ST. MICHAEL S EPISCOPAL CHURCH GROSSE POINTE WOODS, MICHIGAN MAY

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1 ST. MICHAEL S EPISCOPAL CHURCH GROSSE POINTE WOODS, MICHIGAN MAY 2010 God Bless You God Bless You! A sign of spring, or a blessing of thanksgiving? Even though many of us may indeed be experiencing spring allergies, my article this month is offered with a God Bless You! in thanksgiving for someone who is very special to me, the Reverend Deacon Jack Trembath. He is in his third decade of diaconal ministry, and has decided it is time to retire. Deacon Jack has a tender heart and a servant s soul and has logged thousands of hours offering pastoral care for those in need of faith and a little TLC from those in prison, to those down on their luck and needing a helping hand, to members of his parish family struggling with the issues of living and dying. He has been a faithful and loving friend and colleague, and was instrumental in helping this rector feel welcomed and at home in her new surroundings. During the Spring Clergy Retreat held last month, many of Jack s colleagues referred to him as a deacon s deacon or if you want to know what a deacon does, watch Jack. I couldn t agree more. I would also like to offer a special thank you to his wife, Redina. A clergy spouse agrees to take on a life of ministry next to that of their partner, Redina has done so for many years and in many places. She h a s s p e n t c o u n t l e s s hours laboring beside her husband in the vineyard of the Lord, and on behalf of the many people she has touched with her strong faith and passionate courage. God Bless You! And so, it is with both joy and sadness that we wish Deacon Jack a blessed retirement at a party following the 10:30 service on his last Sunday as our deacon, May 23rd. Many of his family and friends throughout the diocese are expected to be in attendance, and I believe that his son may even play his cello during worship! Barbara Barringer and her Crafty-Cohorts are helping us create a warm gift for Deacon Jack and Redina by creating a Community Quilt. Fabric squares will be available for you to personalize with stitches, paint, or whatever creative expressions you may possess. Donations for Deacon Jack are also being gathered, please note in the memo line of your gift Deacon Jack. If you would like to help with the festivities on the 23rd, please call parishioners and party planners Stacey Fischer-Lewis at , or Win Meredith at With the love of Christ, The Rev. Marianna+

2 Page 2 The Sword May 2010 Vestry Highlights from April 20, 2010 We began our Vestry meeting on April 20, 2010 with a Hail And Farewell Dinner to welcome our new members (Barbara Barringer, Julie Biermann, Derek Farr and Cheryl Mac Donald) and thank our former members whose terms ended earlier this year (Steve Chan, Bill Davenport, Ed Haug, Dale Pegg and Dale Scrace). Our Treasurer, Mark Zink, presented financial reports for January through March Mark reported that income and expenses were both closely tracking budget over the first quarter of Mark is working with our financial secretary, Patti Coe, to improve our financial reporting and budget-tracking systems, and he is exploring a possible move of our accounts to achieve more favorable banking arrangements. After just a month in the Treasurer s role, Mark has quickly immersed himself and is doing a wonderful job to help the Vestry carefully monitor and manage our financial affairs. Grant Gilezan, Senior Warden We scheduled a Vestry retreat on May 15 to undertake, among other things, an annual mutual ministry review (MMR) that will be facilitated by a person outside our Parish. As set forth in the Covenant of Call among St. Michael s, the Rev. Marianna and the Bishop, the objectives of the MMR are: (1) provide the Rector and the Vestry opportunities to assess how well they are fulfilling their responsibilities to each other and to the ministry they share; (2) evaluate common progress on development tasks, and as required, establish and adjust goals for the work of our Parish; (3) identify areas of conflict or disappointment that may not have received adequate attention and may be adversely affecting mutual ministry, and (4) clarify expectations. St. Michael s Vestry and clergy at the annual Hail and Farewell dinner: front - Cheryl, Mary, Deacon Jack and Hannah; remaining - Dave, Julie, Bill, Dale S, Barb, Drew, Derek, the Rev. Marianna, Kevin, Steve, Ed, Al, Grant, Bill D, Dale P, and Mark. Following the Vestry Retreat, we will begin scheduling quarterly leadership roundtable meetings with Vestry members and Committee Chairs to facilitate cross-knowledge, communications and planning. We also decided to hold quarterly Parish Q&A sessions, during which the Wardens would be available to address questions, comments and suggestions in an informal and conversational manner. In order to meet the rigorous service attendance data production requirements for our submission of the Parochial Report to the Diocese, the Vestry adopted a second counting procedure for the Ushers to undertake after the Peace, following the arrival of the church school students. The Ushers will continue to make the original first count as usual earlier in the service for purposes of estimating the number of people expected for communion. The attendance data in the Parochial Report is important because it drives our eligibility for support and services from the Diocese. Other fun things approved by the Vestry to be looking forward to being scheduled as we move closer to summer are the