FROM GRETCHEN S PEN Life is good here.

Transcription

1 The Episcopal Church of the Nativity Volume 2015, Issue 8 FROM GRETCHEN S PEN Life is good here. THE MESSENGER Not just because it is summer, although summer is a nice time of the year, except when it is too hot of course. Not just because we have seminarians interning with us, although that has been a great delight and joy. No life is good here because Nativity is a wonderful parish with wonderful people and I am blessed to be your priest. I frequently tell friends and colleagues how much I love serving this parish. I don t know however, if I say that often enough. Sometimes we can go through our days and see what is wrong, what needs to be fixed or improved and take for granted what is really good. It is often easier to complain than to simply enjoy what is working well. I know that at times I say we can always do better which can sound as if there is something wrong, when I don t mean that at all. So I want to simply say that life is good here. We have people who offer give of themselves in many ways. We have people who serve quietly behind the scene as Altar Guild members, setting up for and cleaning up after our worship. We have people who provide for our fellowship by hosting coffee hour, people who work at our various outreach ministries, people who visit the sick and shut-in, people who pray for members of the parish, people who engage in study, people who worship in community. All of us are necessary and no one is more important than the next. The members of this parish work hard, serve well, and are a gift to all of us. Life is good here. Summer often is a time when we slow down a bit, and we have, some. August is a time when we take that last vacation before fall, go to the lake for one more weekend, take one more trip. It is a month when we also at times do almost anything to avoid the heat! During August we also need to look ahead and plan for fall. Our new musicians are planning music, we are hoping to start some small groups, Christian formation courses will be back in full swing. So there are some busy times in the midst of the slow days of summer as well. There is some excitement about getting ready for the start of fall. As we enjoy this last full month of August I hope you can take some time to simply enjoy life. Enjoy your life at Nativity. Enjoy being here, being with one another. For life is good here. And if we ever get too caught up in the work to forget that fact, may we help each one of us remember it life is good here. Gretchen

2 Page 2 Volume 2015, Issue 8 N A T I V I T Y S OUTREACH: FAMILY PROMISE We are hosting Family Promise Sunday, July 26 August Thank you to all who are helping and who have helped over the years with Family Promise ~ ANNE C. RHOADS, FAMILY PROMISE COORDINATOR FOOD PANTRY On average, 800 people per month have received food from our pantry. We now also give out 45 pre-packaged food boxes specifically to our community s senior citizens. To volunteer at our food pantry please sign up in the Parish Hall. Thank you for your help. SATURDAY SUPPER Just as we do when we come together as a parish family, we have started serving our meals Potluck style. This helps emphasize that we offer Saturday Supper as a community meal. To uphold the idea of community not charity we will put the food out and let people serve themselves. Our theology is expressed in this shared meal together. On June 27th we fed 76 people and on July 11th we fed 82 people. With our growing numbers of attendees we are starting to plan to provide food for 100 people each supper. As always, sign-ups to volunteer for this important ministry are located in the Parish Hall. ~ Rosemary Daubert, Saturday Supper Coordinator SNAKE RIVER CLINIC The clinic is closed during our normally scheduled meal delivery this month. Thank you to all who help feed those who serve at the clinic. CELEBRATING 150 YEARS Nativity in the 1930s: a thin time during the Great Depression The Rev. David J. W. Somerville, The Man For All Seasons our rector since 1904, had seen the congregation double when his career ended tragically in The Reverend Theodore M. Burleson succeeded Rev. Somerville and served as rector until January 15, during the thin times of the Great Depression. Call it synchronicity or the hand of God or whatever, Nativity experienced a connection with its living history on Sunday June 28, Rev. Burleson s son and daughter-in-law, Forrest and Rose Burleson appeared out of the blue in morning worship. They had visited with Gretchen on Saturday and stayed over for the Sunday morning service. Forrest told us of his pilgrimage to visit all the churches his father had served throughout his ministry. Surely, beauty has been in Forrest s Anglican temperament as he spoke with admiration of the sanctuary and stained glass windows that he still remembers from his boyhood.

