CLARION. Because he lives. Easter 2018

Transcription

1 CLARION Easter 2018 Because he lives The Presiding Bishop meets Iraqi Christians who have been through so much, but say Amen, hallelujah to the Easter message. PAGE 3

2 2 CLARION is a publication of St. Wilfrid of York Episcopal Church Chapel Lane Huntington Beach, ca EDITOR/DESIGN DIRECTOR Kent K. Steinbrenner. COVER PHOTO Kurt Weston. CONTRIBUTIONS ARE WELCOME To submit articles for the Clarion, please submit either in Microsoft Word or Apple s Pages word-processing formats, or else as text in the body of an . Please all articles to admin@stwilfridschurch.org.. WORSHIP & EDUCATION AT ST. WILFRID S SUNDAYS Holy Eucharist 7, 8:30, and 10:30 a.m. Adult Formation 9:30 a.m., Nursery, 8:15 to 11:45 a.m. (Room 1) Children s Christian Formation:. Sunday School 8:30 & 10:30 a.m.. Youth Bible Study 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. Healing Services, Evensong Monthly; Sundays at 5 p.m.; see Sunday Times for scheduled dates. WEEKDAYS Wednesday Morning Eucharist, 7 a.m. KERNELS FROM KAREN» THE REV. KAREN MAURER Beach Cities Interfaith Services still serving those who need our help Many of you have asked me what is happening with bcis. The short answer is, We are still serving the community! The longer answer is that we have faced significant challenges over the last nine months. After we received the eviction notice from the city of Huntington Beach in late June (which has since been postponed until Oct. 13, 2018), our monthly donations dropped from an average of $9,000 a month to less than $1,000 a month, all while our daily client numbers have increased from approximately 50 people a day to 75 a day. Monetary donations have slowly increased to around $5,000 per month, thanks be to God, but we have not been able to completely recoup the losses we experienced last summer. On a positive note, we have been in conversation with the Illumination Foundation (IF), a major nonprofit in Orange and Los Angeles counties whose mission is to provide recuperative care to the poor. Along with IF s executive director, Paul Leon, we have been seeking to develop a partnership between IF and bcis, and the city of Huntington Beach has been participating in those conversations. These talks are ongoing and we hope to have some positive news to report regarding a new site fairly soon. What can you, the people of St. Wilfrid s, do? First and foremost, pray! Then, if you are able, give financially to bcis. Everything helps. Finally, please support our big fundraiser, Jammin for bcis, on April 14th! Thank you for being so instrumental in caring for the marginalized in our community. Jammin for Beach Cities Interfaith Services MoVING,... FUN RAISER Entertainment... Forever Young with Fr. Christian Mondor Close Enuff 60 s/70 s cover band Food & Beverages... fun for the entire family Saturday, April 14, 2018 from 4-8pm St. Wilfridʼs Episcopal Church Chapel Lane HB. CA A fund raiser to help offset BCIS moving costs $ / Youth Kids under 5 FREE!

