Email, August 23, 2015


Last Sunday (Pentecost 12, August 16, 2015)   


August 23 – 10am, Godly Play (preschool through second grade)

August 23 – 11am, Morning Prayer, Rite II 

Calendar 

This Sunday at St. Peter’s – Servers, Readings   


At the Village Harvest…Aug. 19, 2015 

This was our 9th distribution. The chart below shows client numbers are holding steady in a range between 76 and 81 since March except for a spike in June. 11 people helped distribute the food not counting Johnny Davis who has been our faithful buyer. Thanks to all!
 


The Results are in – Moravian Clothing Distribution was a "hit" 

Roger sent this link from Staten Island Live. There is a slide show included in the article.

 

Lynnette, Catherine’s sister who originated the distribution, is pictured in the one above to the right.  Eunice is in the picture in the above, top right. According to Eunice, 1295 people were served.  Roger and Eunice returned home, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015.

There was a shout out to St. Peter’s in the article- "Meckstroth said the core group of dedicated volunteers who participate, including those from the Moravian churches and Brighton Heights Reformed Church, are a key component of the event. In addition, 21 youth and adult volunteers came from Home Moravian Church, Winston Salem, N.C., and two volunteers came from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Port Royal, Va. "


Coming in 3 weeks…and a call for donors!

Sept 15 is our Flamenco concert with Leah Kruszewski on guitar and Yolit, flamenco dancer. 6pm tapas on the lawn, 7pm concert. Both have local roots – Leah, Richmond and Yolit, Washington.

We have the program underway which we are sharing in draft format. Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated. We hope it will whet your appetite – for the food before and concert.  St. Peter’s has never heard music like this within its walls!

If you notice on last page we have not added the donors. Admission is free to the concert, but donations will help cover the costs of this year’s concert and provide seed money to continue the concert series. Giving levels are as follows: 

  • Well-wishers up to $99
  • Friends—up to $499
  • Benefactors–$500 or more

Make a check out to St Peter’s and put “Concert” in the memo line.  

This is our third annual concert. We would like to make St. Peter’s a place where musicians would enjoy playing in a formal or informal setting and schedule more of them.


Followup on Jonathan Daniels’ Commemoration

Our service last Sunday was dedicated to Daniels. At the same, 1,500 people walked the path that Daniels walked that led him to his death. It was the 19th such procession and 50th anniversary of the event.  The pilgrimage began at the Lowndes County Courthouse in Hayneville, Alabama.  

"The pilgrimage, which began at the Lowndes County Courthouse, formed an extended Liturgy of the Word that included stops at the jailhouse where Daniels and the others were held for six days, readings about Daniels’ life (including two fromOutside Agitator: Jon Daniels and the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama by Charles Eagles and a letter Daniels wrote to his mother from jail), as well as prayers and the dedication of an Alabama Historical Marker at the site where Daniels was murdered. "

Links:

Bishop Curry’s sermon, the Presiding Bishop-elect

Curry’s text was Hebrews 11 and 12. From Hebrews 12 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God."

Pilgrimage to Hayneville as covered by the Anglican Communion News Service.

Episcopal News Service coverage

Ruby Sales, whose life was spared,  at St. Albans Episcopal, Washington DC last weekend


In and Around the Web…

Ten articles you may (may not) find interesting…

1. A small N.C. church reaches out in big ways

They are bigger than us – 70 members but not that much bigger. The major difference is their town is bigger:

  • "On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the parish hall bustles with up to a dozen children and a handful of adult church volunteers, who help them with their homework in math and English.
  • "Soon, the church will plow a 10,000-square-foot plot of land in the rear of the sanctuary to prepare the soil for next spring’s planting season.
  • "Now, Advent is beginning, and the church will adopt several needy families and shower them with gifts on Christmas.
  • ‘North of town, a retired telephone marketer and church member has been baking cakes for every foster child in the county for the past 10 years."

