November 2011 The Beacon of St. Alban s Illuminating the Word of God in the World My Friends in Christ, As I write this letter to my parish family I am very much aware of the upcoming feast of All Saints Day. All Saints Day has always been very special to me. It is a time of remembrance but it is also a time of spiritual connection. It connects my daily life to the kingdom of God and to all the saints of God. All Saints Day is the day set aside on our Christian calendar to remember all the people who have touched our lives and have helped to direct our spiritual journeys thus far. It is a time when we remember family, friends, teachers, mentors, ministers, and priests. It is a time when we remember illustrious thinkers, celebrated martyrs and those persons of little education and few great deeds but with enormous, open, loving hearts. It is a time when I recall how all those people have come together in my life to help weave the tapestry which makes up this person called Cindy. All Saints Day gives us the opportunity to remember how other people have helped usher us through life and pointed us in a specific direction, toward the kingdom of God. As I consider all of my saints this year I am reminded of the tie that links each one of them together with you and me in one holy family: the communion of saints. There is an invisible thread that they have given me; it links me to all of the earth, humanity, to the Creator and to our Savior. This thread connects me to them, to you, to the man down the street and to the girl on the other side of the world. This thread gives me a spiritual tug each time I turn on the news, and each time I drive through the streets of Glen Burnie. It is this tug that reminds me that I am not only connected to my family and friends I am also connected to each and every person in pain, in need, or in harms way. Inside Social Ministries... 3 Calendar... 4 & 5 Prayer Shawls... 6 Birthdays & Anniversaries... 7 News & Happenings... 7 Rector s Ramblings Rev. Cindy Tipton-Zile The teaching of my saints and the spiritual threads they have woven into my being also remind me that God s gift of the earth and its creatures are ours for only a short time. We must be wise stewards of this precious gift of the saints who have gone before us so that we may pass it on to future generations of saints. Hopefully, when we do pass it on we will have done some small part to improve it not just to use up and deplete its resources. If we choose to follow the call of Saint Francis of Assisi and model his love for the earth and its creatures, perhaps we will be able to instill in the next generation, a (continued on page 2) October 2011
(Continued from page 1) love for the whole earth and all that is in it. The invisible thread also holds back whatever temptation I may have to fall into any aspect of racism, sexism or bigotry. The thread ties me to each person I meet in the world and each person who walks through the doors of St. Alban s. It helps me to remember that whether we seem very different or very much alike, God is constantly calling us into communion with one another. It helps me to interweave them into my life and to cherish and embrace them in the same way that I have been cherished and embraced by the saints of God. All Saints Day is a wonderful day of celebration. To some it may seem sad; after all, we do most often think of those persons who have passed on into God s greater glory through death. If we can however, overcome the temptation to fall into the grief of loss, we will be able to celebrate. We will be able to celebrate the wonderful persons with whom God has blessed us and celebrate also the gifts the have given and modeled: love, support, and encouragement. This year at St. Alban s our celebration will be on the Sunday of November 6 th. All Saints Day is a feast day that is permitted to be transposed to the following Sunday. For this Sunday celebration I ask that you bring any pictures you may have of those people you consider to be your saints. During the service the Eucharistic Ministers and I will place the pictures around the altar as you bring them up to us. By placing the pictures around the altar we enact a symbolic representation of our faith as we are surrounded by the Communion of Saints. I believe in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. (The Book of Common Prayer, The Baptismal Covenant page 304) May the blessing of God our Creator, Jesus Christ our Redeemer and The Holy Spirit our Sanctifier be with you as you remember and celebrate the lives and works of All the Saints. Your sister in peace, Cindy Blessing of the Animals Service 2 This Is the Church For You
