"twas a long strange journey ...

The Momus and Family are now full residents of ALABAMA ... woohoo ... !!! I have to thank the Episcopal church that we were members of in Northern PA for giving us that final push out of the state of Pennsylvania. Once the church was no longer there for us we realized that it was really the only thing holding us there. We deeply miss our friends in the Diocese of Central PA. However the Doicese of Alabama seems to be going strong and healthy and we will find our place there.

Feminism and the disposable family ...

If , as popular feminist ideology would have one believe, a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle... where does that leave our children ? Out in the cold !! In their attempt to relieve themselves of any responsability, the feminist movement has has thrown our children to the dogs. Gloria Steinam may not need a man, but your average child does ... in study after study after study it is found that children who grow up with out fathers are much more prone to deviant and dangerous behaviours. Even the more liberal among us seem to agree "The Progressive Policy Institute, the research arm of the Democratic Leadership Council, reports that the “relationship between crime and one-parent families” is “so strong that controlling for family configuration erases the relationship between race and crime and between low-income and crime. This conclusion shows up time and again in the literature.” " Depending on which study you are reading, girls who grow up with out their fathers are anywhere 68-100 times more likely to have children as teenagers. And this my friends only purpetuates the cycle. Children need parents ... BOTH parents ... the statistics for single mothers and poverty are apalling. Children need strong, loving fathers as well as mothers. Our girls need a dad to look at when they are trying to form ideals as to who they want as a spouse. Our boys need a dad to look to as a role model. Our mothers need a husband who deals largely with the outside world so that she can make responsible and caring citizens out of their children. A daycare facility is a poor substitute for a loving father. Perhaps it is time to by bicycles for the fish ???

Something as small as a card ...

After a very traumatic divorce from my Episcopal congregation and a brief time to recollect my sanity, I visited the local United Methodist Church. All in all, it was a pleasant experience, nothing profound or earth shattering happened, but it was a very comfortable experience. It was what happened afterward that really left its mark... THE PASTOR SENT ME A CARD. Nothing fancy or grand, just a short handwritten note on a simple little folded card. He thanked me for taking the time from my Sunday to worship with them and he hoped that the service provided me with spiritual encouragement for the week ahead. He said that I was welcome anytime and he hoped I would consider visiting with them again, but in the mean time if there was anything that he or the church could do for me please give him a call. Chances are it had more to do with me as a visitor than me as an individual and he probably does it for all of the people who visit his congregation, however, at that moment in time, that little card had a VERY large impact. That was in late October, I would like to say that I simply jumped right in and became a regular congregant, I didn't... as a matter of fact , I didn't return until last Sunday. But, that little card set in motion a great deal of prayer, soul searching on my part. I remembered the reason I chose to go to the Episcopal Church in the first place, and gave a lot of thought to why we kept going, and in the end , why everything fell apart. I gave a great deal of thought to the prevailing attitudes that were presented to me by the Episcopal church and its clergy and realized just how much I disagreed with them. I tried for a very long time to fit in as an Episcopalian , however it became very clear that if you are a woman and do not have an M.Div. or higher degree in something then your opinion counts for nothing . I was confirmed a Methodist as a teenager, and will now gladly return home . Thank you pastor for the card.

A long strange journey ...

Momus is now the mother of three spastic creations !!!! Along with SpazBoy and Girly Child we now have Miss Thang ... what she lacks in size she makes up for in personality :) It has been a very interesting few months and oddly enough the gaining an instant 14 year old was not the most stressful part !!! (That part just sort of came naturally) Momus is now of a mind to sort it out in writing ... However... she has to go make breakfast ... But fear NOT ... she will return shortly !!!!

Brain Scramble ...

Momus is suffering from a serious lack of focus, or closer to the truth , Momus is suffering from too many things to focus on at once. I think perhaps I need a spiritual advisor and a vacation. Any Episcopal churches or retreat centers out there that could make use of a Chief Domestic Officer for a few days ? A week or so washing dishes for a vocational community, I can make some monster desert. Can you get online virtual spiritual advisors? Oh well, I’m sure my brain will eventually congeal back into some sort of usable mass, at some point. Until then I will muddle through.

Shopping for churches ...

The conduct of the clergy in our church has become such a detriment to the spiritual health of our family that BigDaddy and I are shopping for a new church. Unfortunately the nearest Episcopal Church (aside from the one we were attending) is forty miles away and not in our Diocese. It isn’t the Episcopal Church we wish to get away from, just this particularly unhealthy one. At this point we are considering the local United Methodist church for occasional attendance and driving to another Episcopal church within our Diocese once a month in order to stay in good communion. BigDaddy and I are very involved in various activities in the Diocese and refuse to give that up because of the atrocious behavior of a few individuals. BigDaddy is the most laid back; go with the flow sort of guy that you’ll ever meet, so you know it’s getting bad when even he heads for the door. So, its church shopping we go… which to me begs the question, if you could go shopping and pick out a congregation that would fit you, what would it look like ?
What would be your qualifiers and what would be the things that would send you running for the door? Inquiring minds want to know.

God Bless The Brigade

Here's three cheers for the smoothest run unit you will ever see . They sneak in, accomplish their objective and vanish into the night with most people never realizing that they were there. Theirs is largely a thankless job, but they understand that it needs to be done. I'm sure they get tired of it and I'm sure that they, on occasion, even complain about having to be the ones to do it , but I have never seen one of them shirk their duty. There seams to be a great deal of camaraderie amongst the Brigade especially since it is a group that very few actually ask to join. The requirements are few , but those that exist must be adhered to ...
1) You must be female
2) You must be at least 65 years of age
3) You must be made of a "strong moral fiber"
Being a widow is not required, nor is having white hair, but does seem to be a trend.
They are in most places a loosely affiliated bunch, although there is a division of the Brigade in my area who call themselves the Merry Widows , they meet weekly to discuss battle strategy over
muffins and decaf . They are often given mocking names by those outside the group. In my congregation they are referred to as "The Graces" for at times ,especially if you don't agree with them, it takes a significant amount of grace to deal with them. BUT , if you removed The Graces our church would cease to function in under a week. As would other churches and social organizations across the world , I am fairly certain. GO ahead, I dare you to try to plan a funeral with out them. I have been mulling this over in me noggin for the last week or so especially in light of recent events, that FEMA should not be run by the government, but by The Brigade .
Things would get done quickly, smoothly, efficiently and with lots of coffee, tea and cookies for every one. Less politics ... more practicality .... LONG LIVE THE BRIGADE !!!!

Congregational Apathy

Well, it happened . After all of the begging and pleading , we could not find two people in our congregation who would volunteer to teach Sunday School once or twice a month. What causes a congregation to get to this point. The vast majority of our members refuse to engage in any church activity that requires that they devote more than 15 - 20 min. per month . We had a yard sale for one of our outreach programs this past weekend , people were glad to drop off their donated items, but no one volunteered to stay and help .( With the exception of the same 3 or 4 people who do almost everything else. ) No one wants to be responsible for anything, most will say, "just call if you need anything" . I've come to find out, through my tenure on vestry and as Chris.Ed. director, and verger, and news letter editor, and choir member and lay reader and Chalicer, that the "anything" people are talking about consists of picking up some soda and cookies from the grocery store down the block and dropping them off before what ever event we are trying to plan actually happens . I truly do thank God for the handful of dedicated volunteers that my congregation has, unfortunately most of them are , like myself, stretched to thin. I am so disgusted at this point I'm not sure what to do. Resigning as Chris.Ed director was my first reaction. I guess only time will tell. Now if you will pardon me , I must go and develop a Sunday School plan that will work when only taught once a month.