Looking over our long-term goals, I want to start with thanks to the Capital Campaign Steering Committee led by Fiona Campbell, Bill Kell and Pat and Rowland Rebele, and thanks to Karen Greenleaf for her years of leadership there as well.  And to the guarantors, who have made possible the excellent loans from which we benefit: Cottles, Fernalds, Greenleafs, Hansens, Kells, Rebeles, Rowens and Wolfes.  We must keep faith with them!

I and we are blessed (literally and figuratively), by John Duncan, Eliza Linley, Stu Schlegel, and recently retired and moved back into the area, Catherine “Cat” Keyser-Mary, the generous clergy who share their vision and leadership through preaching and in so many other ways.

Our vestry has been led with great competence and care these past two years by the Wardens, Bob White and Claudia Brown.  I am personally grateful to them.  They have helped us set policy and use it, and with the help of the Strategic Planning Team, to complete the process of setting three to five year goals and then implement these in goal setting.  The 2011 Vestry has done this in every ministry area and each is working on those goals as we strive to “live into” our context and community and the needs of our members and our future members.

Helpful Shop – As you’ll see in their report, they are prospering under the leadership of Andy Pudan!   I don’t want to repeat his report here, but what a marvelous ministry the shop is in the community and in generosity, and how blessed we are by Steve Speciale and his family, carrying on his father Joe’s legacy of partnership with us and making it their own.

Our music director of several decades, Bill Visscher, changed benches to be organist nearer his home and work in the Bay Area, and God bless him in his new congregation where he will be the blessing he has been among us.  Bill has been so much a part of the parish and its leadership that he can’t be “replaced.” So we are working on a job description that reflects our Strategic Plan (as we are doing with all job descriptions this year), and then we’ll get to recruiting.

The dedication and skill of Leslie Baker and the choir is such enrichment to our worship.  We are blessed this year to have added (because of . . . → Read More: Rector’s Reflections February 2012]]> Rector’s Report - Annual Report

Looking over our long-term goals, I want to start with thanks to the Capital Campaign Steering Committee led by Fiona Campbell, Bill Kell and Pat and Rowland Rebele, and thanks to Karen Greenleaf for her years of leadership there as well.  And to the guarantors, who have made possible the excellent loans from which we benefit: Cottles, Fernalds, Greenleafs, Hansens, Kells, Rebeles, Rowens and Wolfes.  We must keep faith with them!

I and we are blessed (literally and figuratively), by John Duncan, Eliza Linley, Stu Schlegel, and recently retired and moved back into the area, Catherine “Cat” Keyser-Mary, the generous clergy who share their vision and leadership through preaching and in so many other ways.

Our vestry has been led with great competence and care these past two years by the Wardens, Bob White and Claudia Brown.  I am personally grateful to them.  They have helped us set policy and use it, and with the help of the Strategic Planning Team, to complete the process of setting three to five year goals and then implement these in goal setting.  The 2011 Vestry has done this in every ministry area and each is working on those goals as we strive to “live into” our context and community and the needs of our members and our future members.

Helpful Shop – As you’ll see in their report, they are prospering under the leadership of Andy Pudan!   I don’t want to repeat his report here, but what a marvelous ministry the shop is in the community and in generosity, and how blessed we are by Steve Speciale and his family, carrying on his father Joe’s legacy of partnership with us and making it their own.

Our music director of several decades, Bill Visscher, changed benches to be organist nearer his home and work in the Bay Area, and God bless him in his new congregation where he will be the blessing he has been among us.  Bill has been so much a part of the parish and its leadership that he can’t be “replaced.” So we are working on a job description that reflects our Strategic Plan (as we are doing with all job descriptions this year), and then we’ll get to recruiting.

The dedication and skill of Leslie Baker and the choir is such enrichment to our worship.  We are blessed this year to have added (because of our Strategic Plan goals and a grant from the Helpful Shop) a teen choir led by Shelley Phillips and a children’s choir led by Lorna Kohler, and we look forward to the growth of these programs and, we hope, a summer program developing from this beginning.

Valerie Lyttle has served ably and energetically as Coordinator of Volunteers for Children and Youth since May.  She has also been the editor of our Forerunner for the past two years, and now has handed the reigns over to Adriana Kell and Joanne Peterson.

Our altar guild is the best, its members so skilled and reliable and creative, and its leader, Nancy Young, so pastoral as well.

The office is less cheerful without Madonna Reilly as Administrative Assistant.  We will be advertising soon to fill the position.  The parish simply wouldn’t run without our office volunteers: Joanne Peterson, Suzanne Kesterson, Mary Jane Chambers, Suzanne Krakover-Nickel, Judy Verbeck, Wilma Staver and others.  I won’t even attempt to list all the hats they wear, but their cheerfulness and generosity is a marvel.  And Lou Wolfe was a wonder among them, doing our E-Memo and parish directory and so much more not just in the office, but in all her other ministries.  She has left a hole in our hearts.