formation of a Garden Club (just in time for the planting season right around the corner), a mom-to-mom sale in Yeoman Hall, a hymn sing where songs are chosen by Parish vote and a Parish breakfast sponsored by the new Young at Heart Committee on June 6 in between services. Lastly, our next Vestry meeting will be held in Yeoman Hall on Tuesday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m. We chose this larger room for the Vestry meeting to encourage Parish members to come, as all Vestry meetings are open to all adult Parish members. Our Vestry is making every effort to function with transparency, inclusiveness and thoughtful deliberation of all perspectives as we continue to make great strides to grow towards becoming a program-sized parish despite the tough economic challenges impacting our community. Your attendance is warmly welcomed and I hope many of you will join us for that meeting. Faithfully, Grant P. Gilezan - Senior Warden

3 The Sword May 2010 Page 3 THE COMING OF THE SPIRIT Now that Easter has passed, let s talk about the next major religious holiday of the year, Pentecost. What do we know about this day? With Christmas and Easter, it s one of the Great feasts of the Church. Growing up, I always felt that Pentecost got short changed. After all, we seem to begin celebrating Christmas about the middle of October. Easter brings Lenten pot-lucks at church, new spring outfits, colored eggs, and the Easter Bunny. But Pentecost seems to come at us unexpectedly, when we are thinking about the end of the school year and our summer vacations. We may remember to wear something red to church, but are we really sure why we do this? What are we celebrating on this day? Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit. To understand what this meant to the early followers of Jesus, we have to try to achieve the mind-set of these first Christians. They were a small group, perhaps no more than a hundred people. Many of them were frightened and confused. Along with the Apostles, some of them had seen the resurrected Jesus before he ascended to heaven. He had told them to stay together near Jerusalem and wait for the gift the Father had promised; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. They apparently obeyed His instruction, but it s a pretty good bet that most of them were unsure what baptism with the Holy Spirit really meant. The time came for the Jewish festival of Shavout, celebrating the reception of the Ten Commandments by Moses. This festival was celebrated fifty days after the Passover, hence the name Pentecost from the Greek word for fifty. (Since the Resurrection took place one day after Passover, today we celebrate Pentecost seven weeks after Easter.) At this time, Jerusalem was filled with Jews from all over the Roman world that had come to celebrate this holiday in the Holy City. The followers of Jesus had gathered in a large hall to commemorate the feast. Suddenly they heard a loud noise, like the rushing of the wind, and lights like flame appeared and rested upon every head. They were filled with enthusiasm and began to testify to their faith in Jesus. The crowds of Jewish pilgrims outside of the hall heard the commotion and ran in to find out what was happening. They were astonished to find that these uneducated Galileans were speaking in all the various languages of the Roman Empire. Some of them were impressed, but others said, They re all drunk in there! Then Peter jumped to his feet and addressed them saying, They re not drunk! It s only nine in the morning. Instead, this is what the Prophets foretold. He went on to tell them how Jesus, whom they had executed, had risen from the grave and had ascended to his Father and how He promised salvation to the whole world. When they asked Peter what they should do to be saved, he told them to repent and be baptized. We are told that some three thousand were baptized that day. It was the first major conversion to the Church. For this reason, many consider Pentecost to be the Birthday of the Church. Now, if you think this story is unrealistic, you re right. How could of group of poor, unsophisticated peasants, whose leader had been condemned by both their religious and secular authorities find the courage and skills to proclaim his teachings to the world? You would think that, at best, they would be ignored or, if they persisted, arrested and imprisoned or executed. That is what happened to some of them. Yet the message they preached and the example they set took hold of people as more and more became followers of Jesus. What is more, that following has grown and continued for two thousand years. That was the miracle of Pentecost, and it continues to this day. The path for Christians is often difficult, seemingly beyond our strength, but, just as on that first Pentecost, the Holy Spirit can strengthen and guide us to final victory. So put on your red tie or jacket, commemorating the flames that appeared on the heads of the believers, and celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. - Jack Renick Don t Miss... Septoria de Mayo - Friday Night at Mike s will celebrate May 7, with Mexican food and entertainment. The meal will be served at 6:30 p.m. The Spring Blood Drive will be held at Grosse Pointe United Methodist Church, 211 Moross Road on Thursday, May 20 from 1:30 to 7:30. Please call Gayle Peller at or sign up in Yeoman Hall. Movie Night at Mike s at 6:30 Friday, May 21 will feature Mr. Deeds Goes Town, the black and white version. Popcorn will be served. Bring your choice of drinks.

