The Rev. Daniel J. Webster has been Canon for Evangelism and Media in the Diocese of Maryland since 2010. In his 20 years of ordained ministry he has served parishes as Rector, Vicar, and Interim in three dioceses, as well as several communications ministry positions. His discussion topic, Digital Evangelism, stems from the premise that Evangelism happens whenever you encounter the Divine and share your experience. Now technology allows sharing faith with people we will never meet in person. Canon Webster will talk about digital tools in sharing our faith with the world of God’s own making and redeeming.

If you would like to get to know Emmanuel's younger crowd, join the Urbanites group! We meet at 6:00 pm on the 2nd Tuesday of each month for dinner and discussion at the church and on the 4th Thursday of each month at Mount Vernon Marketplace.

Katie Flory, the Community Affairs Director for the Maryland SPCA and Chair of Baltimore City Mayor’s Anti-Animal Abuse Commission, will speak on St. Francis Sunday, so be sure to bring your pet to the forum!  She will remain for blessing of the animals at the main service with her pets. She is responsible for analysis and advocacy of legislation affecting animal welfare and heads the Maryland SPCA’s Humane Education Program, which provides presentations to local schools, universities and community groups. (It has provided training to thousands of volunteers in animal handling and safety.) Learn about the Maryland SPCA and their efforts to provide humane education in the Baltimore community: from bite prevention to reading to pets, learn what they are doing and how you can get involved.
 

Through explorations of neuroscience and behavioral science, this interactive presentation explains how our unconscious brains affect every aspect of our lives – including ways that sometimes surprise us. We are all biased. This does not make us bad or wrong, but simply human, and thus imperfect. Our implicit biases can contribute to patterns of exclusion or discrimination that conflict with our values. However, our brains have the ability to cultivate more conscious awareness and override these automatic tendencies. Holly Brittingham, our presenter, will review and practice some techniques for doing just this.
 

The Rev. Becky Zartman is the Episcopal Missioner to Georgetown University. She also serves on the Episcopal Diocese of Washington's Diocesan Council and EDOW's Strategic Financial Resources Commission. Before seminary, Becky worked as a fundraiser at a top 10 non-profit, and after seminary, Becky's ministry has focused around being a young adult priest to other young adults. In this session, Becky will fuse her two professional interests into a conversation about holistically engaging young adults in vocational, collaborative ministry -- which includes addressing the two things Millennials are short on: money and time.

The Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) is dedicated to breaking the link between unhealthy housing and unhealthy children. Nearly six million households live with moderate to severe health hazards which place them at risk for illnesses and injuries, including: asthma, lead poisoning, and respiratory illness. GHHI replaces stand-alone housing intervention programs with an integrated, whole-house approach that produces sustainable green, healthy and safe homes. As a result, the organization is improving health, as well as economic and social outcomes for families across the country. A representative will lead us in a discussion of GHHI activities in the Baltimore area.
 

Ellen Robbins is a Lecturer in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at John Hopkins University. She has a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from New York University and a M.Div. from Yale University. She has been teaching at Johns Hopkins since 1993, and is the author of The Storyteller and the Garden of Eden, a radical rereading of the first chapters of Genesis.
Biblical texts and biblical history have been quoted to justify American slavery and to oppose it, and have played a role in the development of segregation after emancipation – alongside attempts to overcome it that continue to this day.

In his Baltimore Sun commentary of January 30, 2017, Councilman Bill Henry posed a challenging question, “Is it possible to candidly discuss the issue of race in today’s society”? As he observes in his commentary, talking plainly about race is a risk each time. Such conversations are highly charged from any emotional perspective. Now more than any other time, these conversations have forced their way into the national consciousness. In our forum today Councilman Henry will explore what role, if any, humor may play in these conversations.

