Thursday night, Chapter unanimously voted to engage in six hours of education (two of which will be offered to the entire Cathedral) on "the evidences and impact of alcohol use on congregational life and leadership." The training will be led by the Rev. Dale Kuhn, executive director of Care and Counseling.
I imagine there are at least four questions that come to mind:
Why this? Why us? What is this? Why now?
Why this?
The simple answer is that as the Body of Christ, we are called to be concerned with the health of each and every member and of the entire body. Approximately 15% (or more than 1 in 7) Americans have a problem with alcohol.
But that in itself isn't the whole answer. Why not smoking or obesity? Why alcohol? Two reasons:
*In Chapter's discussion of the diocesan alcohol policy and our affirmation that our goal was not prohibition but a "healthy relationship with alcohol," stories surfaced of instances where congregational leaders had showed up to serve at the altar or work on a committee or project impaired by alcohol. We agreed that we needed to equip ourselves and the Cathedral at large with how to respond to these situations lovingly and in ways that promote health and healing.
*As we (specifically the Dean, Vicar, senior warden Bob Schleipman and junior warden Tom Edelmann) explored this further with people at Care and Counseling, we were educated and reminded about the powerful effects alcohol and substance abuse has on family systems -- and both the Cathedral and the Diocese are family systems. I hope you'll take five minutes and read an excellent short article by Bishop Chilton Knudsen on alcohol abuse and church systems here -- this will say much better than I what we are talking about ... and why it's important for us to be as aware, educated and equipped as possible.
Why us?
On one level, the answer is: "Why not us?" Every congregation could benefit from this. But there are several reasons why it's particularly good for us to engage in this:
*St. Louis is a brewery town and alcohol is a big part of our culture. If we are to not only be healthy but minister in this community, we need to be educated about its effects.'
*Alcohol use has been a big part of the culture at Christ Church Cathedral ... so we need to know as much as possible so we can make sure our relationship with alcohol is a healthy one.
*We are the mother church of the diocese ... a diocese that within the past 20 years has had a bishop undergo treatment for alcohol abuse while in office. This is an issue here not just for CCC but for the whole diocese ... and as the Cathedral we have an opportunity and obligation to be leaders in engaging it in a healthy manner.
What is this?
Chapter has approved a three-part process.
1) Engage the Chapter in two two-hour conversations about the impact of alcohol abuse on cognitive functioning and judgment.
2) Offer two Sunday morning one-hour seminars to members of the congregation on the impact of alcohol abuse on family and system dynamics -- exploring, for example, the rules of "Do not talk, trust, and feel."
3) Assist in the development of a "graceful no-tolerance" policy for the parish and its leaders (estimate two hours)
There are three goals for outcomes:
1) An increased comfort level about talking about the role of alcohol and family systems.
2) An agreed on strategy on how to respond to those whose use of alcohol interferes with parish life.
3) An opportunity for leadership to establish standards for the acceptable use of alcohol at Cathedral functions.
The Bishop supports us in this and, in fact, believes so much in the benefits of this work not just for the Cathedral but -- particularly through educating diocesan reps on Chapter -- for other congregations in the diocese, his office has agreed to pay the $600 fee for the training.
Why now?
Again, the simple answer is ... why not now? There really is no time like the present. But this is also an especially appropriate time to do this work. We are just beginning a broad-based visioning process to discern what our shared values are as a Cathedral ... what we believe God dreams for us to be about. That is a process of discernment and self-knowledge ... and we need to be aware of the effect that powerful things like alcohol and other addictive substances are having on us and be able to make informed, proactive decisions for the health of this part of the Body of Christ.
Why is this important for Christ Church Cathedral?
I've said it above. God dreams for us to live holy, healthy lives -- both as individuals and as the Body of Christ. This is important both for our own health and also for our role as leaders in the diocese. It is part of building a strong foundation for the next century of Christ Church Cathedral and beyond.
What do you think?
What do you think about our engaging this and how we are going about it? What good things can you see coming out of it? What makes you nervous or anxious about it? This is a sensitive topic, and the internet is generally not a great medium for discussing sensitive topics ... so please come to me, Amy or any Chapter member and be in conversation with us about this in person.
