Volume 2012, Issue 4. Come. Journey Together

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1 Volume 2012, Issue 4 Come. Journey Together St. George Episcopal Church June, 2012

2 A Message from the Vicar Page 2 Contributed by: Vicar, Bonnie Malone the world. The film Chocolat tells the story of a gypsy woman and her daughter as they relocate to a very traditional and religious village in the French countryside. A hard, cold wind brings the pair to town (donned in bright red, hooded capes). They arrive in the middle of Lent and open a chocolaterie shocking for certain, but not as shocking as their refusal to go to church. Unexpectedly, their presence begins to transform the relationships and ideas of the village, in a very God-like way. Whenever I see this film I think of the Holy Spirit, personified in the love of a mother and a daughter (who wear red, come with the wind and defy expectations). Amazing, isn't it, how relationships can be so transforming? We all have stories of people who show up in our lives, in a haphazard way, even irritating at first, only to stretch us and change us completely. The early church spent much time arguing about categories (the who, and how, and when and so on) with respect to God. One argument centered upon the question of whether the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father only, or from the Father and the Son. The Nicene Creed demonstrated that, for at least one group, it was important to understand that the Holy Spirit was poured out from both the Father and the Son. The idea was that the love between the Father and the Son was so great that a third Spirit naturally overflowed from that love. The Holy Spirit actually emanated from the Divine love between the Creator and Redeemer of I am not much for theological categories, and the concept of the Trinity will always confuse me, but I think the idea that the Spirit flows from the Father and Son is an important one. Our God models for us a love so strong that it creates something new, unwieldy and beautifully creative the Holy Spirit. If we believe that we are created in the image of God, and that imitating God is a worthwhile endeavor, then we could expect that something new, holy, and Spiritlike would come from each of our loving relationships.

Bishop s Committee Update Contributed by Denise Hayes, Associate Sr. Warden Page 3 SPRING! It is that time of the year when the world around us emerges green, growing, blooming and new.

3 Bishop s Committee Update Contributed by Denise Hayes, Associate Sr. Warden Page 3 SPRING! It is that time of the year when the world around us emerges green, growing, blooming and new. Winter, for those of us who remain in Washington, is filled with grey days, leafless trees, and varying amounts of rain. When spring arrives, the world around us bursts forth with beauty of vibrant colors and floral smells as it enters into a state of change. This change in nature fills me with hope and expectant waiting to see what flowers my garden will yield. Recalling the winter conditions and ice storm, I was worried that many of my favorite plants might not have survived the harsh conditions. One of my very established plum trees did not weather the ice storm that came, and lost many of the beautiful branches. As I looked more closely at the remains of the tree, it was not as healthy as I had assumed, and then, the ice damage makes sense. There is a healthy plum tree twin next to it which weathered the ice storm without any damage whatsoever. This reminded me of a Tanya Tucker song, Strong Enough to Bend. The first lyric states: There s a tree out in the backyard That never has been broken by the wind And the reason it s still standing It was strong enough to bend. Reluctantly, I decided that the damaged branches needed to be removed. What remained once the damaged and unhealthy portions were removed looked bleak and I was doubtful that spring would revitalize this tree. Imagine my amazement when I looked out and saw sprigs of new growth on the remains of this tree! I was surprised again that this same tree blossomed this year after the severe forced pruning that was performed after the ice storm. We can take a spiritual lesson from this nature story with some questions for reflection. Is my relationship with God strong enough to bend when the strong winds of change come along? What causes me to be unbending when the winds of change blow? How can I learn to bend in those same winds? Can I trust in some pruning to bring out the beauty within me when God can see that I am not as healthy as I could be? Will I allow God to remove the damaged areas so I can grow? When I experience winter bleakness and grey in my spiritual life, are my roots healthy enough to bring forth new and beautiful growth after the winter is over? I pray that we will grow spiritually this spring, weather the winds of change in our lives, and emerge with renewed beauty in the process.

Where in the World is St. George Contributed by: Ronalyn Choco Susan Cave sent this picture from Bahrain for the Where in the World is St. George photo board in Litras Hall.

