“I think it's so critical that the masses learn who Bishop Holly was because he was really instrumental in the formation of this church. My ancestors that came over and worship here, and the ancestors of the Reverend Judith, and so many others, are sitting on the shoulders of Bishop Holly. He left the Roman Catholic Church because of racism. They wouldn't recognize or ordain black folks. He came to us, and as you know, the Episcopal Church welcomes everyone.
By Sarah Louise Woodford, Canon for Communications & Media
“Set us free, heavenly Father, from every bond of prejudice and fear; that, honoring the steadfast courage of your servant Absalom Jones, we may show forth in our lives the reconciling love and true freedom of the children of God, which you have given us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.”
This is the collect members of the Episcopal Church will say on February 13 to remember and honor the Reverend Absalom Jones, America’s first Black priest (1746-1818), whose life reflected steadfast courage and a ministry that was steeped in the reconciling love and true freedom of the children of God.
According to the Episcopal Archives, Jones was enslaved in Delaware from birth. At age 16, his master separated him from his mother and sisters and brought him to Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, Jones attended a night school operated by Quakers and upon attaining his freedom in 1784, he served as lay minister for the Black membership at St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church with his friend, Richard Allen. He and Allen went on to establish the Free African Society, which aided in the emancipation of enslaved people and offered spiritual and material support to widows, orphans, and the poor. When the yellow fever epidemic hit Philadelphia in 1793, the society served both Black and White communities as nurses and aides while others fled the city.
In 1792, Jones led the establishment of what would become the first Black Episcopal Church in the United States. In its application to the Diocese of Pennsylvania, the church gave the diocese three requirements: they must be received as an organized body, they must have control in the running of their community, and they must have Jones licensed as lay-reader and if he qualified, ordained as their minister. Upon acceptance, the church was renamed the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. Jones became a deacon the following year but was not ordained a priest until 1802. He became the first Black American priest at 56 years old.
During his lifetime, Jones also founded the Female Benevolent Society and the African Friendly Society. In late 1799/early 1800, he petitioned Congress to abolish the slave trade and to provide for gradual emancipation of existing slaves.
The Rev. Cn. D Littlepage, Canon for Advocacy, Racial Justice & Reconciliation says, “It’s important to continue to celebrate the Rev. Absalom Jones, not just as an historical first, but as a witness to the kind of persevering faith that continually seeks to live into the kingdom of God despite opposition from the world—and even the church!”
ECCT will celebrate and witness the persevering faith of the Rev. Absalom Jones on Sunday, February 16, at 4 PM with a special service of Holy Eucharist at St. Paul’s on the Green in Norwalk, CT. The Rev. Dr. Tommy Watson will be the preacher and the Rt. Rev. Jeff Mello will be the chief Celebrant. Following the service, all are welcome to gather for a festive reception, offering an opportunity to connect, share stories, and celebrate in community.
The Rev. Margie Baker & Canon Sarah Louise Woodford
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of spending some time with the Rev. Margie Baker of St. John’s, West Hartford. We spoke about her first book, God, Gospel, and Gender: A Queer Bible Study for Teens, which was published June 2024. The following interview has been edited and condensed for publication.
Sarah: Margie, could you tell us about how God, Gospel, and Gender came to be?
Margie: I love the story of how this book came into existence, because it was very much an accident and not at all my plan. I was at Forma in 2023 and they were having a pre-conference worship service at Virginia Theological Seminary’s chapel. After the service, I saw Lisa Kimball, who is a professor at VTS. She’s a lay person and is all about life-long and life-wide formation. She said, “Oh, Margie, it’s so good to see you. Margie, this is Justin—Justin, Margie should write something for you.” And it turned out that Justin was one of the publishers at Church Publishing. And he turned to me and said, “Well, hi, Margie, what do you want to write?”
