Summer Newsletter 2009

Transcription

1 May 2009 A Message From The Rector Dear Parishioners, Christ is Risen! Alleluia! The great Season of Easter continues for fifty days with the celebration of Pentecost, marking the gift of God s Holy Spirit to God s people. This year, the Feast of Pentecost is celebrated on May 31st. Christians are an Easter people! Christians are an Alleluia people!. This means we live our lives both in the shadow of the cross and united to the resurrected Christ, who overcame our human sin, defeating both sin and death. Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. - Romans 15:7 (NRSV). Throughout the Bible, there are numerous references to welcoming strangers in our midst. We see Christ, so often reaching out to strangers, the unknown and the least expected. Biblical hospitality involves an encounter with God, and then a response to God's call by opening ourselves to others and discovering ways we can assist them. Again, this summer season, St. John s opens its doors to visitors from around the world. This year, they will have the opportunity to obtain a first rate illustrated history of St. John s, written by noted author and parishioner, Mr. Shirley Woods. This book is a wonderful resource to anyone desiring to know more about our parish church. I highly recommend it to everyone. Throughout the summer months, there will be many opportunities to welcome visitors to our church. Some come as tourists, admiring the beauty of our building, while others come as seekers and pilgrims, looking to God for guidance, peace and direction. It is my experience, that no matter the reason why people come to St. John s, they leave with an experience of encountering the Sacred Presence in our building, within themselves and ultimately in the world. As we encounter one another and our many visitors, each of us has a sacred and privileged opportunity of extending welcome and hospitality. It is a great thing to do and in so doing, we may be welcoming angels into our midst. Let all guests who come be received as Christ would be, because he will say, I was a stranger and ye took me in. By bowed head, or body prostrate on the ground, all shall adore Christ in them, who, indeed, is received in their persons. St. Benedict of Nursia (ca ) Blessings, Michael+ Rev. Michael H. Mitchell St. John's Anglican Church Lunenburg, NS, B0J 2C

2 Page 2 Music At St. John s A note from Barbara.. We ve recently had the pleasure of hosting the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra here at St. John s in a wonderful performance by 55 high school students from various areas of the province. On Thursday, May 14 we have the opportunity to revisit our valued connection with Iqaluit with another youth group. St. John s will host a special youth concert featuring the Aqsarniit School Choir, the Iqaluit Fiddle Club and performers of drum dancing and throat singing. Joining them will be members of the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts Chamber Orchestra. These students have been involved in an exchange program between Halifax and Iqaluit and were able to fit a trip to Lunenburg into their busy schedule. It will be a pleasure to welcome them. Our Music and Meditation Series for Lent was well received and appreciated by both members of our congregation and participants from the broader community. Our guests included Pat Watson, vocalist; John Bird, piano; John Scott, organ; Rachel Kristenson, violin; Heather Brill, piano; Pamela Rogers, mezzo-soprano; Wayne Rogers, piano and organ; the Ernst Family Singers; St. John's Mahone Bay Senior Choir, and Judith Burdett, soprano. A performance on April 19 with the Halifax based Togni Consort and our own highly regarded Ernst Family was a special event for our choir and followed by a social gathering. We were pleased to welcome a brass quartet lead by Wendell Eisener at Easter time. Chris Norman delighted us on many occasions with his flute. Sharon Hill and the Handbell Ringers held a successful fund-raiser on March 20 and are looking forward to their trip to Moncton in May for a gathering of handbells from the region. I want very much to express appreciation to our wonderful wardens (and to retiring Jane Ritcey!) for their cheerful support of our musical events at St. John s which on so many occasions move well beyond their call of duty. I am ever grateful to Ruth for her watchful eye, making herself available for a myriad of activities. Finally I do want to make a particular note of appreciation to the ACW for permitting us the use of the kitchen. Your support makes a huge contribution to the overall success of our music program. The Vancouver Chamber Choir were very appreciative of an early supper in the church hall when time was short and they needed to return promptly to Halifax for an evening performance. Between rehearsal and concert on April 25 we had just enough time to feed 55 hungry youth from the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra. All came together nicely and on both occasions I was assisted by members of our choirs. Our concert program in the next few months will include the following: Tempest Baroque Ensemble - Saturday, May 23 at 7:30 pm Orchid Ensemble - Thursday, July 16 at 7:30 pm Boxwood Festival and Workshop - July If you are able to provide accommodations at Boxwood please give Ruth a call at for further details. Ensemble Polaris Thursday, August 13 at 7:30pm Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal Saturday, August 22 at 7:30 pm Suzie LeBlanc, Mark Simons and Robert Kortgaard - Saturday, Sept 19 at 7:30 pm Jim Aulenbach will also be on hand to provide musical interludes during the summer and our great Chime of Ten Bells is also played throughout the summer. This is a definite highlight for many of you and provides a warm welcome to so many visitors. Warm regards, Barbara

