These reflections were offered in response to the question What does St. Alban s mean to you? at the request of the Stewardship Committee in August, 2012.
WHAT DOES ST. ALBAN S MEAN TO ME? A time of reflection as we plan our 2013 annual giving. Pages 2-3 J.P. Shaw, Junior, Woodlawn High School Pages 4 Rachel Locke, Davidson College Student, Canterbury Program Pages 5 Ellen Eller Pages 6-7 Mother Elizabeth Marie Melchionna, Associate Rector, St. Alban s & Davidson College Campus Episcopal Minister Pages 8-9 Barbara & Josh Meeks Page 10 Erin & Paul Taaffe Page 11 Steve Alfaro 1
Stewardship Reflection Saint Albans means a lot to me. So much that it s hard to put in words. Theology, community, fellowship, help, support, and a healthy base cannot be vocalized in a letter. Perhaps these qualities can best be embodied through an experience: the mission trip that I shared this summer with our sister diocese in Costa Rica. This pure form of friendship, service, and spirituality was, for me, an intensified version of what St. Albans stands for and what St. Albans strives to be. It was living the church for ten days. seemed inconsequential. The school may have suffered from a lack of means but not from a lack of spirit. On this mission, I learned why I come to church. I realized the church is a place to assemble in order to gain strength and be accountable to one another; a place to encourage each other in our walks of faith. Gather to worship, scatter to serve. Community. That s what St. Alban s means to me. Our adventure began in the Episcopal Diocesan house of Costa Rica, in the outskirts of San Jose. We met the Costa Rican youth group with whom we would be sharing our journey. Little did we know that our first night of awkward handshakes and hesitant attempts at each other s languages would signify the beginnings of wonderful relationships still maintained today. The next morning we made our way, by bus, to the volcano that would be our base. Our destination was a school at 10,000 feet above sea level. The view was incredible. The meadow looked out toward the city of San Jose and every few minutes our field of vision was obscured by clouds that filled the valley. We went to survey our undertaking. The school was desperately in need of time and attention. There was much rust and rot; plywood walls were wet and filled with holes, the corrugated metal roof was in disrepair, the fence and front gate were corroded, and the whole place needed a new coat of paint. Every day we jumped in with gusto. We replaced the plywood with drywall, we painted the whole school, we scraped rust from the gate and coated it, we installed a true ceiling in one of the classrooms, and then we painted a scenic mural on the main wall. Although we clearly put in much labor, that was not the true impact of our time there. In just over a week we had become a tight knit community. We shared our feelings and our beliefs, we ate and drank together, we discovered our common pleasures, and we grew together. Compared to the bonds we had made, the physical changes to the school Do you ever wonder where God is? Christ Has No Body Christ has no body now on earth but yours, No hands but yours, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which his Compassion looks on this world; Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which his compassion looks on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours. --Teresa of Avila (1515 1582) JP Shaw 2 3
WHAT ST. ALBAN S MEANS TO ME When I first walked into St. Alban s just over a year ago, I was not expecting what I found there. Having just moved across the country from San Diego, California to attend Davidson College, I was a very homesick college freshman just beginning to wrap my mind around the fact that this place was going to be home, the place where I was to now balance life, school, and being a Division I athlete. Tremendously stressed before school even started, I felt an inexplicable calm when I entered the sanctuary. As the service began, my feeling of comfort only increased, as I realized I knew every song and prayer. I was raised as an Episcopalian at St. Andrew s Church in Encinitas, California, where I served as an acolyte for many years and found our small congregation of 300 to be my second family. Upon moving and joining St. Alban s, I found the same kind of welcoming community and familiar service that I had grown accustomed to my entire life. I had discovered something that I knew and already loved in my strange new setting, and even a year later St. Alban s has continued to be a place of sanctuary and support. In the midst of the stress and anxiety that my freshman year brought, it was on Sundays that I found my refuge, my hour of calm amongst the chaos. Whether it was at the morning services or at the 4:30 service on campus, the Rev. Elizabeth Marie reminded me of the presence and workings of God in our daily lives, something that can often be lost by students in their college years. Today, I am not the same person that I was just 12 short months ago, and I know that God always had my best interest in mind. I love Davidson and this community, and I am forever grateful to the congregation of St. Alban s and the Rev. Elizabeth Marie, whose generosity and compassion made that possible. Rachel Locke I had just returned from Doug Boone's funeral when Barbara Meeks called and asked me to write something about what St. Alban's meant to me. I was in a reflective mood about building St. Alban's. It was so entwined with Doug's New Neighborhood in Old Davidson. We had a symbiotic relationship. We contributed to each other but at times each one stressed the other. I realized that we, the people of St. Alban's, are like that - but look at the beautiful results when we prayerfully work together! Is that not what Christ bid us do? Having participated in the building of St. Alban's leaves me humble and grateful. I receive strength and renewal in worshiping there and have faith in its future as the Holy Spirit has always abided with us. Ellen Chewning Eller 4 5