2. Woman reads to dogs, returning the love

"There are small ways to make a difference and this lady from the North Shore in Pittsburgh is the perfect example… The dogs won’t understand what she’s reading, but hearing a calm human voice has proven to comfort shelter animals before. This is a nice reminder that there are other ways besides adoption to support animals who have forgotten what it means to be loved.  "

There is a related article here about children reading to cats.


3. Black churches bucking the trend of decline

This article takes place close to us in Alexandria. "At Alfred Street Baptist Church, the pews start to fill more than half an hour before the service begins. So many people attend, church leaders are now asking people to limit their attendance to one service…There are numerous reasons why some black churches retain their members, but, most prominently, the church has played a historic role in black life that has fostered a continuing strong black Protestant identity. Members and visitors at Alfred Street say the church’s holistic ministry — the preaching, the singing and the community outreach — are what draw them in and keep them there."


4. This May Be Our Last Communion

There have been tragic attacks on American churches, such as the recent horrific murder of nine African American Christians at Emmanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, but I don’t know any American Christians who go to church consciously thinking, “I may die today, but I am going to church; I don’t know what will happen, but Jesus is with me.” This is the case in Nigeria. Read about their struggles with the by jihadist terrorist group Boko Haram.


5. Four Decades of the Refugee Crisis in 3 minutes

From the Washington Post – "What does it sound like if you turn four decades of global refugee movement into a three-minute music video? Brian Foo, who calls himself a ‘data-driven DJ,’ recently answered this question: quiet at first, but loud and alarming at the end. The New York City-based researcher used refugee data from the United Nations from 1975 to 2012 to create the audio visualization."


6. Party Of 1: We Are Eating A Lot Of Meals Alone

An NPR article. "But a lot of us are lone wolves these days when it comes to dining. New research finds 46 percent of adult eating occasions — that’s meals and snacks — are undertaken alone."

"One of the drivers of solo-eating is the shift towards more single-person households. According to Census Bureau data, the proportion of one-person American households increased from 17 percent in 1970 to 27 percent in 2012."

"But it’s a problem when it comes to the elderly living alone or in assisted living. They’re vulnerable to malnutrition for lots of reasons. They’re too frail to open food packages or screw off tops, they’re alone or depressed, they’ve lost their appetites, or they’re not motivated to cook a meal for one."

Some choose to eat alone but others are alone. Can the church do anything about this to ensure people have the right nutrition?


7. Church Doors into the Community


What do the placement of doors say about us ?

All Saints’, Kingston in England has stood in the center of the town for centuries.  To show how old it is two Saxon kings were crowned there! 

"Historically, one main door, the west one, leads down to the River Thames, the principal means of transport; and the other, the south door, to the ancient Kingston market place where all the business was transacted. As Kingston has developed in the last century and this one, the Church has been surrounded by a vast commercial shopping centre, and the town now has a major, secular university, as well as a substantial night club scene. Much of this, especially the commercial shopping centre, is on the north side of the Church. In recent years All Saints’ has undergone some major renovation work including opening up the north door, and thus direct access to the many activities of the town taking place on that side of the Church and the vast number of people who walk by on a regular basis. For me this has been both a symbolic and practical sign of the Church’s engagement with the community and context in which it is set."  

"All Saints’ has many casual visitors and, since 2003, has offered a ‘Listening’ service in which anyone can share whatever is concerning or troubling them.  It is a fine example of pastoral care in action.  

How do we better open our doors to Port Royal and engage the residents ?


8. Remembering the remarkable life of Brother Roger, Taizé community

10 years ago the founder of this community was murdered in a service. Brother Roger founded the community of brothers known as Taizé in France that gradually grew into the monastic, ecumenical community that it is today consisting of over a hundred brothers from around the world. How did they respond? "In a world that is hyper-militarized, the brothers modeled a different response – one of trust, prayerfulness and compassion in a desperately wounded world. Taizé continues to organize what is called a “Pilgrimage of Trust” in different cities around the world each year where thousands of pilgrims are welcomed into people’s homes and churches." Taize music is sung in churches throughout the year, including St. Peter’s.


