In This Issue:
by Nigel Taber-Hamilton
Summertime! And for Whidbey Island the living is truly easy!
I recall as I approached the first summer I was here - 2001 - that it seemed a good idea to run some regular non-Sunday programming. The logic was simple - many parishioners who had fled to warmer, brighter climes for the winter had returned. With the whole congregation back together what better time was there?
Of course, then I made a discovery! Wherever we live - here on the island, in southern California, Arizona, New Mexico - we have all journeyed through the sacred part of the year. We all celebrated the Nativity of Jesus, his death and resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. All of this means that - in the "off season" between the Day of Pentecost and the beginning of programming in the fall - we want to slow down.
This is a good thing to do. It is to take seriously God’s commandment that after work there should be rest. The months of July and August are a wonderful opportunity to live out God’s Sabbath command - to recharge our batteries and prepare to enter again with intention the great round of festivals that make up the Christian calendar.
The Light reflects this theme of rest - the issue you are reading is intended to cover both of those months, rather than publishing twice.
I will be doing some Continuing Education in Vancouver on Celtic Spirituality - hopefully I can be squeezed into the forum schedule to share some of that with you. And - like you – I’ll be taking vacation in parts of July and August.
Resting does not mean, however, that Church will stop happening! We will all be here each Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Forums, as planned and advertised, will happen between 9:15 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. The Monday 5:30 Evensong and the Wednesday healing service will still take place at 10:00 a.m. The church office will continue (unless noted) to be open its usual hours.
And there will be fun things, like the Parish Picnic at Ft. Ebey State Park on August 26.
But summer does mean that the pace will be slower.
So don’t take it from me. Take it from God: there is a time to work and a time to rest, relax, and enjoy the glorious beauty of this island paradise: and it’s now!
A blessed and restful summer to all of you,
Nigel
No, it's not too early to mark your calendars and reserve the date for the All Parish Dinner. This has always been a highly anticipated event full of good food, good fun and good company, followed by a beautiful Compline. Save the date - Thursday, October 25 at 5:30 P.M. You will hear more later.
by Judy Yeakel
"I will proclaim by word and example the good news of God in (Jesus) Christ."
I expect that most of you will recognize this as one of the vows we make when we are baptized - and re-affirm at least four times a year. Proclaiming with 'actions' is much easier for me than proclaiming with words.
Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts-Shori offered these words in her article in the Episcopal Life (June 2007): "This season at Pentecost, I would encourage you to discover one new place where good news is being proclaimed and one place where you have the ability to share good news in a new way." This summer we all will have an opportunity to do that here at St. Augustine’s.
The Communications Committee is preparing a colorful brochure about our Parish. In late August we will be distributing this brochure/door-hanger in the Holmes Harbor neighborhood, informing the people who live there about our Parish and inviting them to visit and consider becoming a part of the St. Augustine family. This is a new way and a new place to share the Good News. A grant from the Diocese of Olympia will pay for the cost of the brochures. You will be hearing more about this and we hope many of you will join in the project.
Many of you are aware that during the Easter season David Close, a retired priest who is a part of this parish, began a children’s education program called Godly Play. Godly Play is a unique method of telling Bible stories to children. The expectation is that this program will continue in the fall. But during the summer there will be several work-days at which materials for the program will be created: small figures as well as scenery items that help tell the story. People skilled in carpentry and wood-working are needed to create items for storage and display. Here is a way for you to help create a new way of sharing the good news. Watch for more on this.
July and August will be busy months with lots of activity.
On August 26th we will have our annual parish picnic and honor people who have joined St. Augustine’s in the past year. There will be more info on this but put the date on your calendar.
Also in August The Whidbey Island Music Festival returns to St. Augustine’s for two concerts: Sundays August 5th and 12th at 4:00 p.m. In addition to these two concerts there will be four other events during the two weeks: August 3rd through 12th. Elaine Ludtke is the contact person from our Parish. There will be more info available later.
