Christ Episcopal Church 321 West Avenue
Red Wing, MN 651-388-0411
Bishop The Right Rev. Craig Loya
Priest-in-Charge
The Rev. Letha Wilson-Barnard
651-327-2242
Deacon
The Rev. Barbara von Haaren
Christ Church Vestry
Senior Warden: John Blue
Jr. Warden: Catherine Johnson
Zoe Malinchoc DeVoe (2020)
Open(2020)
Charlie Brown (2021)
Ken Christensen (2021)
Sandy Richter (2022)
Pam Dressen(2022)
Treasurer
Buck Foot
Administrator
Debora Gilson
The Caller July 2020
Woyaya
“We are going, heaven knows where we are going,
We'll know we're there.
We will get there, heaven knows how we will get there,
We know we will.
It will be hard we know
And the road will be muddy and rough,
But we'll get there, heaven knows how we will get
there,
We know we will.
We are going, heaven knows where we are going,
We'll know we're there.”
(Lyrics written by Annie Masembe from Uganda. Woyaya means “we keep going” in a
Ghanaian language called Ga. Covered by Art Garfunkel, on debut solo album.)
WILDERNESS is the metaphor that comes to my mind to characterize the times
we’re living through. Wilderness is a common theme in scripture: it is a place
of danger, disorientation, and re-direction.
The children of Israel were brought out of slavery in Egypt by God with the
help of Moses, to worship in freedom. They wandered in the wilderness for 40
years – God was with them, fed them, gave them water, and gave them the law
(the commandments) to shape them into God’s people. Centuries later, the
Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians, and the leaders of Isra-
el were captured and hauled off to live in exile in a foreign land. God reassured
them they were not forgotten and called them to repentance and recommitment,
right there in the midst of exile. Jesus was driven into the wilderness by the Ho-
ly Spirit, after his baptism. There Jesus was tested by Satan and resisted tempta-
tion, through fasting, prayer and meditating on Scripture. The call and promise
from God, during these wilderness periods, is always, I am with you: (re)turn
to me, draw close to me, trust in me.
We are facing multiple challenges in our wilderness time. We are in the midst
of global pandemic, with the U.S. now the epicenter.
The pandemic has disrupted every aspect of our
lives and is hitting hardest the elderly, the poor, and
People of Color. Our economy is distressed and un-
employment is at its highest in decades. We are in
the midst of civil unrest, an uprising, a racial reck-
oning, if you will, that we haven’t seen in over 50
years.
As Christ’s Body, what is God saying to us? What
is God inviting us to in this moment?
I don’t believe any of these major issues will be re-
solved quickly and I believe the church, and will
have a role to play in our healing, recovery, and
transformation, if we are faithful. I wonder if this
might be a time for us to dig deep into our spiritual
tradition, to recommit to discipleship, as followers
of Jesus, and to focus on recovering ancient spiritual
practices. These are described in the Episcopal
Church’s Way of Love movement as Turn, Pray,
Learn, Worship, Bless, Go, and Rest. (https://
episcopalchurch.org/library/video/getting-started-
way-love)
I wonder if in this time - when we can’t meet togeth-
er in our church building—we can begin to gather
in small groups, on Zoom, or conference calls, or
some might gather outdoors, observing health and
safety guidelines, during the summer. Though tech-
nology may not be satisfying for many, right now,
it’s what we have.
This is an opportunity, in the midst of wilder-
ness – of disorientation of uncertainty and un-
knowing, for us to discern together God’s call
to us;
I’ve noticed that when people have the chance to
gather in small groups, to share personally, to pray,
or discuss scripture or a topic related to discipleship
- the connection and conversation is deep and rich
(examples are the Wednesday 10 a.m service, virtual
coffee hour on Sundays, Centering Prayer, and con-
firmation). It’s like manna in the desert, it feeds
people, strengthens people’s faith in God and our
bonds to one another.
I wonder if God, who is always with us, in the midst
of all that is going on, wants to get our attention.
This is an opportunity, in the midst of wilderness –
of disorientation of uncertainty and unknowing, for
us to discern together God’s call to us; to (re)turn to
God, to deepen our own spiritual practices, and to
trust in God with all our heart, our mind, and our
strength.
As Christians, discipleship is both individual
and communal as Christ’s Body.
We don’t have to look far to know the framework of
what God desires for us. Jesus summarized all the
law and the prophets into these two most important
commandments: Love God and love your neighbor.
