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SAINTS Alive! THE NEWSLETTER OF THE PARISH All Saints’ Church Chelmsford, MA January 2010
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SAINTS Alive! THE NEWSLETTER OF THE PARISH All Saints’ Church Chelmsford, MA January 2010
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To be touched by turmoil
We received a very nice letter from the staff for Special Needs Adoption at Child and Family Services of Merrimack Valley thanking Stephanie Ackert and the parish for our generosity in providing so many Christmas presents for their children. (The letter is posted on the Narthex bulletin board.) In the letter they used the sentence, “We always strive to bring a degree of normalcy to children whose lives have been touched by turmoil.”
I found myself trying to imagine what might be included in those words “touched by turmoil.” I thought of some horrendous situations as well as some of the small things that I have seen knock a family off their center. I thought of the struggle, confusion and despair that can accompany turmoil. Then I began to think of what it takes to still turmoil. Sometimes the problems are so vast that it is hard to imagine things being calm. Even so, ending turmoil begins by a simple act, reaching out to calm the waters or provide just one moment of stability. The situation might eventually require many things, but it begins with just one.
The gifts so many of you provided have gone to children whose parents are in jail, through the Angel Tree program, as well as to the children seeking adoption through Child and Family Services of Merrimack Valley. I do not know how the gifts so lovingly provided have been received. I pray, however, that they are able to be received in the spirit in which they were given: that they might be a flicker of love, and moment of stability, in lives touched by turmoil. I pray that this moment of love might be reinforced by the adults around these children. Finally I pray that these gifts might lead to minimizing the turmoil in some child’s life.
I know this is a lot to expect from a donated Christmas gift. But, I also know that the love of God in Jesus Christ can work in miraculous ways. I want to thank Stephanie Ackert for all her work organizing the Angel Tree gifts and Jennifer Knapp-Hernandez for her work with Child and Family Services.
Come and celebrate Epiphany with a special contemplative candlelight communion service on Wednesday, January 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the Chapel, followed by dessert in the parish hall. On this 12th day of Christmas, we finish “the story” with the arrival of the three kings.
Maggie Marshall
Minister of Music
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With November and December each year comes our annual Stewardship and Pledge drive and setting our budget for the coming calendar year. It is always a challenging and anxious time as there are so many unpredictable elements, including projected receipts and expenses for the coming year. We never know what large expenses might hit us, such as attention to our buildings and grounds, snow plowing, maintenance or repairs, and what our pledge income will be. Equally unpredictable can be our rental income and income from fund raising events.
The budget process for 2010 is no exception. The good news is that our pledge income is up somewhat, even in a down economy. However, with good news often comes some not-so-good news; our non-pledge weekly plate receipts have been on a downward trend, and with the economy, our rental receipts are down. Unfortunately, we have lost some key renters, including the quilters group, who needed even more space than the Parish Hall can provide, and the preschool which was unable to attract sufficient registrants to remain financially viable for the current school year. We also lost the Korean church rental the previous year, so our rental income has dropped from a high of approximately $24,000 in 2007/2008, to about $15,000 in 2009.
Also, while our fundraising activity has been healthy in 2009, in 2010 we project less income since we are not (at the current time) planning another fall auction or equivalent size event that would bring in approximately $8,000 or more. (If you have ideas and energy for organizing a large event like another auction or something new, please speak to the Rector or to a Vestry member as soon as possible.)
While it is the Vestry’s responsibility to balance the budget, our 2010 budget is a Parish-wide challenge. It is not the Vestry’s responsibility alone to solve this challenge.
The bottom line right now in late December/early January, is that our projected 2010 expenses are exceeding our income by approximately $15,000. Even with expense cuts, we still will have a problem. The only realistic solution is to increase our 2010 income.
To that end, there are 3 possible areas where we can make changes that will bring about increased income:
1) Rental income – we intend to make the wider community aware of our space and we intend to market it. Whether it be renting a meeting room, the Parish Hall, the Chapel, or the Sanctuary, we need to create a Committee with this “marketing” focus. We need leaders and participants. Please consider leading or joining this new group. The intent is to create demand from the greater community for renting our space, and then our rental coordinator will work the details in implementing the rental.
