A Visit to the Border

This week I have been in San Diego and Tijuana, on a study trip with CIEL (Center for International Experiential Learning) to understand more about migration at the border. Dulcie Kugelman and John Fossum are among the others who have been in our group, which includes a few UCI teachers, as well as some Chapman and University of Wyoming students. A long-time friend of St. Mark, Erin Dunigan, who lives in La Mision in Baja, joined us for a few events. We stayed two nights in Alpine, CA, and one night in some very lovely casitas in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico. 

We have been intentional in listening to a wide variety of perspectives. On our first morning we went out with a couple who set up water stations for those who are making the arduous and hot journey across rough terrain, driven by the belief that nobody should die because they lack water. After that, we went to the South Bay Rod and Gun Club, a shooting range that is a unique location, because at the bottom of their entry is a large, flat parking space where migrants gather every morning in order to turn themselves over to the Border Patrol. They spoke about the effect of the border crossings on the neighbors around them – sparsely populated, but mostly retired folks who find the influx of migrants to be very intimidating. After dinner that day, we watched the movie Sin Nombre, a very difficult realistic look at the pervasive pressures that cause people to migrate, the effects of gangs and the constant exploitation of those who must decide either to survive at home or to flee to the US. It was a gritty way to end a long day. 

 

On our second morning, we visited the El Centro Sector of the US Border Patrol (BP). We got an orientation from border agents regarding the scope of their work, their daily routines, their collaboration with Mexican authorities, and their interactions with the local communities where they live. Then we rode out with them to the border and learned how they track footprints, respond to migrants in crises, and keep an eye on the barrier itself. We drove along the border where there are irrigation canals, farmland, and miles of desert, and then in Calexico, where there are homes, malls, schools, and parks on both sides of the barrier. Following lunch, we visited two encampments, where immigrants gather as when they arrive and wait for the BP to show up to turn themselves in. The encampments have potable water and porta-potties, with improvised shelters. One had a solar-powered light box where migrants could charge their phones. We met migrants from Turkey, India, and China. Between multilingual skills and google translator, we were able to communicate a bit, even Facetiming one of the migrant’s father in Turkey who translated for us. It was unbelievably windy and hot in the encampments. That evening we met someone with the American Friends Service Committee, who has tents next to the barrier, offering water, soup, snacks, and fruit to those who were on the other side, handing them between the concrete-filled steel 4x4 posts. He welcomed those who had scaled the Mexican barrier and were waiting between the two barriers for the BP to arrest them. His perspective on things was quite different than what we heard at the BP office. 

 

Our third day began with crossing the border into Tijuana, then visiting the Café Migrantes, a shelter that was constructed to house people who migrate to Mexico. The person running the shelter encourages them to go out and get a job, so they can find an apartment in Tijuana. Some do, and others choose to try to cross over to the US. The Café is very humble, a stone’s throw away from the westernmost tip of the barrier itself, where it goes out into the ocean. That, of course, makes it a very tempting place to try to get to the US via the water, but they are very choppy and that path often ends disastrously. We then visited the Ágape Mision, an asylum center run by Pastor Alberto Rivera. It was a fascinating place that I’ll have to save for a later, extended reflection. Afterwards, we met with the Director of Migrant Affairs for Tijuana, before decompressing at our casitas with wine-tasting, dinner, and a reflection around the fire pit. 

 

We are about to visit with a Mexican Representative in Rosarito before crossing back over the border and heading home. That’s a lot and there’s so much that is left to say. We will find the right times and places to do so soon. 

 

Mark of St. Mark

Pentecost Matters

Ah, Pentecost! It’s that time of year that I love. I imagine part of my love of Pentecost derives from my Pentecostal roots, but it’s complicated. I do not remember ever hearing the phrase, “Pentecost Sunday” growing up. Our church did not follow the liturgical calendar, except for Christmas and Easter, so while we had constant attention to the story of the Day of Pentecost in Acts, it was never assigned for celebration on a particular Sunday. When I became part of the Presbyterian Church, we always observed “Pentecost Sunday” as part of the liturgical calendar, but most Presbyterians do not have the kind of expectation of experiencing the wild and fervent gifts that were present on the Day of Pentecost as part of a “decent and in order” worship service. Isn’t that ironic? One church downplays the tradition but focuses on the experience; the other church downplays the experience but focuses on the tradition. Is there a lesson here? 

