Just minutes south of downtown St. Paul, near West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Mendota Heights, and Inver Grove Heights.


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A NOTE FROM LYDIA - LENT, 2009

“What the world needs now, is love, sweet love” goes the old song.  “It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of…” These days, we might say that “time” is running a close second to being the scarcest commodity.   Ask anybody how they are and the answer is almost always “Busy.” We fill our lives with so many good things that even young children carry day planners, and most of us can’t function without lists and calendars.  We wear our busy-ness almost like a badge of honor, a sign of our productivity, an expected lifestyle in our day and age. 

 

It does feel, often, that we have less time than we used to.  In his novel Einstein’s Dreams, Alan Lightman imagines Albert Einstein’s subconscious helping him work out the theory of relativity.  Lightman writes poetic chapters describing worlds in which time functions differently.  But we don’t have to understand the theory of relativity, or look to fiction, to think of time in different ways.  Days sometimes drag, while the years fly by.  The distance between birthdays is different for a child than for an older adult.  An hour spent doing something you love goes much faster than an hour waiting in line.  And so, too, our perception of having less time than we used to.  We still have 24 hours in a day, and 7 days in a week.  It’s just that we clutter our lives with things to do.  Worthwhile things, productive things – but clutter, nonetheless, if these things fill every cranny of time available so that we can no longer enjoy them, no longer have time to savor our accomplishments, no longer do the things that used to bring us joy or feed our spirit.

 

Lent, as you know, comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word for “spring,” referring to the “lent-ening” (lengthening) of days as we move toward the spring equinox.  What if we used this Lenten season 2009 to find time in our lives?  to lengthen our days? To make our days longer by de-cluttering?  It is traditional to give up something during Lent, as a spiritual discipline.  People often give up something that feels self-indulgent: chocolate or coffee, for example.  Some people take on a discipline of prayer or service. The purpose is to use Lent as a time to focus on our spiritual health and growth.  Maybe we need to give up some of our time-clutter?

 

I am wondering, this Lent, whether what we need most is to lent-en our days?  To find more time by doing less of what does not strengthen us or build relationships or draw us closer to God.  To reclaim time to pursue the things that bring us joy.  To claim again time to spend with friends in interesting conversation.  Time to pray, time to listen, time to sleep, time to walk, time to make music, time to just be.  Time, in ordinary, everyday life, to not be rushed by the tyranny of the urgent.  What would you give up, that keeps you from having time to live the way you say you want to live?

 

If you have time, and if it would feed your soul, I hope you will come to church on Wednesday evenings in Lent, for any part or all of the evening.  Soup supper at 5:45, for conversation and fellowship and physical nourishment.  Classes from 6:30-7:20, for sharing ideas, for intellectual and spiritual nourishment.  Holden Evening Prayer at 7:30, for prayer and music and soul nourishment.  At church, among spiritual friends, time seems to slow down and it’s a little easier to sense God’s presence.  And isn’t that what Lent is for?

 

Faithfully,   Lydia +

A NOTE FROM LYDIA - Sermon for January 25, Annual Meeting Sunday, 3rd Sunday After the Epiphany

Jonah 3:1-5, 10 and Mark 1:14-20

In many Episcopal churches, on the Sunday of the annual meeting, the rector’s sermon is the same as the rector’s annual report to the parish.  Oh, I wish that were the case today. It would have been easier for me…  But the report you will find in the annual report is just that – a report about the past year.  And while it’s fine as far as it goes, after it went to press last week I realized that I needed to say more about the future.

Because things have changed since last year.  We are living in extraordinary times. Every day brings more dire financial news, more layoffs, more foreclosures. Institutions from businesses, to non-profits, from corporations, to government at every level, to churches are facing budget shortfalls and bleak economic forecasts.

St. Anne’s is not immune.  We finished 2008 with a greater budget deficit than we had planned, due to shortfall in expected income, due to changes in the circumstances of some of our members.  And expected income for 2009 is down significantly. It’s a different world.

Among Episcopal churches in our diocese, and across the nation, we are not unique. Churches are cutting back or letting go some of their clergy or other staff. Cutting budget for program and ministry areas…  deferring maintenance on buildings… postponing planned improvements…  this is the story everywhere we look.  And so the story of St. Anne’s at this moment is a mirror or microcosm of what is happening everywhere these days.

That’s the bad news.  But the good news is that our health as a congregation of God’s people is not measured in dollars. Yes, we need money to operate in the way we are structured – to pay clergy and staff, to maintain our buildings and daily operations, to operate our ministry programs.  Yes, generous giving is a measure of spiritual health.  But the economic storm around us is buffeting our house, too, and this is a moment in our life together that will test us – as St. Anne’s has been tested before – and we will discover riches of blessing, abundance of God’s grace, and profound health among us.