3 Page 3 The 256 th Patronal Feast of St. John s Parish Sunday, June 7th :30 am Choral Holy Eucharist Join us for this special Choral Eucharist as we celebrate the 256th Anniversary of the founding of Lunenburg and St. John s Parish. The service will include music from St. John s Hand Bell Choir. Pot-Luck Parish Luncheon will follow the Service. 7:00 pm Special Evening Presentation Plans are being made for an exciting evening event. Please check the website and the parish bulletin for more information. Please use your special envelope to support St. John s on this our Patronal Feast. Your gift is appreciated. Thank you.

4 Page 4 Naming of St. John s Bat in The Light of the World Window During the service on May 10 th we named the bat above Jesus hand in the church window The Light of the World. Four names were proposed; Chocolate a good name, Roy for a brother who was as blind as a bat but good hearted, Flapper an obvious link to the method of propulsion and Indy (Indigo) for the colour of the bat in our window. A show of hands was taken for each of the names and while all names had their supporters; Indy was the favourite by a long way. Out of curiosity Janice surfed the web for the meaning of the name Indigo and found that it refers to one with a practical, analytical approach to life. While this could be a fair description of a bat which uses a complex inner sonar to home in on its meal of insects, it s at the opposite end of the scale from the artistic and creative use of the bat by William Holman Hunt. He was the Victorian English painter whose painting The Light of the World was based on the text from Revelations 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and I will sup with him, and he with me. This painting was a result of Hunt s conversion to Christianity. The text Behold I stand at the door and knock came as a response to his religious questioning. He found it brought a new symbolism. This ultimately changed our vision, in paintings, of religious subjects from that of the previous four centuries. Lighting in this picture was so important to Hunt that he painted the original outside at night. Christ is seen by the light of dawn behind, the moonlight in front and most of the light coming from the lantern to guide us in dark places. By making his painting a night scene, lit mainly by Christ s lantern, Hunt explained he wanted to show a scene fitting for the words of Psalm 119 verse 105, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Hunt explained his painting in a letter to a friend. He said, I portrayed Christ as a solid figure, rather than the vapour type used before, because I wanted to show Christ alive forevermore, firmly and substantially waiting for us. He further explained his symbolism as including the closed door as the shut mind, the weeds as our daily neglect and the orchard as the garden of delectable fruit for the soul. The kingly and priestly dress of Christ symbolized His reign over the body and the soul, to those who acknowledge God. Although we view bats more positively today, in Victorian times, their virtues and intelligence were unknown. Hunt said the bat flitting in the dark was his symbol for ignorance. Perhaps Hunt unconsciously portrayed Indy as if the bat was attracted, as we and all God s creatures are, to Christ, the Light of the World. Brian & Janice Kenefick Research for this article came from Original painting The Light of the World by William Holman Hunt

5 Page 5 Solar Ovens for Africa Although Friday, May 1 was wet and rainy, a good crowd came out to enjoy an evening of fellowship with a wonderful dinner of ham and scalloped potatoes; the occasion was to support the efforts of the Primate's World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) in their efforts to purchase solar ovens for Africa. The solar oven is a simple insulated box with a glass top, surrounded by four outer panels, the inside is lined with foil and it works by the greenhouse effect. The light enters through the glass and is absorbed and reflected by the foil as infrared (known as heat) and the glass blocks the escape of the infrared so the heat stays in the box. Meat cooks in four hours, rice and bread in three. We were fortunate to have several guests representing the PWRDF: Beth Baskin spoke to us about the Fund and the way it works, while Alison Longson showed some slides of her recent trip to Africa, including Tanzania, where the solar ovens project is situated. It is Reverend Michael s hope that all of us have learned a little more about the beneficial effects Solar Ovens have on the health of women and children and the environment. The silent auction had a wide variety of items to bid on. Sharon Green was the auctioneer. The live auction provided fun for all with her humorous stories between bidding. Live auction items ranged from home baked cakes to a trip for two to anywhere in North America that Air Canada flies to. Almost everybody walked away smiling with a bargain under their arm. Your generosity has raised approximately $6,500.00, which means PWRDF can purchase two hundred and sixty Solar Ovens. We ve also grown in our appreciation about the life-changing work being done around the world by PWRDF and how each of us can make a difference in the world. Grace Swan Enjoying the meal Photo courtesy of Solar Cooker Review

6 Page 6 The Lost Chord by Evelyn Ghent Seated one day at the organ, I was weary and ill at ease, My fingers wandered idly over the noisy keys Does anyone remember these words anymore? Or are they lost, and only remembered as a sample of the over-the-top sentimentality of the Victorian years? Today, your fingers probably would be idling over computer keys rather than organ keys. The reason it comes to mind, is that one day last fall my children celebrated their wedding anniversary by taking an overnight trip to the Grand Pre district of Nova Scotia. I stayed home to look after the family pets. Time hung a little heavily on my hands, so I thought to use the computer to do some checking on my family. My Mother died before I was five, and my Grandmother raised my sister and me. She was full of stories about her Mother and Father in the very early days of Norfolk County in Ontario. Her Mother was born there in 1836, and her Father was a sailor from Ireland who sailed into Port Ryerse one day, met her mother, and never left. I entered the family name Brownlee and immediately was led to a letter, written in 2006, requesting information on the members of the family who lived in Canada. It was signed by a Henry Brownlee of New Orleans. He wrote that the three brothers had sailed to America from Ireland, worked together for a time in New York, then went south to New Orleans, where they stayed for awhile. The eldest, John, the letter writer s Great-grandfather, stayed there and married Henry s Great-Grandmother. The second son, Edward, my Great-Grandfather, went to sail on the Great Lakes and Henry wanted some information on where he settled and if he had any family there. The third went West and disappeared. My Grandmother told this story, many times. I knew, for example that the eldest brother had come to visit one summer. I could only assume it had been after his brother had married my Great-grandmother, since he stayed with them. My Great -grandfather had been both the carpenter and the sail-maker on Lake boats, and had built a home for his bride, near her family in Port Ryerse. This would probably have been in the late 1850 s. I was a curious child, and often wondered how John Brownlee got there from New Orleans. I was also intrigued by the fact that the two brothers, over the years, had assimilated so completely into their new surroundings. For example, there was a man who was probably a run-away slave living in the village, and the visitor came home all excited one day to tell his brother the surprising news of a black man walking on the same sidewalk as the other folks! Often as a child I pondered over the fact that two brothers, who arrived at the same time in North America could have adapted to the very different opinions of the regions in which they had found themselves. I kept in touch with Cousin Henry and learned that I had many, many relatives in Lousiana. He told me stories, and I told him some of what I knew and we were both happy to expand our horizons. He eventually sent me a folio of the results of his long search. I found that although I had a new family, I had to tell him that our family had sadly dwindled over the years, with my sister and I and our children, sadly few, were all that were left in Ontario. There was one of Edward s children s children who moved to Alberta. He was aware of this, and had already established that they, too, had died out. We have kept in touch. I will probably continue to keep in touch, but the last big hurricane in 2008 left him with a damaged house, and a wife with dementia. She is now in a home: he spends a lot of his time visiting. Meanwhile, I will get into the charts he so kindly provided and learn more about my new and larger family. So my Lost Chord, a family, will be found and I will learn how much, or how little, the two brother s families resemble one another. It has been a wonderful trip, first down memory lane, and then into brand new territory for me. Important Notice Re The Newsletter You will see that this issue of the newsletter is only 8 pages and this is as a result of the increase of postage that raised the price of a 12 page newsletter to 98 as opposed to 54 for 8 pages. This results in an additional cost of over $100 per issue. In the electronic world of today we are able to send the newsletter out as an attachment. This would not only reduce the mailing costs but also the cost of paper and has the virtue of being environmentally friendly. Instead of the envelopes normally sent with the newsletter for special offerings a notice reminding you of the special offering day would be attached to the . Anyone who wishes to have their next newsletter sent electronically should send their address to Mary Wagner at the Church Office or electronically to stjohnslunenburg@eastlink.ca