Our finances are overseen by our vestry and our marvelous treasurer, now finished with her years in that job, Mary-Nona Hudson.   She leaves us with so many accomplishments: a good balance in the checking account, a working finance department, the wonderful building loans that are a labor of love accomplished by the negotiating to which she and Rowland Rebele gave so much of themselves.  And we are all delighted with Annita Seibert, our bookkeeper.  Among the debts of gratitude we owe to Sherrie DeWitt and Mary-Nona is the finding of and good start for Annita!

Jon Showalter and Charles Greenleaf simply show up and do building maintenance, quietly, steadily and with good cheer.  Karen Hellgren schedules all our Sunday Servers.  Robert Nelson serves as clerk to the vestry. Lois Calkins serves as altar guild for our services at Dominican Oaks.  Chris Cottle, leading the Endowment Board, held the first annual meeting of St. John’s Legacy Society in May.  Dave Evans led our excellent Lenten Study on Atonement.  Claudia Brown leads the very popular Wed. Night Bible Study.  Charmion Burns and Bill Kell lead new studies in Contemplative living (for which Ray Wolfe had the vision).  Evening Prayer is led every weekday (this several decades) by Cindy Phillips, Karen and Charles Greenleaf, Sherrie DeWitt and Joanne Peterson, Charmion Burns and Suzanne Krakover-Nickel, and Wednesday nights Mother Cat Keyser-Mary is celebrating Holy Communion for the healing service as well.   Vestry goals and leadership have touched every area of parish life – read the reports – beginning new things like our First Sunday Family Service at 9:00A.M.  We all owe all of these a great debt of thanks for their service.

In September and October of this year I was able to take a long-delayed eight-week sabbatical to slow down and think about just one thing.  I spent two weeks at Gladstone Library in Wales and the rest at home reading about the dialog between theology and science.  It was fascinating and renewing to study and discuss these two passions over that time and my interest has deepened as a result.  I see this as having implications for our life as a parish, especially in sharing our faith.

I have served this year, beyond the boundaries of the parish, as Chair of the Diocesan Commission on Ministry, and as a member of the Regional Strategy Team of Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action (COPA).

I am honored to be your rector and see God at work in you, day by day.

Faithfully,

Steve Ellis

Rector

            There is anguish in “between-ness.”  We have evidence every day that our society, and all human society, falls far short.  The more we desire goodness the more we feel the shortfall.  We feel for those who are hurt or disadvantaged whenever someone acts out of fear and greed and thoughtless disregard.

            There is another discomfort in between-ness.  We see the world fall so far short of the glory we’ve been shown, and we know that we so often contribute to the shortfall, by our actions or by what we leave undone, by our willfulness or by our lack of vision. 

            And yet, it is only between-ness because there is glory. . .

            We have received in Christ a vision of what a restored humanity could be, and we have felt, in ourselves, what forgiveness and promise mean.  We’ve been moved to courage we didn’t have before we knew forgiveness was real.  We’ve engaged with life, with people, with needs that we wouldn’t have dared to because of  the love of Christ that has come to live through us in this world.  Hope gets restored here and there.  We have intimations of glory that we might have been too cynical to entertain, until Christ became real to us in prayer or in community, in the Scriptures or in Holy Communion, however the Spirit makes that first entry into your life or my life.

            We are between.  Between promise and fulfillment.  Embarrassed, yes, but not without hope; and Advent is the season where we cherish that hope and nourish it.  The season when we encourage prayer about the fulfillment – the glory – that God intends to bring about for all of creation.  We encourage hope, in the form of an attitude of expectancy.  “Watch” “Keep awake” “Prepare” are Advent words.  We . . . → Read More: Rector’s Reflections December 2011]]>             The church year begins with “Advent” – a season that makes a blessing of our ambiguous situation, sometimes joy and sometimes anguish, being stretched between incredible promise and having to wait for fulfillment.  I don’t know about you, but I resist waiting.  We live between the immeasurable gift of God’s presence in this world as a human being with all that means for our potential as individuals and as the human race, the maturity and fulfillment that is promised – between all that and the disappointments of the daily grind.

            There is anguish in “between-ness.”  We have evidence every day that our society, and all human society, falls far short.  The more we desire goodness the more we feel the shortfall.  We feel for those who are hurt or disadvantaged whenever someone acts out of fear and greed and thoughtless disregard.

            There is another discomfort in between-ness.  We see the world fall so far short of the glory we’ve been shown, and we know that we so often contribute to the shortfall, by our actions or by what we leave undone, by our willfulness or by our lack of vision. 

            And yet, it is only between-ness because there is glory. . .

            We have received in Christ a vision of what a restored humanity could be, and we have felt, in ourselves, what forgiveness and promise mean.  We’ve been moved to courage we didn’t have before we knew forgiveness was real.  We’ve engaged with life, with people, with needs that we wouldn’t have dared to because of  the love of Christ that has come to live through us in this world.  Hope gets restored here and there.  We have intimations of glory that we might have been too cynical to entertain, until Christ became real to us in prayer or in community, in the Scriptures or in Holy Communion, however the Spirit makes that first entry into your life or my life.