O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed. O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would harken to his voice! Psalm 95:1-7 During Morning Prayer, most mornings I say the Venite, which is Psalm 95:1-7. Sometimes I say the Venite alone. Sometimes I am lifting my voice in the community of people gathered for Morning Prayer at St. Alban s. This psalm reminds me of whom I serve and to whom I belong, God, who is the rock of our salvation. We are called in Psalm 95 to make a joyful noise to the Lord and to praise God all the while recognizing God s power and majesty as well as God s closeness and intimacy. God created the whole earth, the heights of the hills, the sea, and also holds each of us as the sheep of God s hand. Remembering that God is my foundation, the place from which I live and work and serve in the world helps me in being a joyful giver. That said, I ll admit to not always being a cheerful giver. When I was in middle school, I was reticent to put my hard-earned babysitting money in the offering plate. After all, hadn t I earned it changing diapers and chasing after children? Wasn t it mine? Through the regular discipline of proportional giving in adulthood (giving a percentage of my income) and increasing that percentage a bit every year I have come to cling less tightly to what I have earned. Whatever I offer to the church of energy, time, talent, treasure I am actually offering back to God. God has first given to me, and in my financial gift to the parish I return to God what indeed, at root, belongs to God. Indeed we are the sheep of his hand. Would that we would hearken to God s voice! Mother Elizabeth Marie Melchionna+ 6 7
W hen Josh and I were asked to lead the stewardship campaign, our first reaction was Who really enjoys asking people for money, and how can we bring joy to this very important ministry? As we started to pray about it, we became very excited about the opportunity to spend more time with all of you our friends. And then Father David loaned us a book by Henry J. M. Nouwen. The two quotes included on the next page about community building really resonated with us and solidified our theme of Social Stewardship. Many of you may recall a few years ago when I (Barbara) talked about stewardship during a church service, I compared myself (and our family) to a rubber band. I still often feel rubbery, an imperfect circle, with all my human weaknesses, and sometimes overstretched with too much on our family plate. But in the bible verse from Peter I find solace that I am being built into a spiritual house, that it is an ongoing process, and I need to leave behind my Type A personality with all my worries and fears. The rubber band analogy reminds me that when we stretch for God and each other we are always rewarded and end up in a better place. Social Stewardship is a fitting theme because all of us are living stones building the spiritual house at St. Alban s together. It takes all of our different beliefs and talents to make it such a special place. We are incredibly grateful for everything that the church has accomplished so far, and Josh and I personally thank each of you for the money, time, talents and vision that have created the wonderful gift that is St. Alban s. You have been there for prayer, friendship and fellowship with us no matter what the circumstances. We hope that during this campaign you will share your dreams for your spiritual house at St. Albans with us and with each other. Time is precious, so spend a little over the next couple of months to remember that friendships keep us alive and create a beautiful tapestry. Our prayer is that each of you will consider stretching again this year, and whether you are able to pledge $5 or $5,000, we need all of us as living stones to help maintain and continue to build our spiritual house. The rewards are too great if we can make it happen together with our friends. - Barbara and Josh Meeks We need friends. Friends guide us, care for us, confront us in love, console us in times of pain The more able we are to receive the different gifts our friends have to give us, the more able we will be to offer our own unique but limited gifts. Thus, friendships create a beautiful tapestry of love. Bread for the Journey, by Henry Nouwen Community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another. -Bread for the Journey, by Henry Nouwen 8 9
When Barb Meeks called and asked me to write something about what Saint Alban s means to me, I immediately thought of my first visit. It was about 7 years ago and my fiancé (now husband) and I had just gotten engaged and we were looking for a church we liked and would hopefully be the foundation of our faith journey together. Little did we know that the first church we decided to visit would be our last! We were married the following year by the associate rector (who left a vestry retreat and traveled to our location to perform the service) and have since had two daughters. Kate and Sarah have both been baptized at Saint Alban s. Kate is just starting Kindergarten after attending the Saint Alban s weekday preschool and Sarah has just started in the 2 year old class. So, when I think of Saint Alban s and what it means to me one word comes to mind welcome. It sounds like such a basic word that really anyone can say, but to truly feel welcome is a very unique experience. My hope is that my contributions, either fiscal or participatory, can make just one family, couple or individual feel the welcome I felt on that first visit to Saint Alban s. Looking back at it, Saint Alban s is, and always has been, a constant in my family s life - helping to complete the foundation on which my family is built. - Erin and Paul Taaffe My first impressions of St. Alban s were made back in the mid-90s when it was a small church off of Lorimer Rd. My parents were members, and when we were in town visiting, Brittany and I would often join them. I remember thinking what a great church it was, as almost all present would congregate in the parish hall after the service for fellowship and, of course, food! We were blown away by how warm and welcoming everyone was to us. Our small family of 3 moved to the Lake Norman area in the summer of 2001, right after the beautiful new church as we know it today was dedicated. Since Brittany was Catholic, we attended a convenient church right down the street from us in Huntersville. It did not come close to comparing to St. Alban s and the parish family we had grown to know well. We made the decision to formally join St. Alban s in late 2001 and have been here ever since. Although we have seen several Rectors and Associate Rectors come and go since then, one thing remains the same a wonderful congregation of passionate, educated families, led by a dedicated and dynamic clergy. St. Alban s has always attracted individuals and families who are open, caring and willing to share in their faith, their joys and their sorrows. To me, what makes St. Alban s special is the large sense of Welcome you feel right when you walk in the door. Much like other organizations I have been fortunate to be a part of; St. Alban s is open to all people people of different temperaments, talents, convictions and beliefs. It doesn t matter if we have conflicting opinions. What matters is that we openly respect one another and not one, but all sides to new, and sometimes challenging, situations. We gather to worship, experience and learn so to hopefully scatter and share this passion and serve! To me, that is the substance of our foundation and that is what makes St. Alban s such a refreshingly unique place, a place to simply be me. Steve Alfaro 10 11