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SAINTS Alive! THE NEWSLETTER OF THE PARISH All Saints’ Church Chelmsford, MA Summer 2007
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SAINTS Alive! THE NEWSLETTER OF THE PARISH All Saints’ Church Chelmsford, MA Summer 2007
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MINISTRY WITH, FOR, AND BY YOUTH
About ten years ago the Episcopal Church put out a document called the The Children’s Charter for the Church. I was privileged to be involved in some of the preliminary studies that led to The Children’s Charter while I served in upstate New York. Our working principle was to live out this simple charge: What would your congregation be like if the slogan “We Treasure Kids!” was taken seriously?
My parish, Emmanuel Church, East Syracuse, was one of the dozen in our diocese that committed to spending three years figuring that out. This led to a lot of conversations, many innovative programs and a gradual change in attitude from seeing children as the abstract future of the Church to knowing that children were the living and breathing present of the Church. As the result of the feedback from my congregation and many others across the country, the National Church’s Office of Children’s Ministries put out The Children’s Charter. At its core it held that the Church is called to the nurture of the child, ministry to the child, and ministry of the child. I have often shortened this to ministry with, for, and by children. I am proud to say that the principles and values of The Children’s Charter have directly and indirectly informed the programs for children here at All Saints’. I would like to see that kind of prayerful intentionality be paid to our ministry with, for and by youth at All Saints’ Church.
We have great young people here at All Saints’ Church. They are creative, energetic, and faith filled in their statements, questions and doubts. We have been blessed by their presence and participation in the life of our congregation. However, we could be doing better with, for, and by them.
What would All Saints’ Church be like if we took seriously the slogan, “At All Saints’ Church, we treasure YOUTH”?
This summer is going to be a time to explore these issues. We hope to form a Youth Ministry Task Force to spend the next year looking at our ministry with youth and making specific suggestions to establish an intentional and sustainable environment for youth ministry at All Saints’. However, before this group is formed we need to hear from the youth themselves, parents, parish leaders and the general membership of All Saints to figure a way forward. This involves asking some of the big philosophical questions as well as dealing with practical issues like what groups and classes will be formed in the fall and who will lead them. I invite any and all to come to the first of several meetings on Thursday, July 12th at 7:00 PM in the Cranberry Room help us begin to explore how we might truly treasure the gift of youth that God has set in our midst.
Peace,
Tom
Children are a heritage from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a gift. Psalm 127:4
The Church is called:
· to receive, nurture and treasure each child as a gift from God;
· to proclaim the Gospel to children, in ways that empower them to receive and respond to God's love;
· to give high priority to the quality of planning for children and the preparation and support of those who minister with them;
· to include children, in fulfillment of the Baptismal Covenant, as members and full participants in the Eucharistic community and in the church's common life of prayer, witness and service.
Then Jesus took the children in his arms, placed his hands on each of them and blessed them. Mark 10:16
The Church is called:
· to love, shelter, protect and defend children within its own community and in the world, especially those who are abused, neglected or in danger;
· to nurture and support families in caring for their children, acting in their children's best interest, and recognizing and fostering their children's spirituality and unique gifts;
· to embrace children who seek Christian nurture independently of their parents' participation in the church;
· to advocate for the integrity of childhood and the dignity of all children at every level of our religious, civic and political structures.
A child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:6
The Church is called:
· to receive children's special gifts as signs of the Reign of God;
· to foster community beyond the family unit, in which children, youth and adults know each other by name, minister to each other, and are partners together in serving Christ in the world;
· to appreciate children's abilities and readiness to represent Christ and his church, to bear witness to him wherever they may be, and according to gifts given them, to carry on Christ's work of reconciliation in the world, and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the church. (Ministry of the Laity pg. 855 BCP)
Chelmsford Commons
With just days to go, we are still seeking help. Once again All Saints' will have a booth on the commons but the theme has changed. We have redesigned the booth and will be selling samosas, watermelon slices, cold beverages and caesar wraps. We are fortunate enough to have a wonderful display with various items from the Rector Tom Barrington’s and Chrissy Mills’ trips to Kenya last summer. This should be fun and strengthen the relationship with our parish and the Mothers’ Feeding Program.
