The Newsletter of St. John s Episcopal Church November 2012 Website:

Transcription

1 The Newsletter of St. John s Episcopal Church November 2012 Website: As I write this epistle, we are in the midst of the storm. It is quite possible that Sandy will do some damage in our neck of the woods. People are comparing it with past storms, making comparisons while trying to decide what to do next. It seems to me that we spend our lives in the midst of a storm or some kind or another. There are decisions to be made in the present, the future is unpredictable, and the past is a memory. November is a month in which we celebrate or remember our history. The Feast of All Saints on November 1st, and All Souls on November 2nd, are days of remembrance, recalling those individuals whose lives of faith helped to shape our own. November 11th is Remembrance Day, or Veteran s Day. It recalls the guns falling silent on November 11th, at 11 a.m. in 1918, ending The War to end all Wars. The month closes with the Thanksgiving Day Holiday. In a nation that values the separation of Church and State, Thanksgiving can be seen as our national holy day. Some of us give thanks for our blessings, while others are thankful for survival. Thanksgiving also heralds the coming of the Holidays, the ending of one year and beginning of the next. Over the next few weeks, we will also be shaping the church budget for fiscal year We will be asking for your support of time, talent and treasure. Most of you know that St. John s will enter our 291st year of Christian witness in Salem. It is a witness we share with those who have gone before as the markers in the graveyard around the church attest. The activities in the parish house and our liturgies in the church and chapel give witness to our activities on behalf of both the community and our faith in the present. Our future is not known to us but we hope to continue to be a sign of God s presence in this community for years to come. All of us have been tried and tested by various storms in our lives. We have been blessed by the work and legacy left by others and, in the same way, we continue to build on that legacy for those who will come after us. Your commitment of time, talent and treasure will enable the legacy to continue. Pledge cards will be made available and we hope you will return yours by the Thanksgiving Holiday. 1

2 Keep your fork! After an elderly woman died, her family complied with an intriguing instruction she d left for her burial. As mourners passed by the casket, discovering a fork in the woman s right hand, they looked questioningly toward her family members. They just smiled knowingly. Finally, during the funeral service, all became clear. When you eat a meal at someone s house, said the pastor, as they clear the table, they often say, Keep your fork. It means something more is coming dessert! surely the best part of the meal. The pastor concluded, Our dear friend knew, as her earthly life ended, that the best was yet to come. She wanted you to know that, too, so she insisted on keeping her fork. Adapted/Author Unknown (From The Newsletter Newsletter) FROM THE EDITOR: Do you wish to change the way you receive The Forerunner? Simply leave a message with the church office and it will be rerouted with the next issue. The Forerunner is also available to you on our Web Page and looks great in COLOR! Thanks to Nate Gable at : /rc St. John s Episcopal Church Salem, NJ Established 1722 Parish Office: Fax at office: stjohnssalemnj@comcast.net Website: Rector: The Rev d. Steven Carroll (h) cell: fathersteve@comcast.net Deacon: The Rev d Sally Maurer (h) cell: slarrabee@comcast.net Senior Warden: Ron Magill Junior Warden: Virginia Sisco Treasurer: Admin. Assistant: Marjorie Warren stjohnssalemnj@comcast.net Minister of Music William F. Clisham, Jr wfclish@aol.com Forerunner Editor Rosie Carroll rsmrycarroll@yahoo.com 2