Rebecca Hancock teaches Biblical Studies at the Ecumenical Institute of St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, MD. She received her Ph.D. from Harvard University’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations in Hebrew Bible. She teaches a variety of classes related to the field of Old Testament Studies, including biblical Hebrew, Psalms, Prophets, and a course on the Decalogue. Her research interests are related to gender, ethnicity, and social constructions in the ancient world. In this forum, we will focus on the writings from the prophets of the 8th century, which include the Books of Amos, Hosea, Micah and Isaiah 1-39. We will discuss their perspective on social justice, the social and political realities of the eighth century in Israel and Judah that shaped those convictions, and the ethical implications of their words for today’s faith communities.

Baltimore has a certain psychology, a sublime sensibility at once obvious and ineffable, not unlike the unconscious itself: tender and tough, wounded and surviving, swaggering and fearful, Northern and Southern, black and white. In this talk we will touch on the psychological, social, and intellectual history of Baltimore. Teresa Méndez, MSW, LCSW-C, is a clinical social worker and graduate of Princeton University and the Smith College School for Social Work. A former journalist who has written and presented on psychotherapy and the intersection of race, ethnicity, and culture, she maintains a private practice in Baltimore.

The speaker will discuss the methods for first identifying planets that have the right conditions for life as we know it (especially water); some of the possible life-forms that might be encountered (touching on life found in extreme locations on earth, and the history of life on earth); and what signs of life will be sought via telescopes already built and under construction.  He will also talk about the philosophical/religious meaning of actually finding life on other planets in our solar system or around nearby stars.  Sherwood earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University in Biochemistry and has held numerous university teaching and administrative positions. He was a Scientific Review Administrator at the National Cancer Institute when he retired.

While Christmas decorations have long since appeared in stores, our new rector will explore why, as Christians, we keep the season of Advent and how its various themes and symbols orient us in a new liturgical year.

Unlike other port cities on the eastern seaboard, Baltimore was not a site of original colonization.  It emerged almost a century after the first British colonists arrived in Maryland. When Baltimore emerged, there was already an entrenched political establishment in Annapolis unwilling to grant the new town the authority needed to manage its own affairs. And Annapolis cast its shadow over Baltimore for much of the city’s history.

Baltimore’s greatest asset was its geographic location. It was further west than any of the east coast ports at a time when the population was moving inland. The town was ideally located to serve as the commercial link between the Atlantic Trade and the Agricultural Produce of the Interior. The completion of the Erie Canal in the 1820’s undercut Baltimore’s status. In a daring attempt to recover its primacy, the city invested heavily in the B&O Railroad. The enormous debt incurred in financing the development of this untried technology inhibited the development of public services and institutions until the end of the 19th century and beyond.

Baltimore’s greatest asset was its geographic location. It was further west than any of the east coast ports at a time when the population was moving inland. The town was ideally located to serve as the commercial link between the Atlantic Trade and the Agricultural Produce of the Interior. The completion of the Erie Canal in the 1820’s undercut Baltimore’s status. In a daring attempt to recover its primacy, the city invested heavily in the B&O Railroad. The enormous debt incurred in financing the development of this untried technology inhibited the development of public services and institutions until the end of the 19th century and beyond.

Dr. Arthur M. Sutherland is an Associate Professor of Theology at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore and Dean of the Class of 2020. He has advanced degrees from Yale University Divinity School and Princeton Theological Seminary. He did research in Germany and Switzerland for his doctoral dissertation on Karl Barth’s early preaching.  His current research interest include the spirituality of generosity, and the significance of patience as a Christian practice. In King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” he writes, For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied.” There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience. In our discussion today, we will examine King’s life to see why he argued that impatience was a natural outgrowth of his Christian commitments to justice.  After setting his words in context, we will look at parallels in our own time and seek to find ways his ethic of impatience is still applicable today.

The Rev. Dr. Angela Shepherd, Canon for Mission, will discuss “becoming beloved community,” which was released in 2017 as a response to a long-term commitment to racial justice. Our denomination has made overtures in the direction for several decades with spotty success. Canon Shepherd will explore the four areas outlined in the document: telling the truth, repairing the breach, proclaiming the dream, and practicing the way of love. We can all do more to help dismantle the sin of racism as it exists in our day. Much has already been accomplished, but the work is not finished.
 