3 FROM THE PRESIDING BISHOP» THE MOST REV. MICHAEL CURRY An Easter message from the Presiding Bishop, who is in the Holy Land for Easter Hello on Palm Sunday from St. George s Cathedral in Jerusalem. There is a passage in the 27th chapter of Matthew s gospel where religious leaders, political leaders come together once again after Jesus has been crucified and executed, after he had been buried in the tomb. Once again, they come together to seal the tomb, to make sure not even a rumor of his resurrection will happen. And this is what some of them say: Therefore, command the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away and tell the people he has been raised from the dead. And the last deception will be worse than the first. It is easy to overlook, and sometimes convenient to forget, that Jesus was executed, Jesus was crucified by an unholy alliance of religion, politics, and economic self-interest. Politics represented in Pontius Pilate, governor of the Roman Empire, representative of that very empire and all of its power. King Herod, who heard Jesus at one of the trials, representative of the Herodian and economic self-interest at the time. These three powers came together economic, religious, and political to crucify the one who taught, love the Lord your God, love your neighbor, and actually live that way. The truth is, the message of Jesus was unsettling to the world then, as it is unsettling to the world now. And yet, that very message is the only source of hope in life for the way of the cross, the way of unselfish living, the way of sacrificial living, seeking the good, the welfare of the other before one s one unenlightened self-interest. That way of the cross is the way of love. That is the nature of love. And that way is the only hope for the entire human family. The reality is, the way of Jesus was a threat to the way that the world is, and hope for the way the world can and will be. Evil could not stop him. Death could not stop him. Violence could not stop him. For the love of God, the heart of God, the reality of God is stronger than anything else. But on that third day after the crucifixion, when by the titanic power of God, by the power of the love of God, Jesus was raised from the dead. God sent a message and declared that death does not have the last word. Hatred does not have the last word. Violence does not have the last word. Bigotry does not have the last word. Sin, evil does not have the last word. The last word is God, and God is love. On our pilgrimage here, we stopped and spent two days in Jordan. In Amman, Jordan, we were able to spend some sacred and blessed and painful time with Iraqi Christians. These are Christians, many of whom are Anglican, who have fled their country in Iraq because of war and violence and hatred and desecration. They have given up everything, refusing to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. And there in Jordan, with the help of the Anglican Church there and many other relief agencies, they are at least safe, hoping to find safe and permanent homes in other countries. In the course of our conversations, and listening to them, at one point I found myself quoting a hymn, a song that many folk have heard around Easter, certainly in our country. And I didn t expect a response. You probably know how it goes it says, because he lives, referring to Jesus and his resurrection, because he lives, I can face tomorrow. When I quoted that song, those who have lost their homes, people who have lost everything except life itself, those who have lost loved ones, actually responded to the words of that song. When I said, Because He lives I can face tomorrow. When I said Jesus is alive, He s been risen from the dead, I saw them lift up their heads and respond with the words Amen, hallelujah! My brothers and sisters, evil could not stop him. Death could not stop him. Violence could not stop him. For the love of God, the heart of God, the reality of God is stronger than anything else. And Jesus really rose from the dead on that first resurrection morning. God love you. God bless you. And, may this Easter season be the first day of the rest of our lives. Amen. 3

4 WALKING in the WAY of ST. WILFRID A Spiritual Pilgrimage Join the St. Wilfrid s community as we explore the roots of our Anglican spirituality, through our patron Wilfrid of York and the Cathedral he founded in 672 ad. Our journey begins at Westminster Abbey with evensong services sung by our own choir, and culminates in the Yorkshire city of Ripon as we celebrate the Festival of St. Wilfrid with a special choral evensong in Ripon Cathedral. Flexible dates and various options for travel and accommodation will be available. For pilgrimage information, please contact Lynn Horton at lynn@ worldviewtravel.com. July 23 27: St. Wilfrid s Choir in residence at Westminster Abbey in London. July 28 29: Journey by train to a beautiful seaside resort near Bamburgh Castle Visit the Holy Island of Lindisfarne July 30 August 4: Discover the medieval city of York & the historic site of the Synod of Whitby St. Wilfrid s Choir in residence at Ripon Cathedral Enjoy the St. Wilfrid Festival & Parade (founded in 1108 by King Henry I) August 5: Journey home Estimated cost: $3,400 per person. 4

