Order of Urban Missioners

Sponsored by
THE DIOCESE OF MARYLAND
(For Lay and Ordained people)

“Action without contemplation is the work of hamsters and gerbils"
Richard Rohr, Grace in Action, xiv, quoted by the Rt. Rev. Eugene Sutton at Diocesan Convention 2010.

Annual Covenanting for Members of the Order of Urban Missioners in the Diocese of Maryland

September 24, 2011, from 11:00 A.M. to about 2:45 P.M.

The Cathedral of the Incarnation, 4 E. University Parkway, Baltimore.

Presiding and preaching at our Eucharist : The Rev. Canon Daniel Webster, Canon for Evangelism and Ministry Development, Diocese of Maryland.

Please bring : Yourself and.

Your sense of your calling and your need for prayers. (Prayer requests might include “Faithfulness to continue ministry at my urban parish,” or “Insight into becoming a better teacher,” or “Courage to explore volunteering in a different agency,” for example. Our requests often evolve over the course of our meetings!)

Your Order of Urban Missioners cross, if you are a returning member. New members will receive a cross (while supplies last), handcrafted according to a design by Baltimore artist Deborah Patterson. Contributions toward the cost of manufacture ($60.00) are welcome.

Food : if possible, please bring enough of one lunch item (e.g. bread, cheese, fruit, crackers) to feed several other members.

RSVP : MaryHTDavisson@aol.com or 410-866-6922. Mary+'s 2011 Letter

The Order of Urban Missioners offers spiritual support for those able to gather one Saturday a month, but also for those unable to join us.

If you can't meet with us but would like to add your urban parish or ministry to our prayer list, please send a paragraph or so about your prayer requests to MaryHTDavisson@aol.com.

We gather on the third Saturday of each month at the Church of the Holy Nativity, Pimlico (Baltimore), from 9:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. Meetings include a morning devotion, food, meditation, sharing of prayer requests, and Eucharist. We are considering weeknight gatherings also; see reverse. On October 15, we will discuss leadership roles for 2011-12. Our annual retreat is tentatively set for the first weekend in March.

If you've been having trouble finding a spiritual director or retreat center, we can offer suggestions.

As Urban Missioners

We Vow:

To give our fears and prejudices about urban living and ministry over to God

To open ourselves to Christ's redeeming love, especially in the city

To live in a state of love

To this end, we vow:

1) To take our calling to urban ministry seriously, and to covenant with the Order the length of time and the location to which we feel called;

2) To take care of our bodies, our minds and our souls that we may be a useful instrument for God:

To read and meditate on the Bible daily
To pray constantly, to pray for each other by name, and to pray for Christ's work in the city
To make confession, receive spiritual direction and spend time on retreat in a regular manner
To participate in worship, a daily office, and in the Eucharist as often as possible
To take to heart the admonition Ephesians to "put on the whole armor of God" (Eph. 6:10)
To take appropriate rest and time off, to exercise on a regular basis, and to eat properly

3) To support each other in our various callings:

To gather together for Eucharist on a regular basis
To share our stories and mutual support, guidance and for the increase of our faith
To sing together whenever possible as a joyful way to send the demons scurrying
To share in educational programs appropriate to our needs and ministries

4) To commit ourselves to good works and acts of love, and to allow that God will bless us and change us through this calling:

To treat all people equally as God's people
To listen to God's people and to be open to new ways of sharing Christ's love
To wear a visible sign of our Order

5) To establish a Mother House (or Chapter House) as a place:

For some Order members to be in residence in the city
To be a meeting place and a holy space for gathering together, worship, education and breaking bread together for all members of the Order

Meetings are held monthly

THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY NATIVITY

4238 PIMLICO ROAD
BALTIMORE, MD 21215
9:30 am to 1:30 pm

Abbreviated Morning Prayer
Introductions, brief prayer concerns over light breakfast
Meditation and silence
Shared responses to meditation
Eucharist

From our meetings, a sample meditation

For more information contact:
The Rev. Mary Davisson
International Seafarers' Center
1439 Wallace Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
410 685 1240
MaryHTDavisson@aol.com

The Maryland and New York Chapters of the Order of Urban Missioners now share a Facebook page! See also http://www.urban.ang-md.org/urban_missioners.htm.

Members of the Order of Urban Missioners (Maryland) in 2010-11: Tom Brandt, Anne Clewell, Lu Coleman, Mary Davisson+, Diane Fadeley, Tim Grayson+, Helen Holton+, James Johnson, Jane Mayrer+, Martha Montgomery, Sarah Saxe, Angela Shepherd+.

Read more from Bishop Sutton's 2010 Convention Address

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Website maintained by the Rev. Madeleine Beard
Hosted by The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland
updated July 28, 2011