A few weeks before this meeting, I had been talking to a parent who is a trained catechist about how there’s not a good Bible study for children who have questions about LGBTQ issues. There are books that exist that are affirming but they’re not based in the Bible. And so, I told him that I would love to create something that was affirming and based in the Bible. He said, “Okay.”
I then created a plan for the book and ran it with my Monday night Bible study group. They were my guinea pigs over seven weeks. And that’s a group who ranges in age from 25 to 80. Over the next six months, I wrote it, and it was published in June 2024.
I did not mean to write this book. It was not my plan.
SW: How does your book specifically expand Bible studies through a queer lens?
MB: It’s a book for everybody. It’s for teens and tweens, but it’s also for allies. It’s for people who have questions, and it’s for queer and trans kids. What I found, and this resonates with my own experience growing up in the church, is that I always believed in the dignity and inherent worth of queer and trans folk, myself included, but I always assumed that was in spite of the Bible. I also came from a progressive Episcopal church, and so we didn’t necessarily spend a lot of time reading Scripture. I knew that there were some verses that were harsh, and I had never thought critically about what Scripture says big picture-wise for the dignity and belovedness of all God’s children. And so, when I fell in love with scripture in seminary, I was able to find that big-picture lens in Bible studies for adults or children.
I wanted to look at the first creation story through a queer affirming lens. I wanted to look at the way families come in all different shapes and sizes, and that Jesus—or that God—seems to bless the ones that don’t look traditional. What are we saying in our culture when we talk about traditional families and to just have a wider lens on what it means for God to create everything? What does it mean for God to change people’s names—what does it mean that God renames Jacob, Israel? And what does it say about the fact that we get to transform, and we get to change, over our lifetimes into something that’s closer to what God called us to be than maybe the way we were known at first.
SW: Margie, could you speak about the process of testing your book material out on your Monday night Bible study group? How did they help you create the book?
MB: I started off with, I think, six weeks of ideas. Then I would give our Zoom Bible study the Scripture through Google Slides, so we’re all reading the same thing. Some people brought their own favorite translation along. And they asked amazing questions and came up with other things that ended up being chapters. Like somebody, when we were talking about Genesis 1, was wondering: “Well, what could that say about the second creation story in Genesis 2?” Then we started playing with what happens if you know that Adam comes from the word for earth, and that it means earthling or muddling, and that it doesn’t have anything to do with sex. In fact, the word man doesn’t show up until after woman is created out of his side, not his rib. Then that became a chapter, because if it’s not about women being subordinate to men, then what is that story about? Maybe it’s about being made for community. Adam, the earthling, needs other stuff as well. And in fact, it’s not enough for the earthling to have God and to have other animals, but the earthling needs somebody of its own kind, and that we’re made for community. So maybe it’s not about a nuclear family and it’s not about marriage, but it is about being made for community and not being made to be alone. That’s an example of how we moved through questions together and how they helped me create new things.
SW: Was there a particular section you enjoyed writing?
MB: There’s one activity at the beginning of Chapter Three, which is about God and different types of families. Because this was initially designed for teens, the opening activity for Chapter Three is called “Bible or Teen Drama?” There are different scenarios and you have to say whether it’s from Scripture or whether it’s from YA (young adult) or adult fiction. So that was really fun to write, just with an eye toward humor.
SW: What do you hope your readers will gain from reading God, Gospel, and Gender?
MB: I hope that people know it’s not just for the LGBTQ community and that the vast majority of the people who came to my Monday night Bible study were allies, or maybe had never had an opinion because they didn’t need to, and then one of their kids came out as trans, for instance. I hope my readers will discover that the book is a way into Scripture that’s friendly, faithful, and makes space for questions and God’s grace. Jesus doesn’t speak about homosexuality in the Bible. Isn’t that interesting? Jesus does call us to love God and to love our neighbor. Jesus is always putting everything through a lens of love. So for me, it empowers me as a queer person, but it also empowers an ally to say, “Wow, I can love God, and I can love my neighbor, and I can specifically stand up for my queer and trans friends, not in spite of Scripture, but because this is who God made me to be. This is who God has called me to be. This is the work that God has called me to do.”
