The Episcopaper September 2014 St. John s Snohomish Serving our community since 1892 Rector s Letter St. John s Episcopal Church 913 Second Street Snohomish, WA 98290-2918 Phone: 360-568-4622 Email: office@stjohnsnohomish.org Website: www.stjohnsnohomish.org The Rev. Mark J. Miller, Rector Year-Round Schedule Sundays: Holy Eucharist 8 AM Rite One & 10 AM Rite Two Sunday School: 9:45 AM Thursdays: 10 AM As you all know by this time, our Sunday Schedule is now 8:00 Holy Eucharist: Rite One (Traditional, without music) 9:15 Adult Education time twice a month 9:45 Sunday School 10:00 Holy Eucharist: Rite Two (Contemporary texts, with Choir and music) The Sunday School will continue to develop the Godly Play program for the earlier grades and Living the Good News for the older children. Once a month the Sunday School attends the 10 o clock service from the beginning; other Sundays they come in at the time of the peace. On September 7 th, Brother Clark Berge, SSF, will share about his work and life as a friar in the tradition of St. Francis. He will also preach and preside at both services that day. He grew up in this congregation. September 21 the Rev. Andrew Wright will be visiting. He is Secretary General of the International Mission to Seafarers, and will talk in the 9:15 time. Ken Hawkins of this diocese will share about our local efforts in this ministry during the sermon time at both services that day, which is the feast of St. John the Evangelist, our patron saint. With the beginning of the fall season, organist James Van Horn will begin his new role as Organist-Choir Director, with mandate to widen the range of music used at St John s. He will be seeking new members of the choir. I list all these to emphasize that this fall is a time of new focus and effort at St. John s. Our vision calls for faith formation for all ages and action in the world. September will be a celebration of the call of God to us in this place and what God has for us to do in Snohomish and the world. Fr Mark Refresh your memory: A summary of St. John s Vision can be found on page 4
Sunday School Begins Sunday, September 14, 9:45 AM Sunday School Registration Sunday, September 7, 9:30 AM God s Saturday, September 6 8:30 AM Coffee 9:00 AM Noon Parish Hall Safeguarding God s Children is also an excellent program for parents and other family members caring for children. There is still time to sign up. Brother Clark Berge, SSF September 7 Brother Clark will be our first presenter at the 9:15 Education Hour. He will share his life and work as a friar in the tradition of St. Francis. He will also preside and preach at both services on that day. Please welcome Br. Clark as he returns to his boyhood parish. Mission to Seafarers The Rev. Andrew Wright, Secretary General of the International Mission to Seafarers, will be the presenter at the Education Hour on September 21. Ken Hawkins of the local Mission to Seafarers will speak at both services that day. Attention Parents So that it will be possible for you to attend the 9:15 Education Hours, the nursery will be open to care for your little ones. Also, there will be supervision for your older ones until Sunday School begins at 9:45. 2
Help end hunger one step at a time! Support the Annual Snohomish CROP Hunger Walk on October 12! Mark your calendars now to reserve this date for you, your family, and friends to walk or run a 1 to 5 mile course through the town, as we unite our efforts with 10 Snohomish churches and Church World Service to alleviate hunger in our own community and communities in over 80 nations of the world. Participants: pick up your donor envelopes from John First or Marilyn Imbach and start collecting donations. Don t forget that online donations are an easy way to reach your friends and family members. Donors: Support your CROPwalk team with a check or online donation. Our goal is to reach both far and near: CROPWALK raises money for our Community Kitchen in Snohomish, as well as the international relief and development efforts of Church World Service, responding to the quiet devastation caused by hunger, poverty, and disease. Join CROP WALK with your prayers, your participation, and your donations Disaster Preparedness Training A Domestic Disaster Preparedness and Response Training for Churches will take place at St. John s on September 20, 9 to 2. Dave Baylor of Episcopal Relief and Development will be the trainer. If you are interested in this training see Nancy McConnell. Picture Directory Remember to get your picture taken on September 12, 13, or 14 for the new St. John s picture directory which will come out later this year. Your can sign up for an appointment time online or during coffee hour on August 31 and September 7. Oktoberfest October 4 Good Food Good Fun Good Music ECW Crafts and Bake Sale Kids off to school and a hobby to fill your time To support ECW s Craft Sale would be sublime. Only two months to go to November 8 READY, SET, GO NOW or for sure you will be late. Let us know what items you are creating It s time to gather the things you are making. November 8 & 9 Deliver your items priced Friday, November 7 3