4 Where in the World is St. George Contributed by: Ronalyn Choco Susan Cave sent this picture from Bahrain for the Where in the World is St. George photo board in Litras Hall. The Grand Mosque is in the background. Susan toured the mosque on her first trip there and had to wear the Hijab (head scarf) and a traditional black dress called an abaya. It was quite an experience because non-mulims are not typically permitted in the mosques in Bahrain and definitely not in the ones in Kuwait. Page 4 Now it s your turn. Have you worn your St. George shirt during recent travels to the Midwest, to Tacoma to Florida, to Timbuktu or??? If you re going on vacation this summer, be sure to take your St. George shirt, take a photo, and put it on the photo board in Litras Hall. Let s see how far St. George can go. Relay for Life Contributed by: Mir Plemmons In the wake of Vicar Bonnie talking about living a more sanctified, sacrificed life, I wanted to share part of our lives - a modern understanding of the monastic oaths of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience that might be useful for some of you: Poverty - not my stuff, but Yours. Chastity - not my desires, but Yours. Obedience - not my will, but Yours. As I'm recovering, thanks to all of you, from my bout with cancer, I want to tell you about something I did May 11. I went to my first Relay for Life. It was a moving experience, seeing and sharing a community who gather together for a weekend to raise money for cancer research. The American Cancer Society uses Relay money to fund research - so far, they've funded 46 Nobel Laureates. A colleague has worked on their money handling side, and came away very impressed and inspired by how much of the money really does go directly to research - not to overhead or salaries at ACS or RfL. In addition to the work they do with the money, Relay itself is a healing thing. Communities come together for this, spending time listening, talking, singing, crying, laughing and praying. It was hard to be there at first, but it was such a good thing!! I went to that one because my colleague asked me to. It was a moving experience. Ask me, or better yet, look at my CaringBridge site. I lit a candle for Colleen and thought of how many others at St. George have been struck by cancer, directly or indirectly. There are a lot of us! I will be going to Renton's Relay on June 8, as a thank you to the friend who lit a Luminaria for me last year. (A luminaria is a candle in a paper bag, usually decorated, lit on Friday night in rows and rows of names, prayers, hopes and memories.) It turns out that, as a Survivor, I can raise money and only have to walk one lap. Hey, I can DO that!! Can you support us? You can search for Relay for Life Renton, and then search Mir Plemmons (I'm in w/ my full name, Michel Mir Plemmons). You can also use this link: site/tr/relayforlife/rflfy12gw? px= &pg=personal&fr_id=38938 Many thanks! Hey - want to think about a St George team next year? Dragonslayers?

5 News from St. Anne s Guild Contributed by Donna Selby Page 5 How on earth did it get to be JUNE? (We hear that as one gets older, time goes faster.. oh, dear!!) At any rate, it is a beautiful and wonderful time of year, and we wish you all a lovely month!!! As is usual after each year s Rummage Sale, budget decisions must be made as to how to effectively utilize the monies that were made.not an easy task! In addition to normal expenses (cards & postage, special Coffee & Dessert Events, Christmas decorations, etc., fabric is purchased (approximately $ to $700.00), and made into blankets (by several women of St. Anne s & our Church).. Under the leadership of Jean Christenson, over 300 blankets will have been made & donated to Project Linus by the end of July. These blankets go to Children s Hospital, Fire Districts, Orphanages & other agencies for Children! (Thank you SO MUCH, Jean, and all you dear women who create such loving gifts.) Other financial decisions are: $ to MOPS what a most worthwhile group this is, and we re so proud of Cole Adams, Jenni Scharf, and Necia Hansen, and other members of St. George, for the terrific job that they re doing!! Impressive!! $2, toward adding additional space for the Sunday School!! Because there are so many children & tweens now attending St. George, space is a desperate situation, and we pray for additional resources to help solve this current problem!! With all of us working together, I m sure we will succeed at finding a solution!!! Additional monies will be given to several community organizations, and these will be decided upon at the September meeting. (Once, again, thank you ALL so-o-o very much for your generous support of the Rummage Sale, thereby making it possible to donate to these much-needed causes!! You are all Blessings in the Life of our Church!! St. George T-shirts, sweatshirts, aprons, caps, etc., will be on sale during the month of June. Orders will be taken until June 30 th, and will be available at the Church for pickup. Don t be the only one without a shirt or other Logo apparel they really make us look like the beautiful team that we are! Thanks to Diane Lancaster, and her sidekick, Barbara Goddard, for their great work on this project. While there will be Executive Meetings, get-to-gethers in the Park, and visitations to members who can t get out & about, there will be NO regular meetings during July & August! Refreshments will continue after the 9:30 Service, as always!have a MOST WONDERFULLY HAPPY & RELAXING Summer take care of yourselves & each other, travel safely, and stay well!!! See Ya at Church! Blessings always! St. George Logo T-shirts Contributed by Diane Lancaster They're back! We are taking orders for our St. George Logo items the month of June. A display is in Litras Hall with a list of items for sale. T-shirts, sweatshirts, polo shirts, aprons and baseball caps. Shirt sizes run from XS youth to 6X adult and are available in white or purple. Please order with Diane Lancaster. Please make checks out to St. Anne's Guild.

on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month (Sept.-June) at 6:30 p.m. Childcare is always provided.