The veil draped between our space and God’s is wispy-thin in places. Yet, it can seem as though God is far, far away on some distant galaxy, kept from us by thick walls and iron gates, but that’s just the illusion of our ego.
Did you know that Advent observances had more in common with Lent, especially in the Middle Ages? Though not as rigorous as Lent (especially in regards to fasting days), Advent was a time marked with fasting, simplicity, and pilgrimage. It was a time to focus on the life of Jesus and to step into his story to deepen faith, to deepen connection, to deepen compassion.
As I spoke with Sasha Biagiarelli, Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet’s Administrator and Business Manager, about the company’s upcoming production of Ahavah, I couldn’t help but wonder—is Ahavah a modern-day Advent pilgrimage for us here in ECCT?
The production tells the story of a girl named Hope, who lives in the modern age. Her life is one of repetition and routine. Yet—she is longing to find meaning in her life, she is longing to be part of a larger story. Her longing is met by finding the Bible and then stepping into the past and into the story of Jesus. After Hope’s discovery of the Bible, the ballet moves between the present day and Biblical times and Hope learns to find inner meaning, and Jesus, through it all.
This imaginative retelling of the story of Jesus’ birth and life has run for 18 years and Sasha has been part of the production for seven. One of the reasons she thinks this retelling of Jesus’ life is so effective is that it isn’t based on speech, it’s based on movement. “Movement,” she says, “allows for more abstraction, more space. It passes the conscious part of the brain. It surpasses words.”
She gave me the example of a scene in the production between Jewish and Gentile women at a well. It begins with a Roman soldier drawing a line down the center and then each side tries to gain a larger portion of the well—some outwardly fight with each other, some sneakily tip-toe around the well so as not to be detected. The scene ends with one of the women being pushed into the well. It’s funny, it’s sad, and it says something bigger about empire, about conflict, about human nature and its need for the life of Jesus.
If that’s not an Advent pilgrimage, I don’t know what is.
Ahavah will run from December 7 to December 8 at Middletown High School. You can purchase tickets here. All of the profits from the performances will be donated to St, Vincent de Paul soup kitchen in Middletown.
Written By: Caela Collins, Digital Storyteller Photo Credit: The Reverend, DeaconDonald Burr, Christ Church (Stratford)
The blood in your veins, trembles in the presence of water, Rushing towards an ancient past that passed but refuses to pass away.
Like the buried seeds, whose harvest sits atop varnished wood During a November altar, reveals the immortality of ancestral traditions Even as the recipe alters.
It’s the rivers that give you shivers. The rumbling world below your steps are quaking the earth.
Un-birth your faults when friction builds along the edges of plates, Piled with potatoes, cranberries, pumpkin, and three sisters. Miracles live in your lithosphere; It’s the magnitude of tribes who marched before you Who are at the epicenter of turning tides, Causing your spirit to quiver.
Give thanks to our “Long Tidal River,” A name baptized by ancient elder tongues Who inherently knew the restorative power and blessing in The Creator’s water In “Quinnitukqut.” Now named Connecticut, the bridge that binds historical text and esoteric nature In a world where Ezekiel 47:9 becomes a synonym for waterbirth.
Deep within the rivers is a knowing, a humbling calling. Not a place for drinking, but one where knees are falling.
The hunger for a Native past Is passed around the table of offering, Anointing the centerpiece of prayer.
There’s something in the water, You feel it in your bones. Light a candle of gratitude, Because the ancestors are here.
This photograph was snapped along a dirt road on the Schaghticoke Reservation near Kent, CT.
