S t. Jude s. St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church in Cuper no. Greetings from South Africa! The Viewfrom the orchard.

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1 S t. Jude s Episcopal Church, Cupertino, CA September 2015 Vol. 31, No. 9 St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church in Cuper no McClellan Rd., Cuper no, CA (408) Greetings from South Africa! I write this from a chilly Cape Town on the last day of our group journey to Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa. We have been welcomed and hosted with extraordinary generosity and grace, par cipated in hours long church services of deep and vibrant joy, conversed with numerous people of all ages, observed, learned, talked with leaders of projects who serve their communi es and achieve so much with so li le, with so much joy, socialized, and enjoyed delicious food of many different types. We saw and experienced God in so many different ways. I was privileged to preach at St. George s Cathedral, Cape Town, for sung evensong this past Sunday. From my sermon: These kinds of trips could be called a transforma onal journey one in which we move out of our usual comfort zones, where we are stretched in many different ways, physically, mentally, emo onally and spiritually. A transforma onal journey challenges us to observe and listen rather than talk, to reflect and rethink our ways of doing things, our needs as individuals and groups, our cultural norms, our faith, our ac ons, our spirituality, our peace and jus ce work. This kind of journey can and is life transforming, as we are experiencing, and yes, it is some mes uncomfortable. Whether traveling many miles in a van along bumpy roads, or being challenged by an experience or a conversa on, we were stretched and we grew. A transforma onal journey can also be a few miles away or thousands of miles away, as with our trip. A conversa on with someone very different from us, whether in race or ethnicity or culture or religion or sexual orienta on, can begin a transforma onal journey for us if we are open and allow ourselves to listen to the other person and are open to change and be transformed. The key is to have an open heart, to listen and be open to God s Spirit at work in others and through others, and open to being stretched and challenged. Over the next weeks and months the group will con nue to process and reflect on the trip, and we plan to report back to the parish at Sunday forums, a possible movie night and a Sunday a ernoon presenta on. The Desmond Tutu photo exhibit from September 27 October 11 will provide an excep onally fine background for the presenta ons, see page 6 for more details about that. Please keep Archbishop Tutu in your prayers as he returned to hospital for a few days this week. Through the serendipity of this trip, at a visit to the Tutu Founda on offices, I was invited by his daughter, Mpho, and privileged to celebrate communion in the hospital with him this morning, and to have me for a catch up conversa on. He is grateful for all our prayers and for the care he is receiving. (con nued on next page) The Viewfrom the orchard September 2015 St. Jude s is a spiritual oasis where lives are transformed. Whoever you are, wherever you are on your journey of faith, you are welcome here. Inside This Month Did you know...p. 3 Diocesan News...p. 7 Mission Covenant....p. 5 Stephen Ministry...p. 6 Parish Camp.....p. 3 Upcoming dates..p. 5 Service Worship Sunday.p. 6 Page September 2015 the View

2 I am conscious that schools have already begun the new year, college students are beginning school or returning to school, and our program year is about to leap into ac on. This is exci ng! So much ahead for us to look forward to. Our Parish Camp is coming up on Labor Day weekend and I hope to enjoy some relaxed me with many of you there. The Men s Getaway offers another opportunity for the men at St. Jude s to get to know each other through fun ac vi es and being together up in Arnold away from everyday life. Our Mission Covenant work con nues through the three focus areas of Social Jus ce and Outreach, Nurturing Our Volunteers and Leaders, and Joyfully Sharing our Abundance. Watch the display board for some updates about upcoming trainings for current and new leaders in the fall, and some new plans for our stewardship season. Note the date for the Harvest Dinner is Friday October 23 rd. My prayers are for all of us at St. Jude s as schools start and the new program year begins. May God con nue to lead and guide us at St. Jude s and deepen our community and welcome. Abundant blessings, Wilma Bread of Life: Vaca on Bible Camp and Beyond On the last day of Vaca on Bible Camp, I realized that something had happened when three 3-4 year old children were si ng at a table in the Parish Hall, lingering over their trail mix and cha ng away while others were diving into a ball pit searching for their scripture treasures. Why were these children s ll at the table? Rela onships had formed. That was a big happening. Beth Leonard, our VBC Director, explained to me that Vaca on Bible Camp works