Christmas and New Year when many of the clergy are out on holiday. At Evening Prayer, we use the 1662 Prayer Book (the official BCP of the C of E), which means I now can speak Elizabethan English (sort of). It’s a simple service, but part of the daily round of worship that is the core of life here. The one thing the officiant does get to “do” is add their own (or read from a different book of) additional prayers at the end of the liturgy. The Dean has a great collection of books of prayers for this purpose. On each Wednesday evening, the Vergers place a basket of written prayers on the Altar before the service, prayers left by visitors throughout the week. At Wednesday Evening Prayer, then, we pray for what those visitors have prayed for. It’s a rather beautiful practice that speaks to the communion between those who pray—whether we actually know each other or not.

Perhaps the greatest thrill is after the liturgy, when putting my cassock away in the Vestry. Whoever is the leader at any of the services signs the service register, a rather large book (in which I assume Justin Welby’s signature must appear because he was Dean here not too long ago!) with a fountain pen reserved for the purpose.

I was prepared for many liturgies this Christmas, but expecting not much else since I’m away from home. However, Mentors extraordinary David and Debra picked me up after Midnight Mass to stay with them for Christmas Day, and the Dean invited Jen and myself for Christmas Eve dinner. While I certainly miss home and family, I’m also happy to be celebrating with my new family in Liverpool.

And now I must return to finding prayers for the next time I lead Evening Prayer and beginning to tackle the boxes (and boxes) of questionnaires that await me in the office.

May Christ, who by His Incarnation gathered into one things earthly and heavenly, fill us all with His joy and peace.

Thanks for reading this update on my missionary blog! I’m a missionary of The Episcopal Church, serving in Liverpool, UK. Make sure to subscribe at the bottom of the home page to get an email when I next post an update. God bless, and thank you!

Eager to read more? Check out the “Meet the YASCers” page of the website of the Young Adult Service Corps (YASC) of the Episcopal Church to find the blogs of my missionary colleagues: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/YASC/meet-yascers.

Walking Toward Reconciliation

The Partnership for World Mission Conference, or PWM as we always called it, is an annual gathering of folks around the Church of England and around the world to network and learn about some of the latest news regarding mission in the Anglican Communion. The Tsedaqah Community, shepherded by Mal and joined by a few others, served as the Conference Choir. Both Jen and I had a solo during a Taize piece during one Evening Prayer liturgy that was well received.

I learned so much while at the PWM conference. Particularly interesting was a presentation by one of the leaders of the World Christianity Center at the University of Cambridge. This organization encourages students to spend time studying abroad in the global south—where Christianity is growing—and to learn from the theology and life of what it means to be Anglican in the Southern Hemisphere. As the global north always seems to face a more secular reality, there is much to be learned from the faith of our often forgotten friends in the global south.

The theme of the Conference was Walking Together—which is a wonderful definition of mission in the 21st Century world. Past missionary activity brought not only Christianity but a colonial power and a colonial culture—supported by the religious establishment to many parts of the world. The colonized lost language, culture, and lives at the hands of Christians—Christians who are our forbearers.

What does, or rather, what could, Reconciliation look like after such sin?

We’re only now beginning a path toward reconciliation, as we are only beginning to be honest about the horrors of the past. The grave deeds need to be named and acknowledged before anything like real reconciliation can occur. Books like The Two Triangles, by Ken Pye and our own Malcolm Rogers begin this conversation by setting before us part of the picture of the Slave Trade that tool place in Liverpool. As the Slavery Museum here declares, “This story has been neglected by too many for far too long.” To begin a response to the past, then, we must first recall it. “We will remember,” as the museum also says, is both a promise and a prayer: a promise to those whose lives haven been extinguished, and a prayer to God at whose bidding and by whose guidance we have hope for the future.

It was so cool to assist in welcoming YASC Officers Elizabeth Boe and Jenny Grant from the Church Center in NYC (known as “815”) and a small but mighty film crew, and Canon Stephanie, the Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Reconciliation all visited us in Liverpool, and toured many parts of the city. We also had the Facebook-famous Father Kessie, our Triangle of Hope link in Ghana visiting us. As a Triangle, we visited the Slavery Museum, and toured the city—which was funded in large part by slavery. It was a humbling and holy experience to make a start at taking in and naming the past—and doing it together.

