The Light Parish Newsletter,
December 2003In This Issue:
From the RectorBy the time you read this we will
have celebrated Thanksgiving and
will be
closing in on the heart of what has
become called "The Holiday Season".
This
is always a time of hope, or rather,
of "hopes", for there are many
different sorts of hope. For many
retailers the hope is to make enough
money
to end the year in the black. For
most individuals there's a hope that
the
season will be a time of proverbial
"good cheer" - that in some way it
will
not be like the rest of the year,
when the struggles of living seem
larger
than life, when most other folk seem
like strangers to be wary of, and
when
the daily grind carries with it
little to celebrate.
For surprisingly many, on the other
hand, it is not the rest of the year
but
this time that is one of dreariness
or of dread, when brittle holiday
hopes
are dashed by familiar experiences
and fears: that they will spend the
holiday time alone - a sharp
reminder of how life often goes;
that familiar
memories will return of previous
holidays when loved ones - now dead
- were
with them; that someone in the
family will act out in some
upsetting or
nasty way and wreck the hoped-for
good cheer.
It is their hope that these things
will not happen. Or perhaps - in a
more
positive light - that something else
will happen that will take away the
loneliness, the heartache, and the
pain.
In each case there is a hope that something will be different - that
life
will surprise them with an
experience of a joy that - for much
of the time -
is lacking from living.
So it is that a great deal of hope
is invested in this time of year -
but it
is frequently a false hope, since
its foundation is built on murky
recollections of "the reason for the
season"‚ and a vague (or sometimes
not
so vague) awareness that there is
something about this time that
offers a
promise.
As Christians we are not immune from
either of these hopes - we're human
beings too, after all. Its just as
easy for us to experience
loneliness, or
to witness explosive stress
undermine celebration.
But we do have a hope and a promise
that's tangible and built on a solid
foundation - that in this God comes
to us in the most joyfully human of
ways - as a small, defenseless
child. It is a story that speaks of
love, of
compassion, of relationship, and of
community. It is a story that finds
joy
even in the presence of hardship. It
is a story that has, at its center,
a
celebration of life that overcomes
the surrounding darkness.
This is our hope - no brittle dream
this, but a solid joyful hope that
is
full of promise. As we live into
this hope, sharing it with those
around us,
we will find the place where all
true joys are to be found - in each
other,
and God.
God's blessings to you all.
Nigel Getting to Know Youby Nancy Paris
Martin and Helen Payne live in the Saratoga Beach area just South of
Baby
Island. They moved to Whidbey two
years ago from Birmingham, Alabama.
Helen is a native of Alabama, born
in Demopolis, southwest of
Birmingham. She lived in France as a student and
nanny, and was a French teacher at
the University of Alabama at the time of
her retirement. Helen is interested
in
cooking, in growing vegetables and
flowers, and in music, writing and
reading, as well as walking and
traveling. She is particularly
interested
in meeting people of other cultures,
receiving them into the couples‚
home
and visiting them, in turn. She is
currently in a writing group and is
a past member of Amnesty
International.
Martin was born in Massachusetts and
is a retired business manager of a
Waldorf School. His special
interests are in early music -- he
plays
recorder regularly with two groups
-- and in local history, walking to
explore, reading, travel, family and
home brewing.
The Paynes have two grown children:
daughter Laura is a social worker in
Austin, Texas. Her husband, Rich is presently in Iraq. Son Michael and
wife Jessica live in Amsterdam where
he works developing wind energy in
Northern Europe. The Paynes have two grandchildren -- Malou is two and
newly-arrived Lucas.
Another relative newcomer to the
island and to St. Augustine's is
Paul
Thompson who makes his home in the
Useless Bay Colony. He has been a
Whidbey resident for a year. Paul is
a retired medical doctor, an
ophthalmologist. He was born in
Louisville, Kentucky and lived in
Cincinnati as a child. Later he made
his home in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania,
Bloomington, Indiana and in
Kingston, Ontario.
