The Magdalene. St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church. February 2014 Volume 36, Issue 2

Transcription

1 February 2014 Volume 36, Issue 2 The Magdalene St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church From the Desk of Fr. Neil Church Attendance As I have been going through the training process with the men of the parish who desire to offer themselves in a more committed way, by becoming licensed lay readers, we have touched on a number of important topics regarding the Christian faith in general and the Anglican faith in particular. As we have trained for Morning and Evening Prayer we discussed what exactly those two services, or better offices are. Where did they originate? When are they to be used? What became very clear in the 16 th century is that the mass - the Church s primary service had not only become foreign to the people in the pews in many aspects, but it had also become very cumbersome to the Priest conducting the service. One of the great reforms of the Anglican Church was to simplify the mass by creating the Book of Common Prayer. Outside of the Bible, this book would contain all that is necessary yet not exhaustive for a faithful Anglican to have in order to have a full life of prayer and worship. Originally and still in use in certain places, prayer times were set aside every three hours around the clock. These were called, Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline. These were reduced to two and have been handed down to us in our Prayer Books as simply Morning and Evening Prayer. 1 Rev. Fr. Neil Edlin, Rector Now, I am not intending here to write about these, but I am rather writing to something that occurred to me as we did our training. I believe there is something very important to all Christians, and of course Anglicans in particular.and that is, Church attendance. These hours of prayer that were simplified in the 16 th century weren t done because there was too much praying going on. They were simplified for no other reason than to allow more of the laity to be involved in worship and prayer. Hours of prayer were not just for monastics anymore. Not all are called to a life of waking up every three hours in the night to pray an office. However we are all called to pray to and worship our Lord as frequently as we can. To some this will mean simply coming to Church every Sunday and that s all. Others will supplement their worship with a midweek mass. I would very much encourage people to use their Prayer Books and pray the Morning and Evening Offices daily. To begin the day acknowledging the Lord for safely bringing us through the night and giving us the opportunity for another day of service, are a few good reasons to pray in the morning. At night, we thank God for a safe and blessed day. We should be thanking Him even as we are about to close our eyes and go to sleep. Yet Morning and Evening Prayer offices are not a substitute for Sunday worship either. We are shown by Scripture, and called to worship as a community as well. Sitting at home is not a long-term option for the Christian. Of course those who are home-

2 bound, elderly or ill are not who I am speaking to here. Rather I am referring to those who have fallen away from the Church for one reason or another. Some have left because of anger or resentment. Some have simply allowed other activities to become more important to them than Church. Some have simply just grown lazy and would rather sleep in on a Sunday. Some even choose to watch some sort of Christian service on the television. Even this is very limited and does not convey the same grace and opportunities that being and a Church building with other Christians offers. To those of you in any of these categories, I am writing to tell you. it s time to get back to Church! None of these reasons are valid ones to keep you away from Church. All of them have solutions. We just have to be willing to look for the solutions. I'm sorry, but I can just as easily worship God the way I want, in my own home is not a valid answer. It is not even a true statement. There is no Scriptural or historical warrant, or evidence that Christians ever wanted or desired or were given the option to worship other than with the community.never mind the option to opt out of worship all together. Christians, if they lay claim to that name, must worship at a Church, with other Christians, and frequently. If you have been hurt, look for another Church. Don't quit. Yes, I know, the Church is full of hypocrites. That is a standard reason people give for not going. But if you claim to be a Christian and yet forsake the assembling together with other Christians on a regular basis, you are being just as hypocritical. If you have allowed sports or music lessons or some other activity take priority over Church, you have to look for other options. There are weekday only sports leagues now, usually founded and run by concerned Christians who have chosen to set aside the Lord's Day for the Lord, rather than sports or music. And those who would rather sleep, what can I say. I don't need to say anything more to that. The logic of the reformers was to attempt to include as many people as they could to worship God as often as possible and to make Church accessible to all people. They did not intend to allow people to get out of worship. They fought, to the death in many cases, to return to the days when the Bible was translated into the native tongue of the people. They saw the people being pushed out of worshiping God in a real meaningful way, because of the use of a foreign language in the mass, and a cumbersome worship structure, so they refined it, simplified it, allowing all Christians the opportunity to participate. They saw the importance of assembling together, to hear the Word of God preached and the Sacraments administered. These are two things that cannot be done in any stable fashion from home, through a television set, or on the soccer field. Being away from Church for an extended period of time will only make it more difficult to return. Our minds need to be constantly renewed by the fresh Word of God, read corporately. Our hearts need to be continually reminded of our need for Christ and His saving grace. Our souls need to be fed by the Living Christ through the Sacraments of His Body and Blood. We drift into idolatry when we turn aside from Church and turn to other activities, or inactivity. Many people in countries that have significantly less freedom risk their lives every day to come together and assemble to worship God. Some die doing so. We, therefore, have no excuse not to be in Church. 2

