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Author: Church of the Nativity
(Important Note: The date of the trip has been extended one additional day.)
The Nativity’s Urban Adventure trip for Rite 2 Youth (9th-11th graders) has been set for June 11-June 16, 2023 and we will be working with Wonder Voyage to help craft the trip. On September 25, 2022, we revealed several exciting potential trip locations and the youth then narrowed down their options to their top two choices. On October 30 at 9:30 am, the youth will find out which city they will be headed to in June!
Why does Nativity do a Youth Urban Adventure trip?
At Nativity, we feel that this trip is a coming-of-age experience, where youth are in a safe but foreign environment exploring the urban city while learning and developing skills needed for adulthood. Some of these skills include active listening, negotiation, assertion, research, information management, partnership, accountability, leadership, and responsibility. All logistics not handled by Wonder Voyage will be planned, coordinated, and implemented by the youth under the watchful eye of chaperones. Nativity’s past experiences have been to Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore, and Nashville.
by William Kamkwamba
review by Becky Showalter
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is the inspiring true story of a boy in Malawi who designs and builds a windmill to power his home in famine-stricken Malawi. William Kamkwamba is forced to leave school at 11 years old because his family cannot pay his school fees. Instead of giving up on his education, William reads every book he can in the small, donated library in his village. It is there that he falls in love with science and comes up with the idea to help his family by building a windmill that will produce electricity – what he calls “electric wind”. While it is very much a story of William Kamkwamba’s determination and perseverance during a terrible time, it is also introducing young readers to the idea there is great poverty and hardship in our world even still. What I liked most about this book is that it skillfully builds a bridge from the reader to William and his village – he is a young person you can imagine knowing. His words make you smile, and his tenacity reminds the reader that hard things are possible. If William can do this, we can make a difference too.
Going Deeper:
How did the supplies Gilbert bought made William’s work possible at crucial points in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind? When has someone done something small for you that had a huge impact? Have you ever done that for someone else? How can we find these opportunities to help?
What obstacles to education and progress exist where you live? What can be done to address those obstacles?
What other books have you read about people who have changed the world in big or small ways?
Can you find Malawi on the map? Can you find William’s village of Wimbe? What is William Kamkwamba doing now?
Going Deeper in Faith:
Genesis 1:28 ESV “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.””
Some scholars would translate “dominion” for “stewardship” or “being responsible for.” The title, Harnessing the Wind, is an interesting one, isn’t it? That phrase often fits with environmental causes. Is the title an environmental message in this book? Consider how Genesis talks about God’s giving us the responsibility to care for creation. What lessons does the book have about caring for creation?
Micah 6:8 ESV “He has told you, O man, 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?”
The Bible speaks often of people living in poverty. It also talks about simplicity. How does the villagers’ absence of electricity, telephones, or most of the modern conveniences we have to connect with biblical teachings about what is important?
Activity Suggestions:
William and his friends were able to recycle all sorts of things to make toys, games . . . and the windmill. Try these:
- Balloon Powered Milk Carton Car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wkU1msp6bI
- Make a soccer bag out of plastic bags https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0GQZFlO4tM&feature=youtu.be
- Gather a bunch of garbage and junk lying around the house and create anything.
This book is all about creating something with the materials you have. Be creative! Start to save some of your garbage and when you have a good stockpile, let your kids imagination go to town. Or go to the Scrap Exchange in Durham and let your imagination go crazy!
Learn how to play bawo (bao)
- African men playing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adj562Mb03M
- Young person explaining how to playhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxTW4ss6ml8&t=2s
Make Nsima and Greens like William and his family ate
Buy a kit and build a Electricity Producing Windmill! https://www.amazon.com/4M-Science-Windmill-Generator-Packaging/dp/B0016PBH9Qb
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Social Justice Announcements & Event
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Glad Tidings
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Social Justice at Nativity
Nativity’s Social Justice Committee shares the following announcements, events and recommended resources to the Nativity community as we continue our pursuit of racial justice and reconciliation.