3 From The Deacon s Bench By The Rev. Deacon Sally Maurer I cannot believe how fast the summer went; I found it exceedingly difficult to get into Fall mode. I think going on vacation at the very end of the summer to a place that is perpetual summer warped my biorhythms and made it very hard for me to get out of my sandals and put real shoes on! In my last musings I introduced to you the concept of the Five Marks of Mission and promised that future columns would address each one in more depth. This month, I d like to talk a little about the first Mark to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom. The Good News, or the Gospel, of Jesus Christ changed the lives of those who lived with Christ and changes us still today. The Good News of Jesus s precious gift through his death and resurrection is open to all people, regardless of their background, race, economic status, gender, or age. We ve been reading a lot from the Epistle of James where we are receiving instructions on how followers of this Gospel should behave. Most importantly, as followers of Jesus, a sign of our spiritual health both individually and collectively is our willingness to share this Good News with others. Every Sunday now I have the awesome privilege of proclaiming the Gospel in the congregation s midst. I frequently experience goose bumps when I stand there and make the sign of the cross on the book and proclaim the gospel. At the end you may notice that I kiss the book out of respect for the precious words it contains. It is one tangible way that we as a congregation proclaim the good news of the kingdom to the world. I had many wonderful experiences while I was in Hawaii but two of them I d like to share with you in more detail. While on the Big Island of Hawaii, my husband, grandson and I followed signs to the Painted Church. We were exploring the West Kona Coast that day bound for the Hawaiian Volcano National Park. Down a long windy road heading towards the ocean we finally found a small white chapel perched high on the hillside with a graveyard at its side. Obviously a Roman Catholic Church replete with multiple sacred statues of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Family and other Saints just the external view of the Church was beautiful. But we had no idea what lay ahead of us. As we entered the Sanctuary it became clear why it was called the Painted Church! Every wall was handpainted with scenes depicting important concepts in the life of a Christian Baptism, Temptation and Hell, Fidelity with your fellow Christians, the righteous death of a Christian, various Bible stories from both the old and new testaments Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Jesus Baptism, The transfiguration, Jesus trial and crucifixion, and finally behind the altar painted in such a fashion to look like a huge basilica with marvelous bas relief on a flat wall. This fantastic display was the work of a Catholic Missionary Priest as a way of teaching the native Hawaiians the Good News of the Kingdom! My husband and I were also taught by that Priest that day we were spiritually fed and uplifted by a priest, long dead, who painstakingly and with love for his Lord, created a beautiful picture book of a church! The following Sunday I was determined to return to the Cathedral of St Andrew in Honolulu where I had visited last year as a student deacon. Your nerdy deacon even took her clericals with her so she could be in uniform. So, dragging my son Pete and my husband along, I went to the 8 am Hawaiian language service at the Cathedral. Well, I couldn t have picked a more fantastic service to attend. It was the celebration of the birthday of the last monarch of Hawaii, Queen Liliuokalani. What I had no idea was that this would be ROYAL celebration with a grand procession. The service commenced with the blowing of the Conch Shell and the entire procession was accompanied by chanting. About 75 people came into the cathedral men with black suits and colorful capes, women in black dresses and hats, women in white dresses and hats, others with tribal colors. As before, most of the service CONTINUES NEXT PAGE 3

4 CONTINUATION OF From the Deacon s Bench music and all of the hymns were in Hawaiian. We struggled to keep up with them. The Old Testament was in Hawaiian, the psalm was chanted in Hawaiian, the Lord s Prayer was in Hawaiian. Many of the prayers were in Hawaiian including a lovely post communion hymn. The final hymn was a quiet spiritual taize-like chant as everyone processed out. It was very moving. But more impressive was the story we learned after the service. All of those people in black and capes, tribal outfits etc., are considered of royal lineage! More importantly, there is a profound respect for Queen Lilly because despite being imprisoned by the Americans for allegations of treason, she became a prolific writer of hymns and prayers, many of which we used during the service. Despite her tragic situation, she proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom to the world. Her example and her leadership persist in Hawaiian culture even today. The service was memorable but the lesson of proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom despite severe adversity was profound. So, as I settle back into my post vacation reality I have been meditating on how I can better proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom to those around me you, my family, my neighbors, my community, maybe even the world. Read the words of Queen Lilly while imprisoned in the Iolani Palace Your loving mercy is as high as heaven, your truth so perfect I live in sorrow, imprisoned, You are my light - Your glory, my support.behold not with malevolence the sins of man but forgive and cleanse.and so, O Lord protect us beneath thy wings and let peace be our portion now and forevermore. Amen and Amen. What testimony can we bear to the world? How can we as a congregation proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom to the World? MUSIC NOTES: ALL JUNIOR CHORISTERS LITURGY On November 11, the Junior Choristers will lead the musical portions of worship for the 10:30 Holy Eucharist. This small but mighty group of children (grades 3 and up) have been rehearsing faithfully in the chapel every Sunday 12:00 12:40 PM in preparations for singing the hymns, service music and an anthem on Nov. 11. Please plan to worship with us that day in support of our Junior Choristers. THE ALL HANDBELLS LITURGY The Handbells Liturgy on Sunday, October 21, was a great success. If you missed it, you REALLY missed it! Bravo! Bell Ringers. Our Salem ringers are now preparing to play on Saturday, December 1 for the Salem Yuletide Open House and Preludes for the Advent I liturgy on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 10:30. INTERESTED NEW PARTICIPANTS: If you did not participate last season, but are interested in joining any of these ensembles, please contact Bill Clisham at your earliest convenience. We still have an opening for one bell ringer (that s why Bill Clisham had to play and conduct on October 21.) And there is always room for more singers in Junior Choristers and the St. John s Choir. Auditions are not required, but a get-acquainted meeting is necessary for placement and planning purposes. See the back of the service bulletin for contact information, or come to the organ console and introduce yourself following the Organ Postlude. Bill Clisham, Minister of Music St. John's Episcopal Church cell: wfclish@aol.com 4