Paul moved to the Island after
living for the past 24 years in
Dhahran,
Saudi Arabia. He calls Whidbey the
"un-Saudi-Arabia", by contrast! He
recently shared his Middle East
experience as a guest speaker at St.
Augustine's Men's breakfast
gathering. He enjoys singing and has
previously
been a member of a church choir, as
well as a barbershop chorus and
quartet
called "Temporary Insanity". He also
enjoys travel, golf and foreign
languages. Paul has two daughters,
Sarah in Los Angeles and Andrea, in
Santa Cruz, California.
MSO for December: Good Cheerby Maureen Masterson
"We try not to embarrass people, if
they can come to the food bank, they
need the food". It's a very simple
statement and very thoughtful one.
When
talking to Rita Burns, the food bank
manager for Good Cheer, I am always
impressed by her respect and
understanding for the people who
need her
services.
This is particularly moving when she
talks about the many seniors who are
now using the food bank. With the
high cost of medications, many have
to
choose between food and the drugs
they need to stay healthy. Often
they
will not use the food bank because
they do not want their friends and
neighbors to know how difficult
their situations have become.
Sometimes
they cannot get to the food bank
because it is too far from their
homes.
This year Good Cheer will be
reaching out to those seniors and
others in
need by providing food at other locations in the South Whidbey
community.
Good Cheer also provides funding to
other non-profit organizations, such
as
South Whidbey Children's Center and
In a Pinch Childcare in order to
provide
healthy meals and snacks for
children.
Over 300 families and seniors are currently receiving food from Good
Cheer.
In October alone, 33 new families
were added to the list of those
being
helped. According to Rita, another
14 new recipients were added by
November 11. They expect to provide
approximately 300 Thanksgiving meals
and 350 Christmas meals.
As with many food banks in the
region, donations are down. Good
Cheer is relying more on the thrift store in
Langley to support this vitally
important service. Each time I meet
with the staff there I am amazed at
what they are able to accomplish
with such limited resources and how
broad
the problem of hunger is in our
community.
A Message from Good CheerThe mission of Good Cheer is
"Creating a hunger-free community".
The Good Cheer Team has acknowledged
the need to make the Food Bank more
accessible and provide more
anonymity for their clients. One of
the ways in
which they feel could help
accomplish this goal is to establish
food bank
outreach programs.
Good Cheer has now partnered with
Maxwelton Christian Fellowship
Church to
create a model for their first
outreach program. On the third
Tuesday of
each month from noon to 4:00 p.m.,
Good Cheer will be hosting a
satellite
food bank at the Maxwelton Christian
Fellowship Church on the corner of
Maxwelton & French Roads in Clinton.
The outreach program will be set up
by Good Cheer and worked by six
volunteer's who are members of the
Maxwelton
Fellowship Church. A partnership at
its BEST!!!
Anyone living in South Whidbey with
the zip codes of 98236, 98260,
98249,
and 98253 are qualified to use Good
Cheer's Food Bank services. Persons
may
pick up food allotments one time per
month. Only thing required is proof
of
address and identification.
Our vision is to strengthen the
South Whidbey Community so that all
people are well nourished. November 18 will
be the kick-off date for our newly
designed outreach program. If you
need help and would like to access
our
services you can either call Rita at
Good Cheer's Food Bank 360/221-6454
or
Pastor Neil at 360/579-5340.
Newsworthy Notes
- The Legend of St. Nicholas: All
are invited to a celebration of his
Feast Day on Saturday, December 6 at
4:00 p.m.
The Sophia Singers have prepared two
sets of music for the occasion. The
first is a mixture of seasonal music
including carols and shape note
tunes.
The second set is a brief, but
captivating collection of pieces of
medieval
music published by the group
Anonymous 4on their recording,
"Legends of St.
Nicholas".
Jill Johnson, our favorite storyteller, will present the Legend
of St.