3 Page 3 Volume 2015, Issue Page 83 Then I asked him what had changed. His bright eyes lit up and he laughed at the obvious. Much of the early data in [our] later reports is due to Rev. Burleson s diligent labor, as he wrote the first history of Nativity 2 Gretchen told us in the last Messenger of some of the simple marks of the change that is real and constant challenging everything which we do is done because at one time it served a valuable purpose, a problem arises when the action remains long after the purpose has changed or been forgotten. 3 It s like the old recipe Mother wrote in her cookbook for me: Take a good sized ham and cut an inch off each end before you put it in the pan... I wondered why one had to cut off the ends? Did it have something to do with seasoning or what? Finally The Rev. Theodore Burleson Forrest and Rose Burleson I asked my old aunt about that step. She replied that Mother always had to cut off the ham to fit in her roasting pan. History is CHANGE writ large. Forrest and Rose have changed all of us born in the 1930s have changed. We have lived through great changes in our communities, our families, our world. But miraculously, Nativity s sanctuary has received only minor changes since it was hauled up the hill from 11th and 17th Street in Here is that story. The Rev. Frederick Belton came to the Church of Nativity in 1946 & undertook the second major construction project of this century. Under his direction the church was moved from approximately where the present rectory is to a point closer to the corner of 8th and 8th. The new basement was dug for Sunday school use and included a guild room, also a kitchen and a new furnace were installed. It was during the same alteration that the Chancel has been widened [sic] ten feet, and its height increased to add solemn atmosphere to the church, increasing the Narthex in size. In addition, Mr. Belton, also brought about construction of the present rectory. 4 Mr. Belton left in late 1950, and in early 1951 the Rev. Dean s tenure was marked by changes in the form of worship, which included having the Family Worship and Sunday School at 11 a.m. to promote better attendance at services. 5 I asked several parishioners to record a change they have experienced or observed related to church, the community, the earth or life in general. Maxine Hubbell relayed this change

4 Page 4 Volume 2015, Issue Page 84 story about a former unnamed Episcopalian parishioner who felt he could no longer worship as an Episcopalian because he was alienated by the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. He could only worship with the 1928 Book of Common prayer. The pan wasn t big enough for the ham? His experience was not unique as too many were unable to make the change. In 2000, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church issued an apology to those "offended or alienated during the time of liturgical transition to the 1979 Book of Common Prayer." Use of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer is currently discouraged. Article X of the Canons of the Episcopal Church provides that "[t]he Book of Common Prayer, as now established or hereafter amended by the authority of this Church, shall be in use in all the Dioceses of this Church," which, of course, is a reference to the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, but some (very few) parishes still use the 1928 book either regularly or occasionally, for pastoral sensitivity, for doctrinal reasons and for the beauty of its language. The controversies surrounding the Book of Common Prayer contrasts with the Episcopal Church s description of it as the primary symbol of our unity. Diverse members come together through our common prayer. 6 Change is challenging everything which we do is done because at one time it served a valuable purpose. During this summers newly instigated Sunday Forum, we are sharing our faith, examining the potential for deepening our relationship with God, self, all others, and creation. Tyler Richards and Liz Embler, our summer clergy interns, have been modeling for us by sharing their stories and their enthusiasm and leading us in continuing to unbind our hearts and tell our stories examining a new E word (Evangelism!) More change stories to come we are telling stories of 150 years of thick and thin times, of diverse members and clergy coming together for common prayer and liturgy. And what of the next 150 years? What of the size of our roasting pan? End notes: 1Jennings, John Richard A Brief History of THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY: Lewiston, Idaho p 7. 2Ibid. 3Church of the Nativity THE MESSENGER Volume 2015 Issue 7 p1 4Jennings, John Richard A Brief History of THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY: Lewiston, Idaho p. 8 5Ibid. 6 The Book of Common Prayer at Deloris Jungert Davisson and Margaret Cole 2015

