THE. St. Nick s Annual Meeting. Together on Shrine Mountain: St. Nick s Congregation Sat, Supped, Sipped and Communed

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1 THE VOLUME 1, ISSUE 11 COMMUNICANT NOVEMBER 011 A place to belong! A place to become.! St. Nicholas Episcopal Church, The Rev. Ken Howard, Rector. Sunday Services: 9:00 am., 11:00 am., 5:00 pm. St. Nick s held its annual meeting on Sunday, October 30, 011. As is customary at St. Nick s, after the meeting was called to order, there was the opening prayer. First on the Agenda was the approval of amendments to the by-laws to provide for the increase in the size of the Vestry to a maximum of twelve (1), if necessary to accomplish its work. While all vestry appointments must be made at the annual meeting, provision was also made for additional members to be appointed on an interim basis, between annual meetings by two-thirds vote of the current vestry. The size of the Vestry now stands at nine (9). Three new members were elected at the meeting. They are Bill Carruthers, Nathan Cost, and Maura Kibbey. Rev. Howard, who chaired the meeting, gave his reflections on the past year followed by Bob McCartin, Senior St. Nick s Annual Meeting Warden who reported generally on his experience in that position over the year. Other business at the annual meeting included reports on the successes and challenges of the six ministry areas. Karin Remington, John Kraft, (continued on page 8) I n s u p p o r t o f t h e p r o j e c t i o n s, a c h a r t r e p r e s e n t i n g S t N i c k s a v e r a g e S u n d a y a t t e n d a n c e f r o m t o w a s c i r c u - l a t e d. T h e c h a r t s h o w s a t t e n - d a n c e g r o w t h o f s o m e %. Together on Shrine Mountain: St. Nick s Congregation Sat, Supped, Sipped and Communed What is the mystique about Shrine Mont that keeps some St Nick s parishioners going again and again, year after year? I wanted to find out, so I signed up to attend St. Nick s Annual Congregational Retreat October 7-9, 011. I began to be enlightened the day before departure to Shrine Mont, when I received from Sharon Barbee, Parish Administrator, an with an itinerary, facilities map, and floor plans of room assignments. For good measure she also included tips cautioning that cell phone reception was practically non -existent and that a flashlight would be helpful when moving around at nights. Arrival at Shrine Mont After Barbara Miles took us on an adventurous trip through White s Ferry and up steep, winding roads into Virginia s mountains, we arrived at Shrine Mont about 4.30pm, just in time to view our sleeping quarters and refresh ourselves before dinner. We were greeted by Donna and Frank Anderson, Janet Cassard, Terri Murphy and Phil Cushman. My first impression of Shrine Mont? rustic, adequate, expectant. Kim Irish, Charlotte Rogers, David Maglott, (continued on page 7) Inside this issue: News Briefs: Episcopal Ordination Bishop Budde to Visit St. Nick s News Briefs : Labyrinth Meeting 00 Pairs of Shoes Collected Editorial: Leadership: The Children s Page Navigating Shrine Mont s... Milestones Save the Dates Calendar December Together on Shrine Mountain 7 St. Nick s Annual Meeting... 8