And from Micah 6:8: “O mortal, what is good; and
what does the Lord require of you but to do justice,
and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with
your God?”
As Christians, discipleship is both individual and
communal as Christ’s Body. We need each other for
support, discernment, and encouragement. It is
when we gather to pray, to study, to discern God’s
call to us, that Christ is in the midst of us, through
the Holy Spirit, ready to guide, to strengthen, and to
equip us for the work God calls us to as God’s peo-
ple.
This fall, I would like us to find a way to offer small
groups, perhaps, using the “Way of Love” small
group curriculum, developed by The Episcopal
Church. There may be some folks that would like to
focus on other topics, such as studying a book of the
Bible, or anti-racism.
I wonder if God, who is always with us, in the
midst of all that is going on, wants to get our
attention.
Rev. Letha is available for outdoor pastoral visits at your home, or at church. Please contact me to
schedule a visit. Please know you can always call me for a phone conversation or to arrange a
Zoom, one-on-one meeting.
A NOTE ON REOPENING: You may hear about other churches in Red Wing reopening for worship
this summer, including St. Paul’s Lutheran in mid-July. Also, some of the other Churches around the Park,
will be collaborating to offer an ecumenical outdoor service on Sunday mornings during July in Central
Park. Christ Church won’t be reopening for indoor worship anytime soon, and we won’t be co-sponsoring
the outdoor service in Central Park. Bishop Loya is being cautious and loving in his response to the pan-
demic. However, starting July 1st, we are permitted to gather in small groups (10 or fewer) outside for
meetings or worship, following the public health guidelines of social distancing, wearing masks, etc. If you
lead a group that would like to meet together outside, within these perimeters, please talk with Letha.
Our Reopening Task Force is working on developing guidelines for various situations outside and inside
our building so we will be ready, when it seems safe to meet.
For now, I invite you to join:
Wednesday, 10 a.m. a simplified liturgy, with one lesson from the Gospel for the following Sunday,
and a gospel discussion, instead of a sermon. On Zoom, same as for Sunday.
Tuesday, 7 p.m., Centering Prayer (15 minutes of meditation, together in our own homes).On Zoom,
same as for Sunday.
Thursday, 8:30 p.m., An Order of Compline (close of evening prayer). FBLive on facebook.com/
cecredwing
Anti-racism study group, on 7/30 at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. Bishop Craig Loya, of the Episcopal Church
in Minnesota, has invited Minnesota Episcopalians to read, James Baldwin’s book, Fire Next Time.
Zoe Malinchoc has several copies in stock for purchase at Fair Trade Books. Zoe and I will co-facilitate
the conversation. Please read the book before 7/30, and join us on Zoom, ready to discuss it. Look for
reminders mid-July.
Blessings.
Letha+
Introducing the Huneke Family
Earlier this year the Huneke family began attending Christ Episcopal Church. Amanda Huneke, the
Mom, said, “Christ Church just felt comfortable to us, it is a place that is very welcoming and reflects our
family values.”
The parents, Mike and Amanda, grew up in the Goodhue area. After completing school in Mankato, the
two were married and Mike joined the Marines as an officer. They were stationed on the East Coast. Mike
served several deployments in Afghanistan and then was Company Commander for the Wounded War-
rior Project East at Camp LeJeune.
They have two children, their son Ryan is almost 12 and wants to grow up to be a farmer. Austyn, their
daughter is 9 and wants to be a teacher, a veterinarian, a dentist…. In Red Wing she participated in the
Missoula Children’s Theatre in Zumbrota.
While Mike was in the Marines, Amanda was at home with the children. Hardly a quiet life, she began
writing children’s books. Her first series of books, inspired by her son, were published by Abdo Publish-
ing in Edina: Monster on the Loose: A Monster at Schoo l; A Monster in the Park ; A Monster on the Bus.
Her next book was inspired by her daughter it is called Why Not?
As Mike reached ten years of service in the Marines, the family made the decision to leave the Marine’s
and move back to Goodhue. The land where they have built their hobby farm is near Bellechester. The
farm animals include ducks, Kathdin sheep, goats, and a few pigs. Mike is working full-time at Fabtech as
a process engineer and plant manger.
Caring for the farm and the animals is a family affair. Everyone pitches in. A special project for Mike is
restoring the hardwood forest on their property.
The family has found a new lifestyle, close to family and with that have found a Church that is an im-
portant part of their lives as well.
