The Sea Net. The Blessing of the Fleet. The Day of Pentecost. Thursday, May 9 Destin Harbor Sunday, May19

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1 The Sea Net May 2013 ~ Volume 13 Issue 2 The Rt. Rev. Philip M. Duncan, II, Bishop of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast The Rev. R. Barry Crow, Rector, St. Andrew s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church The Rev. David S. Luckett, Priest Associate, St. Andrew s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church From the Rector Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! T his great acclamation of Easter continues to ring through the Day of Pentecost! In resurrection power and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we go about the work of being Christians Christ to the world and conducting the ministries of this parish. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we make differences to those within the walls of this parish and those beyond the walls of this parish. The empowerment by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost propels us forward in mission bearing the Good News of Jesus to all people and nations. Pentecost comes fifty days after Easter. Pentecost is the birthday of the Church! Celebrate this day and the coming of the Holy Spirit! Celebrate the ministry of Christ and his Church throughout the world! Wear red, recalling the tongues of fire on the heads of those gathered in Jerusalem as Peter preaches that day! So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. (Acts 2:41) Please remember the opportunity within the parish to be a Lay Eucharistic Visitor. Information is available on the narthex table or you may contact Nancy Skinner or me with any questions or for additional information. Since it has been a few weeks since our last newsletter, allow me to recall for you the many happenings here at continued on page 2... SPOTLIGHTS The Blessing of the Fleet Thursday, May 9 Destin Harbor Join the St. Andrew s ECW (Episcopal Church Women) afloat on the Papi as it is blessed! (see page 2) The Day of Pentecost Sunday, May19 Remember to wear RED! (see page 6) Serving Christ in Everyone. Everywhere. Every day. The Episcopal Church welcomes you. St. Andrew s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church ~ 307 Harbor Blvd. (US 98 E.) Destin, FL Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1658 Destin, FL ~ (850) ~ Fax: (850) Rector s rbarrycrow@gmail.com ~ Parish Office admin@standrewsbtsepiscopal.org Website:

2 Usual Weekly Schedule Sundays Holy Eucharist (thru May 26)... 8:00 am Adult Sunday School... 9:00 am Holy Eucharist... 10:00 am Fellowship Time... 11:15 am Monday through Thursday Morning Prayer... 8:30 am Thursdays Motley Crew... 9:00 am (bring a bag lunch!) Regularly-Scheduled Meetings & Events This Month Parish Breakfast (usually the second Saturday) May :00 am Potluck Dinner (usually the third Wednesday) May :30 pm Worship Committee Meeting (usually the second Sunday, but no meeting this month) Vestry Meeting (usually the third Sunday) May :30 pm Noisy Change Sunday (usually the last Sunday of the month) May :00 am The Sea Net is generally published monthly (except for January and a combined summer issue) and welcomes and encourages submissions from St. Andrew s one and all prayers, poems, artwork, photos, quotations, little stories, longer stories, meditations, book reviews, ideas for articles. The deadline for submitting material for The Sea Net is the 15 th of each month. From the Rector...continued from page 1 the parish. February and March were busy months. The Youth Valentine Banquet, Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, Lenten soup and study lunches, Holy Week, Sunday fellowships, Saturday breakfasts, and a re-instituted Cursillo reunion group that meets on Tuesdays at noon St. Andrew s has been buzzing. Thanks to all of you youth and adults who helped in any capacity and those who supported any or all of these activities. Each one of us makes a difference! As I write this column, we are beginning the Week of Blessings in Destin. On Sunday, May 5, 2013, we blessed the youth and children of the parish and blessed T-shirts with the logo, I am not ashamed. Indeed, we are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! And we celebrate the Gospel message which brings life and salvation! On Thursday, May 9, 2013 (The Feast of the Ascension), the Blessing of the Fleet occurs on Destin Harbor. This year, we have a special celebration as our newly reinvigorated ECW (Episcopal Church Women) will be on a boat and receive a special blessing as they move forward in ministry. We look forward to new and exciting things from them! God s peace! Barry+ It s not too late to join the group on the boat: call Nancy Skinner at Nancy says: The boat caption would like for us to BE ONBOARD the "Papi" at Harbor Docks by 4:30pm. Please plan to arrive minutes prior in order to walk downstairs to the pier and board the boat. Lots of FUN SURPRISES are in the works! See you there! Volume 13 Issue 2 Page 2 May 2013

