The Beacon of St. Alban s Illuminating the Word of God in the World

Transcription

1 February 2011 The Beacon of St. Alban s Illuminating the Word of God in the World Epiphany Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Forty days after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary went to the temple for her purification and to offer a sacrifice to the Lord according to the Law (Leviticus 12:2-8). There she and Joseph met Simeon and Anna. Simeon, after saying what is now known as the Song of Simeon (BCP135) said to Mary, This child is destined for the rising and falling of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul too. What awful words for a new mother to hear! Those words spoken about our Savior could be spoken about His Church as well. It is one of our callings to be a sign of opposition to evil, injustice and indifference. In doing so, it will reveal the hearts of those who come to church as well as those who do not. From the collect of purity, Almighty God to you all thoughts are open, all desires known and from whom no secrets are hid How do we react to the obstacles of evil, injustice and indifference? If we draw upon the living water we receive at baptism, they will not stop us in our tracks. In fact, obstacles like these provide opportunities to discover new ways to enhance the lives of those in our community and not become individuals or a church afraid to grow and change. Some churches respond to obstacles by digging in their heels and doing the same things repeatedly with the same results. When a church does this it can become stuck, immobile, petrified, and lifeless. It can become like lava which flows hot until it comes upon an obstacle. It then cools and hardens instantly. Instead of asking if God is leading the church in a particular direction or ministry, it can go thoughtlessly headlong: running hot and Inside Social Ministries... 3 Roof Committee... 5 Calendar... 6&7 Rector s Annual Report.. 8 Shrove Tuesday... 9 Birthdays & Anniversaries News & Happenings Rector s Ramblings Rev. Cindy Tipton-Zile then cold through life and ministry; never really finding its way or hearing the call of God. It happens in our own lives as well. How many times have we faced a challenge or been fired up by a situation only to find that within a short period time that we give up or become paralyzed by an obstacle? I have witnessed this phenomenon as a hospital chaplain, a deacon and as priest. It happens in various ways with the same results we become stopped in our tracks. (Continued on page 2...Ramblings) February 2011

2 (Rector s Ramblings...Continued from page 1) This year we at St. Alban s will find that we will have many opportunities to grow and change. Sometimes we may find obstacles in our way, but our challenge will be to experience the opportunities and find our way to the living, life-giving water that Jesus Christ offers us. In my four years at St. Alban s I have seen you face challenges and obstacles with courage and forbearance. I have witnessed your resolve to honor your baptismal vows as you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ. I have seen you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself. Over and over I have marveled as you have stepped up to the challenges put before you. This year we will face some challenges together; we will try some new ways of doing things. There will be new opportunities for ministry, for worship and for study. Sometimes we will find success and occasionally we may find that we have made a misstep and need to change direction. In the Revelation to Saint John (3:20) Christ says, Listen, I am standing at the door knocking, if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come to you. I believe that Christ is here at St. Alban s, Glen Burnie. I have seen and heard him here in this church many times. This year Lent and Easter come later than usual; we still have over a month of the Epiphany Season. Remember that Epiphany is the season in which God being made manifest, or made known, in our lives and to the world. He is knocking at the door. Will we open it and invite him in? Christ is patient, loving and yearning to enter our lives in order to lead us to where we can enjoy the living water, bypassing any obstacles that we may find in our way. Praying that Christ be made manifest in your life during the remaining weeks of Epiphany, I am Your Servant and His, Cindy St. Alban s Recycling Program Our church has its own voluntary recycling program. Recycling bins can be found in the Fellowship Hall for all recycling products. We ask that you place aluminum cans in a special recycling can also located in the Fellowship Hall next to the soda machine. 2 This Is the Church For You

