By George! Rule of Life for St George s. Growing with You in God s Love and Service March By George! March 2018 A monthly publication of

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1 By George! Growing with You in God s Love and Service March 2018 Rule of Life for St George s Based on our spiritual values and practices, this is our commitment to each other. We:! Nurture ourselves with the Bible and spiritual books! Care deeply about each other, including in prayer.! Fellowship together and have fun.! Are grateful, glad and giving stewards of God s creation.! Reach out to the world, living and spreading the Word. St.George s Episcopal Church 5600 Winding Way Carmichael, CA (916) By George! March 2018 A monthly publication of St. George s Episcopal Church 5600 Winding Way Carmichael, CA (916) barbara@sgec.us The Very Rev. Ray Hess, III Priest in Charge fatherray@frontiernet.net Sandra Crenshaw, Senior Warden sacren1960@gmail.com Rev. Robert Olsen, Deacon rolsen8070@gmail.com Tess Testeza, Organist/Choir Director Sandy Olsen, Editor sandyolsen8070@gmail.com Dolores O Brien, Deacon Bob and Carol Adkins, Circulation In this issue BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES BOOKS BOUNTY BAG DEACON BOB EASTER FLOWERS FROM OUR PIC HAPPENINGS HOLY WEEK SERVICES HOSPITALITY ROSTER SENIOR WARDEN SERVICES VISITORS WOMEN S GUILD

2 Thoughts From Our PIC (Priest in Charge) Walk with Jesus When Deborah and I went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Bishop Beisner a few years ago, we were able to walk the Way of the Cross through Jerusalem. There are lots of tourist shops along the way now, but it may not be that different from Jesus day. Jerusalem was a city for pilgrims in his time, too. As Jesus went along the path through the city, people probably were busy doing business or other affairs. Some may have looked up for a minute to see the poor soul going on the way to his death. Most would not have any idea of the meaning of that event which changed the world. Every Holy Week, we have the opportunity to walk with Jesus along the Way of the Cross. We won t literally walk through Jerusalem, but we can walk with Jesus as we experience the worship services of Holy Week. The week begins with Palm Sunday and the remembrance of Jesus entry into Jerusalem and then the drama of Jesus death as we read the passion narrative. On Maundy Thursday, we will have a meal together and do the foot/hand washing as we relive Jesus last supper with his disciples. Good Friday we will remember Jesus death for us on the cross. Easter Eve, we will have the powerful and beautiful Great Vigil of Easter, which we are hosting this year. On Easter morning, we will rejoice with the news of Jesus resurrection. I encourage you to be a part of as many of these Holy Week services as possible. Doing this gives us the feeling of being pilgrims with Jesus on the last week of his earthly life. If you can t attend some of the services, you can remember the events of Jesus last week on your own at home. This is the most important week of the year for us as we follow Jesus. May this be a time for renewed faith in him and a powerful spiritual experience for each of us! In Jesus love, Father Ray 1

3 Senior Warden Dear Parishioners, Time sure does fly. It seems like we just celebrated the Season of Advent and Christmas. Now here we are in the Season of Lent, a time during which we prepare our mind, body, spirit and heart for Easter by observing a period of fasting (giving up something), repentance, moderation, and spiritual discipline. Some Christians choose to give up something while some feel moved to give something in terms of outreach or donating their time and talents. Please consider reaching out to a ministry you feel called to or even volunteering to help in our church office or taking notes at our next Vestry Meeting on Wednesday, March 14th at 7:00 p.m. Please contact Carol Adkins or me if you are interested in these opportunities. Speaking of Vestry Meetings, we had our first full meeting on February 7th with our new members. Thank you again to Randall Abbott, Becky Freie, Nancy Landers, Diana Perparos for choosing to bless our church with your service to the Vestry. I'd like to give a heartfelt thank you to our outgoing Vestry members, Joy Allmuth, Cathy Crosby, Lani Hahn, and Jean Paveglio (Jr. Warden) for their dedicated service the past several years. Also, a big thank you to Mel Rose for taking on the added responsibility of Jr. Warden. God is indeed good all the time! Yours in Christ, Sandra Crenshaw Senior Warden 2

4 WOMENS GUILD The season of Lent was ushered in at St. George s with another joyous Mardi Gras Brunch. Thank you to Sandra Crenshaw for stepping up and volunteering to be Chairperson and to Cathy Crosby and others who helped to bring everything together for fun times and good food. This year there was the addition of a Selfie Photo backdrop along with some Mardi Gras props to add to the fun. Several photos were taken, some were shared on Facebook pages and in s. We also took the opportunity to invite our church neighbor Pete to be our guest at the Brunch. This was just a small way to thank Pete who has been a wonderful neighbor helping out with some electrical and lighting and various other issues we have had in the past. This is in addition to being an extra set of eyes for us. He has called the sheriff more than once when he observed something not right happening on our grounds. Our security cameras cannot see everything! Along the same line How many of our congregation are aware that our local police force makes use of the shade at the back of our parking lot to take their mid-day breaks? This was proven especially beneficial recently when an officer came upon some people apparently setting up camp in our lot. Knowing they were probably not there legally, the officer asked for identification and proof the unlicensed vehicle they were using belonged to them. With no ID they were told to leave. The people left and long story short, by the time Vestry members arrived for a meeting that evening, the vehicle was gone also. We are happy with and thankful for our local officers and good neighbors. Perhaps you would like to add them to your Thank You prayer list. No Women s Guild meeting is scheduled for March. If anyone has any suggestions for any activity our members might be interested in, please call me or leave a message on the church phone voic ( ). As always, we urge all church members who enjoy partaking of goodies following services to take a turn providing the social hour goodies and helping to cleanup so the same people are not always doing it. Carol Adkins President, Women s Guild 3