2 Page THE COMMUNICANT NOVEMBER 011 Episcopal Ordination/Consecration Coming Nov. 1 - Volunteers Needed. On November 1, we will be ordaining and consecrating our new bishop, the Rev. Dr. Mariann Edgar Budde. Fr. Ken will have about 10 tickets for the vestry and himself to attend. However, if others want to be there and aren't on the Vestry, they can still go by offering themselves as volunteers. Labyrinth Meeting Sets Date for Layout Start After church on Sunday 9/3, Fr. Ken called a meeting to discuss the proposal to build a Labyrinth on St. Nick s property. The chosen spot is in front of the church, facing Darnestown Road. Fr. Ken explained to the eight persons present that the plan is to construct an 11-circuit Chartresinspired Labyrinth using specially selected, locally available bricks which will be donated by members and friends of St. Nick s. The diameter of the Labyrinth should be about the width of the church building. Karin Remington volunteered to coordinate the first phase of the construction and to draw the outline of the Labyrinth with landscape chalk. This should begin within the next two weeks. EDITORIAL: Leadership: Reflections from Robert K. Greenleaf As St. Nick s starts a new program year and elects a next generation Vestry, it may be prudent to pause and reflect on the art of leadership. Managing a church is a big responsibility and St. Nick s congregation has vested much power in its Vestry. The following quotation from Lord John Dalberg-Acton ( ), may be familiar. Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. In his Reflections from Experience, Robert K. Greenleaf, the visionary author of the servant leadership theory, in analyzing the above quotation, writes: My own experience has shown that one of the common corruptions is impairment of the imagination. So many (not all) powerwielding people seem devoid of ideas... Consider this old movie about a young man who is a clerk in the office of a coffee company. He enters a slogan contest of a rival coffee company and wins a $5,000 prize. The head of his company says sharply: You work for us. If you have ideas like this why don t you give them to us? To which the young man replies, I ve been trying for years and no one NEWS BRIEFS 00 Pairs of Shoes Collected for Appalachia In a joint effort with Darnestown Elementary School, St. Nick s teen missionaries collected some 00 pairs of shoes for the people, especially the children of Appalachia. St. Nick s teens realized the need during their mission to Appalachia this past summer. They observed that the children there walked around barefoot. The youth appealed to friends and members of St. Nick s who responded generously. Jean Goodell, member of St Nick s, ensured that the shoes were cleaned and polished and provided socks and shoe laces to go with the shoes. Stephan Triandafilou, brother of Danae Christensen, who runs the company Movement Technology, will ship the shoes free of cost to St. Timothy s in Irvine, Kentucky from which Fr. Kibler administers the Outreach Center. Bishop Budde to Visit St. Nick's Fr. Ken has announced that our new bishop will be conducting one of her early Episcopal visitations at St. Nick's on Palm Sunday 01. Ken has expressed his excitement at this news as he feels it is evidence of Bishop Budde s commitment to the vision and ministry at St. Nick's. will listen. Later Mr. Big stands and looks out the window as he soliloquizes, After all, how do I know an idea unless somebody else recognizes it? St. Nick s did well in recently holding the Big Ideas Summit, which produced some 60 ideas. It is now the job of the Vestry to sort and sift and to identify the good ideas from the bad. Greenleaf continues, Managers may be pardoned for lacking imagination required to produce ideas their role may preclude this. But they certainly should be faulted for not having the discrimination to know a good idea when they see one. That after all is what managing is all about. Congratulations to the new Vestry and may it not lack discrimination and sensitivity in its decision making and especially in identifying and pursuing good ideas. your articles by the 15th of the month to The Editors, at newsletter@saintnicks.com. We reserve the right to edit all s and letters for length, style and clarity. Thank you.

3 Page 3 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 11 The Children s Page Thanksgiving is a time when we give thanks. While it s important to give thanks for the food at the table, it is also important to express thanks for family, friends and all the other blessings in our lives. Let s think about it. What do you have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving? H A P P Y T H A N K S G I V I N G! Unscramble the letters to match the words in our Thanksgiving Anagram and draw a line to connect the match AEIMZ CKOO CNOR DEINNR AEFST AEHRSTV AHQUSS FFGINSTU GIILMPRS AHKNST AFILMY IKMNPPU cook corn dinner family feast harvest maize pilgrims pumpkin squash stuffing thanks

4 Page 4 THE COMMUNICANT NOVEMBER 011 Navigating Shrine Mont s Treasures... Angie and Nathan Cost. Several members of St. Nicholas Church gathered for some rest, relaxation, and spiritual renewal on the weekend of October 7th as part of the Annual Shrine Mont Retreat. One of the many activities planned during the retreat was a land navigation course / scavenger hunt. The navigation course provided Shrine Mont attendees with a fun and interesting way to see the beautiful grounds, ponds and wooded areas in and around Shrine Mont. The navigation course started with classroom instruction designed to familiarize all participants with the skills needed to maneuver throughout the course. The group learned basic topographical map reading techniques to include identifying terrain features, determining grid coordinates for specific locations, and establishing distances and directions between locations. The group was then familiarized with basic compass reading techniques, including how to determine a bearing (direction) and tips on remaining on course while navigating. After some quick practical exercises to provide individuals with some confidence in their abilities, the group was divided into teams and provided with grid coordinates for five locations. Each team worked together to plot the five locations on the map, determine the distance and direction between the locations, and plan its route to each point. After receiving a few final tips on land navigation techniques as well as the rules of the course, the teams were off! The land navigation course was established throughout the terrain surrounding Shrine Mont. There were a total of five points marked with orange ribbon. Trinkets were provided at each point so participants could collect an item for each point found. Although each team had a different starting point, both teams were charged with finding the same five points to ensure a fair competition. The first team to find M I L E S TO N E S all five points and return to the starting point determined the winner. The start of the course may have brought on some confused faces, but as the participants made their way from point to point, their confidence grew and so did the fun. There were many laughs to be heard along the way and the course provided an excellent environment for learning more about their team mates. In the end, there was one team that proved itself by finishing the course first. However, all were rewarded with an assortment of cheese, crackers and wine after the event, in addition to some lively merriment for the rest of the afternoon. Congratulations to the following parishioners on their wedding anniversary: Kim & Steve Irish who celebrate on 11/4 Sharon Barbee & Mark Hevey who celebrate on 11/7 Donna & Frank Anderson who celebrate on 11/8 St. Nick s at Shrine Mont, Oct Courtesy of Janet Cassard.