5 From the Senior Warden As the year begins to wind down, my thoughts have been drawn to next year and the 2013 Budget. To assist the Finance Committee, I have put together a Budget Sub-Committee to draft a 2013 budget that will be handed over to the full Finance Committee and then on to the Vestry for approval. This subcommittee is comprised of Virginia Sisco, Jr. Warden, Dr. Larry Owen, past parish Treasurer and a member of the congregational at large, Fr. Carroll and me. One thing that has been a topic for discussion and perhaps concern is that during 2012, an increasing number of parishioners have made donor designated gifts or specified to what project they wished their contributions to be credited. It is the church s obligation to make sure this happens and a number of new accounting line items have been introduced so that unspent, designated funds may carry forward to the next year. This also adds a bit of complication to the accounting but more specifically, there has been a reduction in the general income, perhaps due to designated giving. As more individuals have designated where they want their tithes and offering to go, the budgeted general income has been reduced. Many of these designated gifts are not in addition to regular giving but instead of regular giving. As many of you know, St. John s is very fortunate to have an endowment from which the Vestry prudently draws down dividend income to help meet our expenses. This dividend income does NOT do it on its own and the parish relies on weekly offering to meet our needs. The largest part of our church s endowment has stipulations via a trust, and the principal cannot be used. From this trust, we receive a specific income. For this reason, your giving is very important, not just for special projects but to meet the routine needs such as electric, telephone, heat and salaries. I have sometimes wondered if having an endowment is a blessing or a curse. Does it make us complacent? Do churches with financial need have a different bond and therefore does their struggle make them a stronger congregation? And what about pledging? I am as guilty as any when it comes to not turning in a pledge card. How much easier it would be when putting together a budget if we could count on a known pledge amount rather than guessing what giving will be for the next year. Stewardship is never an easy thing to discuss and often not what anyone wants to hear. However, in an effort to be open and transparent, everyone needs to know what the Finance Committee and Vestry have to deal with on the administrative/financial side of our church in order to keep the doors open and the lights on. Ron Magill 5