2008 was a year of “Strengthening the Fabric of St. Anne’s.”  This was the theme set out by the vestry at its March retreat.  2008 was to be a year of “Deepening connections and community through shared service and fellowship.”  Throughout the year, we focused not on starting new things but on improving what we were already engaged in.  Sometimes, improving in an area of ministry meant adding something new to strengthen it.   But for the most part 2008 was a year of deepening rather than broadening, in all areas of our life and ministry.

At first glance the theme may sound like a call to be inwardly focused. Interestingly enough, 2008 was also a year of growth and deepening in one of the things that makes us St. Anne’s – our generosity and outreach beyond ourselves.

So 2008 should be remembered as a year of strengthening our core, including our core value of serving the world in Christ’s name.  In 2008 we strengthened the fabric that is us by:

a        Working together to renovate St. Anne’s House

a        Painting our sanctuary and narthex

a        Adapting our Sunday morning schedule to make it more “family friendly” – which has resulted in greatly increased and consistent attendance of our young people in Sunday morning programs

a        Continuing Sunday morning adult ed through the summer – and interestingly, attendance was consistent as with the rest of the year

a        Gathering to discuss books and watch thought-provoking films

a        Deepening our friendships with each other through social events, such as visiting the Art Museum, the Bishop Whipple exhibit at the History Center, and the trip to the Apple Orchard

a        Taking even better care of our members who are home-bound – continuing regular individual Eucharistic visits, and adding this year 3-4 full Eucharist services at the nursing home, and visiting at Christmas with children to sing carols

a        Improving our communication within the church and to the world, through our website and blog, and refurbishing our road sign

a        Recycling together, for the good of God’s earth, for the good of our souls as we seek to live more simply, for the good of those who can use the things we don’t, and for the good of our faith community as we work together on a common purpose – the rummage sale, treasures for schoolchildren, empty ink cartridges, aluminum cans, calendars, Soles4Souls, and much more

a        Continuing and adding to youth ministry – Summer Stretch, Lock-in, Spirit of Hope Middle School Dances

a        Adding the role of Verger to our Sunday morning servers, and strengthening our acolyte corps

a        Building ecumenical relationships and sharing worship & ministries with Spirit of Hope Catholic Community and our neighbor churches in Mendota Heights

a        Continuing our members’ involvement in many and various outreach ministries, including Project Home, Feed My Starving Children, CROP Walk, Mission to Children, Bear and a Prayer – and lots more

a        Participating as one of 4 churches in a diocesan pilot project to address the Millennium Development Goals, and together giving about $10,000 to Operation Bootstrap Africa and Kiva Microloans

a        Sending our first mission team to Holy Cross Anglican School in Belize. 14 missionaries took with them thousands of dollars given by the congregation and our neighbors. Also about 10 suitcases full of shoes and school supplies that you donated.

a        Worshiping together, indoors and out. Singing in 4-part harmony, chanting the Eucharist, burning palms for our own ashes, blessing animals and backpacks, baptizing and marrying and burying, praying and weeping, giving joyful thanks…

All of these and more, much more, are the strips of fabric that have woven together this year to strengthen us as God’s people.  And surround it all is the fabric of God’s loving grace, God’s presence among us and within us, that makes us who we are and will never leave us. Never. 

God’s call to us does not change because our economic situation is challenging.  Let’s not get distracted by the noise of our own fear, and so fail to hear God’s clear call:  To be the loving arms of Christ in the world that God loves so much.  This is why we exist… this is why we are here.  God has a mission in our world, and invites us to be healers, peacemakers, blessers, bearers of grace and love – the hands, feet, voice, ears and loving arms of Christ.

God sent Jonah to Ninevah, in Assyria – present-day Iraq – with a message of hope and peace and forgiveness from God.  The Assyrians were a mighty people, warlike, enemies of the tiny Hebrew nation.  Jonah was probably afraid to go. But after a short detour (you know about the whale, I’m sure), he went to Ninevah.  The message was that God hoped the Assyrians would turn toward God and live in peace and goodness.  They did, and God’s abundant forgiveness and mercy came to them (which made Jonah mad, because he wanted them to be punished – but that’s another story).

Jesus, walking along the seashore, called out to Simon Peter and Andrew, and James and John, and they left the safety of life as they knew it to become part of Jesus’ band of traveling disciples.  They left their nets – their “safety nets” perhaps – for the adventure of a lifetime, that would ultimately change the world.

Still God sends us to Ninevah.  Still Jesus calls us from what is safe and known.  Follow me…  Be bearers of the good news of God’s abundant grace and forgiveness and love.  Be full participants in God’s mission of healing and reconciliation.

Strengthening the Fabric of St. Anne’s.  All through the year I thought of a tapestry or large weaving – a big hammock, perhaps, or a large warm blanket.  But then, right before Christmas, we got the biggest Christmas tree ever from our neighbors, John and JoAnne Wahlstrom.  And a parable of Jesus came to me, that has been working on my soul.

Jesus said,

The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed,

which, when sown upon the ground,

is the smallest of all the seeds on earth;

yet when it is sown it grows up

and becomes the greatest of all shrubs,

and puts forth large branches,

so that the birds of the air can make nests in its branches.