Hope was very much present in our group, and especially at Evensong at the Cathedral on the Friday of the visit, at which Elizabeth and Father Kessie were made Anglican Communion Fellows of the Diocese of Liverpool and the Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool. It was such a joy to be present at the liturgy that day, and to celebrate to only the great work of Elizabeth and Fr. Kessie but the work of the Church in general—-to feel a sense of accomplishment that somehow, we’ve taken a step towards reconciliation with the past, each other, ourselves, and ultimately, with God.

The Dignity of Love

When I shut the back door of the van, my hand always gets a little grimy. Not the best feeling in the world, I’ll admit, but it’s a sign that its a well-used vehicle. I’m glad, because I do pray for God’s will to be done, and this van is doing it. The people who drive, pack up, and distribute the vast quantities of food to those who really need it, those are the people who are the hands of God in the world.

That slightly musty smell of the produce section of the grocery store wafts through the van as I climb in the passenger side door (the opposite side of the car to what it is in the States, which I’m still not used to), and on the chilly morning watch the city go by as we head toward the market or food bank location for the day, or to one of the many older more established food banks that are kind enough to let us have their overflow.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to “sit in” as it were with the members of the MICAH food bank. Well, there actually was very little sitting involved, more carrying of food boxes and bags around. Before I shadowed the team, I had been curious as to what the work on the ground looked like. I knew about the food banks that have had a great impact in alleviating hunger in this city, but was curious to find out what actually has to be done to make that happen.

In theory, the process is simple- fill a van of donated food, put the food in bags, and distribute at an advertised location. But in reality, it’s anything but. Once food is donated, it makes its way to the store room located on the Cathedral Close. Once sorted, food is selected for the food banks and community markets, set out, and then taken to the right location on the right day.

The food banks occur at two local churches, both close by to the Cathedral. There’s a wonderful team of volunteers who set up, staff, and break down the Food Bank, who take names and fill out information cards (as required by law), bag the food, distribute the food, and help guide new arrivals through the process. It’s quite a system, and I’m honored to be a part of it. When I last went, I helped with the intake process for new arrivals. By law, we have to record information from the asylum papers or residentiary card for each guest, who are allowed four visits to the food bank one per week.

In addition to the food banks, which are the most well known, MICAH also supplies food to two community markets. Folks who come purchase food at low prices, often at 20 or 50 pence an item. This allows folks to give back to their community what they can, which is really important. Often people in need are looked on as a liability. But all of us, no matter the size of our wallets, have something to offer and something to give.

If you’ve read my fellow Tsedaqah Community Member Jenn’s blog, you will see a new project that is currently in the works: trying to connect with those in neighboring dioceses who work with victims of human trafficking. Jen provided in her blog post a picture of a local ministry run by one of our new friends the Diocese of Manchester, who provides art and language classes among other things to those who have escaped the traffickers (https://jenwilliams.home.blog/2019/11/12/tsedaqah-chapter-2/). We hope to be able to bring many clients of this ministry for a visit to the Cathedral in Liverpool, as well as host the art exhibition created by the clients themselves.

Another dream we have is to create an alliance of northwestern Anglicans in mission with victims of human trafficking. This work is integral to the Triangle of Hope Ministry, which works to acknowledge and heal past divisions by slavery and combat it in its current form of human trafficking. We hope that such a Church alliance will help clients in claiming asylum or refugee status. Our friends in Manchester diocese are adamant about involving clients and survivors in our work, which is crucial. We feed the hungry and free the enslaved at Christ’s command because we acknowledge that we are all part of the human family, each with different gifts but with the same dignity that demands respect. We are called to raise each other up in love, and that love we share with one another helps bring God’s Kingdom a little closer to fruition on earth as it is in heaven.

