Deacons in Action

If you have had the opportunity of having a deacon assigned to your Church, you may be familiar with the job of a deacon.  If you are unfamiliar with a deacon, then take some time to read this during the month of October as we honor the ministry of our deacons.  Get to know the special ministry of an ordained vocational deacon and those who have heard the call to serve.

I was reading an article this week on discerning a vocation to the diaconate. These two scenarios were presented.  First, a priest helps put some chairs away or does a bit of washing up, and with a smile says, ‘Once a deacon, always a deacon.’ The ministry of a deacon is much more than just menial clean-up tasks around the church.  We all pitch in when help is needed.  Second, a deacon will be asked ‘ when are you really going to be ordained?’ The vocational diaconate is a full and equal order of ministry, along with the priest and bishop. Not lesser than.

When a deacon is ordained, these words are spoken by the Bishop – “God now calls you to a special ministry of servanthood directly under your Bishop”  This is lived out both within the walls of the church and out in the world.  According to our current Presiding Bishop, the deacon is the bridge between the church and the world. The deacon brings the hopes and needs of the world to the church and the church to the world, back and forth. Deacons are often a voice for the voiceless, speaking out where there is injustice, calling attention to injustice, and equipping others to respond to injustice.

You may be familiar with the deacon serving inside the Church by the side stole they wear, as the one proclaiming the Gospel,  bidding the prayers of the people, setting the table, assisting with communion, and proclaiming the dismissal, those final words in the liturgy to send us out into the community and world, seeking the needs of the people. 

That’s just the beginning of the deacon’s visible ministry. All active deacons demonstrate servanthood ministries outside the walls of the church. For each deacon, this looks a little different, yet most serve at the margins. In the past two years, several deacons joined together in a ministry for field workers throughout the diocese. Some are now working with the laity, feeding those migrants at the airport, on the last leg of their journeys. This is more than just handing out bags of food; it is also getting to know the people, easing their fears and worries, looking into their faces, and seeing Jesus.

The deacons were given an abundance of Bomba socks by St Paul’s in the Desert. They have been a blessing to those who show up at Church shower ministries, organizations who engage with those needing clothing, the unhoused with little to eat. And there’s the archdeacon who always has a supply in the trunk of her car for anyone she meets. These socks are not meant to just be handed out.  I stop and take a few minutes to get to know something about each person. We may pray together or just spend some quiet time in the presence of God.

St. Andrew’s Pacific Beach has a food ministry attended by a deacon who gets to know the people and their needs. St. Andrew’s Encinitas has a Neighborhood Center for anyone in need, led by a deacon and one in formation for the diaconate. They have Showers for Blessings, a meal ministry, and a computer for the unhoused. This is also an ecumenical ministry. Another shower ministry that has become so much more is found at All Saint’s Vista, organized by a deacon in formation. And, in Palm Springs, one deacon in formation has a ministry, Laundry Love, a place for those without housing and a way to wash their clothes. I could continue but you see the thread of all of these ministries led by a deacon or deacon in formation – to be a servant or of service to those so much in need in our communities.

During the Examination read by the Bishop during the deacon’s ordination, we hear these words, “In the name of Jesus Christ, you are to serve ‘all people’, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.” I first heard the call to diaconal ministry when serving the sick, dying, lonely, elderly, and bereaved. I continue to live out this ministry as a chaplain to retired clergy and their spouses. A big part of this ministry is just listening.

As Archdeacon, much of my time is spent engaging with those who may be hearing a call to the diaconate. On Sundays, I have the privilege of visiting the churches in the diocese with our Bishop Susan Brown Snook or at the invitation of the rector or priest-in-charge. I have the opportunity to get to know the people and I have the opportunity to ask –  Who do you think demonstrates the qualities of a deacon in your church? So I ask you now, as you read this, who do you believe demonstrates the qualities of a vocational deacon and may be hearing the call to the diaconate?

For more information, you may contact Archdeacon Cindy Campos at Ccampos@edsd.org.