2) Increasing our Pledge income further– we know that economic factors currently are a challenge for everyone. With this in mind, if you can prayerfully consider increasing your 2010 pledge amount, this would be extremely helpful. As a guideline in your consideration, an average pledge of $35 per week per pledging unit (family, couples, individuals) would solve our income challenges. Our fall pledge campaign fell short of this goal. You can increase your pledge by contacting the church office by phone (978-265-5673) or via email (aschurch@gis.net) or in writing.
3) Fundraising – while this topic is likely the least desirable area for many parishioners, if we are unable to solve our income challenge through sources 1 and 2 above, we will seek additional income through fundraisers. If we can identify and implement one additional large fundraiser that would attract the wider community outside the Parish, this could also be an area that would bring about positive results without further burdening just our membership. Once again, we need leaders and participants to spearhead this effort.
In closing, let me acknowledge our wonderful faith community
here at All Saints’. Our financial challenges as a Parish are not just
for the Vestry to solve alone. This is a Parish-wide challenge
with some very viable and realistic potential solutions,
but we need the entire Parish membership’s help and participation to meet the
challenge we face. Please give prayerful consideration to how you can help
meet our challenge. The Lord works in mysterious and different ways through
each of us. Our Faith sustains us during these challenging times, and we are
strengthened through facing and solving these challenges.
In faith,
Scott Bempkins
Junior Warden
The All Saints’ vestry and associated activities can seem like a bit of a mystery to the greater Parish, especially those who are not directly or indirectly involved. A great way to find out what the Vestry is doing each month is by reviewing the minutes of the monthly meetings that are posted in the Narthex on the bulletin board, or by talking to the Rector, the Wardens, or a Vestry member.
All Saints’ Vestry Members:
Lois Freeman – Sr. Warden
Scott Bempkins – Jr. Warden
Cynthia Bennett – Treasurer
Derick Gates – Clerk
Bob Bishop
Andrea Bray
Carl Clark
Liz Landers
Edith Parekh
Sean Seyffert
Harry Taplin
Mike Thompson
Congratulations to parishioner Garrett Burgess! At their game at the TD Garden on December 8, the Boston Celtics honored Garrett as a Hero Among Us. The Celtics recognize an individual at each home game for his or her impact in the community. Garrett received recognition for his work to raise money and awareness for children with disabilities and for those with spinal cord injuries.
All are welcome to attend the Annual Meeting. We will gather lunch after the 10:00 AM service.
The Annual Meeting is an opportunity to
This year the Vestry plans to use the tenth anniversary last September of Tom’s coming to All Saints’ as a springboard for Annual Meeting as a celebration of God’s presence and work in this parish in the past decade. Details to come!
We are delighted to let everyone know that Christen Mills has officially been admitted as a Postulant for Holy Orders to the Priesthood in the Diocese of Massachusetts. Christen grew up at All Saints’ and graduated from Boston University in 2008. She currently lives in Cambridge. Postulancy is the first step leading towards ordination. Christen plans to attend seminary in the fall of 2010. If everything goes well, she anticipates being ordained in the summer of 2013. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.
Special thanks to the Discernment Committee who have been meeting with Christen for the past year to help her discern how she is being called. The committee is comprised of Lynne Grillo, Chair, Margie Lane, Lynne McSheehy, Linda Barrington and Derick Gates.
We are pleased to announce that Bob Sherwood has also been admitted as a Postulant for Holy Orders to the Diaconate in the Diocese of Massachusetts. Bob was a long term member of All Saints’ before he and his wife Nancy moved to Cape Cod about 10 years ago He will be entering a three year diocesan run training program.
This is one of those rare moments in history when people from every part of the world are meeting and talking about the same thing: Our Environment.
However, if you pause to listen it can get very confusing. The different governments, organizations, and businesses all seem to have different agendas and priorities as well as political and economic concerns. It seems like the people being affected and the environment itself might be left behind.
