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Ensalada de la Noche Buena and Black Bean Soup

Ensalada de la Noche Buena
1 navel orange
1 small jicama (or half a large one), peeled and cut into pieces roughly 1 inch by 1/2 inch
1 bunch radishes, sliced thinly
1 head romaine lettuce
a couple of beets, roasted, peeled, and chopped (if you’re me, buy a container of pre-roasted beets)
1 cup pomegranate arils (pip/seeds) from a package (or just the arils of 1 pomegranate; it’s easiest to seed them underwater to avoid staining your kitchen)
1/2 cup pepitas (recipe follows)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime zest
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
fresh black pepper and salt

Preparation:

1. Supreme the oranges over a bowl, catching the juices. Roughly chop the orange supremes into 1-inch chunks
2. Toss the jicama, radish slices, and beets into the bowl and stir to coat with orange juice. Allow to sit.
3. Make the dressing by combining last six ingredients together in a small bowl.
4. In a serving dish, make a bed of chopped romaine lettuce, and using a slotted spoon place the marinated veggies on top. Drizzle with the dressing, then sprinkle with pepitas, pomegranate arils, and chopped cilantro.

Pepitas—A delicious snack and a fantastic addition to salads
2 cups raw, hulled pumpkin seeds (they’re flat and green — if they’re white, they’re not hulled)
juice of 1/2 a lime
cayenne pepper
cumin
salt
garlic powder
fresh black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325. In a bowl, drizzle lime juice over pumpkin seeds and stir to coat. Lightly sprinkle with cayenne, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir again, sprinkle again. Taste as you go to make sure you’re not making them too spicy for your own tastes.
2. Spread evenly on a rimmed cookie sheet and allow to bake for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. The seeds are done when several of them have begun to “pop”—puff up so they’re rounded, not flat—and they’re a nice golden tan. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Black bean soup
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tub roasted garlic salsa (if this is unavailable, use regular fresh salsa and roast a head of garlic ahead of time by chopping off the pointy end of the head, setting it on a sheet of foil, drizzling it with oil, wrapping it up, and sticking it in a 300 degree oven until cloves are soft, about 30 or 40 minutes)
1 can vegetable broth
2 cans black beans
green Tabasco
1/4 chopped cilantro
juice from 1/2 a lime (or one lime, if you’re me and you like citrus)
sour cream (optional)

Preparation

1. In a large pot, pour in a spash of vegetable broth and sautee onions and garlic until soft. Add in salsa and sautee for three or four more minutes.
2. Add broth, beans and lime juice. Allow to simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender, then add green Tabasco, salt and pepper, and cilantro to taste. Serve topped with sour cream.

Leavings, XVII.

by Wendell Berry

Hardly escaping the limitless machines
that balk his thoughts and torment his dreams,
the old man goes to his own
small place of peace, a patch of trees
he has lived from many years,
its gifts of a few fence posts and boards,
firewood for winter, some stillness
in which to know and wait.  Used
and yet whole this dear place is, whole
by its own nature and by his need.
While he lives it will be whole,
and after him, God willing, another
will follow in that membership
that craves the wholeness of the world
despite all human loss and blame.

In the lengthening shadow he has climbed
again to the ridgetop and across
to the westward slope to see the ripe
light of autumn in the turning trees,
the twilight he must go by now
that only grace can give.  Thus far
he keeps the old sectarian piety:
By grace we live.  But he can go
no further.  Having known the grace
that for so long has kept this world,
haggard as it is, as we have made it,
we cannot rest, we must be stirring
to keep that gift dwelling among us,
eternally alive in time.  This
is the great work, no other, none harder,
none nearer rest or more beautiful.

–Read at St. Lydia’s on January 2, 2011

Community Meeting Report from Rachel

Dear Lydians,

These last four months have been characterized in my eyes by a real solidifying of our routines and practices on Sundays.  I find more and more that we have created a culture of mutual support and cooperation in our community that translates during worship to a sense of kindness, awareness, and participation that I find extremely gratifying.  In terms of weekly administration, my efforts in the last few months have been focused on continuing to streamline our practices of shared leadership, meal planning and preparation, and storage of our tools for worship.  Fresh Direct has turned out to be a real blessing, not only because it makes things simpler on Sunday afternoons to have our groceries delivered, but because of the way it has allowed our cooks to participate more fully in meal planning and ingredient selection.  I have been delighted by the community’s increasing level of ownership and responsibility with regard to our weekly practices.

