The St. PeterÕs
EPISTLE
August 2007
The Monthly Newsletter of St. PeterÕs Episcopal Church in
Ashtabula, Ohio
Penguins & Prayer Books
IÕm back from Summer Camp. I love praying with the
kids, listening to the kids, watching the kids, and talking to the kids. Each
year I am more vividly aware of how OLD I am, given what they know. This year,
1970 was referred to as Òa long time ago.Ó Someone showed me the wonders of
text messaging on a keyboard far smaller than a deck of cards. I remember when
phones were only mobile if you were up to carrying a bowling ball, and enhanced
text messaging meant your typewriter plugged into the wall! One of the college
students, a senior staff member, talked about the advantages of jewelry in
unexpected places, and how it is interpreted by her peers and mine. I liked her
especially already; so, now I see things differently.
One
rainy morning I watched Jumanji
with a group of kids including one young man who answers to the name. I told
him I wanted to figure him out, and I didnÕt, but I grew to like him even more.
I saw by the smile in his eyes that he felt complimented by my interpretations.
Even way back in 1970, appreciative attention was like gold no matter how much
history you already lived through.
I
met the Penguin song again. I think there would be hope for the church if all
of those who dressed like penguins (ever) were required to present this song to
the next diocesan convention (anywhere). We might remind ourselves then and
everyone else at the same time that Jesus is the Chief Penguin. He is the only
one worth copying. He is worth copying, though you feel a little uncomfortable
sometimes or way out of your depth. Anything else is a song not worth singing.
Penguin sorts tend to get wrapped up in their own importance or intelligence if
they donÕt watch carefully and keep singing. In company with the Chief, they
laugh a lot. They know that when they turn in circles, they sometimes fall
down. But, they are still in the game.
When
the Prayer Book arrived, commissioned by Henry VIII, some said they felt like
they were trapped in a childrenÕs game. The Holy Mysteries were somehow not so
impressive in the language they used for everything else. When HenryÕs daughter
Mary reestablished the Mass in Latin, others said the opposite. ItÕs not real
anymore because we canÕt understand it.
Thanks
to Elizabeth, we celebrate together every Sunday in a language we understand in
one version of it or another. During the summer when we have only one service,
we use the more contemporary version, almost exclusively. Many in the
congregation miss the other a great deal, not only the cadence of the language
but the underlying assumptions about who and where God is, and why we gather to
worship at all. Those who have gone before have something to teach us.
So,
from Sunday, August 12 through Sunday, September 2, we will be using the Rite I
service at 9 oÕclock, with some explanations to help those to whom it is
unfamiliar. Be patient. Watch the Chief Penguin. (It isnÕt me.) Stay with the
dance, and see if you donÕt see some things more clearly because of it. WeÕll
have coffee or something afterwards; so you can talk.
In
the beginning, thereÕs the same prayer that is always our starting point. DonÕt
worry if you donÕt get all the responses right after that. Bow your heads when
you hear those familiar words, ÒAlmighty God, to you all hearts are openÉÓ and
offer yours lovingly. Attend appreciatively to the one for whom a thousand
years is as an evening past, and let the Holy Spirit do his work among us.
MBJ+
2007
WhatÕs
HappeninÕ in August?...
1-8
– Mother Barbara on vacation
12- Loose offering to RectorÕs
Discretionary fund
15- St. Elizabeth Guild, 12:00 noon
19- Deadline for Epistle news
Paper
goods for Salvation Army
And this
note: PeteÕs Players will be
rehearsing in the park 1-4 p.m. Monday- Friday through August 16, with
performances August 17 – 25.
FYIÉ
Better late than never!...
~ Musicians Excel ~
Two of our
high school musicians attended regional and state instrumental competitions
April 27,28.
Performance
scores at regional contests determine if a band may advance to the state level.
Micah
Shaffer, a ninth grader, plays baritone for the Jefferson High School
band. JHS
received a 1 at Regional
and 2 at
State. Micah was pleased
with both
ratings and enjoys traveling to perform.