All are welcome to pitch in, help out and support this mission project. Interested in getting involved, email Tara Greaves at tara_greaves@yahoo.com or call her at 978 256-8606.
Paul Onyoyo is the seminarian pastor of Nyahela Parish. In the June issue, we carried a May 18 2007 letter from him to our parish. He related that the parish of Nyahela has been praying for us, and he asked for our prayers for the Diocese of Maseno North, and for the following staff members:
Paul Onyoyo – Seminarian and Pastor of Nyahela Parish
Dorcus Esilaba - Assisting in St. Paul’s church.
Shem Bwonya - Assisting in ACK Munyenyi church.
Elizabeth Osiolo - Assisting in ACK Mwinyelo church.
ACK: Anglican Church of Kenya
Says Paul (Fri, 18th May, 2007)
ACK NYAHELA PARISH
P.O. BOX 201
LUANDA - KENYA
CODE: -50307.
e-mail address: onyoyo_06@yahoo.com
The Worship Committee invites you to become part of the dedicated team that assists in our weekly worship services. Opportunities available at both services include reading the lessons, leading the prayers of the people and other parts of the service, and assisting with the distribution of wine and bread. Training is available for all of these areas. Please speak to Maggie Marshall or Tom Barrington if you feel called to serve in any of these capacities.
My usual practice when writing my Saints ALIVE articles is to begin by listing Upcoming Formation Dates and Events. But this June Saturday morning I am sitting at a friend’s kitchen table in Wilmington, DE, enjoying an oasis time in the midst of preparing for my father’s funeral. I am halfway through what I had thought would be a “mini-sabbatical,” a time to rest, recharge, read and write. Instead I had the immense privilege of being with my father during the last three weeks of his life. He died as he wished, at home in the presence of his wife Barbara, my sister Jenny, and me.
I have felt the support and power of all of your prayers and thoughts for all of us during this time. I cannot thank you enough.
So I cannot tidily lay out what Formation and Education will look like at All Saints’ in July and August. Our Sunday morning adult Bible discussion will take a break during the summer service schedule. Prayer as First Resort will meet at 7:30 in the Blue Room on second Tuesdays through the summer. Much of my energy will be spent meeting with parishioners to finish shaping the next program year.
The formation literature that most catches my eye these days speaks of intention and practice, of spiritual literacy and fitness. An image that holds my attention is that most of us choose a tourist stance towards our faith and spiritual practices. That stance may be sufficient. It certainly faces one towards God. But I desire as well that All Saints’ may be a place of safety, support and nurture for those who desire to get off the tourist bus, as it were, and engage their Christianity in a deeper way. My vision is that this parish will be a place of connection and encouragement for folks with varying approaches and stances towards Jesus Christ. How Anglican of me!
I have thought often of All Saints’ as I have been away. The parish and all of you are very close to my heart. I very much look forward to returning to you this summer.
in peace,
Amy Hunter,
Associate for Adult Christian Formation
On some fine Saturdays, I have been 'puttering about.' A car, bicycle, motorcycle pulls up and a camera pops out. I am always pleased to take a break from whatever, and give the 'tour.' Sometimes, if I sense that they are more interested, it is more of the 'grand tour.' Always, they are impressed. I try to slip in some comments about the faith that we have here, to see how our visitors react. I give them a little of Anglican history; they always love the Chapel with the sunlight streaming in. (Little kids get to ring the bell). They are pretty impressed by that large rough hewn wooden Cross set in the stones in our Church. Some just come for the pretty pictures of the historic building; some love the flowers blooming in the Memorial Garden. I tell them, "Stay on the stones; there are many people at peace here". Sometimes, I can sense even the casual visitors are moved by faith. Let's face it ... I am touring people through large empty rooms of a simple worship space ... They don't even see the joy of the community that comes there.
What moves them so much? The Spirit lives with us and in us! They snap a lot of photographs to try to capture it.
Rich Jerome
I invite you to consider becoming a member of the greeting team. Being a greeter means arriving at church at 9:30 once every 6-8 weeks to welcome people as they enter the Narthex and answer any questions they may have. Training is provided for anyone who would like it. This is a great way to become involved in our parish community without having to make a huge time commitment. I will be making a new greeters’ schedule for the late summer and fall just after the 4th of July. If you are at all interested or have any questions, please let me know. I would love to add some new faces to our greeting team!
Thanks,
Katie LaRochelle
kate2323@aol.com or 978-319-9579
Help! The Mystery Club has been ransacked! Brian and I had a box full of supplies for this summer’s mystery club and when I went to unpack it, the box was EMPTY! All our Mystery Club supplies for this summer have been taken and the only clue we have to explain what happened was this note left behind:
I came for a visit,
I saw your supplies,
I thought to myself
They could use a surprise!
So I took all your things
And I hid them from you
To find them you need only
To follow the clues!
You’ll need to work together
To recover this heist
You’ll need to really think about
Your faith in Jesus Christ.
I will send you the clues
Starting the 22nd of July
So gather your club and
Solve them you should try
4 weeks of clues
4 weeks of fun
4 weeks to put up with my
Rhyming and puns.
But if you can stick with it
And solve them, my friends
You will piece together something important
In the end!
The game is afoot!
T. Barry Evanington
Mystery lovers of all ages (toddlers please bring a parent) please join Brian Hunter and me in the Cranberry room at the start of the 9am service starting on July 22. We have 4 weeks solve the mystery! We need your help!
Any questions: email or call me: laura.marshall@comcast.net 978-256-1460
Laura Marshall
ps: Sunday Mystery Club Dates:
July 22, 29, August 5, August 12
“Karibu: Kiswahili for Welcome”
“Mawuya: Chishona for Welcome”
“Benvindo: Portuguese for Welcome”
“Bienvenu: French for Welcome”
“Welcome: chirungu for mawuya; kizungu for karibu; anglais for bienvenu; inglês for benvindo”
Please feel welcome to join the parish after the 9AM service on Sundays for the new Fellowship Hour. This is all that coffee hour has been, but the room is being redesigned, with a subcommittee now working on the acoustics. If you like, think about signing up to help, and rename Coffee Hour as you see fit (for that week!)
Look for future articles on this subject, especially as we evolve; look for the changes to be implemented gradually over the next few months, and please let someone on the vestry, or Tom, know what you think, and above all – please sign up to be a host at least one Sunday a year.
Liz Landers, Lois Freeman and Bethanne Economou
Vacancies in the Parish
There are leadership positions still to be filled for:
Fellowship;
Youth Group;
a representative for United Thank Offering.
If any of these interests you, please contact the parish office at 978-256-5673.
If you would like to have altars supplied for the altar in celebration of a happy event, or in observation of a more serious anniversary, please contact the altar guild with your request.
A donation of $35 can be made for a particular Sunday, and the person’s name will be mentioned in the bulletin. This donation also helps defray the cost of providing the flowers. It is recommended that dates be arranged with the office well in advance of the particular weekend wished for, because we have traditionally only accepted a single memorial donation for a given Sunday and you might find that your date is already taken.
Occasionally someone will request that a certain type of flower, or a certain color, be used in memory of their loved one, as they know what kinds of flowers their loved one preferred. While an attempt is always made to honor these requests, they cannot always be fulfilled. To increase your chance of having the appropriate color or flower in the arrangements, there are a few simple things you can do.
The altar guild will keep these requests in mind as the date approaches and will do everything in our power to honor such requests (within reason).
I hope this clarifies the process for everyone. Please let me know if you have any questions. As always, we thank you for supporting this aspect of our parish life and helping to beautify our altar.
Liz Landers
In the Sunday Bulletin under the section on “those in our parish in need of healing,” we list those with more acute needs. Saints Alive now carries a list of more “on-going” concerns to bring to God in prayer.