3 Social Justice / Outreach Jennifer Lee How Much Do You Really Know About Poverty? How much does it cost to make ends meet in your community? How much does child poverty cost our economy every year? How many people did unemployment insurance keep out of poverty last year? Take the quiz below and find out! 1. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Assuming full-time, year-round employment, how much would a parent have to earn to rent a modest, two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent without spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing (the conventional standard for affordable housing)? a. $7.25 per hour, $15,080 per year c. $15.22 per hour, $31,657 per year b. $10.78 per hour, $22,422 per year d. $18.44 per hour, $38,360 per year 2. More than 40 million people received food stamp or SNAP benefits in What was the average daily benefit per household in 2009? a. $30 b. $21 c. $15 d. $9 3. You can see how much it takes to make ends meet for your area and family type here. In rural Illinois, for example, a single parent with two preschool-age children would need more than $46,000 to pay for necessities like rent, food, and child care. What is the federal poverty line for a family of four? a. $18,050 b. $22,050 c. $40,050 d. $60, How many children live in households struggling with hunger? a. One in six b. One in five c. One in four d. One in three 5. How much does child poverty cost our economy every year? a. $400 million b. $500 billion c. $600 million d. $700 billion 6. Which racial-ethnic group has the largest number of people living in poverty? a. White/Caucasian b. African American c. Asian American d. Latino 7. True or false: The number of poor people in the United States is greater than the population of Canada. a. True b. False 8. In which geographic area are numbers of poor residents rising fastest? a. Urban b. Suburban c. Rural 9. The gap in median earnings between NY-14, the nation s wealthiest congressional district, and NY-16, one of the country s poorest districts (which is just a few subway stops away), is around a. $40,000 b. $30,000 c. $20,000 d. $10, Unemployment benefits kept how many Americans out of poverty in 2009? a. 1.3 million b. 2.3 million c. 3.3 million d. 4.3 million continued on page 4 May 2013 Page 3 Volume 13 Issue 2

4 Social Justice...continued from page The TANF Emergency Fund is a $5 billion fund designed to help states respond to the increased need for services during the recession and create jobs for low-income families in partnership with the private sector. How many subsidized jobs for low-income workers did the TANF Emergency Fund create prior to its expiration on September 30, 2010? a. 250,000 b. 200,000 c. 150,000 d. 100, True or false: The U.S. poverty rate has never fallen by more than a third. a. True b. False 13. How many Americans will experience poverty at some point in their lifetimes? a. One in two b. One in three c. One in four d. One in five 14. After completing this quiz, you re feeling a. Shocked b. Sad c. Angry d. All of the above ANSWER KEY: 1. A parent would need to earn $18.44 per hour, $38,360 per year, more than double the federal minimum wage, to afford to rent a modest two-bedroom apartment at a fair market rent without exceeding their housing budget. 2. Households receiving SNAP benefits in 2009 only received about $9 per day to meet their hunger and nutrition needs. 3. Millions of families across the country struggle to pay for high-cost necessities like food, rent, and child care, but the poverty line is only $22,050 for a family of four. The official statistics showing 43.6 million Americans living in poverty severely underestimate the number of Americans struggling to make ends meet. In fact, 2009 data show that last year one in three Americans were low income, meaning they earned less than twice the poverty level. 4. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly one in four children, or 23.3 percent, live in households struggling with hunger. Hunger and food insecurity affect educational performance and health outcomes. Under nutrition affects children's ability to learn. Chronic hunger therefore results in persistent learning difficulties, which has long-term impacts on children. Hunger also contributes to many health problems, including obesity. 5. A recent Half in Ten-commissioned report by Dr. Harry Holzer found that child poverty costs the economy more than $500 billion a year in lost productivity and increased health care and criminal justice expenditures. Conversely, implementing the principle recommendations from a 2007 CAP report to cut poverty in half in ten years would cost $90 billion a year. 6. The White/Caucasian group makes up the largest racial-ethnic group living in poverty today despite common (and inaccurate) stereotypes about the demographics of those in poverty. Following this group are Latinos, African Americans, and Asian Americans. African Americans and Latinos, however, suffer disproportionate rates of poverty. 7. True: Canada's population is approximately 33.7 million people. The number of people living below the poverty line in the United States is 43.6 million, which far surpasses the entire population of Canada. 8. Suburban: A Center for American Progress report reveals that the largest increase of poor residents is in the nation's suburbs. 9. According to the American Human Development Report, the median earnings in one of the wealthiest districts (NY-14) was more than $60,000 in 2009 while the median earnings in one of the poorest districts (NY-16) was nearly $18,000 in The districts are only a few subway stops away from one another, but the gap in median earnings tops $40,000. In fact, overall income inequality is at its highest levels since before the Great Depression. continued on page 5 Volume 13 Issue 2 Page 4 May 2013

