Ubuntu

By Charis Hill

UBUNTU just is.

“Isn’t that U-buh-ntu, the computer program?” No…not quite. I am referring to a concept best lived and experienced outside the confines of technology. Ubuntu draws humans together, in very personal ways. If we listen to the word very carefully, we are able to hear, “Ubuntu: we are all connected to our brothers and sisters. We depend on one another for survival.” Ubuntu reminds us, if we listen, that we cannot live independently from our neighbors. What a hard concept to grasp in a world that is being taken over largely by individualistic, western thought that encourages competition and applauds Darwinian, “survival of the fittest” thought.

Perhaps I should ask, CAN you live without the brothers and sisters beside you? It is for what we take for granted that we should be most thankful: the roads we use, the clothes we wear, the buildings in which we reside, the food we consume, the music we hear. I cannot think of any one person among us who is capable of producing, alone, all these wants and needs for herself, nor are there enough hours in the day. We depend on one another for the sustenance we need which we cannot ourselves provide. I work daily on improving my awareness and thanks for the materials I use. I think about the origin of the products I use and the people who helped to make it possible for me to use these items. Someone made my clothes, someone cleans my hotel room, someone transports my recycling away.

We are all connected.

Ubuntu: we are all in this together. What does Ubuntu really mean, in English? I cannot tell you. Even if I had the words, there is no way everyone would understand it with the same perspective, and no way for me (as a Caucasian North American female) to accurately describe the best meaning for Ubuntu as its origin dictates. Do I give up attempting to explain it to you? No. I live it, breathe it, and share it.

Ubuntu is sharing.

For those of you who, like myself, are “tree huggers,” them perhaps I can reach you by saying Ubuntu is living in harmony with every living being. Or, those of you familiar with the Bible (which I dearly pray you are), perhaps I can compare Ubuntu to I Corinthians; we each have our different gifts which make up the body of Christ. We cannot function without others. If we deny the gift of another, we deny our own gifts and therefore deny what our body needs to survive. I am because you are. We are because we are.

My short time thus far at General Convention has been filled with interactions with Episcopalians and non Episcopalians. My idea of Ubuntu is that I treat none of these interactions as any more or less important than the next. If we can grow together to a point where we are happy enough with ourselves that we can love every person equally and treat one another – within or without the communion – as she deserves, then we may find ourselves in an Ubuntu-filled world. We should work, all of us, towards embracing one another, as Christ calls us to do, and move away from simply tolerating the differences we find. Without our differences, we would be less than whole. We must find a way to return to harmony, first within ourselves, and then with every other part of God’s creation. No exceptions."

Charis Hill is from the Dioceses of East and North Carolina.

Food for Thought

By Noah Kilian

Saturday evening I had the great pleasure of attending a meal provided by Abundant Table. I went knowing only that I would be taught about sustainable living. What I experienced was more than I ever could have hoped for, as I received food for not only my body, but also my mind and soul.

The event followed the general form of a Holy Eucharist, with readings about food, farming, and sustainability. Those present heard the staggering statistic that most of the food here in the United States travels on average 1500 miles to reach our tables, and that if U.S. families ate just one meal a week comprised of all local produce it would cut the U.S. oil consumption by 1.1 million barrels per week. If such a small amount could do so much it is a wonder that we have not adopted this as a common practice.

Then came the meal itself, which was put together of entirely locally grown products. In an atmosphere of fellowship those dining were encouraged to share their individual experiences with food in their lives. It was eye opening to witness the amount of diversity present just in that room with regards to food. Many experiences were represented, from the family that always had abundant home cooked meals, to the family that ate out all the time, to the family that struggled to put food on the table.

As the meal reached its close we ended with a prayer and left the room full in all aspects. I know that I will be taking what I’ve learned home with me to Portland, and I hope to make improvements in my own life and stop taking my food for granted.

Noah Kilian is from the Diocese of Oregon.

The Young Adult Presence

By Charis Hill

I fortunately found myself a visitor in the House of Bishops the day the official youth presence was invited to share. As the two speakers made their way to the front of the room to a standing ovation, a few Young Adult Festival buddies and I found ourselves a bit jealous. Here we are, right smack dab in the middle of two groups: the “youth” (younger than me?) and the “adults” (older than me?). While I believe I am part of both of these groups as a young adult, I feel the official group (young adults) of which I am part is often overlooked, especially while we are in the midst of transforming our lives as we transition through college, graduation, and beginning careers and families – very big, stressful events. And we do not get a voice in front of the House of Bishops like the official youth presence. Their voices are heard. Do you know we are here as well?