Did you hear it? About the birds?  The tiny seed becomes a great shrub – not to exist for itself and the pleasure of being a shrub, or even as a thing of beauty to look at – but so that the birds of the air can come and make nests in its branches.  Find shelter, have a place to lay their eggs and nurture their young.

What if the weaving strips that we use to strengthen our fabric are for building nests?  What if the fabric we have been weaving is not a hammock for resting in, or a tapestry for looking at, or a blanket for keeping us warm, but a nest for nurturing our young and  incubating our faith, a place for temporary rest and shelter, a place for gathering strength for our lives, so that we can fly out into the world in Christ’s name.  And our tree is huge – there is room for a whole lot more nests, and a whole lot more birds.

We have done good work together this year.  We are stronger than we were last year, money and budgets notwithstanding.  I am grateful to our talented and dedicated staff and wardens and vestry, and to the dozens of you who are involved in leading and participating in the many ministries we share.  We continue to have some of our newer members stepping up into leadership positions, which is a source of great strength and energy.  I believe we are ready, with God’s help, for the challenges that lie ahead.

God calls us to be Christ’s loving arms in the world. That has not and will not change.  Let us learn anew what this means, and how we can be most faithful to the call, in this challenging time ahead.

Amen.

 

A NOTE FROM LYDIA - Epiphany 2009

Dear Ones,

Epiphany is the season of light. It begins with the visit of the magi, led by a star.  It continues with the baptism of Jesus, and the light shining on him from the heavens as the voice of God proclaims him God’s Son, the Beloved.  The Sundays of Epiphany will bring us stories of Jesus’ ministry of teaching and healing, as he lives in God’s light and shares it with the world.  We’ll end the season, just before Lent, with the story of the Transfiguration – Jesus on the mountaintop, dazzlingly bright with divine light.

John Westerhoff calls Epiphany the season for dreamers.  It is a season of idealism and hope, beginning with the magi.

The magi were dreamers, focused outside of themselves and their immediate lives.  Scanning the heavens, reading the ancient writings, musing on the meanings of what they saw and what they read.  When they saw a star of great brightness, they knew at once that it was something important.  They didn’t rest until they determined its meaning, and then they were willing to leave everything familiar behind to follow that star.  Like Don Quixote they set out on an impossible journey, following a star wherever it might lead them, no matter how hopeless, no matter how far.

Do you ever wonder about their journey, and whether they thought once or a million times about the comfortable beds and delicious food they had left behind?  I wonder whether they considered turning back.  I wonder what might have kept them going, when the voices of people back home rang in their ears – “You fools!  All that book learning must have gone to your head!  Have some common sense! You are going nowhere!”

When they got close, they stopped in Jerusalem and asked Herod for help in finding the new king.  Herod and all the people of influence and power were terrified.  Isn’t it ironic!  The magi dropped everything and traveled so far, following just a star, looking for a king of a foreign nation so they could honor him, while those right nearby were worried that their lives might have to change.

They brought improbable, extravagant gifts for the young king.  Gold – precious wealth of royalty.  Frankincense, smoky, pungent incense to represent a sacrifice or prayer to God.  And myrrh, the dried resin of tree sap, used in making incense to be burned at funerals.  As a gift it was expensive and precious.  In the story it foreshadows the young king’s early death.

When they got to Bethlehem, the star they were following led them right to the house where Jesus and Mary and Joseph were living.  And when they got there they knew at once they were in the right place.  Do you wonder if they were surprised to find such a young child to be the king they were seeking?  Jerome Berryman says they may have been surprised, but they were not disappointed, for they were very wise.  They probably knew what the prophet Isaiah had foretold, and what Jesus himself would teach – that a little child must lead the way to God’s kingdom.

Their encounter with the Christ Child changed them forever.  An angel warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod, because Herod wanted to kill the child.  So instead they returned to their home by another way.  By another way.  The truth is they were permanently changed and could not go back the way they had come.  Nothing would ever be the same again, now that they had known Christ.

It is a beautiful story of dreamers who themselves shine like a star, to help us find our way to the Christ.  And even more, for us today, is the fact that they were foreigners, from far away, whose journey closed the gap between “us” and “them.”  The role of the magi in the Christmas story shatters forever any divisions between people.  “In Christ there is no east or west, in him no south or north, but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth.” 

The magi looked beyond themselves to see the star, and followed that star to their own discomfort but ultimately to God.  So we too look beyond ourselves to recognize Christ in our neighbors, nearby and around the world.  So we too offer gifts – our gold, frankincense and myrrh – our money, our prayers, our recognition of death and our resurrection hope.

And thus does the star of Bethlehem shine in our hearts, leading us to Christ in the most surprising and improbable ways.

Faithfully,  Lydia +

A NOTE FROM LYDIA - Christmas 2008

The Risk of Birth

by Madeleine L’Engle

 

This is no time for a child to be born,

With the earth betrayed by war & hate

And a comet slashing the sky to warn

That time runs out & the sun burns late.