If you are at Camp Washington on November 2 for A Day of Growing Hope & Forging Peace, you will hear a distinctive sound, even from the parking lot—a ringing that has a steady, metallic harmony as hammer comes into contact with metal. This is more than just a hammer hitting metal, though. It is the sound of guns becoming garden tools. It is the sound of violence and tragic ends becoming objects of nurture, creativity, and new life. It is the sound of folks becoming blacksmiths.
November 2, 2024, will be a workday at Camp Washington’s fully-equipped forge and at the center of it all will be the Rt. Rev. Jim Curry and his crew. Bishop Curry retired as ECCT’s Bishop Suffragan in 2014 and in 2017, co-founded Swords to Plowshares Northeast, a non-profit that takes its name from Isaiah 2:4 and reduces gun violence by transforming pieces of guns into objects, especially garden tools. These garden tools are then given back to local community and parish gardens, the once tool for violence now a tool that nurtures the growing of vegetables and flowers.
It will also be a day when Swords to Plowshares Northeast takes on new apprentices. Blacksmithing is a traditional trade that is learned by doing, by being beside someone who has beaten and formed metal many times before you. “I want to train the next generation of blacksmiths,” Bishop Curry said in a phone interview earlier this month, “November 2 will be a day of learning traditional blacksmithing techniques.” Bishop Curry hopes that during the workday, the group will create mattocks from gun barrels—a mattock, especially one created by Bishop Curry and his crew, is a two-sided garden tool with a handle, one side to be used as a hoe, the other side to be used as a fork for soil cultivation.
On our call, Bishop Jim shared the catalyst for both forming his non-profit and shaping his love for blacksmithing: the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT, which took the lives of 20 students and six educators. He, along with then Connecticut Bishop Diocesan Ian T. Douglas and Bishop Suffragan Laura Ahrens traveled to the scene of the shooting to be with the shaken and mourning community. It is an experience he will never forget. “I had to do something,” he told me.
That something came through the craft of blacksmithing and the witness of the Reverend Jeremy Lucas and the Mennonite blacksmith ministry based in Colorado, RAWtools. Bishop Curry went west and worked at the RAWtools forge, learning how to turn guns into garden tools. He also brought members of the RAWtools ministry to Connecticut to train members of his team.
At the forge of RAWtools, “I fell in love with process,” he told me. “I was learning a traditional skill; I was training for something. Blacksmithing is a full-body process and it allowed me to physically step into my desire to change things. And it was fun! Through shaping metal, areas of great tragedy can reclaim something, and that reclaiming is really joyful.”
And many throughout ECCT have already benefited from Bishop Curry’s apprenticeship to blacksmithing as well as his apprenticeship to peace. Connecticut community and parish gardens nurture their crops through his garden tools, many (including me) have a necklace or bracelet from which hangs a piece of a bullet casing transformed into a heart—and even the crook of our current Bishop Diocesan’s crozier was formed by Bishop Curry’s passion, mission, and artistry at the forge.
Like all apprentices that came before, you too, can learn from Bishop Curry’s expert craftmanship on November 2 at Camp Washington’s forge. You too, can fall in love with the process and become part of the bigger story that brings peace and hope into a world that so often gets stuck in loops of violence. You too, can strike metal and hear that metallic, melodious sound as you “turn swords into plowshares,” just like Isaiah has called us to do.
Posted & Written By: Caela Collins, Digital Storytellerfeat. Artwork from local Artists around the Diocese
Silence in the Chapel
Artist: Caela Collins Parish: St. Paul’s Cathedral, Oklahoma City
September is a time to celebrate and honor the beauty of our natural world as the temperature shifts and the green leaves begin to adorn themselves in warm-toned fall jackets, with yellow hues in remembrance of pausing with purpose, optimistic shades of orange welcoming in change, and burning with red-hot excitement for the future.
During this season of change, I too adorned myself with the poetic aspect of rebirth as I blossomed into a newly-elected board member of the Episcopal Communicators, a nation-wide organization of communications professionals working in Episcopalian dioceses, congregations, and organizations, commended by The Episcopal Church. In this month of transition, I experienced an inspiring first in-person board meeting and retreat in Oklahoma City, where the upcoming Communicators Conference will take place May 13-16, 2025!