On August 18th there will be an AgapeFest 2007 to celebrate The Journey of the Peoples with Bishop Warner. It will be held at Annie Wright School in Tacoma. We will be sending invitations soon so you can sign up to go. And, of course we will car pool. Pray that it doesn't rain and that it does not turn out to be the hottest day of the year!
On Pentecost Sunday, 11 of us drove to Mt. Vernon to join La Iglesia Episcopal de la Resurrección for their Pentecost worship. This is a mission congregation drawn together by a common culture and language to celebrate the Eucharist. The priest is The Rev. Josefina Beecher. As she says, this is her work for the church. Many of the members are farm workers or work in construction. We already have a connection to this congregation through our Christmas gift project, so in fact we are already brothers and sisters in Christ.
The service was in Spanish. Two men led music, including service music, on guitars using their Spanish language Hymnal. Josie was kind enough to speak some parts of the service in English for our sake but the sermon and Eucharist were in Spanish. What a wonderful experience! A new place where the Good News is being proclaimed in a new way.
Dick Hall says that the service brought back memories of an out-reach ministry provided by his former parish in Prosser, WA. That congregation had an active ministry to farm workers in the area similar to the one in Mt. Vernon. Dick was one of the people from St. Augustine’s who read a lesson. Arnelle Hall and Linda Dial also read.
Gretchen Wood loved seeing that the children, of which there were many, felt so comfortable and welcomed at the worship service. All but the babies joined in the procession carrying red flowing flags or playing simple musical instruments. And when the bread and wine were shared , each child joined his or her family to partake of the meal together. What a wonderful experience to kneel at the alter rail with these new friends.
Following the Eucharist we were served refreshments prepared by the women: open- faced tacos made with beans, pieces of chicken and shredded cabbage. And hot salsa which most of us chose not to add. We were all a little surprised by the beverage served to us which looked a little like weak milk. It was made from rice water, cinnamon, and sugar. Last of all a Pentecost cake and strawberry ice cream. Such wonderful hospitality.
by Bill Carruthers
Thanks to Marv Idso for helping with changing the globe lights in the nave. We decided to replace the regular lights with fluorescents. This should ensure that we will not have to change the lights so frequently. The downside is we will not be able to dim the nave lights. Mercury lights have also been replaced in the bell tower and on the sacristy deck. Judy and I are concerned that we not make it easy for vandals to do their mischief as is happening in the community. Please be alert to that possibility.
Art Taylor, Jim Langler, and Albert Rose have volunteered to remove the stairwell bulletin board, patch up the sheetrock, and paint the stairwell up to the narthex.
Thanks to Judy Yeakel, Diana Klein, Margaret Schultz, and Anne Pringle for helping to make the Columbarium and flower beds look so good.
by Ted Brookes
The Adult Christian Education program will move into the Pentecost season with the final two episodes of our "Walking the Bible" series. We will then begin to examine the New Testament with a series titled "Exploring the
Gospelers" in which we will take a closer look at the Gospel writers and the various books attributed to them. The congregation will also be treated to three special forums hosted by two of our travelling parishioners. We hope you will mark them in your calendars and plan to attend. Ted Brookes will serve as your host for the Biblical presentations.
- 29 July - "Exploring the Gospelers." The Book of Revelation, Part 2.
- 5 August - Churches of Italy. A special presentation by Stephen and Diane Schwarzmann. The Schwarzmanns just returned from a vacation in Italy and wanted to share their experiences with the entire congregation. They will present a DVD of their photos and discuss the various places they visited. The focus will be on Rome, Florence, Venice and Assisi. They will cover early, medieval and later day Christian churches, the Catacombs and Roman archeology.
- 12 August - "Exploring the Gospelers." Matthew's Portrait of Christ, Part 1.
- 19 August - Russian Relations. Carol Hansen will report on her recent trip to Russia.
