By George! Rule of Life for St George s. Growing with You in God s Love and Service May By George! May 2017 A monthly publication of

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1 By George! Growing with You in God s Love and Service May 2017 Rule of Life for St George s By George! May 2017 A monthly publication of 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) 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 Julie D. Vice, PIT community.st.marys@gmail.com (916) 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 FROM OUR PIC HAPPENINGS HOSPITALITY ROSTER SCHOLARSHIPS SENIOR WARDEN SERVICES WOMEN S GUILD

2 Thoughts From Our PIC (Priest in Charge) Come to the Dance! At the Great Vigil on Easter Eve and on Easter Day at the 10:30 a.m. service, our choir sang the song Lord of the Dance. They did a really fun rendition of this lively song. They were effective, because the week after Easter I kept singing this song in my head! I wasn t trying to do this, but it was just there playing away in my mind. It s easy to forget that Easter is a season, not just one Sunday. The Easter Season starts on Easter Sunday and continues fifty days until the celebration of Pentecost (June 4 this year). How can we celebrate this season? It helps to think of the season as a wonderful dance, given by God. We are all invited, even if we are not good dancers! The chorus of the song says it well, Dance, then, wherever you may be, I am the Lord of the Dance, said he. Jesus is risen and invites us to dance with him in thanksgiving and joy. There are some things we can do to dance with Jesus: As I said in my Easter Day sermon at the 10:30 a.m. service, start each day by saying, Alleluia! Christ is risen! Before you get into your day, say this to yourself, silently or out loud. Several times a week, say the canticle Christ our Passover. This is a special canticle for the Easter Season found in the Prayer Book on page 83. It is part of the Morning Prayer service. Read the gospel accounts about the empty tomb and the risen Jesus appearances to his disciples. See Matthew chapter 28, Mark chapter 16, Luke chapter 24, and John chapters Read Paul s reflection on the meaning of the resurrection about thirty years after the event. See Romans chapters 6 through 8 and I Corinthians chapter 15. Watch for signs of the Risen Lord s presence in your life and in the world around you. Where do you sense the presence of the risen Jesus? Do something positive to bring the risen Lord s love and justice to our community and the world. This does not need to be anything grand, just small actions to spread love and compassion. Jesus is risen! Come dance with him this Easter Season! As the song says, They cut me down and I leapt up high; I am the life that ll never, never die; I ll live in you if you ll live in me I am the Lord the Dance, said he. In Jesus love, Father Ray 1

3 Senior Warden Dear Friends in Christ, Easter Sunday, the grand and glorious occasion, and all the trimmings that go along with it is over. Now we move on, right? Well, not so fast. Before we move on with all the busyness and normal routines of our daily lives, let us not forget the message of Resurrection Sunday. Easter is not a weekend or season. Easter means that Jesus is alive and the grip of death has now been overcome. We need not be afraid. When Jesus appeared to his disciples after the resurrection, he reminded them to let go of the fear and know his peace. We know that Jesus will never leave us; that as we continue on our journey, he will greet us, lead us, and never forsake us. This is the great news that each of us needs to carry with us daily and spread to all with whom we come in contact. He is risen! Alleluia! Sandra Crenshaw, Senior Warden 2

4 WOMENS GUILD Happy Spring! Joyful Easter services were celebrated at St. George s. It is so pleasant to share special times with our church family. Times have been changing and having tried different approaches and ideas to increase attendance at meetings, it has been decided to discontinue holding regularly scheduled Women s Guild meetings. The only attendees at the meetings have been the same small group of ladies. We see each other regularly enough that anything needing attention for the social needs or interests of St. George s church can be addressed by way of making a few phone calls or discussing in person before or after Sunday services. If anyone in the congregation has concerns regarding this decision, please feel free to talk with me or any of the other ladies listed in the front of the church directory under Women s Guild. We will continue making sure kitchen supplies are in stock, we do need our coffee, tea, juice and nibbles. Please do sign up for a turn supplying Sunday treats and cleaning up MAY BIRTHDAYS 1 Aaron Downing 5 Mel Rose 7 Bill Keye 16 Carol Adkins 17 Genie Schavey 18 Carolyn Caye 20 Diana Turner 24 Bill Owens 28 Audrey Mochon 30 Natalie Saunders 31 Nathan Benbow 31 Father John 31 Timothy Breen (If your name was not included, please let Sandy know so she can add your name.) APRIL ANNIVERSARIES 8 Peter & Diana Perparos (`69) following social hour. Carol Adkins, Women s Guild President 3

5 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. 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 Our Altar Guild Angels Wilma Brown Betsy Hack 4