We look forward to welcoming them in person when we can.
The landscaping on 3rd Street began on
June 30th and will be completed quick-
ly.
Family Fare Receipts
I hope you have been saving your receipts even though the church has been closed. When it reo-
pens again, the receipt box on the buffet in the Parish Hall will be waiting for them. You can al-
so put them in the church mail box on West Avenue and Debora will collect them and keep them
safe.
Marian Gustafson
The Living Church’s Kirk Petersen’s In-
terview with the Bishop Craig Loya.
KP: Just to set the stage, when you were elected
bishop on January 25, nobody in the United States
had died yet from the coronavirus. Then on June 6,
in a cathedral that was almost empty, you knelt
down as a priest and stood up as a bishop. And
that was 12 days after George Floyd was killed.
So, two times, you’ve had to come to terms with
the fact that your new job is going to be very
different from what you imagined. What has that
been like for you, emotionally and spiritually?
CL: Moving and starting a new vocation always in-
volves disruption, and that’s been particularly true
in these last six months. It has certainly been a chal-
lenging time to make a transition.
At the same time, we learn over and over in the
Scriptures that the people of God often meet God’s
love and power most fully during periods of disrup-
tion, during periods in the wilderness, during peri-
ods of exile. As challenging as the transition has
been, I have also been reassured of God’s love and
God’s presence, and God’s faithfulness to the
Church. Even with all the grief and loss we’re expe-
riencing, we’re being reminded that God is faithful
to God’s people, from one generation to the next.
None of us would choose the suffering that is being
caused by COVID-19. Certainly, none of would
choose the suffering that has been caused for many
centuries by the Church’s complicity in systemic
racism. But given that this is where we are, I do
think there’s an invitation from the Holy Spirit in
this moment for a deeper transformation, so that we
become a more just, more faithful, and more vibrant
witness to Jesus Christ on the other side of all of this.
Could you say more about the Church’s complicity
in systemic racism? What form has that taken?
I think early in the Church’s history in this country,
we oftentimes were complicit in the decimation of
indigenous cultures, with sort of a thin veneer of
Gospel witness and evangelism layered over the top
of that. Our own structures, our own leadership, our
own makeup at different times has privileged peo-
ple who are white over black, brown, and indige-
nous people.
Last week, the Executive Council voted to give
$150,000 each to your diocese and the Diocese of
Kentucky, where Breonna Taylor was killed. Do
you have a sense yet how you want to spend that
money?
Not specifically, but we want to do a couple of
things. The first is to continue to work with our com-
munity partners to provide relief and assistance
where it’s immediately needed.
Second, this has been a reminder to the Episcopal
Church and to disciples of Jesus everywhere, that
this is long work. We are called to repenting, ac-
counting, and reconciling with our own history of
being complicit in systemic racism. We hope to set
up that work of racial justice and reconciliation for
the long term.
One of the videos on your diocesan website said
your predecessor, Bishop [Brian] Prior, made
strong efforts to be a bridge between the police and
the Black community. Clearly you would want to
continue that. Do you have any thoughts on what
form that might take?
One of the things that excites me is that a few years
ago, the diocesan offices were moved to North Min-
neapolis, which is a predominantly African-
American neighborhood. I hope we can continue to
join the Holy Spirit in bringing new life, and recon-
ciliation, and justice in North Minneapolis. We have
community groups that use our spaces. During the
protests after the killing of George Floyd, our offices
were used as a community center to provide food
and other critical supplies to people in the neighbor-
hood. I hope we can continue to follow the lead of
our community partners in North Minneapolis, en-
gaging in that work of reconciliation.
Are you working out of the diocesan offices now?
No, our offices are still closed because of COVID.
Our staff members are working from home. I’m not
able, other than by phone and virtually, to begin to
connect with our community partners. Now that
I’m the bishop, those are relationships I’m going to
have to continue to build and cultivate and establish
on my own. This is a challenging time to try to do
that.
In one of the videos you said Revelation 22 is one
of your favorite passages in Scripture, about the
restoration of Eden. You’re involved in a restora-
tion project right now. Does that linkage evoke
anything for you?
Absolutely it does. That vision of the restoration of
Eden in Revelation 22 is an image we are called to
bear witness to. It’s God’s initiative to restore the
world to what God envisions. In every generation,
in every context, in every season, God is always try-
ing to restore God’s vision of a beloved community
of justice, and peace, and love, and life. It’s our job
as disciples to discern where God is doing that and
to join up with that.
