Last week, a pile of small, thin, blue strips of paper arrived at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen. On one side was typed the name of our organization, address, a brief summary of our programs, and hours of operation filled in with a child’s handwriting. Attached to each slip of paper was a hand-made pipe cleaner flower. These small gifts came from a program called “Service in Schools,” which seeks to pair New York City public schools with volunteer opportunities....

During Eastertide, our Adult Classes have addressed the theme of “Eco-Faith.” Mother Susan and I have led discussions on creation care in Scripture and the Episcopal Church, and I talked about the journey to installing solar panels on the Parish Hall Roof at Grace Church in Hastings on Hudson. We also welcomed guest speakers: Soup Kitchen Director of Operations Michael Ottley offered updates about the zero-waste initiative at HASK. Sr. Faith Margaret from the Community of the Holy Spirit spoke about her Order’s discernment and process toward building a green convent.In sources both secular and spiritual we can find exhortations to look at change as a series of small behavioral shifts rather than one huge and immediate commitment. Research indicates that absolutes in this regard are not as successful as moving toward a new way of being and doing. This reality was a common theme throughout our recent series. The people who spoke and the narratives we explored all described dedication to caring for the environment as a process, happening step by step. The vision was there, of course, but embodied through a process of accumulated smaller actions....

If you have ever seen the movie Jerry Maguire, you probably remember that the catalyst for much of the action is a twenty-five-page document written by the main character (played by Tom Cruise) after some experiences in his work as a sports agent that disturb his conscience..... ...Our Vestry is in the process of reimagining the Mission Statement for the Church of the Holy Apostles. The incentive to do this came out of a Vestry retreat in October led by the Rev. Carol Gadsden from St. Thomas Church in Mamaroneck. She pointed out that our last Mission Statement was adopted by the Vestry in 1995. She encouraged us to revisit the document in light of the changes since, and in the intervening months we have done so. Our goal is to approve a final statement ready to share at our June Vestry meeting...

Our Lenten Adult Classes this year focused on the material in a book by John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg titled The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’ Final Days in Jerusalem. Inspiration to write this book hit the authors after the release of the controversial film The Passion of the Christ. In the process of responding to questions about that movie, they soon realized that very few people possessed a working knowledge of the details of what occurred between Palm Sunday and the Resurrection....

As I write this, the month of the year known to college basketball fans as “March Madness” is halfway to its conclusion. The Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games will be played this weekend, the Final Four and Championship rounds will happen just as March turns to April the week following. Although I have never been much of a follower of basketball on any level, that changed this year when I was given some tickets to the Big East championship game right here at Madison Square Garden. Now it’s a thing for me. I don’t have the patience to tune in to many games or pay serious attention to anything more than the final five minutes of the games I do watch, but I’m involved....