Borrego Springs, California December 2014

Transcription

1 Borrego Springs, California December 2014 A dvent is one of my favorite times of year. It began with my earliest memories of the season from convent school; they really knew how to do it right! The themes of joyful waiting permeated all our classes and activities. Every day at chapel we sang Advent songs, read the stories, and added one figure to the Creche. Each grade had an Advent calendar so that each day someone would be allowed to open the window for that day - it was a special honor and treat for the one chosen. Our anticipation and excitement for the coming of Jesus grew more palpable with each day throughout our journey through Advent. I can remember it even now with the awe and wonder of childhood. I still get that excitement and sense of joyful anticipation as an adult, but in a more profound way. Perhaps because in my life journey with Christ I know the deep joy of him taking root in my heart and of his being born ever-anew in me. I love this season in which we pay special attention to what it means to us that Our God loves us so much that He came to be one with us. We pay special attention to how much we need Him and what a difference it makes that Jesus wants to abide not only with us but in us so that we become flesh of His flesh, heart of His heart. In fact, if we pay attention to His coming, and we welcome Him in to do His lifegiving work within us, we are the ones being reborn, birthed anew into his likeness! The journey of Advent is that Jesus is coming he is coming to us and through us - to the world. Have a very blessed Advent Journey, Laura+

2 T he Women of St. Barnabas had a terrific meeting on November 11. There were eight in attendance, more than we ve had in a while, including two returning members who were unable to make our previous Monday meetings. Louise Burmester hosted the event in her lovely home, and we all gathered around her dining room table for a scrumptious potluck lunch. Discussion focused on our new project, English/Spanish translation sheets. Thanks to Shirley Vialpando for spearheading this effort. Our plans for a table at the Friday farmers market to sell crafts and baked goods has been stalled after learning that the Chamber of Commerce has new, stringent rules covering the sale of food. It appears O God, the creator and preserver of all mankind, we humbly ask you for all sorts and conditions of men; that you would be pleased to make your ways known to them, your saving health to all nations. More especially we pray for your holy Church universal; that it may be so guided and governed by your good spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of Women of St Barnabas St Barnabas Prayer List if we want to continue with this project, we need more crafters; if not, we ll look for another way to sell our translation sheets. Nancy Bye brought up a high school student, an outstanding golfer, who is seeking a college scholarship. He has already applied for several, but suggestions would be appreciated. All those present agreed that they liked the new date for the monthly luncheon and the idea of having it in a home. For now, we will continue with this format: the second Tuesday of each month, home to be rotated. The next meeting will be at Ann Nourse s, 3302 Running M Road, December 9 at noon. Please bring a dish to share, and please join us! Wendy Quinn OPEN SKY DEVOTIONS Want an earlier start to your Sunday so you can get out and hike? We are now offering Morning Prayer service Palm Canyon Trail Head - Pupfish Pond Service Begins at 7:30 AM peace, and in righteousness of life. Finally, we commend to your fatherly goodness all those who are in any way afflicted or distressed, in mind, body, or estate; especially those for whom our prayers are desired; that it may please you to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities, giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. And this we ask for Jesus Christ s sake. Amen BCP pg. #815 We pray especially for Our Men and Women in uniform, Cpl Daniel Peterson, Tootie Hatch, Richard & Nancy Bye, Kurt Levins, Paul Carroll, Jim Carroll, Jacob Thompson, Kay Sharkey, Ann Easley, Laureana Easily, Leila Easley, Jean Smith, David Born, Rhoda Riddell, Verna Robinson, Wendy Christy, AnnMarie Tidwell, Michael, Barbara Scott, Judy Dehler, Eleasa, Kaye Bailey, Gary Westover, Bea Miller, Willy Johnson, Bob Keller, Marge Kerr, and George McDaniel

