January, Saint Alban s. Herald. St. Alban s Mission: Christ-Centered, Radically Embracing People and Creation. In This Issue: AND MORE!

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1 A M O N T H L Y N EWS L E T T E R F O R T H E M E M B E R S A N D F R I E N D S O F S A I N T A L B A N S PA R I S H, S A L I S B U R Y, M A R Y L A N D January, 2018 Saint Alban s Herald St. Alban s Mission: Christ-Centered, Radically Embracing People and Creation In This Issue: Auction Wrap-Up Diocese of Easton Save the Dates 2018 Bishop s Christmas Message 2018 Vestry Members AND MORE!

2 2 Saint Alban s Herald, January, 2018 Saint Alban s Herald is published monthly in electronic and print styles by St. Alban s Episcopal Church, 302 St.Alban's Drive Salisbury, MD The Very Rev. Dr. Frieda L. Malcolm is Rector. Phone the parish office at , or e mail the parish office at stalbanssalisbury@gmail.com. The church Website is Submit ar cles and other informa on electronically to the parish office. Deadline is the 3rd Sunday of the month. St. Alban's: Christ-centered, radically embracing people and creation This is our identity as a parish, which we articulated with these words last year. We endeavor to follow Christ in welcoming all sorts and conditions of [humanity]. We offer baptism and eucharist to all, and the pastoral offices of reconciliation, ministry to the sick, and Christian burial to those who ask. We do not discriminate with regard to gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation or identity, or mental capacity. With regard to marriage, our policy is to meet all couples desiring a Christian wedding. The legal requirements, both civil and church, must be met. We do not discriminate on the basis of gender. However, the clergy may decline to officiate for other reasons. Sunday: Rite I Eucharist at 8:00 a.m., no music Rite II Eucharist at 10:30 a.m., with music ALL ARE WELCOME. ON THE COVER: St. Alban s Church, first snowfall December 2017, by Todd Becker

3 Saint Alban s Herald, January, Frieda s Place Generosity of Space The cliché about pastors' working only one day a week is often applied as well to the buildings that congregations maintain. Churches (the buildings) are expensive to keep up, heat, cool, and keep presentably clean, and often are only used a couple of times a week in addition to Sunday mornings. Not so at St. Alban's! Of course we host our own Soup for the Soul, adult formation classes, cooking for Joseph House, Vestry meetings, and choir rehearsals. There is the occasional fellowship or fundraising activity on a Saturday or Sunday evening. However, the majority of the use of our space is really by community groups. Although the Thursday noon 12-step group has disbanded, we still have seven active 12-step groups meeting in the parish hall every week. Jeanne Gaetano teaches a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd group on Wednesday mornings. Al Rayne's Prostate Cancer Support Group has been meeting the second Wednesday of each months for more than 10 years. Maple Shade Youth and Family Services has used our building and grounds for an after-school girls' group; a boys' group will likely be here in the winter. Healthy Families, a program of the Wicomico County Health Department, gathers their client families about three times a year for support, training, and a meal; and also occasionally uses a classroom for staff training. The Stone Gate Homeowners' Association meets quarterly. And I gladly give permission so a parishioner or non-parishioner may host a birthday or other party. All this use requires a generosity of spirit and of resources, something which God graces us with as we are blessed with both the physical and financial resources and the love of others which opens our hearts to share with those in need. As we develop and implement our vision of our outside space as a public park, we will be extending this generosity and good stewardship to the outdoors. May we discover more of God's blessings in the people we will meet and serve in the coming year.

