"The Church cracked open"

​Dear Friends,

I invite you to a spirited conversation this Eastertide centered around a newly-published book written by the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers: The Church Cracked Open: Disruption, Decline, and New Hope for Beloved Community.

I knew ‘Rev. Steph’ in Boston, where she was one of my sponsoring Priests as I entered the Episcopal Church’s process for Holy Orders. I am so looking forward to reading her book, which speaks to our present moment in such a timely and powerful way.

I invite you to join me at the Gazebo or Memorial Garden area – bring a lawn chair! – for conversation in the beauty (and outdoor safety!) of God’s Creation. We will gather on 3 Thursday evenings from 5:00 – 6:30 PM: April 22, April 29, and May 13. Please read the first 2 Chapters for April 22nd.
If the weather is miserable, we will gather on Zoom … which means I will ask you to Sign Up with Kim in our Church Office so that I can collect a list with your email.

Here is some publicity for the book, along with the Amazon link. (We will purchase a copy for you through the Church Office if you’d like!)

“This book will make a profound difference for the church in this moment in history.” -- The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry

“Sometimes it takes disruption and loss to break us open and call us home to God. It's not surprising that a global pandemic and once-in-a-generation reckoning with white supremacy--on top of decades of systemic decline--have spurred Christians everywhere to ask who we are, why God placed us here and what difference that makes to the world.

In this critical yet loving book, the author explores the American story and the Episcopal story in order to find out how communities steeped in racism, establishment, and privilege can at last fall in love with Jesus, walk humbly with the most vulnerable and embody beloved community in our own broken but beautiful way.

The Church Cracked Open invites us to surrender privilege and redefine church, not just for the sake of others, but for our own salvation and liberation.”

https://www.amazon.com/Church-Cracked-Open-Disruption-Community/dp/1640654240

Easter Blessings! 
Rev. Andrea