St. Alban s Care for the People of East Africa Decisions made at the October 18 th meeting: To sponsor 10 families for the Angel Tree To increase the Giant gift certificates for the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to $75 each To put up the Angel tree on November 27, the first Sunday after Thanksgiving To collect oranges and grapes for the Emmaus Center on November 20 th To collect warm clothing for H.O.P.E. for Advent. Clothing could go via HOPE to Appalachia or to local families To contact Richard Henry Lee guidance counselor to see if we should donate winter coats or other warm clothing to students in need Other news this month: We got a thank you note from the Sisters of the Transfiguration for the $3780 donated to El Colegio Buen Pastor. We have received $267 more in donations for Buen Pastor since we sent the check. We sold $1296 of African Team Ministries items! Evan McFarland s benefit concert raised $452.50 toward El Colegio Buen Pastor scholarships! Thanks Thank you to all who supported the children of El Colegio Buen Pastor by donating toward scholarships. Thank you to all who supported the children in East Africa by buying African Team Ministries jewelry and crafts. A special thank you to Evan McFarland for the funds raised for scholarships and for giving us a fabulous concert! With the addition of Evan s fundraising, we have now provided a total of $5762.76 in scholarships this year to educate 23 children! Through our outreach programs, the parishioners of St. Alban s are truly making a difference in the lives of children in the Dominican Republic, Africa, Baltimore, Anne Arundel County, and all over the Glen Burnie area. Thank you. Please Bring Fresh Oranges and Grapes to the November 20th Sunday Service October 2011 3
November Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 6:30 pm Bell Choir 7:30 pm Voice Choir 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 6:30 pm Bell Choir 7:30 pm Voice Choir 9:30 am Eternal Quilters 7:30 pm Alanon 7:30 pm Alateen 12:00 pm Harvest Bazaar and Turkey Dinner 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 6:30 pm Voice Choir 7:00 pm Vestry Mtg 7:30 pm Bell Choir 7:30 pm Vintage Tin 7:30 pm Alanon 7:30 pm Alateen 20 Bring oranges and grapes for Emmaus Center 21 22 6:00 pm Social Ministries 7:30 pm Ladies Guild 23 7:00 pm Thanksgiving Eve Service 24 Thanksgiving 25 7:30 pm Alanon 7:30 pm Alateen 26 27 1st Sunday of Advent 28 29 7:00 pm Prayer Shawl Ministry 30 6:30 pm Bell Choir 7:30 pm Voice Choir The Angel Tree will be placed in the Church on Sunday, November 27. Please help us to help these families this Christmas. 4 This Is the Church For You October 2011 5
The Beacon has anew email a d d r e s s : T h e B e a - co n@ bro a d s t r i pe. ne t please update your email contacts list. October Tyler Moore... 11/4 Betsy Kramer... 11/5 Nikole Fortner... 11/6 Abigail Hunt... 11/7 Annette Moneski... 11/7 Harold Moors... 11/7 F. William Kuethe, Jr... 11/7 Dorothy Moors... 11/9 Tyler Johns... 11/9 Ruth Myers...11/11 Harry Greenwell...11/15 Kosta Matsis...11/15 Stan McFarland...11/17 Dee Smith...11/17 Jennifer Hunt...11/19 Walter Morrison, Jr...11/20 Jeanne Rezac...11/22 Richard Marshall...11/27 Louise Izat...11/30 Anniversaries November 16 James & Regina Daubert 26 Years November 17 George & Betty Smith November 20 Al & Irene Lipin 68 Years November 30 F. William & Beverly Kuethe The Church Office is updating the list of wedding anniversaries for parishioners. Please email the church secretary at stalbans.church@verizon.net with your anniversary month and day and the number of years you have been married for the year 2012. Please also update your birthday as well if you would like. You may also write it down and leave it in the church office. Deadline for December issue of the Beacon is November 21st. Send your submissions to TheBeacon@broadstripe.net, place them in the church office. 6 This Is the Church For You
The next meeting of the St. Alban s Prayer Shawl Ministry will be Tuesday, November 29 th, at 7:00 in the Vestry Room. We thank all the knitters and crocheters who have made prayer shawls for this ministry. At our last meeting we established some general guidelines for our Prayer Shawl Ministry based on information in books written by the founders of ShawlMinistry.com, and our notes from our visit to the Prayer Shawl Group at Linthicum United Methodist Church. Here is what we discussed: 1. The need, while knitting or crocheting the shawl, to remember to pray for healing for the person receiving the shawl. Lighting a votive candle was one suggestion for creating an atmosphere conducive to praying. Copies of sample prayers were distributed. 2. The importance of making shawls according to Prayer Shawl Ministry guidance so they would be large enough to provide comfort for recipients of all sizes. Suggested shawl measurements were 20 X 72 (without fringe) or 20 X 68 (with fringe) for rectangles. For triangle shawls, 30 long X 68 wide (with fringe) or 33 long X 72 wide (without fringe). 3. The need to provide a way for parishioners to let the Prayer Shawl Ministry know of someone in need of the comfort of a prayer shawl. To that end, here is a form (which will be in the bulletin quarterly) to request a prayer shawl. Please complete the form and return to the church office. Prayer Shawl Ministry Request Card Name of recipient: Name of person making request: telephone number or email address: Why would you like this person to receive a shawl? Does this person have fiber or pet fur allergies? Yes No Color suggestions? Any additional information: October 2011 7
The Beacon of St. Alban s St. Alban s Episcopal Church 105 1st Ave SW Glen Burnie, MD 21061 Phone: 410-766-1455, Fax: 410-766-5432 Email: stalbans.church@verizon.net TheBeacon@broadstripe.net www.st-albans.ang-md.org RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Sunday Worship Services 8:00 am - Holy Communion, Rite I (no music) 10:30 am - Holy Communion, Rite II (with music) 10:30 am - Sunday School, K-12 and Nursery Inside: Rector s Ramblings Social Ministries Prayer Shawl Ministry 8 This Is the Church For You