This leads me to the picture presented below: After an outdoor walk in the St. Paul’s Cathedral labyrinth, I allowed my heart to internally guide me throughout the space, leading me to the silence in the chapel. There was something special about the contrast between light and darkness, vibrant color and pitch blackness. Standing still in the midst of what many would perceive as opposing natural forces allowed me to get a small glimpse into the birth of creation. From darkness, God created light and magnificent color. I imagine the beginning of existence being similar to an artist’s studio: a black hole serving as the blank canvas, and creation being the detailed and intentional paint strokes from God’s paintbrush.
The stained glass windows, which coincidentally bear the title “Creation Windows,” are the focal points of this photo. If you look closely, you can see how the three windows on the left and the three windows on the right mirror the six days of creation in the following order: light, waters covering the earth, plant life appearing on the land masses, seasons with the cycles of the sun and moon, creatures living in the sea, creatures that fly, and animals living on the land.
Photography: Captured by iPhone 13 Pro
Sunflower Sunrise
Artist: Kim Davis Parish: Christ Church, Pomfret
Jamie Trunnel summed up Sunflowers best: “God enjoys encouraging us through things in his creation, and sunflowers are certainly no exception. Growing from a small seed, they show how mighty a little faith can become. Their constant pursuit of the sun is a good reminder to continually seek the Son, Jesus, during our days. And, bursting with glorious color, they implore us to share our own contributions with the world.”
The addition of a sunrise reminds us of the son, Jesus, rising from the dead, saving us from sin, and showing us the way to eternal life.
In my happiest hours, the ocean brings me joy and gratitude. In my saddest hours, the ocean brings me solace and hope. The sound of the waves are where my prayers, which often have no words, reach God. God hears my heart.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” -Genesis 1
Acrylic Paint
Magic Wings
Artist: Johanna Jacob Kuruvilla Parish: The Church of St. Andrew the Apostle, Rocky Hill, CT
This is a series of three paintings inspired from pictures I took following a swallowtail butterfly while walking in my aunt’s garden. As children, one of the first things we learn about creation is the metamorphosis of the creepy, crawly, hungry caterpillar to a fluttering, beautiful butterfly.
Butterflies are known for their beauty and cultural symbolism in many countries. Some people believe that they are symbols of resurrection and transformation. As a Christian, I can’t help but notice the parallels drawn between Jesus’s death and resurrection and the metamorphic life of the caterpillar.
These ever-so delicate winged creatures flutter from flower to flower, fulfilling their role as caretakers of our planet. Like these magical wings, Creation is filled with marvelous wonders, holding secrets and stories, waiting to be discovered and shared if only we can keep our curiosity fluttering.
8in x 10in canvas board. Acrylic paints and chalk pastels.
Sunset Over the Connecticut River
Artist: Deborah Simmons Parish: Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford
Living near the Glastonbury, CT, boat launch, I have the awe-inspiring experience of witnessing the sun’s setting on the Connecticut River, as with many who live nearby, throughout the year. The image was taken on the eve of a January winter. Each minute of the setting sun, one can see how the colors and shadows change. As the light fades into darkness, I am humbled, amazed, and blessed. I do not know any of the folks gathered around me. I don’t know of their lives and beliefs. I believe the one common purpose of the moment for others in attendance is to view the setting of the sun. For me, I stand as a witness to God’s creation and caring.
18″ x 24″x 1.5″ Mixed media: digital print on archival paper, enhanced with acrylics, black ink, and cold wax.
Sands of Time
Artist: Susan Varanka Parish: The Church of St Andrew the Apostle, Rocky Hill
This textile art quilt depicts the beauty, diversity and reality of God’s creation as well as our responsibility in caring for our earth and its inhabitants. Each creature is encircled with a quote from a renowned scholar highlighting our connections. We are all responsible nurturing caretakers as we leave our foot print upon God’s creation.
