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It hits me as soon as I walk into the room: the loud chatter of folks settling in and catching up with fellows from other houses, the sight of the candle-lit altar in the center of the room, sometimes the scent of incense floating on the air mixed with a coffee aroma. All of this buzzing energy is held by the clean white walls of the the training room at 40 Prescott Street, decorated with praxis posters and Dorothy Day quotes.
A couple of weeks ago, after a fabulous birthday party, I was on vacation at my home in the mountains of North Carolina. I spent the week and a half on the side of a mountain in a house that has been in my family since my great-grandfather. The property is surrounded by National Forest on three sides, and an Episcopal retreat center on the fourth side, which leaves a view of God’s undisturbed and magnificent creation.
On our final day last week of vacationing in the Green Mountains, (before making our pilgrimage to that den of cheddar and chocolate temptations, the Cabot Creamery Annex in Waterbury, Vermont) my family and I went for one last hike in the woods. As we set out from our car, a woman pulled up, rolled down her window, and said to us, “Do you know about the Candy Tree?”
In the spring of 2011 my partner Reed Loy and I had been together for two years, and engaged for several months. We had been doing work that called to us- he in campus ministry and I in environmental education- but in different parts of New England. We each wanted a change, and we wanted to be together while doing so. We needed a change because the work we had been doing, while in our desired fields, had sapped our spirits a bit...
As I prepare for disorientation in a few weeks, I can’t help but to think back to our orientation. Like many of you, my time this year has stretched me in ways that I never thought I would be stretched. I am much more thoughtful about my role in systems and much less excited by weekly taco nights than I was when I entered this program 10 months ago.
Dear Friends,
It’s been nearly 5 years since I said yes to joining Life Together and journeyed over 3,000 miles to join the 2011 cohort. I remember feeling skeptical; skeptical that this organization was really about building God’s dream for the church and for the world. I am so glad that, now, nearly 5 years have passed and I was so wrong. Life Together has been committed to raising up leaders that will do the work it takes to bring God’s dream into fruition and I am so blessed to still be a part of that work.
As Life Together journeys through this season of transition, it has given us an opportunity to dig deeper into our identity as prayerful and prophetic leaders who are faithful in the work of community building, contemplative reflection and peace making. This newsletter is filled with stories of that work: Micah Fellow Adiel Pollydore's reflection on learning from her young people's encounters with institutional racism, 2011-2012 LT alumnus Dalton Funkhouser's journey from self-reliance to community interdependence, and Micah Fellow Gabrielle Crossnoe's story of discovering new spiritual rhythms. Explore glimpses of fellows in action at their site placements and check out every fellow and staff member's answer to why they serve.
During this time, I am certain that God is with us and guiding us towards His dream: a dream that involves each of us to do our part. I am blessed to be doing my part by serving as the Bridge Program Coordinator while Life Together discerns its next steps.
Almost 5 years ago I walked through the doors of the office of Life Together, skeptical and nervous. Today, after the pouring out of so much love and resources, I feel certain and bold in my belief that it is indeed better to go far together. I am proud of Life Together for building God’s dream and I am honored to serve this community.
Blessings,
Hazel M. Johnson
"I serve because when I do, I become fully alive!" - Hazel Johnson, Bridge Program Coordinator & LT alumna 2011-2013
I came to Life Together at 21 and somehow already burnout, done with Christianity-- tired of being a sinner, scared of what I would have to give up to be a saint. I found life here, in the transformative power of community, I found new life! So in many ways, even though it’s May, I feel like it’s just the beginning.
Now that I’m back home in Oklahoma, managing a database at a hospital foundation, I am continually reminded of my community in Boston. When I am tempted to isolate myself, I remember their encouragement, support, and the challenge and reward of relying on more than yourself. Labor may conquer all things, but without community I know I can’t continue to work toward justice in our world.
I spent Easter in a cemetery.
To be fair, it wasn’t totally by design. I’d biked 8 city miles and still wasn’t at Arnold Arboretum, so Forest Hills Cemetery felt as good as anything else - after all, cemeteries have trees, too. It was waning light, so my partner and I found a spot still touched by sunlight and sat down to our Easter ritual: reading aloud news stories that broke our heart.
I have to say, it was an encouraging activity. I can’t stand the way we “consume” news, as if they were facts that everyone should be able to digest as they digest their breakfast toast, their coffee. I think reading of heartbreaking news should be accompanied by wailing, or it’s all an exercise in repressed pain.
But, wait! Where does gladness fit here? Easter teaches us to pay attention to the rejoicing, even as (not if - for it will) suffering continues. This rejoicing is a healing act, too, to spend time gladdening the heart with good news.
At this year’s Love Matters (May 14th from 4-6:30pm at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul...tickets here....), we hope to share both the suffering and the redemption, the brokenness and the hope - all of the stories that knit us together into a community of reconciliation. Come to feed your hearts, not to “consume” news but to be inspired and even transformed by the journeys of your fellow humans, all of us working together toward a vision of a more loving world. And come to thank the Rev. Arrington Chambliss, who has led Life Together for the past 8 years, co-creating this community with us.
In this Easter newsletter, find the good news of Hannah Pommersheim’s encounter with the School of Love; Life Together fellows preaching sermons; and Life Together fellows signing on for a second year of leadership development. We also mourn the passing of a great friend, mentor and supporter of our program, Tom Shepherd, as we celebrate new life in our community with little Hannah Louis Madsen Gelbtuch, Life Together site supervisor Dave Gelbtuch's brand-new bundle of joy! For the good news in our communities, and the profound support we’ve received throughout the years, we are grateful.
Rebecca Behizadeh is Life Together’s Director of Hiring and Development.
We are so excited to introduce our next group of Emmaus (second-year) fellows! In their Emmaus year, fellows take on servant leadership roles during Friday trainings and staff responsibilities in addition to serving at a church or non-profit site. Next year, we're even fortunate to have one of our Emmaus fellows work full-time for Life Together as her site placement. They will be forming an intentional community at St. Luke's and St. Margaret's in Allston. Here they are!
It has been eight years since Life Together formed in 2008, as a merger between the Relational Evangelism Pilot Project and the Micah Project. So much has happened in these 8 years, so much that I can hardly find the words to begin. One word does come freely, readily, and often, though: gratitude. Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude. And it is with that grateful heart that I summon the words to write my last newsletter before transitioning to the Episcopal City Mission.