5 Page 5 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 11 Christianity 101, began on 9/18, 10:00-10:30am... and continues on the 3rd & 4th Sundays of the month. For those new to church, to the Episcopal faith & those who would like a refresher course covering scripture, sacraments, liturgy and vocabulary. All are welcome. Contact Terri Murphy Christmas Bazaar at St. Nick s Saturday, December 3rd, 1-4 pm Christmas Wreaths On Sale - $5.00 each Pre-Orders Requested, but not Required This will include the children s and adult s gift buying opportunities Please start setting aside your donations (include gift wraps and tags) Contact Lis Kraft, emonaco@starpower.net Breakfast Bible Study Tuesdays, 7:30am The Corner Bakery Cafe, 1980 Century Blvd, Germantown, MD 0874 All are Welcome Sunday School Summit Sunday, 11/0 after the 9:00am service. In an attempt to make Sunday School more easily accessed by all, we are considering moving the time from after the 9:00am service to during the service, with the kids coming in for Communion. Of course, we wish to poll our affected congregation before making such a shift. At the summit, we will discuss this proposed change, and the future of Sunday School. All parents of Sunday School aged children are urged to attend.

6 Page 6 THE COMMUNICANT NOVEMBER 011 For Calendar December 011

7 Together on Shrine Mountain (from page 1) Fr. Ken and Rhee Howard arrived later but in time for dinner which was served buffet style in a large dining hall, reminiscent of that of an English boarding school. St. Nick s claimed two of the more than thirty ten-foot long tables in the hall, which served the campus of several organizations retreating or camping there that weekend. After dinner, we assembled in our designated meeting room at Hall House for an ice-cream and wine social. Angie and Nathan Cost arrived in time to join us for this event. It was during the Social that we were introduced to the game Apples to Apples, which was to become our favorite evening pastime during the Retreat. After evening prayers some of us, me included, went to bed. However, I could hear others talking and laughing downstairs in the small living room of my cottage, The Lexington. Saturday was our only full day at Shrine Mont. First, it was breakfast at 8:00 am (we were summoned to meals by the ringing of a bell), then morning prayer in the Lexington living room, which, proving to be more cozy than Hall House, became our main meeting room. The Main Attractions Terri volunteered to be my guide to the sights of Shrine Mont -- the Labyrinth, the Cathedral Shrine, the Stations of the Cross, and the big Cross overlooking the campus. We started out by visiting the Labyrinth. Other members of our team were also in tow. We walked the Labyrinth in meditation and reflection. It is a simple structure formed of native rocks. Then Terri and I, leaving the others behind, took a shortcut to the Shrine. As we walked, we discussed Fr. Ken s desire to build a labyrinth on St. Nick s property. Soon we arrived at what may be considered the main attraction. The Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration, an open-air Cathedral of the Diocese of Virginia, consecrated in 195. The Shrine has been promoted as the core of Shrine Mont with its baptismal font being a dug-out stone used by Indians to grind corn. I was struck by the primitive grandeur of the place. I felt a compulsion to see more, to touch, to read the inscriptions, to pray, to stay and sit a while, and listen to the sounds of the mountain and to God. It was magnificent. We left the Shrine exhilarated, and soon arrived at the 1st Station of the Cross, then the nd, and the 3rd. We were ascending the mountain. Terri seemed in great shape and she was wearing her climbing boots. I was definitely out of condition and my sneakers had me sliding backwards on the gravel along the path. I stopped frequently to rest and take a sip of water from the bottle I carried. There were so Page 7 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 11 many times when I felt I would not make it to the top. Having reached that far, however, I did not wish to turn back. I pressed on through perseverance and with Terri s encouragement and support. I climbed, stopping frequently to catch my breath and stopped again at all the marked Stations to read their stories. Eventually we reached the 13th Station. The way to the 14 th and last Station seemed formidable. The path was very steep and rocky. Terry went ahead and waved down at me. Then carefully picking my way around the boulders, I reached the top and 14 th Station. The reward was the achievement and the breathtaking views of the blue-misted mountains seen from the stand on which the giant Cross was elevated. Mealtimes It was lunch time when we returned to base. Mealtimes at the Retreat were not only for eating, although, we did eat amply and with hearty appetites. Mealtimes were times when we learned details about each other. For example -- Which of our group practices bungee jumping as a hobby? Which of the group were English majors, Economics majors, or Public Health specialists? We laughed at each other s jokes, e.g. -- What should you say if you were attacked by a sheep in Scotland? How did the farmer identify the consultant? Worn out from my climb up the mountain and after a good lunch, napping seemed the natural thing for me to do. The more energetic members of our team undertook another challenge. Technically, it was named the Compass Navigational Hike, devised by Angie and Nathan Cost. You may read Angie s and Nathan s story on page 4. The Bonfire Our group dined, talked and laughed together at dinner, and then returned to the Lexington for evening prayer. Later, putting on a layer of warm clothing and using our flashlights we made our way to a designated place behind our cottages for a bonfire. If only the fire would get going! All our efforts failed until Fr. Ken arrived with kerosene. Then we roasted marshmallows, shared snacks, stories and jokes for about an hour, put out the fire and returned to the Lexington living room. It was warmer there. We drank hot chocolate and entertained ourselves with stories and jokes and played Apples to Apples until bedtime. Communion at the Shrine Sunday s itinerary was light. We met again at breakfast after which we were free to do whatever we wished until 11:45 am, time for worship at the Shrine. When we assembled at the Shrine, another congregation was just concluding its worship. When our turn came, we sat together on the (continued on page 8)