Announcements & Events
Learn about the History of Black Neighborhoods in Raleigh
ROAR Community (Virtual) Meeting: Housing, Economics and Black Neighborhoods in Raleigh
Date/Time: Sep 10, 2022 at 1pm via Zoom
Register for free here.
Carmen Cauthen will share from her research for her upcoming book about the history of Black neighborhoods in Raleigh. Carmen has also been collaborating with several others on the “Raleigh Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope” project. (https://www.raleighpilgrimage.org/) ”This session will be a bit of history on why and how Raleigh was segregated and the difference in economic treatment for Black and white neighborhoods.” Her new book on this topic is due out in early 2023.
Bryan Stevenson, Author of Just Mercy and Founder/Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative
The author and human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson will speak at Duke at two upcoming events. Free virtual tickets are still available (see below).
Wednesday, September 21, at 6:00 pm
Register for free here.
“Stevenson will participate in a public conversation with Chapel Dean Luke A. Powery, titled “Seeking Justice and Redemption in the Public Square.” The discussion about faith, justice, and public witness is the Chapel’s inaugural William Preston Few Lecture. The annual series takes its name from Duke’s first president who articulated a vision of education promoting the courage to seek the truth and the conviction to live it.”
Thursday, September 22, at 5:00 pm
Register for free here.
“Stevenson will give an address titled “Standing for Equal Justice” for the fall 2022 Terry Sanford Distinguished Lecture presented by Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy. The lecture series . . . is meant to promote engaged and enlightened leadership.”
Blues for an Alabama Sky, by Pearl Cleage
September 7 – 25, 2022
Admission: $20+. Tickets can be purchased here.
PlayMakers Repertory Company
120 Country Club Rd, Chapel Hill, NC
(919) 962-7529
“New York in the summer of 1930. The hopeful notes of the Harlem Renaissance haven’t rung true for Angel, a failed Cotton Club singer, and her group of friends. Could their fortunes change at the hands of a handsome newcomer from Tuskegee, who sees in Angel a memory of lost love and a reminder of Alabama skies where the stars are so thick it’s bright as day?”
Ain’t Misbehavin’
September 29 – October 2, 2022
Admission: $15+. Tickets can be purchased here.
North Carolina Central University
1707 Fayetteville St, Durham, NC
(919) 530-6100
“Ain’t Misbehavin’, a musical celebrating the genius of Fats Waller. Signature songs like “This Joint Is Jumping” energize the evening, with rowdy and bawdy songs capturing the love, charm and trials of the ’20s and ’30s. This musical tribute highlights a spirited moment in American history and music.”
Phoenix Fest Music Festival, Food Truck Rodeo & Africana Market
October 1, 2022, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Register for free here.
908 Fayetteville Street
Fayetteville Street at Lakewood Avenue
Durham, NC 27701
“Phoenix Fest is Durham NC’s funkiest street music festival, celebrating the cultural legacy of Durham NC’s historic Hayti community and to delivering a fun-filled day of family-friendly entertainment. Fayetteville Street will be transformed into a bustling bazaar with eye-teasing vendor displays and lip-smacking food followed by all-day music with some of the area’s best talent on center stage until 6 pm. Bring your lawn chairs and umbrellas and stay the whole day. Phoenix Fest, sponsored by the Phoenix Shopping Centers, is an annual cultural celebration of the business and cultural legacy of Durham’s Hayti community, one of North Carolina’s oldest African American communities.”
Recommended Resources
Racial Justice and Reconciliation (Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina) – Website
This website (click here) is updated regularly with social justice programs recommended by the diocese’s Racial Justice and Reconciliation Committee.
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How Do We Make a Difference?
When does Christianity make the news? Is it sadly too often in ways that do not feel Christlike? In ways that feel small and judgmental and unkind? Do you ever wish that the way you have experienced Christ and his church could make more of an impact on what decisions our leaders and our communities make, that those could be a bigger part of the discussion?
