The St. Augustine's Episcopal Parish Mission Statement
Our mission is to worship God, witnessing to Jesus Christ by serving the
community and the world in which we live, all through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Around St. Augustine's
Here are a few things that have been happening around St. Augustine's. We invite you to browse our web site to learn more about us and to visit us on beautiful Whidbey Island. We are located at 5217 S. Honeymoon Bay Road, Freeland, WA. Call us at (360) 331-4887 for more information.
Building Progress
 From July 6th to July 9th, the Office and the Education Building were torn down to make way for our new building. Pictures of the work are here.
The Ground Breaking
 Wednesday, April 28th, was a wonderful day! Those of you able to be present for the deconsecration of our old church - currently used as the Education Building - for the blessing of our temporary offices, and the ceremonial Ground Breaking already know what a wonderful day it was. Our bishop - Greg Rickel - wanted me to pass on his thanks for inviting him to be a part of that day and also to let you know he thinks you are doing a great job. Next (within a couple of weeks) will be the removal of everything but the current church with hole-digging and construction to follow thereafter. Nigel. A brief description of the ceremony and some photographs are here.
Adult Forum Schedule - July
For most parts of the country July is the month that ushers in the dog days of summer. However, we fortunate souls on Whidbey are usually blessed with sunny days, moderate temperatures, soft breezes, and comfortable nights. This is a perfect formula for outdoor activities, local vacations, and fun with friends & family. We hope you'll take some time off from these well deserved endeavors and join us for the Sunday adult forums. This month we will continue our series on early Christianity, featuring lectures by Dr. Bart Ehrman from the University of North Carolina. Our primary focus will be on the Christian missionary probes into the Roman Empire and its early Christianization. We will also have a bonus forum from Wendy Close, our Parish Nurse, who will introduce us to a vital medical service known as Lifewise as part of her ongoing public service presentations.
Specific forum subject matter, dates,and presenters are provided below.
4 July - The Rise of Christian Anti-Judaism. This lecture explores the social and historical situation that led to the rejection of Judaism by many Christians of the early centuries. Most Jews could not accept the Christian belief that Jesus Christ was the Messiah and rejected claims that his death was in accordance with the Scriptures. Yet Christians claimed the Jewish Scriptures as their own despite refusing to adhere to many of its laws. These substantial differences led to a split between the two religions. The polemical stakes in this dispute were quite high. For example, Melito of Sardis, a Christian bishop in the second century, preached a sermon that proclaimed , for the first time on record, that Jews were guilty of "murdering God." Ted Brookes presents.
11 July - Lifewise Revealed. Claudia Fuller, supervisor of the Lifewise program which is sponsored by Whidbey General Hospital and operated out of the Senior Center, will talk to us about the ins and outs of this vital effort to reach out to the community. Lifewise is a personal medical alert, emergency response service for the elderly. It is designed to help the elderly live with greater independence and a stronger sense of security. Please come to learn how this very important program can bring peace of mind to effected individuals as well as their caregivers and family members. Wendy Close hosts.
18 July - The Early Christian Mission. This is the first of 2 lectures dealing with the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. Within 300 years, the religion moved from being a small Jewish sect practiced by Jesus followers in Jerusalem to a world religion that commanded the attention, and eventually the respect, of the Roman authorities. This particular lecture considers the earliest phases of the Christian mission by exploring its missionary strategy and message as reflected in the Pauline letters and the Book of Acts. Here, we will consider what Christian missionaries told people to convince them to abandon their pagan beliefs, and to accept Jesus and his death and Resurrection for salvation. Ted Brookes presents.
25 July - The Christianization of the Roman Empire. In this lecture, we will move into the periods of the Christian mission after Paul to see how far and quickly the religion spread. We will also examine the reasons for its success, and its ultimate reach into the upper echelons of the Roman government. We will see the the role played by the claims of miracles in the Christian mission, and the unique aspect of Christianity that claimed it was right and all other religions were wrong. The lecture will conclude by considering the conversion of the Roman emperor Constantine in the early fourth century, and the enormous implications this event had for the future of the Christian religion. Ted Brookes presents.
Adult Forum Schedule - August
The Adult Forum Schedule for August will feature our continued focus on early Christianity. We will listen to and comment on 3 lectures given by Dr. Bart Ehrman, Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, that address the persecution and martyrdom of the faithful in the first three centuries of the church. We will also be treated to two special, public service briefings, one on the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) and the other on Island Transit, with an emphasis on Para-transit services.
Specific forum subject matter, dates,and presenters are provided below.
1 August - The Early Persecutions of the State. This lecture is the first of four dealing with persecution and martyrdom in the early church. As Christianity spread, it was widely opposed, first, on the local level by antagonistic mobs and, later, officially by Roman authorities. In this particular lecture we will examine a graphic account of Christian persecution from the mid-2nd century, and move from there to consider both why Christians were persecuted and what their reactions to the opposition were. We will unravel several myths about early Christian persecution, and look at the scattered evidence for the Roman emperors' involvement in said persecution. Ted Brookes presents.
8 August - The Causes of Christian Persecution. This lecture provides a historical sketch of the course of persecution from the 1st to the 3rd centuries. It examines the motivations for the two kinds of violence against the Christians, i.e. grassroots, mob uprisings and top-down persecutions ordered by the state. The written account of the martyrdom of Polycarp will guide our reflections on this issue. Interestingly, state-sanctioned persecutions did not appear until the middle of the 3rd century. Finally, the lecture will consider several key reasons for pagan opposition to Christianity and its followers. Ted Brookes presents.
15 August - WICA with a Wink. Jeanette Eveland, Volunteer Coordinator and Ticket Master for Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) will provide an overview briefing on the building program at the center, and give us a sneak peak at the exciting theatrical offerings for this coming season. Special emphasis will be placed on the upcoming musical extravaganza, Djangofest, which will be featured 22 to 26 September. Ted Brookes hosts.
22 August - Island Transit on the Move. Lisa Dugger, Operations Supervisor, and Phyllis Brett, Specialized Services Administrator, from Island Transit will provide an overview briefing on Island Transit, and then focus their discussion on Fix Route Service and Paratransit, two company service offerings that should be of considerable interest to the congregation. Ted Brookes hosts.
29 August - Christian Reactions to Persecution. In this lecture, we will try to understand how Christians reacted to their persecution at the hands of pagan mobs and local authorities. We will see that many Christians recanted their faith in the face of persecution, but many others stayed faithful to their beliefs. We will use the moving tale of the passion of Perpetua and Felicitas and the letters of Ignatius of Antioch to guide our reflections on this particular subject. We will see that many Christians were willing to face torture and death because of their belief in eternal life after death. Moreover, some Christians believed that in suffering martyrdom they were imitating the example set for them by Jesus Christ. Ted Brookes presents.
Greening Committee Meeting
The Greening Committee meets after the 10:30 a.m. service on the third Sunday of each month (except June, July, and August). They appreciate suggestions as to how the Parish can be more environmentally responsible. If you see an area where we can improve, please contact the Parish office.
Celtic Cross
 Please take a moment to visit the area of the Spreading Garden and see our beautiful Celtic Cross. This long awaited addition to our facility was donated by Emily Seaman in honor of her husband, Arthur J. Seaman.
Pictures of the installation of the Cross are here.
Sabbatical Material
A summary of the conclusions of the second workshop, "Living into the 8th Day", is
here.
Nigel's journal and an index to his photo galleries from his travels remain online, but they have not changed since his return.
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