Cotton and wool fibers, permanent ink, cotton and silk thread, cording, machine and hand stitching.
Twisty Old Apple
Artist: Roxanne Steed Parish: St. James, New London
Flourishing Community: The moment calls to mind the community between this tree, the soil in which it flourishes, the rocks that lie on the downward slope just beyond it’s trunk, the waters of the sound that wash the shore twenty feet below, and the winds that blow ashore here. The tree’s branches reach out almost to the sound, shading the rocky breakwater (a welcome relief on hot summer days at low tide I would think!).
I imagine at higher waters and during storms, the sea spray, and perhaps even the waters, reach for the tree above the buffeted slope. And yet the soil where her roots plunge deep, is steady, present, and un-eroded. The rocks live out their vocation-of-service in what strikes me as a relationship of mutual giving in spite of wind and water.
12 x 12 Watercolor painting of an apple tree that sits on the shore of Long Island Sound at Harkness State Park in Waterford, CT.
Written by Sarah Louise Woodford, Canon for Communications & Media
On June 7, 2024, the rich, dark wood sanctuary of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in New Haven, CT, was dimly lit and in each of its vibrant stained-glass windows, there was a candle, neatly placed upon the windowsill. The candles were glowing reminders of those parishioners who had been a part of the church’s nearly two centuries of ministry and the Candlelight Vigil was both a powerful symbol of their memory and a poignant way to mark the church’s year-long celebration of 180 years of ministry.
Those present stood and collectively said the following collect: “We gather at this 180th Anniversary Celebration to honor those on whose shoulders we stand—those who have paved the way; those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom and existence…May we always remember our ancestors with reverence and love as we give thanks for all they have taught us and all they have done to open these doors for us. May they continue to share with us their great wisdom and strength as we seek to preserve and continue the heritage they have left us.”
From St. Luke’s Candlelight Vigil.
There truly is a rich heritage St. Luke’s seeks to preserve and continue. The church, located at 111 Whaley Avenue, began its ministry in New Haven, CT, on June 7, 1844, through the African American parishioners of Trinity on the Green. It is the third oldest Episcopal Church in the country with a predominately African American congregation. Many from the Caribbean have found their parish home here and its award-winning Steel Band often plays both locally and nationally. Its parishioners have included founding member Alexander DuBois, grandfather of W.E.B. DuBois; Bishop James T. Holly, the church’s second rector who later became the first Episcopal Bishop of Haiti; and Constance Baker Motley, an important figure in the Civil Rights movement who worked closely with the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund and Thurgood Marshall. She would go on to be the first African American woman to sit on the Federal bench of New York’s U.S. District Court. Constance Baker Motley is also the great aunt of 180th Anniversary Executive Board member, Michelle Royster-Clark and the cousin of another executive board member, Morgan Esdaile. St. Luke’s is ready to celebrate her and many more parishioners and memories throughout the year.
The year’s theme is taken from Romans 12:12: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” A Bible verse given to those planning the anniversary events by a parishioner. Events for the anniversary began in April with Friends and Family Sunday. Following June’s Candlelight Vigil, there were events over the summer, including a picnic in July. St. Luke’s celebrated its third annual Community Day on August 24, with its main focus on the 180th Anniversary. Run by the church’s Hospitality Chair Donna Johnson and a team of faithful parishioners, the day was full of bookbag giveaways, food, and face painting and games for children. Twenty local vendors participated in the event.
From St. Luke’s summer picnic.