 

That was no time for a child to be born,

In a land in the crushing grip of Rome;

Honour & truth were trampled by scorn –

Yet  here did the Saviour make his home.

 

When is the time for love to be born?

The inn is full on the planet earth,

And by a comet the sky is torn –

Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.

 

Dear Members and Friends of St. Anne’s,

The familiar Christmas story focuses on shepherds and angels, wise men with gifts, Mary all calm and rested in blue, Joseph standing proudly by.  But read between the lines to find a very young, unmarried pregnant woman.  Her fiancé knows the child isn’t his, but he believes in dreams and the mysterious working of God.  He believes in her, and the two of them bravely face the future together. 

Reflect again and remember a political decree, causing displacement and upheaval.  A long journey by foot, at just the wrong time in her pregnancy.  A crowded town, in which they are strangers, homeless.  And the pangs of labor coming closer together now.

Draw on your senses, and smell the crowded barn. Feel the prickly straw and the hard dirt floor of the stable.  Hear the animal noises and the gasps of the laboring mother and the cry of the newborn baby.

The Christmas story is actually shocking and scandalous.  That God, the Creator of all, would become human, and enter our world in weakness, poverty and vulnerability.  That God would not remain aloof but would be “Emmanuel” – God with us.  That God would enter fully into our human condition, at its messiest and most vulnerable, thereby blessing our humanity in all its complexity and diversity.

God comes to us now, whatever our circumstances, whatever our fears or discomforts. And, wonder of wonders, God invites us to be partners with God in blessing humanity, entering fully into the messiness and challenges we see around us, bringing love and hope. 

A portion of our offering this Christmas will go to outreach in our local community.  This too is a time of instability, with homelessness and hunger increasing. Let us not forget that our Lord came to us in vulnerability and weakness, and let us not grow weary of joining God in loving the world.

        Faithfully,  Lydia +

A NOTE FROM LYDIA - December 2008

Let Evening Come        by Jane Kenyon

 

Let the light of late afternoon

shine through chinks in the barn, moving

up the bales as the sun moves down.

 

Let the cricket take up chafing

as a woman takes up her needles

and her yarn. Let evening come.

 

Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned

in long grass. Let the stars appear

and the moon disclose her silver horn.

 

Let the fox go back to its sandy den.

Let the wind die down. Let the shed

go black inside. Let evening come.

 

To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop

in the oats, to air in the lung

let evening come.

 

Let it come, as it will, and don’t

be afraid.  God does not leave us

comfortless, so let evening come.

 

The Gift of Advent

Dear Ones,

Advent is coming, the darkest season of the year.  The days are rapidly getting shorter.  The sun’s light has changed to reddish gold, and it comes at an increasingly low angle.  As I write this, we’re still over a month away from the longest night.  I think about people who live in places in the world where it’s even darker, and I reflect on how they cope with not seeing the sun for days or weeks at a time.  In Scandinavia, for instance, people have learned to embrace the darkness and enjoy things that are more special because of the cold and darkness.  Fires in the hearth.  Profusions of candles.  All-day scents of stews simmering and bread baking.

It’s an approach that seems decidedly faithful.  In the darkness, to hold steady, and to find ways to embrace what is life-giving.  In the darkness, not to mourn what is lost but to celebrate what is.  Not to deny that it is dark, but to accept darkness as part of life that eventually yields again to light.  To trust the Light, and wait for it to come in its own time.  This is the gift of Advent.

In the autumn of the year, just as in the afternoon every day, we have time to prepare for the darkness that is coming. In life, darkness often comes upon us without warning.  Unexpected death, or precipitous financial loss, or the sudden loss of a job, or sickness sneaking up without warning…  We can find ourselves suddenly in a dark place. We are not prepared, and we may feel that what has happened is not natural.  Yet even this kind of darkness is part of life.

It is not faithless to acknowledge despair, or to name it in our prayers. The psalms give us a rich source of prayers and language about life’s darkness.  How long will this pain go on, Lord, this grief I can hardly bear? How long will anguish grip me, and agony wring my mind?  (Ps. 13)  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Ps. 22)  O my God, by day and night I cry to you. … For I am full of trouble; my life is at the brink of the grave. … Darkness is my only companion. (Ps. 88)

But the psalms don’t leave us in that place of despair. They also gave us language for the gleam of hope that persists even in the depths of darkness, even when we ourselves can’t see it.  You, O God, have rescued my life from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling. (Ps. 116)  Listen, O God, and answer me, for I am poor and broken; … Now in my time of trouble, I call, and I know you will answer. (Ps. 86)

Darkness can also be understood as a place of gestation, where new life grows.  Seeds germinate in the darkness of soil.  Babies develop in the darkness of the womb.  The darkness of night brings sleep and refreshment.  And even in the darkness of grief and despair, God’s grace can work to plant and nurture wisdom, forgiveness, new life and new hope.  The Greek playwright Aeschylus wrote:  “In our sleep, upon the heart, sorrow falls, memory’s pain, and to us, though against our very will, even in our own despite, comes wisdom, by the awful grace of God.”