3 THANK YOU VETERANS O n a beautiful morning on Veterans Day, 11/11 at 11:00, a crowd of veterans, friends, families and supporters gathered at Christmas Circle to honor the men and women who have served our country in the armed forces. The ceremony opened with the presentation of the flag, the Star Spangled Banner, a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. American Legion Post 853 Commander Gary Saunders, Auxiliary President Carol Lewis and Sons of the American Legion Commander Doc Pratt offered opening remarks. We were honored to have four World War II veterans in attendance: Richard Bye, Louise Burmester, Ken Ankeney and Fred Green. Following their introduction and enthusiastic applause, Haddon Salt treated us to renditions of theme songs from each branch of the military on the violin. The keynote speaker, Mark Vonarx from De Anza Country Club, informed the crowd that this was the 95 th celebration of Veterans Day. He recounted his experiences in the military following the attack on Pearl Harbor, and moved everyone with a heartwarming story of VFW members who waited for over a day to greet a returning serviceman whose flight was delayed. The program ended with a heartwarming song, Welcome Home, by Shirley Curtis, followed by a 21-gun salute and Taps. Everyone who attended was touched in some way by this beautiful event. Wendy Quinn DID YOU KNOW? PLEDGE DRIVE: A pledge drive is an extended period of fundraising. The term Pledge originates from the promise a contributor makes to send in a specific funding amount at regular intervals for a certain amount of time. The St Barnabas Stewardship Committee began it s annual Pledge Drive on November 1st this year with it s letter to the congregation asking for Pledges for the coming year. Individual Pledges from congregants are how the finance committee develops it s budget each year. STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE: Stewar dship r efer s to the managing of wealth and other assets equitably and sustainably. The Stewardship Committee, all volunteers, is tasked with coming up with that wealth and other assets with the commitment that those assets will be used by the Finance Committee and the Vestry in a responsible way to run the everyday workings of our church. FINANCE COMMITTEE: The Finance Committee, also all volunteers, is the group of parishioners who oversee the finances of the church. This includes paying clergy, staff and monthly expenses. They are tasked with the responsibility of the daily management of your pledge in an equitable and sustainable way. Recommendations are made to the Vestry to determine the way your pledges are spent. That includes things like the annual budget, the replacement of assets that have outlived their usefulness and monitoring investments. VESTRY: The Vestry is the committee of people, again all volunteer, elected by you, the parishioner, to administer the temporal affairs of the parish. They meet monthly and review and make decisions about finances, staffing, maintenance and take recommendations from various committees including Worship, Outreach, Buildings and Grounds, Christian Formation, Pastoral Care and Gifts and Memorials. FINANCIAL REPORTS & COMMITTEE MINUTES: All of the financial reports for the church and Vestry meeting Minutes are available to you. All you have to do is ask to see that which you are interested in reviewing. See Trent C. Hoskins- Kleinkopf to obtain these reports. Carillon Page 3

4 Greetings All Do you take time to count your blessings? I do. I have so many blessings to be mindful of. I include the privilege of knowing all of you, Laura+ and St. Barnabas right at the top of my blessing pile. Recently you received your invitation to once again and maybe for the first time ever invest in the future of St. Barnabas via an annual pledge. I would like to talk to you about the idea of the pledge and what it can and does mean to current pledging families and to those of you who may be pondering this for the first time. I speak of the importance of ownership in the future of our church. Certainly the weekly plate offerings of cash and checks are received and lifted up with much gratitude (blessings for sure!) and are an important part of our operational budget. When you offer a signed pledge card you are also investing in the future of a church home that provides a base for the many outreach projects that we are known for. The written pledge gives a realistic picture of what we can count on to have a base or foundation if you will, to do these projects that help so many that count on us. When we work together to meet our budget we ensure that we will have a place to come together on a weekly basis to pray, receive solace and renewal. You may say to yourself that you can t afford more than a few dollars each month so why would it matter? It matters! Every dollar matters! In fact did you know that most of the pledging dollars are made up of many smaller pledges and fewer larger ones? All pledges no matter what the amount are of equal importance. Pledges are held in strict confidence and are known in detail only to the Stewardship Chair and Parish Administrator. Please think about what I have asked of you and give out of abundance. Sign a pledge card. I know firsthand that it will come back to you tenfold giving you even more blessings to count and count on. Sincere wishes for a blessing filled Advent season and beyond! Kathleen Killman Chair for Stewardship B efore you know it, St. Barnabas will be celebrating Christmas with Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve and Holy Eucharist on Christmas morning. Hosts and hostesses are needed to prepare and serve light refreshments after both services. This is a busy time of year for all of us, so I was reluctant to assign anyone. Volunteers would be greatly appreciated. Please sign up in the Parish Hall or contact me. Thanks to all who continue to support this popular part of our parish life. Wendy Quinn December Holy Happy Hour Hosts Lectors Schedule for December December 7 Ruth Otis & Lynnis Wilderson December 7 Cathy Gay & Cal Hoskins-Kleinkopf December 14 Jan Naragon & Trent Hoskins-Kleinkopf December 14 Jan Naragon & Chuck Bennett December 21 Tina Davis & Cathy Gay December 21 Fred Jee & Joann McLean December 28 Wendy Quinn & Diane Hydoski December 28 Martha Mitchell & Lyle Brecht