Nicholas. Nicholas of Myza was the
youngest person ever consecrated
bishop
and is the figure which inspired our
modern tradition of Santa Claus.
During this celebration, the name of
the winner of the Yellow Roses
stained
glass panel will be drawn. This
raffle raised funds to provide
computer
equipment for the Sunday School
program at St. Nicholas Cathedral,
Pavlovsk,
Russia.
The celebration will conclude with
festive Evensong offered by the Fellowship of St. John.
For more information you may call
Carole Hansen at 341-4812.
- December 13, at 8:30 a.m. is the
Men's Breakfast.
Guest speakers will be David
McClellan and Richard Tussey. They
will tell
more about the Fellowship of St.
John.
- The Episcopal Church Women will
hold their annual Advent Tea on
December
13 from 2 -4 PM at Barbara Strom's
home. All women of the parish are
invited.
Bring tea sandwiches, or cookies
etc... There will not be a cookie
exchange
this year. Instead, bring some extra
goodies to sell the next day at the
Holiday Sale to benefit our sister
parish, The Chapel of Sts. Martha
and Mary. There will be no regular
meeting in January 2004.
- Preschool Report: "Celebrations"
has been the theme for St.
Augustine's Preschool this fall.
In addition to birthdays, Halloween,
and Thanksgiving, our 45 students
have
celebrated the end of summer, Johnny
Appleseed Day, a Vietnamese Autumn Festival, St. Francis Day, Columbus
Day, Make a Difference Day, Diwalhi
(East Indian), Election Day, and
Veterans' Day.
Now they are preparing for the
greatest celebration of all -
Christmas. Our
choir of little angels will be
giving Christmas programs during
school on December 18 and 19. Family, friends,
and parishioners are all invited.
Check with the preschool teachers
for program times. The children love
sharing their Christmas joy!
- A Holiday Sale will benefit Sts.
Martha and Mary Chapel on Sunday
December
14 after both services. If you would
like to donate a special Christmas
cookie, candy, etc. please speak to
Liz Kershaw, 331-4834.
The Chapel of Saints Martha and Mary
of Bethany was originally founded in
1984 as a program of the Episcopal
Diocese of Olympia to provide
sanctuary
and a Godward connection to the
people visiting and living in
downtown
Seattle near the Public Market.
All over the world, there is always
a place of worship near the central public market that demonstrates the
bounty received from God. Thus, as
the
place of worship in Seattle's Public
Market, the Chapel is discovered by
visitors to Seattle from all over
the world.
We serve many Spanish-speaking
Christians (primarily day-laborers);
residents of the Market‚s low-income
and market-rate housing; merchants,
vendors, and street performers; and
countless tourists and shoppers
regardless of religious affiliation.
It is open without any programming‚
mornings and evenings during the
week. Holy Eucharist is celebrated
Sundays
at 6:00 pm and Wednesdays at noon.
- The Hanging of the Greens,
December 21 at 9:30 a.m. All are
encouraged to come.
- A Festival of Advent Lessons and
Carols will be offered on Sunday,
December 21, at 4:30 p.m. All are
invited to come and hear the
readings of old that foretell the
coming of
the Messiah and to sing the great
hymns of the season. Bring a friend
and a
non-perishable food item that will
be given to the Good Cheer Food
Bank. A
reception will follow in the
Undercroft.
- From the Church of Mary
Magdalene, a Christian Ministry for
Homeless Women in Seattle:
"Now that the cold weather is here,
we are in need of hats, scarves,
socks
and gloves. These are given out as
needed as cold ears and toes can't
wait
for a holiday. We can use things
both new and used in good condition.
Once again we are collecting new,
sturdy daypacks for women who must
carry
their belongings with them each day.
These will be given as Christmas
gifts.
Lotion, toothpaste and deodorants
are the greatest needs right now.
Many women would like to have a
Bible of their own, so we have a
give-away
shelf. It's empty right now. Used
Bibles of any translation are
welcome. Large print is a necessity for
many."