A part of wisdom is the recognition that darkness comes to everyone, and it is not to be feared.  God is present, and will never leave us. A beloved hymn prays:  “Abide with me, fast falls the eventide. The darkness deepens. Lord, with me abide. When other helpers fail, and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me.”  And a beautiful old prayer of the church can help us commit all our days and evenings to God:

Lord support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done.  Then in thy mercy, grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last.  Amen.

The darkness of autumn grows, and winter is coming.  May it be a time of rest and quiet growth. Let us be community gathered around the fire of God’s love. Let us light profusions of candles – the “Christlight” – and help each other find the way. Let us trust that the Light is with us and within us, and will bring a bright new day.

Faithfully, Lydia+ 

 A NOTE FROM LYDIA - November 2008

Strengthening the Fabric of St. Anne’s:  A Grateful Heart

Dear Ones,

I knew it would happen.  I stood up on Sunday, at the meeting after church, to thank those who had been working so hard this fall to get our program year underway.  I even said, the problem with thanking people verbally, and without a written list, is the danger of leaving people out.  Yet I went ahead.

I thanked the Children’s & Youth Ministry team and all the teachers – Ingrid, Karen, Jennifer, Laura, Roxie, Kathryn, Tim, Paul, Barb, & Mary… I thanked Pat & all who are helping with adult ed. (I forgot to thank him for Confirmation)…. I thanked Marilyn, the wardens Douglas and Jan, the vestry, the buildings and grounds team, the men’s group for fixing up the sign, Rebekah Dupont and Pete Amish for conducting Safe Church training. I thanked the communications team and urged everyone to visit the website and blog.

People at the meeting helped me by calling out some of the things that had been done recently and the names of those who had done them.  Someone remembered the big projects that had been done earlier in the year, so I thanked those people too.  I was treading on thin ice…. As the scope of projects and ministries widened, the likelihood of forgetting to thank someone grew.

And so I did.  Forget, that is.  I’d like to add to those I mentioned on Sunday: Patty Anderson and Shirley Mueller, and all who helped with the August rummage sale that netted $1,000 for our operating budget.  Our Altar Guild, faithfully working behind the scenes week after week.  Tony Sofie for his outstanding leadership of the choir.  The singers, for beautiful music week after week.  The children and their families, making the effort to get here on Sundays for Sunday Club.

And now the ice is getting thin again.  Forgive me for not thanking you here.  There is no way to thank everyone.  And the truth is, I know you don’t do these things so you will be thanked.  I just feel better when I remember to say thank you. I feel better when my heart is a heart of gratitude, rather than entitlement.  I feel better when I remember the many gifts that flow to St. Anne’s and to me – to US – from among us and from God.

Meister Eckhart famously said, “If the only prayer you said in your life were ‘Thank you,’ that would be enough.”  The epistle writer advised, “Give thanks in all things.”  And so in November, when we celebrate a national holiday for giving thanks, it is really just a pause in our busy lives to shout publicly what we are already saying daily, to God and to one another:  “Thank You.”

The children’s Sunday Club theme for November is “Gratitude.”  They will be making a Gratitude Tree and inviting us to participate in naming things we are grateful for.

November is also the month we make our annual financial commitment to God’s work in and through St. Anne’s.  Our commitment is part of our “Thank You” for the blessings we receive as part of this wonderful faith community.  I am grateful every day for the privilege of serving as your priest, working with you and among you to further God’s mission.  Please join me in making our “Thank You” a loud, shouted response for all God’s blessings.

Faithfully,  Lydia +

A NOTE FROM LYDIA - September 2008

Strong Fabric is not Static

Dear Ones,

Our theme for this year, chosen by the vestry at our February retreat, is “Strengthening the Fabric of St. Anne’s.”  Throughout the year we have been focusing on improving the assets and programs we already have in place, and adding things that seemed to be needed to make us stronger in faith, or more cohesive as a community, or living more fully into our mission statement.  There has been a sense of growing health and strength, as we weave more threads into the fabric that is us, and notice the Weaver at work making us stronger.

And so it feels, perhaps, like a weakening of our fabric when we experience loss and change of our leadership.  We are sad to say goodbye to our music director, Daniel Pederson.  In his nearly 2 years with us, Daniel strengthened our musical and liturgical offerings.  He dusted off the handbells and made bell music a regular part of our worship.  His conducting made our 6-to-10-voice choir sound rich and full.  We sang many of his compositions, as service music, hymns, and anthems.  His gentle kindness and wisdom encouraged staff and congregation alike.  Daniel leaves St. Anne’s to take a similar position at a church much nearer his home, Calvary Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.  Daniel takes with him our gratitude and our love.  

The staff, wardens, vestry, and choir are working together to assess our leadership needs and hire a new music director.  We are all committed to keeping our music program strong in the interim.  Choir rehearsal will start September 3, 7:30 PM, and all singers (high school age and up) are encouraged to participate.

