SPIRITUS Newsletter CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SPARTA

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1 Church of the Holy Spirit Mile Rd. Sparta, MI SPIRITUS Newsletter CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SPARTA Welcome! FAX June 2004 Rev. Susan S. York - Vicar Rev. Charleen Crean - Deacon Come as you are. Our founder often wore sandals.

2 Page 2 June 2004 Page 11 June 2004 Church of the Holy Spirit Calendar Mile Rd. Sparta, MI Located on the corner of State Street and 12 Mile Tel: spartachurch@sbcglobal.net Worship Times Sunday 10 AM Eucharist Christian Education: Preschool 9:45 to 10:45 AM Jr. High and High School 9 to 10 AM Adult Forum 9 to 10 AM Evening prayer: Wednesday 5:30 PM with soup supper June 13 - Bishop and Anne Gepert will be with us. We will be celebrating four baptisms on this day and celebrating afterwards with a potluck. Please sign up to add a dish to the hamburgs and hotdogs. June 20 - Remember to bring in your OLD CHRISTMAS cards to make gift tags for the bazaar. TRANSITIONS - This group meets on the last Wednesday of the month at 7pm. Please remember to sign up for CAMP CHICKAGAMI, near Alpena, MI. August Mission Statement Holy Spirit is a faith community that celebrates and brings God s love to the world through our children, our people and our lives. Rev. Sue S. York - Vicar Rev. Charleen Crean - Deacon Katy Stankewicz, Parish Administrative Asst./Music Director Advisory Committee Arthur Dibell Selene Marsteiner Donna Scott Michael Willison Art Melendez Brenda Benham Send articles and/or information for newsletter publication to Art Melendez at amelende@oaisd.org or leave them in his letter box. Deadline for articles is the 21st of the month. Lawn & Snowplowing Service I am Matthew Wudkewych. I have started a lawn mowing & snowplowing business. My services will be at reasonable prices. If you would like your lawn mowed please me at jmmrt@netzero.com or call me at or at Thank You

3 Page 10 June 2004 continued from page 9 And it was enough, to produce more food than what the disciples started with in the first place. [17] The number of baskets, not mere pieces of food spoke of a new fullness. Twelve was a Jewish number that represented totality. So from the wholeness of a little came the wholeness of plenty. Eucharist is a challenge of faith. How can so little feed so many? How can little I offer God do so much? Ponder that thought the next time you receive Eucharist. Larry Broding (Copyright ) Art (Phyllis Sullivan s husband) Barrett Bill Tramper David Byers and family Dawn Snoeyink Ginny (Rob Wagley s mother) Gloria Helen Parker Hazel Tramper (House Bound) Jack and Wanda Jerry Feeney Jim Winchell Jim John Snoeyink Pray for those in special need John and Katie Kathleen Kenny (Helen Little s Grandson) Linda DeVos Michael Usher Michael Jennings Mother Pam Breakey Patrick Rich Fuller Ron Moore Roy Sonya Tom Tramper Page 3 June 2004 From the Vicar Recently I read this posting on the House of Bishops/House of Deputies list serve. I found it intriguing. A young woman, Laurie Faiveley, who is graduating from college and heading to seminary in 2005 is going to spend the next year working on a book, tentatively titled, " A Road Trip to Faith." She states that "2002 statistics show that the average Sunday attendance for Episcopal Church services is down from 2001 to 846,640 people." I am assuming that is in the United States. However over l8 million people tuned in to watch the first episode of Fox's 'reality show', Joe Millionaire. What does a show that draws in l8 million people each and every week have that the Church does not have.?" Likewise, Mars Hill Church, in Grandville, Michigan, close to where I live has taken over the former Grand Village Mall, and with Rob Bell as their pastor has become in 6 short years the 6th fastest growing church in the nation according to Outreach Magazine. What used to be the center court fountain is now the pulpit and orchestra area. What do they have that is so attractive to many thousands of members each week. What is it that people are looking for in their spiritual journey and what motivates them, feeds them, brings them back week after week? I believe that people at their very core are looking for a relationship with God, with his son Jesus and with each other. I believe that people are looking for a place that can give them some hope and some good news and a place to feel needed and a place to explore the basic questions of their lives, and they are looking for a place that helps them make some sense out of the crazy world we live in. They also want to be accepted for who they are, even when that is a little "messy." They want a place where they can learn and grow and pray and sing, laugh and cry. They want a place where they can join with others to serve in a way that will help make the world a better place. I hope that we are the kind of faith community that is becoming that kind of place. We are a year old, and we are still in the process of becoming, may we always be. I will look forward to reading Laurie Faiveley's book when it is published. I wonder if the answer to her question is: 18 million people want to see what it means to love and be loved, and not because of the money. I wonder if the Church can show us what it means to be loved and to love, to help people find that love in God's love for them, and then they can find it in each other. Too simplistic? probably, but I believe that as Church of the Holy Spirit, we can impact those around us and those who will find us in the coming years if we live out of that belief. SUE