- 26 August - Iconography & the Trinity Icon (Rublev). Carole Hansen will talk to us about painting the icon of the Holy Trinity. Read more about her icon painting experience below.
- 2 September - "Exploring the Gospelers." Matthew's Portrait of Christ, Part 2.
Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? I am painting an icon of the old testament Holy Trinity modeled after the one by Andrei Rublev. If you are curious, just type "Rublev Holy Trinity" in your internet browser and you'll find links with pictures of the original. It is a more difficult image than I had realized. Simply stated, the idea is to paint the silence and peace which is perceived in the original icon, and in some manner replicate the fine lines and delicate colors and transparency which make this particular image so effective and powerful. One iconographer wrote that this particular icon is "a place to enter and to stay". Fr. Alexander came to see it when the first layers of color were applied and the lines re-drawn. He was amazed and declared that it is radiant, and vastly exceeds his expectations. It is going very slowly. When I commented on that to him he said, "It doesn't matter how long it takes to paint. It will last for centuries."
by Nigel Taber-Hamilton
Space has been secured for 30 people to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land from September 9 to 22 of 2008. Most of the land arrangements are in place. However, airlines do not publish their group fares until about eleven months before the trip departs, and so we are still about 3-4 months away from having a definitive price. The group will primarily be from St. Augustine's, with any remaining space being filled by other members of our diocese. Our bishop-elect has expressed some interest in joining us, though calendar issues may prevent this. We are closer to getting some figures for a trip to Iona, though we have discovered that the Episcopal Church of Scotland's retreat house
on Iona is full until 2010! There is some possibility of space in 2009. Another alternative is to use the two hotels on the island, though this will add to the cost.As soon as more information is available I will let you know.
Nigel
Your Vestry and I are happy to announce we have called Rev. J. R. Lander as our Associate for Christian Formation. Fr. Lander will focus primarily on developing a Christian Formation program for children and youth at St. Augustine’s.
Fr. Lander (who goes by his initials - "J.R.") will work with the Christian Formation Committee to develop new Christian educational programming for children and youth and will also provide some of the programs himself. The goal of these programs is to expand services to families with children through classes, visitations, meetings and other events. Fr. Lander will also be working with me and church committees to develop and enhance adult programming.
Fr. Lander was ordained in 2003 and has served in Los Angeles and Atlanta before coming to St. Augustine's.
Fr. Lander will be available to meet with interested parents to discuss ideas and hopes for this programming. If you want more details about the planning of these programs, and would like to be involved in a conversation about how they might look, or would like to meet J.R., please contact the church office at 360-331-4887.
Nigel
by Carole Hansen
This is a very exciting and demanding time of transition for Children’s Hospice. A new position has been filled. Executive Director of the Medical Practice (Operations), which will free Fr. Alexander to continue to effectively solicit support for the programs and services the hospice offers. He will remain the Executive Director of the Charitable Fund and its board of directors. There's also a new Medical Director, a doctor who supervises the health care employees of the medical practice.
Three new emergency vehicles have been donated by the city of St. Petersburg. This was arranged at the end of 2006. The vehicles have just arrived. Previously hospice patients had to wait for ambulances to transport them to hospitals or other facilities for procedures or admission. At times a patient in terrible condition might have to wait for several hours. This gift is an important sign of recognition by the city administration that Children’s Hospice offers the dying and severely disabled children of St. Petersburg necessary and important services. However, the hospice is responsible for generating the funds needed to maintain, operate and insure the vehicles. These expenses are significant because law requires specially certified drivers, a doctor and a nurse be present when the vehicle is operated. They must give emergency services when they come upon any emergency, not only the hospice associated emergency they are responding to or traveling from.
The current estimate is that in the city and outlying region there are 50 children eligible to receive the medical services and palliative care offered by the hospice. These children and their families will continue to wait until funds are found to allow their admission into the program. The hospice was recently authorized to receive patients from the oblast, (outlying areas like Pavlovsk). Since there is no centralized records system in the oblast, an accurate number of children in need is not known, although it is estimated there are probably an additional 50. This means there is a total of 100 children from city and oblast who are in need, and have yet to receive help.