3 Great Expectations for 2011 Outreach Ministries by Louise Izat St. Alban s is a beacon of light in what some would call a rather broken world. With regard to our outreach ministries, where do we want to shine our light in 2011? Should we do more hands on outreach, where we give more of our time and talent? Should we give more support to Camp Amazing Grace and other Diocesan camps because we know they might not survive with the changing finances and priorities at the Diocese? Should we spend time at H.O.P.E. sorting clothes to be given to those without warm clothing? Should we provide more supplies and other things to help some local elementary schools? Should we help our wounded veterans by making lap robes for the Wounded Warriors Program? Should we partner with the Emmaus Center, which is right around the corner, to help them in any way we can? Just like almost every other organization, our resources have diminished over the years. However, this year our church has been blessed again with a portion of the budget being designated for outreach to supplement what is given in the outreach envelopes. Where can we make the greatest impact in our local and global community with these resources? Where is God calling us to help? All these questions were discussed at the our Social Ministries meeting in February. Please join us at future meetings as we discuss, with our rector, whether our outreach ministries should narrow focus or change direction in 2011 to better serve those who might benefit from St. Alban s compassion, generosity, and love. Social Ministries meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:00 pm. Thanks from Social Ministries by Louise Izat The Social Ministries Committee wishes everyone a Happy New Year and thanks you for a very successful Angel Tree program this Christmas. All 94 angels were taken, 94 gifts were put under the tree, and 94 gifts were delivered. Thanks to all who brought gifts to make a great Christmas for 10 Moms and their 28 children. A special thank you to those who delivered the gifts (in the rain): Jennifer Ridgely, Susan Payne, the Murphys, and the Carolers: NancyJane Bailey, Joe Biddle, Margie Bope, Amelia, Brenda, and Kevin Gish, Victoria Murphy, and Megan Nevill. This year, the choir decided to do some caroling while delivering the Angel Tree gifts to the families. You don t see much caroling anymore, especially at apartment complexes, and in the pouring rain! What a pleasant surprise it must have been, and a wonderful way for St. Alban s, (Continued on page 4...Outreach) February

4 (Outreach...Continued from page 3) on a dreary, rainy day, to bring some Christmas joy into our community. Also, the Choir collected hats, scarves, and gloves at their Christmas concert to be donated to H.O.P.E. The latest H.O.P.E. newsletter indicates the items were taken to Appalachia on January 14th. In total, 4,500 pounds of items were taken to Appalachia from H.O.P.E. Thank you to the Choir, for this wonderful collection which will keep adults and children warmer this exceptionally cold winter. Thank you, Kevin Gish, for the great ideas of collecting at the concert and caroling to the Angel Tree families! Pictures of the more than 90 Angel Tree Gifts donated by parishioners and to the 10 families. Thanks to Social Ministries and you for your contributions. The charitable give out the door and God puts it back through the window. - Traditional Proverb 4 This Is the Church For You

5 Roof Committee by Peg Davidson We began the third and final year of our Capital Campaign to pay off the roof loan, with a Quiz Night Dinner on Saturday, January 29th. The event included another of our delicious fund raising dinners with the addition of a competition a quiz! Bill Carter served as our Master of Ceremonies asking questions on a variety of topics. Five teams conferred with each other to write down the correct answer. It was great fun and the team with the most points won a basket full of assorted prizes. Congratulations to the winning team consisting of Reverends Cindy and Eric Zile, Amelia and Kevin Gish, Victoria Murphy, Riley Rubiano and NancyJane Bailey! Ornaments Sale- Thanks to all who supported our ornament sale this year. We still have 3 left. These ornaments not only look good on your Christmas tree, but also year round in a window. Winners of our December Raffle were 1st place Lynne Thompson, 2nd Place Nora Biddle and 3rd place Jen Stack. We thank you for your participation in purchasing and selling tickets. We have available some beautiful Prayer Beads handmade using Swarvorski beads by Jim Koblinsky. Each set comes with instructions and some history of their use. Cost per set is $15. Our next planned event is a Longeberger Basket Bingo planned for April 3rd at the American Legion Post 40 in Glen Burnie. The Map Author Unknown A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by his young daughter. She wanted to know what the United States looked like. Finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country. Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to her and said, "Go into the other room and see if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country today." After a few minutes, the daughter returned and handed him the map, correctly fitted and taped together. The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly. "Oh," she said, "on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus, when I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then our country just came together." February