If you can help, please bring your
donations to the undercroft and
leave in
the hamper provided. Call Joan Focht
or Gretchen Wood for further
information on this Ministry. The
Director of the Church of Mary
Magdalene
is Patricia Simpson, former Pastor
of Langley Methodist Church.
- Knitting Into The Mystery: a
Guide to the Shawl Knitting Ministry
This wonderful and inspiring book by
Susan S. Jorgensen and Susan S.
Izard
covers every aspect of the prayerful
act of knitting for others. Knitting
is an ancient art, which can be
mastered by young and old alike.
This simple
task-creating a series of stitches-
can also be a physical manifestation
of
our prayers.
If you are interested in forming a
knitting ministry at St. Augustine's
let's
talk! Call Carole Hansen, 341-4812.
- DID YOU KNOW that Rachel
Taber-Hamilton will be dancing in
Whidbey Dance Theatre's NUTCRACKER
this year?? It will be Dec. 5-7
& 12-14 at South
Whidbey
High School. Susan Sandri is
Artistic Director and Kevin Sandri
runs the
pyrotechnics! See the poster on the
stairs bulletin board, or call
341-2221
for more info or tickets!
Christmas Service ScheduleChristmas Eve
(There will be no 10:00 a.m.
Eucharist on Christmas Eve)
- 5:30 p.m. Carols
- 6:00 p.m. Rite II
Child Care Available
- 10:30 p.m. Carols
- 11:00 p.m. Rite I with incense
No childcare available.
Christmas Morning
- 10:00 a.m. Rite II
No childcare.
From the Nominating Committee
Every November a Nominating
Committee is charged with the
responsibility of
identifying potential candidates for
Vestry and for Convention delegates.
The Nominating Committee always
consists of Vestry members and
Convention
delegates who are completing their
terms plus an additional
member-at-large.
This year's committee includes Doyle
Lewis and Sherm Wortman (rotating
off
Vestry), Ted Johnson (rotating off
as delegate to Convention), and Ray
Haman
(member-at-large).
At the Annual Parish Meeting
scheduled for January 18, 2004, the
parish will
be electing three new Vestry members
to join continuing members Trevor
Arnold, Anne Pringle, Jack Wallock,
Pat Bass, Lynda Anderson, and Ted
Brookes. Potential candidates for
Vestry need to make a three-year
commitment to attend Vestry meetings
(held at 5:30 on the third Tuesday
of
each month), to serve on or as
liaison to various parish
committees, and to
attend the Vestry retreat scheduled
for January 23 - 25, 2004, at Camp
Huston.
We will also be electing two
delegates to Convention, one man and
one woman.
These also are three-year
commitments, serving as alternate
the first year
and as delegate the second and third
years. Potential delegates need to
make a commitment to attend regional
meetings (two or three a year),
pre-convention meetings (usually one
in June), and Convention in late
October or early November (October
29 - 30 in 2004). Continuing
delegates
are Beth Sizer and Cleveland Riley
(one more year) and Gail Roach and
Bob
Sneed (two more years). Delegates
provide an important link between
the
parish and the Diocese.
All members of St. Augustine's are
asked to prayerfully consider their
ministry to our church and to speak
to one of the members of our
Nominating
Committee if you feel called to
support our parish by serving on the
Vestry
or as a delegate either next year or
in the near future. Additional
nominations will also be accepted
from the floor during the January 18
Annual Parish Meeting.
Thanks From a Delegate by Beth Sizer, Convention Delegate
For representing St. Augustine's
Parish at the 2003 Diocesan
Convention.
For the privilege of participating
in worship and Eucharist led by
Bishop
Warner and Presiding Bishop
Griswold.
For Listening to dialogue and
argument in a non-confrontive
atmosphere by a
wide range of speakers, including
clergy, lay adults and lay youth.