During the past two days, I have often wondered how those who are part of the official youth presence will feel when they pass the age cutoff for being a “youth” and become a young adult. The privileges they have as official youth will suddenly change as they become “one of us” as we sing together, “stuck in the middle with you.”

What I want to happen is a growth of support for the in-between groups. I am so happy we have such a powerful and supported youth presence; this should not ever go away. What happens, though, when the youth grow up? They become young adults, and find, perhaps suddenly, that the voice they had so recently is now gone, or dramatically scaled back, because they now occupy a completely different position within the church.

Please hear our voices, and try to find a way to treat us as the young adults we are. Like the youth, we have special needs and desires. We want to share them with the Church, with General Convention, and we want to be embraced. The Church will grow if it is able to sustain and support the rising members of the Church. We must continue to support the youth, yes, but when the youth become young adults, please do not forget us. Please do not trust that we can support ourselves. We need nurture and care; we need the Church to be a constant in our lives. We need to hear that we, as young adults, have a supported place in the Church, so that the youth have something more to look forward to when they “age-up.”

Charis Hill is from the Dioceses of East and North Carolina.

The View From Here

By Molly Stitsworth

I've come to this convention not only to enjoy the YAF, but to work on behalf of Vocare International. I spent yesterday at our booth, greeting people from all over the world. Whether or not they stopped to talk, each and every person gave me a smile. It was very encouraging, especially when my feet went numb after hour number three. The people who did stop to chat about this great young adult ministry showed genuine interest and support. People are really taking notice of us, realizing that we're the future of the church -- it’s so refreshing! Keep it going. The young adult community has arrived.

Molly Stitsworth is from the Diocese of Arkansas.

Red Earth

By Rachel Ost

Adam, creation of the Most High

as is the ground from where

he came

Mountains, like chiseled muscle

Rivers, like beaded sweat running down

Bluest sky, the twinkling eye

Ground below, reddest earth

Both His creations

Both His to cherish

but one

only one earning

the death of His Son

a new Adam

so that the Adam

of today

might live

abundantly

Rachel Ost is from the Diocese of West Missouri

No Language Barriers at YAF Workshop

No Language Barriers at YAF Workshop

By Moises Quezada

In the Community Expressions workshop I thought that language was going to stand in the way of what they were going to be sharing, but I was wrong. Even though the songs were in different languages, I had a great time dancing and singing. You could feel the excitement in the praises and with the djembe. I realized that it doesn’t matter where I am coming from and the language I speak, every time we are praising God, He hears us. I also felt linked to the African culture because we use some of the same instruments like the djembe and the güira to rejoice when singing to the Lord. I invite you to look for a space, find time and the instruments to do it, too. For God, there are no barriers.

Moisés Quezada is from the Diocese of the Dominican Republic.

No Hay Barreras de Lenguaje en el Taller de los Jóvenes Adultos

Al entrar al taller “Community Expressions” pensé que el idioma iba a impedir que pudiera entender y sentir lo que allí se iba a compartir, pero me equivoque, mi experiencia fue excelente, ya que danzamos y cantamos; a pesar de que las canciones fueran en diferentes idiomas, pude sentir la emoción que proyectaba el Reverendo y mis hermanos con las alabanzas y el tambor, me di cuenta que no importa de dónde soy y el idioma que hable, siempre que estemos adorando al Señor, Dios nos escucha. También me sentí identificado con la cultura Africana ya que donde yo vengo utilizamos algunos instrumentos como el tambor y la güira, los cuales nos sirven para regocijarnos cuando cantamos a Dios. Te invito a que busques el espacio, el tiempo y los instrumentos para que empieces hacerlo, ya que para Dios no existe barreras.

Moisés Quezada es de la Diócesis de la República Dominicana.

Issues of Equity

By Eileen O’Brien

Issues of equity are receiving consideration in a variety of committee venues.  Today, the Church Pension Fund unanimously approved a proposal for a denominational health plan which will give lay and clergy employees greater parity in terms of access to health insurance.  Resolution A177 will be considered by the House of Bishops tomorrow and has a strong foundation of support.  Resolution A138 also addresses lay and clergy employee parity by putting muscle behind the establishment of a mandatory lay employee pension system, which was resolved in 1991 but not universally enacted across the dioceses. 

What does this legislation have to do with youth and young adults in the church?  By improving clergy and lay parity in terms of compensation and benefits, the church validates its lay professionals and makes traditional lay employee roles (such as youth and young adult ministries) into viable career paths for qualified and called individuals.  Youth ministries in particular suffer from high turnover rates because leadership positions are seen as transitional jobs.  This legislation is a start on the path towards developing a better equipped lay leadership for the church.