9. Jesus said "I am the Good Shepherd" (John 10:11). Here is how to learn to become a real shepherd

From Spain. "From 1982 to 2009, the number of sheep farms in Catalonia almost halved, from 3,964 to 2,085, according to the most recent census." Shepherds are getting old. Here is an innovative approach to restocking the supply of shepherds. NY Times focuses on one of four schools in Spain that are organized to do just that. 


10. Who are we as Episcopalians ?

This week there have been at least two efforts to define Episcopalians and dispel misonceptions. Here is one from Laurie Brock, rector of St. Michael the Archangel Episcopal Church in Lexington, Kentucky. In response Father Kevin Morris, Rector of The Church of The Ascension in Rockville Centre, NY. wrote this alternative list spotlighting clergy’s role in the misperceptions

Somewhat, in jest, here are the late Robin Williams  "Top 10 reasons to be an Episcopalian" (he was Episcopalian) :

10. No snake handling.
9. You can believe in dinosaurs.
8. Male and female God created them; male and female we ordain them.
7. You don’t have to check your brains at the door.
6. Pew aerobics.
5. Church year is color-coded.
4. Free wine on Sunday.
3. All of the pageantry – none of the guilt.   (At one time he said Episcopalianism was "Catholic light: half the religion, half the guilt."
2. You don’t have to know how to swim to get baptized.

And the Number One reason to be an Episcopalian:

1. No matter what you believe, there’s bound to be at least one other Episcopalian who agrees with you.


Lectionary, Aug. 23, 2015

I. Theme –   The Joys and Challenges of Following Jesus

Cerezo Barredo (1999)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

Old Testament – Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18
Psalm – Psalm 34:15-22
Epistle –Ephesians 6:10-20
Gospel – John 6:56-69  

Today’s readings invite us to consider the joys and challenges of following Jesus. In the first reading, Joshua leads the people of Israel in the choice to follow God. In Ephesians, Paul exhorts Christians to protect themselves with the armor of God. Jesus’ words cause many to turn away from him, but the twelve disciples recognize his teaching as the words of eternal life.

God is present in the community of believers, not in the mountains or the valleys or heaven or earth—God is present among us. We trust in God working in us and among us. We know that God is faithful even in times of doubt and trial. And we know that the way of God is the way to God—the way to eternal life is The Way. It is about how we live our lives for Christ and for others, not for our own gain, for when we seek our own gain, we lose. When we seek to save our lives, to find eternal life, we lose it, but when we seek to live for others, we find our own lives. We cannot be focused on our own mortality if we wish to follow Jesus. For the way of Jesus is the way to the cross, to die to live, to put to death the things that tie us to an earthly life—sin—and to live in Christ’s love.

The hard sayings Jesus gave to his disciples are still hard. That our true life depends on spiritual certainties rather than earthly realities requires a tremendous leap of faith. Even if we, like Peter, give Christ our allegiance, wholehearted trust is more difficult to attain. The universe is full of gods to choose from—they range from pseudo-Messiahs to devils. In between are the enticements of hedonistic pleasures and worldly crowns. Like the tribes in Joshua, we can choose from a dazzling array. Can we say, as they did, “As for me and my household, we will serve the lord”?

The mystical union of Christ with his Church is not an evident fact within Christendom. The Body of Christ is rent with divisions like those of an incompatible marriage. We have marred the model marriage of Christ with his Church by not really understanding the hard sayings that he has given us. The marriage covenant with Christ means to forsake all others and have no other gods.

We are drawn to God by love—just as human love draws us toward a particular person and inspires the desire for a permanent commitment. Mutual choice makes a covenant. The earthly things we know point to heavenly realities. A strong marriage is one in which union transcends the separate existence of husband and wife. The desire of each to give all to the other means that both receive from each other.

God has pledged love and blessings to us forever. God has told us this most explicitly through Christ. How poignant is Jesus’ question to his disciples: “Do you also wish to go away?” May we answer him with Peter’s firm conviction: “lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Read more from the lectionary for Aug. 23


From St. George’s newsletter, June, 1992. Our archives and publications often yield items that are timeless and need to be re-published.


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