We as a community of faith, joining with churches/synagogues/mosques/temples throughout the world, can have a big impact on the outcome and implementation of whatever comes out of the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
We are able to keep the focus on the big picture, how climate change will affect people and the whole environment. We are able to keep demanding that the needs of the poor and marginalized are addressed. We are able to say in a loud voice that God has something to say about the care and stewardship of God’s creation.
So what can we do?
· Seek after God’s will concerning the environment.
· Pray for the environment and for world leaders as they address issues of climate change
· Address one’s impact on the environment
· Join with others in praying for and advocating for the environment
All are welcome to come to the Environmental Stewardship meeting on Wednesday, January 20th at 7:30 PM as we at All Saints’ gather to see what we can do.
Thanks!
Bill Moreau
Chair of Environmental Stewardship
I am pleased to report a year-end total of $200.40 for the bottle and can redemption program.
In the last 12 years, we have raised $2,634.55. This year's receipts were placed in the Saint Paul Feeding Program. This program feeds about 75-100 people every week.
Do you hate to take all those sticky bottles and cans back to the supermarket? Why not just put them in a plastic bag and place them in the closet outside the Parish Hall kitchen? I'll take it from there!
Carol Douglas
Our fourth visit from our friends in Wolverhampton, England is fast approaching. Fifty students, ages 12-18 and six staff will be coming to us on February 12 and leaving on February 17. This coincides nicely with our school vacation.
This is the concert band from St. Peter’s Collegiate School in Wolverhampton, England, and they will be first flying to NYC to play several concerts there, and then coming here to sightsee and play several times.
We have been looking for host families to take 2 or more students or adults, and Maggie Marshall has a list of paired students by age.
Host families can be empty nesters, families with children the same age, families with young children, or just about any other combination that might exist.
Extra beds are not mandatory, since air mattresses, futons, and couches can also be used.
While they are here, you will be incorporating them into your family life, and will also be responsible for getting them to certain places at certain times like the Senior Center for a lunchtime concert, All Saints’ for a day trip to Boston, and other events.
These kids have never seen much snow, so their coming at this time of the year is a real treat for them.
Please contact Maggie Marshall if you are interested in hosting: maggie@ccc.com or telephone 978-251-1296.
Upcoming Formation Dates and Events
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Jan 6 |
Service with Light & Music |
7:30 pm |
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Jan 10 |
Annual Reports due |
Email to |
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Jan 12 |
Prayer as First Resort |
7:30-9:00 pm Blue Room |
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Jan 24 |
Annual Meeting |
after 10 am service in Parish Hall |
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Jan 24 |
Worship Service |
4:00 pm |
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Feb 12 |
Wolverhampton |
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Feb 17 |
Ash Wednesday |
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My mind is full of family and rituals and commitments. It’s the time of year for that, with Advent and Christmas and New Year’s. Our household has been typical, with what is probably the last homecoming from school from the holidays—Michael has finished college and Sean is in his senior year. And the feast days lead to thoughts of family and ritual and commitment. We remember Jesus’ birth at Christmas, of course, but there’s more: the Feast of the Holy Name, which commemorates Jesus being circumcised and named when he was eight days old, following Jewish custom; the Feast of the Epiphany which celebrates the Magi who came to see and worship and offer gifts to the infant Jesus; and the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan, observed on the first Sunday after the Epiphany. Jesus led a life rich in connection to his faith tradition and to his community.
There’s a more personal reason for my being aware of family and ritual and commitment. On January 3, my husband Brian and I plan to renew our wedding vows as part of the 10:00am service. 2010 is the year that we reach the 30 year milestone, but the reason for renewing now is that when Brian and I met, I told him that I was sure that I would never get married and he responded that he figured he would get married, probably when he was 50 and “had nothing better to do.” (We married less than a year after that conversation!) Our son Michael suggested years ago that we renew our vows when Brian turned 50… which happened in November.
30 years of marriage has taught me a lot about the grace of God. Brian and I have lived all over the country, have two beloved sons, have weathered countless sorrows and joys. Meeting Brian changed my life, all for the better.
