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SAINTS Alive! THE NEWSLETTER OF THE PARISH All Saints’ Church Chelmsford, MA January 2008
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SAINTS Alive! THE NEWSLETTER OF THE PARISH All Saints’ Church Chelmsford, MA January 2008
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Is there another way of doing church?
I have been reading The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church, by Reggie McNeal. He is a Baptist from South Carolina and I must admit that I probably would not have picked up the book if Amy Hunter had not given it to me. (Yes, I know this says more about my biases than I might want to admit.) McNeal challenges the church to move from being preoccupied with the club-like behavior of some churches to an outward-looking and mission-driven Christian life. He is writing to fellow evangelicals but his words could be custom written for us here and now. He discusses the transition and implication of “modern” enlightenment thinking of the past 500 years with the emerging “postmodern” thinking.
God took a beating in the modern world. From beginning to end the modern world has challenged the idea of God and what his role in the universe really is. The modern mind’s enthusiasm for science and technology seemed bent on putting God in his place, but that place was hugely diminished, considered to be beyond the realm of the “verifiable” and irrelevant to the “real” world. (p.54)
The result of the modern church’s form of spirituality is a North American church that is largely on a head trip. This is at the heart of why the lifestyles and values of people in the church mirror so closely the lifestyles and values of people in the larger culture. We have a rational faith. The test for orthodoxy typically focuses on doctrinal stances, not character and spiritual connectedness to God and others. Faith, in the modern world, is about intellectual assent, not belief in the biblical sense. (p.55)
(In our postmodern world) an honest search for God today would lead the church back into the world, because postmodernism is at heart a spiritual movement. It is a search for meaning….It allows for ambiguity; it countenances opposing notions at the same time; it refuses a sacred-secular dichotomous view of life. Everything is sacred; nothing is sacred—both are expressed in postmodern thought. (p.56)
Postmoderns are wildly spiritual. It is a spiritualism that reflects a hunger for meaning and connectedness. It is a spiritualism that seeks to unite people of faith. It is a spiritualism that starts with an affirmation of the basic goodness of humanity. Redemption in postmodernism is about loving others and serving others. Righteousness is not a coming to terms with a perfect God who is concerned about a moral code. It is about getting relationships right with other people. A relationship with God is assumed. The cross is a symbol of brokenness. Brokenness is what unites people in the postmodern world. It is the common ground. The postmodern definition of sin is stunted life and stunted potential, a sense of corporate guilt that the world is not the loving place it should be (pp. 57-58).
These words challenge me to think deeply about how we work and function as Church. I invite you to join me in these reflections in the coming year.
Peace,
Tom
The All Saints’ Church, Chelmsford, Safe Church Committee and the Vestry have amended its Safe Church Policy through the addition of two new policies. All Saints’ Church developed its formal Safe Church Policy to help keep our youth, children and the elderly safe. It is vital that everyone who attends services or events at All Saints’ Church be able to do so without fear.
All Saints’ Church exists for the worship of God and the equipping of the saints to join God in God’s mission of reconciling all creation to God’s self. As we strive to welcome and include all people, we realize the importance of maintaining an environment of safety that preserves a sense of protection, integrity and respect for people of all ages. Our collective willingness to follow the procedures in this policy with openness and truthfulness in creating a safe environment will help build a stronger, more faithful church.
Effective immediately, the Vestry has approved both policies as amendments to the Safe Church Procedures manual. These pages shall be inserted into the REPORTING OF MISCONDUCT WITHIN A CONGREGATION.
· Restrictions imposed as a result of an alleged “Safe Church” violation
· Amendment 1.
If the parish becomes aware that there is an individual who in the past has committed an act or acts which would be considered a “Safe Church” violation, that individual, while participating in the faith community, will need to be accompanied at all times by two adults other than family members.
· Amendment 2.
If the parish becomes aware of an allegation of a “Safe Church” violation against a member of our parish, by another member of our parish, and it is determined by the Vestry and the Rector that the individuals and/or families involved in the alleged “Safe Church” violation cannot simultaneously participate in worship, the alleged violator, and his or her family as the situation may warrant, will not be able to continue to worship at All Saints’ Church
If the parish becomes aware of an allegation of a “Safe Church” violation against a member of our parish, by another member of our parish, and it is determined by the Vestry and the Rector that the individuals and/or families involved in the alleged “Safe Church” violation can simultaneously participate in worship, the alleged violator, while participating in the faith community, will need to be accompanied at all times by two adults other than family members.