6 OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD St. John s is participating in Operation Christmas Child this year, and the ECW has generously volunteered to pay the $7 per shoebox required for the shipping (up to 30 boxes). A $20 limit has been set for the contents. So find a shoebox or purchase a plastic shoe box sized container at the Dollar Store, and follow the instructions on the Sunday Bulletin Insert. The pamphlet lists gift suggestions, labeling instructions and so forth. When completed, please place in Fr. Steve s office during office hours. Deadline is NOVEMBER 18 th. For more information visit: hp/occ/pack_a_shoe_box/ The Following was copied from The Daily Journal.com Shoebox saviors By Deborah M. Marko dmarko@thedailyjournal.com October 9, 2012 Livia Satterfield, 25, from Romania recounts her struggles growing up in an orphanage and how her life was transformed after receiving a shoebox filled with gifts from Operation Christmas Child. - Staff photo/cody Glenn VINELAND Abandoned by her mother, Livia Satterfield's childhood was spent confined in a 6 dark orphanage in Romania where she said she lacked attention and affection. "I didn't know what it felt like to be loved," Satterfield, now 25, told a gathering earlier this week at South Vineland Methodist Church to support Operation Christmas Child. The audience included church members from Millville, Hammonton and Absecon. When she was 12, Satterfield's orphanage received a special delivery from Operation Christmas Child. Her life changed, Satterfield said, when love arrived packed in a shoebox. The program, overseen by The Samaritan's Purse, urges people to reuse shoe boxes to send children in less-fortunate areas of the world a Christmas gift. Since its inception in England in the 1993, the project has blossomed and more than 100 million children worldwide have received gift-filled shoe boxes. This year, collection week is Nov. 12 through No. 19. South Vineland Methodist Church is a relay center collection for the region. Last year, they collected just shy of 8,000 boxes. This year, the goal is 9,000, said Arthur Schalick, a collection coordinator for the church. In Satterfield's orphanage, children didn't receive Christmas presents. Birthdays slipped past unobserved. The arrival of the colorful boxes were a glimmer of joy in place more rife with anger, jealousy and theft, Satterfield said. Along with the boxes, the youngster learned missionaries from the United States would be coming. "We heard Americans were in town," she said, recalling the excitement. "It was like Elvis Presley was coming to sing here tonight." To the youngsters, Americans had a reputation for being rich, friendly and having lots of candy, Satterfield said. In anticipation of their arrival, Satterfield recounted how she pressed herself against the orphanage gates to await their arrival. She held firmly to the bars for so long she had half-moon indents from fingernails pressed into her palms.

7 When the 20 missionaries arrived, Satterfield said, she immediately took to Connie Satterfield, who would eventually adopt her and bring her to the United States. Satterfield never forgets that day when she was given her Operation Christmas Child box. At the orphanage, hair was kept short to be less tempting to lice so Satterfield's dream was to have long locks. "Hair clips were the coolest thing in life," she told the church members. When she pulled back the wrapping paper and lifted the lid, the first item she spotted inside her gift box was a package of barrettes. "I put all 10 in my hair," she said. "This is my dream made true," Satterfield said, To this day, her face, surrounded by long glossy hair, glows as she talks about that handful of clips. The barrettes were treasure to a girl, who ached for decent food and wore clothes so ill-fitting at times they were painful. Opening that shoebox, packed by an unknown person half-way around the world, marked a turning point in Satterfield's life. "You love me," the girl in the orphanage thought of the faceless person. "I don't know you, you don't know me and you love me." Satterfield encouraged those at the church to get involved in Operation Christmas Child because so many other children are in need. In 2010, Satterfield said she returned to Romania, this time as a gift-giver. Watching the presents distributed, she said she was amazed how each box seemed so suited to its recipient. "Every box goes into the perfect hands of a child," she said. At the end of the evening, members of the Second United Methodist Church of Millville gathered supplies to launch their collection. They are no stranger to the program. Paula Hinkley said the church is a long-time partner with the program. To hear about a recipient's story was very moving, added her church colleague Elaine Hilliard. Sam Amey, 15, came to listen to Satterfield as member of her church youth group. It was the first time she heard of Operation Christmas Child and said she planned to get involved. Her friend, Morgan Spaniers, 15, also went home with a new perspective on her own life. "I am grateful for what I have," she said. Our Sunday School is also going to be building gift shoe boxes and are asking your help with donations of items for the boxes or of money so they may purchase the items. Speak with Celeste Willis if you have questions. At times, she said, people second-guess what to include in their shoebox parcel. Satterfield said items taken for granted here are luxuries elsewhere. Her box also included a toothbrush and washcloth. "These things matter to us," she said, speaking as the child in need she once was. When she was 14-years-old, Satterfield came to the United States as Connie Satterfield's adopted daughter. She now resides in Georgia. After learning English, Satterfield remained active in Operative Christmas Child, sharing her story with others through lectures and interviews. She is now a marketing major in college and hopes to eventually put her time and talents to to work for Samaritan's Purse. 7