5 Page 5 Volume 2015, Issue 8 MUSICAL NOTES Save the Date! Saturday, September 12 the choir will begin rehearsing again. The choir will be back to our fall schedule, singing in worship on Sunday, September 13th. If you plan to sing, please sign the informational sign-up in the Fellowship Hall. Ding Dong! Are you interested in serving in music ministry, but don t feel that singing is your gift? Perhaps you would be interested in playing bells. If you are interested in learning to play hand bells, please sign up in the Fellowship Hall. Gifts- do you play an instrument, have a theatrical flair or have another artistic talent you would be willing to share? Please sign up in the Fellowship Hall so that we can be in touch with you! If you have any questions about choir, bells or other music/arts gifts, please contact the church office or contact Sarah Graham, directly, at HELP FUND THE EPISCOPATE (which helps fund Nativity) Recently the diocese sent out an appeal for us to help fund the Endowment for the Episcopate. This fund is used for the cost of the Bishop. Currently the bulk of the Bishop expenses come from the general fund of the diocese. The more of those expenses that can be funded out of the endowment monies, the more monies will be available for ministry from the general fund. As a way of Nativity participating as a parish, the little Bishop church will be out in the parish hall this month. I am inviting you to consider feeding the bishop church. We have been worship here for 150 years, so consider a donation in honor of 150 say $1.50, or $15, or $150. It would be wonderful to be able to have a donation from every member. If we all participate we can offer a nice gift from the parish to the endowment fund. We will send in the collected monies at the end of August. Thanks for your participation in feeding the bishop church.

6 Page 6 SMALL GROUP STUDY, FOOD & FELLOWSHIP STARTING THIS FALL There has been a desire expressed for on-going small group study and fellowship, and we would like to start up small groups this September for a time of study, food, and fellowship. The ideas is to have people in groups of 8 that will meet once a month (you can meet more if you wish) for a meal, for a time of prayer and study, and for fellowship. The study program will be the same for all groups: Come and follow me: a group exploration of Christian life. This is a nine-session program designed to help people explore what it means to follow Jesus by looking at the baptismal covenant, the sacraments, and the nature of ministry as baptized Christians. The plan is to have the groups start in September and meet through May 9 months, 9 sessions. Signup sheets for participating are in the parish hall. The groups will be formed from those who have signed up, and then the specific groups will set their own meeting times. This is a great way to get to know members of the parish better and be part of a small group study and fellowship. GENERAL CONVENTION WHAT DID WE DO? General Convention meets only once every three years, but when it meets it is a long, intense, and full of meetings, resolutions, worship, and more meetings. At times I find myself wondering but does anyone actually care? General Convention does important work, but because there is so much, we can find ourselves only hearing about one or two hot-button issues and lose sight of the fact that much more happened. In general, coming out of convention there are three types of actions those directed to congregations and individuals, those directed to dioceses, and those directed to the wider church. Rather than try to give a complete summary here, instead there is a very nice blog post which has already done that. Go to: for a complete listing with a nice summary of the actions and activities of General Convention. As the author of the blog herself puts it: We rely on scripture, tradition, and reason for authority. The councils of the church (like General Convention and diocesan councils) are a manifestation of tradition. As messy, wordy, and human as these councils can be, they are still vehicles through which the Holy Spirit works to guide and direct our common life.