5 Social Justice...continued from page Unemployment benefits were instrumental in keeping 3.3 million jobless Americans out of poverty during the Great Recession. Unemployment insurance is also a job creator, boosting demand in the economy and keeping small businesses open. A new report shows that without the federal unemployment insurance program there would have been 800,000 fewer jobs as of September Failure to continue providing federal benefits could result in 600,000 fewer jobs by the end of next year. 11. The bipartisan job creation engine, the TANF Emergency Fund, created over 250,000 subsidized jobs for low-income and long-term unemployed workers prior to its expiration. Unfortunately, Congress let this program expire, meaning that several states are now forced to shut down these successful jobs programs. This pushes more people into unemployment. 12. False: Poverty is not intractable despite (inaccurate) common stereotypes. The U.S. poverty rate fell by more than 40 percent between 1964 and By rebuilding our economy, creating good jobs, investing in families, and ensuring economic security, we can replicate this success and move millions into the middle class. A 2007 CAP report shows that just four public policies would cut the U.S. poverty rate by 26 percent in 10 years. 13. Millions of Americans will experience poverty at some point during their lifetimes, according to a 2007 CAP report. In fact, over a 13-year period, more than one in three people, or 34 percent of all Americans, lived in poverty. 14. After completing this quiz, you re feeling a. Shocked b. Sad c. Angry d. All of the above We can relate! It does not have to be this way. Join the Half in Ten campaign and help us cut poverty in half in 10 years. Sign the Half in Ten pledge today. Administrator s Desk Kate Driggers Learn How to Save a Life Just over six months ago, we announced (see the box below) that we d schedule a training class on the use of the AED (automated external defibrillator) that we d just purchased. Fewer than six people indicated interest and that six includes Father Barry, Kathy & Palma (our two retired nurses), and me! I m sure that in our church membership there exist a number of known arrthymias, and likely some unknown ones, too. The AED will be easily accessible, centrally located between the nave and the parish hall. Let s grow a good-sized group of trained people who can react quickly when needed. How about a target of twenty trainees??? Call or me: I ll get the training arranged ASAP! St. Andrew s Has an AED! W hat s an AED? And why do we want one? From Wikipedia: An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient, and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of electrical therapy which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm With simple audio and visual commands, AEDs are designed to be simple to use for the layman, and the use of AEDs is taught in many first aid, first responder, and basic life support (BLS) level CPR classes. In mid-september, the Destin Fire Department offered us an AED unit. These devices have a list price of around $1400, but the State of Florida has made them available through fire departments at $1100 with the state paying 75%, the recipient organization 25%, or $275. We jumped at the chance to have one here. We will arrange training in the AED s use for everyone who is interested. Please let Kate know by Thursday, October 18, if you d like to be continued on page 6 May 2013 Page 5 Volume 13 Issue 2

6 Administrator s Desk...continued from page 5 St. Andrew s Prayer List You ve seen this printed with our prayer list many times: In an effort to keep our prayer list current and efficient, we will keep names on the immediate concerns prayer list for one month and on the long-term concerns list for three months unless a longer need is made known to us. For those serving in the armed forces and deployed outside the U.S., it s three months as well. If you wish a name to continue on any list past these time frames, or if you wish us to remove a name from any list, please call the church office at Here are a few things you may not know: Names certainly may stay on the immediate concerns list for many months, and we usually don t remove a name until it s been there more than one month / six months. If you miss a name you ve given us, just call or and the name will return to the appropriate list. In the armed forces section, we always pray for all those serving and especially for those deployed outside the U.S. This week is the first in several years that we won t mention by name someone deployed outside the country: the only name recently has been John (our sexton s Karen s son). John is back in port from his Navy deployment in the Pacific. If there is someone on your personal prayer list who is deployed, please do consider adding that name to our corporate prayer. You may submit names anonymously, and you don t have to give us a reason for the prayer request. Finally, did you know that our complete list is prayed for by name Monday through Thursday at Morning Prayer? PENTECOST The Season of Pentecost begins with the Day of Pentecost. This day is the climax of the Great Fifty Days of Easter, for it is the birthday of the Church and the threshold to the Season of Pentecost. The season runs for more than two dozen weeks through summer and fall to the First Sunday of Advent. Compared with the other half of the Christian Church Year, which reviews the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord, the Pentecost Season asks us to focus on our Spirit-led lives of discipleship. Signs of PENTECOST Water & Baptism Waters symbolizes our rebirth by the Holy Spirit in baptism. Baptism, Confirmation, and the acceptance of new members mark this day in many churches. Volume 13 Issue 2 Page 6 May 2013

7 Pentecost...continued from page 6 Dove As the dove let loose by Noah Wind & Breath These are signs of the mysterious action of the Holy Spirit, unseen yet life-giving. after the flood signaled a safe return to land with the Lord s blessing, so the Spirit appearing as a dove at Jesus baptism signaled the peace and blessing of the Father. Fire This symbolizes the presence of God and the transforming energy of the Holy Spirit. Red The liturgical color for the day reminds us of the Spirit s fire and the blood of Christian martyrs gone before us. The Jews celebrated a Pentecost festival as a thanksgiving for the harvest, the giving of the Law, and the formation of the Jewish community. So Pentecost was one of the first festivals celebrated by the first Christians as a day to give thanks as well for the gift of the Spirit and the formation of the Christian Church. SUNDAY, MAY 19 THE DAY OF PENTECOST As has been the custom at St. Andrew s By-the-Sea, people are invited to wear something red to mark this special celebration. And look in next week s Weekly Update for another way we ll mark this day and the entire Season of Pentecost. May 2013 Page 7 Volume 13 Issue 2

8 St. Andrew s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church P.O. Box 1658 Destin FL (850) RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Vision Statement In Christ s name, St. Andrew s By-the-Sea, Destin s oldest church, is a dynamic Episcopal congregation, sustained by sacramental worship. We intentionally welcome and respect the dignity of all, and serve those in need both within and beyond our walls.