I encourage you to pray fervently for the bishops meeting in Lambeth. And for the opening of hearts to the movement of the Spirit. I ask you to pray, too, for our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters who may be feeling that the church is once again excluding and judging them.

Although summer traditionally is a bit quieter and slower, I have some exciting events to share with you. Please add to your calendar and share with others. On Sunday, August 7, at 1:30, several of us will be going to Legend Senior Living in Macungie, to provide a short service for them. Saturday, August 11, from 10:00-3:00, I will be doing a Prayerbead Workshop at the St. Barnabas Center in Kutztown. October 20, 21, 22 and potentially 23 we’ll be having an Icon Workshop at St. Margaret’s in Emmaus.

This Sunday is not only the second Sunday after Pentecost, but it is also Juneteenth. “Just what is that?” you ask?  Juneteenth is a holiday celebrated on June 19th to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on that date in 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, slaves were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation. Two and a half YEARS to get the liberating and soul-saving word that people who had been enslaved their whole lives were now free!  But for many people of color, even today, 159 years since President Lincoln’s Proclamation, true equality is still a dream.