5 Time and treasure we already know about, but talent is a part of stewardship, too Lent is a season of contemplation, prayer, and self-reflection. Now that the Easter season is here we can turn our attention from the inward to the outward to the stewardship areas of time and talent. Just like our annual monetary pledge, we look to pledge or give back to St. Wilfrid s and the surrounding community a portion of our available time and the talents God has blessed us with. Most people put this into practice by being involved in multiple ways here at St. Wilfrid s. They re involved in some way with worship on Sunday By Stewart Lumb, Stewardship Chair morning, maybe with the choir, altar guild, as an usher, lector, acolyte, etc. They re involved with service here at St. Wilfrid s with the Brotherhood of St. Andrew s, eflags, or Daughters of the King. And they re involved with taking Christ s message out into the community through bcis, ship, Laundry Love, or amos, among others. We d like you to consider a new way to use your time and talents at St. Wilfrid s. Consider teaching an adult education hour. Every ministry at St Wilfrid s probably has a story to tell. We re not suggesting an hour of how you do your job, but why. And what don t most people know about your ministry? If you happen to have detailed education or experience in a specific area we could incorporate that into an adult education topic, such as: Sharing your faith and telling your personal story, Prayer and prayer forms, Christians and politics, World religions, or Art in church history. Got an idea for an adult forum? Let me know! CLARION Easter 2018 THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION BY EXTENSION Thinking theologically it s just one of the things you ll learn in EfM, Education for Ministry At the end of the Eucharist we pray: And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord. Have you asked, what is the work I have been given to do? How do I better love and serve? We are all called to ministry. The Education for Ministry (EfM) program provides knowledge and skills to carry out that ministry. EfM is a four-year certificate program in theological education offered by the Episcopal Seminary at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn. The seminar group, consisting of six to twelve participants led by a trained mentor, is the nucleus of the program. Participants study the entire sweep of the Christian tradition including Old and New Testaments, church history, ethics and theology. More important participants develop skills to think theologically, that is, examining one s beliefs and values and how these relate in the secular world, discovering how to be effective ministers in the world. We meet weekly for two-anda-half hours at St. Wilfrid s, September through May. In addition to the seminar time, two to three hours per week preparation time is recommended. The cost is $350 per year. Some scholarships are available. Please consider joining the fiftyfive people who have graduated from St. Wilfrid s since the program s inception in Contact Pam Dorff or Bill Lindsey to find out about EfM at St. Wilfrid s. More information about EfM is available at the program s website, Pam Dorff, co-mentor pdorff@socal.rr.com (714) Bill Lindsey, co-mentor lindseybill43@gmail.com (310)

6 Charitable giving: How is it affected by the new tax laws? Legacy is about life and living. Legacy is about learning from the past, living in the present and building for the future. Legacy is fundamental to what it is to be human. St. Wilfrid s Legacy Circle affords members the opportunity to provide support for future programs and services through a legacy gift from their estate plan.. Question: Has my ability to make direct charitable donations from my IRA when I reach age 70½ been affected by the new tax law? In short, the strategy of donating to charities from an ira after age 70½ is still available under the new tax laws. A Qualified Charitable Distribution (qcd) allows those 70½ or older to give money directly from their iras to a qualified charity in a tax advantaged manner. The total maximum annual qcd cannot exceed $100,000 for an individual. Spouses can each make a $100,000 qcd. Why consider making a qcd? First it counts toward your individual required minimum distribution (rmd). Second, the distribution is excluded from your taxable income. If the new tax laws have limited or excluded your opportunity to itemize on your tax return, the qcd is an opportunity to preserve an income tax reducing charitable deduction under the new tax law. This plan may be most effective in meeting your annual and capital campaign commitments. As always, please consult with your trusted financial advisor when making any decisions that affect your tax planning. Members of St. Wilfrid s Legacy Circle have prayerfully reflected upon their lives of faith and what will happen when they have passed. They have decided to make a legacy gift to St. Wilfrid s through their estate plan. We invite you to join with these dedicated members by including St. Wilfrid s in your estate plan. Many opportunities exist to accomplish this. Please call the church office to discuss how you can be a member of St. Wilfrid's Legacy Circle. 105 people have now pledged to the Capital Campaign 6 We would like to thank everyone for their faithful support of our capital campaign, Rekindle the Flame. As of March 26, we have pledges from 105 parishioners totaling $756,700. This means that we are at 92% of our campaign goal of $822,000! The capital campaign team has set a target date of May 20 to reach our campaign goal. This is Pentecost Sunday and is also the date of our visit from Bishop Diane Bruce. Won t you join us so that we can reach our goal and help fund the campus improvements needed to fulfill our mission and ministries? Keep in mind that this is a three-year campaign, so pledges can be paid any time during the calendar years. We have already completed two capital campaign projects (preschool flooring and cry room flooring), and we are currently working on plans for additional projects for Contact Jeff Campana if you have any questions at jcampana520@gmail.com.