I try not to be one of those persons who uses words like “bureaucracy, institution, and tradition” as if they are bad words signifying bad things. Any time a movement spreads across cultures or is sustained over time, it takes on some kind of bureaucratic, institutional, or traditional form. The process of asking, “What, exactly, are we handing on here? How much of it is culturally specific, and how much can be accommodated in other ways without losing its soul?” In the face of those kinds of questions, institutionalization happens. It could be something as simple as song, like “Jesus Loves Me.” Many of us learned as children, whether we grew up in California, Virginia, or even outside of the US; whether we grew up Presbyterian, Pentecostal, or Roman Catholic; whether we learned it in Sunday School, Parochial School, or Vacation Bible School. The process that is often maligned as bureaucracy, institutionalism, or tradition is simply this kind of thing – when something of central value – like the love of Jesus – needs to be communicated however it may. Liturgical calendars may be the epitome of this kind of good and necessary tradition-building. 

At the same time, bureaucracy, institutions, and tradition can kill the buzz and does so over and over. I’ve observed persons who could use “Robert’s Rules of Order” (normally a helpful tool), as a passive-aggressive way of silencing ideas that they found uncomfortable. It’s easy to do and the reason bureaucracy, institutions, and tradition have such a bad reputation is because they almost require novel ideas to be deflated in order to preserve themselves. This is precisely the kind of approach to “decent and orderly” worship that my Pentecostal forebears found so problematic. A written order of service seemed to put human planning ahead of God’s own presence as what drives worship and if I were ever asked to pray nobody wanted me to pull out a sheet of paper and read it. Who reads when they’re talking to their parents? Isn’t prayer talking to our heavenly parent? The celebration of Pentecost as an ongoing experience in worship, rather than a date on the liturgical calendar – as weird as it may seem to those who have never been part of it – may be the epitome of resistance to stultifying institutionalism. 

So, as if often the case, neither approach is correct and – to be honest – neither the “holy rollers” or the “traditionalists” are as locked into their ways as we might think. We might think a Pentecostal church looks highly spontaneous and has no “order of worship,” so to speak, but in my experience the song leaders, pastors, and anyone else leading worship had a little piece of paper tucked into their Bibles that prepared them for what was going to happen. And while Presbyterian worship seems to be scripted from top to bottom, just try convincing anyone who leads “Young Church” that there is no spontaneity in the house. My role as the curator of worship at St. Mark is often focused on trying to find the right measure of “order” and “ardor” when we gather. 

So, stepping fully into the liturgical tradition of celebrating this weekend as “Pentecost Weekend,” I invite you to wear red and come prepared to hear this story of the Day of Pentecost. And, keeping with the spirit of Pentecost, I invite you to come and hear it as our story and not just some quirky moment from the past that we like to remember on occasion. 

Mark of St. Mark 

Mothering Matters

Recently I was talking to a friend who asked how we were going to celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend in worship. I’ll give you a quick version of my answer, then reflect a little more. 

The quick answer: We have become more aware over the years that some, and perhaps many, people have had a difficult experience with “mothering.” Perhaps their own mother died young, struggled with the stress of parenting, or was unkind. Perhaps they themselves have struggled to parent well, or have lost a child in a tragic way. Mother’s Day can be a beautiful occasion for some, but it can be a very painful occasion for some. So, while we will certainly be glad to offer a “Happy Mother’s Day” to those for whom this is a day of celebration, we do not tend to approach the day in a way that presumes everyone has had positive mothering experiences. 

My friend’s genuine and thoughtful response was, “Wow. I have never even thought about how Mother’s Day could be painful for people. It’s really good that your church takes that into consideration.” I want to lean into his response as a way of thinking about Mother’s Day. 

My own experience of having a mother was wonderful, so I have all the sweet feelings that many Mother’s Day cards presume. But even in my family, and especially my extended family, that has not always been the case. I can remember a church service from my youth where they identified the oldest and youngest mothers and grandmothers in the room. (Terrible idea and the process of asking all the grandmothers over 80 or under 40 to stand was very awkward. I’m guessing a group of men came up with this idea.) My mother stood up as the youngest grandmother only because she was too honest to remain seated. She was a bit embarrassed to be a grandmother at age 36 and there had been some very difficult moments along the way. 

When my friend said, “I never even thought about how Mother’s Day could be painful,” he was probably speaking for many people. To them, perhaps, it may seem that we are going too far in the direction of being sensitive to that pain, but it seems that the church’s better path is to recognize a wide spectrum of joys and concerns that accompany the notion of mothering, including those for whom mothering was never an option. 