8 Page 8 THE COMMUNICANT NOVEMBER 011 St. Nick s Annual Meeting... from page 1 David Maglott, Frank and Donna Anderson, Heidi Gant and Steven Siegmund reported respectively on the areas of Worship, Christian Formation, Outreach, Parish Life, Administration and Buildings & Grounds. Also presented at the meeting was an Income and Expense Report for 011 and projected straw budgets for 01 through 015. Lis Kraft explained that it was necessary to project for 5 years with a goal to continue the growth of the parish and to provide a financial pathway to achieve such growth. In support of the projections, a chart representing St Nick s average Sunday attendance from 1995 to 010 was also circulated. The chart shows attendance growth of some 550%. David Maglott gave a presentation on Stewardship, during which he exhorted all to put our money where our heart is. The congregants then adjourned to seven tables, each headed by a vestry member, and enjoyed potluck snacks while participating in table-talk on selected ideas form the Big Ideas Summit held a few weeks earlier. Later, the Holy Eucharist was administered. After Fr. Ken consecrated the bread and wine, each vestry member, head of a table, lead the service of the Sacrament around the table, each person serving the one next to him/her. The Choir entertained with a special anthem. Fr. Ken then declared the meeting concluded and the congregants joined in the closing prayer. Together on Shrine Mountain from page 7 stone benches surrounding the sanctuary. Fr. Ken lead us through a new form of homily whereby the congregants gave impromptu responses of their own thoughts and in their words to sections of the day s Scriptures. We remembered and prayed for St. Nick s. We had brought wine with us, but the Shrine Mont bakery made us bread for the Holy Eucharist. We served each other one to one with the consecrated wine and bread. Our worship at the Shrine of the Cathedral was poignant and memorable. Departure from Shrine Mont We had fried chicken for lunch as some of our group had predicted. Then it was time for us to leave Shrine Mont. My impression at the end of my stay: rustic and simple, but safe, comfortable, cozy, endearing, and intimate. My expectations were definitely fulfilled. Did I realize the mystique of Shrine Mont? I must have, for I hope to go again next year. As the saying goes, to each his/her own. I encourage you to plan to go next year and realize the mystique for yourself. Contributed by Audrey Thompson Germantown Road Germantown, MD 0874 In disciplined response to the grace and love of God in Christ. We are a spiritual home, a safe haven, grounded in Scripture and centered in life, where we are nurtured and challenged in our journey of faith. We welcome all people to join us in worship and prayer, and in joyful service to the community around us. St. Nicolas Episcopal Church. The Abbey, Dec. 001, p. 1. THE COMMUNICANT Germantown Road Germantown, MD 0874 Tele: Fax: office@saintnicks.com Newsletter deadline is generally FIFTEEN DAYS BEFORE THE END OF THE MONTH. Send articles to: Rev. Ken Howard at rector@saintnicks.com The Editors at newsletter@saintnicks.com Audrey Thompson at audreyt58@gmail.com Cara Poirier at cara.littlewood@gmail.com Permission is given to reprint original articles, so long as This Newsletter and the authors are both credited. 011 St. Nicholas Episcopal Church.