            We are between.  Between promise and fulfillment.  Embarrassed, yes, but not without hope; and Advent is the season where we cherish that hope and nourish it.  The season when we encourage prayer about the fulfillment – the glory – that God intends to bring about for all of creation.  We encourage hope, in the form of an attitude of expectancy.  “Watch” “Keep awake” “Prepare” are Advent words.  We consciously, prayerfully cultivate a space in our lives, a wondering where God will make the next opportunity for us to act in love.  We have to be awake enough to notice when we are being loved.  Awake enough to notice when God is asking us to do some service, some kindness, some act of hope. 

            God sometimes asks great things of us, never doubt that; but most of these moments in which we are needed to serve, to restore community, to restore hope in someone, most of them are a dime a dozen.  I use that phrase deliberately, not to say they are unimportant, but to say that they are common.  What is common matters.  Hope in little actions matters.  God doesn’t only call us to great and dramatic things, but in all kinds of little moments.  It is when they become a way of life that we are becoming mature.  It is when it becomes routine for us to be awake to others that we are awake to the Holy Spirit.

            When hope has been built into our lives, when a strengthening word, a ready hand, an understanding heart, a responsible act, a bit of generosity, a word that invites the cynical heart to trust – when these become routine – Advent is taking root.  May God use this season and its disciplines so that Christ can be born in us, and among us, ever more deeply.

“Nakusalimia kwa jina la Yesu!”* 

This is a phrase we need to learn, as it means, “I greet you in the Name of Jesus!” It’s what you can say when you meet the Rt. Rev. Sadock Makaya, Bishop of Western Tanganyika, who will be with us on November 6 when we celebrate All Saints. Or if that’s too complicated, you may simply say, “Mimi ni Rafiki”, which means, “I am a friend”. That day we will also be welcoming our rector Steve back to St. John’s after a two-month sabbatical (for him, you may simply say these phrases in English!) On that day, Bp. Makaya will preach and celebrate at the 11:00 service, for which we will pull out all the stops, including the use of incense. You have been warned. If incense is a problem, come to a fabulous All Saints First Sunday family service at 9, and then to the forum, led by the bishop (whom we may call Bp. Sadock), which will be a chance to hear and ask questions about the church in Western Tanganyika, his diocese in Tanzania. This is the diocese our parish has been supporting with scholarships for school children. The DWT scholarship program has been remarkably successful, in large part due to the efforts of our own Kim and Julie Fudge. Their hard work and dedication are the reason Bp. Sadock is coming to visit us, so Thank You, Julie & Kim!! 

 Mark your calendar also for the Stewardship Ingathering dinner on November 13 (details elsewhere in this issue of the Forerunner), AND ALSO for an all-parish barbecue on the afternoon of November 19 to officially welcome Steve back, and to hear about his sabbatical. Still have that calendar out? November 6 is also the first rehearsal for the Children’s Choir at 11:00. And get ready to hear them sing at the 9:00 service on December 4. On November 19, a Saturday, there will will also be a training session for lectors and servers, and an opportunity to join this ministry, so important to our worship. 

These are just a few of the activities underway at St. John’s, a buzzing hive of ministry. Not noted are the vestry and committee meetings, the many small groups of study and prayer, the ECW, the blanket makers, the Godly Play and God’s Kids leaders, the faithful office . . . → Read More: Rector’s Reflections November 2011]]> Amma Eliza’s Epistle

“Nakusalimia kwa jina la Yesu!”* 

This is a phrase we need to learn, as it means, “I greet you in the Name of Jesus!” It’s what you can say when you meet the Rt. Rev. Sadock Makaya, Bishop of Western Tanganyika, who will be with us on November 6 when we celebrate All Saints. Or if that’s too complicated, you may simply say, “Mimi ni Rafiki”, which means, “I am a friend”. That day we will also be welcoming our rector Steve back to St. John’s after a two-month sabbatical (for him, you may simply say these phrases in English!) On that day, Bp. Makaya will preach and celebrate at the 11:00 service, for which we will pull out all the stops, including the use of incense. You have been warned. If incense is a problem, come to a fabulous All Saints First Sunday family service at 9, and then to the forum, led by the bishop (whom we may call Bp. Sadock), which will be a chance to hear and ask questions about the church in Western Tanganyika, his diocese in Tanzania. This is the diocese our parish has been supporting with scholarships for school children. The DWT scholarship program has been remarkably successful, in large part due to the efforts of our own Kim and Julie Fudge. Their hard work and dedication are the reason Bp. Sadock is coming to visit us, so Thank You, Julie & Kim!! 

 Mark your calendar also for the Stewardship Ingathering dinner on November 13 (details elsewhere in this issue of the Forerunner), AND ALSO for an all-parish barbecue on the afternoon of November 19 to officially welcome Steve back, and to hear about his sabbatical. Still have that calendar out? November 6 is also the first rehearsal for the Children’s Choir at 11:00. And get ready to hear them sing at the 9:00 service on December 4. On November 19, a Saturday, there will will also be a training session for lectors and servers, and an opportunity to join this ministry, so important to our worship. 

