Grains of Sand. Calendar

Transcription

1 Grains of Sand You can find many Advent calendars for sale on line. There is even an Advent Cheese calendar! But the best part of Advent isn t more, it is the gift of simple hope, of watching and waiting: Speak, O God, your Word among us. Barren lives your presence fill. Swell our hearts with songs of gladness, terrors calm forebodings still. Let your promised realm of justice blossom now throughout the earth; your dominion bring now near us; we await the saving birth. Dean W. Nelson Calendar FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT Dec 2 5 pm Saturday Eucharist Dec 3 9:45 Sunday Eucharist 2 pm Aftenro Worship Dec 6 5:30-7:30 pm WEDNESDAY Advent supper, Joy of Discipleship, compline 1

2 SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT Dec 9 5 pm Saturday Eucharist Dec 10 9:45 Sunday Eucharist St. Nicholas, CHUM sandwiches, Christmas caroling in homes, following the service Dec 13 5:30-7:30 pm WEDNESDAY Advent supper, Joy of Discipleship, compline THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT Dec 16 5 pm Saturday Eucharist Dec 17 9:45 Sunday Eucharist, BC meeting Dec 20 5:30-7:30 pm WEDNESDAY Advent supper, Joy of Discipleship, compline FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT Dec 24 9:45 am Sunday Morning Prayer, ADVENT CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION Dec 24 4 pm Carols 4:30 Christmas Eve Holy Eucharist 10 pm Christmas Eve Holy Eucharist Dec 31 9:45 am Eucharist, come as you are Note - no Saturday services on Dec 23 and Dec 30 Entering into THE JOY OF DISCIPLESHIP our Advent invitation, and a book by Pope Frances. We will be learning about JOY and being people on the Way. For anyone who wants what Pope Francis has an active, abiding, authentic love for Jesus Christ, for the Church, and for the people of this world. Wednesday nights Soup Supper, Discussion, Compline 5:30-7:30 pm, Dec 6, 13, 20 Continues on page 3 2

3 We welcome Sister Pauline Mieke who will be leading these session. She is with the Center for Spirituality and Enrichment (Benedictines of St. Scholastica), and is an extraordinarily gifted teacher! She earned her Master s in Theology degree from St. John s University in Collegeville. She has been a Spiritual Director since 2008, and has served as a counselor for Addiction/Recovery Treatment Groups and Initial Assessment for nine years. Sister Pauline has experience leading retreats for individuals, groups, clergy, campus ministry, Parish and Diocesan staff, Parish retreats and more. In addition, she works with addiction recovery. Would you like a book? It is not necessary, but if you would like your own copy, they will be available at Church for $10 each. Sign-up to attend, bring soup or bread and buy a copy of the book. Marta+ Reader s Choice Book Club Meeting December 1 If you plan on giving books for Christmas, come to our Friday, December 1 book club meeting for some great gift giving titles. We will meet at the Lyric, at noon. If you would like $5 off your meal that day, check out the Lyric Loyalty Program. If you sign up you will get $5 off of your meal on Friday. It is good for one week only. Go to the Lyric website, click on Specials and scroll down to the bottom of the page. lyrickitchenbar.com Submitted by Sandy Carlson Berger Annual Advent Luncheon December 15 The Berger's Advent Lunch is fast approaching! We hope to see you on Friday, December 15, at noon. Please bring nothing but an appetite and maybe a voice for singing (for those who wish to). We will, however, welcome donations for the food shelf! PLEASE sign-up on the sheet on the entry table to give us an idea of numbers and to allow you to coordinate rides! Submitted by Ginny Berger 3

4 Calling All Bakers And Gift Donators! December 17 Hello All, greetings! It is that time of year again I love Christmas! Can you imagine what it would be like without giving being such a major part of it? If you are looking for a unique way to celebrate Christmas, I would like to encourage you to really step back and try to become joyful about your giving. We have the opportunity to let the gifts we purchase be an obligatory purchase or we can choose to give a gift. I think this was what Paul was talking about when he said, Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. I would like to invite you to be a cheerful giver this season by: Baking bars, cookies or any kind of treats for the Annual Arrowhead Juvenile Center (AJC) Chaplaincy Christmas Celebration. The Center houses 48 kids at capacity with an average population of Donating Christmas gifts for the kids (unwrapped) suggested gift items are below: Socks, toothpaste, deodorant, chap stick Board games, playing cards, puzzles Basketballs, footballs, ping pong paddles Markers, colored pencils, coloring books, yarn (to crochet), craft supplies Books Lotion, body wash Bible tabs (I added this one!) I can only imagine how difficult and lonesome it may be to be locked up as a juvenile over the Holidays. Please bake and package treats containing peanuts and peanut butter separately. The Annual Christmas Celebration is on Tuesday, December 19, If you are able to, you could bring any donations you wish to give to Church on any Sunday through December 17. Any questions, please contact Brian Lundberg (AJC Chaplain) at or bllund@msn.com. In God s Grace and Peace! Brian 4