4 4 Saint Alban s Herald, January, 2018 Wi Hi Food Pantry Wi-Hi, our Faith Based Partner, is partnering with the Maryland Food Bank of the Eastern Shore to create an emergency food pantry at the school. Rebecca Raygor is our liaison to Wi-Hi and has sent along information about the food pantry. She says " I would be happy to take food items from St. Alban s to Wi-Hi, or people can bring donations directly to Wi-Hi whenever they like." Look on the table in the Parish Hall for a basket for donations and more info about what is needed or contact Rebecca at rraygor@wcboe.org

5 Saint Alban s Herald, January, Save the Dates 2018 February 23-24, 2018 Diocesan Convention FAITH REDEEMING FATE Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort May 5, 2018 Saturday (Reconciliation) Day of History and Reconciliation Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park May - October, 2018 (Love) Parish 150 Challenge October 27, 2018 (Hope) Hope Fest Camp Wright March 3, Sunday, 1:00 p.m. Special 150 th Celebratory Eucharist, featuring The Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON!

6 6 Saint Alban s Herald, January, 2018 Thank You From H.O.P.E. Soup for the Soul December Potluck FREE SERVICE: HELP WITH BRINGING PATIENT HOME FROM HOSPITAL

7 Saint Alban s Herald, January, Auction Wrap Up Arlene White Jim Cockey presenting a check to Donna Clark, RN, Director of H.O.P.E., Inc. Cristina Machin presenting a check to Ben Pereboom for Students Helping Honduras Greg Glass presenting a check to Kate Patton, Executive Director of Lower Shore Land Trust and Jared Parks, Land Programs We have just recently completed our 8 th annual auction at St. Alban s. Most of you know that we made over $10,000 this year which we have dispersed to the 4 recipients selected the St. Alban s Rector s Discretionary Fund, Students Helping Honduras, Help and Outreach Point of Entry, Inc. (H.O.P.E.) and Lower Shore Land Trust. Did you know that this was the third year that we raised over $10,000? Here are some more Fun Facts about this wonderful tradition we have established. We given donations to local organizations for the most part but we have also reached out internationally. In 2011, we gave to The Foundation for International Medical Relief. In 2016 and 2017, we supported Students Helping Honduras. In our first year in 2010, we had 76 people attend 60 from the congregation and 16 guests. This year, we had 74 members of the church who invited 60 guests for a total of 134 people, the largest group ever. Parties continue to be very popular. This year, the highest party ticket sold for $50. Services offered by members of the congregation continue to be popular as well. This year s most popular service, with 12 bids, was 1 dozen free range eggs each month from Walt West. We have been truly blessed as a congregation and we are doubly blessed to be able to share our time, talent and treasures via the opportunities provided by the auction with so many others in our church, our community and the world.

8 8 Saint Alban s Herald, January, 2018 Barbara Anne Fisher s Ordination to the Priesthood

9 Saint Alban s Herald, January, Organ Dedication St. Albans is pleased to announce the dedication of their refurbished and upgraded pipe organ on Sunday, January 21, 2018, at 3:00 PM. The work on the organ was completed by Walker Technical of Zionsville, Pennsylvania. Walker rebuilt and upgraded the console and added a digital component to the existing pipes. The tonal design is mid-20th Century American, displaying many fine Ernest M. Skinner pipe samples from the Walker Library along with the fine, clean pipework of Tellers Organ Company. Voicing on the instrument was completed by Bob Walker & Jesse Oddis. St. Alban s organist and choir director, Veronica Tomanek, will be joined by the St. Alban s choir and other local organists Taylor Harvey, Michael Stefanek and Susan Zimmer in the dedicatory recital. A reception will follow. All are welcome! For your Real Estate needs - Call the FAMILY TEAM