6 February Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 6:30 pm Bell Choir 7:30 pm Voice Choir 3 4 7:30 pm Alanon 7:30 pm Alateen :00 am Service 10:30 am Service w/bell Choir 7:30 pm Food Addiction Anonymous 6:30 pm Bell Choir 7:00 pm Roofof Committee 7:30 pm Voice Choir 9:30 am Eternal Quilters 7:30 pm Vintage Tin 7:30 pm Alanon 7:30 pm Alateen :00 am & 10:30 am Services 6:00 pm Social Ministries 7:30 pm Ladies Guild 7:30 pm Food Addiction Anonymous 6:30 pm Bell Choir 7:00 pm Vestry Mtg 7:30 pm Voice Choir 7:30 pm Alanon 7:30 pm Alateen :00 am Service 10:30 am - Contemporary Service Winter Relief Dinner at St. Christopher s 7:30 pm Food Addiction Anonymous 6:30 pm Bell Choir 7:30 pm Voice Choir 7:30 pm Alanon 7:30 pm Alateen 27 8:00 am & 10:30 am Services 28 Make plans to join us on Shrove Tuesday, March 8th for the Youth Group s Annual Pancake Supper beginning at 5:30 pm 6 This Is the Church For You February

7 The following is the report that I gave to the Annual Meeting on the 16 th of January. If you were unable to attend or have not taken the time to read it thus far I encourage you to read it now. The Annual Meeting was a wonderful and joyous occasion and once again I want to thank everyone involved. My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It is difficult to believe January 13 th was the fourth anniversary of our celebration of new ministry. On that day we were joined together in this holy place and commissioned by the bishop to seek and serve Christ in one another and in our community. Since that time we have changed and grown in and into our ministry to the people of this church, the community of Glen Burnie, the Diocese of Maryland and of course to the world. I give thanks to God and our Savior for you and the ministry we share in Christ Jesus. I also thank our Lord for your nurturing love and support. I thank our officers and vestry and all of the leaders of this congregation (elected and not elected) for all that you do in the name of Christ and for His Church here in Glen Burnie. In the past year I believe we have grown not only in numbers but in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. Reflecting upon 2010 we have witnessed times of joy and sadness, loss and new birth. In the preceding year we praised and gave thanks to God as we joined together and celebrated baptisms, weddings and special occasions. Our lives have been immensely affected by our losses and immeasurably enriched by our unions and celebrations. I cannot express the great joy and pride that I have in this congregation. I have watched as we have met every challenge and overcome every obstacle that was put in front of us. Last year I spoke to you about financial hardships. This year we have overcome those problems and turned hardship into abundance and anxiety into assurance. Through our Celebrating St. Alban s program we identified priorities and set goals. We determined the areas of ministry that are important to you and we are working to make those priorities realities. After the Celebrating St. Alban s program, the vestry looked at Saint Alban s list of priorities and objectives. The vestry decided and I agreed that in order to make greater strides and to move forward on our many initiatives that we could no longer operate with a less than full-time rector. This became a reality on January 1. Shortly, you will begin to see how this will make a difference in the life of St. Alban s. We will start slowly at first, in order to be able to make gradual changes and, so you and I can make assessments as we proceed. Some of the things you can look forward to seeing are more opportunities for adult Christian Education, various occasions for weekday worship and I hope to be able to be more involved with the committees and groups of the church. I am also hoping to have more opportunities to involve myself in regional church activities. As I am sure you can understand this will mean some changes in my personal life. I am excited to think of the new ministry prospects; but I would be remiss if I didn t also say I am anxious when I think of the extra evenings away from home and the additional driving. In time all of these things will be worked out but until then we will walk together with God and evaluate the changes as we go. I know that God is leading us to and through this time of transition. With God s help, we will continue in and grow our ministries to and by the members of Saint Alban s and to the least, the 8 This Is the Church For You