We’ve gotten so good at the weekly stuff that I have been able to focus more on keeping our blog updated with photos, recipes, and poems.  I’ve taken over the finances and have been converting our systems to use Google docs and spreadsheets, which allow us to have remote access to our files and also secure back-up and storage.  During Advent I especially enjoyed having extra time to make a special Advent Jesse Tree with an accompanying Advent calendar for Emily’s preaching stand, a new banner for the narthex and a birch-candle Advent wreath, centerpieces for our tables, and snowflake lanterns for the stairs.   Creating a changing sense of the liturgical seasons through crafting and decoration is, as I’m sure you all know, one of my favorite parts of my job as Community Coordinator.  My hope is that it enriches our worship experience by making Sundays seem both special and set-aside, as well as connected to the patterns of our daily lives outside the Church.  I try to use materials that connect us to the larger world (like the twigs, branches and seed pods I collected from Prospect Park) and especially to the traditions of cooking and eating (flowers made of cupcake liners, banners made of dishcloths and baking doilies), so that we can express our identity visually as well as liturgically and through dialogue and conversation.

There are a couple of events coming up in January and February that I will be participating in.  Some of you will join me in attending the Music that Makes Community conference here in New York City on January 20th and 21st.  I am very much looking forward to this opportunity to expand my experience in congregational song leadership, as that is a part of my role at St. Lydia’s that I am enjoying very much these days.  In February, I’ve been invited to attend another conference called Doing Good Well, in San Antonio, Texas.  Conceived by CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts) and supported by The Sister Fund, DGW will bring together Christian female leaders in the visual arts for development training and an exchange of skills and resources.  I think its going to be a great opportunity to make connections and brainstorm ideas about how to move forward with our goals for St. Lydia’s role in the visual arts.  Also on the agenda for the next quarter is our second annual round of fundraising, for which I’ll be doing things like laying out photo spreads, orchestrating mail merges, and making thank you gifts.

I have also enjoyed being a part of the ongoing conversations we’ve been having the last few months about denominational discernment and safety and welcome.  Meetings with Pastor Phil, Bishop Rimbo and Rev.Horner have imbued our work with a new sense of connectedness and support for me.  Emily’s leadership, as well as all the invaluable contributions of insight and reflection on the part of the community, has made me feel honored to be part of such a thoughtful and committed group.  I am excited about the possibilities that are opening up to us, and I think 2011 is going to be a very exciting year for St. Lydia’s!

With much love and gratitude,

Rachel

Community Meeting Report from Emily

January, 2011

Dear Lydians,

In preparation for our Community Meeting this coming Saturday, here’s a synopsis of what I’ve been up to and what I’ve seen us up to together in the last quarter at St. Lydia’s!

What I’ve been up to:

The few months have been a rich and busy time for me as I’ve dug into my coursework at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.  My first course this year was entitled, “Marriage, Families, and Relationships.”  The course looked at family systems theory, which sees individuals as part of a larger system of family, be that a family of origin, a workplace, or a congregation.  The course asked me to spend a lot of time looking at the family system I was raised in and reflecting on how that experience informs how I behave in a congregational system.  It’s been really illuminating; I’d like to share some of the theory with all of you at our retreat this summer.

In addition, I was just accepted to the Clinical Pastoral Education Program (where I’ll work as a hospital chaplain) at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital here in New York.  The summer program will give me a chance to work with families in crisis in a hospital setting.  It will also allow me to fulfill that particular requirement for ordination.

Balancing the various demands on my time and energy continues to be a challenge, but I find that repeating, what we need is here, helps quite a bit!

I’ve focused much of my attention on crafting worship that is cohesive and fitting for the seasons we’ve been celebrating.  Our worship practices feel more deeply rooted to me, and the congregation seems to own worship more fully.  There’s room to flex and stretch, and there’s a greater sense of nuance.  Though we’ve seen fewer newcomers the last few months, I sense that this is part of the natural ebb and flow we’ll continue to experience as we grow.

I instituted our first Community Conversation in December.  I hope that these conversations (which will take place about once a month, except months when we have a Community Meeting) will give us an opportunity to dig into rich theological questions about who we are and how we’re doing what we’re doing at St. Lydia’s.

What I see us up to together:

The months of October and November have afforded us the opportunity to reflect on our identity in two important ways.

First, we began to engage in an important conversation around the possibility of affiliating with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).  In October, Pastor Phil, Daniel, and I preached about the connections between the local church and the wider church.  We also discussed the matter at our Community Meeting.  In December, we were able to meet and converse with Bishop Robert Rimbo in the context of worship.  I’ve been pleased to be in conversation with many of you as you consider and discern what this relationship could mean for our community.

I see a relationship with the ELCA as a fruitful possibility for us.  I’m seeking a formal connection to the wider church that connects us, feeds us, and supports us, as well as asks us to contribute to and support the denomination.  I’m also pleased to see the community asking really good, smart questions about this relationship, and being intentional and wise as we move forward.  This is a good thing!

Second, we had our first Community Conversations on the subject of welcome and safety.  Keeping our doors wide open is not always an easy or comfortable experience; at times it can be unnerving.  The conversation gave us a chance to think together about how best to keep the community “safe enough” to do the work or worship together.  I wrote in more detail about the conversation on the blog.  I’m in the midst of coordinating with a deacon in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut to come and do a training with the entire community on mental illness and the church, especially as it relates to the homeless community.

I am reminded in this time that wrestling is a fundamental part of our identity as a church.  We are here to wrestle, with God, with ideas, with questions, with one another.  Sometimes we might be inclined to back away from this difficult task.  After all, it’s strenuous, and it pushes us.  But wrestling allows us to work through questions together that help us discover who we are.  Wrestling means sweating and straining, but after each round, we feel satisfied and fulfilled. It’s part of the task set before us.

Love,

Emily

Sermon: Luke 2:8-20

Read Emily’s latest sermon, “A Motel in Memphis” on her blog, Sit and Eat.

Sermon: Luke 1:26-56

Read Emily’s latest sermon, “Love the Rose is on the Way” on her blog, Sit and Eat.

Letter From Emily: Welcome and Safety

Dear Lydians,

I wanted to write and tell you a little bit about our first Community Conversation, which took place this past Wednesday at French Roast Cafe.  There were eight of of there, and I was struck by the thoughtfulness, care, and wisdom with which each person participated in a conversation about the balance of hospitality and safety in our community.  How do we keep our doors wide open, welcoming all, and make our worship space as safe as possible, physically and spiritually?

I’d like to summarize the conversation as clearly and concisely as I can here.  If those who were present would like to add comments, please do so below.  If you have any thoughts or questions, don’t hesitate to bring them up with me in person or over e-mail.

Health of the Community/Care for Individuals

In any church, there is a balance that must be maintained between the health of the community (or the body) and the care of individuals in that body.  If the needs or presence of an individual begins to erode the health of the body,  we must respond.  This is a tough balance, and in speaking with other clergy, I’m learning that there are no easy answers.  One pastor told me that that, in fact, the process of setting boundaries is the most important part: we can set good boundaries in a way that either affirm or deny the humanity of individuals.

Risk and discomfort are important in a community: they create an environment of growth and learning.  But fear and threat are not acceptable, and endanger the health of the body.  As Erica said, “we’ll always be sitting around the table with people we are uncomfortalbe with.  The question is how do you distinguish between good and bad discomfort.”  It is impossible to create space that is truly safe, but there are things we can do to create a space that is “safe-enough” for us to thrive and grow.

Assumptions

One of the signs of the health of our body is that we’re beginning to draw people who have a high level of need to our community.  As we become a stable place, we will draw people who feel unstable.  It’s important to remember that these people may not fit our expectations.  People suffering from mental or emotional anguish who present a challenge to our community may come from any walk of life.

Particular to St. Lydia’s

St. Lydia’s faces many of the same challenges every other church faces.  However, there are some things that make our community different, and which move us to ask big questions about our identity.  St. Lydia’s is different from other churches in that we offer a full meal at worship, our service takes place at night, our service takes place in a gentrified neighborhood that also has a high level of need, Trinity Lower East Side runs a well known soup kitchen, and our worship creates an high level of intimacy as we gather around the table and share our stories.