For St. Augustine's special
presence: Cleveland's membership on
the search
committee for a Suffragan Bishop.
For the daily offices and the music.
For being part of the 2003
convention at a time when „schism‰
could have
been the word and instead it was "inclusiveness", especially toward
those
individuals and parishes who are
feeling so threatened by the
happenings
this summer in Minneapolis.
For the quiet, peace-building, non-confrontive
address by the Presiding
Bishop.
For the purposeful accurate
leadership of Vincent Warner and his
frequent
interruptions for prayer during
deliberations.
For feeling a part of the Diocese of
Olympia and knowing why St.Augustine's
has and does maintain such a close
relationship with our Diocese.
Nameless Servant of YAHWEH (11 Kings
5:1-14)by Judy Yeakel
I was so frightened. We were being
attacked by the Arameans. All around
me
men roared or moaned in pain, women
and children screamed, animals
bellowed
in fright. "Mama. Papa," I shouted.
But they could not hear me. People
were
running, calling for their children,
trying to find a place to hide. It
was
total confusion.
Finally I saw a large rock, big
enough for me to hide behind. "O,
Yahweh,
please rescue me from this violence.
I want to live to serve you," I
prayed.
Soon I heard men coming toward my
hiding place. I tried to make myself
invisible. They were Aramean
soldiers with their Israeli
prisoners. I stayed
as still as I could. They were
almost past when several of the
soldiers
stopped to rest, right by my rock. I
began to tremble in terror. I pled
again with Yahweh to save me. Then I
sneezed. The talking stopped. I
tried
to stop the next sneeze but it came
anyway. One of the soldiers looked
around behind the rock and saw me.
He roared in glee. With one hand he
reached over and picked me up by the
collar of my robe. Then dropped me
on
the ground at his feet. I didn't
know what to expect next. It was
silent for
a moment and then all the men
started talking at once. They kicked
at me,
poked and pinched me, all the time
roaring with laughter. I was very
frightened, but I was also getting
angry! I was not used to being
mistreated
this way. I started to stand but
they pushed me over. I tried to
crawl away
but they surrounded me.
Then I heard a new male voice.
"Leave her alone," he said with
authority.
"She is just a child. I'll take her
to be a maid for my wife." I could
tell
that the other men were not happy
about losing their prisoner, but
they did
not argue. This must be a very
important man, I thought.
I learned later that his name was Naaman. He was commander of the army
of
the King of Aram. Indeed, he did
take me to his home. And that is
where I
am now. Naaman's wife is very good
to me. Although I must work hard, I
am
fed well and have a bed of my own to
sleep in.
Soon after I arrived in Aram I
discovered that Naaman suffered from
leprosy.
So one day I told Naaman's wife that
there was a prophet in Israel named
Elisha, who could cure him. She was
delighted and told Naaman about it.
So
he went to the King and asked his
permission to go to Israel and find
Elisha
so he could be healed. The King
agreed and sent a letter to the King
of
Israel asking him to cure his
servant, Naaman.
The King of Israel was furious. He
said. "Am I God, to give death or
life,
that this man sends me a man to cure
of leprosy? Just look how he is
trying
to pick a quarrel with me."
But the prophet, Elisha heard about
this and asked the King to send
Naaman
to him. So the Aramean went to
Elisha's house. The prophet sent a
messenger out to Naaman.
The message he brought was, "Go wash
in the Jordan seven times, and your
flesh shall be restored and you
shall be clean."
Well, Naaman was insulted. He
expected the prophet to come out to
him, stand
before him, call on the name of the
Lord God, wave his hand over him and
make his skin clean. This made
Naaman angry. But one of his
servants,
another Israeli prisoner, said to
Naaman, "Sir, if the prophet had
asked you
to do something difficult, would you
not have done it? Washing in the
River
Jordan is not difficult, but why not
try it to see if it works. Great
things
can sometimes be accomplished by
simple actions." So Naaman did go to
the
river, immersed himself seven times
and his flesh became like the flesh
of a
young boy and he was clean.