3 PARISH NEWS WOMEN S DEVOTIONAL The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene is forming a women s prayer group. Proverbs 31:26 says She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. Using this as our guide, the women will meet on the first Sunday of the month for a time of inspiration and prayer. Karen Carlson will be leading the devotionals. If you have any questions, please ask Karen or Father. NEW2YOU SALE St. Martha s Guild has announced their next NEW2YOU sale. They are planning the event for Saturday, February 8 th from 8am until noon. Volunteers are needed to help sort merchandise before the sale on February 6 th and 7 th from 4:30 6:30pm. More volunteers are needed the day of the sale to help put everything out, collect the money, and to help with clean-up. The devotional will be held upstairs in the nursery on the first Sunday of each month from 9:30 9:50am. Next Women s Devotional February 2 nd PASTOR APPRECIATION POT LUCK St. Martha s Guild will be hosting a Pastor Appreciation Pot Luck on Sunday, February 23 rd after the 10:00am Mass. This time of fellowship will give us a chance to thank Father Neil for all of his hard work (and maybe a chance for us to volunteer our services to the church.) The pot luck is being held in lieu of our Fourth Sunday brunch and will be FREE to attend. Bring your favorite dish to share and join us. More information will be available as we get closer to the date. Be sure to mark your calendars now so you don t miss the fun. Please let Elizabeth Sneddon know if you will be able to help. Remember, these Guild sponsored sales are how we raise money to be used as part of our outreach giving. How will you help? Upcoming Events Mark Your Calendars Details we be available as we get closer to the events. Shrove Tuesday Supper Tuesday, March 4 th 6:30pm Ash Wednesday Wednesday, March 5 th 9am & 7pm Lenten Soup Supper & Evening Prayer Friday, March 14 th 6:30pm 3

4 ST. MARTHA S WOMEN S GUILD St. Martha s Women s Guild meets on the 2 nd Sunday of the month after the 10:00am Mass. All women of the parish are members and are encouraged to attend. If you want to get involved in the church or just know how church activities operate, come join us. Next Guild Meeting February 9th CRAFT GUILD Our Krafty Knitters group has expanded to include craft projects. They have changed their name to the Craft Guild, but will continue to work on projects to help the community. In January, the Craft Guild decided their focus in 2014 would be projects to help the homeless in Orange. They are asking local groups what kind of knitting or crocheting projects would be of help. While working on these items, the Craft Guild will also begin work on Gnome ornaments to sell at the 2015 Holiday Boutique that is being planned. At the February 16 th meeting, Jane Paul will be instructing members on how to use double point needles to make socks and caps. Everyone, from experienced knitters to newcomers, is welcome. Gather your knitting needles, crochet hooks and join us for an afternoon of great fun and lots of conversation. If you have any questions, please give Robin Morsk a call. Next Craft Guild February 16 th ANNUAL MEETING Our church gathered together on January 26 th to conduct the business of the Parish. A treasurer s report was given and a new budget for 2014 was approved. Heads of various parish organizations gave a brief summary of their 2013 accomplishments and gave thanks to their organization members for all their hard work. Reports about our Outside of the Parish work were presented, highlighting our help in Pakistan, the Philippines, the Sudan and closer to home in Orange. Parishioners were astonished at the dollar amount that we have given away in the last five years and spontaneous applause occurred when the number was announced. If you were unable to attend, please ask to see the Outside of the Parish Giving report. You too will be amazed. Father Neil encouraged everyone to continue to work for growth in our parish. Not just numbers of people, but internal and spiritual growth as well. We need to be the solution to the needs of people looking to worship God. Father also talked of his vision to have growth in the number of clergy in our parish. This would allow for more exposure in the community to draw people in to Christ s Church. Thank you to everyone who helped prepare for the meeting, copying the booklets, purchasing the food and setting up the tables, and also to those who stayed afterwards to clean everything up. Thank you to all who work diligently each and every week to make our church the vibrant church that it is. And, thank you to all who attended this important meeting. Everyone working together is what makes St. Mary Magdalene such an active and friendly place of worship. 4