The British Judiciary, Academia, & the Mission of the Church

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activities and meetings geared toward familiarizing myself with the Cathedral and the Diocese of Liverpool. I never realized how busy a Cathedral can be! The visitors who have come to encounter the great building that is our Cathedral are truly only the surface of that business, which is really saying something if you consider the scads of folks who come and take in the great windows, light candles, or stay for Evensong.

I probably have used the phrase “baptism of fire” to death during the last two weeks to describe the effect of my role in the preparations for the great “Service to mark the beginning of the Legal Year,” or as it is known colloquially, the Judges’ Service.

The US doesn’t have a State Church like the UK—by design—so the prospect of legal officials coming officially to the Cathedral initially sounded unfamiliar to me. But Her Majesty is head of both Church and State in this country, and I’m beginning to see how the two institutions interact, at least from a Cathedral perspective. To the Judges’ Service come local and some national legal figures, judges, the Lord Mayor, High Sheriff, and Lord Lieutenant, and others for a very elaborate service of Morning Prayer in full gowns, robes, wigs, and great Anglican Cathedral pomp and ceremony. In the weeks preceding the service on the 13th of October, I had the privilege to assist the Dean’s Office in preparation and eventually made probably 150 name and place cards in order to facilitate the seating of visiting dignitaries. In addition, each group of legal officials needed a room in the Cathedral in which to put on and divest of the aforementioned wigs and robes, which meant robing location signs needed to be printed, laminated, and put up around the Cathedral, along with signs organizing the procession into the service. It took two weeks to put all of this material together, and I showed up at half seven on the 13th to put everything up in its proper place, then regain my composure to assist seating guests to their precise seat allocation before the service started. And hope that my composure was enough to get me through reading two of the prayers in the Service itself.

Any and all work of Liverpool Cathedral and the Diocese of Liverpool is mission work. Cleaning floors, setting the Credence table, writing a communications brief, or making place cards is all mission work, work that helps facilitate the encounter between the people that come through our doors and the God who knows and loves all of us. All of the work we do is to the glory of God, and in a context where some folks might not have any other connection to the Church or any spirituality in their lives. I am indeed a missionary among missionaries here in Liverpool, with a common task: to make Christ known in word and deed. It is a privilege and honour to live here and to serve here.

Another opportunity I have had is to sit in and participate in the meeting of the Cathedral’s Learning Community Rural Ministry Conference that took place in the Cathedral this past week. It was, quite literally, a meeting of the minds: Academics, parish priests seeking professional development, and ecumenical representatives met and presented work which ranged from research on church closure to parish studies to tourism. What I found most interesting and intriguing about this conference was its intentionality around how members interacted with each other and react to each other’s presented work: with “intelligent kindness.” That is, while being honest and inquisitive, members were mindful of others’ vulnerability, and shared feedback with the goal of building up one another’s work in addition to the drive to continue that work.

If I’m honest, the ideals of the conference were one of the most profound articulations of the Christian way of life I’ve encountered in the academy. In both the academic and wider world, interaction can so often be just plain nasty. Christians, in response to the call of Christ, act first and foremost with love in a world that is in so desperate need of it. This is another part of our collective mission to be Christ’s presence in the world.

One thing I have heard from several people around the Cathedral and Diocese is that no two days are alike, that there is always something new and different and interesting happening. This is most certainly true, and find this general bustle and business around this corner of the Church something that keeps me on my toes in the best way possible. That’s exactly what a missionary needs—an engaging environment that always brings something new. Thanks be to God.

One final note: the music nerds among the readers of this blog (you know who you are) may be interested in the music and worship life of Liverpool Cathedral. In the attempt to satiate your curiosity, I will direct you to the Cathedral Services schedule that has all of the information for service times & music selections: http://www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk/home/worship-here/regular-services.aspx.

By the Jacuzzi of Liverpool

I hadn’t fully realized when I was finally on my flight to England (and happily deciding which in-flight movie to watch) that if I didn’t sleep on the plane, I wouldn’t be going back to sleep until bedtime in my new time zone. According to my estimate, I was awake over 30 hours the day I flew over here to Liverpool. I guess this is the first lesson of being an official missionary of the Episcopal Church: get some sleep on red-eye flights.