8 COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING SERVICE PRAY FOR OUR MILITARY 2 nd Lt. Tyler Patrick VanSant, USAF PFC Cassaundra Carroll, US Marines Captain Ryan Bailey, US Army Senior Master Sergeant David John Milne,USAF Nick DeMascio, US Army. Major Peter Larrabee, USAF The Salem County Ministerial Association will offer a community-wide Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, November 18, at 3 p.m. The service will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 88 Market Street, Salem, and The Rev. Jonathan Smith will be the preacher. You are asked to bring canned goods or other nonperishable foods for the Salvation Army Food Bank. Please mark your calendars and plan to join the community in this special service. TODAY GOD IS FIRST By Virginia Sisco Here, there, everywhere, all can be in God s care. My life can seem a crazy whim; it makes more sense when I turn to Him. He shows me the way to go. There are times when I am slow to hear his voice, then make my choice. It s a wonder how full life can be when I put Him first instead of me! TGIF! (Do you have your blue TGIF wrist band? Fr, Steve still has a few. Wear it for 90-days and remind yourself that Today God is First.) ECW A BIG THANK-YOU! To all who worked on, shopped at, distributed flyers for, and generally supported the recent JUMBLE Sale! Ya All Done Real Good! Our ECW President, Diane Wohlrab, along with Gwen Norton, attended the Woodbury Convocation s ECW meeting in October. St. John s will be hosting this meeting next October, and Gail Boyd has agreed to be speaker at that meeting. Our ECW meets on the first Sunday of each month in the parish hall following the fellowship hour. All women of the congregation are automatically members, so please plan to stay and contribute your ideas to help make St. John s ECW a vital and successful organization. 8

9 YOUTH DANCE SCHEDULED A Holiday dance for teens ages will be held on Saturday, November 17, 7 to 9 :30 pm, in the parish hall. There will be a DJ, refreshments and lots of fun. LOOKING AHEAD December 01: Yuletide Tours St. John s is once again on the tour and our Salem Ringers will be on hand to add to the festive theme. Come have a seat and enjoy! BACK PACK THANK YOU The following was received from Salem Middle School on August 22 nd, in response to our gift of filled back-packs. Apologies for the delay in passing it on. The letter is posted on the bulletin board outside Fr. Steve s office. Thank you for your generous donation of backpacks filled with school supplies to Salem Middle School. Education is a powerful tool. Your generosity will assist the staff at Salem Middle School in providing our students the best education possible. Sincerely, John R. Mulhorn, Principal Mary Benatti, Vice Principal William Allen, Vice Principal December 08: Did you enjoy last year s Scotland Holiday Tea? Well, find your favorite tea cup and join us for tea and cookies (crumpets?). This year the male members of the congregation are invited also. December 23: Lessons and Carols will be the main service of the day at 10:30 am. December 24: Christmas Eve 5 pm Holy Eucharist and Pageant (Junior Choir) 10 p.m. Choir program 10:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist December 25: Christmas Day 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist 11/02 Andrew Irvine 11/03 Amy Schwarz 11/04 Craig Schwarz 11/04 Sydney Corney 11/06 Zachery Jaeger 11/08 John Laning III 11/18 Earle Robinson 11/18 Skip Foulke 11/23 Rob Runkle 9