Epiphany (January 6) falls on a Sunday this year. On this occasion, we remember three wise men who sought out the new-born King of the Jews, as recorded in the Matthew:
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the reign of King Herod, wise men, watchers of the stars, came from the east to Jerusalem, where Herod had his palace. “Where,” they asked, is the child who is to be born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and have come to bow before him.”
Herod told them to go to Bethlehem.
They listened to the king, and went on to Bethlehem, the star still guiding them. It led them to the place where the child lay, and when they saw this, the wise men were full of joy.
from Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 2
It's the 30th Anniversary of Winter Weekend! This annual parish event will take place at Camp Sentinel Lodge in Tuftonburo, NH from Friday, February 1thru Sunday, February 3. The lodge is in a beautiful and extraordinarily peaceful location and accommodates 45-50 people. Kids enjoy sledding and playing in the snow and skating on Dan Hole Pond.
This is a great event for parishioners (especially families) to get to know each other and have a wonderful weekend away at the same time.
For the winter weekend you’ve anticipated ever since last winter, contact Steve Sullivan at 978-251-3775.
We have some parishioners who need rides in order to participate in worship and programs. Would you be willing to participate in this ministry within your parish community? If so, contact Amy Hunter at fifimom@juno.com or 978-256-5673 ext. 14. She will put drivers and passengers in touch with one another.
In December, All Saints’ Episcopal Church hosted our 2nd Annual Gingerbread Village Display to benefit The Greater Lowell Habitat for Humanity. The theme was, “All Aboard the Gingerbread Express!” There was a train display as well as a central “village” replica in the main parish hall.
The gingerbread exhibits-and-sale raised more than $3,000 for Habitat for Humanity; the Whistle-Stop Lunch Counter and the Gingerbread Express Café helped raise over $2,000 for All Saints’ Church.
West Virginia Workcamp Gears up for 2008
This month’s Mission Focus feature is the West Virginia Workcamp. For the past 3 years, this has been a joint project between All Saints’ and Central Congregational Church. This is a mission trip aimed at youths 16 and older to the Cabell-Lincoln Workcamp in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia. The Workcamp’s goal is to make the homes of needy people in the area warm, safe and dry. Typical Workcamp projects include repairing and replacing roofs, walls, windows and floors, painting homes and adding skirting to trailers.
The camp is run by a non-profit group of area ministers and lay people who have been volunteering for over 30 years. It is held at Camp Asbury Woods which is a Methodist youth camp near Huntington WV. Each year, about 120 youth and 100 adults from various states and denominations gather there for a one week Workcamp. Youth stay in the bunk houses at the camp along with supervising adults. The rest of the adults stay in private homes in Huntington. Youth and adults are organized into work crews and each work crew takes on one or more tasks during the week to improve someone’s home.
Every year, those who attend describe it as an extremely meaningful experience. There’s a real sense of God’s work being done every day. Kids never fail to strike up friendships with youth from other states. Getting to know the homeowners can also be a profound experience as they are typically humble and dignified people living in very adverse circumstances.
If you are interested in going on the 2008 Workcamp or making a contribution to help defray the cost, please contact Dave Kuzara at 978-256-5484 or djkuzara@mail.com. Also look for another article in this issue of Saints Alive that describes a dinner and slide show to be held in January to benefit the West Virginia Workcamp.
Dave Kuzara
Mission/Outreach Team
Over the last 15 or so years we have been collecting bottles and cans for redemption of the deposit. Serena Taplin started this effort and I took over in 1998. During my time of managing this collection, we have put $2,270.40 in the treasury of All Saints’! While a nickel a can doesn't seem like much, it adds up.
This year we took in $170.85 in redeemable cans and bottles. We could, of course improve on that if more of us were to donate their empties! It's really very easy. Just put your empties in plastic bags and bring them to the church with you on Sunday or any other time. Put them in the closet just outside the kitchen in the Parish Hall. I check every week to see if there are any cans or bottles there so it doesn't back up.
Please check to be sure the cans and bottles aren't from New Hampshire (no deposit) and please don't leave them outside the kitchen door. If you must leave them there because of your schedule, please give me a call to let me know they are there.
Thanks to all of you for your support.
Carol Douglas
The Annual Meeting is our gathering as a parish to review the past year and to elect vestry members, delegates to diocesan convention and the deanery, and members of the nominating committee. Even more it is a time for us to recognize and celebrate all the ways All Saints’ Church has been and is a people in mission.
We ask that all reports from the different ministry areas be sent into the office by Sunday January 13, 2008 so that we can we can have the reports available the week before the Annual Meeting.
