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 +