When Naaman returned, cured of his
leprosy we all rejoiced. I said a
special prayer of thanksgiving to
Yahweh. I learned a lesson that to
day,
too. Often, we ask God for help and
we don't think he has answered our
plea
because what he asks us to do sounds
too easy. I learned that God can
accomplish great things with our
simple acts of love and obedience.
Maranatha by Dr. Marianne Dorman
Advent, as the word suggests, begins
the Christian year. It ushers in the
greatest event of history, the
Incarnation, but before that, we are
given a
waiting time like Mary to ponder on
the kingdom of God and the second
coming
of Christ.
Yet this beautiful and bountiful
season is forgotten by so many
Christians
as they hurry themselves towards
Christmass celebrations without the
right
ingredients to enjoy its fruits to
ripeness. Instead of busying
ourselves on
the material aspects of this feast
of the Nativity, let us fill our
pantry
with spiritual gifts that will
enrich our Christmass to the brim.
The right ingredients will include
prayer, meditations on those lovely
set
readings from Isaiah, examination of
our lives, and an earnest want to
welcome the Christ-Child into our
lives once more. One of the ways we
can do
this as a family or friends or
congregation is to gather around the
Adventkrans (Advent wreath).*
As we gather together or even alone,
the first act is to remember that
God
is with us, and to pray that He will
make our souls thirst for the coming
of
the Lord, i.e. Maranatha. This can
be followed by a hymn. Some of the loveliest hymns are written with an
Advent message. Those wonderful
readings
for this season from Isaiah provide
some of the best meditations. 2.1-5
--
"let us go up to the mountain of the
Lord"; 4.2-6 -- "for his glory will
be a
canopy over all"; 11.1-10 -- "the
land will be filled with the
knowledge of
the Lord"; 25.6-10 -- "the Lord of
Hosts will prepare a banquet"; 26.
1-6 --
"Trust you in the Lord for ever";
29.17-24 -- "they who err in spirit
shall
come to understanding"; 30. 19-26 --
"this is the way; follow it"; are
the
set readings for the first week in
Advent and will get you started and
into
the Advent spirit. After a time of
reflection, spontaneous prayer is
helpful
where all petitions are gathered
together in the Lord's Prayer.
Sometimes prayer in the form of a
litany can be substituted. We can
make up
our own or this one that I have put together as suitable for Advent.
Litany for Advent
The response is- Come, Lord Jesus!
(Revelation 22:20)
In the times when we find it hard to
pray, R.
In the times when we struggle to
think of you, dear Lord, R.
In the times when we are too
occupied by busyness, R.
In the times when we act so
unlovingly, R.
In the times when we find it hard to
forgive, R.
In the times when we lack compassion
towards our neighbours, R.
In the times when we don't want to
love, R.
In the times when we do not want to
be quiet and listen to you, R.
In the times when we want only to
think of ourselves, R.
In the times when we do not want to
get involved in social issues, R.
In the times when we want to have
more material possessions, R.
In the times when we do not want to
examine our consciences, R.
In the times when we forget you on
arising, R.
In the times when we forget you on
retiring, R.
In the times when we put off living
as if this day is the last, R.
In the times when we fail to long
for you, R.
It is important to make Advent a
prayerful waiting time; even all our
preparations can be done in that
spirit in anticipating Christ's
coming.
Maranatha, and abide with us
forever.
* The origin of this wreath was in a
Rauhe Haus (an orphanage) founded by
Pastor Johann Hinrich Wichern
outside Hamburg in 1833. He knew
only too well
that not only the body had to be
clothed and fed but also the soul.
So for
Advent Sunday in 1838 he hung a
massive wheel from the ceiling of
the
meeting room of the Rauhe Haus to
which he had attached twenty-three
candles
for the days of Advent (a season
added to the calendar by Gregory the
Great), nineteen small coloured ones
and four large white ones for
Sundays.