All Saints’ will host a diocesan Safe Church Training on Saturday, January 19, 2008, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
The new All Saints’ Church Safe Church Policy requires all those working with children and those participating in Pastoral Care to take the Safe Church Training. We also recommend the training for everyone in leadership positions in the parish. If you can not make the January 19th date, the training will be offered in other parts of the diocese in the winter and spring. Please see the flyer on the bulletin board for future dates. The cost for the training is $40.00 payable to the Diocese of Massachusetts. Scholarships are available through the Rector. The deadline for registration is two weeks prior to the event (January 4, 2008).
What is it?
Safe Church Training is a six-hour training session designed to increase awareness regarding sexual misconduct and abuse of power, to outline steps toward preventing abuse, to offer ways to intervene when misconduct occurs and to equip anyone in a position of parish leadership with ways of healing and rebuilding the body of Christ.
On-line registration at http://www.diomass.org/inside/learning/safe_church/ or use the forms found in the Narthex.
For more information please speak to the Rector or contact Grace Elson at the diocese, (617) 482-4826, x205 or gelson@diomass.org
Outreach Month February 2008
The Lower Church School will be having "outreach month" during the month of February. We will be asking for toiletry donations for the Chelsea Soldiers' home. This home for veterans is a residential, long term care facility and an outpatient hospital. We will also be collecting bags of food for the food pantry.
Please join us in helping our children with this very important outreach mission. Stay tuned.....
Cindy Dussault
Awareness of climate change as a serious issue has become much more apparent recently. Have you noticed? Media stories about efforts of various corporations, cities, towns, and state governments to tackle the amount of CO2 emissions as a cause of global warming are increasing. These efforts, and hearing about them, are the good news. Unfortunately our federal government, as led by the current administration, is not following suit.
What can we do? We can start this new year with a renewed determination to do our individual best to conserve energy. We know how to do it. We can examine our daily habits to be sure that we are as eco-friendly as we can be.
What else can we do? We can continue to educate our children, family, and friends about the importance of conserving God’s creation, and we can support our elected representatives who act responsibly – and let them know when they don’t.
What else? What are you doing? What works for you? Let us know.
Liz Marshall
Environmental Stewardship
In December, SaintsAlive carried an article that drew parallels between the Good Samaritan and the Little Blue Engine. By luck, the color was appropriate for the season of Advent: BLUE.
Barbara Willman has shared a few lines concerning an entirely different color: RED.
The article reads:
The doors of Episcopal churches are often painted red to mark the church as a place of spiritual refuge for anyone seeking sanctuary. The red on the doors represents the blood of Christ that was shed so that all who came to him could be saved. Thus, all who passed through the red doors were safe as long as they stayed behind them.
Red is certainly a warm color. Can we live up to the warm welcome that our doors are intended to shout out?
Editor
On Saturday, January 19th at 6 pm there will be a dinner to benefit the West Virginia Workcamp. It will be held at Central Congregational Church at 1 Worthen Street in Chelmsford. (For the past 3 years, this Workcamp mission trip has been a joint effort of Central Congregational and All Saints.) The purpose of the dinner is to recount the experiences of those who attended Workcamp this past summer, thank those who supported the mission, and introduce this unique experience to those who may be interested in attending in June 2008.
Dinner will be followed by a slide show of pictures from the 2007 Workcamp. If you supported the 2007 Workcamp by buying shares of $25 or more you will receive an invitation in the mail which gives you free admission. Tickets for all others are $6.00 and can be bought in the narthex or the parish hall after church. Tickets can also be purchased from Dave Kuzara by calling 978-256-5484 or at the door. If you have any interest in going on the 2008 Workcamp, or would just like to support this worthy project, please consider attending.
Dave Kuzara
Mission/Outreach Team
Phillips Brooks was born in 1835. Although he was born in North Andover, his schooling included time at Boston Latin. By the age of 20, he had a Harvard degree, and within a year was studying to be a priest.
He studied at Virginia Theological Seminary and was ordained in 1860. He began a pastoral career in Pennsylvania, serving out the years of the Civil War at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia, and preaching strongly in support of the North, and with dismay at the death of President Lincoln.
In 1869, he accepted the position of Rector at Trinity Church in Boston. This was his parish during reconstruction of the building (completed in 1877) and for many years afterwards. Even when in April 1891 he was elected Bishop of Massachusetts, the subsequent consecration was in Trinity Church on October 14 of that year.
Bishop of Massachusetts for just over a year before he died in 1893, Phillips Brooks was a well known and loved clergyman. And poet. And as a poet, Phillips Brooks did leave the shores of Massachusetts to achieve a degree of “stardom” wider than even the Anglican church.
When I, your editor, first sang his carol “O Little town of Bethlehem,” I was almost all the way through high school, in the Anglican Province of Central Africa, roughly 86 years after his death. The tune had seemingly always been around, but I had never sung, much less paid attention to, the words.