These are just a few of the activities underway at St. John’s, a buzzing hive of ministry. Not noted are the vestry and committee meetings, the many small groups of study and prayer, the ECW, the blanket makers, the Godly Play and God’s Kids leaders, the faithful office volunteers, etc., etc. I want to say what a joy it has been to be priest-in-charge over the past two months in this place where so many are the hands and feet of Jesus. My role has been really just to watch these ministries unfold, and to nudge a little. Or you could say I’m like a lucky grandparent, who enjoys the fun part, and hands the baby back at the end of a visit to the person or persons who do the hard work of nurturing and guidance through thick and thin. We hope Steve has had a truly restful and fruitful sabbatical, and from what I hear, he has.  In his absence, the parish has continued to prosper. This is because of good leadership over the years, both lay and ordained. I hope that you, too, have noticed the strength and vitality of all the ministries that surge ahead, even in the rector’s absence. That’s worth a modest congregational pat on the back before the parish heads into the season of budget-making and the election of 5 (count ‘em!) new vestry members for the class of 2012. Parishes grow when leadership expands. It’s a sign of health when new people become involved in leadership, from becoming a lector to joining the vestry. But old hands can be slow to recognize the potential for ministry in someone who’s relatively new. So if you are interested in joining a certain ministry, do not be shy. Just approach someone who’s been doing it for a while and say, “Mimi ni Rafiki!”

Faithfully,

Amma Eliza

Amma Eliza’s Epistle

 Sabbatical or a sabbatical (from Latin sabbaticus, from Greek sabbatikos, from Hebrew shabbat, i.e., Sabbath, literally a “ceasing”) is a rest from work, or a hiatus. And our rector Steve is, at long last, having one! As he told us last month, it’s a chance for him to take stock and to ponder some questions. His two months away come at the time when things at St. John’s are moving into high gear: the fall opening of Sunday School, preparations for diocesan convention, the return of the choir, and our annual stewardship campaign, among other things. In addition, each ministry area is tasked with a fall review of the goals it set itself last spring. So in a number of ways this is a time of harvest and gathering-in, as we look at what we’ve done, give thanks, plan, and put our resources together for the next leg of the journey. While our common life is ticking right along, Steve’s sabbatical is also a time for the people of St. John’s to discern more deeply who we are as the people of God, and who God is calling us to be.

 Last night at a meeting of the Outreach Committee I was struck by how much this little committee, with the support and resources of the parish, and with dedication and faithfulness, has done, both in our community and in places like Southern Sudan, Tanzania, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. In a sense, the whole congregation is part of Outreach, as everybody turns out to write letters on behalf of Bread for the World and Jubilee, brings gifts for Adopt a Family and the school supplies drive, and helps sponsor students in Uganda and West Tanganyika. We are also involved in a number of local initiatives addressing problems like hunger, homelessness and illiteracy. As we head into stewardship season, I urge you to take stock of your own ministry in this place.  Maybe God is calling you to take a leadership role in deciding how we can be most effective as we deal with these issues on the Outreach Committee.

 The Worship Committee is another hub of activity that meets monthly to plan our common worship. Do you love worship? If you would like a more active role in planning liturgy, or have an idea for a special service we might create, there’s . . . → Read More: Rector’s Reflections October 2011]]>  Rector’s Reflections October 2011

Amma Eliza’s Epistle

 Sabbatical or a sabbatical (from Latin sabbaticus, from Greek sabbatikos, from Hebrew shabbat, i.e., Sabbath, literally a “ceasing”) is a rest from work, or a hiatus. And our rector Steve is, at long last, having one! As he told us last month, it’s a chance for him to take stock and to ponder some questions. His two months away come at the time when things at St. John’s are moving into high gear: the fall opening of Sunday School, preparations for diocesan convention, the return of the choir, and our annual stewardship campaign, among other things. In addition, each ministry area is tasked with a fall review of the goals it set itself last spring. So in a number of ways this is a time of harvest and gathering-in, as we look at what we’ve done, give thanks, plan, and put our resources together for the next leg of the journey. While our common life is ticking right along, Steve’s sabbatical is also a time for the people of St. John’s to discern more deeply who we are as the people of God, and who God is calling us to be.

 Last night at a meeting of the Outreach Committee I was struck by how much this little committee, with the support and resources of the parish, and with dedication and faithfulness, has done, both in our community and in places like Southern Sudan, Tanzania, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. In a sense, the whole congregation is part of Outreach, as everybody turns out to write letters on behalf of Bread for the World and Jubilee, brings gifts for Adopt a Family and the school supplies drive, and helps sponsor students in Uganda and West Tanganyika. We are also involved in a number of local initiatives addressing problems like hunger, homelessness and illiteracy. As we head into stewardship season, I urge you to take stock of your own ministry in this place.  Maybe God is calling you to take a leadership role in deciding how we can be most effective as we deal with these issues on the Outreach Committee.

 The Worship Committee is another hub of activity that meets monthly to plan our common worship. Do you love worship? If you would like a more active role in planning liturgy, or have an idea for a special service we might create, there’s probably a place on the Worship Committee for you. Or maybe you would like to step up to being a lector, or a chalice bearer? There will be a workshop in November for newcomers to these ministries.

 Hospitality is another area where St. John’s excels. My experience is that people are always willing to show up and help, to bring food, to be there when needed. And now we have hospitality teams! But I know they could use some more members.