Martha
Hazeltine, a tenth grader at Edgewood Senior High School, plays euphonium in
the symphonic band and baritone in marching season. ESHS also received a 1 at
Regional and a 2 at State. Martha was happy with their ratings. She enjoys the
friendships sheÕs made in band and the challenge her music presents.
Congratulations,
Micah and Martha!
~ Thank a Teacher ~
Many thanks
are extended to our Sunday School teachers, who faithfully teach and share the
Good News each week with their students. Teachers for this year have been Eric
Johnson- Godly Play, Diane Podgorny – middle grades, Pat Van Allen
– Jr. & Sr. High, Mother Barbara – adults and Liz Lago –
substitute.
Teachers
and students will have a vacation from formal classes through the summer and
resume classes in September.
Have a
safe and happy summer and keep reading your Bibles!
Volunteers neededÉ
McKinsey
School is in need of volunteers to help with their library program during the
school day. Parishioner Chris Dickey is seeking folks 18 years old, or older,
to assist at the school. If you can give 30 minutes or an hour a week, please
give Mrs. Dickey a call at 998 – 2650 or talk to her at church.
~ Roger Smith ~
A
Smile (or a groan) for TodayÉ
A thief in
Paris planned to steal some paintings from the Louvre. After
careful
planning, he got past security,
stole the
paintings and made it safely
to his
van. However, he was captured only two blocks away when his van ran out of gas.
When asked
how he could master-
mind such
a crime and then make such an obvious error, he replied,
ÒMonsieur,that
is the reason I stole the paintings. I had no Monet to buy Degas to make the
Van Gogh.Ó
You might
have thought I didnÕt have DeGaulle to put this in the EpistleÉ but, I
didnÕt have anything Toulouse.
Will
You Be a Link?...
As you
probably know, we have lost some of the members of our Prayer Chain.
If anyone
(you?) is interested in becoming a member of this most vital link to God please
contact Linda Doxsie
At
964-3171.
Also, if
you have any prayer requests please let her know.
Linda
says, ÒI will call each head of each prayer chain and the head will call the
members on each chain.
We all
know that prayer helps a great deal. It is a very important part of the
ministry at St. Peter Church. The prayer list every Sunday is very long.
Thank
you.Ó
~ plea
submitted by Linda Doxsie ~
From
the TreasurerÉ
The first
half of the year has gone along very well in regards to the finances of the St.
Peter Episcopal Church. The first half pledge statements were sent out on July
10th. If you have any questions please contact the Church office or
David Huyck (224-1519). I would like to thank everyone for their giving.
Pledges
are right on target and thanks to the bake sale, a large contribution to the
Church and other donations, we have a surplus to start the second half of the
year. The only negative I see at this time is we are still not paying our
Diocesan Assessment.
I would
like to thank Lois for her work with the accounting and the members
of St. PeterÕs for their cooperation.
~ David R. Huyck, treasurer ~
Thanks
to our Armed ForcesÉ
In
progress now is a collection of goods for our Service men and women.
Karen
Flack says she will have a box in the Narthex in which to put said goods. Also
there will be a list of suggested items.
If you
would rather give money, sheÕd be more than happy to shop for you.
Contact
her at 964-6957.
Feel free
to include cards or letters. They will bring a smile to a soldier far away.
Just a few
of the suggestions are:
lip balm
w/sunscreen; single serve coffee & sugar packets; CDs- any & all;
magazines; wet naps; Irish Spring bar soap; sports bars that will not melt;
gum; grooming articles.
If your
pennies are few, but youÕd still like to contribute, try this:
ÒLord,
hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless
them for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this
in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.Ó
A
letter of ThanksÉ
Mother
Barbara & congregation,
Thank you
so much for your generous gift of $200. It was a blessing to be with all of you
and an honor to share with you what God is doing in our Òneck of the woodsÓ in
Africa.