It was therefore especially powerful to read the words for the first time at the age of 17. Phillips Brooks the poet told of the many stars passing overhead, and of the quiet grace being given:
“No ear may hear his coming;
But in this world of sin,
Where meek hearts will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in…
…
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks,
And Christmas comes once more.
…
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel”
Upcoming Formation Dates and Events
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Jan 8 |
Prayer as First Resort |
Blue Room 7:30–8:45pm |
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Jan 13 |
Deadline for Your Annual Report Submission |
aschurch@gis.net |
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Jan 14 |
“Connect?”-- the Eucharist |
Blue Room 7:00-9:00pm |
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Jan 19 |
Safe Church Training at All Saints’ |
Sign up at diomass.org on/before January 4. |
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Jan 19 |
West VA Workcamp dinner |
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Jan 21 |
“Connect?”-- Faith |
Blue Room 7:00-9:00PM |
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Jan 28 |
“Connect?”-- Parish life |
Blue Room 7:00-9:00PM |
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FEB |
OUTREACH MONTH. |
Lower Church, Sundays. |
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Feb 6 |
Ash Wednesday – the season of Lent begins |
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Prayer as First Resort: Practicing our Faith:
What: Prayer as First Resort: Practicing our Faith
When: Second Tuesday evenings of each month, 7:30- 9:00PM
Where: Blue Room
Join us on Tuesday, January 8 as we begin a new series in Prayer as First Resort. The focus for the next several months will be “Creating and Maintaining Spiritual Health.” Each session can stand alone, so we urge folks to come when they can. The sessions also (hopefully) build upon one another, so you will be enriched and (hopefully) not bored if you come to all of them.
Check the bulletins for further information, or talk with Lynne Grillo or Amy Hunter to learn more.
“Connect?” Continues!
Over twenty parishioners participated this past fall in “Connect?”, an adult education program that explores what it can mean to connect to a Eucharistic community. Those who took part in those three sessions enjoyed the time for relaxed conversation over good snacks, an interesting curriculum and discussion of our faith and how we live it out in our parish and in our daily lives.
“Connect?” returns. Part Two of the course is scheduled for three more weeks in January. All are welcome, to one session or all three; those who attended last fall as well as those who have not yet experienced “Connect?”.
Join in the fellowship and conversation Monday evenings, 7:00- 9:00, January 14, 21, and 28! Connect is intended for those outside the church, those on the fringe of the church, those who have attended for years. The focus of Connect is on the Eucharist in order to help participants to make sense of their experience of worship. Participants build relationships in small groups that provide support, encouragement to grow, and a sense of connection with the parish.
The winter sessions are:
Jan 14 Connect in the Eucharist: Becoming Part of the Story – The mystery that we celebrate in the Eucharist is that we are all being knit into a community in which we become most fully ourselves. Each member in a Christian community is valued for who she or he truly is, and is challenged and supported to discover her or his identity and vocation. Our unity is not doctrinal or cultural, but sacramental and relational.
Jan 21 Connect with Faith: Living the Story – Connecting with God and one another in the Eucharist changes our sense of who we and how we make choices. Being already reconciled to God, we are free to choose daily how we will “love and serve the Lord.” We live by faith, that is trust in God, as we draw on Scripture, Tradition and Reason for guidance, seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Jan 28 Connect with the Parish: Celebration and Next Steps – How can you continue to find more meaning and connection in your life? This parish is an Episcopal community that follows Jesus as we balance our mission priorities. Are there steps you wish to take in becoming more connected at this parish? Jesus’ invitation and ours is to join the feast!
Speak with Amy Hunter to learn more. Come and Connect!
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 keep 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 Eisenmann’s mother
· Priscilla Smith at home
· Doug Grant at home, chronic back pain
· Chaz Freeman, transition to new home
· Debbie Anderton, Dora Carr’s daughter
· Dorothy Eaton, Willow Manor
At Nyahela Sub-Parish in Kenya:
Paul Onyoyo, Dorcus Esilaba, Shem Bwonya, Elizabeth Osiolo.
David Cahill Tom Decker
Deb Dutton Beth-Anne Economou
Liz Landers Edith Parekh
Rebecca Ricard Harry Taplin
(One vacancy to be filled)
Derick Gates, Senior Warden
Melanie Hickcox, Treasurer
Kevin Meyers, Clerk
(All phone numbers are area code 978 unless indicated)
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…….. to be filled
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 February 2008 Saints Alive! is
January 19th, 2008
Please leave your articles in the Saints Alive! mailbox in the church office, or send them via email to SaintsAlive@yahoo.com. Thanks.