5 OCTOBER 2014 FINANCIAL UPDATE Parishioners have asked to be kept better informed as to the finances of the church. In an attempt to do that The Finance Committee will be including each month in the Carillon the latest numbers that will give you an idea of how the church finances are doing over the course of the year. Budget for FY 2014 Expected Pledges $81, Expected Open Plate $9, Total Expected Income $91, Total Budgeted Expenditures $116, Expected Shortfall for FY14 -$25, Actuals through October Pledges Received $69, Open Plate Received $12, Other $ Current Total Income $82, Current Position for FY14 Total Expenditures $116, Current Total Income $82, Current Position for FY14 -$34, St. Barnabas Monthly Income FY 14 vs. FY 13

6 TIME TO DECK OUT THE CHURCH Would you like to help decorate St. Barnabas for Christmas? You can make a flower donation to the Altar Guild to help with Christmas Flowers and Honor or Memorialize a loved one at the same time. The Altar Guild will be purchasing flowers for the Altar and your name and those of loved ones will be in the Lessons and Carols Bulletin and the Christmas day bulletin. The Annual Meeting will be on Sunday January 18th after the 9:30am Holy Eucharist. We will be reviewing minutes from last year s meeting, receiving reports from various committees, receiving the year end financial reports for 2014, approving the budget for 2015, Voting in new Vestry members and selecting Delegates to 2016 Diocesan Convention. Make checks to St Barnabas and write Flowers in the note field. Your Generous Contributions are Greatly Appreciated by all who will be with us to enjoy the celebration of the Birth of our Lord Jesus. THANK YOU MERRY CHRISTMAS! FROM THE ALTAR GUILD LLouise Jee All Committee reports are due by January 1st. If you are the head of one of our Committees you will want to be working on your report, summarizing activities for Send to LLouise llwalking@yahoo.com

7 Come Celebrate Christmas Eve with Kings College 9 Lessons and Carols Please be sure and mark your calendars on Christmas Eve, December 24 th at 5:30pm for one of our most beautiful services of the Church year. The Annual Service of Lessons & Carols is traditionally one of the best attended events at St Barnabas, so you ll want to be sure and come in plenty of time to get a seat. Everyone I ve spoken to, (and I ve talked to many) agrees with me that our wonderful choir is definitely the best in the area and would put many choirs in the larger churches over the mountain to shame. Those of us in the pews find it very difficult trying to restrain ourselves from clapping during the Sunday Mass, and sometimes we can t. The lineup of music for this year includes many old favorites. For example, the service will begin with the beautiful old English hymn, Once in Royal David s City which the choir will begin with the first two verses and then the congregation will join in for the remaining verses. But, forsooth, that is only the beginning. It gets even better with each succeeding Lesson, as we are treated to Lo, How a Rose, E re Blooming ; The Desert Shall Rejoice ; Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella ; O Holy Night. Of course, this is not a complete list. I must leave you with a few surprises. Be that as it may, I encourage you to make every effort to attend this annual musical event which has no equal here in Borrego. Yes, I am biased, and unashamedly so! Shirley Vialpando Scripture Between the Lines There s a different kind of Bible Study class going on in the Rector s office every Wednesday at 10:00 AM during this Advent Season. It s based on an interesting book by Brian McClaren entitled We Make the Way by Walking. The book is predicated on the theory that many of us have discovered in the process of living our lives, that the destination of life s journey is not nearly as important as is the very process that gets us there. We ve all traveled from one place to another many times during our peripatetic lives. Haven t we found, for the most part, that the very process of traveling the journey gave just as much if not more pleasure than we experienced at reaching our destination? Thus the admonition from almost every motivational speaker we ve ever heard that to gain the most out of life we must stop and smell the roses. Author McClaren is saying much the same in his book, but this time he bases his thesis on the poetry of the Bible, beginning at the very beginning as he explores the different creation stories in Genesis, and carries it on to the Gospel of John, which is also a story of beginning. It s a fascinating new, yet old, way of Biblical study through which Laura+ leads us with her usual gentle way of drawing out her listeners as they discover their own relationships with the Bible throughout this journey we call life. Please plan on joining us if you possibly can. I think you ll come away with a slightly different way of relating to the Word of God. Shirley Vialpando

8 DECEMBER OPEN SKY 7:30AM Palm Canyon Trail Head SUNDAY HOLY 9:30AM FOOD BANK December NOON Volunteers are always needed so come early to help with food distribution! Many Thanks to all who have helped St Barnabas distribute 55,553 meals in the past year! You Are AWESOME! St. Barnabas Carillon Editing and Design: Trent Hoskins-Kleinkopf stbarnabasborrego@gmail.com (760) Production: Carol Sargent & Trent Hoskins-Kleinkopf Newsletter Committee: Trent Hoskins-Kleinkopf, Wendy Quinn & Shirley Vialpando Editor Emeritus: Lynnis Wilderson St. Barnabas Episcopal Church 2680 Country Club Road P.O. Box 691 Borrego Springs, CA Church office: Website: