The Canterbury Tales. And the First Church rises... October Lowering the main beam... Raising the roof... Taking shape...

Transcription

1 And the First Church rises... The Canterbury Tales October 2013 Lowering the main beam... Raising the roof... Taking shape... Bishop Beisner keeps a watchful eye...

2 From the Pastor Hello-Goodbye-Hello What amazing progress we see right before our eyes as the First Church becomes more and more real every passing day. After so much waiting, it feels very imminent now! And that is where the hellos and goodbyes come in. We are saying hello as a community to a rich new resource, a new sacred space for us to use in serving our neighbors and welcoming all to a safe place to experience God s healing love. We are saying goodbye to a nomadic identity, to 20-plus years of wandering from temporary location to temporary location. And then we are saying hello to change (oh, yes!) and to new possibilities that we haven t even dreamed of! Yes, we are saying hello to a future that God is leading us into, calling us into. So no matter how unsure we may feel about who we are becoming, no matter how reluctant we might be feeling to saying goodbye to the old days we always remember that God is with us, that God is preparing the way. This is the journey of all who follow Jesus we say hello, we say goodbye, we say hello again. Our journey as God s people is full of wonder. We are safe in God s hands. And we are together never forget that we are together! God s Peace, Pastor Liz+ In this issue First Church Rises. 1 DOK, Brotherhood... 7 From the Pastor.. 2 Sunday School, MMCA Volunteers. 7 Called to Build. 3 FISH Youth Group, Car Wash Pictures 8 Leader Team, Gathering Inn, Living Waters.. 3 Feed My Starving Children. 9 Service Times, St. Vincent de Paul, Calendar 4 Birthdays, Anniversaries. 10 missio:engage!... 5 Companion s Corner ~ Proverbial Wisdom 10 Journey of a Seminarian, Moms Connect 6 Contact Page

3 Called to Build... Leader Team Beginning in September, the vestry, missio:engage! team and ministry team leaders began meeting monthly to dream, plan and collaborate. This group gathers each first Tuesday - learning new skills, planning, sharing and integrating the work of our leadership and ministry groups. These meetings will be a way to better coordinate communications, connecting all parts of our church body in one big conversation. It is one of the ways in which we are moving into a new intentionality about how we do church and how we are church. IT S A NEW DAY!... Campaign Goal Campaign Commitments Total Collected to Date $500,000 $532,098 $320,949 Gratitude for Results Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. (Luke 6:38) The goal of this group is to discern the needs of the people already here at St. Augustine as well as the people around us, nearby and far away. We will plan together ways in which we can be a part of meeting those needs as we invite others to experience God s love for each of us. The group s three focus goals, as we prepare for the transition into the First Church, are: Newcomers Processes; The actual MOVE; and Events over the next several months. Exciting times! The Gathering Inn COMING SOON! We will be introducing a new way to support this wonderful ministry. Stay tuned for more information and announcements. AND PLEASE REMEMBER, the change in weather has a profound effect on our neighbors supported by The Gathering Inn. Foul weather gear and warm clothes are greatly appreciated. Living Waters Mission Trip We have two upcoming opportunities for 2014 that will support the Living Waters ministry. A trip to Central America is planned for summer and a another to Haiti in late fall. If you are unable to physically make this type of trip, there will be other ways to support this ministry. We will be doing fundraising to help support our members making the trek. 3

4 Service Times 8 a.m. Sunday Service Beginning Sunday, September 1, the early service moved to an 8 a.m. starting time. This is a simple communion service without music, using Rite II. The quiet service will appeal to some every week and to others occasionally as a quieter way to worship. 10 a.m. Sunday Service There is a full service at 10 a.m. on Sundays with the support of the St. Augustine Choir. Sunday School begins at 10 a.m., excepting some Holy days and special occasions. October 4 October 25 November 3 Calendar Save the Dates! Blessing of the Animals 4:30 p.m. Feed My Starving Children All Saints Sunday Installation of New DOK Members St. Vincent de Paul Food Locker October ~ Healthy Canned Soups St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room Members of St. Augustine serve at the St. Vincent de Paul s dining room in Roseville the third Thursday of each month. They work from 9 a.m. 1:30 p.m. preparing and serving food. The food is provided and a staff member assists us in the food selection and cleaning. We continue to have a calling to participate in this amazing outreach, and it is greatly appreciated by all who are served. Please contact Gaby Sisk, if you are interested in volunteering. Cool and damp weather is on the way and means a hot bowl of soup would really taste good. Help us load the grocery cart with healthy soups! 4

