Rev. Raymond Massenburg, the new Priest in Charge at St. Luke’s and Rev. Peter Schell, the new Rector at Calvary. It was great to see everyone.

And the fellowship reception was certainly grand - as we knew it would be. Thanks to the Vestry and members of St. George’s for their radical wel-coming hospitality.

PS: We have reached our goal of $10,000 in donations to the scholarship fund. Checks should be disbursed to colleges next month.

By Janice Wormack

The 2012 celebration of the life and witness of Absalom Jones filled St. George’s Church on U Street NW at 11:00 AM Saturday, March 10. Bishop Mariann Budde celebrated the Eucharist for the 157 persons present.

Reverend Milton Williams’ sermon admonished us to re-newal. In the middle of his preaching, Fr. Williams led a rendition of “No Not One” to further emphasize his message.

Congratulations to Fr. Vincent Harris for introducing us to some liturgical changes. With our music augmented by four talented young men on various instruments, the music was certainly in the UBE spirit. Two well received innovations included The Nicene Creed

sung to “Hymn to Joy” (#376 in 1982 Hymnal) and The Lord’s Prayer sung to the tune of “Kum Bah Yah.” Both songs had revised wording to accom-modate the melody.

The honoree this year could not be present. Jessica Living-ston of Calvary Church is the first youth recipient of this award. She has always re-sponded to the needs of her church as an acolyte and Com-mittee on Youth member for the Diocese of Washington. She is now looking forward to college and a career in the medical field. Her message to us through her father con-firmed the wisdom of our choice.

Attending after a long absence was Dr. Robert Steele – the founder of this celebration. Present also were some new members of our community –

ABSALOM JONES CELEBRATED AT ST GEORGE ’S

WASHINGTON CHAPTER , UNION OF BLACK EPISCOPALIANS

APRIL 5, 2012 VOLUME 5 ISSUE 1

CHAPTER NEWSLETTER

CHAPTER ANNUAL

MEETING & POT LUCK

SUPPER

Holy Comforter Church 709 Oglethorpe St. NW

Washington, DC

Thursday, June 7, 2012 7:00 PM

Agenda: Election of Officers Financial Report 2012-13 Programs

Bring a favorite dish.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE :

44TH MEETING &

CONFERENCE

2

A VISIT WITH GOD 2

A LITTLE KNOWN ITEM IN

OUR HISTORY 3

P ICTURES FROM ABSALOM

JONES DAY 2012 3

What we can learn from

Afro-Anglican churches

4

College Tour 5

MEMBERSHIP

APPLICATION

6

Indianapolis Marriott Downtown

JULY 2-3, 2012 LEGENDARY TRIBUTE AND GALA

(FEATURING THE INAUGURAL PAULI MURRAY , VERNA DOZIER , ANNA JULIA COOPER AND MATTIE HOPKINS AWARDS)

UBE 44TH ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING

A VISIT WITH GOD

noon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was sur-prised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!" Meanwhile, the old

woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so hap-py?" She replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underesti-mate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of car-ing, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!

By Anonymous

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twink-ies and a six pack of root beer and he started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he no-ticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it

again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted. They sat there all after-

“I ATE TWINKIES IN THE PARK WITH GOD.”

PAGE 2 CHAPTER NEWSLETTER

Janice Wormack, President Washington Chapter; Rev. Robert Hunter,

Retired; and Rev. Peter Schell, Rector Calvary Church chat before service.

By Bert Jones, UBE Vice President

Sunday, March 19 2012 was a won-derful day. It was the day that the Afri-can Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Philadelphia celebrated the one-hundredth birthday of the Reverend Canon Thomas Logan, Sr.

Upon arriving at St. Thomas, I saw people actually walking to church. It was so uncommon to see people mov-ing about without their cars. Once inside the church; the UBE Philadelph-ia Chapter members were waiting for me with a seat right up front. At 9:40 the church was almost filled to capaci-ty for a 10:00 service. The five piece band began rocking the house with music setting the mood.

The liturgy was flawless; planned and executed with precision. The Cele-brant was the Rev. Martini Shaw and the Preachers were: The Rt. Rev. Al-len Bartlett, retired Bishop of the Dio-cese of Pennsylvania as well as our very own The Rev. Canon Thomas Logan, Sr.

Bishop Bartlett’s sermon mentioned that Canon Logan was at a “thin place.” Just like a rock climber, he had reached the top of the mountain where

the air was so much thinner. Very few people ever reach the top and Fr. Logan has accomplished so many things that most of us could never dream of achieving.

When Canon Logan took the pulpit, he received a standing ovation. Im-agine being one hundred years of age; still being able to walk, having your wits about you and speaking clearly. He had the congregation laughing constantly as he spoke about his 73 years of ministry. He spoke of performing over 1,400 bap-tisms and 800 weddings. He called Hermione Hill Logan, his wife of 74 years, to his side and they recited a poem they learned from her father. Mrs. Logan is 101 years “young!”

There were five presentations from organizations: Episcopal Church Office of Black Ministries, National Board of Directors of UBE, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Prince Hall Masons, and St. Thomas Church.