 Our ministry to youth is growing. Here, too, we have gifted leaders and helpers. But maybe you have a special skill or art that you could teach our kids. Maybe you have a gift for working with a small group of teens. Maybe you would like to help with the spiritual formation of the fabulous little group of kids we are seeing more of on First Sundays.

 Buildings and grounds? Here, too, we are blessed to have dedicated and faithful ministers who keep this place up and running. But everyone burns out eventually, and it helps to know that there are others willing to pitch in. Remember that God’s first instruction to St. Francis was to “build my church”, and injunction he took on by repairing the roof of a chapel.

 ‘Nuff said. It is a blessing to minister in a church where so many hands are involved in doing God’s work. But if you are a relative newcomer, don’t wait to be asked! There’s a hymn we practiced recently at our Sunday afternoon hymn sing, and it goes like this:

 “This is the church where everybody’s welcome.

I know it’s true, ‘cuz I got in the door!

We are a lovely bouquet of every kind of flower.

Come on in; there’s always room for more.”

Your gifts, and who you are, can change the church for the better, making us ever more the hands and feet of Christ in the world.

Amma Eliza

            At this meeting we were talking over the beginning of a new initiative that will reach out for people, not wait for them to come to us (part of what we promised in our vision statement.)  And we were discussing one-on-one meetings we’ve been having with members of the parish (also in service of that three-year vision the vestry stated last January.)  Finally, we were rejoicing that we’ve competed this year’s Strategic Directions document.

            Most of you know what went into the making of that document.  Individual meetings, house meetings, vestry discussions, review of drafts by many in the various ministries of the parish.  So a bottom-up process of watching for what God is up to has led to a snapshot of who we are and how we plan to get where God needs us to go.

            The discussion turned thoughtful, remembering times when strategic plans had been written in this business or that and then shelved, never to be heard from again.  But we have much in motion that is already being guided by this plan, by its ideas, and it is our intention to use it to hold ourselves accountable.

            These things are never done, of course.  You finish one and it isn’t long before you have new people on the vestry, changing conditions, and it needs a little revision here, and a few changes there – that’s life.  That will be the case with this one, but these next six months are the season in which we strive to see what this vision can do in each area of our common life.  I want to invite you to read the document, Strategic Directions, and to use in a few simple ways:

                       Use it to know where your parish is going.

                       Use it to inspire your part in our life and God’s work.

                       Use it for ideas about how to work together with other areas of parish life, cooperatively

                       Use it to pray over, asking God . . . → Read More: Rector’s Reflections September 2011]]>

            Yesterday the Strategic Planning Team (who report to the Vestry) met in the Café as we do once a month.  Sometimes we read and discuss books, sometimes we review our work and its progress, and sometimes foster initiatives in the parish with the vestry’s approval.

            At this meeting we were talking over the beginning of a new initiative that will reach out for people, not wait for them to come to us (part of what we promised in our vision statement.)  And we were discussing one-on-one meetings we’ve been having with members of the parish (also in service of that three-year vision the vestry stated last January.)  Finally, we were rejoicing that we’ve competed this year’s Strategic Directions document.

            Most of you know what went into the making of that document.  Individual meetings, house meetings, vestry discussions, review of drafts by many in the various ministries of the parish.  So a bottom-up process of watching for what God is up to has led to a snapshot of who we are and how we plan to get where God needs us to go.

            The discussion turned thoughtful, remembering times when strategic plans had been written in this business or that and then shelved, never to be heard from again.  But we have much in motion that is already being guided by this plan, by its ideas, and it is our intention to use it to hold ourselves accountable.

            These things are never done, of course.  You finish one and it isn’t long before you have new people on the vestry, changing conditions, and it needs a little revision here, and a few changes there – that’s life.  That will be the case with this one, but these next six months are the season in which we strive to see what this vision can do in each area of our common life.  I want to invite you to read the document, Strategic Directions, and to use in a few simple ways:

                       Use it to know where your parish is going.

                       Use it to inspire your part in our life and God’s work.

                       Use it for ideas about how to work together with other areas of parish life, cooperatively

                       Use it to pray over, asking God to keep our congregation faithful.

            I think it can be a way of staying open to God’s leading and faithful to the directions we discern.

            The document will be in booklet form to pick up Sunday, Sept. 4^th.

- – - – - – - – - -

            I’m going on Sabbatical and looking forward to it.  It has been many years since I’ve had one.  There’s a little booklet about this one on the usher’s table for those of you who want more information.  Bob White and Claudia Brown are wonderful wardens, and Pastor Eliza Linley will be priest-in-charge while I’m gone.  I have hope that you all will get on with our common life with your usual energy so that I come back to find much accomplished, and happy, faithful people.

            I’ll see you in church on Sept. 4^th and then I’ll be back in the office on All Souls Day, Nov. 2^nd.  Meanwhile I’m planning to wonder (in a lot of conversations with a lot of people) what it is that makes faith difficult for so many people today.  I am really troubled that so many people I love, and so very many people in our culture find Jesus attractive, and yet don’t seem to believe that they need his way of life.  There are a few questions that I think are real stumbling blocks, and I’d like to test that out with a variety of people, and see what is most in the way.  And if this leads to my being a little better at listening to seekers, that will be good.  So keep me in your prayers – in my reading, conversations and travels – and I will keep you in mine.