5 NEW VESTRY MEMBERS During the Annual Meeting, elections were held for four new vestry members. Please welcome Barbara Taylor, Hilary McMahon, Daniel Mercado and Robin Morsk as your newest representatives on the vestry. They will oversee the budget and make decisions about the future of your church. Congratulations Barbara, Hilary, Daniel & Robin SYNOD DELEGATES During the Annual Meeting, 4 delegates and 2 alternates were chosen to represent St. Mary Magdalene parish during the Diocesan Synod that will be held on June 6 th. Delegates chosen are: Brian Lee, Sharon Edlin, Ken Sammons and Elizabeth Sneddon. Alternates are: Anne Peterson and Susan Sammons. VESTRY MEETING Vestry meetings are open to the congregation and are usually held at 7:15pm the second Wednesday night of the month. Next Vestry Meeting Wednesday, February 12 th WEDNESDAY MASS & HEALING SERVICE Father Neil celebrates a Mass and Healing Service each week on Wednesday morning at 9:00am. This is a wonderful way to add a mid-week Mass to your schedule. The Healing Service takes place at the end of the Mass, with those wanting to participate approaching the altar rail for the Anointing of the Sick. BY-LAW CHANGES During the annual meeting, the parish voted to clarify who is a voting member. The new by-law is more inclusive and deletes a reference to an old and rarely used form. The new by-law states a Voting Member: Shall be at least eighteen years of age Shall be confirmed or received at this parish or confirmed in apostolic succession with supporting documentation on file and to the satisfaction of the rector or priest in charge from another parish Shall have been recorded on the parish registry as a communicant in good standing (confirmed in apostolic succession and regularly takes communion) Shall have been entered on the books of the treasurer of the parish or shall have been entitled to be so entered, as a pledged or regular contributor in good standing, and Shall have established a pattern of regular attendance at Mass BIBLE STUDY Our Wednesday evening Bible Study is looking at the Book of Romans. The Bible Study meets in the Parish Hall on Wednesdays from 6:30pm 8:00pm. (The Bible Study will not be held on vestry meeting night February 12 th.) 5

6 SUPPER CLUB Each month, a parishioner is invited to plan a night out on the town for their fellow churchgoers. This is a great way to get to know your church family in a casual atmosphere. The Supper Club host or hostess plans an excursion to a restaurant or an evening in their own home. You then set out a sign-up sheet in the narthex and make reservations if needed. Remember to bring your wallet because the evenings are Dutch Treat. Barbara Taylor is the coordinator of our Supper Club. If you have any questions or want help in planning an outing, please give her a call. Our next outing will be on Tuesday, February 11 th. Lou and Karen Carlson are planning our evening out. Watch the narthex for information. Thank you to Brian and Beth for planning our January outing to Fish Camp in Huntington Beach. Everyone had a GREAT time. There will be no Supper Club in March and April because of Lent. Please think about signing up to host an evening out in the Spring or Summer. The more people taking a turn planning the events, the more fun the evenings become. Come and bring your friends and family and enjoy a night out on the town. FOURTH SUNDAY BRUNCH Every Fourth Sunday, our church family has brunch together at 11:45am. This is a great way to get to know other church members. Everyone always has a wonderful time visiting with each other and of course partaking of the delicious food! Watch the Sunday bulletins for information about upcoming brunches. If you have any questions about our brunches or suggestions for future outings, please give Elizabeth Sneddon a call. Join us on February 23 rd for our Pastor Appreciation Pot Luck COMMUNITY GROUPS The following community groups meet regularly at St. Mary Magdalene. Al-Anon Monday evenings at 7:30pm Saturday evenings at 7:00pm CHADD Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Third Monday evening at 7:30pm Orange County Fictionaires Critique Group for Professional Writers 1 st, 3 rd & 5 th Wednesdays at 7:30pm ALL MEN S FELLOWSHIP GROUP Join the men of St. Mary Magdalene Parish in the narthex. Each 2 nd Sunday is a business meeting. The 3 rd Sunday is a Book Discussion. Both Sundays begin at 11:30am. Currently, we are reading R.C. Sproul s book The Holiness of God. 6