We will make the description you provide as general or specific as you indicate. Please let us know what you would like included. We encourage you to clip out these names and keep them in your prayers.
If you would like your name to be added or removed from any of the prayers lists, please contact Darlene in the Church Office.
· Gladys Stephens, Palm Manor Nursing Home
· Eleanor Ferreira at home
· Millie Adams at home
· Mary Buote at home
· Grace Wardell, Sunny Acres Nursing and Rehab Center
· Dora Smith, Betsy Eisemann’s mother
· Priscilla Smith at home
· Doug Grant at home, chronic back pain
· Chaz Freeman, waiting for placement
· Debbie Anderton, Dora Carr’s daughter
· Dorothy Eaton, Willow Manor
At Nyahela in Kenya:
Churches and institutions we are asked to consider especially during the months of July and August are listed in this section.
Sundays, starting June 24: St. Luke's Church in Scituate offers a short church service on Peggotty Beach, weather permitting, 7 p.m. See also the prayer intentions for September 9.
Sunday, July 1, 2007 The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Church of Our Saviour, Milton
St. Michael's Church, Milton
St. Paul's Church, Nantucket
St. Paul's Church, Natick
St. Paul's Church, Newburyport
Congregations: Wardens, Treasurers & Clerks
Sunday, July 8, 2007 The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Christ Church, Needham
Grace Church, New Bedford
St. Andrew's Church, New Bedford
St. Aidan's Chapel, South Dartmouth
Barbara C. Harris Camp & Conference Center
July 13-15: Creating a Culture of Peace active nonviolence training program at the Church of the Holy Spirit (204 Monument Road) in Orleans (Cape Cod). For further information and to register contact the Rev. Ken Campbell at 508/240-5169. (See also August 5).
Sunday, July 15, 2007 The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
St. Martin's Church, New Bedford
Grace Church, Newton
St. John's Church, Newtonville
St. Andrew's Chapel, Hyannis Port
Neponset River Deanery
Sunday, July 22, 2007 The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
St. Mary's Church, Newton Lower Falls
St. Paul's Church, Newton Highlands
Trinity Church, Newton Centre
St. Paul's Church, North Andover
Hospital Chaplaincies
Sunday, July 29, 2007 The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Brooks School Chapel, North Andover
Grace Church, North Attleborough
St. Mark's Church, North Easton
Grace Church, Norwood
Trinity Chapel, Oak Bluffs
Sunday, August 5, 2007 The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
Church of the Holy Spirit, Orleans
St. Peter's Church, Osterville
St. Paul's Church, Peabody
Emmanuel Chapel, Manchester-by-the-Sea
Cape Cod & Islands Deanery
Sunday, August 12, 2007 The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
St. David's Mission, Pepperell
Christ Church, Plymouth
St. Mary's of the Harbor, Provincetown
Christ Church, Quincy
Chapel of St. Philip of Bethsaida, Mattapoisett
Sunday, August 19, 2007 The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Trinity Church, Randolph
Church of the Good Shepherd, Reading
Trinity Church, Rockland
St. Mary's Church, Rockport
Chapel of St. James the Fisherman, Wellfleet
Sunday, August 26, 2007 The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
St. Cyprian's Church, Roxbury (Boston)
St. John & St. James Church, Roxbury (Boston)
Society of St. Margaret, Roxbury (Boston)
Grace Church, Salem
Congregations: Parish Historians
Sunday, September 2, 2007 The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
St. Peter's Church, Salem
St. John’s Church, Sandwich
St. John's Church, Saugus
North Shore Deanery
Deans
July 1 - Aug 18: Summer camp in session at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, N.H.