However, I couldn’t have asked for a warmer or kinder welcome in Liverpool: Canon Malcolm and Jen (my new fellow Tsedaqah community member) were wonderful and kept me awake that first day with generous amounts of coffee, a tour of Liverpool Cathedral and the Diocesan offices, and a delightfully bombastic concert at Liverpool Philharmonic. Everyone else I met that day and since has been as lovely to me as I’ve settled in. Liverpool, on the whole, is a wonderfully welcoming place.

Tsedaqah (seh-DAH-kah) is a community in the Diocese of Liverpool that grew out of the Triangle of Hope ministry, which continues to promote mutual respect, support, and admiration between three provinces of the Anglican Communion previously connected by the Atlantic Slave Trade: The UK, the US, and Ghana. Tsedaqah House is where Jen (a native of the area), Kenneth (from Ghana), and myself (from the US) will live in community with each other as well as engage in the mission of the Cathedral and Diocese. This work we do together with a wonderful support system: Canon Ellen (Director of Social Justice in the Diocese and Canon Chancellor at the Cathedral), David and Debra Walker (clinicians extraordinaire), as well as Canon Malcolm, among others.

Tsedaqah House, where we live, is located on Lady Chapel Close, in the buildings across the parking lot from the Lady Chapel of Liverpool Cathedral. It’s wonderful to be so close by to such a place as the Cathedral—a stunning place of encounter with other people from all over the world as well as with God. And yes, Mom, I’ve been going to Evensong as much as I can, which is, as Canon Bob said, like stepping into a “jacuzzi,” warm and inviting. Probably my favorite place in the Cathedral is the Presbytery—the pews facing each other between the Quire and High Altar—to sit there and soak up a sublimely sung Evensong and lift mind and heart to God at the end of the day.

My exact role here is yet to be defined, and it won’t be until I’ve met and shadowed each department in the Cathedral. It will probably involve some sort of work in Music and Liturgy, but I’m keeping as open a mind as possible for now while I continue to meet different folks and learn about their tasks and activities. I do know that I’ll be helping in the Dean’s Office with liturgy planning. I also take part in the life in Tsedaqah House, in which we operate a guest room. (This is where my B&B experience will come in handy!) As an intentional community, we are putting to practice the Benedictine emphasis on hospitality.

I also recently rescued a (stuffed-animal) dog whom I have named Scruffy from one of the big chain stores. He currently rules the bed in my room, but allows me to sleep there. Between Scruffy and Jen’s new lion pillow, in Debra’s words, “Tsedaqah house is turning into a zoo!”

Taking off…

I’ve been getting asked more and more about my upcoming year of mission in Liverpool as a YASCer. Of course, I respond, I’m excited and a bit nervous. I’m excited to meet new friends and find out what the Holy Spirit is up to across the pond. I’m excited—and nervous—to attend the Lambeth Conference next July.

Recently, I’ve felt an overwhelming sense of peace that settles into the corners of my soul when I think about the upcoming year. A feeling that the path I’m on is the right one, and that I’m ready for whatever joys and challenges are coming my way once I step off the plane.

For about a week this past August, however, I found myself listening to a bunch of Christmas music at work and home (the latter much to my parent’s chagrin). Looking back, I realize now that this started when I realized that I wouldn’t be home for Christmas this year, for the first time in my life. This behavior betrays a final emotion: preemptive homesickness. However, I am reassured first by the fact that there will be an incredible amount of support who are probably expecting my feeling this way.

Throughout this past summer and the process of fundraising, I’ve repeatedly had the privilege to be able to glimpse the Holy Spirit at work. I was repeatedly astounded and humbled at generosity of my fellow parishioners, family, friends, and even strangers who supported my year of mission. Moments of gratitude and grace were the sometimes necessary reminders of the reason for my preparations: my participation in Christ’s Mission. I’m extremely grateful and humbled by the financial and prayerful support of my home parish, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, the Rev. Karin E. Wade, Rector, and to All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Northfield, Minnesota as well for supporting of my year of mission. To all who have supported me in some way or another, you have my thanks.

Liverpool, here we come!

Welcome to My New Travel Blog

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