We celebrate the Incarnation in Christmas and Epiphany, remembering that it is into the ordinary daily life of family, religious ritual and human commitment that Jesus came into the world and it is in those very same places that we find his presence in our own lives now. The seasons of Christmas and Epiphany invite us to look anew at how God seeks to be made manifest here and now in our lives, our relationships and our world.
in peace
Amy B Hunter
Associate for Adult Christian Formation
So, what does it mean to be a Christian in the Episcopal tradition?
Wednesdays at 7:00 to 8:30 PM, January 13, 20, 27, February 3 and 10, All Saints’ will offer an Inquirers’ Class.
The Episcopal Church is sometimes too easy to join. We officially require that members be baptized and participate and support the life of the parish. This class is offered to all who would like to learn more about the Christian faith and how and why we live it out as we do in this church. This class is for those who are new to All Saints’, those preparing for baptism or confirmation as well as long term members who would like to learn about the fundamentals. The classes will be led by Rev. Tom Barrington and Margaret Geanisis. For more information, please contact either of them.
Mike and I, along with our children, have always attended the Habitat for Humanity Gingerbread House display. We typically bid on those houses we are interested in. There was one particular year where his son Frank’s bid was accepted and he was the proud owner of an authentic gingerbread house.
Due to the kids’ schedules and sleepovers, this year it was only Mike and I who attended. We quickly learned that the houses were going to be raffled off instead of placed up for bid. Mike bought tickets, filled them out with his contact name and phone number and we walked amidst the sea of frosting, candy and confections, quietly admiring the inspiration, creativity, hard work and love that went into each display. We tossed our raffle tickets into the boxes of those that particularly inspired us. Sure enough, at around 5:30 Sunday evening, our phone rang with the news that we had won one of the houses. With much curiosity my son Ethan and I headed over to the church to pick it up from the parish hall. The house, now in our possession, was an American themed house and appropriately titled “Welcome Home Troops.” One side of the roof of the house had an American Flag. The other side had the words “Welcome Home Troops.” It had gingerbread trees, a snowman, a person holding a dog, even a small dog house. The entire display was surrounded by a pretzel stick fence adorned with candied yellow ribbons. We brought it home (it nearly took up the entire dining room table!) and took some time to truly appreciate the sentiment and message that this house represented.
We both thought, “There has to be someplace where this house can be displayed and enjoyed, especially by our servicemen, women and their families.” I immediately thought of contacting my brother-in-law, Master Sergeant James L. Thompson. Jim is an Army reservist who spent a year in Kuwait and was now home working at the Base at Fort Devens. The following day I sent him an e-mail asking if he thought that the Base would be interested in receiving the house and putting it on display. He contacted a co-worker and replied back that they would be thrilled to have it. They had the perfect location - The Welcome Center. This is a place where the families of our troops go for information, ID cards and to get questions answered while their loved ones are deployed.
The following morning – the day we got hit with our first snowstorm of the season – Mike drove to Fort Devens, met Jim and delivered the house. They were very happy to have it and put it on a display table, right next to their advent wreath.
I later contacted Laura Marshall as I wanted to send a note to the people who created this. All I knew was that it was submitted by PUMA Corporation in Westford, MA. I wrote to Ashlee Gallagher, letting her know that the house she and her co-workers put together was won by us and that we found an appropriate place for it to fittingly be displayed and appreciated by the families of our men and women who serve.
Her reply?
“This is so wonderful to hear! We worked very hard on this, and love to hear that it was put to such a great use. Here is the list of people who worked on the gingerbread "Welcome Home Troops" house.
Deborah Dicenso, Bethany Moore, Ryan Hastings Nazig Donabedian, Sarah Manfredi and myself, Ashlee Gallagher
Thank you so much for this email, it means a lot to the people who worked on it”
Think for a minute……. We have a group of co-workers who got together to create a HOUSE in order to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. That HOUSE had an American/Military theme and was created with the intent to honor the men and women in our military. The winners of the HOUSE just happen to have a relative who’s served for his country and is presently employed at a local Army Base. The HOUSE was passed on to the Base as acknowledgement and appreciation. Even more appreciative is Habitat for Humanity, the organization that will take the money raised to build a real HOUSE. Who would have thought that one little ol’ gingerbread HOUSE would have such an impact?