10 10 Saint Alban s Herald, January, 2018 Passing on a Legacy: Standing on the Shoulders of Those Who Have Gone Before Us.A few words about the stole I m wearing this morning. It belonged to Bishop Edward Welles, of the Diocese of W. Missouri, who was one of the bishops who ordained the 11 of us to the priesthood in Before he died, Bp. Welles passed this lovely stole on to the Rev. Sue Hiatt, one of the women he himself had ordained in 1974; and before her death in 2002, Sue Hiatt gave me this stole. I have cherished it and I will pass it on to Barbara Anne Fisher before I head home this weekend. The passing on of this stole represents to me that we all stand, pray, work, and love on the shoulders of those countless brothers and sisters who have gone before us. now and forever more. The Rev. Carter Heyward, PhD One of the Philadelphia Eleven - The first women ordained in the Episcopal Church Sermon given for the Ordination to the Priesthood Sermon of The Rev. Dr. Barbara Anne Fisher December 16, 2017 Trinity Cathedral, Easton MD Gently running my fingers over the stole s cross, the gasp of surprise heard with Carter s announcement, rises as memory from the depth of my soul. A wooing of the Holy Spirit calls me to pause in silence, a seven-year-old once again hidden in the branches of a cherry tree. Waiting, with gnawed yellow pencil in hand, for the Whisperer to speak. Although the tree is long gone, the Cherry Tree Theology impregnated within me still pulsates.my own Marian moment of calling. Each one of us that breathes has experienced such a moment of calling. The question is whether or not we have yet awakened to it, whether we recognize the God-legacy that foreknew us in the womb. Whether we, as did I when facing the roadblocks of gender and sexual orientation, sputter, But the dogma of the Church.how can this be? Or whether we, as Mary, find the courage and fortitude to answer, Here am I, the servant of God; Let it be with me according to your word, trusting God will make a way when none exists. As my ordained priestly ministry begins, Carter s words resound: I embrace that I stand, pray, work, and love on the shoulders of others. I continue this journey upon the shoulders of the legacies each of you at St. Alban s have embedded in depths of my heart and Spirit. May the true gift of the legacy birthed with the coming of the Christ-child be the heritage we embrace during this tumultuous time. May we respond, Here am I, servant of God ready to stand beside all who are victims of social injustices; to pray for all; to work towards inclusion of all; and to love all through the recognition that each have been foreknown by God. In closing, let us return to Carter s words:.we should remember that a sacramental ministry is a way of life in which the shapes of God s love, God s justice, and God s life are clarified, lifted up, and celebrated. The more deeply sacramental our lives and ministries, the more God reaches through us to touch the world around us. May we all see the human pain and suffering of the world through sacramental eyes. Amen.

11 Saint Alban s Herald, January, Vestry The 2018 Vestry elected our parish officers for the coming year at their December meeting : Arlene White, Senior Warden; Brian Raygor, Junior Warden; Deb Rossi, Treasurer; Judy Gracey, Registrar; and Joan Demko, Recording Secretary. Congratulations! 2018 Vestry: Arlene White, Senior Warden Brian Raygor, Junior Warden Jenny Buchanan Troy Channell Howard Doak Virginia Jeffrey Kim O'Grady Maarten Pereboom Chris Sabas Treasurer: Deb Rossi Registrar: Judy Gracey Recording Secretary: Joan Demko Delegates to Diocesan Convention 2018: Alisha King, Nancy Linck White Hangings Needed The white set of lectern, and pulpit hangings are in need of replacement the brocade fabric is fraying badly in places that are not conducive to repair. Depending on who will make the new set and how elaborate it is, the cost might be as much as $5000 or more. If you are interested in making a memorial gift to enable us to purchase a new set, please speak to Frieda or to Megan Caton, Altar Guild Chair.