            With much love,

Soon, I began to think differently.  I encountered a spirit of caring for the community that every pastor looks for in a church and is delighted to find.  I began to wonder where that spirit came from and what made it so unwavering. I found three answers that delighted me, and I suspect that writing this article will bring me more answers and some wonderful conversations.  I’m hoping for that.

First answer – women with a sense of mission.

Fifty-eight years ago – yes, fifty-eight years ago – the Episcopal Church Women of St. John’s Church accepted the kind offer of the Speciale family to use the shop on the corner at quite a low rent, a form of subsidy on behalf of the family, to raise the money to re-carpet the church.  Once they had accomplished that they began to use the money they raised for other good things.  Last year, the Helpful Shop gave away more than $37,000 to a long list of non-profits, mostly local, recommended by church members and the very volunteers who work in the shop.  Wonderful things come from humble beginnings.

Second answer – Every-day relationships keep it real and connected.

The ministry of the shop is not primarily to make money.  As stated above, it makes good use of the money; but its real purpose is to be a ministry of presence in the community.  These volunteers, many of whom have worked in the shop for decades, offer hospitality and welcome, a cup of coffee, a chance to chat, sometimes even a free Bible.  Some people stop in every week and some on their annual vacations remembering visits from many years past.  Some come bargain-hunting, some because they are in need, and some for emergency swimsuits at the beach.  The wonderful volunteers from the church and community say they work in the shop because . . . → Read More: Rector’s Reflections July/August 2011]]> Things come together in remarkable ways.  “Providence” is what we used to call it.  Now I hear “synchronicity” more often in Santa Cruz; but however you look at it things come together in remarkable ways.  Take, for example, the Helpful Shop.  At the quaint corner of Capitola and Monterey Avenues in Capitola Village, what the place appears to be is a well-loved little thrift shop.  Until I met the Helpful Shop, I’d never thought much about thrift shops; and I’d never thought about what went on behind the scenes.

Soon, I began to think differently.  I encountered a spirit of caring for the community that every pastor looks for in a church and is delighted to find.  I began to wonder where that spirit came from and what made it so unwavering. I found three answers that delighted me, and I suspect that writing this article will bring me more answers and some wonderful conversations.  I’m hoping for that.

First answer – women with a sense of mission.

Fifty-eight years ago – yes, fifty-eight years ago – the Episcopal Church Women of St. John’s Church accepted the kind offer of the Speciale family to use the shop on the corner at quite a low rent, a form of subsidy on behalf of the family, to raise the money to re-carpet the church.  Once they had accomplished that they began to use the money they raised for other good things.  Last year, the Helpful Shop gave away more than $37,000 to a long list of non-profits, mostly local, recommended by church members and the very volunteers who work in the shop.  Wonderful things come from humble beginnings.

Second answer – Every-day relationships keep it real and connected.

The ministry of the shop is not primarily to make money.  As stated above, it makes good use of the money; but its real purpose is to be a ministry of presence in the community.  These volunteers, many of whom have worked in the shop for decades, offer hospitality and welcome, a cup of coffee, a chance to chat, sometimes even a free Bible.  Some people stop in every week and some on their annual vacations remembering visits from many years past.  Some come bargain-hunting, some because they are in need, and some for emergency swimsuits at the beach.  The wonderful volunteers from the church and community say they work in the shop because they so much enjoy the customers.  I believe the shop continues to be so vital because it is so much in touch with the needs of the community.  Wonderful things come from relationships.

Third answer – the unwavering spirit behind it all.

Fifteen years ago, when I came to St. John’s, I had the joy of meeting Joseph Speciale, the landlord, at one of the Volunteer Thank You Luncheons.  He was so much more than landlord!  He was delighted with the spirit of the shop, delighted with the work that was done in the community, delighted with the way the money was given away, enjoying the stories told by the volunteers.

He had, of course, found answering spirits in the women of St. John’s; but I wonder if he knew the degree to which they were answering his good will.  His parents made the original agreement with the church women.  The Shop evolved.  It was no longer operated solely by the women of the church, but by women and men of the church and the community.  It had much wider reach and much wider vision than in the beginning.  Much of this was possible because of Joe’s interest, encouragement and delight.  His spirit pervaded and reinforced everything the Shop was doing.  His generosity encouraged everyone who worked there to respond in kind.

At the Volunteer Appreciation Lunch last week, Beth Svee made an eloquent and heart-felt tribute to (the late) Joseph Speciale.  I think she could not be more right; and it is because of his passing that I’ve been reflecting on the way his generosity and values influenced the Shop over the decades.  It was a mutual delight, and may it continue to be so.

May all our collaborations continue to be so.  When we let God’s Spirit lead, we are able to create wonderful things together.  Wonderful things come from unwavering good will.