“There was a reason that we won this particular house.”
Melissa Flewelling and Mike Thompson
Waiting is difficult, and yet we
have to wait all the time. We wait for exam results. We wait for the
mail. We wait for a loved one to arrive, or to depart, or to
change. We wait for someone to return our call, for someone to be healed,
for someone to die. We wait for what will happen in our suffering world.
We watch and we wait... and sometimes we worry.
Here are three suggestions for making peace with your waiting:
· Presume that God knows what you do not know. God is waiting on you to be ready to know more, for the "eyes of your heart" to be enlightened. God is not in a rush. God has all the time in the world. In the meantime, God keeps you in the dark - "hidden under the shadow of God's wings" (Psalm 17:8) - from what you could not bear to know now.
· Now is the most important. There is a reason why today is not tomorrow. Don't cut in line. Where life is to be lived most abundantly, and where God is to be experienced most really is in the present moment. Saint Iraneus, a second-century bishop, said "the glory of God is a human being fully alive." Say "yes" to your very incomplete life now, and that's real living.
· If you find yourself waiting anxiously, pray for the conversion of your anxiety. Converted anxiety is hope. Anxiety is dreadful expectation; hope is expectant desire, and they are like cousins to each other. Within your anxiety is the seed of hope. If you are anxious just now, you are almost already hopeful. Something hopeful is happening in the wait. And that would be a wonderful Christmas gift to open.
Faithfully yours,
Curtis Almquist, SSJE
Curtis is the Superior of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, an Episcopal monastic order located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. To learn more about SSJE visit their web site www.ssje.org
Reprinted with permission from Friends of SSJE eNewsletter, November 2009
In the Sunday Bulletin we list those with more acute needs. Saints Alive 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 also 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 prayer lists, please contact Darlene in the Church Office.
· Eleanor Ferreira at home
· Al Gorham, at home
· Bea Iams, Sunny Acres
· Lillian Doris Johnson, Loisann Grant’s mother, at D’Youville Manor
· Chaz Freeman, Lois Freeman’s son
· Doug Grant at home, chronic back pain
· Bob Moorehouse at Nashoba Park#2 in Ayer
· Edwin Redman at home
· Dora Smith, Betsy Eisenmann’s mother
· Priscilla Smith at Willow Manor in Lowell
· Phyllis Page, at Chelmsford Crossing (from Amherst, MA)
· Gladys Stephens, Palm Manor Nursing Home
Ministering at Nyahela Sub-Parish in Kenya:
James Mwaura, Pastor. Rev. Mwaura has asked us to pray for political stability in Kenya.
Rural Dean Rev. Jacob Mbunjiro, Dorcus Esilaba, Shem Bwonya, Elizabeth Osiolo, and Phanice Otenyi, Chairlady of the orphan feeding program.
Nyahela sub-parish currently receives SaintsAlive. If you would like to write directly to them, please note their address:
ACK: Anglican Church of Kenya
ACK NYAHELA PARISH
P.O. BOX 201
LUANDA - KENYA
CODE: 50307
Diocesan Convention 2009
In November 2009, representatives of the parishes of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts met at Trinity Church in Boston. Just as our parishes look to the Diocese for guidance, our Diocese meets every three years with fellow dioceses to discuss the path that our Province, the Episcopal Church of the United States of America (ECUSA) is taking.
ECUSA Meeting as Background
2009 had been one such year, so the delegates to Convention were able to hear how that wider meeting had turned out, too.
In July 2009 our diocese sent its lay and clergy representatives to the ECUSA synod. There, rules were discussed, as were … budgets. Massachusetts had proposed some changes: that we should remember Bernard Mizeki as a martyr in Zimbabwe (not Rhodesia); and that we should commemorate Junia and Andronicus as apostles, taking up the appellation of Paul (Romans 16:7), and, following the example of the Greek Orthodox church, setting aside the 17th of May for the occasion. The Mizeki resolution had been accepted in that “Rhodesia” would no longer be the designated place-name, but a decision for Zimbabwe was delayed in deference to decisions not yet made in Lambeth, possibly in favor of “Mashonaland.” The Junia/Andronicus decision was delayed, since similar resolutions had been made by two other dioceses, and some resolution of these resolutions was therefore needed before a single resolution could go forward. From the presiding bishop came a statement generally supportive of homosexual marriage, but vague enough that a few Massachusetts parishioners pointedly asked our Bishop to clarify the rulings concerning gay marriages.