10 Dear Friends at St. John s and Beyond: As many of my friends know, I share the space my room is in with your good Fr. Steve. What folks may not know is that from time to time he really relies on me to get him through the day. I oftentimes have to locate his pens and help him with his filing and he is so pleased with me that he loudly exclaims that I should go and help Ms Marge in the other office. (I still have not told him that she banned me from her room months ago!) As I was pondering what good deed I should do for him one day, I heard on his radio that you humans change the time on your clocks twice every year. How odd! Do you really think you can change time? I have studied on this matter and time is what it is ever progressing and unchangeable. It is only in the next life (as we believe) that there is no time as we know it to be just eternity! I thought I should point this out to the good Father, and ease his mind. But instead he explained to me that you just change clocks and time does whatever it pleases. It seemed to me that he understood this concept and was quite pleased with how he explained it to me, but I still don t get it. But what I did get was that his clock was going to need changing and I actually could help with that! NOVEMBER 4, 2012 One of Ruth s brothers had stopped by one day and together we climbed up to his clock and set the hands back one hour as the man on the radio had said we should. So, as you can imagine, I was quite amazed when your usually calm, and steady clergyman about blew a gasket. He said he had several people upset with him when he showed up at their homes a whole hour too early as they were not quite ready to greet company. Then he realized his clock was incorrect. He demanded to know if I had something to do with that. I explained why I did it and also told him that he should be thanking me instead of being so distraught. Sometimes you humans just do not want to be helped! After Fr. Steve explained that the time change only happens on a particular date, I apologized for jumping the gun. I guess it is true what is often quoted from Ecclesiastes 3: To everything there is a season, a time to every purpose under heaven Until sometime next month I remain,joel Churchmouse 10

11 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 ALL SAINTS DAY 2 Parish House Floor Cleaning :30 pm Young People s Confirmation Class 4 Daylight Savings Time Ends 5 8 am HE-Rite I 6-8:30 pm 9 am Choir rehearsal SODAT 9:30 10:15 Sunday School & Adult Forum 10:30 am HE Rite II 12-12:40 pm Jr. Choir Rehearsal Fellowship Hour ECW MEETING 1-2:30 pm Adult Inquirer s Class 11 VETERANS DAY 8 am HE-Rite I 9 am Choir rehearsal 9:30 10:15 Sunday School &Adult Forum 10:30 am HE Rite II 12-12:40 pm Jr. Choir Rehearsal Fellowship Hour VESTRY MTG 1-2:30 pm Adult Inquirer s Class 18 8 am HE-Rite I 9 am Choir rehearsal 9:30 10:15 Sunday School &Adult Forum 10:30 am HE Rite II 12-12:40 pm Jr. Choir Rehearsal Fellowship Hour 1-2:30 pm Inquirer s Class 3 pm COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING -1 st Pres. 25 Christ the King 8 am HE-Rite I 9 am Choir rehearsal 9:30 10:15 Sunday School &Adult Forum 10:30 am HE Rite II 12-12:40 pm Jr. Choir Rehearsal Fellowship Hour 1-2:30 pm Adult Inquirer s Class :30 pm SODAT :30 pm SODAT :30 pm SODAT 6 6:30-7:45 pm Handbell choir rehearsal 8 pm NA 5 am 8 pm ELECTION 13 9-noon-Quilters 6:30-7:45 pm Handbell choir rehearsal 8 pm NA 20 9-noon-Quilters 6:30-7:45 pm Handbell choir rehearsal 8 pm NA 27 9-noon-Quilters 6:30-7:45 pm Handbell choir rehearsal 8 pm NA CIACC Noon- HE & Healing Chapel 12:30-2 YSC 5-7 pm FSO 8 pm AA 14 9 am Ministerium Meeting in Hall Noon- HE & Healing Chapel 5-7 pm FSO 8 pm AA 21 Noon- HE & Healing Chapel 5-7 pm FSO 8 pm AA 28 Noon- HE & Healing Chapel 5-7 pm FSO 8 pm AA am -? Parish Hall in use 22 THANKS- GIVING DAY :30 pm Young People s Confirmation Class :30 pm Young People s Confirmation Class 7-9:30 pm Youth Dance :30 pm Young People s Confirmation Class 30 Notes: CIACC: Children s Inter-Agency Council YSC: Youth Services Commission FSO: Family Support Organization AA: Alcoholics Anonymous NA: Narcotics Anonymous SODAT: Services to overcome drug abuse among teenagers

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13 2012 The Greening of the Church December 2012 **PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST BY DECEMBER 16,

14 St. John s Episcopal Church Worship Schedule Sunday: 8 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite I, in the Chapel 9:30 10:15 a.m. Christian Formation for children and Adults 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II, in the Church. Wednesday: Noon Holy Eucharist, Rite II, in the Chapel St. John s Episcopal Church 76 Market Street Salem, NJ ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED Dated Material Please Deliver Promptly 14