It's time to start thinking about the second annual Gingerbread Village Display! A Gingerbread Village Board has started meeting about this year's event that will take place Nov 30 - Dec 2. All entries will be enthusiastically received and we will have a special Gingerbread Challenge this year -- a builders challenge to build Chelmsford center! We hope you will consider joining one of the festive gingerbread committees:
Builders’ Committee
This committee will work out a plan to implement the participation goals and focus on recruiting builders, providing information, and tracking registrations. They will be the contact point for all builders’ questions and they will work with the Village Planners and Gingerbread Tech Committee to ensure that entries are logged in and tracked once they are at the event.
Village Planners
This committee will focus on creating a display that makes the most out of the entries. This might entail working directly with some of the builders who have specific display needs. They will create floor plans for the event, a timetable for setup, and handle any special lighting or display needs. They will have a budget to create effects for the display and will be responsible for the setup and breakdown of the Gingerbread Village.
Gingerbread Tech Committee
This committee will be responsible for setting up a website for the event. They will designate a process for keeping the website current and accurate. They will also be the lead on running the technical side of the Silent Auction, including photographing and uploading pictures to the site. They also might help set up an internal web-tracking of the Builders Committee.
Village Criers
This is the advertising end of the event. This group will develop the promotional materials to support the Builders Committee and info/text for the website. They will also pursue a wide and fun exposure of the event through newspapers, community resources, and whatever they can think of to get people excited to participate and excited to come.
Village Merchants
This group will focus on creating and implementing a plan to help All Saints’ raise money at this event. They will decide the best way to make the most of the event from All Saints’ perspective. They will be responsible for recruiting parishioners to staff these efforts.
Auctioneers
They will manage all aspects of the sale of the Gingerbread Houses. They will manage the silent auction, recruit buyers for the bigger houses, and contact winners, record sales and collect monies.
Village Welcome Wagon
This committee is all about making this fun. They will be responsible for planning the Builders’ Party for Friday Night, plan and run any games or activities during the event, and send thank you cards to all the builders and people who buy houses.
Look for sign-ups at church or speak to one of the Board Members (Laura Marshall, Adrienne Spear, Derick Gates, Becky Malone, and Edith Parekh). Please join us to help build another successful event for Habitat for Humanity.
Gingerbread Village Board
David Cahill Tom Decker Deb Dutton
Beth-Anne Economou Rich Jerome Liz Landers
Edith Parekh Rebecca Ricard Harry Taplin
Derick Gates, Senior Warden
Melanie Hickcox, Treasurer
Kevin Meyers, Clerk
The vestry and the Mission/Outreach team would like to form a group of people to oversee the relationship we have begun with Nyahela Parish in Kenya. Nyahela Parish is one of the churches that Tom visited last year during his stay in Kenya. They have recently started an orphan feeding program and All Saints’ has pledged funds to support that work. We need people who are excited and energized by this opportunity God is offering us to form a team that will investigate how best to establish and facilitate a long-term relationship and look for opportunities for each parish to be of service to the other We invite you to pray about this call.
If you are interested in participating, contact:
Dave Kuzara at 978-256-5484
or Derick Gates at 978-250-1569.
The Bernard Mizeki Prayer-Book Change: Why Zimbabwe?
On June 17, our prayer-books had a tiny sticker affixed to them, changing the place-name designation next to Bernard Mizeki (on Page 24; catechist and martyr) from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe. When you’ve opened prayer books to make the change on seven or eight pews and made this change, you begin to wonder why. One such stalwart asked just this question!
Here is the reasoning, in a nutshell:
Why not keep “Rhodesia?” Rhodesia is a name imposed by a colonial government on a land that was essentially stolen from the people (through a deal struck not with the people so much as with the strongest chief of the neighboring people) through an 1888 concession. Lobengula, who agreed to the trade, soon realized how unfair the deal was, and chose to send emissaries to London to protect. Queen Victoria refused to meet with them, and soon afterwards, the name Southern Rhodesia was used to define the area. The place name was used in honor of Cecil Rhodes, who promoted mining in both Southern and Northern Rhodesia … in addition to the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships.