5 December 2017 The Episcopal Mission of St. Andrew s by the Lake Creative Hands We will not have a Creative Hands meeting in December. The meetings will resume on Saturday, January 27, Submitted by Sandy Carlson November 18 Creative Hands Meeting In attendance: Mary, Ginny, Melissa, Mike, Sharon, Nancy, Kris, Marta, Karen, Liz and her friend, Lisa. Ladies Night Out December 28 We will get together for dinner on Thursday, December 28, at 6 pm at the Blackwoods Restaurant, 2525 London Road, Duluth. If you want to join us please contact Elena at or eknezevich@hotmail.com. Photo by Ellie Alspach at Cloud 9 Bistro on November 16, 2017 Into the Land of Light and Joy Beverly Ann Mimm passed into the land of light and joy on Friday, November 17, She was 81 years old. Her funeral service was held at St. Andrew s on Tuesday, November 21, Bev was a member of our church community for over 10 years, faithfully serving as an usher, greeter and folder of the Sunday bulletin. Bev rarely missed a Sunday service until her move to an assisted living home. Bev will be fondly remembered for her faithful attendance with granddaughter Maddy, and her love of bling. Give rest, O Christ, to your servant with the saints, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing but life everlasting. 5

6 Change of Address Fern Penick has moved to 4111 East Superior Street, Duluth, MN Please update your paper copy of the Church Directory. Your mobile devices have been updated. Share the Love CHUM Concert Update "Thank you" to everyone who took part in our 2017 Share the Love CHUMConcert! We raised over $1400 to use toward our CHUM bag lunch program and other projects to benefit others. Much thanks to all the wonderful bakers, those who helped with the set-up and clean-up and those who came to hear the great music from the Bastian s. You made the event the success that it was. A special thanks to Jan Peterson and Margaret Handley for once again sponsoring the music, so that all proceeds could go for CHUM food and lunches. We hope that you all enjoyed the event and know how much we appreciate your participation. Submitted by Ginny Berger Photos by Ginny Berger 6

7 Bishop s Committee This month s Bishop s Committee was held on November 17, The Committee opened with a reading and reflection of Matthew 25: and personal sharing. The October minutes were accepted, and the treasurer s report showed that we are still slightly ahead of budget in income, and slightly behind the budget in expenses going into the final months of the year. After updating the calendar through the end of the year, Marta explained that we need to schedule a back-flow inspection, which is different from the sump pump inspection that was recently completed. Dave updated us on the landscape project, which unfortunately requires more complex permitting than expected. A Concurrent Use permit to pave the parking lot requires city council approval, so we are talking to the City Planner about working with the Parks Department to determine if we can go through a different permitting process to have the work completed. The plan is to get the permitting done over the winter so we can begin work on the parking lot in the spring. We are still waiting on a second bid for the front landscaping work. New business began with the Compensation Committee s recommendation of a 3% increase in our Vicar s salary based on her recent promotion and the wonderful work she has been doing at St. Andrew s, while also bearing in mind ECMN policy and St. Andrew s budgetary considerations. The Bishop s Committee unanimously approved the recommendation. The Committee agreed that we should move our website to a secure format, which will cost about $120 per year, but is necessary to keep our information secure. Christmas caroling for shut-ins will take place on December 10 after CHUM sandwiches are done. It was decided that our Annual Meeting will be held on January 28, Submitted by Karen Nichols, Senior Warden The Monday morning book study group, On Tyranny, will not meet in December. Instead, everyone is invited to the Wednesday evening book study, The Joy of Discipleship, see the article on page 2. We will resume our Monday meeting, focusing on chapters 12-14, on January 8,

8 Stewardship at St. Andrew s by the Lake The Episcopal Church defines Christian stewardship as: The grateful and responsible use of God's gifts in the light of God's purpose as revealed in Jesus Christ. Christian stewards, empowered by the Holy Spirit, commit themselves to conscious, purposeful decisions. This is the time of year where we ask ourselves at St. Andrew s to reflect and pray about what we are able to give to the church in terms of our time, talent and treasure. It is a time where we consider what St. Andrew s means to us, and how we live out our Christian stewardship as individuals and as a congregation. The survey we sent out asked for your thoughts on what you can give of your time and talent over the next year, and now we are asking you to prayerfully consider your contribution of treasure to St. Andrew s. Your pledge is a tangible expression of the importance of St. Andrew s Episcopal church in your life, and allows for us to further God s work in our church and community. By completing and returning your pledge form, St. Andrew s is able to create an operating budget based on the total amount of income we expect to receive the next year. The budget is the foundation for planning the future year s events, including paying the cost of our Vicar. If the amounts pledged do not cover the projected expenses of the church, then the expenses must be reduced. Reducing expenses means that outreach, education and other important programs might need to be cut. You may ask, Does my pledge really matter? The answer is Yes! Every pledge makes a difference, regardless of the amount. Jesus asked for total giving, sacrificial giving, he gave up everything, even his life. Thankfully, the Church does not ask for such a sacrifice. You keep what you need. But you are asked to give God a gift from your heart, a symbol of your close relationship with God. When you consider how much to give, think about what the church means to you and the importance of St. Andrew s in your life. Please prayerfully consider increasing your pledge for 2018 if you are able, to ensure the programs and activities important to our community may continue. Continues on page 9 8