5 13 Tami Gutschall 20 Karen Lolmaugh 23 Jan Fazekas (If your name was not included, please let Sandy know so she can add your name.) Women s Guild Hospitality Sunday will be the 1st Sunday of each month, special offering envelopes are included in the bulletin. These are used by the Women's Guild to provide weekly coffee hours, special receptions and other events for parish members. Please make checks payable to St. George's Church with a memo note in the left corner for HOSPITALITY. MARCH ANNIVERSARYS 2 Brian & Lisa Downing ( 84) 26 Robert & Rebecca Freie (`82) Palm Sunday March 25 9 and 10:30 a.m. Eucharist with palm procession and reading of Passion Narrative Maundy Thursday March 29 6 p.m. Eucharist with hand/foot washing and pot luck supper Good Friday March 30 noon Good Friday liturgy Easter Eve March 31 7 p.m. Great Vigil of Easter (at St. George s) Easter Day April 1 9 and 10:30 a.m. Easter morning Eucharist The women s Guild is happy to provide the book corner for your enjoyment. We appreciate the books you all donate. However, I would like to remind you to bring fiction, non-fiction, historical or humorous books. Please NO self-help or study books. Thanks for your attention to this matter. CDs...$1 BOOKS...$1 PAPERBACKS...50 Happy reading! Janet Jenkins 4

6 The choir will now be meeting 2:15 Last 11 a.m. 10:45 2 nd 6:45 pm 5

7 FEBRUARY/MARCH MARCH 4 th 3 rd SUNDAY IN LENT Exodus 20: 1-17 Psalm 19 1 Corinthians 1: John 2: CELEBRANT: Anne McKeever EUCHARISTIC MINISTER: Aaron Adkins LECTORS: Karen Lolmaugh & Carol Adkins ALTAR GUILD: Vicky Karsten & Joy Allmuth USHER: Carol Adkins & friend MARCH 11 th 4 th SUNDAY IN LENT Numbers 21: 4-9 Psalm 107: 1-3, Ephesians 2:1 40 John 3: CELEBRANT: Bill Rontani EUCHARISTIC MINISTER: Karen Lolmaugh LECTORS: Aaron Adkins & Becky Freie ALTAR GUILD: Angela Saunders & JoAnn Cookman USHER: Conrad Cookman& friend MARCH 18 th 5 th SUNDAY IN LENT Jeremiah 31: Psalm 51: 1-13 Hebrews 5: 5-10 John 12: CELEBRANT: Ray Hess EUCHARISTIC MINISTER: Diane Perparos LECTORS: Randall Abbott & Marcia Hutchison ALTAR GUILD: Wendy Nelson & Barbara Cooper USHER: Carol Adkins & friend MARCH 25 th PALM SUNDAY Mark 14:1 15: 47 CELEBRANT: Ray Hess EUCHARISTIC MINISTER: Karen Lolmaugh LECTORS: MANY ALTAR GUILD: Joy Allmuth & Wendy Nelson USHER: Conrad Cookman & friend APRIL1 st EASTER SUNDAY Acts 10: Psalm 118: 1-2, Corinthians 15: 1-11 John 20: 1-18 CELEBRANT: Ray Hess EUCHARISTIC MINISTER: Aaron Adkins LECTORS: JoAnn Cookman & Carol Adkins ALTAR GUILD: Joy Allmuth & Vicki Karsten USHER: Carol Adkins & friend APRIL 8 th 2 nd SUNDAY OF EASTER Acts 4: Psalm John 1: 2:2 John 20: CELEBRANT: Anne McKeever EUCHARISTIC MINISTER: Dave Allmuth LECTORS: Becky Freie & Aaron Adkins ALTAR GUILD: Barbara Cooper & Wendy Nelson USHER: Jenny Smith & friend Lessons can be found on our website 6