6 & Update Contributed by Jenni Scharf and Cole Adams ONE MEETING LEFT!! Our final meeting of the year is: June 14th at 6:30! Join us for a BBQ, bounce house for the kids, tie dye party and fun for all MOPS, for Moms of Preschoolers (from pregnancy to kindergarten) and MOMSnext, for moms of 1st graders on up typically meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month (Sept.-June) at 6:30 p.m. Childcare is always provided. We are currently filling leadership positions and have a discount rate to sign up for the year! Spread the word, bring a friend or just come to make some new ones for more info. and all meeting dates visit Or for more information contact Jenni or Cole you can reach us at maplevalleymops@gmail.com. We have a place for ANYONE who is interested in this ministry! Moms don t let moms mother alone join Maple Valley MOPS and MOMSnext! St. George - MOPS/MOMSnext Hot Wheel Jaguars 3-4 Year Old T-Ball Team St. George MOPS and MOMSnext is sponsoring a T-Ball team for 3 and 4 year old kids (coached by Jenni Scharf). We d love to have you out to cheer on the Hot Wheel Jaguars! Although all games are at Lake Wilderness, home games are June 16 at 2 p.m. at Lake Wilderness park, field 2 and June 30 at 12 p.m. in field 1. Wouldn't it be fun to wear your St. George logo attire and cheer on the 3-4 year olds?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY June Birthdays: 06/03 Jack Adams 06/07 Jason Schober-Spurgeon 06/08 Roberta Latimer 06/08 Jason DeLise 06/09 Ryan Ceccato 06/10 Lauren Marziliano 06/10 Sarah Tracy 06/11 Stacy Sheagley

June 14 6:30 pm MOPS/MOMSNext Fri. June 22 11:30 a.m. Project Linus HAPPY ANNIVERSARY May Anniversaries: 06/08 Marianna and Ed Woodriff 06/11 Linda and Steve Beardslee 06/18 The Rev.

7 HAPPY BIRTHDAY June Birthdays: 06/03 Jack Adams 06/07 Jason Schober-Spurgeon 06/08 Roberta Latimer 06/08 Jason DeLise 06/09 Ryan Ceccato 06/10 Lauren Marziliano 06/10 Sarah Tracy 06/11 Stacy Sheagley 06/13 Garth Sweet 06/14 Steve Adams 06/16 Amanda Plemmons 06/17 Sharon Turner 06/24 Beverly Eich 06/27 Denise Hayes 06/30 Davis Molen Fri. June 8 Sat. June 9 CUT n POST Page 7 11:20 a.m. St. Anne s Guild 8 am Men s Fellowship Thu. June 14 6:30 pm MOPS/MOMSNext Fri. June 22 11:30 a.m. Project Linus HAPPY ANNIVERSARY May Anniversaries: 06/08 Marianna and Ed Woodriff 06/11 Linda and Steve Beardslee 06/18 The Rev. Bonnie Malone and Chong Zhang 06/26 Radha and Hal Ahlstrom Sundays Mondays Tuesdays WEEKLY ACTIVITIES 8 am Contemplative Service 8:45 am Choir practice 9:30-10:30 am Traditional Eucharist Service with choir 10:30 11:15 am Fellowship Hour in Litras Hall 11 am Godly Play 11:00 am -12:00 pm Family-centered Eucharist 6:30-7:30 pm Overeaters Anonymous 6:30-8:00 pm AA Come. Journey Together Wednesdays Thursdays Fridays 6:30-8:00 pm Dessert & Wednesday Fellowship 12pm Communion of Saints followed by soup luncheon 9:30 am Bible Study The 15th of each month Deadline for Quest articles Anytime send calendar information to Ronalyn Choco at johnandron@comcast.net The Quest Newsletter, published monthly by St. George Episcopal Church Witte Rd., SE Vicar: Bonnie Malone Quest Editors: Jenni Scharf/Ronalyn Choco

Volume 2012, Issue 3. Come. Journey Together

Volume 2012, Issue 3. Come. Journey Together Volume 2012, Issue 3 Come. Journey Together St. George Episcopal Church April, 2012 Celebrate Holy Week at St. George Contributed by: Vicar, Bonnie Malone Take part in the great Holy Week Journey: Pilgrimage