9 We ask that you return your pledge form by December 10, 2017, our ingathering, so we have time to develop next year s budget before the Annual Meeting. You can place your form in the collection plate at any time. St. Andrew s can thrive if we give generously of our time, talent and treasure! "Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7) Mackay and Potter Stained Glass Windows These three windows are in memory of the Mackay and Potter families. In 1918, James and Mabel Mackay moved to Park Point, Duluth, Minnesota, and lived at 4050 Minnesota Avenue. They were immigrants, Mabel from England, and James from Scotland. They had three children, Margaret, James and Norman. Mabel was instrumental in helping St. Andrew s by the Lake to flourish in those early years. She served on the Women s Guild, helped with church accounting, cleaning, Altar Guild and the many fund raising dinners and events. Early on, it was said the women of the church were the ones that kept it afloat. Her distinctive, beautiful handwriting can still be seen in old record books. Both she and James are buried in the Scottish section of Forest Hill Cemetery in Duluth. 9

10 The three windows were designed with the family s Scottish heritage in mind. The middle window features a Celtic cross, which has a circle intersecting around the arms of the cross, and ornate designs. Inside the circle we placed a purple thistle, the national flower of Scotland. The right window has a symbol of the Trinity, representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Mackay name is highlighted on this one. The left window features St. Andrew s altar and the Potter name. The musical notes are the first part of the Scottish hymn, Amazing Grace. This is in honor of Margaret Mackay Potter, who played the organ for many years at St. Andrew s. She was married to Bruce Potter, and they had three children, Grace, Elizabeth and Bruce. James Pete," was married to Louise Adams, and they had three children, James, Thomas and Mary. Norman did not have children. All three windows have a square at the bottom. They contain the Mackay and Potter names and one contains scripture. Framing each of these squares is an actual piece of cloth, of the Mackay tartan, that the artist was able to incorporate into the window. Many of the Mackay family members have been interred in the St. Andrew s columbarium, behind the altar. Almost 100 years of love and support from the Mackay Family for St. Andrew s by the Lake! Windows designed by the Reverend Cindy Peterson-Wlosinski and the Mackay family members. Crafted by artist, Elden Lindamood. Installed in Submitted by Mary Mackay Gaidis 10

11 PEACHES AND CREAM CHEESE CAKE From Elena Knezevich (Served at the November 5, 2017 Share the Love Concert) 3/4 cup flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 (3 1/4 oz.) pkg. regular vanilla pudding 3 Tbsp. butter, softened 1 egg 1/2 cup milk Combine all ingredients in large mixer bowl. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour into greased bottom and sides of 9-inch deep dish. (You can also use an 8-inch square dish.) 1 (15 to 20 oz.) can sliced peaches Drain well and reserve 3 Tbsp. of peach juice. Arrange sliced peaches over batter. 1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup sugar 3 Tbsp. reserved peach juice Combine softened cream cheese, sugar and reserved peach juice in a small bowl. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Spoon over batter within 1 inch of edge of pan. *If desired, combine 1 Tbsp. sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, sprinkle over cream cheese filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Filling will appear soft. Store in fridge. **Elena topped the cheesecake with fresh raspberries. 11

12 2802 Minnesota Avenue, Duluth, MN Vicar: The Rev. Marta T. Maddy C: H: Office: Editor: Sandra Carlson C: Suggestions and comments are welcomed. A people on the Way to knowing, loving and serving God and neighbor. We are on Facebook and the Web. standrewsbythelake.org Haiku Challenge A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count. Often focusing on images from love to nature, haiku emphasizes simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression. This is a very simplistic definition of Haiku. There is much more information on the Internet if you care to go deeper. Here is a Haiku poem I wrote in 2005 in memory of the passing of my dear friend, Bea. Lying in her bed, arms reaching out to heaven, gathering loved ones. My challenge to you is to write a Haiku poem and send it to Sandy at saezc3@gmail.com. I will publish them, as space allows, in future issues of the Grains of Sand. Submitted by Sandy Carlson The Deadline for the January Grains of Sand Articles is Friday, December