The bulk of events are yet to come and will be celebrated starting this fall, beginning with a series of Spirit Sundays, which will start with Homecoming Sunday on September 8, 2024. Parishioners are encouraged to wear something that connects with the theme of the day and participate in an activity after church. Some of the themes of the Spirit Sundays include Homecoming Sunday, when folks are asked to wear St. Luke’s colors (red, black, or gold); and Legacy Sunday on February 9, 2025, where folks are asked to wear their 180th Anniversary t-shirts with church-related table games following the service. A concert showcasing St. Luke’s Steel band is also being planned for the fall. All of this will culminate with a picnic and a gala next summer.
These events come from the imagination and planning of the 180th Anniversary Executive Board, co-chaired by Jocelyn Freeman and Danisha Collins. I was able to speak to a few members of the executive board over Zoom earlier this August, including sisters Danisha Collins and Vickie Daniel, Michelle Royster-Clark, and Morgan Esdaile. During our hour-long conversation, the executive board members spoke fondly about St. Luke’s and how being part of the executive board allowed them to give back to, and celebrate, the heritage of a church family that helped them not only grow as women of faith, but also as leaders in the church. “St. Luke’s made me who I am,” said Co-Chair Danisha Collins, “I got my first taste of leadership as a girl when I was asked to read the lessons during the service.” Her sister Vickie chimed in, “St. Luke’s is the place that got me my first summer job. When I needed community service hours for my college application, I was able to do it through St. Luke’s.” The group also spoke about how much they enjoyed being acolytes and participating in the church’s liturgical dance program.
Other members of the 180th Anniversary Executive Board noted that through their planning, they came across a few surprises from the stories older members of the congregation told them as they planned events for the year. “We once had a basketball team!” they said with a lot of laughter. All of them also participated in a church-wide fashion show as children, a memory they had forgotten. “I wanted to bring the fashion show back,” said Morgan. On the Spirit Sunday entitled “Denim Sunday” (April 6, 2025), there will be a fashion show after the service. There are also plans to include a fashion show in the gala.
Michelle also spoke about how anniversary planning reminded her of the programs at St. Luke’s that were impactful to her—like the Girls’ Friendly Society, a worldwide Anglican organization for girls. Girls’ Friendly began a chapter at St. Luke’s early in the 20th Century. “I was deeply influenced by the Girls’ Friendly,” she said, “and I want my daughters to have a chance to be part of it, too.” Michelle hopes that after this year, she will be able to continue St. Luke’s involvement in Girls’ Friendly for not only her three girls, but for other young women at the church.
We ended our conversation with talk of the gala, coming the summer of 2025. The gala, whose theme is “Rejoice in Hope” is open to all in ECCT and will be an evening full of celebration and fun. The executive board is working on a fashion show as well as awards that will be named in honor of St. Luke’s parishioners who have died.
“It’s time for us to take stock of what we’ve done and celebrate St. Luke’s,” said Danisha. “It’s time for us to put the joy at the forefront.”
A note on the 180th T-Shirt Design: The t-shirts, which are being sold to support the gala, were designed by St. Luke’s 180th Anniversary Executive Board. The color scheme, which is of the pan-African flag, speaks to St. Luke’s African American and Caribbean heritage as the pan-African flag represents the diaspora as a whole. St. Luke’s official colors, gold and red, are also part of the color scheme. A glowing Episcopal shield is also present, representing the church’s traditional ties to the denomination’s ministry. The back of the shirt includes the year’s theme from Romans 12:12.