We’ve talked about the need to build bridges be-
tween police and the Black community. The day
after George Floyd was killed, you posted some-
thing on your personal Facebook page about being
“heartbroken and angry.” That really came
through when you wrote: “America in 2020 is the
place where Black men are regularly murdered by
police while they are handcuffed and begging for
their lives.”
Since building bridges between the Black commu-
nity and the police is going to involve working
with both sides, and recognizing that people on
both sides are children of God, I’m wondering if
that’s still the way you would frame that thought,
now that the initial passion has passed.
I would say the facts would suggest that
we do regularly have Black men being killed by po-
lice when they are handcuffed and begging for their
lives. At the same time, racism in the form of police
brutality is a systemic problem more than a people
problem. The vast majority of police that I know are
really good people, trying to do good and critical
work for our communities. The systemic challenge
comes from the fact that this continues to happen
over and over, that there doesn’t tend to be a lot of
accountability for when these things happen. The
problem is in the system, and it’s up to all of us to
work to transform the system.
What makes you hopeful?
The thing that makes me most hopeful is the fact
that God is faithful. The Scriptures, Church history,
my own personal experience, communicates over
and over that despite our limitations, despite our
shortcomings, despite our failures, despite the con-
stant uncertainty in the world, in every generation,
God is faithful to God’s promise. I’m so grateful to
be called into this ministry in this moment when
both the call of the Gospel is so clear, and the need
of our witness to the Gospel is so urgent. It all
comes back to the world’s deep hunger for the good
news of Jesus, and for our ability to follow the Holy
Spirit’s call in bearing witness to that.
Christ Church’s Summer Adventures with Flat Jesus
Remember “Flat Jesus”, a fun way to keep our church
family connected during the summer, when we are enjoy-
ing the warmer weather; and especially, during the pan-
demic, when we aren’t gathering for worship in-person.
Flat Jesus isn’t just for children, adults and youth, please
join in the fun.
Char Friedrich and Flat Jesus at the St. Crispin Villa
Apartments
The kitchen is being painted by Calvin
in a beautiful Revere Pewter.
July Birthdays
3rd Amy Mayo
Scarlett Johnson
7th Bob Dail
Teagan Lerum
14th Esme Murnane
15th Landon Johnson
17th Ilah Sullivan
19th Teagan Lerum
Thomas Blue
20th Alyssa Haas Johnson
Keith Hase
Oakley Anderson
22nd Jean Featherstone
24th Wendy Thomforde
26th Nada Peters
Pam Dressen
July Anniversaries 6th Jim and Pam Dressen
8th Pat and Ellie Kelly
9th Gary and Wendy Thomforde
16th Brianna Dressen and Matthew Pearson
19th Ann and Kevin Florine
20th Ted and Kelly Florine
21st Erik and Laura Prink
26th Mary Ann and Bob Stark
28th Charlie and Lynn Brown
SHARING IN LIFE’S MOMENTS.
July Flowers July 5th Chapel: In memory of loved ones Jean Chamberlain
Church: In memory of Warren Naomi Lenway, Susan and Mary
July 12th Chapel: Foot Memorial Fund Mr. E.H. Foot
Church: In memory of loved ones Jamie and Laura Teele
July 19th Chapel: In memory of Gene Arlene Beckwith
Church: In memory of son Grant and husband Dick Carol Kosec
July 26th Chapel: In memory of love ones: Louis & Adela Possehl, Edward & Martha Possehl, Louise
Wright & Colin, Adeline & Hyden Lindsted
Church: In memory of Don and Vonnie Vick Dennis and Marlis Whitmore
Thank you, thank you:
Pat Martin
Vicki Lambert
Elaine Hoisington
Mary Ann Valentine
Sharon Bryan
Charlie Brown
Fr. Phil McNairy
Peggy Danielson
Laurie Wronski
Maureen Blue
Terri Van Allen
Norma Neufeldt
Chris Foss
These folks have been making weekly phone calls to elders of Christ Church since the start of the pan-
demic. What a beautiful way to support and love one another. I am truly grateful to each of you. I’ve
heard that it has been a mutual blessing, from both the callers and the people receiving the calls. Plus, a
special thank you to Chris Foss, who recruited and organized the volunteers – well done Chris! Thank
you for your ministry. If you would like to be added to list to receive a call, or if you are willing to be a
caller, please let Debora know. Many blessings to each of you. Rev. Letha