Fr. Alexander is extremely grateful for the support Children’s Hospice receives from St. Augustine’s in-the-Woods. He often expresses wonder at the level of support generated by so small a number of people. He will arrive in Seattle September 7 and depart September 26. I hope to arrange an evening gathering with him at St. Augustine’s so that he may tell you in person about the workings of this miracle. Please prayerfully consider a gift to Children’s Hospice. Thank you for what you have helped Fr. Alexander and his staff to accomplish so far!
Fr. Alexander Tkachenko, creator and General Director of Children's Hospice, plans to visit the Seattle/Vancouver BC area September 7 through 26. If your service club, place of work, or other interested group would like a presentation on this inspiring organization, please contact Carol Kentop kentops@comcast.net for a date.
by Fletcher Davis
One of the privileges of retirement that I enjoy is serving many different parishes. In one church where I supplied some months ago, a couple had just lost their daughter after the anguish of a long and disabling illness. I can hardly imagine their agony. When I greeted them the other day, I learned that in the weeks following her burial they lost a good friend, then their dog.
As I tried to console them, the mother comforted me. Of course it’s painful, she reflected, but everything we have is a gift from our Lord. I have to keep that in mind. Our daughter was a gift from God. Our friends are gifts from God. We know we can't possess them. We can only thank God for them.
Wow! What wisdom. Everything I call mine is ultimately God’s gift.
by Diane Klein, Vestry Clerk
We are continuing our search for a part-time musician and will have an interim during the summer.
Bill Carruthers will be looking for additional assistance in the litter clean up project on Honeymoon Bay Road.
Spreading Garden procedures are being updated.
The All Parish/Newcomers picnic will be on August 26 at Fort Ebey State Park. St. Stephen's Parish members will be invited.
The first part of the Annual Meeting for the election of new Vestry and Convention Delegates will be December 16.
The entire Vestry Meeting Minutes are posted in the Undercroft if you would like more details.
by Nancy Langler
The Annual Parish Picnic will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 26th. at Fort Ebey State Park near Coupeville. Our picnic site is in a lovely area near the water. Bar-B-Q facilities are available and there are public restrooms
nearby. There are picnic tables but we suggest you bring your favorite folding chairs.
This is a fun event for all ages. There will be carpools.
This year the picnic will be a pot-luck. Non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. If you and your family plan to attend please sign up in the Narthex to bring either a main dish, salad, an appetizer, or a dessert.
by Isabel Neddow
Religion is IN. Everyone is writing about it - either for or against. The latest is the "Gospel of Judas" and its rebuttal "The Lost Gospel of Judas, Separating Fact From Fiction." One of our Sunday forums this summer will discuss the Rise of Gnosticism, and you may want to read some books currently in the St. Augustine’s library.
The "Gnostic Gospels of Jesus" by Marvin Meyer is a good introduction to these gospels and sermons, some of which were discovered in Egypt in 1945. Since that time biblical scholars have translated and interpreted these non-canonical works which were suppressed and not included in the Bible. Unity among Christians was a political as well as a religious desire by the fourth century to be maintained by a structured hierarchical organization.
Two very readable books by Elaine Pagels on the rolling cart are "The Gnostic Gospels" and "Beyond Belief." She explains that mysticism and the important role which women played in the early church were not easily tolerated. It’s fascinating that toleration and different interpretations of the Bible haunt the church to this day.
We re going to try something new in the library and look forward to your comments. You may buy paperback fiction for 50 cents each. There is a plastic container to make change, and a basket if you want to give some paperbacks to the library.
The non-fiction and research DVD’s will remain as a lending library with a sign-in loose leaf or a file card for books obtained before 2004.
Let s try it out: it may or may not work.
Island County Readiness To Learn Foundation is in the process of gathering information from families to create a program that will provide assistance to grandparents and other individuals who are raising children of relatives. If you are a person raising a relative's child(ren) and you would like to see a support group and/or fun events created for your family to enjoy, please contact Sarah Berger at (360) 221-6808 ext. 4321 or sberger@sw.wednet.edu.
by Nancy Langler
Bruce and Trudy Campbell
The Puget Sound has been familiar territory for Trudy and Bruce Campbell for many years. Bruce’s dad grew up in Victoria, moving to Los Angeles for a job as a young man. When he married and had a family they came to Vancouver Island for their summers where Bruce’s grandmother rented a beach house for them. Bruce has fond memories of taking a ship from L.A. to Puget Sound, stopping in San Francisco for half a day. He also remembers the long road trips home in his father’s car. During the war they made the trip by Greyhound bus.
Bruce and Trudy, both born in L.A., graduated from the same high school at the same time. Two days after graduation they both began new jobs. Bruce was in the Navy and Trudy, a professional ice skater, was in the Ice Follies. He remembers that she made more than he did.
Bruce says the only reason he signed up for the Navy was that Harry Truman drafted him and he did not want to be in the Army. At that time, he did not know what wonderful opportunities and adventures the Navy would provide. His ship was based in Hawaii and frequently sailed to Alameda, California. He contacted Trudy, who was in San Francisco with the Follies, to arrange blind dates for his buddies.
They became engaged in 1951. Bruce left immediately for Korea, returning in 1952 three days before their wedding. Trudy, a Lutheran, became an Episcopalian during his absence. Bruce, an Anglican by birth, had identical twin uncles, both of whom were priests. One was suffragan bishop of L.A. As Bruce was gone, his dad made the hotel arrangements for their honeymoon. A manager of a very posh hotel demanded references. His dad mentioned his brother, the bishop. The manager agreed to welcome the bishop’s nephew and his bride. Bruce says they had a double rings double uncle wedding.
During Bruce’s 30 year naval career they lived in many parts of the United States including Hawaii and also in France. Following Bruce’s retirement they returned to the Sound to live in Sandy Hook. A few years ago they built a home in the Useless Bay Colony.
They attended St. Augustine’s before moving here. They were here when the church was a mission, before Father Bill, when St Augustine’s shared a clergy person with Oak Harbor. They have been very active. Bruce was senior warden for two years, on the audit committee, and has been a lay reader for many years. Trudy, on the altar guild, was at one time the directress, and has been president of the E.C.W.
They are very fortunate to have both their daughter Susan and their son David and their families living on the Island. Having spent their winters in the Palm Desert, this was their first winter here. They love spending time with their family and traveling. Bruce has arranged for three wonderful trips so maybe they won t miss their desert stays.
by Melisa Doss
Who is my neighbor? This is the question we focus on each month for our Mission Sunday. While many of the Mission Sunday organizations are local to Whidbey Island, in July we get to expanded our focus to the larger world. With the easy access to news and information, including photos of war and poverty around the world we had the opportunity to realize that Global is now local. Our brothers and sisters live in Africa, South America and on Whidbey.
Episcopal Relief and Development has a global/local reach. It helps people by partnering with local agencies and organizations in the Anglican Communion worldwide. The mission is to respond to human suffering around the world, both in emergencies and by developing community resources.
ERD responds to emergencies by delivering supplies such as medicine, food, clean water, and providing counseling and psychological care to people traumatized by disasters.
Realizing there is an overwhelming need to respond to worldwide poverty and not just emergencies, ERD adopted the framework of the Millennium Development Goals. ERD then works toward achieving those goals by acting quickly in the direst situations to help break the cycle of poverty and disease.
- Through their food security programs ERD ensures families have the means to access and secure healthy food sources and have enough food to eat on a daily basis. They provide seeds and tools and provide opportunities for people to create and operate small businesses and give families healthy animals which produce food and income.