4 Page 4 The Sword May 2010 Kroger Community Rewards Program Kroger has revised its rewards program and will begin anew program will begin May 1. New and former participants in the program all need to register on-line in order to have a percentage of all their purchases donated to St. Michael s. Bar code registration is no longer possible. Step-by-step instructions for enrolling can be found in the church office or during coffee hour after church. Don t forget to urge family and friends to join the program. Questions? Call Carolyn Skaff at Notes from the Sacristy The Altar Guild is using cash gifts to purchase linens (purificators and corporals) for the communion kits used by our Lay Eucharistic Visitors. St. Teresa s Guild made a donation to the Memorial Fund, designated for the Altar Guild, in memory of May Jean Chan s mother, and St. Elizabeth s Guild gave us funds from the Book Nook project. We are grateful to both guilds for these contributions. We have just posted a new Wish List in the Information Center for a few things needed in the sacristy. If you would like to designate a gift to the parish, there are suggestions that may suit your purpose and budget. Spiritual Journey New Study Group: Embracing Prayer and Faith continues to meet Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. The group is led by Lynne Thomas who led the fall Bible study class. The group will focus on several topics, including effective prayer, developing faith, spiritual healing and a personal relationship with Jesus. Everyone is welcome. BOOK GROUP REMINDER: The Spiritual Journey Committee Book Group will meet on Saturday, May 8 th at 10:00 a.m. to discuss The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why by Phyllis Tickle. According to the author, the Christian Church goes through a great transformation every 500 years, and we are just lucky to be living through one. How does today s culture move us toward our next moment in the church? This should be another interesting Book Group discussion. (A sign up sheet is posted in the Information Center). Everyone is welcome to participate. Questions? Contact Elaine Backhurst or Richard Simonds. Thrift Shop Welcomes Volunteers There is a critical need for new volunteers to work in receiving for the Thrift Shop. Receiving hours are Fridays from 10am-2pm. During this time consignors bring items to the parish hall to be sorted and organized. Many hands are needed to handle this task. Men are very welcome to help with the moving and organizing of the merchandise. To volunteer, please call the Thrift Shop at or contact Genny Davenport or Rosemary Berger. The Thrift Shop will be open for sales on Friday and Saturday, May 28 th and 29 th of Memorial Day Weekend, however there will be no receiving on Friday, May 28 th Thrift Shop hours are: Wednesday 10 a.m. 3 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. 3 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. 1 p.m. Join St. Michael s Garden Club! Calling all people who like to dig in the dirt, get a little sun and some fresh air, and meet other parishioners all at the same time! If you are interested, please call Wilson Rogers at or the church office at Love the Smell of Bread Baking? Six times a year, cornbread is baked at the church for the Spirit of Hope Soup Kitchen. Don't let the idea scare you. You don't need to be an experienced baker to take part. It involves corn muffin mix and eggs, whirling the mix, eggs and water in our Kitchen Aid and pouring batter in pans and into the oven! It's lots of fun! Join us Thursday, June 3. Call Bill Davenport to volunteer.