St John s Vision Responding to God s call to us in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are building a welcoming and nurturing community by learning to share God s love and grace. Formed in faith, we act in the world. Building Community Creating a warm, nurturing, and welcoming place Finding many ways to be part of our community Providing pastoral care to meet varied needs Formation in Faith Discovering how to use our gifts to make faith part of our daily lives Providing engaging and inspirational Christian education for children, youth and adults Discovering and using lessons of scripture, faith and stewardship Action in the World Serving with hands as well as writing checks Finding a place for everyone s gifts Being good stewards of all our resources Sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ Columbarium Update If you haven t been out back lately, take a stroll out there and check out all of the work that has been done. John First has been hard at work this summer the hardscape, lawn, and some of the planting are done. But, there is still work to do before the area is finished. If you are thinking about a memorial, here are some suggestions. LANDSCAPING 1 Tree $350 3 Trees $1,500 Box wood hedge $750 Improve walkway $2,500 LIVING SCREEN ENCLOSURE 1 Panel $1,100 12 Panels $12,500 BENCHES Bench $750 3 benches $2,250 WATER FEATURE $1,100 LIGHTING Columbarium $1,250 Walkway $2,500 Altar window light $1,350 4 Whose Kids Are They? As a retired teacher, I get a little nostalgic this time of year as I remember the kids (at least 5500 of them), both in and out of the classroom, that have enriched my life, and, I hope, I made a difference for each of them. They taught me two important things. One, the human race is in good hands with our younger generations. They will rise to the occasion. They always have, and they always will. Two, in each one of our lives we have people to thank who made a difference; our legup folks. So, who are these difference makers? Parents and other family members and friends, scout leaders, teachers, bus drivers, coaches, ministers, camp leaders, cafeteria workers, policemen and firemen, in other words, YOU! That s right, YOU. As we begin a new Sunday School year, it is good to remember that St. John s kids are God s children; they belong to all of us. Each of us has a responsibility to be a leg-up person for our kids. How to do this? Easy simply interact with them from taking an interest to what s going on in their lives to helping out with Sunday School and youth activities. Remember, Faith Formation begins downstairs in our Sunday School classes and youth activities. Remember, they are OUR KIDS. Let s all be difference makers. See you downstairs and with the youth groups. Marilyn Imbach
St. John s Program Plan The Plan Committee has been working on a program plan for St. John s. All ministries and committees were given an opportunity to give input and this input has been incorporated into three main goals which support our vision. You can read the vision on page 4. Goal #1: Building Community A family focus with something for everyone: children and young families, teens, all families, seniors, singles, newcomers, everyone. Goal #2: Formation in Faith Using our gifts to make faith part of our daily lives, engaging all parishioners in inspirational Christian education, and discovering and using the lessons of scripture, faith, and stewardship. Goal #3: Action in the World Serving with hands and using everyone s gifts, being good stewards in all aspects of Creation and one s life, and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. Japanese Gardens Trip On the beautiful summer afternoon of Sunday August 10 more than a dozen members of St. John s braved the heat to see our own Kaoru Okumura perform Japanese dance. The setting was the lovely Japanese Garden at the Washington Arboretum. The dancers, dressed in traditional Japanese costumes, moved with amazing grace throughout the garden area - sometimes together in a group and sometimes individually. With their fluid motions the dancers reacted to what they experienced in their environment - sights, sounds, smells, etc. The peace and beauty of the afternoon was a treat for all who attended. Family Service October 5 Feast of St. Francis & Blessing of the Animals The first family service will be October 5 at 10 AM. We will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi with a special program presented by our young people. After the service there will be St. John s annual blessing of the animals. Blessing of Lummi Totem Pole Journey 500 Warrior Up in Seattle August 29 The cornerstone of northwest Native American art, the totem pole, became a cross-cultural rallying point this morning, as an overflow crowd of 500 people welcomed the 19-foot totem to Saint Mark s Cathedral. The event marks the halfway point of a 2,500- mile binational journey by members of the Lummi Nation to demonstrate the strength and diversity of opposition to a proposal by Gateway Pacific Terminals that would locate North America s largest coal terminal at Xwe chi exen, the Lummi name for Cherry Point. Drew and Carlee Sage, their grandmother, and Nancy McConnell and Marilyn Imbach attended the ceremony representing St. John s. ECW Meeting The next ECW meeting will be on Wednesday, September 10th at 10:30am. This is a very important planning meeting in readiness for our November 8th Holiday Gift and Bake Sale. Lunch out will follow our meeting. Please make ever effort to attend!! Kati Anderson 360-691-9673 5