Written, Filmed, and Photographed By: Caela Collins, Digital Storyteller
I don’t believe in coincidences. As a curious person with an insatiable hunger for random side quests and a love for spontaneous adventures, my mind-body connection is deeply in tune with impromptu micro-moments of joy. These micro-moments, called “glimmers,” are the antithesis of triggers. Glimmers ground your nervous system into a rest and digest state through feelings of peace, safety, and joy, whereas triggers prompt your body to enter a state of fight or flight, often through survival or trauma response. As a child, I was always taught and told that God speaks to us, but no one ever explained how. I knew the Bible stories and miraculous love of God were ever-present, but for a long time, it felt like someone somewhere clicked the mute button. How could I know God is speaking to me when everything is silent? It’s unlikely that an angel will appear before me in aisle seven of the grocery store, proclaiming “Do not be afraid,” as the startled version of me drops a carton of eggs on the floor. In the age of social media, it’s not ideal to stumble upon a burning bush on a neatly town-landscaped island crying out “Caela! Caela!” in the parking lot of Trader Joes. Next thing you know, I become a meme, or my verbal response becomes a viral reel & TikTok SoundBite, or I become an instant spectacle with a barrage of phone cameras pointed in my direction. But that’s where coincidences come in; they’re the subtleties I desperately needed to tune into God’s voice. Coincidences are those micro-moments when God decides to remain anonymous.
As the saying goes, the streets are talking, and whether it’s Madam VP Kamala Harris’ infamous and facetious quote from a speech given in May 2023, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” turned into musical memes and skits, ‘brat summer’ this, or ‘brat summer’ that inspired by singer-songwriter Charlie XCX’s most recent album, what seems to be among the hottest topics right now on social media are the Olympics, particularly how diversity is America’s greatest asset for medal-wins. A long time ago, an interviewer asked pre-college-grad me: If I were a brand, what brand would I be, and why? I answered, “The Olympics… because it brings people together from all around the world, showcasing different ethnicities, religions, and talents; I love the beauty of diversity and believe that our differences empower one another.” Post-college-grad Caela still feels that way, and speaking of hearing God’s voice in silence through divine coincidences, aka a glimmer, is the reason I spontaneously drafted this story.
Did you know there was a connection between the 81st General Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Olympics? The Olympics, simply put, are a celebration of human diversity, and if I had to sum up my experience of the 2024 General Convention, that was my exact experience. The Episcopal Church, as we know, is large, but as I physically stood in spaces where people from multiple continents congregated for God’s mission, I felt just how large the worldly presence of The Episcopal Church truly was.
If you’ve ever visited The Commons and seen my desk, which is difficult to miss, I have a creative barrage of art, quotes, trinkets, and stickers. As I sat here today, I couldn’t shake the thought of Muhammed Ali, who is from Louisville, Kentucky, and for whom the Olympics created a mini-documentary special. I then glanced over at my stickers, one saying, “Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous” and the other saying, “Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.” Then, in the silence, I realized that it wasn’t a coincidence and that I needed to share this story of the Olympics and religion.
During my time at the 81st General Convention, I had the opportunity to visit the Muhammed Ali Center (Museum) and experience an unforgettable glimmer. This micro-moment of joy specifically overcame me when I entered the “Seeing the Other” exhibit. This exhibit was a collaboration between the Muhammed Ali Center and the “Portraits in Faith” project, which aims to unite individuals from diverse faiths and cultures. The “Portraits in Faith” project provided a space for individuals to view and interact with portraits through sacred listening and viewing, with the aim of fostering conversations about how humanity perceives one another. Ironically, this micro-moment did not allow me to rest because something subconsciously and spiritually ached to share this glimmer out loud.
When I walked into the exhibit, something beautiful resonated with my spirit as I scanned every black-and-white portrait. It’s not every day that you get an opportunity to have an exhibit all to yourself; in the silence, it was just me and a gallery of God’s masterpieces, humanity in all its diverse forms. There were 500 people from 29 countries, as well as over 50 religions and spiritual groups. Every face had a story to tell, and every story was significant—pre-college grad Caela, who used the Olympics to represent herself, was savoring and soaking in this magnificent glimmer. Having said that, I’d like to pose the same questions that were posed to me as I exited the exhibit: 1. How well do you listen to others’ stories? 2. What can you do to dismantle your misperceptions of others? 3. How can you foster greater unity within humanity?
“Spirituality is recognizing the divine light that is within us all. It doesn’t belong to any particular religion; it belongs to everyone.” -Muhammad Ali