5 The Sword May 2010 Page 5 MUSIC IN THE WOODS The next concert in the Music in the Woods series will be "Modern Harp Quartet". The performance will feature harpists Amy Ley, Anne Brege. Lydia Cleaver and Maurice Draughn, alumni from the harp studios of Cass Tech, Wayne State University and the University of Michigan. The aim of the Modern Harp Quartet is to promote the modern harp as a versatile instrument, capable of producing a vast array of tone colors and effects, through performances and workshops. Mark your calendars now for Sunday, May 16th at 4:00 PM. You won't want to miss this one! This concert, as with all Music in the Woods concerts, helps to fund the restoration of the Skinner Opus 705 organ. Suggested donation is $10. Faith Community Nursing Confirmation Service Planned A service of Confirmation and Reception will be held at St. John s, Royal Oak on Saturday morning, May 15 at 10:30. Sam Carpenter, Paul Castelli, Hannah Kadrich, Erin McCarthy, Lauren Lewis, have attended Confirmation classes led by the Rev. Marianna, Ed Haug and Kathy Zmyslowski. A reception in honor of these five confirmands will be held following the 10:30 service on May 16. Spring UTO Ingathering "And God said let there be light in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons and for days, and years; And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth; and it was so." (Gen1:14-15) We get, and give, mixed messages about this wondrous matter, the sun. We are encouraged to get more time in the sun and soak in the Vitamin D our bodies are prompted to make because of it. Yet, we are warned of unprotected exposure to the sun s UV rays that can cause skin cancer, eye damage, and immune system suppression. FACTS *Twenty minutes of summer sun exposure yield 12,000-20,000IU s of Vitamin D *Vitamin D requirements have been doubled to 400 IU s for infants through adolescents; 1,000-2,000 IU s daily for adults *Vitamin D is found in enriched foods such are milk, cereal, orange juice, yogurt and margarine; naturally, it is found in oily fish, beef, liver, cheese, egg yolks and some mushrooms *UVA rays cause skin aging and wrinkling and contribute to skin cancer such as melanoma *UVB rays are also dangerous, causing sunburns, cataracts and immune system change, as well as skin cancer. RECOMMENDATIONS Generously and frequently apply a broad spectrum, water resistant sunscreen with SPF of at least 30 when outside. *Wear protective clothing, hats and glasses *avoid overexposure in the hours between 10AM and 4PM, *use extra caution near water, snow and sand (as they reflect the damaging rays of the sun) *Avoid tanning beds May 9, 2010 is most important because it is both Mother s Day and the Spring Ingathering of the United Thank Offering. As we celebrate this day with cards and gifts, let us remember that there are many people in the world who have great needs. The mission of the UTO is to expand the circle of thankful people.to achieve this mission, we encourage daily prayers, monetary offerings and thanks for the abundance of God s blessings. The UTO was established in 1889 by the women of the Episcopal Church and has grown steadily over the years to encompass the worldwide Anglican Community. Your prayers and offerings have contributed to the building of houses, churches, and schools; making needed renovations; feeding the hungry; providing shelter for the homeless; and care for those with mental, physical or emotional problems. Envelopes for the May 9 Spring Ingathering of the UTO will be in the pew racks or with the blue boxes in Yeoman Hall. Your participation is wanted, needed and appreciated! - Jan Jansen

6 Page 6 The Sword May 2010 THE SWORD Vol. 57 No. 3 Picture Credits: Marianna Gronek, Dale Pegg Editor: Dianne Pegg Producer: Kathy Zmyslowski Submissions can be sent to the St. Michael s Church office or ed to: The Sword is published 11 times a year. St. Michael s Episcopal Church Sunningdale Park Drive Grosse Pointe Woods, MI Fax: Website: SUNDAY SCHEDULE 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist with church school at 10:15 The Rev. Marianna Gronek Rector Cell: The Rev. Jack G. Trembath Deacon Grant Gilezan Senior Warden Dave Zmyslowski Junior Warden Mark Zink Treasurer Barbara Barringer Secretary Deborah Cooper Church School Director Gavin Craig Music Director Barbara Pappas Youth Choir Jack Renick Parish Historian Mary Gage Parish Secretary marygage@stmichaelsgpw.org Patti Coe Financial Secretary Sara Mansfield Sexton IN MEMORIAM The following faithful departed, whose deaths occurred during the month of June in years past, will be remembered at the Requiem on Saturday, June 12, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. Donald C. Bangs Mary P. Brown James C. Darling Edwin M. Everham, Jr. Abraham Gray Carl Hahn Carolyn Hetchler Charlotte