Another loss this fall was the resignation of Lizzie Fuenffinger as our nursery caregiver. Lizzie has taken another part-time job, and will return to her former role as “just” a church member.  Lizzie’s steady faithfulness and loving care of our youngest members has been a true gift to St. Anne’s families.  The good news is that immediately we were able to hire Claire Zubiran, the sister of our former nursery caregiver Sarah Mechtel. Claire is the mother of a 6-month-old boy, and she will be in our nursery every Sunday during education hour and worship. Stop in and say hello!

One of the characteristics of strong fabric is its resiliency.  It moves and breathes, it stretches and adapts as it is needed.  That’s us.  God is weaving us into a strong, beautiful fabric.  No thread that has been part of us has been lost or wasted. Each has contributed to our gathering strength.  And so these times of transition are times to listen to the voice of the Weaver, and also to look at the fabric we are becoming. What gifts (threads) are present already here, that can be woven in more effectively? What new design is God weaving into us? And what new purpose does God have for us?  The fabric is not meant to sit on the shelf, but to comfort, protect, and beautify.

Thank you, Daniel and Lizzie, for all you have given.  Welcome, to Claire and all the new discoveries and people God will bring to be part of our strengthening tapestry.  Rejoice in what new opportunities God will bring for us to make Christ’s love known, in our families, neighborhoods, and the world.

Faithfully, Lydia +

 A NOTE FROM LYDIA - August 2008

Strengthening the Fabric of Saint Anne’s:  Finding All the Time We Need

Dear Ones,

In our busy 21st century lifestyles, time itself seems the most precious commodity.  Who has not felt rushed trying to get everyone in the family where they need to be, juggling schedules, struggling to fit daily household chores or quality recreation time into the week?  Too often, Sunday morning seems to offer just more of the same: wake up early, hurry everyone through breakfast and finding clean clothes to put on, then getting to church late for Sunday school, rushing from class to worship.

At least, this is what St. Anne’s families have said, as one reason why participation in our Sunday morning education hour starts off strong in the fall and then wanes to really discouraging levels after Christmas.  Nine AM is just too early.  The morning feels rushed, starting even before leaving home.  Church mornings add to the hectic-ness of life, rather than offering a re-charge for the upcoming week.

In addition, 45 minutes isn’t enough time for adult education classes, especially allowing for the needed 10 minutes of gathering time before the class really starts.  Participants often feel they are just digging into the interesting discussion, when it’s time to end.  The limited time makes it difficult to bring in outside speakers, too.

What if…  What if Sunday mornings felt like an oasis of calm in our busy lives? What if there were opportunities for children, youth, and adults to engage in activities and classes that fed our minds, recharged our souls, and made us feel rested and energized? What if our schedule invited more participation? …  did not feel rushed? … strengthened us individually and as a whole faith community?

Beginning September 7, we will adopt an expansive, slightly later, Sunday morning schedule:

9:15-10:15        Education hour for all ages       [9:15-9:30 Music/gathering time for 1st-5th grades; then transition to class]

10:15-10:30      Transition time; coffee & juice available

10:30                Morning worship

approx. 11:30    Coffee fellowship

The vestry has approved this change, hoping that:

1) Participation in education hour will increase, at all levels. 

2) Choir members will be able to attend (most of) a class. 

3) The later start time will make life easier for families.

4) The music/gathering time for elementary-age children will involve more children in “choir”, learning songs they can sing in church.

5) Adult classes will bring in outside speakers more often.

6) The full hour for education, and 15 minutes of transition time, will allow us all to “breathe” on Sunday morning, and to feel that we really are in a sacred space apart from the busy-ness of the world.

In addition, plans are underway to loosen up the divisions and expectations of people of various ages on Sunday morning.  The curriculum for young children and youth will include more service work and fellowship, along with traditional curriculum.  Stay tuned! or better yet, become involved in planning, leading, supporting these efforts.

Sunday morning formation program is not the only way individuals and families can be nurtured in faith. But it is a cornerstone of a comprehensive formation program for all ages.  I pray that through this change, more St. Annians will participate in our community life as learners, teachers, and friends, for the strengthening of the fabric of St. Anne’s.

Faithfully, Lydia +

 A NOTE FROM LYDIA - July 2008

Strengthening the Fabric of St. Anne’s: Focus on Wellness Ministry

Dear Ones,

We are complicated, whole people. We cannot be separated out into a body, a spirit, a mind.  Body, mind, and spirit integrate together to make each of us who we are, and health in each of these aspects influences our overall health.

This may seem obvious… or not. For many years the church focused almost exclusively on spiritual health, leaving physical and mental health to the realm of science and healthcare professionals. In the last several decades, there has been a renewed recognition that Jesus’ ministry integrated physical and spiritual healing. When he sent his disciples out on their first mission trip, he instructed them to “…proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’  Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.” (Matthew 10:7-8)  As the church has reclaimed a role in physical and mental well-being, the medical community has also recognized the importance of spiritual health in physical and mental well-being.  Wellness Ministry in the church seeks to bridge that former divide, encouraging everyone to attend to their overall health as individuals and as a community.