7 Page 7 Volume 2015, Issue 8 NOTES FROM THE FIELD: SEMINARIANS GO WEST Go west, young man! Well, I guess in this particular case it s more Go west, young people. I think all things considered and all things being equal Liz and I never really had a clue that this place existed before Gretchen contacted us way back when about the possibility of two of us coming out here. All of that being said, what a tremendous, exciting, and invaluable experience it has been living, working, playing and praying with the people of Lewiston and Clarkson for these last many days. I can t really speak for Liz, but I think for myself, I thought that evangelism would be a particularly easy exercise; I did grow up Southern Baptist. However, as we tried to spend time among the townsfolk my confidence quickly evaporated as we discovered more and more that oftentimes people simply wanted to be left to their own devices, unless they were dealing with someone that they knew. I have been told by someone that if your family has lived here for a long time, then you can easily be accepted as a part of society. If you are a newcomer to the area, it s a bit more challenging to make those initial connections. This fact has proven itself to be true several times over. But it hasn t all been gloom and doom. Liz and I have had many great meetings with the people and parishioners of Nativity; more than a couple of you have even tried your hand at making sweet tea for us. That little flourish has meant so much to this southern boy who is worlds away from the tea line, that imaginary boundary that seems to divide the country into those who drink their tea sweet and those who do not. Between the tea, the cookies, and the conversation, Liz and I have discovered a vibrant, energetic community that is deeply devoted to the gospel and is endlessly motivated to bring others to the goodnews that they have already found; they just aren t quite sure how to do it. I think they know more about evangelism than they let on. Being a welcoming and warm presence is half the battle with evangelism, that is, starting the relationship that draws a person deeper into conversation with you. But it takes that momentary willingness to be vulnerable, to be willing to put yourself out there before the magic can begin to happen. I ve said it time and time again, that Holy Spirit, she s a rascal. Left to her own devices there is no limit to what she can accomplish through God s people, but God s people have to be willing to make the first move for her. Authority is not given to us over the hearts and minds of those around us, and thanks be to God for it. All we can do is plant the seed. In his first letter to the Church at Corinth the apostle Paul talks about this very phenomenon. Paul planted, he writes, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. If we ve learned anything at all this summer (and be sure that we ve learned more than we are currently aware of) we ve learned that the greatest thing we can do as Christians is to sow that gospel seed far and wide, nurture it, and leave the growing to God. In other words, its up to us to get it out there; what happens from there should be left in the hands of God almighty, who is bringing all things to unity under Jesus Christ our Lord. Take the love that you ve shown us and show it to those like us; the strangers in your land, and if they are anything like us they will know God s love through God s people. And through you, God will perform his wonders.

8 Page 8 Volume 1, Issue 1 MOVIE NIGHT! SUNDAY THE 9TH AT 5 PM All are welcome to a showing of the Pixar classic, Toy Story in the Parish Hall. There will be popcorn and drinks! We will begin the movie at 5 in order to finish before our service of Compline. For those who haven t seen the movie (it is over 20 years old!), Toy Story is a tale about the secret lives of Andy s toys. Whenever Andy leaves, a whole unknown toy world comes to life. This is a world of staff meetings, checker games, friends, and Plastic corrosion awareness meetings. Andy s favorite toy is Woody, an old pull - string cowboy. Woody enjoys a charmed life of love and personal prestige. Yet in one day he loses all of this as Andy is given a new Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger toy for his birthday. Woody is a character that has lost his place in life. Buzz has supplanted him as Andy s favorite toy and Woody is discarded to the toy chest. But Buzz is oblivious of the benefits of being Andy s favorite toy, he thinks that he is a real space ranger who needs to return to the mother ship. There s so much to say about this movie: it touches the deep issues of loss, preaching and the nature of evil. But the relationship between Andy and his toys can be seen as the pure Gospel message. As demonstrated so clearly by Woody and Buzz, the toys derive their value externally through the love and attention of Andy. The most important thing in Woody s world is the place he holds in Andy s heart as his favorite toy. As Buzz Lightyear s delusions demonstrate, Woody and Buzz are just toys. Woody isn t really a cowboy and Buzz really isn t a space ranger; Woody can t round up cattle and Buzz can t fly. When Buzz is confronted by the shocking reality that he is a toy, he is thrown into despair. He says, I m not a space ranger. I m just a toy, a stupid little insignificant toy. Yet Woody (the preacher) urges him saying, Being a toy is a whole lot better than being a space ranger... Look, over in that house is a kid who thinks that you are the greatest... you are his toy. Buzz looks down on the sole of his boot and sees Andy written on permanent marker. Immediately, Buzz springs into action. He is saved from his despair through the assurance that he belongs to, and is loved by, Andy. In the same way, our value is found through being loved by God. In his letters John says we love because God first loved us. Our value, our worth, our identity is given infinite worth by our relationship with God. That is good news indeed.