Ruth Howe Elsie Johnson Charlene E. Krieger Mary McGregor Kenneth Meek Eugene Miller Louise Mitchell Eugene A. Most Robert Pete Murphy Tricia H. Myers Helen Pegg Dean E. Richardson Helen H. Rutherford Annette Surrell F. Earl Surrell George H. Thom, Jr. George H. Thom, Sr. Eileen Turzak Henry J. Van Eckoute Dorothy M. Whitehouse Rest eternal grant them, O Lord; let light perpetual shine upon them. DEATHS David E. Appleton March 29, 2010 Barbara M. Near April 5, 2010 Shirley M. Robb April 6, 2010 Nicholette Nikki Delaney April 8, 2010 CALENDAR MAY 1 Diocesan Ministry Fair, all day, All Saints, East Lansing 2 Worship, 8 AM, 10:30 AM Youth Sunday; Crop Walk 3 Creative Care every Monday, 7 PM YaYA (Youth and Young Adult) Committee, 7 PM; Pastoral Care, 7 PM 5 Study Group, Embracing Prayer and Faith, Lynne Thomas, 10 AM 6 Adult Choir practice, 7 PM (every Thursday) 7 Friday Night at Mike s, 6 PM 8 Monthly Requiem, 9 AM; Book Group, Phyllis Tickle s, The Great Emergence, 10:00 9 Worship, 8AM; 10:30 AM, UTO Ingathering SWORD ARTICLES FOR JUNE/JULY ARE DUE 10 Creative Care every Monday, 7 PM; Outreach, 7 PM 11 ECW (Episcopal Church Women) Board, 10 AM; St. Sabbas tour and luncheon Finance Committee, 6 PM; Property Committee, 7 PM; Evangelism Committee, 7 PM; Family Life Education Center program, Are Your Kids at Risk? 7PM 12 Study Group, Embracing Prayer and Faith, Lynne Thomas, 10 AM Adult Choir practice, 7 PM (every Thursday) 14 Bridge Party, 5-9 PM, Yeoman Hall 15 Confirmation and reception, St. John s, Royal Oak, 10:30 16 Worship, 8 AM, 10:30 AM; Music in the Woods, 4:00 PM 17 Creative Care every Monday, 7 PM 18 Finance Committee, 6 PM; Vestry, 7 PM 19 Study Group, Embracing Prayer and Faith, Lynne Thomas, 10 AM 20 Blood Drive, GP Methodist, 1:30-7:30 PM; Adult Choir practice, 7 PM (every Thursday) 21 Movie Night@ Mike's, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, 6:30 PM 23 Feast of Pentecost, Worship, 8 AM, 10:30 AM; Celebration of Deacon Jack s Ministry 24 Creative Care every Monday, 7 PM St. Teresa s Guild, 7:30 PM 25 St. Mary s Guild, noon; St. Elizabeth s Guild, 12:30 PM 26 Study Group, Embracing Prayer and Faith, Lynne Thomas, 10 AM 27 Adult Choir practice, 7 PM. (every Thursday); Pastoral Care, 7 PM. 28 Thrift Shop open, no Receiving 29 Thrift Shop open 30 Worship, 8 AM, 10:30 AM; planning for Western theme fall event, Noon 31 Memorial Day

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8 DO NOT FORWARD Address Service Requested St. Michael s Episcopal Church Sunningdale Park Drive Grosse Pointe Woods, MI The Family Center Presents... Are your Kids at Risk? Not Mine! Not Here! Not Now! Not True! Unexpected Dangers... Ask the Experts Panel Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 7:00 PM St. Michael s will host this community event and welcomes all parents, teachers and all who work with or care about our young people. This program was previously presented here in September 2009 to a group of nearly 150, including a good number of St. Michael s parents, church school teachers and others who want to help their own children and others navigate their teen years without succumbing to drugs. For more information go to Young at Heart Committee to Host Parish Breakfast Sunday, June 6 9:00-10:15 a.m. For all those who are Young at Heart, the Affirmative Aging/ Affirmative Living Committee met again on Wednesday, April 14, with eleven members present. We are pleased to inform the parish of what we have in the offing. First, the committee voted to change the name of the group to the Young at Heart Committee because it was felt this moniker was more reflective of what the ministry is about. One of the committee s primary goals is to learn more about the needs of seniors in the parish. There was a vigorous discussion and several needs were identified: transportation, health and fitness, financial planning, long-term care, reliable workers to do odd jobs, opportunities for socializing, life-long learning, continuing spiritual growth, problems of living alone, and coping with depression and grief. Even though we were able to compile a long list of needs, the committee agreed that it would be best to gather information more directly and more personally. Consequently, the Committee has planned this parish breakfast especially for our senior parishioners - and any one else interested - for Sunday, June 6, 9 AM-10:15 AM (between services). Want to be part of the planning? Please join us! We invite you for a good and healthful breakfast while representatives of the Committee listen to what you have to say about things that would be of help to you - in your personal life and in your parish life. Just sign-up at Sign Up Central in Yeoman Hall so we know how many to plan for. A contribution of $5 per person to help defray costs is requested. - Roger Walker