The Official Church of Major League Baseball

As you break out your gloves and warm up for the softball game that will be part of our parish picnic this Sunday, I thought you might like this April Fool's article from Episcopal Cafe. It purports to name the Episcopal Church as the official denomination of Major League Baseball.

It's a lovely thought, even if it's a joke. Our church and baseball do seem to have an affinity for one another. The made-up quote from Bud Selig puts it well: "Selig said that Episcopalians bring the right mix of arcane tradition, an appreciation of minutiae and a tolerance for long stretches of relative inaction that make them 'a good fit for us. We believe that Episcopalians understand the nuances of the game and won't meddle with our traditions too much.'"

And two opportunities to go to the Lansing Lugnuts are coming up. You can go with the Diocese of Michigan on Sunday, July 6 at 2 p.m. Bishop Gibbs will throw out the first pitch. Cost of $22 per person includes a buffet lunch. Contact Sue McCune in the diocesan office (smccune@edomi.org) for more info. Also, All Saints will make our annual trek to the ball park on Sunday, August 10. Tickets are $8 and you can sign up on the sheet that will be passed around at the picnic this week.

+ Kit

Vacation Bible School -- God's Big Backyard

All Saints is hosting a Vacation Bible School this summer, for our own children and also for any kids in the East Lansing area who want to come join in the fun and learning. "God's Big Backyard" teaches kids how to serve Jesus, their families, their neighbors and their communities. There will be singing, crafts, stories and fun for children age 3 through 5th grade.

The VBS will be held from 5:45 to 8:15 on the evenings of July 7-10, to accommodate working parents. A light supper will be provided, and the rest of the evening will be devoted to learning more about how to serve God and others. On Sunday, July 13, we'll get to hear some of the songs from the week in our 10 a.m. service.

If you are interested in having your child attend, call the church office at 517-351-7160 or email allsaints-el "at" sbcglobal.net. (not making it an official email link to cut down on spam ... substitute the @ sign for the word "at" ...)

I am excited about offering this opportunity. Vacation Bible School is such a fun, happy and rewarding time in a parish.

+ Kit

Reading Ahead -- Pentecost 6

"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ were baptized into his death?"

St. Paul asks this question, rhetorically, to the churches in Rome. He seems to think that their answer should be ... "Well yes, we DID know that."

Do YOU know that? Is that what you think about when you attend a baptism, or contemplate your own baptism or that of your children? What does it mean for you to know yourself baptized into that death of Christ on the cross, that death that destroys death, that death that is vindicated and undone by God in his resurrection?

I don't think most parents think that this is what they are doing when they bring a beautiful child to our beautiful font on a beautiful Sunday morning, with friends and family gathered around. Spend some time trying to get your head around this image of being baptized into Christ's death today...

Where Are You?

There's a new feature on this blog called ClustrMaps, a counter that not only records the number of visits to the blog, but also maps where people are when they view the page. (It's down the right-hand column, if you scroll down.)

The first day, there were three dots: Michigan (of course), one out in the far Midwest, maybe Mebraska, and one in England (a Findley relative, perhaps?).

This morning, the dots are even more widely spaced. Three on the West Coast ... in the Pacific Northwest, and then the San Francisco and LA areas. There is a dot tantalizingly floating on the U.S./Canada border, somewhere near ... Montana? Also Pennsylvania, Boston and South Florida.

It's fascinating to realize that people from quite far away are interested in the doings of a medium-sized Episcopal church in a medium-sized Michigan city. And to see the dots begin to bloom on the map is a visible illustration of the Communion of Saints that connects us even when we don't even realize it.

For all you far-flung readers ... if you get to East Lansing, drop in and say hi. We'd love to share that communion with you at our altar and face-to-face.

+ Kit

Next Week -- Picnic!

Next Sunday is our annual Parish Picnic, plus the 10 a.m. service will be held in the pavilion at Patriarche Park (Saginaw and Alston in East Lansing).

If you plan to attend church next week, please note that the 8 a.m. service will be held as usual in the lovely, air-conditioned chapel at All Saints.

But the 10 a.m. service will be at Patriarche Park in the picnic pavilion. We'll sing, praise God, share Eucharist, then expand our feast to the business at hand ... the picnic.

The parish will supply drinks and hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill. You are asked to bring a dish to share. If your last name begins with A-N, bring a salad/side dish. If your last name begins with M-Z, bring a dessert.

If you want to play softball, bring your glove!

Saint of the Week -- Enmegahbowh

Enmegahbowh was the first Native American to be ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church. His name means "He who prays (for his people) while standing."

Enmegahbowh was an Odawa native from Canada, who joined an Ojibwa tribe in Minnesota. James Lloyd Breck started a mission there in 1851, and Enmegahbowh was trained and baptized by him. Enmegahbowh was ordained and took over a mission in Crow Wing, Minnesota, in 1851.

Enmegahbowh was a man of peace, working to bring reconciliation between the Native Americans and the United States. As his people were moved from reservation to reservation, he traveled with them, providing leadership and spiritual support. On June 12, 1902, he died at age 95 at the White Earth Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota.

Establishment No More?

A study released yesterday by Calvin College in Grand Rapids reveals shifts in the political preferences of different religious groups.

Of interest to us as Episcopalians is the shift in the politics of mainline Protestants (Episcopalians, Methodists, Presybterians, UCC, etc.). Where once mainline Protestantism was a bastion of the establishment and Republican Party, now for the first time in history, more mainline Protestants are likely to vote Democratic than Republican (by 46 to 37 percent).

An old joke about the Episcopal Church was that it was "the Republican Party at prayer." Perhaps this is no longer the case.

Also of interest is that religiously unaffiliated people -- atheists, agnostics, believers who don't attend church or affiliate with one -- are the fastest growing group. They are more likely to vote Democratic or independent, but least likely to go out and vote.