I also want to recognize how often and awkwardly the church stumbles when we try to do things well. I think of how hard many of our folks have worked to make our language inclusive, insisting on “men and women,” instead of simply “men,” or “brothers and sisters” instead of simply “brothers.” Even so, now that we are more aware that many of us are non-binary or transgender, we’re trying to learn how “humanity” or “sibling” are more inclusive terms. Better yet, when we become aware of our anthropocentrism, we aim for words like “creatures” instead of “humans” to be more fully inclusive. I hope we continue to cultivate a community with enough grace to laugh at ourselves when we do our best and still have more to learn. I love the saying, “We do the best with what we know and when we know better we do better.” That seems to be the tone of grace that we all need, especially around Mother’s Day.

So, for those of you have had or still have sweet and positive experiences of mothering or being mothered, I hope this weekend gives you many opportunities to say thanks for those wonderful gifts. For those of you whose experiences of mothering (or not) and being mothered have been painful, I hope this weekend offers you a chance to lament, heal, or even celebrate the strength you have attained along the way. And for those whose experiences have been a mixed bag of joy and challenge, I hope you find the grace to celebrate the joy and find peace in the challenge - all at once. 

 

Mark of St. Mark 

Lot of Good Things Happening

 Friends, 

 

Today’s message has three distinct parts. The first is from SueJeanne Koh about an event coming up next week that you will not want to miss. The second part is about our siblings in the United Methodist Church and a huge decision that they made this week. The final part is a reminder from last week. 

 

1. From SueJeanne: Next Thursday, May 9, from 6-7:30pm, we will be hosting the first of four interfaith climate events that are themed according to the four elements: water, fire, earth, and wind. The organizing interfaith committee is part of a larger UCI-led grant effort called WUICAN (Wilderness-Urban Interface Climate Action Network), and was formed with the belief that faith communities and traditions have much to contribute to addressing the climate crisis. The program will include teaching on how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam reflect on water in their respective traditions, as well as presentations by Steve Allison (UCI faculty) and Keila Villegas (Orange County Environmental Justice). 

 

Given St. Mark's vibrant and ongoing commitment to climate action efforts, it would be wonderful to have a good number of our congregation be in attendance - to engage with others, as well as demonstrate hospitality. You can learn more about the event here and register at this link. For questions, please reach out to SueJeanne Koh here. 

 

2. Back to Mark: This week the United Methodist Church (UMC) General Conference voted by a 93% margin to delete harmful language discriminating against gay and lesbian people that has been in their Book of Discipline since 1984. The previous language declared homosexuality incompatible with biblical teaching and forbade “practicing homosexuals” to serve as pastors and did not allow UMC pastors to perform same-sex weddings. Please join me in acknowledging how the official language of the UMC over the last 40 years has caused harm in silencing the voices of many whom God has called into ministry and denied the church’s sanction of marriage to many couples who love one another deeply, while offering a prayer of thanksgiving for our Methodist siblings’ change of heart.

 

Our friend Paul Capetz, pastor of Christ by the Sea (UMC) on the Balboa Peninsula, sent a letter to his congregation, which included: “This historic vote is especially meaningful to me. I graduated from Yale Divinity School forty years ago this Spring and though I had completed all the academic requirements of ministerial training, I was rejected as a candidate for ordained ministry by our Board of Ordained Ministry on account of sexual orientation. Just last month, however, the Board of Ordained Ministry decided to recommend that I be received as a minister (elder) in full connection at the upcoming meeting of the California Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in June. I never dreamed this would be possible for me!” 

 

3. Once again, back to Mark: And here is the reminder. We are still working out the logistics of registration, so we will be able to offer that option soon. 

 

On Sunday, June 9 at 1:00, St. Mark will host a documentary film entitled, “True Believer.” Brian McLaren describes “True Believer” as “an insider account, supported by a wide array of experts and informants, who brings us along on [a] journey of discovery and departure from white, right-wing Evangelicalism.” St. Mark member Robin Voss is one of the film’s Executive Producers and we will have a panel discussion following the film with Diana Butler Bass, Lisa Sharon Harper, Julie Ingersoll, and Randall Balmer, as well as Kristen Irving, the movie’s subject and director. More details and an opportunity to register are forthcoming. For now, I encourage you to save the date and plan to attend.

 

Mark of St. Mark