12 12 Saint Alban s Herald, January, 2018 Bishop s Christmas Message Divine Hope in the Midst of a Broken World They shall name Him Emmanuel which means, God is with us. (St. Matthew 1:23) The word Christmas is a shortened version of the words Christ-Mass. It is the great gathering of the faithful to celebrate the birth of the Savior and Messiah of the world. As we commemorate his birthday, I feel obliged to quote one the Church s most inspired and spiritual Fathers of the fourth century, West African early church Father, Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo. In one of his Christmas sermons to the faithful he said, Beloved, our lord Jesus Christ, the eternal creator of all things, today became our Savior by being born of a mother. Of his own will he was born for us today, in time, so that he could lead us to his Father s eternity. God became human like us so that we might become God. The Lord of the angels became one of us so that we could eat the bread of angels. What a beautiful and profound way to sum up the Christmas message. The center of attraction in the manger, the child Jesus, by coming among us offers God s healing and love to our broken and hostile world. Believing and receiving him means putting him first, far ahead of the fading glory and shifting hopes offered by this world. Christmas is the bridging of two realities reminding us that God is not just the God of heaven but Lord and Creator of the universe. Christmas is God s incarnation, that is, God taking human flesh and becoming one like us. God became human, not just to save the world, but to bless the world, to bless being human, to endorse being human, to join us in our humanness. Jesus invites us to come to him as a child. When we look around, and see the children in their many Christmas presentations, that excitement and thrill goes a long way in helping to lay aside, even for a moment, the realities of daily struggle. For children, all the experiences of life are new and thrilling adventures. They take them in and take them on willingly and eagerly. Adults will do well to adopt this attitude of childlike innocence at Christmas, and allow the gift of this sacred birth we celebrate a chance to fill us with PEACE! JOY! and LOVE! Gifts are a major focus on Christmas the many gifts that we have been buying for one another, the gifts that we have been hoping for and hinting at, but most of all, the great gift of God, the baby born in Bethlehem. Beloved, the birthday of Jesus marks our own birthday since we all share his life in baptism. This accounts for the reason why over the centuries the practice of gift sharing had become so popular. In essence, all of us are celebrating our birthday with Jesus, hence the exchange of gifts. However, as we do so let us spare some time in our celebration to invite the Christ child of Bethlehem stable, Jesus the Lord and Savior, into our lives. Let us give him the freedom to lead us where he wishes, recommitting ourselves to the guiding principles of love for all, peace, joy and Christian harmony. Every blessing on this Christmas from your friends! +San & Lynn

13 Saint Alban s Herald, January, Salisbury Middle School Christmas Shop By Katherine West On the last two days before the holiday break, Salisbury Middle School s front lobby was filled with the sounds of excitement as students shopped for holiday gifts for their family and friends. Students used Eagle Bucks - paper tokens earned for positive behavior (PBIS) - to purchase items. Students truly appreciate the opportunity to be able to give something to their family, or to decorate their home for Christmas. They are thilled to find the perfect mug for Dad, who likes to drink coffee from a big mug, or Mom, who likes dangling earrings, or baby brother, who enjoys spinning toys, or a small tree or wreath to hang up at home. This year s holiday shop would not have been such a success without the generous donations from the St. Alban s community. Tables overflowed with Christmas decorations, puzzles, toys, jewelry, scarves, and purses, and by the last day of the shop, the tables were almost empty. Jen Mudd, our school s PBIS coordinator, reported that donations were down this year until we received such an abundance from St. Alban s. Words cannot express how grateful I am to the members of St. Alban s for your giving spirit. Thanks to everyone who donated items, in particular to Pat Layton and Carrie Connally, who donated crates and crates of items from the Camp Agape Christmas party. In addition to shopping, volunteers wrap gifts for students to take home. It s a frantic three-hour whirlwind of tissue, paper, ribbon, and boxes as students pick out the ideal gift wrap for each item. Gift wrapping would not have been possible without volunteers from St. Alban s. Many, many thanks to Audrey Rivers, Arlene White, Pat Layton, and Beth Jones who not only gave their time and talent to wrap, but cheerfully oohed and ahhed over each item before wrapping it beautifully. I am blessed to be a member of such a such a thoughtful and caring community. Yours in gratitude, Katherine West

14 14 Saint Alban s Herald, January, 2018 Auction News! Auction Parties By Cristina Machin You don't have to leave Salisbury to enjoy an international experience! From Empanada Night at Cristina Machin and Kevin Justice to a Bavarian Dinner, courtesy of Christina Jarmolinski and Rob dekoter, Auction Dinners and get togethers have started strong. Check the bulletin board to see how many parties will take place between now and October And it is never too early to start planning what you may want to host for the next auction!

15 Saint Alban s Herald, January, Brett Mark for working, doing, and inspiring. PNC supports those who are serving the community. Stop by any PNC Bank pnc.com 2014 The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. All rights reserved. PNC Bank, National Association. Member FDIC

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