7 St. Wilfrid s Easter Season Calendar APRIL th 14th 15th 17th 21st Parish Nurses, 8:30 to 10 a.m., CareNet Unit #4 Lunch, 11:30 a.m., Youth Center Brotherhood of St. Andrew Breakfast & Meeting: 8 a.m., BCIS Fundraiser: 4 p.m., Newcomers Reception: 9:30 a.m., Vestry Meeting: 6:30 p.m., Youth Center Celebration of Wisdom Lunch: 11:30 a.m., 22nd Moms Club Lunch: 12 p.m., Youth Center CareNet Unit #3 Meeting: 11:30 a.m., Youth Center Healing Service, 5 p.m., Church 27th Preschool Spring Fling Carnival, 5:30 p.m., Parking Lot 28th 29th Prayer Shawl Meeting: 10 a.m., Sacquety Hall Compassion Sunday Newcomers Class (1 of 3): 9:30 a.m., EFLAGS Potluck and Love Free or Die Documentary: 12 noon, CLARION Easter 2018 MAY th 6th 12th 13th Volunteer Appreciation Dinner: 5 p.m., Newcomers Class (2 of 3): 9:30 a.m., Choral Evensong, 5 p.m., Church Brotherhood of St. Andrew Breakfast & Meeting: 8 a.m., Happy Mother s Day! Parish Nurses, 8:30 to 10 a.m., Newcomers Class (3 of 3): 9:30 a.m., Chorister Eucharist, 10:30 a.m., Church 19th 20th 22nd 26th 27th 28th Celebration of Wisdom Lunch: 11:30 a.m., CareNet Facilitators Meeting: 3 p.m., Rev. Nancy Sinclair s Home Pentecost Sunday & Confirmation Bishop Diane Bruce celebrates at all 3 services; reception after all 3 services Vestry Meeting: 6:30 p.m., Youth Center Prayer Shawl Meeting: 10 a.m., Sacquety Hall Trinity Sunday Healing Service, 5 p.m., Church Memorial Day holiday; church & preschool closed 7

8 Catch the Spirit! PENTECOST SUNDAY, MAY 20 Celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at all services with Bishop Diane Bruce. The South Coast Brass & Percussion join the Saint Wilfrid s Choir at 10:30 a.m. Join them for a bit of Wisdom every 3rd Saturday... They say Wisdom comes with age. It s a good thing because our hearing, eyesight and confidence goes. However, we are still able to laugh, have fun and socialize. That's what the Celebration of Wisdom group is all about, an opportunity to get together with others who share mostly the same circumstances to laugh at ourselves and with each other; to break bread together and share God s presence (where one or more are gathered, there I ll be). We have good food, good programs, books to borrow, and sometimes kitchen entertainment. We hope you ll join us, and remember, there is power in numbers. All are welcome! We meet on the third Saturday of the month at 11:30 a.m. in. We do not meet in July and August. Much love abounds! St. Wilfrid s Staff 8 Bishop Diocesan: The Rt. Rev. John H. Taylor Rector The Very Rev. Canon Michael D. Archer michael@stwilfridschurch.org Associates The Rev. Karen Maurer karen@stwilfridschurch.org The Rev. Christopher Montella therevchristopher@stwilfridschurch.org Associate & Minister of Music The Rev. William Wells william@stwilfridschurch.org Parish Aministrator Terry Roberts terry@stwilfridschurch.org Song School Director Stephen Salts stephens@stwilfridschurch.org Preschool Deborah Pratt, Director CCL# preschool@stwilfridschurch.org Rector Emeritus The Rev. Canon Charles W. Sacquety Senior Warden...Joan Pashley-Baynes Junior Warden...Allison Hainlen Clerk...Bruce Groth Treasurer... Patti Nunn Buildings & Grounds.... Jim O Connell Sexton....Esther Cordova Chapel Lane Huntington Beach, CA Phone: (714) Fax: (714) Preschool : (714) Emergency Pager: (714)