5 missio:engage! Faith Stories a reflection... As we reflect back on the riches of the Faith Stories weekend, we re awed at Tom s call for St. Augustine to stretch. Tom said that when he prayed for our congregation, it was the one word that came upon his heart. God gave him the perfect word to describe this time of transition and growth for our congregation. As we look to our future in our new church building, it is a time to stretch into the vision of all that we can be. Tom also challenged us to stretch into stronger relationships, both with each other and our commitment to God. Tom encouraged us to support and praying for our dear Pastor Liz because we are so very fortunate she is here for us and we love her so much. We'll strive toward that precious day when we are ready to take Pastor Liz by the hand and say that Jesus truly is100% Lord and Savior of our life! We laughed at Tom s personal stories of his marriage, career and children. Together we stumbled into the importance of friendship, to hold each other accountable and support each other through the challenges life brings. As we broke into small groups, new bonds were formed within our congregation as we came to know and care more for each other in a deeper way. And who will ever forget those crazy animal stories! With his saxophone, Tom alerted us to listen for the call of the stranger on the shore with hearts ready to invite them in. Is your heart ready? Are you praying for that stranger on the shore? How can we at St. Augustine be ready to invite and welcome the stranger? These are the questions we are working on in missio:engage! Join us as we explore the answers. The missio:engage! Team 5 Vol. 2 No. 10 St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church ~ Rocklin, CA October 2013

6 Journey of a Seminarian... The semester is off and running! Speaking of running I am doing a lot more of that these days as well as studying! I was diagnosed at the end of the summer with a condition that causes my heart to behave inappropriately to everyday activity. The treatment is cardiovascular training, which has me working with a trainer with the goal of growing my heart muscle. So, along with the normal demands of seminary and work, I also have to squeeze in a serious workout each day. I am doing it! You would be surprised how much time we really do have in each day. When something HAS to get done, it does. I feel that this heart condition has been a gift from God, forcing me to take great care of my vessel. This past week I met with the Diocesan Commission on Ministry and the Standing Committee for my candidacy interviews. They both approved me to move forward and continue the path towards ordination. Phew! I feel like I am bursting at the seams with blessings. I really hope I can pay it forward! Last week, I officiated Evening Prayer at Grace Cathedral, my first liturgical assignment! It was amazing!! I ve included a picture of the side chapel where we have Evening Prayer every day. This past weekend, I turned in my first paper for Theology on the future road of hermeneutics and theology as we move into post-post modernity (whatever that means). Over the next month, I begin preaching weekly in my homiletics* class, where I am the only female and only Protestant! I have a lot to prove to these men! They are so sweet to me, so I know I have a huge support system. This weekend, I attended my class retreat at St. Dorothy s Rest in Occidental. It is a beautiful camp and was a relaxing and spirit-filled time. The Mom s Conference Save the Date March 29 ~ 9 a.m. 5 p.m. Watch for more information! Our new ministry for moms, Where Moms Connect, meets the 1st and 3rd Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. in Canterbury Hall. This group is about moms! It gives moms a little bit of time each month to celebrate us!! It is a way to connect with other moms, connect with God, and connect it all into our lives. Please invite a friend - the more the merrier! If you have any questions, please contact: Melissa Lovin or wheremomsconnect@gmail.com Until next time...with love! Sarah Quinney *hermeneutics: the branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation, esp. of the Bible or literary texts. *homiletics: the art of preaching Grace Cathedral Side Chapel 6

7 DOK Any woman who feels called to a life of prayer, service and evangelism is invited to our Daughters of the King meetings. We gather in the school conference room after the 10 a.m. service, on the second Sunday of the month. Our next meeting will be Sunday, October 13. The group will continue studying the book, The Scarlet Cord. June Meredith will lead the group in a discussion of Chapter 9, The Well Woman: Drinking Deep. The Brotherhood of St. Andrew holds its regular monthly meetings at 9 a.m., the second Saturday in Canterbury Hall. Breakfast is served. All men are encouraged to attend our meetings. Please join us for the October 12 meeting at 9 a.m. in Canterbury Hall. Breakfast will be provided by John Redmond, who will be leading this meeting. Please come and be with us for a love-filled, compassionate, energizing experience listening to God s words, sharing, helping, and raising up each other. Brothers, Steve Mershon and I have joined the Kairos 12 team. The Folsom Kairos weekend will be in Folsom Prison October The mission of Kairos Prison Ministry is to bring Christ s love and forgiveness to all incarcerated individuals, their families and those who work with them, and to assist them in the transition of becoming productive citizens. If you have an interest in learning what the Brotherhood of St. Andrew is about, contact John Redmond, Vice Director. Peace to all Jack Dillon, Director 2013 Sunday School News Our Sunday School got off to a good start in September with lessons from Genesis, learning how God made the world and the story of Adam and Eve. The children learned about the Tower of Babel and made towers with toothpicks and marshmallows. In October, we are looking forward to learning about St. Francis and the animals we read about in the Bible. We will bring our pets to the Blessing of the Animals on October 6. We also will learn about Abraham and his adventures with God. Then we will learn about how Moses led his people out of Egypt. Our teachers will have lots of interesting stories and activities for us. Mr. Rob will teach some fun new songs and we will practice again on the rhythm instruments. Be sure to look for the Sunday School Newsletter and the Sunday Paper Junior. Volunteer Opportunities: Maria Montessori Charter Academy Maria Montessori Charter School will welcome volunteers from our congregation beginning in October. The group met with Carole Geiger and Principal Brent Boothby after the September 15 service. There are still many opportunities to volunteer at MMCA. Please contact Carole if you are interested The volunteers will work one or two hours a week at MMCA. This is a wonderful opportunity to work with the children at our neighborhood school. 7

