Telling My Story for Me, Sharing My Story for Us

Gerlene Gordy, or GJ, is a member of the Navajoland Area Mission.

Ya'at'eeh! My name is Gerlene Gordy also known as GJ. I am Native American, an enrolled member of the Navajo Tribe, currently residing in Window Rock, Arizona. My clans are One Who Walks Around born into the Salt Clan. My maternal grandparent’s clan is Edge Water, and my paternal grandparent’s clan is the Mud People.

I was given the chance to take part in Why Serve, and as I come out of it, I believe it has not only provided me with more knowledge, but it has also given me a stronger faith community. I gained the support I needed outside Navajo Land and in doing so; I also gained the resources to accomplish all that I want to accomplish. What I learned at Why Serve is that the opportunities are endless.

During and after the conference, I met and talked to people my age. We talked about the struggles we each face, including: lack of respect, lack of church education, and lack of opportunities for young adults. Collectively we made a great diverse group, not everyone suffered the same problems, but we all had something to offer one another and we all have something to offer the church. I learned that just by being there, sharing our stories and sharing our culture, we were all doing God’s work. "God’s work done in God’s time".

As young adults we have so much to offer the wider church, especially as we move forward in time and technology. In some ways young adults serve as a major hub for communication. Aside from our knowledge of advancing technology, we are also growing up in a fast-paced multitasking world, which is molding us into open minded, enthusiastic dreamers. I dream of working with all my friends in the future, I dream of everyone being connected like a web, helping, sharing, and supporting one another as we walk with and carry out God’s will.

During Why Serve, I took part in workshops on Seeking Healthy Mentoring Relationships, Intergenerational Tension, and Discernment through Story Telling. These topics stood out for me because of real life personal experiences. Working with youth is a passion that I hope to live out. I have experience working with at risk children in a highly populated city, and various non-profit organizations. Because of my life experiences, I hope to work with children and alleviate their physical and emotional distress. Based on previous positive conversations with people who had been in a church youth group, I believe creating one would really be a great building block to introduce youth to church. By providing opportunities for youth to be heard and educating them about the church, we can all learn, and by teaching about respect we can all feel whole.

My walk with Navajo Land Area Mission has been one full of great happiness, and my experience at Why Serve has changed me for the better. I went in with the thought of telling the story of my church, and I walked out with renewed thinking. I need to tell my story, to help everyone understand me, and help all in return, including myself; to help grow people with stories, help myself grow by telling my story.

A Place From Which to Serve

Ernesto Pasalo, or JaR, is a student in the Diocese of Hawaii.

“But now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him” Romans 16:26

As we sat in the van on the way to our conference for “people of color” I noticed our group was culturally diverse. Native Hawaiian, Native American, Cuban, Mexican, African American, and Filipino were represented in the van. Though we were all different we were all there for the same reason. We were there to discern God’s call in our lives.

Having gone to the previous Does It Fit? conference I felt secure with where I was heading with my discernment. I attended Why Serve to better acquaint myself with the seminary and my peers. I was not ready for what God had in store for me. God got me questioning, who am I? How do I identify myself? What culture do I identify myself with? These questions were difficult but were necessary as I started to discern.

I know that I am Filipino and I was born and raised in Hawaii. That is where it gets tricky. Being raised in Hawaii, you are always around different cultures. When sugar became a huge commodity for Hawaii in the mid 1800’s, plantations needed more laborers to assist the Hawaiians and Caucasians already working in the cane fields. Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, and Europeans where hired to work in the fields. They all had to learn to work together, communicate with each other despite the language barrier, and be able to live alongside each other. This is where Hawaii’s “local” culture started.

The local culture is a blend of all of the cultures that the plantations brought in. The local culture also adapted its own language, Pdgin, incorporating the native languages of plantation laborers.

So how do I identify myself and my culture? How does knowing my identity help with my understanding of God’s Call and my ministry? Am I culturally Filipino or a Hawaii Local? Which culture is more beneficial for me to serve? These questions cannot be simply answered. I am glad that Why Serve gave me the opportunity to seek the answers to these questions. One thing I will take away from the conference is the importance of culture when doing ministry, whether it be the culture from your native land or the culture you've come to relate yourself with.

Episcopal Polity 101

Brian Romero is a student in the Diocese of Long Island.

Why Serve? Or how to serve? These were the questions young adults were asking themselves as they traveled to Sewanee, Tennessee. They continued to ask them throughout the course of the Why Serve Conference hosted by the University of the South. During the four day stay they talked, contemplated their discernment and wondered which ministry would best suit their interests and experiences. Some are future ordained clergy, some are soon to be theologians and some will be missionaries across the globe. One amazing thing that these youth all have in common? Representing Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, African Americans, Native American/Indigenous people, and Latino/Hispanic backgrounds, these Episcopalians were of color, vibrant in pride and potential.

I thoroughly enjoyed the conversations with the Ethnic Ministries Officers and my friends from different states and our sharing of callings and ministries. However something that did become apparent during our time together was that these young adults (like many in our church) need Episcopal education. By that I mean that in order for us to have as much influence as possible we need to be educated about our governance and structure on all levels. Without this fundamental knowledge we continue to face the impediments many people of color face in the church due to a lack of understanding regarding how things occur on the church-wide level.

During the conference Keane Akao provided an intro discussion on this particular missing piece. Many, if not all of the participants knew very little about our church's structure, and not including this part of Christian education at these church wide events takes away a vital tool for the progress of our future leaders. One mistake of our past is that we continue to lead and are under the misconception that the young will simply "learn as they go."

At the last General Convention, Resolution D094 was passed in both the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies, making it an Act of Convention. Its title, “Young Adult Representation on Legislative Committees” encourages the President of the House of Deputies to make an effort to appoint deputies under the age of 30 to legislative committees and CCABs (Committees, Commissions, Agencies and Boards). With the proper education provided to these young people they will be able to follow more ambitious and richer ministries in the wider church. Diocesan Conventions should include workshops and lectures on the Episcopal Church’s governance and structure. Young adults need to be told about the opportunities of the many ministries in our Lord’s name and the many bodies that they can run for if they feel called to do so. Educating young people must become a priority for those who have indeed realized our church's critical situation. Now more than ever we must make sure that our future leaders are equipped with the information to lead, but that duty lies within all of us, to do as God instructed and spread the good word.