St. Anne’s is among the many churches who recognize that health of body, mind, and spirit is part of good stewardship of the gift of life God has entrusted to us.  A cathedral church I visited once long ago had a card in the pew, describing the healing prayer ministry they offered during communion:

The Holy Scriptures tell us that Jesus touched those who came to him seeking healing in their lives. Jesus saw beyond the immediate physical needs of those who came to him, making those whom he touched whole in all aspects of their lives so that they might glorify and serve God. The act of healing through the laying on of hands has been a part of the church’s ministry from the earliest days.   Healing of body, mind, and spirit is God’s work of love among all people and so we bring the broken parts of our lives to God, prayerfully seeking God’s healing.

When we gather for worship we pray as a community of faith “for our own needs and those of others.” Our common prayer in community lifts our deepest concerns to God and asks that the healing power of God’s love might be present among us. For some there is a physical need, others may need healing in their families, their relationships, their emotional and personal lives. All are invited to pray for God’s gift of health and wholeness.

At St. Anne’s, the Wellness Ministry Team oversees and encourages opportunities for people of all ages to become more whole, more healthy, more faithful in body, mind and spirit.  Please read the special report from this group, included in this Announcer.  Wellness Ministry is for everyone, as faithful stewards of God’s gift of life.

 Faithfully,  Lydia +

          A NOTE FROM LYDIA - June 2008

Strengthening the Fabric of Saint Anne’s: Growing in Knowledge, Sharing Ideas

    Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God--what is good and acceptable and perfect.   Romans 12:2

 Knowledge of God is not Forbidden Fruit.

It is often said that to be an Episcopalian, you don’t have to check your brain at the door.  We are people who welcome questions, who encourage exploration of ideas, and who see doubt not as the opposite of faith, but as a necessary ingredient for ongoing spiritual development.  And so it is not surprising that St. Anne’s is full of avid readers.  As I talk with you, I discover that many of you are reading all the time, interesting books of all kind.  I have learned that, as a community, we share a broad range of interests.  I have also discovered that many of you are “armchair theologians.”  You read all kinds of books – history, theology, fiction, psychology – and you reflect on what you read in terms of your Christian faith, and you come up with all kinds of really interesting and provocative ideas.  But you don’t talk about them with others at church very much, because… well, maybe your ideas are too strange, and after all … it’s just a thought.

I invite you to leave your armchair and become “kitchen table theologians.”  Kitchen table theology is developed through conversation, over coffee or a meal or a glass of wine.  It can take place at the kitchen table, or in a living room or a bar, or even a meeting room at church.  It develops as faithful people engage one another with ideas they have read, intertwined with the truth they know in their lives, connecting with our biblical and traditional story.  Kitchen table theology is about learning what the “experts” are saying, then reflecting and interpreting it with other people, and not being afraid of new ideas.  It is about letting God speak in new ways to us in a new age.

To help us become kitchen table theologians together, St. Anne’s library is launching the “Virtual Book Club.”  What have you read, that caused you to think about God/life/important issues in new or challenging ways?  What have you read that you think it would be helpful or fun to talk about with others at church?  If you are willing to part with the book, write your name in the front, with the month and year you read the book, and a comment about why you liked it.  Put the book on the designated shelves in the church library.  Leave a book… take a book… and every time you read a book from the “Virtual Book Club,” add your name, date, and comment to the inside cover.  You will see who else at St. Anne’s has read the book – and you can pick up a conversation with them at coffee hour.  We’re also hoping to bring discussions to the website.

Another venue for developing our minds is that adult education will continue all summer, at 9:00 AM.  For some, the summer months may be a better time than the school year for gathering to explore ideas related to our Christian faith.  Details about upcoming topics are in this Announcer.  Childcare will be provided.

Knowledge of God is not forbidden fruit.  Don’t be afraid to explore ideas, entertain doubts, share insights, and let your mind expand.  Be transformed by the renewing of your minds.  Developing the brain God gave you can strengthen you spiritually and deepen your faith.

See you at the kitchen table.

Faithfully, Lydia +

A NOTE FROM LYDIA - MAY 2008

Strengthening the Fabric of Saint Anne’s: Focus on Buildings & Grounds

Dear Ones,

As part of our work this year to “Strengthen the Fabric of Saint Anne’s”, each month we will be featuring a different ministry area in the monthly Announcer.  This month we focus on “Buildings and Grounds.”

Saint Anne’s is blessed with a goodly heritage.  The land we sit on was a gift from Duncan and Helen Baird in 1957, for the purpose of establishing a new Episcopal congregation in the Diocese of Minnesota.  In 1960 Good Shepherd Church was built. It was a long rectangular building, with the sanctuary located in what is now the parish hall. Kitchen, office, and classrooms were in what is now the kitchen and office wing.