8 FISH Car Wash FISH Youth Group First and most importantly, we would like to say a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who donated to our car wash fundraiser. It was a huge success and we just could not be more grateful for the generosity of our congregation. The month of October brings some exciting opportunities for our youth! In addition to continuing our lessons and studies, we will be participating in our first outreach project for this semester by packing food with our St. Augustine friends at the Feed My Starving Children food packing event. We also will be having our annual autumn party with snacks, games and activities. FISH Calendar of Events The workers! The crew! Sunday, October 6 Regular Meeting 9-10 a.m. Sunday, October 13 No FISH meeting ~ Columbus Day Weekend Sunday, October 20 Regular Meeting 9-10 a.m. Friday, October 25 6:30 p.m. Feed My Starving Children Food-Packing Event Sunday, October 27 Autumn Festival Party 9-10 a.m. The assistants! The Results $912!!! 8

9 St. Augustine Episcopal Church It is that time again! We are planning our participation in the Feed My Starving Children foodpacking event, held at William Jessup University. In order to pre-register before October 1, we need to commit to raising funds as a group and select shift times with approximate numbers of volunteers. Please sign up at the back table if you are interested in participating and/ or making a donation. The average person can pack approximately $45 worth of food in a two-hour shift. It is not necessary to make a monetary donation in order to participate. October 24-26, 2013 at William Jessup Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor. Proverbs 22:9 3 Days ~ 2700 Volunteers ~ 500,000 Meals Feed My Starving Children is returning to the Sacramento Region. Its goal is to pack 500,000 specially-formulated meals that will be distributed to starving children in nearly 70 countries around the world. This highly-ranked non-profit organization has already produced over 1.2 million meals with the help of the Sacramento Region volunteers alone. Five ways to participate in the local 2013 Feed My Starving Children Event (Children over 5 may participate when with adults and no donation is required to participate). Sign up for a noon - 2 p.m. shift on Friday, October 25. Sign up for a 6:30-8:30 p.m. shift on Friday, October 25. Make a donation (each volunteer packs about $45 of food each two-hour shift). Raise money by asking family, friends and neighbors to make a contribution. 9

10 Companion s Corner HOLY MIRTH October Birthdays October 1 October 7 October 7 October 9 October 17 October 17 October 21 Lana Gartin Miriam White Rick Lovin Dorothy Branch Kristie Fischer Rory Armstrong Sarah Quinney October Anniversaries October 9 October 28 Carlton & Reese Allen Dave Thomas & Jeanne Rochelle Hafiz was a Persian poet who lived in the 1300s. His admirers are legion and it is said that Queen Victoria turned to his works in time of need. Although most of his poems are serious, there is one that never fails to bring a smile to me. Sometimes we need to walk the spiritual walk lightly with laughter on our lips! For Awhile We have all come to the right place. We all sit in God s classroom. Now, the only thing left for us to do, my dear, Is to stop throwing spitballs for a while. (Hafiz) Walk lightly through October dear friends. Blessings, Carole Proverbial Wisdom Proverbs 23:4-5 Don t wear yourself out trying to get rich; Restrain yourself! Riches disappear in the blink of an eye; Wealth sprouts wings And flies off into the wild blue yonder. From The Message Bible Happy Birthday, Rory! 10 Vol. 2 No. 9 St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church ~ Rocklin, CA September 2013

11 Contact Information Pastor Liz Armstrong Cell Church Office Normal Work Days Sunday Thursday Please contact the Church Office or Pastor Liz for pastoral emergencies. The Mission of St. Augustine Episcopal Church is, With God s help: To Worship God To proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ To reach out to our community and the world in service and education St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church A Safe Place for People Seeking God 1800 Wildcat Boulevard Rocklin, CA Phone: staugustine@staugustineepiscopal.com 11