7 Page 7 The Brief History of St. John s The new book St. John s Anglican Church by Shirley E. Woods is now available at the church and in stores around town. Although titled inside as A Brief History of St. John s Anglican Church, it covers a lot of ground from the beginning right up to today. The photographs are stunning and show views from all angles. The record of the fire and subsequent restoration show the strength of commitment to this church that the parishioners have. This will be a book worth keeping for future generations to see. One interesting feature of the early St. John s was a three tiered pulpit where from the ground level the Parish Clerk made announcements and led the congregational responses. The middle tier was where the minister conducted most of the service only rising to the upper level to preach the sermon. This reminded me of our honeymoon in Britain when Janice and I decided that every Sunday we would fire up the camper van. The first church we came to would be the one we worshipped at. In the Scottish town of Elgin we came to St. Giles, a Church of Scotland church that is located in the middle of the old high street. This church was about twice the size of St. John s and had a balcony running round three sides of the building, leaving only the pulpit end open. There was a lectern at ground level, a pulpit at about the same level as ours in St. John s and a second pulpit way up above the balcony, though I did not see this upper pulpit until later. The choir sat facing the congregation and the organist was nowhere to be seen, though there was music. The service proceeded along a fairly normal path until the readings, when the psalm was read at the lectern and the New Testament from the lower pulpit; then came the Old Testament. Seemingly from out of nowhere came a second minister who arrived at the front of the upper pulpit and commenced to give us a fiery reading leaning way out over the front of the pulpit and glaring down at everyone for emphasis. Then he proceeded to the sermon, good old fashioned hell, fire and damnation. It was like being transported backwards in time. Even the choir, who the minister could not see beneath him, seemed to shrink down into their seats while he dominated the church. Ceilidh A Great Success The hall looked wonderful, the chowder superb as always, and everyone in the hall was Irish! Father Michael was the MC for the St. Patrick's Ceilidh held on March 20, and thanks to everyone involved, the evening was a great success. Thanks to donations and ticket sales, St. John's Ringers were able to raise over $3000 and will now be off to Bellfest 2009 in Moncton. By Grace Swan Father Michael in his MC Regalia The Bell Ringers Perform

8 Page 8 End of Another Sunday School Year May 10th was the last day of Sunday School and the 10:30 Service was a family oriented one. Starting with the Processional Hymn Part of the Family. during the service the Junior Choir sang I am The Church with actions emphasising the words. Jane, Jennifer & Emily distribute Sunday School Certificates The Junior Choir outside the church The children who had attended Sunday School were presented with their Certificates at the front of the church. They then offered words of appreciation to the members of the congregation, and thanked Father Michael for being their Rector, Jane Lordly for being their Superintendent, Jennifer Green for being their teacher, Emily Pottie for being their teacher and also they wished God Bless her as she went to university. Finally they thanked Sharon Hill and Barbara Butler for the gift of music. The Tone Chimes gave an excellent rendition of All Creatures of Our God and King We wish all of our children and families a safe and enjoyable summer. Tone Chimers in action St. John s Anglican Church 81 Cumberland Street PO Box 238 Lunenburg, Nova Scotia Canada B0J 2C0 we re on the web Phone: Fax: stjohnslunenburg@eastlink.ca