One Wake hopes to fill that space. One Wake is an organization that Nativity is considering joining as a parish initiative. They are an organization of 40+ faith communities in Wake County that believe making systemic change to care for our neighbors is worth banding together for. Not only that, they are part of national network of similar organizations working for similar changes – the North Carolina IAF network includes One Wake, Durham CAN, the Orange County Justice United, the Forsyth Multiracial project, and the NC Congress of Latino Organizations. In each region, they are assessing what our faiths are calling us to do so that every community is set up to thrive!
The focus of One Wake right now is on Affordable Housing and Educational Opportunities – a push-pull effort to help low income people have a place in our county. While there have been real wins in areas like Cary, One Wake is now embarking on their Homeowners Assistance Campaign hoping to convince the Raleigh City Council to develop a subsidy program for low income residents that are being priced out of their own neighborhoods due to property taxes, especially in Southeast Raleigh that has historically been underfunded by the city and county. Last week, at their quarterly meeting, a resident of Southeast Raleigh described losing her house and losing her community . . . a community that had supported the African American residents for decades when the city did not. That they are losing that community now is heartbreaking.
One Wake has organized a meeting with Raleigh City Council members and candidates at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church on October 6th at 7:30pm to discuss One Wake’s affordable housing proposal and gain commitments from the council members. It is expected that five hundred One Wake members will attend . . . including several of us from Nativity. We’d love for others to join us! We are excited to be part of faith communities speaking up for initiatives that care for our neighbors . . . as well as just seeing how One Wake works!
Register here, if you’re interested.
There is a financial component of becoming a member of One Wake, and you will hear more about that as part of this fall’s Stewardship campaign. For now, please consider the work that these folks are doing, and pray for wisdom and the open hearts of the city’s leadership. And if you want to join us on October 6 at the Raleigh City Council Assembly, let Becky Showalter know!
Nativity’s One Wake Initiative Steering Committee (Tentative)
Becky Showalter, Roy Immelman, Emily Jividien, Pete Crow, Anne Stokes
by Amy Littlesugar and Floyd Cooper
review by Stephanie Sumner
History comes alive in Freedom School, Yes! By Amy Littlesugar and Floyd Cooper in this story about a volunteer teacher who risked her life to bring education to a group of people who had been denied their civil rights.
As part of the 1964 Summer Project, nineteen-year-old Annie is taken in by the only family in Chicken Creek willing to house the white teacher. Young Jolie, is scared to have this stranger in her house and rightly so, as threats and vandalism ensure shortly after the teacher arrives. She watches Annie and her community overcome large obstacles to open Freedom School. She learns stories of people like her who changed the world and the injustices that befall those without fair skin. It lights a fire inside of her and she’s transformed from a frightened victim to a brave fighter.
Discussion Questions
- Ask your child(ren) if he or she has had children with different color skin in their classes. Ask he or her is they are treated differently because of the color of their skin.
Deeper Drive
- Why do you think some people in Mississippi didn’t want Freedom School in their
community? - What would you say to the people who threw the brick or burned the church if you’d had the chance?
- Describe a time you went from scared to brave? Which feeling did you like better? What sparked that change?
Spiritual Reflections
- Discuss with your child(ren) how important music was during the Civil Rights Movement and that children learned many of these songs and were encouraged to help lead groups during large gatherings. One song often sung was,.” This Little Light of Mine.”
- Play this version of “This Little Light of Mine ,” by Freedom Signers and encourage your child to sing along with the music (Click here for the lyrics.
- Discuss what might be the meaning behind these words.
- Read Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Activities
- Read more about the song’s meaning
- Retell the story from Annie’s point of view. What would you have done?
- Draw a picture of Jolie in ten years.
- Make a courage jar. On strips of paper, write things you would tell a friend who was feeling afraid of something. When you need a dose of bravery, pull one out and read it to yourself.
- Learn more about the Mississippi Summer Project by watching the PBS film Freedom Summer. (Excellent documentary for background information about Freedom Summer. Go to 50:53-55:30 on the video to watch section on the Freedom Schools.)