In ongoing civil unrest from 1890 to 1980, with an extended period of civil war, the name Zimbabwe was used as a rallying cry for those seeking to redress this issue. Racism in land apportionment was a major point to redress, along with unequal education and health care. Following a two-year transition in 1978-80, the country was finally recognized both internally and from the outside as Zimbabwe.
By then, the current prayer book had been finalized, with the name Rhodesia. This name conjures up a system of situpa (pass-law) restrictions and a government by one-twentieth of the population of the other 95%, with race dictating how one was educated and to what level, and often, whether public rest rooms, restaurants, and stores would serve you at all. By keeping this name in our prayer books, we are indicating to a largely black nation -- now even more than 95% black – that we prefer to use the name of their former colonial overlords, or even that we are hoping for a change back to that name.
Why not use “Mashonaland”? In the UK, the Book of Common Prayer notes Bernard Mizeki of the Shona tribe, but there are mistruths in this designation: Mamiyera Mizeka (Baptized and married as Bernard Mizeki) was of the Bagwambe tribe, who had settled in a coastal area of Mozambique, hundreds of miles from the area of Zimbabwe where the Shona people live, so that designation is inaccurate. Bernard started learning their language in 1891. It also indicates, to a nation already incensed by insensitivities of an imposed white regime that a tribal designation that excludes the Asians, Europeans, Ndebele, or people of mixed race should not look to this martyr to be an example for them. The diocese that used to have this title (Diocese of Mashonaland) changed its name in 1980 so as to avoid these tribal connotations, and is now the Diocese of Harare.
Why not “Harare”, the current name of the diocese? Harare is also the name of the capital city of Zimbabwe, but it is about 50 miles from Theydon, the nearest town to the place where, in Chief Mangwende’s village, Mizeki was killed.
Why not “Marondera” or “Theydon”? Marondera is the nearest town that you might be able to find in an atlas, about 5 miles from Theydon, so getting too specific would serve almost nobody. Harare, Marondera and Theydon as actual locations are all too specific.
Why to choose “Zimbabwe”. Zimbabwe covers the majority of the land that was in 1890-1900 being defined into the new Diocese of Mashonaland, and its meaning “a mansion of stone”, referring to the ruin of a Zimbabwean city estimated to have rivaled London in size in the 13th –15th centuries, is a uniting theme for all of Zimbabwe’s people. The national archaeologist pointed out that while the written record indicates that the “Karanga” once lived there, the city was abandoned some centuries ago, and the word karanga does not now tell us who the builders were, so that “Zimbabwe” is conveniently the heritage of all Zimbabweans. The name is fitting for a catechist who declared his readiness to go to Mashonaland, a great little-known land north of the Limpopo River, by pointing out that he would be no further from Heaven in Mashonaland than in Cape Town.
Patrick Blumeris,
Editor
Church Office........ 978-256-5673
Senior Warden....... Derick Gates
Junior Warden........ Lois Freeman
Treasurer............... Melanie Hickcox
Clerk..................... Kevin Myers
Acolyte Director.... Clem Cole
Adult Education...... Amy Hunter
Altar Guild............. Liz Landers
Buildings and…….. Rich Jerome
Grounds
Christian School..... Laura Marshall
Michelle Thomas
Elizabeth Danieli
Coffee Hour.......... Cindy Dussault
Endowment ........... Oliver Chamberlain
Environmental Stewardship
Committee............. Liz Marshall
Fellowship.............. to be filled
Finance.................. Clem Cole
Music Minister....... Maggie Marshall
Outreach............... Dave Kuzara
Pastoral Care......... Joy Chadwick
Saints Alive............ Patrick Blumeris
SaintsAlive e-mail:.. ........ saintsalive@yahoo.com
Stewardship........... Steve Grillo
Thrift Shop............. Carol Cannistraro
Youth Group.......... to be filled
Webmaster............ Richard Coles
Web site................ www.allsaintschelmsford.org
… for the September 2007 Saints Alive! is
August 19th, 2007
Please leave your articles in the Saints Alive! mailbox in the church office, or send them via email to SaintsAlive@yahoo.com. Thanks.