Pastor Wichern in his diary
described how he used the
Adventkrans to
illustrate his daily talks about the
coming of Christ. From this grew the
popular German custom of the kerzenandacht (candle-meditation),
and
eventually this Lutheran custom in
Northern Germany spread to Catholic
Bavaria and over the Alps into
Austria. By the mid twentieth
century the
Adventkrans was widespread
throughout both Catholic and
Protestant
countries, not with twenty three
candles but four white ones for each
Sunday
in Advent and one coloured one, a
large rose one to herald the Child
of the
mystic Rose on Christmass Day.
Oh! What a Beautiful Eveningby Lynda Anderson
Thursday, October 23, was a fun
filled evening with a very serious
purpose. Let's talk about the fun part
first...Over my adult life I've
hosted dinners
for 4 and 8 and as many as 20. But
never have I attempted a dinner for
90!
It turned out to be easier and more
fun than I ever could have imagined.
For
one thing, I really didn't do it
alone.
At 9:00 a.m. sharp on the day of the
do, Jack Woods, Jan Mulder, Ken
Anderson and Darcey James were
standing at attention ready to
receive orders
in the undercroft. By 11:00 a.m. the
room was arranged, the tables were
set
(4 hours ahead of schedule) and we
were all having a cup of coffee.
Very
shortly, our flower lady, Trudy
Campbell, arrived to decorate the
tables.
They were delightful with a
sprinkling of fall leaves and
colorful bud vases
filled with fall flowers. Thank you,
Trudy! At 3:00 p.m. the barbecue
wagon
appeared at the back door. "The
Casual Gourmet" had been contracted
to
prepare the entrée for the dinner.
Under the supervision of Dick James,
the
"CG" produced some wonderful ribs
and chicken to go with the rest of
our
dinner of baked beans, green bean
casserole, coleslaw, and rolls. Dick
James
made the fabulous coleslaw and
helped things stay on track while I
took a
vacation just prior to the dinner
(Thanks Dick!). Before long the
apple
crisps started marching through the
door along with the EATERS! Ray and
Phyllis Haman provided the wine as
well as the Strassers; Dan, the
bartender
and clean-up man, and his wife,
Becky, who helped in the kitchen
getting things
ready and clean up after. This is a
wonderful gift to all of the rest of
us
who then can enjoy the evening. That
was the dinner part!
To everyone's delight we were
entertained, and I mean really
entertained by
our very own. Thomas (Whit) White
played a lovely piece on the piano,
Frances Maxwell recounted with great
humor the origins of her talent and
treasures and Rachel Taber-Hamilton
told us the story of "Rindercella
and
Her Sisty Uglers" in a very
undeaconlike manner and I'm sure to
her father's
chagrin. To our great surprise, St.
Francis came in from the columbarium
(or
could that have been Kevin Sandri?)
to have a discussion about modern
customs with God, who sounded a good
deal like Cleveland Riley. And
finally, Susan Sandri serenaded us
with her version "Oh How I Love
Sunday
Morning" to the tune of "Oh What a
Beautiful Morning" using her own
clever
words as we joined in the chorus.
Sue Idso expertly accompanied her on
the
piano.
This frivolity was followed by a
solemn service of Compline where our
pledges of time and treasure were
placed upon the altar as our
commitment to
the work and service of the Lord.
It was a wonderful evening of fun, fellowship and community. I want to
thank everyone who was there for attending
and sharing. A big THANKS to all who
helped or offered and weren‚t
needed. And to Elaine Ludke for her
great
notes from past years, A BIG HUG!
By the end of the night, my feet
hurt but my heart was full, so I
hardly noticed.
Parish Dinner SongFrom Susan Sandri
Multiple folks in attendance at the
Parish Dinner in October have asked
us
to publish the lyrics of the song
Sue Idso and I performed that night.
Thanks for asking!