4 Page 4 June 2004 Sunday School News Thank-you to all the Sunday School teachers, students, and to our supportive parish for a wonderfully blessed year. It s hard to believe a year has gone by so fast. We started out with just 14 children in two classrooms. A year later, we now have a potential of 33 children on any given Sunday and we have grown into three classrooms. Wow! Please bring your family, friends, and neighbors to our Vacation Bible School on June 15, 16, and 17. Our time is 6:15 to 8:30 p.m., we will begin and end on time. We are praying for an awesome three days on Lava Lava Island for all of the children that will be attending our program. We will be having Sunday school this summer. The teachers have volunteered to teach one weekend during the summer. Our curriculum will be something we will be trying out for the first time; it is called Sunday School Specials. This particular program mixes children between the ages of 3 and 12 in the same class. Our classrooms will be combined ages during the summer, and this program promises to be original and creative. If you would like to help out in the Sunday school rooms this summer, we would be more than appreciative for your help. In God s Peace, Heidi Willison Page 9 June 2004 wain. Having approached, the Twelve said to HIM, "Dismiss the crowd, so they, having traveled into the surrounding village and fields, might find lodging and provisions because we are in a wilderness place." 13 But HE said to them, "You give them (something) to eat." They said, "Between us there are no more than five loaves and two fish-unless, having traveled, we might buy food for all these people." 14 For there were about five thousand men. HE said to his disciples, "Have them recline in groups, about fifty (each)." 15 They did so, and everyone reclined. 16 Having taken the five loaves and two fish, having looked up to heaven, HE blessed them and broke (them) and gave (them) to his disciples to pass to the crowd. 17 Everyone ate and was satisfied. The leftovers were collected for them, twelve baskets of fragments. "It is really the kind of problem I wish we had all the time." This popular saying describes Jesus' situation. The number of people he attracted was greater than the amount of resources that could met their needs. The apostles realized the problem and proposed a solution. [11-12] Both the problem and the apostle's "reasonable" solution gave Jesus a chance to challenge faith. Jesus answered the Twelve's command with a command: "You do it" [13] Of course, Jesus implied that what little his followers had would be sufficient; the thought that so little would fulfill so many must have been left the followers completely incredulous! However the small number had important implications to Jews in the time of Jesus. Two loaves and five fish equaled seven pieces of food; the number seven meant fullness, completion, perfection. Jesus would take these mere seven pieces of food and feed a multitude! The Twelve now became meal servants who organized the people so that they could be fed in an orderly fashion. [14-15] Part of the revelation, the challenge, is to act as if God would take the little and provide an abundance. Once the Master had given the command, there was no turning back; to follower Jesus, the Twelve had to act on his command. 9:16 has many Eucharistic overtones. Taking the food in his hands, looking up to heaven, blessing, and breaking for distribution remind us of the Eucharist. The blessing, it must be noted, was not on the food itself; like a pious Jew, Jesus most likely blessed God for the food as a way of thanks for what he already had. When Jesus blessed the food, he acknowledged what the Father could do with so little.

5 Page 8 June 2004 Have you ever worried that the little you had would be enough? What happened? Luke 9:11b-17 Popular Translation So Much With So Little 11b The crowds followed Jesus into the wilderness. So, he welcomed them and spoke to them about God's Kingdom. He cured those in need. 12 Late in the day, the twelve apostles approached Jesus. "Tell the people 'Good-bye,'" they told Jesus, "so they can go into the villages and fields around here to find food and a place to spend the night. After all, we're in the wilderness." 13 "You give them something to eat," Jesus replied. "All we have is five loaves of bread and two fish!" the apostles said. "We could go and buy food for all the people." 14 Five thousand men were there."have everyone sit in groups of about fifty and get ready for dinner," Jesus told his followers. 15 The apostles gave the order and everyone sat down. Page 5 June 2004 June Anniversaries: Walt & Joan Hill June 13 Jeff & Dawn Noble June 29 June Birthdays: Evan Singleton June 2 Michael Klann June 13 Ruth Smith June 24 Cord Noble June 30 TRANSITIONS This group meets on the last Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. This group is designed to assist with emotional and spiritual support for women undergoing any type of change in their life. Led by Christine Walkons MA, LPC, this group is women giving support to women. Call (616) for more information. 16 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish in his hands, looked up to heaven, and blessed the food. He broke the food into pieces and gave it to his followers so they could pass it out to the people. 17 They ate, and everyone was satisfied. Then, his followers collected the twelve baskets of leftovers! The multiplication of the loaves and fish was one of the only miracles recorded in all four gospels. It related everyone a simple but difficult challenge to the believer. How could dinner for three feed more than five thousand people? Literal Translation 11b Having welcomed them, HE spoke to them about the Kingdom of God. HE cured the ones having need of healing. 12 The day began to SAVE THIS DATE! Saturday August 14 through Wednesday August 18th Family Camping!!! Church of the Holy Spirit teams up with St. Andrew's Episcopal Church for the annual trip to Camp Chickagami near Alpena, MI. Lots of family oriented fun. Stay in their cabins or your tent/camper, hike, swim, fish or just relax in the club house. There is modern plumbing and family style meals are included in the price.

6 Page 6 June 2004 Bike Ride Page 7 June 2004 Starting something new is always a challenge and our Bike Ride ( Spartac) was no different. We learned a great deal about sponsors, public relations and in general, getting the word out. Our ride was a success, even though we had a small turn out of 11 people. The weather was definitely a factor as people were not interested in riding with lightning, rain and thunder. The good news was that during the ride there was no rain and the ride was great fun for everyone. The family, 5 mile ride went well and Linda May was our youngest person riding. The fifteen mile ride was the longest due to the potential weather problems and all went well with that ride. After the ride we all had hamburgers and hot dogs and had a great time. We had great support from all helpers and the day turned out to be a great time for everyone. We will be ready for next year, bigger and better. We can now build on a foundation of some experience. Thanks for all the Church support. Roger