Above I said that when I had been at St. John’s only a little while and seen the leadership in community involvement that the Shop provided I rejoiced and I began to wonder where that spirit came from and what made it so unwavering.   My answers are that the women who began it had a sense of mission; and that everyday relationships and respectful conversation with customers and community, and its tradition of community investment have kept it relevant, and that the unwavering good will of the Speciale family has provided a challenge to be as well-intentioned, as generous as they through many years.  We cannot say enough about this family – because their spirit has generated so much answering love and ministry in the community.

The Helpful Shop today has a strong board of directors, led by the bright spirit of Andy Pudan, a strong manager in Pam Rhodes, and thirty-some wonderful volunteers, and the delightful collaboration with the Speciale family continues.

With love,

Steve

In the late nineteenth century there was a generation that built the church at depot Hill and set up our first hundred years.  Not every generation has to do that.  This one has realized that it is necessary again, and taken up the work.  The first $3 million campaign is successful and complete.  Some have also finished the pledges they made at that time, and others are faithfully paying theirs off, and paying down the mortgage on our new home.

Our payments are up to date, and they will be all year, because pledgers have been faithful every year, and the pledges made will see us through this year if they come in.  But these pledges will run out in the next year or so, gradually, as we knew they would, and so it’s time to raise the rest of the money we need to retire the loans.

Many people have joined St. John’s since our move 21 months ago, and many of them have already begun to own this project as their own and help to pay it off.  We have two loans, each at a great interest rate, but they need to be paid steadily; and the sooner they’re paid off the less interest we pay.  We’ve received bequests from Dave Sanders, Barney Anderson, Sue Porter, etc. – yet another part of the founding generation of our new century.

What we need now is to pay off the larger loan on time, or sooner.  So we’ve set our goal for this campaign to do that: $1.5 million.  And the next stage of this is that we’ve sent letters to all those who pledged in the first round in 2006 or 2007.  If those of us who made pledges to the building project were to renew them at the same level, and for the same period we did before [some people paid all at . . . → Read More: Rector’s Reflections June 2011]]> I said this in church, yesterday, (May 22nd), but just in case you were away –
I want to say something about the heroic task undertaken by many in this parish in recent years.  With careful and holy imagination and planning we discerned future ministry, and realized in the process that, to live into it, we would have to move and begin again.  And with the 2006 Canterbury Campaign many of us became what I think of as a second “founding generation” for St. John’s.

In the late nineteenth century there was a generation that built the church at depot Hill and set up our first hundred years.  Not every generation has to do that.  This one has realized that it is necessary again, and taken up the work.  The first $3 million campaign is successful and complete.  Some have also finished the pledges they made at that time, and others are faithfully paying theirs off, and paying down the mortgage on our new home.

Our payments are up to date, and they will be all year, because pledgers have been faithful every year, and the pledges made will see us through this year if they come in.  But these pledges will run out in the next year or so, gradually, as we knew they would, and so it’s time to raise the rest of the money we need to retire the loans.

Many people have joined St. John’s since our move 21 months ago, and many of them have already begun to own this project as their own and help to pay it off.  We have two loans, each at a great interest rate, but they need to be paid steadily; and the sooner they’re paid off the less interest we pay.  We’ve received bequests from Dave Sanders, Barney Anderson, Sue Porter, etc. – yet another part of the founding generation of our new century.

What we need now is to pay off the larger loan on time, or sooner.  So we’ve set our goal for this campaign to do that: $1.5 million.  And the next stage of this is that we’ve sent letters to all those who pledged in the first round in 2006 or 2007.  If those of us who made pledges to the building project were to renew them at the same level, and for the same period we did before [some people paid all at once, some annually over five years, some monthly over three years or five years.] — if we could do that, we could pay off that larger loan and meet the goal of this campaign completely.

Now, we’re asking people to renew.  Some are already finished with their original pledges and we hope they can renew now.  Others are still paying on those original pledges, and we hope they will renew when they original pledge is complete.

Quite a few have done so already, saying they already expected to participate in this mortgage until it’s complete.  We know that this is a lot to ask, and that it will take some pondering.  Some are thinking about their circumstances, talking to their families, all those things.  I’m reminding you this morning that we are second founding generation for this parish, and inviting you to be in prayer.

- – - – - – - – - – - -

Several times a year the Episcopal Church Women of the diocese gather for a conference or to discuss mission work or to worship together and enjoy each other’s company.  This past Saturday was one of those gatherings, and it happened to be at St. John’s.  Once a year, each Rector in the diocese is asked to nominate one woman whose service to Christ is exemplary.  In one sense this is a little goofy, because people who do this kind of service to Christ, certainly don’t do it for recognition, but I got over wondering about that when I realized that the real purpose was to hold them up because they really are exemplary, that is, it’s worth pointing them out to say, “this is a good example of the Christian life.”  We all need those examples, those people to look up to.

I feel extremely blessed, in that at St. John’s, we have an embarrassment of riches!  And as I sat at the ceremony, listening to women of many parishes receive this award, nearly all of them spoke of other women with whom they worked, who might’ve been better choices in their eyes.  St. John’s Honored Woman this year is Suzanne Krakover-Nickel, and here is approximately what I said in presenting her.