There are many great and exciting things happening in downtown Baltimore. The President of the Downtown Partnership, Kirby Fowler, joins us this morning to discuss some of the major events and happenings that are making Baltimore one of the most talked about cities on the East Coast. From the Inner Harbor to Station North and some of Baltimore’s “hippest” neighborhoods (like Mt. Vernon) the Downtown Partnership is your connection to all the excitement Baltimore has to offer.

Christian Mysticism in the Modern Era: The great age of mysticism did not end with the Protestant Reformation. There was a new flowering of mystical reflection, writing, and teaching in the 19th, 20th, and even 21st centuries. This forum will look at such important mystical guides as Thomas Merton, Simone Weil, Henri Nouwen, and Mother Theresa. What do teachers of our age have to say to us and to future ages?

Christian Mysticism in Surprising Places: Don’t look for Christian mystical writing just in the religion aisle. Science—particularly in the consideration of time, matter, and the universe— can often best be understood through a mystical lens. Among those who will be considered will be John Polkinghorne of Britain, perhaps an eventual winner of the Noble Prize in physics, who is an Episcopal priest and a deeply spiritual thinker and writer on such subjects as prayer, creation, and miracles. Also, Teilhard de Chardin, a Jesuit paleontologist, whose writings were suppressed in his life, but become immediately a transcendent new voice in Christian mystical devotion when published.

Our rector will talk about what Lent means for him and how we might live into the season together.
 

George Fisher is Emeritus Professor of Geology at Johns Hopkins University and a retired faculty member of the Ecumenical Institute of St. Mary’s Seminary. His professional life was devoted first to studying Appalachian geology, then to exploring the interplay between scientific and religious understandings of nature. In retirement, he continues to write on connections between the Earth sciences and our Biblical tradition. The Old and New Testaments both remind us that our religious ancestors sensed sacredness in creation from the very beginning. For Christians, the Incarnation is the clearest evidence of that opportunity. Modern science can enrich our ability to see the sacred in nature, and deepen our understanding of scripture. As an example, I will reflect on Jesus’ parable of the sower from an ecological perspective, which allows us to see the parable as a metaphor for successive stages of spiritual development that can lead to personal transformation, rather than three failures followed by a single success.

Former Bishop Suffragan of Maryland the Right Rev. John l. Rabb will present a three part series on The Pentateuch, also called the Torah or Story. These books are the ones that can be found on the scrolls in the sanctuaries of synagogues.  They are the most formative guide to the covenant with Israel as God’s people. The Books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy can be understood from four sources: reflecting how Israel sees itself; understands monotheism and develops a moral code; an understanding of worship; and the place of ritual. This presentation will be presented in three consecutive forms, with the first week devoted to an overview of the five books.
 

Former Bishop Suffragan of Maryland the Right Rev. John l. Rabb will present a three part series on The Pentateuch, also called the Torah or Story. These books are the ones that can be found on the scrolls in the sanctuaries of synagogues.  They are the most formative guide to the covenant with Israel as God’s people. The Books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy can be understood from four sources: reflecting how Israel sees itself; understands monotheism and develops a moral code; an understanding of worship; and the place of ritual. This presentation will be presented in three consecutive forms, with the first week devoted to an overview of the five books.
 

At his next forum, The Rev. Dr. Culbertson will focus on Jesus’ thoughts about his own actions. The modern era does not have a monopoly on self-reflection and self-actualization. Like the rest of us, the life of Jesus of Nazareth was shaped by life changing events and experiences. They are few in number, but very significant.

As his second year at Emmanuel draws to a close, our assistant rector will discuss that journey and what it has meant to grow into his priesthood with this community. (Spoiler alert: the experience has been impossibly more than he could ever have imagined.) He’ll ponder why he’s grateful, what he’s learned, and where it may lead.

Celebrating “the birthday of the Church,” our rector will talk about how he’s settled into the rhythms of Emmanuel and what he sees the future holding for this parish.