8 VISIT BY PEOPLE OF ST. FRANCIS CHURCH Many of you may know that St. Francis Church, Fair Oaks will be closing this spring. Their closing service with Bishop Beisner will be at 4 p.m. on Saturday April 14. As part of their preparing to close, many of the parishioners from St. Francis will be visiting area churches in order to decide where they might want to attend in the future. On Sunday March 18, many members from St. Francis will be attending worship at St. George s. Please give them a warm welcome and let them know that we are praying for them as they go through this difficult transition. WHAT IS THE GREAT VIGIL OF EASTER? The Great Vigil takes place on Easter Eve. It begins with the church in darkness, like the darkness of Jesus tomb. Then candles are lit, representing the Light of Christ which overcomes death and all darkness. A beautiful prayer about the Light of Christ is said or sung. Then there is a series of readings from the Hebrew Scripture about the work of God through history, leading to the coming of Jesus. After this, the first Eucharist of Easter begins, with baptisms (if there are people to be baptized). At the conclusion of the service, there is usually a wonderful fellowship time. The Great Vigil goes back to the early church, when the Vigil started on Easter Eve and continued to Easter Morning. We do the short version! In our area, we have been rotating the Vigil among local churches. This year, we will be hosting the Vigil at St. George s. Please come join in one of the glorious liturgies of the Church Year! March 31 st 7

9 Angels Among Us Several weeks ago, I had what could have been a bad day. As it was the first day in a week when it wasn t pouring rain I was running errands, my first stop was Sam s Club, noticing the gas gauge on our little sports car was low, decided to get gas first. Filled up the tank and when I went to start the car to leave, nothing, not even a click, click of the starter trying to turn over the engine. Over the next couple of hours six individuals came to my aid, angels in disguise. Men who could have ignored the guy in a Hawaiian shirt and sandals, standing next to a sports car with the hood up on a January afternoon. The first was the fellow who seeing me struggling to push and steer the car away from the pumps and over to the side of the station area and came over and helped me push. The second was the Sam s Club gas station attendant who after coming over to see what the problem was, and me telling him I was going to walk over to their Automotive shop and buy a new battery, said to wait for him to call them and make sure they had my battery. The third was the automotive clerk who went and got a grocery cart for me even as I was saying it wouldn t be necessary. This before lifting the battery and realizing, he was right, I needed a cart to lug that battery back the quarter mile across the parking lot. The fourth angel was a fellow who offered me tools as I didn t have any in the car, and then giving me a small adjustable wrench before driving off. The fifth was another station attendant who came to check on me when he came on shift, by this time I had figured out that the battery wasn t the problem. I told him I was calling Triple A and he says the truck could back into the exit rather than having to push the car a couple hundred feet from where I was. And finally, the tow truck driver who did some checks of his own to make sure it wasn t something simple before loading up the Miata and hauling it to the dealer for repair. By the time we got to the dealership, it was about 4 pm on a Friday afternoon, so they wouldn t be able to have a mechanic look at it until Monday, but they could offer me a ride home. I know this has been a long story, but all of the guys I ran into that afternoon went out of their way to be helpful, to a stranger with a broken-down sports car. Now maybe it was the attendants job to see why I was parked at the side of the gas station area, but once learning my situation could have simply walked off, not offering to call or letting the tow truck in through the exit lane. All of the others could have simply gone about their business, but each of them went out of their way to be a good neighbor. I was blessed by each of these individuals, guys of different ages and ethnicity. In Tennessee Williams play, A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche Dubois says, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers. While I may not have always depended on the kindness of strangers, I ve come to realize that when I ve need it, many kind strangers have been there. Every day, we encounter angels among us, and sometimes we get to be the angle. During this Lenten season, I ask you to take the opportunities to be an angle in someone s life and to give thanks for those who have been angels in yours. Amen, Deacon Bob 8

10 St. George's custom is for individuals to make gifts to purchase special flowers to adorn the Church on Easter Day and the Sunday following. You are invited to make your donation along with the form below to indicate if the flowers given are to be in memory of or Thanksgiving for a special person or event in your life. How much to donate? Whatever you choose to give. One guide: Lilies usually cost about $ All gifts are gratefully received by our Altar Guild. The names of the honorees and donors will be listed in the bulletins on Easter Day, April 1 st and the Second Sunday of Easter, April 8 th. To be listed, donations must be received by the Sunday of the Passion (Palm Sunday), March 25 th. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * I would like to help provide the flowers for Easter Day and the Sunday following. Enclosed is $ in (circle one): Loving Memory of/in Thanksgiving for Name(s) From REMEMBER: Please make checks out to `St. George's: MEMO: Altar Guild' (Place in alms basin at any service of worship or mail to St. George's: 5600 Winding Way, Carmichael, CA BOUNTY BAG We re collecting dry goods, canned goods, dried cereals, soaps, toothpaste tooth brushes or any non-perishables, We collect Bags ANYTIME!! NO TIME TO SHOP a check to St. Georges with memo to River city Food Bank (everything is welcome). SUNDAY SERVICES Family Service 9 a.m. Sunday School 9 a.m. Traditional Service 10:30 a.m. Articles are always welcome...but KEEP it short! The best way to submit an article is via my sandyolsen8070@gmail.com, March 26 th will be the deadline for the April issue of the By George 9