WeÕll use
the money in our ministry. There are so many needs, construction projects,
books for children who have none, or school supplies for village kids. We donÕt
know, at this point, which is a priority. Thank you again for your generosity.
May God
richly bless you all as you spread His love in Ashtabula.
Blessings,
Scott, Jenny, Sarah, Josh, Sean an Madeline.
~ Jan
GreenÕs daughter & family ~
Addition
to your New DirectoryÉ
Howard
& Carol Rigdon
5407 State
Rte. 45
P.O. Box
74
Rome OH
44085
And, a new
telephone # for
John and Lisa Schaefer:
440-858-2465.
And,
speaking of the Directory, if you donÕt have yours yet they are in the Narthex
for now. For more info, call the office at 992-8100.
Centennial
Gala CelebrationÉ
Trinity
Cathedral is turning 100!
The
celebration will be on Saturday, September 15, 2007 in the form of a gala
dinner and auction. Funds raised will aid in the preservation and operation of
this important historic building – the home of the Diocese of Ohio- and
now a nexus for ClevelandÕs urban renewal and community empowered initiatives.
You may
help wish ÒHappy BirthdayÓ, celebrate the past, present and future of this
landmark. Tickets are available for $250 per person, or you might consider a
sponsorship package. Sought are tax-deductible donations of items or goods and
services for the silent and live auctions.
For
tickets or more information, contact Helen Day, Event Chair, at
(216)771-3630,
ext. 489 or email at:
ItÕs Coming !!!!...
Start-up
Sunday will be September 9th, and all will be back to our form of
natural ( both Eucharist Services will resume).
Breakfast
will resume at 9:00 a.m. between the services; the Choir will be singing;
Sunday School registration will take place.
Special
refreshments will follow the 10:00 a.m. Eucharist.
Hope to
see you there!
A Question & an
AnswerÉ
Q.: What
does it mean to pray Òin JesusÕ name?Ó Springfield, Va.
A.: When
we pray Òin JesusÕ name,Ó we speak as Jesus would speak and ask the Father to
receive us as he would receive his own Son. But the English Òin the name ofÓ
carries little of the weight of the biblical identification of the name with
the person. At a deeper level, therefore, to invoke the name of Jesus is to
call Jesus to our side, to lean on him, to submit to him, to trust and follow
him.
~ from
Odyssey, the newsletter of Forward Movement ~
Which type
are you?É
Types
of churchgoers:
Pillars:
worship regularly,
giving time
and money.
Supporter:
give time and
money if
they like the Rector, the Senior
Warden, the Vestry and the
Treasurer.
Leaners: use the church for funerals,
baptisms,
and marriages only.
Working
leaners: work, but
do not
give money.
Annuals
or Easter Birds: dress
up,
look
serious, and go to church
on Easter.
Hypocrites:
Leaners who say
they
are better
than pillars.
A Wish for youÉ
My
daughter, Susan, shared this with me; IÕd like to share it with you.
Recently I
overheard a mother and daughter in their last moment together at the airport.
They had announced the departure.
Standing
near the security gate they hugged and the mother said, ÒI love you and I wish
you enough.Ó
The
daughter replied, ÒMom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love
is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom.Ó
They
kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was
seated. Standing there I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to
intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, ÒDid you ever way
good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?Ó
ÒWhen you
were saying good-bye, I heard you say, ÔI wish you enough.Õ May I ask what that
means?Ó
She began
to smile. ÒThatÕs a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My
parents used to say it to everyone.Ó
She paused
a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled
even more. ÒWhen we said, ÔI wish you enough,Õ we were wanting the other person
to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.Ó Then,
turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from
memory:
I wish you
enough sun to keep your attitude bright, no matter how gray the day may appear.
I wish you
enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you
enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I wish you
enough pain so that even the smallest joys in life may appear bigger.
I wish you
enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you
enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.
She then
began to cry and walked away.
They say
it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day
to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.
And, my
St. Peter family, I wish you all enough.