8 lost and the lonely. The changes we are making are being made in order to extend the kingdom of God and do the work of God here on earth. The catechism calls us to reconcile the world to God through Christ and to use the gifts God has given us to relieve those who suffer in body, mind and spirit. This is the ministry that we will strive to provide. We are a very, very good parish: filled with loving, kind and generous people who love God, one another, and we often entertain strangers believing they may be angels sent by God. As we talk about the business of the church in this annual meeting and in the reports you read in this booklet, let us never forget our mission here in Glen Burnie: to support and care for others as our Beacon shines a light on their needs. I am as always Your servant and His, Cindy Shrove Tuesday by Sandy Murphy St. Alban s Youth Group will host it s annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner on March 8th from 5:30-7:30pm. The youth group will serve pancakes, sausages, applesauce, coffee, tea, juice and milk. A free will offering is appreciated to support the youth group. For more information please contact Sandy Murphy, Youth Group Leader. The St. Alban s Youth Group meets the last Sunday of every month during the 10:30 am service in the Youth Group room. February

9 Anniversaries January Douglas Moore...1/6 Gil Smith...1/9 Mary Wilcox...1/12 Octavia Carter...1/14 Tom Lloyd...1/16 Regina Daubert...1/17 Dorothy Massey...1/17 Michelle Kramer...1/18 J. Michael Hunt...1/22 Regina DeOrazio...1/25 February Susan Glantz...2/6 Amelia Gish...2/8 Bonnie Taylor...2/15 Dorothy Johnson...2/16 Brenda Gish...2/16 Bob Lumbert...2/19 Bob Laning...2/20 Irene Lipin...2/29 Nancy Smith Westerburg2/29 January 10 Cindy & Eric Zile 2 years January 14 Jim & Diane Koblinsky 50 years February 27 Richard & Ann Marshall 58 years To add your birthday or anniversary please send an with the subject line, Anniversary or Birthday to stalbans.church@verizon.net. Please include in your the date and name(s). If you would like to share the years of your anniversary please include the year. Or call the Church Office at , and leave a message on the answering machine or February with Lynne our church secretary.

10 SNOW POLICY: In case of inclement weather, there will be a decision made by 7:00 am about church services. The church answering machine will reflect that decision. Please note: The church office will be closed if Anne Arundel County Schools are closed. Thank you to Tim Murphy for his assistance to ensure the stability of the portal altar. Follow St. Alban s on Facebook. St. Alban s continues to try new methods to connect with the community in different ways. So you can now follow us on Facebook. Visit, leave us a note and be sure to add St. Alban s to your friends list! Click on the box to visit our Facebook page or visit at The Sunday School wishes Ms. Dottie a healthy and speedy recovery! We miss you! WE ARE CONTINUING OUR EFFORTS TO MAKE THE CHURCH OFFICE OUR HUB FOR COMMUNICATION. Please notify the church office by , calling, or leave a note of any meetings, events, etc. News will be distributed via the office. Would you like to view the Beacon online? Please send an to stalbans.church@verizon.net with the subject line Newsletter and we will add you to the list to receive notifications when the newsletter is published to our website. Have news you would like to share? If you have some good news you wish to share with your church family or want to thanks someone for their help or generosity send an to the.beacon.at.st.albans@cablespeed.com, with the subject line, News & Happenings or call the church office at and leave a message on the answering machine or with Lynne our church secretary. Deadline for March issue of the Beacon is February 20th. Send your submissions to The.Beacon.at.St.Albans@cablespeed.com, place them in the church office or in the newsletter box. February

11 The Beacon of St. Alban s St. Alban s Episcopal Church 105 1st Ave SW Glen Burnie, MD Phone: , Fax: stalbans.church@verizon.net The.Beacon.at.St.Albans@cablespeed.com RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Sunday Worship Services 8:00 am - Holy Communion, Rite I (no music) 10:30 am - Holy Communion, Rite II (with music) 10:30 am - Sunday School, K-12 and Nursery Inside: Rector s Ramblings Social Ministries News & Happenings 12 This Is the Church For You