like any other retreat: The women who go away on their annual retreat are different with each other when they return and the same is true with the children when they have the opportunity to be with each other in a consistent and focused way for a fairly short, but intense interval of me. Yet I think VBC formed the children newly into community and gave them opportunity to begin or deepen friendships not only because they were with each other 3.5 hours every day for a week (hearing stories, playing games, singing, dancing, making art, and learning science), but because they also sat down at a table each day and shared delicious and nutri ous snacks (some mes with a healthy dose of fros ng!) They did this with their host, Michelle Pugh, who opened a welcoming space of calm, crea vity (the children o en assembled their own snacks with Michelle s instruc on) and alterna ons between conversa on and quiet. The children enjoyed table fellowship a centering place each day and friendships formed amongst the oldest and the youngest of the children. When I polled one seven-year old about her favorite part of VBC, without missing a beat, she said, Snack! (She added on another day when I checked in with her about that assessment, Michelle is so crea ve! ) This is a brief ar cle not about VBC (for that could be a whole other ar cle), but about table fellowship. Those 3-4 year olds are icons of the wonderful table fellowship that permeates the culture of St. Jude s. From communal meals at Youth Lock-ins to the weekly summer potlucks under the arbor, from Small Dinner Groups to the brown-bag during the Wednesday book discussion, from Eucharist to Coffee Hour in the Parish Hall, St. Jude s communes at the Table. Through table fellowship we nourish our bodies, minds, souls, and the oneness of our community. Curious about someone new to the parish or someone you ve seen for years but never had the opportunity to get to know? Sit down at coffee hour or invite that person to lunch or to your home. Need to plan an event or brainstorm new program possibili es? Do it while exploring a local eatery or introducing your conversa on partner(s) to an old favorite. Jesus said, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Let us share the presence of Christ as we gather for Eucharist, as we invite and welcome one another, and as we make St. Jude s home by sharing meals in this place together. I am grateful for all the meals I have shared with so many of St. Jude s parishioners in the last four months; I am grateful for you! Let us break bread together and let us nourish one another in Christ as we con nue to share the bread of life! Stephanie+ stephanie@saintjudes.org cell (510) (The Rev. Stephanie Green is the Interim Associate for Children, Youth, Families and Young Adults) Join us for Jazz Vespers September 27th at 5:00 pm Come for opening night of the Desmond Tutu photo exhibit at St. Jude s (see page six for more informa on) and Jazz Vespers with Mason Razavi and friends. There will be refreshments in the Parish Hall a erwards. Page 2 September 2015 the View

3 Did you know? Morning Prayer: Join us from 9:15 am to 9:35 am, in the sanctuary near the apricot window. Try it out on a day of the week that suits you. Medita on Meet-Up: September 19, 10:00 am in classroom 5. This small group gathers on the third Saturday of the month for about 45 minutes of centering prayer and peaceful silence. All are welcome. Alzheimer's Support group meets in the Fireside Room at 1:30 on the third Thursday of the month. It s led by Charlie Niemeyer of the Alzheimer s Associa on and Live Oak Adult Day Services. Godly Play Classes resume September 13. Godly Play classes will begin again a er a short hiatus. Please complete registra on forms for your children. Forms will be available in the Parish Hall, Farmhouse mailbox, and at h p:// If you are interested in helping with the Godly Play program, please contact Linda Morris at lindamorris24@yahoo.com or Stephanie Greenstephanie@saintjudes.org cell (510) Your prayers are asked as we have a new candidate for the associate posi on who will visit our parish during September and meet the youth, parents of children and youth, vestry and others. May the Holy Spirit con nue to lead and guide the right person to us at the right me. Calendar Potluck, Sept. 9 at 6:30 pm. If you are involved in a ministry or ac vity and have par cular dates scheduled for the coming year, please either a end, or send the details of your dates to the office so we can have them for the mee ng. SAVE THE DATE! If you are the leader of a ministry or group, save Wed. Sept. 23 for a special mee ng for leaders at Wilma's home, 7:15 pm. Parish Camp September 4-7 Two large group campsites have been reserved at Portola Redwoods State Park. Enjoy hiking in the redwoods or just kick back and relax around the campfire. Come for one, two, or three nights or spend the day Saturday, and share Communion followed by a group potluck. The two group campgrounds will each accommodate up to 50 campers. Portola Redwoods State Park is about a 45-minute drive from Cuper no. A signup sheet is available in the Parish Hall. Scholarships are available. See Mike Landis or Ian Greensides if you have ques ons. St. Jude's children's gifts to Saint-Patrick's in Haiti The classrooms at Saint-Patrick's Primary School in Lorcorbe, Hai have recently been refurbished, funded in part by St. Jude's Outreach in coopera on with California friends of Saint-Patrick. (See more here h p:// In prepara on for the new classrooms, individual chalk slates and other school supplies have already been sent. Notebooks, decorated with Creole words and designs by St. Jude's children and others during Service Worship Sunday, as well as the "Friends From Saint Jude's" photo banner that the children decorated will arrive in me to enhance the new classrooms. Thanks to all who contributed their me, talents, and treasure to this project. August 30th: One combined service at 9:15 am Page 3 September 2015 the View

4 Portrait of a Biblical Giver There are certain characteris cs that the Bible li s up when it talks about giving. Developing these characteris cs certainly ought to be the goal of all Chris an stewards. -- Ask. Thank, Tell [Charles Lane] In the book Ask, Thank, Tell Charles Lane lists six essen al values or characteris cs that he urges us to develop. Ask yourself which of the following describe you: all, some, or only a few? Inten onal In 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, Paul writes The point is this...each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion. In other words, Paul is encouraging us to have a plan and then act on that plan. Encouraging words for those of us who like to budget everything! Are you Inten onal? Filling in a pledge card (or financial promise card this year) goes a long way towards establishing a plan and then being encouraged to act on it. I know that many children put aside a given amount every week to put in the offering - they re also being inten onal! Regular This goes hand-in-hand with inten onal giving. To be regular means to establish a pa ern. Paul again (in 1 Corinthians 16:2) : On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collec ons need not be taken when I come. Pre y prac cal advice - applied in our me, this might mean weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually as it fits your income. Generous Perhaps this is the most basic stewardship value. Jesus himself says For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (1 Luke 12:34). Paul suggests that since God has blessed us abundantly we should share abundantly. (2 Corinthians 9:8) What does generous giving look like? Perhaps like the church in Macedonia...their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity Living with so much more wealth than the Macedonian Chris ans, or the people of Hai, or East San Jose, can we not be equally generous by working on our propor onal giving? First At its simplest this means giving to God first and living off the rest. Most of us have had the experience of saving for something, be it a present, a car, a house, (gulp) a child s college educa on, or (perhaps) re rement. And we ve probably found that we have to set aside the savings for those things before our other daily needs. Otherwise we never seem to have enough to save. Even the wealth planners say we should pay ourselves first (as in save before spending). Try adding God first on the list, and it becomes that much easier to be generous in our giving. Propor onal Most of us at St. Jude s have heard about percentage giving, propor onal giving, or thing. How come? The Bible, in a clever example of infla on-independent teaching, doesn t say give 20 drachmas or the modern equivalent. Instead, whether we have great wealth or li le wealth, we are meant to give propor onally! Wow - wouldn t it be great if our tax code was that simple! But what this means is that even if we can only afford a li le ($1 a week, $10 a month), what ma ers is how generous we are being as a percentage of our wealth or income. And yes, the Bible does teach that the the (10% of income) is the goal, but it also is clear that if we can t or won t reach that goal we should s ll plan our giving as a percentage. Cheerful My favorite is the final biblical stewardship value: being cheerful about giving. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7) I know others have also discovered that following Paul s other admoni ons about being generous, inten onal, and regular leads easily to also being cheerful. And when we see the good work being done with our gi s, we can be not just cheerful, but JOYFUL! Jeffrey Pugh for The Joyfully Share our Abundance Team Page 4 September 2015 the View

5 NOVAL Nurturing our Volunteers and Leaders As part of the St Jude's Mission Covenant, the goal to support our ministry leads and volunteers is being worked on by the NOVAL (Nurturing our Volunteers and Leaders) team, under the guidance of Jennifer Stern. Sept. 12: Leading an Effec ve Mee ng will be offered on Saturday from 10:00 am-11:30 am in the Parish Hall. Facilitated by Andy DeBaets, this class will include a short video with John Cleese and discussion. Come and join us to get some ps and strategies for mee ngs you lead - or mee ngs you a end. Other training courses include Wilma's St. Jude's 101, and as a follow-up, St. Jude's 201 focused on what you need to know to get things done at St. Jude's. The Spiritual Gi s Workshop will be offered as well as addi onal training focused on leading from a spiritual perspec ve. We also have some plans for ways to more easily match up ministry needs and volunteer interests. Stay tuned. Upcoming Dates: Aug. 30: ONE combined service at 9:15 am Aug. 30: Beach Mass, 10:30 am at Moss Landing Sept. 4-7: Parish Camp, see Mike Landis for more informa on. Sept 12: 10:00 am, Training: How to lead an effec ve mee ng Sept. 13: Newcomer s luncheon Sept 18: Men s weekend Sept. 27: Jazz Vespers and opening night of the Desmond Tutu photography exhibit. Oct. 2: Documentary movie night *date may change Oct. 4: 4:00 pm, Southern Africa Transforma onal Journey group report back with slideshow. Oct. 11: 4:00 pm, Exhibit closing event with Sumaya Hisham, photographer extraordinaire, refreshments. Oct. 23: 6:00 pm, Harvest Dinner Mission Covenant 1. Learn to live as disciples of Jesus in the modern world. 2. Focus energy and resources to make a greater impact in Social Justice and Outreach. 3. Deepen our welcome and accessibility to people of various backgrounds, ethnicities, ages and situations. 4. Support parishioners through all stages of their lives. 5. Strengthen our community by holding courageous conversations within a safe space. 6. Nurture our leaders and volunteers. 7. Joyfully share our abundance. Sept : 14th Annual Men s Mountain Get-Away, a relaxing get-away for men in Arnold at the Disney, Stolarik, and Varty cabins. Cost: about $60 per person. Sign-up: on the kiosk in the narthex, or contact Tad at: thomas.davis@sbcglobla.net Tad Davis (408) H, (408) C, thomas.davis@sbcglobal.net Join us for a fun, relaxing weekend in the mountains. Arnold is about a three-hour drive from Cuper no. We will plan group meals for Saturday dinner and Sunday lunch. All ac vi es will be en rely op onal. End of Summer Celebration, August 30 Moss Landing Beach Eucharist (10:30 am) and a ernoon recrea on at Elkhorn Slough Come to the 10:30 am Beach Eucharist at Moss Landing State Beach. We ll share a picnic lunch at 11:30 am following the service. Moss Landing Beach is renowned for wildlife viewings of sea o ers, sea lions and whales. Fishing is also plen ful. Easy to find--parking and the uphill path to the beach are visible from Highway 1. Stay at the beach for the a ernoon or head down Highway 1 a short distance to join a kayak tour of Elkhorn Slough, rent individual kayaks, or hike at the Elkhorn Slough Na onal Estuarine Research Reserve. RSVP to Stephanie(stephanie@saintjudes.org) for the morning and/or if you are interested in leading/joining a group hike or registering for a kayak tour in the a ernoon. Advanced registra ons recommended for kayak tours. St. Jude s online If you explore the St. Jude s website you will find: The Sunday sermon in text or audio; current or one from the archives Recent adult/community forums The most recent church bulle n The weekly announcement sheet The monthly newsle er Calendar and schedule of regular events Page 5 September 2015 the View

6 Faith in Action The SWS commi ee would like to thank all who engaged with Service Worship Sunday, including planning, preparing and par cipa ng in the projects, the Sunday morning service and the Sunday evening gathering with Eucharist. We offer par cular thanks to those who volunteered to lead projects: Stephanie Green, Mary Lyn Azar, Karen Leasure, Sharon Lee, Carolyn Bowker, Ellen Kolstee, Terri Hoornstra, Peter Troop, Tom Dyer, Marion Lynch, Andy Estrada, Chris Shuey and Andy DeBaets. Without the efforts of the project leaders, the day would not have run so smoothly or happened at all. Special thanks also, to the Godly Play and Faith-Full Families who hosted the dinner. Thanks also to Wilma, Stephanie and Donna for their willingness to not only take a chance on, but to encourage and support this and other new ministries at St. Jude s with their me and energy. The next Service Worship Sunday is scheduled for January 17 th 2016, Mar n Luther King Jr s birthday weekend. We will worship God by joining with millions of others to serve in our communi es. If you would like to help with the next SWS, contact Becky Smith (beckys100@hotmail.com). We par cularly need ideas for service projects and volunteers to lead service projects. An individual has not begun to live un l he can rise above the narrow horizons of his par cular individualis c concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. Every person must decide, at some point, whether they will walk in the light of crea ve altruism or in the darkness of destruc ve selfishness. This is the judgment. Life's most persistent and urgent ques on is, What are you doing for others? - Mar n Luther King, Jr. Archbishop Desmond Tutu in pictures at St. Jude s We are delighted to be hos ng an exhibi on of twenty four beau ful photographs of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, taken by Sumaya Hisham, a young Muslim woman photographer from Cape Town. This exhibit has taken place in St. George s Cathedral and in London, and will be at St. Jude s Church Parish Hall, September 27 October 11. Some of the photos will then become part of a larger exhibit at the Euphrat Museum at De Anza College, tled Endangered! The Language of Protest and Par cipa on and others at the California History Museum, October 19 Dec 3. h p:// Volunteers Needed: Mary Souza and Judy Bailey are pulling together a team to coordinate the exhibit. Volunteers are needed to be present in the Parish Hall when the exhibit is open, (days and some evenings.) It runs September 27 th to October 11 at St. Jude s. Please contact Mary at marysouza1@mac.com and Judy at jdthbail@aol.com. Stephen Ministry Stephen Ministers, lay Chris an caregivers, are trained to provide one-to-one care to people experiencing a difficult me in life grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, reloca on dealing with many of life s challenges. Some mes, Stephen Ministers have been called the a er people a er the rela onship ends, but the wounds are s ll there ---- a er family and friends have heard your story one too many mes, but you s ll need to talk it out ---That s when Stephen Ministers step in. If you want to talk with someone, Stephen Ministers will listen. If you want to pray, Stephen Ministers will pray with you. If you want someone to be there as you walk through a difficult me in your life, Stephen Ministers will be there to share Chris an care with you. Should you wish to discern whether a Stephen Minister might be an appropriate caregiver for you at this me in your life, please contact Judy Bailey, St. Jude s Stephen Ministry Referrals coordinator, at (650) Page 6 September 2015 the View

7 Diocesan Communications New Co-Leaders for Western Tanganyika Scholarship Fund. Sarah Nordwick and Ka e Reeves have agreed to oversee El Camino Real s scholarship program for the Diocese of Western Tanganyika, one of our two interna onal partners. In recent years our diocese has provided scholarships that funded more than 550 students to a end secondary school and for 23 students to a end college. Thanks to Becky Mikkelsen and Julie Fudge for their reless work in managing this important ministry! St. Jude s Outreach Budget includes support for this scholarship program, but individual dona ons may be mailed to our diocesan office in Salinas or made online at h p://realepiscopal.org/donate/. For more informa on, info@realepiscopal.org. Going Mobile With ECR's New Website. Following the May transition to our new diocesan website at several enhancements and improvements have been made and new pages are being planned. Over the past few months a recurring question has arisen from those who use their phone, tablet, or small laptop to visit the site: "Where's the menu?" Look no further than the top right corner of the home page, where you'll see a short stack of three lines. It's known in the online world as the "hamburger" icon; clicking it takes you to our main menu that includes the following sections: Our Diocese, Events, News, Resources, a contact form and more. Have a question or suggestion regarding the new website? them to Elrond Lawrence at elrond@realepiscopal.org. Save the Dates for Upcoming Deanery Events: Sept. 26 Deanery mee ng at Episcopal Church in Almaden (ECA) to discuss budget and resolu ons for Nov. 6 & 7 Diocesan Conven on. Oct. 18, 4 p.m. Deanery Choir concert at Good Samaritan Church in San Jose. Save the Dates for Upcoming Diocesan Events: Integrity/El Camino Real Retreat with Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves Oct. 23 and 24, Episcopal Marriage Encounter Experience at St. Andrew s, Saratoga over two consecu ve Saturdays, October 17 and 24. (See August View for more info at h p:// The Good News along the King s Highway, the weekly format for diocesan news, comes in your as Real Episcopal. Subscribe to get issues in your Friday at the bo om of the home page at h p:// realepiscopal.org/. Please send news/photos about parish events to our new Communica on Specialist, Elrond Lawrence, at elrond@realepiscopal.org; deadlines have changed to Thursdays at 10:00 am. For more diocesan or deanery informa on, contact Linda Morris, St. Jude s Diocesan Communica ons Liaison, at communica ons@saintjudes.org or St. Jude s website page for Diocesan and Episcopal news is at h p://saintjudes.org/beyond-saint-judes. Sara Razavi in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Come see Sara Razavi (Morris) as Olive Ostrovsky in the hilarious musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee". The show follows the story of six overachieving and quirky adolescents pi ed against each other in the spelling challenge of a life me. 8/21-9/19. Fridays and Saturdays, 8:00 pm (Sept 11th is already sold out). Sunday, Aug 30th and Sept 6th, 2:00 pm. Pintello Comedy Theater, Gilroy, CA. For more informa on go to or This month s contributors Tad Davis Stephanie Green Paul Hayter Wilma Jakobsen Linda Morris Jeffrey Pugh Barbara Simmons Becky Smith Page 7 September 2015 the View