There is virtually nothing that Christ has needed that Suzanne has not done.  I first wrote “nothing that the Parish has needed” but changed it to “Christ” because I began reflecting on what I know of her personal dealings, her faithfulness in prayer and action to extended family, to friends, her reaching out to neighbors and including all in Christ’s love.

Suzanne is a woman of conviction.  Within the parish she has served the vestry, led RCIA, done wonderful work in hospitality and in teaching, been an anchor to faithful living by cherishing her faith and understanding it.  She knows how to pray and discern when to say yes and when to say no.

She is often thinking pro-actively for Jesus, and brings ideas and suggestions of great merit.  She has conducted Evening Prayer for many years (29) every Friday, and it is a fitting symbol of her steady, bright, loving spirit always at readiness for her Lord, always praising and open to God’s leading.

She is a wonderful example and friend, and we love her.

With love,

Steve

Dr. Bass loves working with groups as she is writing her new books. It is a way of “thinking out loud” with a community. Currently she is working on a book called Christianity After Religion . . . about the shape of the emerging reformation of faith in North America. In these presentations she talks bout the current state of religion in the post-Christian west, trends in belief and practice, and the “three questions” that are shaping a largely unnoticed awakening of faith.

If that sounds intriguing then please go the the diocesan website and register and come with me on the 14th. The diocese is showing real care for congregations in bringing this kind of enrichment to us, and I hope many from St. John’s will participate.

The very next day, Sunday, May 15th, Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves will be at St. John’s to preach and celebrate, to confirm and receive, and to bless our new baptismal font. I’m sure I can’t say too often how much I hope that you all will be there for the ONE AND ONLY SERVICE at 10:00 A.M. that day so that we can all support our candidates and greet our bishop. I am truly grateful for her leadership.

And the following Saturday, May 21st, there is a deanery meeting at which the bishop and others will lay out the first hearing of a new plan for diocesan direction. If you’ve been thinking about what a diocese is and does, this is a good moment to become part of the conversation.

At 4:00 P.M. on Sunday the 22nd, we are planning a “New Music Potluck.” This is partly just an excuse for a potluck, because we enjoy getting together, welcoming new folks, knowing each other better. But we will also invite you to bring favorite songs that we might sing in worship at some future date, and some will be provided by the planners, and we’ll try them out and see what folks enjoy. Singers, come! And come if you are . . . → Read More: Rector’s Reflections March 2011]]> March 2011
Diana Butler Bass will hold a one-day conference with our diocese, May 14 at St. Paul’s, Salinas, 9:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. Thirty or so of you will remember her book we read a few years ago, Christianity for the Rest of Us, which led to some rich conversations. Here are a few words from the flyer for her new conference:

Dr. Bass loves working with groups as she is writing her new books. It is a way of “thinking out loud” with a community. Currently she is working on a book called Christianity After Religion . . . about the shape of the emerging reformation of faith in North America. In these presentations she talks bout the current state of religion in the post-Christian west, trends in belief and practice, and the “three questions” that are shaping a largely unnoticed awakening of faith.

If that sounds intriguing then please go the the diocesan website and register and come with me on the 14th. The diocese is showing real care for congregations in bringing this kind of enrichment to us, and I hope many from St. John’s will participate.

The very next day, Sunday, May 15th, Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves will be at St. John’s to preach and celebrate, to confirm and receive, and to bless our new baptismal font. I’m sure I can’t say too often how much I hope that you all will be there for the ONE AND ONLY SERVICE at 10:00 A.M. that day so that we can all support our candidates and greet our bishop. I am truly grateful for her leadership.

And the following Saturday, May 21st, there is a deanery meeting at which the bishop and others will lay out the first hearing of a new plan for diocesan direction. If you’ve been thinking about what a diocese is and does, this is a good moment to become part of the conversation.

At 4:00 P.M. on Sunday the 22nd, we are planning a “New Music Potluck.” This is partly just an excuse for a potluck, because we enjoy getting together, welcoming new folks, knowing each other better. But we will also invite you to bring favorite songs that we might sing in worship at some future date, and some will be provided by the planners, and we’ll try them out and see what folks enjoy. Singers, come! And come if you are just curious, too. More on this soon.

This was a wonderful Holy Week and Easter for me, and I look forward to Easter season with energy and joy. And I want to say a word of thanks to those who shared with us on Good Friday for their thoughtful and moving reflections. We do not know what richness of the life of faith lives among us until such people open their hearts to tell us, and my prayers of gratitude are ascending like incense each day for what they gave us.

I also want to thank Bill, Leslie, the choir, the ad hoc bands (Taize) and all who worked so hard and rehearsed and planned so well to make Holy Week’s many services so full of song. And to see and hear that choir on Easter Day, looking and sounding so joyous! Alleluia!

Most of you probably have no idea the work the blessed Altar Guild does. That is the way it is supposed to be, but we owe them prayers of thanks, and great respect for their steady and unstinting service. Even an ordinary Sunday would have no beauty without their work. Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday Noon, Taize, and Easter Vigil and Easter Day services would be impossible. I don’t know how they manage such loving attention to detail, but it is obvious that they spend a lot of time lovingly thinking through what is meant to happen and making the necessary physical preparations.

With love and Easter joy,

Steve