6 May/June MAY 7 th 4 th SUNDAY OF EASTER Acts 2:42-47 Psalm 23 1 Peter 2:19 25 John 10:1-10 CELEBRANT: Anne McKeever EUCHARISTIC MINISTER: Aaron Adkins LECTORS: JoAnn Cookman & Carol Adkins ALTAR GUILD: Barbara Cooper & Vicki Karsten USHER: Cathy Crosby & friend MAY 14 th 5 th SUNDAY OF EASTER Acts 7: Psalm 31: 1-5, Peter 2: 2-10 John 14: 1-14 CELEBRANT: Susan Plucker EUCHARISTIC MINISTER: Karen Lolmaugh LECTORS: Randall Abbott & Aaron Adkins ALTAR GUILD: Joy Allmuth & JoAnn Cookman USHER: Conrad Cookman & friend MAY 21 st 6 th SUNDAY OF EASTER Acts 17: Psalm 66: Peter 3: John 14: CELEBRANT: Fr. Ray Hess EUCHARISTIC MINISTER: Ryan Saunders LECTORS: Sophia Saunders & Becky Freie ALTAR GUILD: Vicki Karsten & Angela Saunders USHER: Carol Adkins & friend MAY 28 th 7 th SUNDAY OF EASTER Acts 1:6-14 Psalm 68:1-10, Peter 4:12-14; 5: 6-11 John 17: 1-11 CommUnity WORSHIP LEADER: Julie Vice LECTORS: Karen Lolmaugh & Joan Tennis ALTAR GUILD: Barbara Cooper & JoAnn Cookman USHER: Cathy Crosby & friend JUNE 4 th DAY OF PENTECOST Acts 2:1-21 Psalm 104: 25-35, 37 1 Corinthians 12: 3b-13 John 20: CELEBRANT: Anne McKeever PREACHER: Mel Rose EUCHARISTIC MINISTER: Aaron Adkins LECTORS: Carol Adkins & JoAnn Cookman ALTAR GUILD: TBA USHER: Cathy Crosby & friend JUNE 11 th TRINITY SUNDAY Genesis 1:1-2: 4a Psalm 8 2 Corinthians 13:11 13 Matthew 28:16-20 CELEBRANT: Ray Hess EUCHARISTIC MINISTER: Diana Perparos LECTORS: Aaron Adkins & Becky Freie ALTAR GUILD: TBA USHER: Conrad Cookman & friend Lessons can be found on our website 5

7 Aren t you worried? Why, would it help? The title of my article comes from the Movie Bridge of Spies, that Sandy and I watched one Saturday evening during Lent. The story is based on a true story, the negations by lawyer James Donovan (played by Tom Hanks) for the release of U-2 pilot Frances Gary Powers for the Soviet KGB spy Colonel Rudolf Abel. Donovan s first contact with Abel was as his court appointed defense lawyer at Abel s spy trial, then later on appeals and ultimately his exchange for Powers and return to Russia. Even at the time of the prisoner exchange Able did not know if he would be returning as a Soviet hero or arrested as an assumed double agent. Through all of this Abel stays calm as Donovan outlines the seriousness of the situation at each stage and pointing out the dire possibilities. Donovan asking Abel: aren t you concerned?, aren t you worried?, aren t you afraid? And each time Able replies, why, would it help if I were? I have no idea if these were real conversations, copied from James Donovan s book, or part of the screen writer s imagination, but they got me to thinking. During Lent we were to spend time in reflection and developing our relationship with God. In the Lenten materials from the Living Compass we were to develop our ability to listen as we encounter God, but first we have to quite all the distracting noise in our lives. During such reflection I couldn t help but think of a hymn we sing at the 9 a.m. service, based on Isaiah 43, Fear not for I have redeemed you. As my contemplations often do, I found it interesting that it was the Godless Commie (one of many epitaphs used by characters in the movie to describe Colonel Abel) who was able to face adversity: possible execution; a 30 year sentence in jail at age 57; and finally the return to a country that was as likely to arrest him as welcome him. I wondered where such calm came from. First not worrying about what might happen and second accepting the realities of his situation with continued calmness. Somehow his character recognizes that worrying about the what if s and the what is won t change anything. While we are no longer in Lent, it doesn t mean our spiritual journey stops. A journey which if we let it, allows us to calmly face the ups and downs of life, secure in the knowledge that through God s boundless grace we are beloved and need not be in fear, nor worry. Had the season of Epiphany been longer we would have heard on the eight Sunday from Matthew s Gospel: do not be worried about your life Look at the birds 6

8 of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? (Matt 6:25-27). Jesus tells us not to be afraid, nor to worry, rather we are to seek first God s kingdom. Good advice when we are bombarded by voices all around us screaming that things have gone too far, not far enough or need to go in any of a 100 different directions. So many things to worry about if we let ourselves, all the potential if s and then in most cases problems which could be classified as first world problems. A phrase the morning talk show guys talked about after hearing it from their high school aged kids when describing something that had happened. Again with taking time during lent, I ve realized that the majority of my problems are problems that most people in the world would be glad if that was their only problem. All of this draws me back to the Holy Week message that Jesus sacrifice on the cross was to redeem us and all we need do is love God and our neighbors, that worrying won t change anything and only distracts us from that love. Trusting in God s grace and secure in our knowledge of God boundless love for us, a love we can rely upon. When we are asked aren t you worried? we can reply like Comrade Abel, Why, would it help if I were? Amen. Deacon Bob It's scholarship time again! The interviews of another group of outstanding applicants is in April and the presentation of the Gregory Sherrill Scholarships is Sunday, June 11th. We hope as many of you as possible can attend the 10:30 service to meet and congratulate our two scholarship winners. John Karsten 7

9 2 nd 6:45 pm Last 11 a.m. 10:45 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 new sandyolsen8070@gmail.com...june issue deadline will be May 24!! 8