Oh, How I Love Sunday Morning!
To the tune of Oh, What a Beautiful
Morning from "Oklahoma!"
(new lyrics by Susan Sandri, Sue &
Marv Idso)
I hear Cleveland and friends in the
choir loft
I smell coffee a'brewin‚ in the
undercroft
Pine needles are stuck to my tires
and heels
And my heart starts a'racin‚ when
the service bell peels...
Oh, how I love Sunday morning
Even the parking space search
Look! There is Jack with my name
tag...
Thank God I belong to this church!
The choir is queued at the back door
The Benway brood crawls up the aisle
floor
The usual gang's in their usual pews
Who's giving the sermon? Will we
learn much? Or snooze?
Oh, how I love Sunday morning
Even the parking space search
Look! There is Jack with my name
tag...
Thank God I belong to this church!
Of the sounds of our church: God's
and man-made
Laughter, storm-bursts, and accents,
and hearing aids
(use drawl) I love it when Frances
reads from the Good Book
But I love it even more when she's
signed up as cook!
Oh, How I love Sunday morning
In-the-Woods I've found my perch
See! Jack knows which is my name
tag...
Thank God! I belong to this church!
On Palm Sunday a donkey is brayin‚
On St. Francis Day all tails are
waggin‚
At the Rack Sale my husband's
dressed up like a girl...
On Christmas and Easter the incense
does swirl
Oh, How I love Sunday morning
In-the-Woods I've found my perch
See! Jack knows which is my name
tag...
Thank God! I belong to this church!
Thank God WE belong to THIS
church!!!!!
Directory Changes
Barbara Moss
4996 S Wheel Drive
Langley, WA 98260
360/221-8771
Book Review
by Isabel Neddow
ADVENT - a coming; a preparation.
Barbara Cawthorne Crafton has
written a small book of meditations for Advent
and Christmas, "Let Every Heart
Prepare". (240 CRA). The daily
essays are a wonderful rebuttal to
the commercial bombardment throughout
the Christmas season.
"Keeping The Church Year" (263 POR)
by H. Boone Porter addresses Advent
liturgy and hymns which focus on the expectation of this season. His
essay
on Advent as the evening of the year
is especially worth reading.
Madeline L'Engle's "The Irrational
Season" (242 LEN) is one of the few
books
in the library in LARGE PRINT. She
too is aware of the darkness and
promise
of this season.
Each of these is on the cart in the
St. Augustine library.
Many thanks to Elaine Ludtke and Claire Vandergrift for their work on the
revision on the Altar Guild Manual, a detailed and time-consuming task.
Well done and thank you.
Vestry Highlights
by Claree Vandegrift
Continuing needs: there has been no response to the position of Christian Education Director; a coordinator for Fourth Friday Fun Nights is sought.
A Holiday Bake Sale to benefit St. M & M's will be held after both services on December 14th.
A reminder from the Jr. Warden: the last person to leave an event be sure the side doors and undercroft doors
are locked, the heat in the Nave and Undercroft is set to 60 degrees, and an empty carafe is in place under
the coffeemaker reservoir.
|
2 |
|
Suzanne Fageol |
|
4 |
|
Shirley Erb |
|
7 |
|
Cleveland Riley |
|
7 |
|
Colin Scott |
|
10 |
|
Marie Bennett |
|
11 |
|
William Smith
|
|
12 |
|
Bob
Waters |
|
18 |
|
Fred Ludtke |
|
18 |
|
Haley McConnaughey
|
|
22 |
|
Elaine Ludtke |
|
28 |
|
Michelle Hightower
|
|
30 |
|
Hannah McConnaughey |
|
15 |
|
Peggy and Bill Loyd |
|
22 |
|
Nancy Ruff and Bill
Carruthers |
|
28 |
|
Marcia and Walk
Siring |
If your birthday or
anniversary has been left
out it might be because the
parish office does not have
this information. Please
call Rachel to
check. |