When Good Shepherd and St. Andrew’s merged in 1985 to become St. Anne’s, one of the first things they did as the newly formed parish was to build the new sanctuary.  Bishop Robert Varley, who led the merger and served as St. Anne’s first vicar, had the vision to encourage this ambitious project.  The History of Saint Anne’s notes that they broke ground on September 21, 1985 – “a rainy Saturday.”

The outline of the new building was marked with stakes and ribbons. … Throughout the building process, parishioners did much of the finishing work on the new building, including the painting of the very high walls (one parishioner wore a parachute). Woodwork was sealed and stained by parishioners. The older sections were completely renovated: new insulation, a new roof, new siding, and new windows donated in part by Marvin Windows.

In 1995 the education wing was built. The choir room, vesting sacristy, and nursery were added.

Saint Anne’s House was also donated to the parish. But before that, it was built by Mike Coonan’s parents, and located on Lexington Ave.  In 1965 it was owned by parishioner Libby Pearson, and was directly in the proposed path of Highway 35E.  Libby donated the house to St. Anne’s, and had it moved to its present location, to become St. Anne’s Rectory.  In May of 1984, a thorough renovation of St. Anne’s House was undertaken as the first joint project of Good Shepherd and St. Andrew’s, even before they officially decided to merge.  The History notes:

Ray Brower (Good Shepherd) and Wayne Ogorek (St. Andrew’s) were appointed co-chairs of committee of volunteers from both parishes to repair the rectory. … With support from the Diocese, wood paneling was cleaned, plaster was replaced, tiles in the kitchen were replaced, kitchen cabinets were removed, refinished and re-installed, wallpaper was removed, and floors were scrubbed.  This was the first real co-project with the goal of mutual benefit. Thanks to the many hours of work required, the parishes really began to know one another.

Due to the vision, gifts, and hard work of many, we have inherited a physical plant that is an asset for ministry.  It is a place of beauty and serenity, where God’s presence is felt and God’s creation enjoyed. We are blessed that our building is not a money pit, but is generally in good repair.  We must continue to invest in maintenance and improvement, and our vision for expanding ministry and outreach lead us into developing more ways to use this wonderful asset.  Please see the special insert in this Announcer for an overview of this ministry area, and vision for the future.  Caring for our buildings and grounds is a matter of stewardship, so that many may continue to come here for worship, learning, spiritual growth, comfort, and healing.

Faithfully, Lydia +

A note from Lydia— APRIL 2008

 2008: A Year of “Strengthening the Fabric” of St. Anne’s

 Dear Ones,

 At its organizational retreat March 7-8, the vestry looked back over what went well at St. Anne’s in the past year.  The list was long.  We made progress on many fronts in 2007, from building & grounds to liturgy & music, from growing our staff to caring for our members, from welcoming new members to our education programs.  We then named areas where we could have done better.  That list was not as long, but there is plenty of room for improvement, in our communication, in long range financial planning, in children’s education and greater parishioner involvement in various ministries.

 The third list was about “blue-sky” visioning.  What would our ideal St. Anne’s look like?  No thought for what is practical or feasible, but simply “wouldn’t it be great if…” 

 And then the big question: What can we accomplish in the next 2 years, before our 25th anniversary?  In 2010 St. Anne’s will be 25 years old.  What do we want to look like then?  How do we want to be poised to enter the next quarter century?  What is God leading us to do and become together, in 2008 and 2009?

 The 3rd list, the “blue-sky” list, yielded clues to help us understand where our energy lies, where the Holy Spirit is at work among us.  Just as 2007 was a year of big new accomplishments, stretching us with new things and turning our focus outward, 2008 calls for tending to more of the inner structures that keep a community grounded and strong, and that will keep the initiatives we have started healthy and

viable.  A majority of the items on list 3 could be grouped under fellowship, buildings & grounds, and communication.  Uniting it all seemed to be a theme of strengthening our connections within our faith community and with the world around us.

 And so we came up with a theme for this year, that will guide the current vestry as we lead the parish: 

 “Strengthening the Fabric of St. Anne’s:  Deepening Connections and Community Through Shared Service and Fellowship.”

 We will be revisiting the Strategic Plan developed at the end of 2006, using it to help the various commissions and ministry teams prioritize what needs to be done.  Each vestry

 member will continue to work at inviting others into work that interests them and for which they have skills and abilities that can be used for the common good.  We will continue to care for our beautiful buildings and grounds, promoting their use by every member and by the greater community.  We will improve our communication both within the church and with the neighborhood.  We will encourage every member to actively engage in service, learning, fellowship, and worship, for the deepening of our spiritual lives, the strengthening of friendships, and the strengthening of St. Anne’s corporate identity.  We will continue to reach out beyond our walls through giving and service.

2008 is already off to a great start.  May God bless our efforts and help us to become ever stronger, a bright light shining with the love of Christ.

 Faithfully,  Lydia+