A CELEBRATION OF 100 YEARS

P ICTURES FROM ABSALOM JONES DAY 2012

PAGE 3 VOLUME 5 ISSUE 1

Rev. Milton Williams springs forth in song during his sermon

Rev. Cannon Thomas Logan

What we can learn from Afro-Anglican

churches

in various parts of the country have an increas-ingly diverse population of people of African descent. The meaning of Blackness in the United States contin-ues to evolve based on the multiple voices and experi-ences within communities of African descent. Grap-pling with issues of identity among diverse people can be particularly challenging. The Afro-Anglican pres-ence in the Episcopal Church is a place for us to discern a way forward. These congregations bring together people of different histories, cultures, lan-guages, and ideas about governance and worship. They co-locate people with a postcolonial perspective (for example, from Africa, Central America, and the Caribbean) along with peo-ple descended from Ameri-can slavery. How do these people come together to serve God and engage God’s mission? It is not an easy proposi-tion. It requires this diverse body of God’s people to move to a place of valuing each other. Mutual respect of the multiple histories and cultures can facilitate new understanding among the various communities within the congregations. Looking for and listening to the different voices in the congregation enhance un-derstanding. It is in hearing the multiple voices with different accents and sounds anew that we are

able engage in rich dia-logue. The dialogue about the mission of God should not, however, take place in one tongue. A house of prayer for all peoples requires us to fully solicit and embrace the full range of experience, voice, and perspective in the con-gregation. This process equips Afro-Anglican con-gregations to understand the multiple centers of power, culture, and mean-ing within the church. The Afro-Anglican body by defi-nition has more than one culture and understanding of knowing and being. Effective exercised leader-ship that is shared by cler-gy and the laity is not threatened by the multiple voices, power centers, and cultural background. Such leadership builds relation-ships and engages in dia-logue to further under-standing, peace, and rec-onciliation where needed. This type of relational min-istry can serve to build up the capacity of congrega-tions to look outside of themselves and embrace the surrounding communi-ties. Developing the inner ca-pacity and desire to turn outward is key to engaging God’s mission. This is where the discernment of these churches must turn. What is God calling these Afro-Anglican congrega-tions to do in the world? (continued

By Charles A. Wynder, Jr.

February 13 is the feast day of Absalom Jones, the first Black priest in the Episcopal Church. This celebration of Absalom Jones’ life and ministry provides an opportunity for Black Episcopalians to reflect upon the mission, ministry, and leadership of Black congregations in the Episcopal Church. In fact, such Afro-Anglican con-gregations can teach the wider Episcopal Church how to relate to an in-creasingly diverse African Anglican Communion in the world. Predominantly Black con-gregations in the Episco-pal Church survive as a legacy of Absalom Jones. Much like other congrega-tions in the Episcopal Church, these parishes face the challenges and opportunities of a chang-ing world. They must dis-cern their mission and min-istry for the 21st century. The Black presence in the Episcopal Church is truly Afro-Anglican. It is com-posed of African Ameri-cans, Afro-Caribbean, and Africans. This multicultural body of Afro-Anglicans represents a minority of congregations, clergy, and laity inside an overwhelm-ingly white denomination. This body mirrors an in-creasing diversity within the Black community of the United States. Large cities

“Afro-Anglican congregations can

teach the wider Episcopal Church how to relate to an increasingly diverse African

Anglican Communion in the

world.”

PAGE 4 CHAPTER NEWSLETTER

Rev. Absalom Jones

How can they meet the needs of the people in the neighborhood? What type of ministries must they develop to meet the needs of the people in their largely urban con-text? Exploring these questions is part of the essential discernment of the vocation of a parish. To envision the mission, leadership, and min-istry of Afro-Anglican parishes would be a gift to the larger Epis-copal Church. Imagine the possi-

bilities of the Afro-Anglican com-munity in the United States guid-ing Episcopal Church in discerning in mission, ministry, and leader-ship in a diverse and largely Afri-can Anglican Communion. Let us learn from one another and grow together. .

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM AFRO-ANGLICAN CHURCHES

(CONTINUED)

CHARLES A. WYNDER, JR. IS A THIRD YEAR MDIV STUDENT AT THE

EPISCOPAL DIVINITY SCHOOL AND VICE PRESIDENT OF THE

WASHINGTON CHAPTER UBE

PAGE 5 VOLUME 5 ISSUE 1

College Tour

Future Starzz College Tour from June 27 to July 1, 2012 will include Mid-Atlantic/New England Colleges. In-cluded in the cost of $895 is the fol-lowing:

Ground transportation

Three meals a day Double or triple occupancy lodging

at rated hotels. Single room occu-pancy can be arranged for adults for an additional fee

Tours of the campuses and neigh-boring areas

Meetings with admissions officials Stops at/tours of culturally sensi-

tive locales, when/where available Information packets for each insti-

tution Commentary from current students

and/or recent alumni Onboard professional chaperones

with presentations on financial aid,

admissions, and recruitment of

students who are gifted in athlet-

ics, visual and performing arts or

other specialties.

For more information e-mail:

info@futurestarzz.org

WASHINGTON CHAPTER, UBE

Membership (Please circle one)

Church $100.00

Sponsor 50.00

Family 35.00

Individual 25.00

Retired 20.00

Youth (under 21) 15.00

MEMBERSHIP

WASHINGTON CHAPTER , UBE

PO BOX 55038

WASHINGTON , DC 20040-5038

NAME _______________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS____________________________________________________________________________ City State Zip Code_____________________________________________________________________ PHONE# _____________________________ E-MAIL ADDRESS ______________________________

CHURCH AFFILIATION _________________________________________________________________

NATIONAL UBE Membership

(Please circle one)

Lifetime Membership* may be paid in 5 yealy in-stallments. Church $1,000.00

Individual 500.00*

Regular Membership

Church $100.00

Organization 100.00

Associate 40.00

Family 60.00

Individual 40.00

Retired 35.00

Youth (under 21) 25.00

Make checks payable to: Washington Chapter U.B.E.

Mail application and check to Margaret D. Lewis, Membership PO Box 55038 Washington, DC 20040-5038