Commitment

Reverence

Reconciliation

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.

Upcoming at St. Augustine's

Blessed Are the Peace Makers

St. Augustine’s will again host the fourth annual South Whidbey commemoration of the life and nonviolent witness of Martin Luther King, Jr. The event is slated for 1 p.m. on Monday, January 19^th — the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

Titled "Blessed be the Peace Makers," the event which is one in a regular series sponsored by St. Augustine's Episcopal Peace Fellowship, will be preceded by a complimentary sandwich lunch beginning at noon, to which all attendees are invited. Vegetables, fruit, cookies and beverages will also be available, provided by members of St. Augustine's Episcopal Peace Fellowship.

Featured speaker for the program will be Bishop Greg Rickel. This year's event will focus on Dr. King's call for economic justice. Readings of excerpts from Dr. King's speeches and letters of civil rights volunteers will be interspersed with a narration describing the Poor People's Campaign and the issue of economic injustice. The readings will be presented St. Augustine's Episcopal Peace Fellowship members. The service will end with a comparison between the "Moses generation" represented by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the 1960's Movement activists and the "Joshua" generation symbolized by Barack Obama's election as President of the United States.

Childcare will be provided. Families and youth are encouraged to attend.

Pictures of last year's event are here.

Adult Forum Schedule -­ January

The Adult Christian Education program for the New Year will continue our theme of varied and enlightening forums that will hopefully resonate with each of you. This month we will feature guest speakers, health education and environmental briefings, and a continuation of our fascinating series on "An Archeological Search for Jesus." Specific dates, subject matter, and forum presenters/hosts are as indicated below:

11 January ­ "An Archeological Search for Jesus, Part 2 ­ Galilee & Fishing." In Part 2 of the series, host Hershel Shanks takes us to different sites around the Sea of Galilee visit that speak to us about Jesus¹ life and the lives of his fishermen disciples. This VHS pays a virtual visit to a house in Capernaum believed by some to be the home of St. Peter. It explores an ancient church at Kursi and allows us to witness the on going excavations at Bethsaida, an ancient fishing community that was the home of several of Jesus¹ apostles. We will also be treated to the story of the remarkable discovery and conservation of a first century boat, buried in the mud for two millennia, which sailed on the lake in Jesus time. Ted Brookes presents.

18 January - "Emergency Preparedness & You." Terry Clark, Coordinator for the Medical Reserve Corps of Island County will give us an informative Power Point presentation on Emergency Preparedness and Continuity of Operations. The first part is titled "Are you Ready?" and follows FEMA literature that will be made available to everyone as well as additional information that has been prepared by the American Red Cross for disaster preparation. This presentation will discuss the types of disasters that we may face on Whidbey Island, how to prepare for them, how to be ready for self and family, and what help we may expect in a post disaster recovery phase. Part 2 discusses Continuity of Operations planning. This should be part of the church operations plan and something the congregation should reflect on every day. The plan will assists the church to withstand and recover quicker from any disaster or event that inhibits our ability to perform day to day tasks. Ted Brookes hosts.

25 January - "Caring for Creation through Legislation." What will the Legislature in Olympia do in 2009 to care for our state's natural resources? Why should we care? During this adult forum, Elizabeth Davis, Natural Resources Chair, League of Women Voters of Washington and League representative for the Environmental Priorities Coalition, and member of the parish Greening Congregation Committee, will discuss next year's four environmental legislative priorities and what you can do to advocate caring for God's creation. These legislative priorities touch on the most important issues we are facing as caretakers of Planet Earth. They include clean water, global warming, low energy efficiency, and alternative transportation systems. Ted Brookes hosts.

New Resources for Older Adults

New resource materials for helping older adults live independently are now available in the St. Augustine's library. "A Family Caregiver's Handbook" and a pamphlet on "What To Do When a Death Occurs" can be checked out of the library. Right now we have only one copy of each of these publications but additional copies are on order.

Greening Mission Statement

The Parish Greening Committee has quilted together and the Vestry has approved the following Greening Mission Statement:

"As members of the Body of Christ we acknowledge and embrace the divine call to be steward's of God's creation. It is our sacred responsibility to respect, preserve, and protect all living things on this fragile Earth, our island home."

This statement is the first step on our journey to becoming a designated Greening Congregation and forging a meaningful, lasting partnership with Earth Ministry.

More news and information from the Greening Committee is here.

Save Those Summer Clothes - and Winter Ones Too

It has been decided that the ECWs 2009 Rack Sale will take place on Saturday, February 28^th. Thank you for gathering good wearable items for this event. It may be titled "The Rack: but we hope it will be truly "en vogue" this time! Pandora is busy organizing the event.

The New Deer in the Columbarium Garden

The newest addition to the Columbarium garden is a serene and contemplative doe commissioned in memory of David Ruff by his family and friends and crafted by Clinton sculptor Georgia Gerber to rest at the head of the woodlands meditative trail.

One special feature of the deer is a shelf in her hip which holds a container with a portion of Ruff's ashes.  The deer honors both his life and Ruff's contribution of the folk art Stations of the Cross designed and hand-crafted for the Nave.  Ruff only visited St. Augustine's once, but his presence will live on through his contribution of the Stations and his ashes inurned in the deer.

Trash and Treasure Sale

The annual Trash and Treasure sale was again a great success. We raised more than $5000 which will be used to support our outreach programs on South Whidbey Island. Pictures of the event are here.

The Blessing of the Animals

Our annual service of The Blessing of the Animals was held on October 5 in conjunction with the celebration of the Feast Day of St. Francis. More pictures are here.

Holy Land Pilgrimage

From September 9 to September 22, 29 Episcopalian Christians from Whidbey Island, Camano Island, Bellevue and the Olympic Peninsula - all in western Washington State - made the journey of a lifetime to the Holy Land. Nigel led this pilgrimage. The web log recording their adventures is here.

Sabbatical Material

A summary of the conclusions of the second workshop, "Living into the 8^th 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.