John Macho I clearly remember when I first met John at St. John s in 2005, but I didn t quite understand him. The jokes, the teasing and then, in the kitchen I learned to recognized those familiar John sounds, the activity as he rushed here and there, the oh well booming through the other sounds. The sounds in the kitchen have changed. The clanging of pots and pans are there. The dishes still go down on the counters, and food placed on them for Community Kitchen meals and parish meals, too. Things have changed. The sound of a pot clanging has new meaning. The same sound as it always was, but for me will never be quite the same in the St. John s kitchen in it, the sadness of loss and the deep joy of knowing and admiring someone who did significant things in this world. John didn t walk quietly in the world. He was the pot clanger. John was action in the world. Transformative. The sound of the pot clanging will hold new meaning for me from now on. Mary Nilsen John Macho, whose award of the Bishop s Cross was celebrated last month in this newsletter, died August 11 th after being tenderly cared for my his wife and family. In the Funeral sermon, Fr Mark said in part, The only time I heard him find it hard to get the words out was once when he was announcing some meal event for the parish and said that here strangers become friends and then brothers and sisters. He choked up a bit. That was all of him: the tender longing that people find love for each other, and the joy that he believed that it was really so. And being grateful for the chance to help it along. This showed in his relations to children also, and many parish children signed cards, some even drew pictures. Thanks be to God for how we are all led, just as we are, to be part God s miracle of community. Arby Rice Arby died in Christ July 24th. She was a very faithful member of St. John s for decades, living with her husband Bill on a lake near Snohomish which her family owned in her childhood. She served on the Altar Guild and was president of the ECW. At her funeral Fr Mark said, She was less and less able to walk, and get out, but she had a fine view of the lake from her window. It comforted her, and for me it was a beautiful sign of peace and love which God promises. It seems to say, we have a journey of both joy and difficulty, yet the word of God is a promise that in the midst of all that, we are loved. Arby was always interested in others, keeping up with the community. She had a kind of stubborn hope, nothing pious, she didn t boast but it was a trust in the humanness of her faith. A sign of the love we give each other, and the care she received. St. John the Evangelist September 21 is the annual parish Name Day honoring the Apostle John. A hymn used that day sings, may we share John's longing to see God s glory, which means a longing for God s making himself known in our daily lives. God s glory is the light of selfless love, teaches John. Autumn begins on Tuesday, September 23 6
Important Dates September 1 Labor Day 2 Faith Formation 7 PM 6 Safeguarding God s Children 8:30 AM 6 Outreach 9 AM 7 Br. Clark Berge, SSF, 9:15 Ed Hour 7 Sunday School Registration 9:30 AM 10 ECW 10:30 AM 12, 13, 14 Life Touch Directory Pictures 14 Sunday School Begins 9:45 AM 17 Endowment 7:15 PM 18 Creation Stewards 7 PM 20 Church Preparedness Workshop 9 AM 21 Rev. Andrew Wright 9:15 Ed Hour 21 Ken Hawkins will preach at services 21 Feast of St. John the Evangelist 23 Vestry Meeting 7:15 PM October 4 Outreach 9 AM 4 Oktoberfest 5 St. Francis Day Family Service Blessing of the Animals 7 Faith Formation 7 PM 12 17th Annual Snohomish CROP Walk 15 Endowment 7:15 PM 16 Creation Stewards 7 PM 19 Elizabeth Grant Ed Hour 9:15 24 Rev. Corky Carlisle Inspirational Ingathering Program and Potluck Dinner 31 Halloween November 1 All Saints Day 8-9 ECW Bake and Craft Sale 7-8 Diocesan Convention 11 Veterans Day 27 Thanksgiving Don t forget to sign up for your directory picture. Thank you to those who are providing Coffee Hours August 31 Gerry and Nancy Vandenberg* Bruce and Wendy Backus Dottie Nelson September 7 Bruce and Wendy Backus* Nancy and David McConnell Marilyn Imbach September 14 Phil and Katie Sevanants* Pat and Ann Sage Linda Shroy September 21 Brian and Jane Berard* John and Shari Richardson Doug Clawson September 28 Tom and Debbie Schelfhout* Steve Kenagy and Chris Bee Pat Swann October 5 Chip and Vicki Miller* Mike and Penny Morrisey Bill, Barbara, and Sara Bates October 12 Eric Fritch and Sharon Kiddle* Karl and Katie Akesson Earl and Ann Beede October 19 Rick and Sarah Jusko* Jerry and Sharmon Johnson Vanessa Chudy October 26 Tom and Linda Adams* Brian and Jessie Paulson Joyce Bell If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, travel together. African proverb 7
An Earth Ministry Greening Congregation Safeguarding God s Children Saturday, September 6 Sunday School Registration Sunday September 7 Directory Pictures Friday, September 12 Saturday, September 13 Sunday, September 14 Photo by Bill Tygret St. John s Episcopal Church 913 Second Street Snohomish, WA 98290-2918 Return Service Requested St John s Episcopal Church Schedule of Worship Services Sunday Eucharist: Treasurer s 8:00 & 10:00 AM Report Sunday School: 9:45 AM Thursday Eucharist January 27, 2013 and Bible Study: 10:00 AM The Rev. Mark J. Miller, Rector 8