Bad news at the national level came in the form of a budget that would cast aside the services of some of the people who run the day-to-day affairs of ECUSA. There was talk of shortening future national synods in response to tough financial times.
Trinity Church 2009
The venue for this year’s convention was Trinity Church, a location which in 2006 had seen a new rector hosting the meeting, sharing the venue with nearby churches that might have been more easily reached in better weather. As a result, this time, there was a tent erected in the open area outside the Boston Public Library. The tent served as a location for Friday registration, for Friday night fundraising activities, and for Saturday lunch.
Agenda
The agenda for the November Massachusetts Diocesan Convention included resolutions dealing with how our parishes are to research our links to the slave trade; with how we would like Bishop Shaw to clarify rules regarding gay marriages; and, inevitably, with the diocesan budget.
If, however, you were in the choirs, then the objectives were to learn the church layout during the intervals between formal business. If, like Maggie Marshall, our Minister of Music, you were leading the Convention Choir, assembled from mostly younger voices at the Convention, then your aim was to show a worthy choir in the face of the powerful and polished St. Cyprian’s Church Choir from Roxbury. It was no mean feat, but the Convention Choir did indeed hold its own! Perhaps Maggie would care to elaborate…
Passages and Rites of Passage
The Diocese noted the death of Bishop John Coburn over the summer and the moving-on of Ian Douglas who would be leaving the Episcopal Divinity School to join the Diocese of Connecticut as their Bishop.
Minutes
There were too few of these. Business ran into business, and reflection-time was precious.
The opening service included a collect used at Christ Church Cambridge in January 1775. We prayed then for peace; for George the Third to understanding the rightness of the Revolution; for a return to the fellowship with the Anglican Church after the privations being wrought upon the Episcopal Church in the rebelling colonies, by the temporal powers of the day. There was a prayer for the first Commander-in-Chief, then camped with his men outside the church in Cambridge.
Unspoken at the 2009 convention was the thought: How times have changed! In reflections on the budget and the environment, “How might times change” was more openly discussed.
We easily move from “sacred” to “business” and do not always link the two. A questionnaire was circulated asking for opinions on aspects of ministry. In the section “What makes you say this choice is best?” one response was simply that it was in keeping with our baptismal vows. Why is it so easy for us to overlook this perspective?
The resolutions all passed, meaning that we will soon have the benefit of Diocesan guidance on how to identify our parishes’ past links to the slave trade; that Bishop Tom Shaw was obligated (ugly word, huh?) to explain what to do about homosexuals who want to get married (which guidance he gave before November was finished); that another annual budget was passed. In 2006, questions of gay marriages and gay priests led to votes so close that the votes needed to be counted: in 2009, the gay-marriage votes were all but unanimous. The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts seems to have lost a large contingent, and I suspect the loss is largely due to people, and in several cases parishes, choosing to separate themselves from the Diocese over how to acknowledge the rights of the gay community. I don’t believe that the issue has gone away: just away from the Episcopal Church in Massachusetts.
There is God in all three persons, even outside our comfort zones. Tom Shaw told how he had attended a service in Newburyport, after looking forward to sharing the chants of his brothers in St John’s monastery in Cambridge. He had experienced God, all the same! We may yet need to meet those who vote, or have voted, against us, and see God in them as well as our “allies.”
Budget
A different Tom, our rector Tom Barrington, advised me that my yes vote for the diocesan budget meant he would receive a substantial raise (he estimated about $10/day). I had seen a fair system being introduced in which a priest’s base pay was potentially increased by the size of his/her congregation’s monthly offering, and by his/her seniority with his/her parish, seasoned by case-by-case judgments designed to override any hardship that the cold equation might bring about. The appeals process certainly helped sway me that hardship was not the intention of the new method being introduced.