I imagine there are at least four questions that come to mind:
Why this? Why us? What is this? Why now?
Why this?
The simple answer is that as the Body of Christ, we are called to be concerned with the health of each and every member and of the entire body. Approximately 15% (or more than 1 in 7) Americans have a problem with alcohol.
But that in itself isn't the whole answer. Why not smoking or obesity? Why alcohol? Two reasons:
*In Chapter's discussion of the diocesan alcohol policy and our affirmation that our goal was not prohibition but a "healthy relationship with alcohol," stories surfaced of instances where congregational leaders had showed up to serve at the altar or work on a committee or project impaired by alcohol. We agreed that we needed to equip ourselves and the Cathedral at large with how to respond to these situations lovingly and in ways that promote health and healing.
*As we (specifically the Dean, Vicar, senior warden Bob Schleipman and junior warden Tom Edelmann) explored this further with people at Care and Counseling, we were educated and reminded about the powerful effects alcohol and substance abuse has on family systems -- and both the Cathedral and the Diocese are family systems. I hope you'll take five minutes and read an excellent short article by Bishop Chilton Knudsen on alcohol abuse and church systems here -- this will say much better than I what we are talking about ... and why it's important for us to be as aware, educated and equipped as possible.
Why us?
On one level, the answer is: "Why not us?" Every congregation could benefit from this. But there are several reasons why it's particularly good for us to engage in this:
*St. Louis is a brewery town and alcohol is a big part of our culture. If we are to not only be healthy but minister in this community, we need to be educated about its effects.'
*Alcohol use has been a big part of the culture at Christ Church Cathedral ... so we need to know as much as possible so we can make sure our relationship with alcohol is a healthy one.
*We are the mother church of the diocese ... a diocese that within the past 20 years has had a bishop undergo treatment for alcohol abuse while in office. This is an issue here not just for CCC but for the whole diocese ... and as the Cathedral we have an opportunity and obligation to be leaders in engaging it in a healthy manner.
What is this?
Chapter has approved a three-part process.
1) Engage the Chapter in two two-hour conversations about the impact of alcohol abuse on cognitive functioning and judgment.
2) Offer two Sunday morning one-hour seminars to members of the congregation on the impact of alcohol abuse on family and system dynamics -- exploring, for example, the rules of "Do not talk, trust, and feel."
3) Assist in the development of a "graceful no-tolerance" policy for the parish and its leaders (estimate two hours)
There are three goals for outcomes:
1) An increased comfort level about talking about the role of alcohol and family systems.
2) An agreed on strategy on how to respond to those whose use of alcohol interferes with parish life.
3) An opportunity for leadership to establish standards for the acceptable use of alcohol at Cathedral functions.
The Bishop supports us in this and, in fact, believes so much in the benefits of this work not just for the Cathedral but -- particularly through educating diocesan reps on Chapter -- for other congregations in the diocese, his office has agreed to pay the $600 fee for the training.
Why now?
Again, the simple answer is ... why not now? There really is no time like the present. But this is also an especially appropriate time to do this work. We are just beginning a broad-based visioning process to discern what our shared values are as a Cathedral ... what we believe God dreams for us to be about. That is a process of discernment and self-knowledge ... and we need to be aware of the effect that powerful things like alcohol and other addictive substances are having on us and be able to make informed, proactive decisions for the health of this part of the Body of Christ.
Why is this important for Christ Church Cathedral?
I've said it above. God dreams for us to live holy, healthy lives -- both as individuals and as the Body of Christ. This is important both for our own health and also for our role as leaders in the diocese. It is part of building a strong foundation for the next century of Christ Church Cathedral and beyond.
What do you think?
What do you think about our engaging this and how we are going about it? What good things can you see coming out of it? What makes you nervous or anxious about it? This is a sensitive topic, and the internet is generally not a great medium for discussing sensitive topics ... so please come to me, Amy or any Chapter member and be in conversation with us about this in person.
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