7 COLLECT A Collect is a prayer said by the minister (whether bishop, priest, deacon or lay reader) on behalf of the congregation. We think of these prayers as being the collected prayers of all the people, offered up by the minister on their behalf. The name, Collect is particularly applied to certain special prayers. For example, the prayer that is said just before the reading of the Epistle at the Holy Eucharist is called the Collect for the Day. In several cases, more than one such prayer is provided; for instance, there are three for the Good Friday Liturgy. These are all printed in the Book of Common Prayer. Most of them are beautiful translations by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer ( ) of ancient prayers, hitherto in Latin. All of these Collects are addressed to God the Father, except for three of them; (Advent III, St. Stephen's Day, and Lent I). Other Collets, all addressed to the Father, are found in Morning and Evening Prayer. The former has Collects for Peace and for Grace; the latter has Collects for Peace and for Aid Against Perils. Collects are also provided in the Prayer Book for some of the lesser sacraments and some of the Occasional Offices, examples being Ordination, Visitation of the Sick, etc. The word Collect actually comes from a Latin phrase, Oratio Ad Collectam ( The Prayer at the Assembly ). The term has long been explained popularly and quite satisfactorily as meaning the prayer of the people collected, gathered up and offered by the minister. As such, they merit the hearty assent of the people, signified by an audible and approving AMEN at their close. The original Collects were nearly all in a standard form. First came the salutation, then a description of some act or attribute of God, then a petition or request and finally a doxology, a phrase of praise and glory. A classic example is the Collect for Monday in Easter Week: O God (salutation), whose blessed Son did manifest himself to his disciples in the breaking of bread (description of an act of God); Open, we pray thee, the eyes of our faith, that we may behold thee in all thy works (petition or request); through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord (doxology) Amen. Although this fourfold construction may still be seen in many of the Collects, there are some, especially those which through the years have been substituted for others, which have departed in some degree from the classical form. Many of the Collects are among the most beautiful and meaningful passages in the Book of Common Prayer. The least the worshipper can do is to listen to and share in them, making them silently his own (and audibly, too, for that matter, through the Amen ) when they are said by the minster. Many people have memorized some especially lovely and significant ones and here and there are persons who have memorized all of them! Let thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Collect for the 10 th Sunday after Trinity. 7

8 DATES TO REMEMBER FEBRUARY S M T W T F S Mass & Healing Service 9:00am Wednesdays Bible Study Wednesdays 6:30pm 2 Women s Devotional 9:30 8 NEW2YOU 8-12:00 9 St. Martha s Guild/Men s Group 11 Supper Club 7:00 12 Vestry Meeting 7:15 16 Craft Guild / Men s Group 23 Pastor Appreciation Brunch COFFEE HOUR TREATS Feb 2 Pence, D & J 9 Pence, T 16 Peterson / Robertson 23 Sammons Mar 2 Sneddon 9 Smith 16 Tallon 23 Taylor, B 30 Taylor, T Please plan on setting out treats at 8:30am and cleaning up after the 11:15 social time. Be sure to switch with someone else if you are unable to take your Sunday. Don t forget you re in charge of cleanup as well as treats! MARCH S M T W T F S Mass & Healing Service 9:00am Wednesdays 2 Women s Devotional 9:30 4 Shrove Tuesday 5 Ash Wednesday 9 St. Martha s Guild/Men s Group 12 Vestry Meeting 7:15 14 Soup Supper / Evening Prayer 6:30 16 Craft Guild / Men s Group 21 Soup Supper / Evening Prayer 6:30 28 Soup Supper / Evening Prayer 6:30 ALTAR FLOWERS / SANCTUARY LIGHT Altar Flowers Sanctuary Light Feb 2 Bell, J & S / Robertson 9 Tucker, P If you are interested in giving one of these for a future Sunday, please sign up in the Flower and Candle binder in the narthex of the church. Our suggested donation is $30 for flowers & $12 for the light, but feel free to give what you are able. Mark flowers / candles on your check and place it in the offering basket during Mass. Visitors are always welcome. Join us! 8