- The primary health care programs help children and families live healthier lives. They provide access to treatment, medicines, clean water, and prevention education. They educate and train communities and local health workers, build clean water systems for drinking and bathing, protect children and families from contracting infectious diseases, such as TB, dengue fever and diarrhea and supply immunizations.
- The comprehensive HIV/AIDS care programs provide prevention education, care for people suffering from the disease and support for children orphaned by the disease. They work in the hardest hit communities in Africa and elsewhere to train clergy, youth educators and local health workers about disease and its transmission. They work to get care and treatment to people dying from HIV/AIDS and support home-based care, social workers and nurses for families affected by the disease. For those children who have been orphaned they provide education, nutritious meals, training and housing and provide support for their extended families.
There are eight Millennium Development Goals and ERD is working specifically in every one of them. The goals are...
- Eradicate extreme poverty
- Achieve universal primary education
- Promote gender equality and empower women
- Reduce child mortality
- Improve maternal health
- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
- Ensure environmental sustainability
>li>Develop a global partnership and development
We can support them by learning more at www.er-d.org/mgd, pray for those in need and those providing help, encourage others to take action by raising awareness and money for people living in poverty.
by Elaine Ludtke
Do you have a favorite charity?
Each year the committee of sponsors for the monthly Mission Sunday Offering meets in the early fall. This year we will meet in September (date to be determined) so that any changes to our calendar can be sent to the Vestry for their October meeting.
This is your opportunity to suggest worthy charitable organizations that you would like to sponsor
with a Mission Sunday Offering. Please call me or send your suggestions before September 1 and
watch the announcements for the date of our meeting.
Father Nigel will be on vacation from July 30th through August 14th. Father Fletcher will be the priest on call. Contact the Senior Warden, Judy Yeakel, with other concerns.
You will notice the Summer Calendar has been reduced to one page for your convenience. It is located on page 15 of this newsletter.
The church office has been re-organized. Although space is limited Loretta and Dewey Martin, with file cabinet donations from the Pringles and the Ludtkes, were able to create a larger administrative desk and a desk and office space for Fr. Lander.
Work continues on reorganizing paperwork and supplies.
The new copier continues to work well!
by William Smith
The Giving Statements will be distributed for periods January through June and January through December inclusive. PLEASE PICK UP YOUR MID-YEAR STATEMENTS WHICH ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN THE NARTHEX! I will be happy to produce interim statements for anyone wanting them.
August 5-12, 2007
St. Augustine’s will again host concerts of the Whidbey Island Music Festival. Last summer we hosted two Sunday afternoon concerts and were filled to capacity.
In response to the success of last year’s programs, the festival expands this year to present four different programs on two weekends for a total of six performances. In addition to the festival performances, there will be a children’s workshop at the Greenbank Farm.
Concert Details:
- Fridays August 3 and August 10, 7:30 pm The Barn at Greenbank Farms
- Saturdays August 4 and August 11, 7:30 pm Bayview Community Hall
- Sundays August 5 and August 12, 4 pm St. Augustine’s in-the-Woods
Tickets $20 $18 $15
Tickets are available in advance through www.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006. Tickets will also be available at the door. For more information visit www.whidbeyislandmusicfestival.org.
August 1st, 2007
The Lutheran Youth Choir of North America, a new and auditioned, liturgical, touring choir for high school students (with members of various Lutheran churches as well as other Protestant denominations) will be singing at Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland on Wednesday, August 1st at 7:00 p.m.
They are presenting a Choral Service of Evening Prayer with a broad spectrum of sacred music, including a Magnificat setting from the Italian Baroque, an African-American spiritual, and a South African freedom song. These twenty select 9-12 graders from across the U.S. include young people from eight different states.
Following five days of intensive rehearsal in the Chicago area, they will be on a week-long tour of the Pacific Northwest, including churches in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.
Admission is free; a freewill offering will be taken. For more information, call Trinity at 331-5191.
The Summer Calendar is available in .pdf format here.
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