All you get for that extra money, as Tom might want to explain, is the same old Tom. But I am easily persuaded that there is a serious intention at the Diocesan level to be just, and I do need the reminder that I sometimes need to do things, however uncomfortable, because they are in keeping with my baptismal vows.
If my rector thinks he is overpaid, he might want to appeal to the diocesan treasurers!
Patrick Blumeris,
ASC Diocesan Convention Representative 2009
Thank you to Margaret Geanisis for providing the following list of resources…
Website:
www.guideposts.com This is the website dedicated to Norman Vincent's Peale's ideal of bringing hope, encouragement and inspiration to the world. It is a huge site and its headings include: Health & Wellness, Prosperity, Relationships & Family, Faith and Living, Personal Change, Angels, Inspirational Connections, and Inspirational Voices. There is also a really cool bar under the headings with various life stages where you can find your stage and click on it; each stage brings up a wealth of inspirational and spiritual information. They also have a corner of icons for their shop (which includes cards), blogs, videos, games, communities and recipes.
If you or someone you love is "standin' in need of prayer" you can add them to Guideposts prayer team list by clicking on Faith & Living and on the lower right side of your screen you'll where to click to add them to Guideposts' prayer list. It's a powerful comfort and one I have personally used. Have fun exploring this wonderful site.
Until the Whole World Hears by Casting Crowns
Casting Crowns is a contemporary Christian
band and I'm sure you will recognize some of their songs when you
hear them. In an unprecedented six-year span with nearly 4.5 million
career album sales, a GRAMMY Award, an American Music Award, 23 Dove Awards and
8 chart-topping radio singles, Casting Crowns remains focused on discipleship
through music. Lead singer, Mark Hall says, “Our main purpose, above all
else, is to know Him more.” It’s that unwavering desire and the intent of a
personal friendship with Jesus that drives Casting Crowns and shapes its latest
offering of message-centered songs into powerful tools for discipleship.
The title is made of simple words which are a challenge to be intentional with the way we live our lives.” The lyrics were born out of John the Baptist’s life. “He was the voice crying out in the wilderness, eating grasshoppers, and speaking into the world about their sin. Speaking out in the wilderness is never popular but in the body of Christ, we’ve got to do it in love.”
If you want more information and to see their other titles go to: www.castingcrowns.com.
The Sisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Discovered the Hidden Gospels by Janet Soskice
In 1892, two sisters, identical twins from Scotland, made one of one of most important scriptural discoveries of modern times. Combing the library of St. Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai, they found a neglected palimpsest: one of the earliest known copies of the Gospels, a version in ancient Syriac, the language spoken by Jesus. This is the account of how two middle-aged ladies without university degrees uncovered and translated this text, bringing a treasure to world attention. This quintessentially Victorian adventure is partly a physical journey: when Westerners generally feared to tread in the region, the sisters Smith traversed the Middle East. It is also a journey of the mind: in an era when new discoveries in science and archaeology were rewriting the accepted understanding of the Bible's origins as well as those of humankind, a great contribution to knowledge was made by two whose only natural advantage was an astonishing gift for languages.
The Diocesan Convention met Nov 6-7, 2009. It began just one day after the Fort Hood (Texas) tragedy, at which a trained army psychiatrist used his personal firearms to attack people preparing to deploy overseas. The incident was causing an increase in hate crimes against the Muslim community, nationwide. News later filtered out about the attacker’s possible motives: at the time, we knew that Major Nidal Hasan was a lonely army psychiatrist aged 38. The Gospel reading on Day 2 of the convention told of how Jesus came upon a man, aged 38, who had been unable to get to the curative waters of the pool of Siloam on the occasions that they were disturbed, as the people understood, by an angel.
The previous day’s Gospel reading also came to mind: Peter consenting to have his feet washed, and, I imagine, metaphorically putting on the yoke of being an example not especially to his fellow Apostles but to all who were not in the upper room that Maundy Thursday night. There are no lesser people tasked to wipe our friends’, or our own, feet: the job of caring for people belongs to all Christians.