These elements combine to create a delicate balance in our worship.  We reach a deep level of intimacy when we pray at the table after our meal.  If something unexpected or unnerving occurs during that time of intimacy, it has the possibility to be spiritually damaging to those who are vulnerable during that moment.  As we move further into our work together, we’ll be able to ask more questions about this dynamic as a community.  It’s important that we feel we’re able to offer pastoral follow up for all that’s unearthed during intimate moments, as well as provide a safe-enough space for the intimacy created.

What We’re Doing and What We Can Do

There are a number of good practices already in place to assist in creating a safe-enough space.  Currently, I stand at the door each week so I’m aware of each person who enters church.  If someone arrives who is drunk, high, or feels unsafe to me, I will explain to them that they may not worship with us.  If I have any concern about a congregant, I will ask our presider to keep an eye our for him or her.  Both Rachel and I carry cell phones on our person, and we lock the door when we have moved to the sanctuary.  We also always answer the door when it rings in pairs.  Finally, if it is necessary, we have the option of calling the police or an outreach team from a local agency.

At our meeting Wednesday, we discussed several additional practices we will put into place, beginning this Sunday.  First, we will have “table hosts.”  These are designated congregants who each sit at a different table in worship and can be attentive to the dynamics at the table.  Second, I’d like to organize a session with a psychologist and/or a clergy person who has a background in work with the mentally ill and the homeless community in January.  This will give the entire congregation some education and training to help us feel better equipped for this work.  We might discuss the possibility of creating a team of people who are particularly skilled in this work.  Third, I’m working on extending our network of resources in the East Village so that we have folks we can reach out to for support and guidance.

Finally, I would encourage each of you to feel free to speak up for yourselves and one another in situations that might feel “off” to you.  You might offer to switch seats with someone who seems ill-at-ease, or decide to tell me or the presider about behavior that worries you.  Sentences like “I’d rather not do that,” “We don’t do that here,” and “Please stop,” are ones we should have at the ready.  We should not have to use these sentences often, but it’s important to have them on hand for moments when we do.  Staying safe is more important than being polite.  Trust your gut.

Finally, a reminder that this process of wrestling, of struggling to find a way forward and working to value each person at our table, is a life-giving struggle.  It teaches us about who we are.  It’s part of our answer to God’s call on our lives — figuring out how to responsibly set a table of hospitality and welcome where all may worship freely and without fear, where we might see Christ in one another.

Love,

Emily

Messiah (Christmas Portions)

A final nudge from Heather about seasonal giving

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a little on the blog entry about a small seasonal-giving campaign that I volunteered us Lydians for. On the Sunday that followed, there was an outpouring from our community and we raised a pretty penny, getting us well on our way to our $70 goal. St. Lydia’s finds grace in a shared meal, and St. John’s Bread & Life thinks meals are important too. A $70 sponsors one family at Christmas, providing them with a turkey, vegetables, stuffing, soup, gravy, fruit, bread, dessert, and an age-appropriate toy for each child under 16. This is an extraordinary way to extend our ministry beyond the walls of Trinity, beyond the regular contributions that we, as a group, make to support Trinity’s daily soup kitchen.

Today I sent off a payment to Bread & Life and I’m back here to remind you that there’s a little cardboard oatmeal tub begging for your extra dollars when we gather this Sunday. Before we take our Christmastime break, before we scoot off to parts unknown to spend time with friends and family, before we bid farewell to 2010, I ask that you find a way to help make some family’s year—a year that was undoubtedly rough—end on a high note. We won’t know who we’re helping, and there’s something delicious in that: We can go crazy! We can surprise even ourselves by how easy it is to find an extra dollar, an extra ten dollars to donate. Giving is a spiritual practice, as Miss Emily always says, and I’m asking you to practice with me and other members of our community in this season of preparation and anticipation.

You can donate in the little labeled oatmeal canister on Sunday, December 19, with cash or check (made out to me, as I pre-donated for us). It’s the last week that we’re taking in funds for this (as it’s the last week we’re meeting this year), so go big! Questions? Comment here and I’ll reply.