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Women of the Bible Class FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: “Do I have to be there every Sunday to “keep up”.
A: No. each class will “stand on it’s own bottom,” An effort will be made to follow chronological order for the Old Testament, but each woman’s story will be basically that: her story.
Q: What about the men in their stories?
A: Good question! Particularly at this time and in this place in history, a woman’s identity was tied to a man (father, husband, son). It’s impossible to tell these women’s stories without incorporating their men’s stories. But unlike the way they are usually told, this time the emphasis will be on the woman.
Q: What about men attending this class?
A: Another good question! Men are not only welcome, they are needed! Particularly in discussion, we need to get men’s viewpoints and questions. Because (as referred to in the previous answer) these stories are usually told from a man’s point of view (the Bible WAS written by men), this is the first time many men will have thought about the woman’s side. In previous classes, men have commented that they really enjoyed this new insight. (Also, after meeting some of these women, it gives them a whole new appreciation of their own wives!)
Q: What women will we be studying?
A: An effort has been made to include well-know women :Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Bathsheba, Rahab, Delilah, Jezabel, Deborah, Hannah, Ruth, Esther, and lesser known ones Jochebed, Zepporah, Athalia, and the daughters of Zelophehad (OT); and Elizabeth, Mary and Martha, Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, Lydia and of course Mary, the mother of our Lord. (NT), with lesser know women: Dinah, Sapphira, The Samaritan Woman, Joanna, (NT). And if this looks like a lot, you’re right! We will probably have to lose some of them, once we get into the class and see how much time we spend on discussion, etc.
Class members will be given a Syllabus when class begins, and if a class member particularly wants to discuss someone who isn’t on the list, we’ll add them too!
Q. Do I have to sign up for the class?
A. No! Just show up! Please! We’re going to have fun…..and learn a lot!
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Women of the Bible – Week Two
Hi everyone, it’s Jo Dykes, here, making plans to begin teaching/facilitating an adult education class on Women of the Bible, beginning September 4. ( In Estill House at 9:30am, in case you missed last week’s Glad Tidings.)
As I sat here, wondering how I could get you interested in coming to this class, suddenly I was visiting the marketplaces of the Middle East in ancient times. And you would not believe what I heard there!
Overheard in the marketplace. . . “Well, everyone knows she got to be Queen by winning a beauty contest! Humph! No one will ever hear of HER again!” “What do you mean, she conspired with her younger son to cheat her older son out of his inheritance? What kind of woman would do that?”
” My husband said he heard it with his own ears: General Barak told her he would Not go into battle without her! I wonder what that’s all about.”
“Do you mean she actually went right up to Moses and questioned him about the law? And he said he didn’t know and went up on
the mountain to get an answer? Well, I never. . .!”
” Did you hear that Sarah was pregnant? Why, she’s got to be a hundred if she’s a day!”
“. . .and she poured perfume on his feet and dried them with her hair, and Judas was mad about it and said that money could have been spent on the poor, and He said. . .”
” I knew Laban was tricky, but that boy worked like a dog for seven years to get to marry his younger daughter, and for him to send her older, veiled sister down the aisle was just wrong. Of course, we all know she’d been in love with him for years!”
” Well, you know that prophet, Elijah, said the dogs would eat her bones. I guess no one will ever question HIM again.”
“Did you hear about poor Naomi? Her husband and both her sons, dead. And she’s got those two daughters-in-law, too. I guess they’ll all have to go on Welfare.”
“What do you mean, he saw her bathing on her rooftop and sent his servants to get her? I mean, I know he’s the KING, but. . .’
“I heard she drove a tent peg right through his temple while he was asleep! Ugh! Wouldn’t poison have been a lot neater?”
Don’t you want to meet these women? Of course NOT the Gossipers!! I mean the GOSSIP-EES! They sound fascinating!*
* (And they Are!) Come to class and learn their stories.