31 people, one of these a pregnant woman, died as a result of this incident. Most of us, the general public, were presented with the knowledge of what happened while it was in progress, or much later. A few who knew the killer, however, will ask themselves whether there were kind words or acts they could have passed along, years in advance, that might have served to change the trajectory and outcome of the event. While those who knew the Major might have swayed him, and will wonder if they could have made this difference, there is a lesson for us, that we are here and now in a position to care in little ways for people in our own lives. We may never know what horrific acts that our little acts of kindness are avoiding. It is too easy to ignore people, and as this tragedy shows, people who are ignored can end up feeling shunned, and angry, and murderously violent.
This New Year: here’s to washing feet; to happier Siloam stories!
Patrick Blumeris
Diocesan Convention Delegate
The parish mission trip to Kenya scheduled for this January has had to be postponed. We are looking to reschedule for sometime in the summer. Anyone interested in participating should contact Rev. Tom or Lois Freeman.
O God, You have made of one blood all peoples, to live in creation, and sent your blessed son Jesus Christ to preach peace to people both near and far: Help all your people to seek your will and find you; and hasten, O Lord, the fulfillment of your promise, to pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Serving on the Vestry
As we prepare for the January 24th Parish Annual Meeting, the nominating Committee is seeking candidates to serve on Vestry. The Vestry is the lay board that oversees the life of the parish. This includes the fiscal life of the parish as well as integrating that into the spiritual and social aspects of our life together.
Vestry Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of the month. We begin with dinner and a social time at 6:30. The meeting begins at 7:00 and we make every effort to end by 9:00 PM. The Vestry will also go on an overnight retreat on March 19-20th. A standard term on Vestry is for three years though sometimes a shorter term is open due to a vacancy.
Serving on Vestry is a way to learn more about the congregation, take on a leadership role with others, and by the grace of God, grow in your own faith. If you are interested or curious about serving on Vestry, please contact any of the members of the Nominating Committee below.
Liz Landers lizrland@comcast.net
Harry Taplin hltaplin@comcast.net
Edith Parekh edithparekh@gmail.com
Brian Hunter Brian.Hunter@anixter.com
Richard Coles rcoles@progress.com
Dee Miller deemiller1111@yahoo.com
Linda Cahill DaveLindaC@aol.com
Jean Rainville grainville@verizon.net
Melanie Hickcox mel@odic.com
(All phone numbers are area code 978 unless indicated)
Church Office...................................... 256-5673
Senior Warden....... Lois Freeman......... 663-1709
Junior Warden........ Scott Bempkins...... 877-8966
Treasurer............... Cynthia Bennett..... 256-5673
Clerk..................... Derick Gates.......... 250-1569
Acolyte Director.... Clem Cole.............. 251-1296
Adult Education...... Amy Hunter........... 459-3418
Altar Guild............. Liz Landers............ 256-9681
Buildings and…….. Scott Bempkins...... 448-6872
Grounds Dave Cahill............ 250-3592
Christian School..... Laura Marshall…....256-1460
Elizabeth Danieli..... 256-3044
Melissa Flewelling...250-8164
Coffee Hour.......... Matt Hickcox......... 448-0931
Endowment ........... Derick Gates ………250-1569
Environmental Stewardship
Committee............. Bill Moreau .............250-4028
Fellowship.............. to be filled……..... 256-5673
Finance Interim...... Derick Gates.......... 250-1569
Handbell Choir …. Debbie Psilopoulos... 256-0797
Music Minister....... Maggie Marshall.... 251-1296
Outreach............... Dave Kuzara………256-5484
Pastoral Care......... Ann Kirk............... 251-4547
Saints Alive............ Patrick Blumeris..... 256-9638
SaintsAlive e-mail:.. ........ saintsalive@yahoo.com
Stewardship Interim Derick Gates......... 250-1569
Thrift Shop............. Carol Cannistraro…256-0929
Youth Group.......... Nancy March......... 250-1695
Webmaster............ Richard Coles........ 256-1311
Web site................ www.allsaintschelmsford.org