9 Newsletter Title Page 9 B I RT H DA Y S IN AUGUST Carl Snyder 12 th Audrey French 25 th Darrell Daubert 14 th Nancy Rosch 20 th Jane Abbott 22 nd Noel Abbott 22 nd Jeane Perkins 24 th THE ALTAR GUILD Our thanks to those who have donated flowers: August 2-Open. August 9-Given by Sarah Graham, Ema, and Patience for birthday celebration. August 16 Given by Maxine and Don Hubbell for Anna Garner s and Amelia Jones s Birthdays. August 23 Given by Noel and Jane Abbott in celebration of their birthday s. August 30 Given by Barb Campbell in memory of Bill and Lenora Campbell. Our thanks to those who have donated sanctuary candles: August 2-Given by Rachel Walsh. August 9-Given by Anne Rhoads in memory of Sarah B. Colwell. Also given by Cathlin and Avril Stewart for Carl s Birthday. August 16-Given by Toni and Jerry Pierce in memory of Shane Pierce. August 23-Open. August 30-Open.

10 Page 10 Volume 2015, Issue 8 WEEKLY SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Sunday: Eucharist - 9:00 am Study Hour - 10:30 a.m. Monday - Friday: Noon Day Prayer - 12:15 p.m. Tuesday: food pantry open 8:45-noon Wednesday: Eucharist - 7:00 a.m. Thursday: Knitting Group - 10:00 AM AUGUST 2015 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 2 First Sunday brunch 5 8 Saturday Supper 4 5:30 pm Food pantry Open 9 Movie night! 5 pm Compline 7 12 Vestry meeting Salvation army soup kitchen Saturday Supper 4 5:30 pm, Food pantry Open Sept. 1 Sept. 2 Vestry meeting

11 Page 11 V olume 2015, Issue 8 SERVICE SCHEDULE FOR AUGUST DATE August 2 Proper 13 August 9 Proper 14 August 16 Proper 15 August 23 Proper 16 August 30 Proper 17 9:00 am Morning prayer 9:00 am 9:00 am 9:00 am 9:00 am LEM Tyler Richards Thomas Pearson Pat Johnson Pete Ruppel Jerry Pierce Lector Maxine Hubbell Madison Winn Pete Ruppel Toni Pierce Joe Lillard Frances Hedrick Thomas Pearson Pat Johnson Jerry Pierce Margaret Cole Anne Rhoads Usher Don and Maxine Hubbell Richard and Johnette Moore Bill and Debi Fitzgerald Ray Rosch Rosemary Daubert Phyl Lacy Caryl Mackey POP (none today) Marilyn Harris Nancy Rosch Toni Pierce Maxine Hubbell Altar Guild Caryl Mackey Rosemary Daubert Karen Turner Karen Parkman Susan Pearson Debbie Riedle Fran Caradine Johnette Moore Maxine Hubbell Pat Chase Pat Johnson Roberta Coats Marilyn Harris Marcu Johnson Caryl Mackey Rosemary Daubert Karen Turner Coffee Hour 1st Sunday potluck brunch Cathlin and Avril Stewart Greeters Rosemary Daubert Phyl Lacy Marcu Johnson Madison Winn Thomas Pearson Don and Maxine Hubbell Ray and Nancy Rosch

12 Page 9 Volume 2015, Issue 8 EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY th Street Lewiston, Idaho Office: office@nativitylewiston.com Rector: CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY Wardens/Vestry Rector Rev d. Gretchen Rehberg Vestry Diana Hughes, Sr. Warden Harold Crook, Jr. Warden Pat Johnson, Treasurer Dick McMillen, Clerk Harold Crook Rosemary Daubert Debi Fitzgerald Diana Hughes Joe Lillard Richard Moore Cathlin Stewart FIND US ON THE WEB! us on Facebook! Episcopal Church of the Nativity