The Net Tender
Newsletter of St. Andrew & St. John Episcopal Church
315 Main Street, Southwest Harbor ME 04679
e-mail: saints315 [at] verizon.net
February 2007
RECTOR’S REFLECTION
My friend Terri says she’s going to give up liver for Lent this year.
I told here that’s probably a pretty good idea. My doctor told me
liver is full of cholesterol, anyway. Lent seems as good a time as any
to set aside things that are bad for us. Christians have been giving
things up during Lent for a long time. Usually, it has been things that
we especially enjoy, perhaps more than we should. Alcohol comes to mind.
Chocolate.
But Lent isn’t all about giving things up. Rather, Lent is a season
in which we are to reflect on our lives, and on our relationship with
God. It is a time for soul-searching, for taking stock, and, most importantly,
for preparing ourselves, mentally and spiritually, for Easter. During
this forty-day period, we are to think and to pray about how we can
better serve as part of the Body of Christ. We are continually to ask
ourselves, how do we best participate in the Resurrection?
As a spiritual practice, setting aside a favorite pastime or food can
be a good thing. If our intent is to rid ourselves of a habit or a food
or drink that has an element of sin, then there is much to be gained
from giving it up for a period of time. By sin, I mean anything that
gets between us and our relationship with God (itself a topic worthy
of a lifetime of discussion!). If, in the course of this self-denial,
we are moved to reflecting on that most important of relationships,
we may grow spiritually. If we replace that object of our denial with
something wholesome, something nourishing to our souls, then we have
at our disposal a genuinely useful discipline. For example, we might
give up a favorite sitcom and use the time for an extra hour of reading.
We might forego a daily trip to the coffee shop and contribute the money
saved to a worthy cause (Episcopal Relief and Development and the Westside
Food Pantry come to mind). If you’re giving up liver, you’re on
your own!
What isn’t spiritually nourishing is the practice of some folks
I can remember. Every year, they’d come to school, all sad-eyed and
whiney, running on about how they’d given up candy or a favorite activity.
They had worked themselves into a state of self-pity, and were determined
to share their misery with everyone around them. They couldn’t really
tell you what Lent was, or even why they were giving up comic books
or chewing gum. All they could tell you was that they had to, they didn’t
like it, and they wanted everybody to know it!
If Lent is a time for setting aside sin, and for working on our relationship
with our Creator, then we ought to think about what we’re going to
add to our lives during those 40 days. It’s a good time to begin
or reestablish regular prayer disciplines. Accordingly, we’ll be adding
Evening Prayer at St. John’s on Wednesdays during Lent. On Fridays,
we will once again have Noonday prayer at 12:15. And of course, there
are the Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families,
beginning on page 136 of the Prayer Book. What matters is not so much
what we do, but rather, that we do it! Wishing you a blessed and
fulfilling Lent.
Father Richard
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
Two people from our parish serve on the Diocesan Search Committee for a new bishop for Maine. Can you name them? Answer appears elsewhere in this issue.
What time shall we worship?
Shall we all worship together?
Sometimes there are problems
and questions that just won’t be solved to everyone’s satisfaction.
Just before Christmas a group met with their concerns and feelings that
a single nine o’clock service would be the best protocol at St. John’s.
This has been talked about before and we have been having one nine o’clock
service each month this fall and winter. That group sent a proposal
to the vestry. This was revised slightly and adopted. It reads
as follows.
To take a survey of the year round congregation to clarify its worship service preferences. The process for the survey will be as follows: At a date prior to the annual meeting, there will be a listening session for members of the congregation that will be moderated by Fr. Tardiff.
Further, that a three person committee of non-vestry volunteers appointed by the current sr. warden execute this task. The committee will:
1) Construct
a written survey that will be reviewed by the vestry prior to distribution.
2) Conduct the survey in the parish over a four week
period.
3) Summarize the survey.
4) Present the results to the congregation in an
open forum.
All this to be done in a timely manner with the results to be available
by mid February.
Further, that the vestry then take the appropriate action with the rector
to see that the desires of the congregation are taken very seriously.
This process is underway and the survey is available at church for parishioners to fill out. An announcement of the date of the open forum will be will be made soon. The listening session for members of the congregation to state their feelings about this matter was held on January 21 between the services. The rector moderated the session, which was consistently courteous, thoughtful and spirit-filled. While the results of the process can’t possibly please everyone, each speaker received validation and respect from his or her fellow parishioners. It might be possible that validation and respect are issues that are bigger than service times and we could all immerge satisfied and esteemed. Let’s hope that we can achieve a solution that will let us move on to the work God has given us to do.
Cass Wright
THANKS TO…
this season's volunteers at the Westside Food Pantry; Frank and Mimi Barnes, Onorio and Nancy Cerrato, Diane McMullen, Barbara Campbell, Karen Craig, Mary Mitchell, Ida Smallidge, Shirley Zinn, Jean Rohrer.
St. Andrew & St. John Church for their donation of the proceeds
from the Old Peabody Pew and the proceeds from the Pancake Supper to
the food pantry.
Nancy Cerrato
MORE NOTES OF THANKS
Dear St. John parishioners and Father Tardiff, Thank you to all of you for thinking of our family in our time of need. We are so grateful for all of your generosity and support. It was great to see some of you at our benefit. It really meant a lot to us to have such support from our community. Thank you.
Paul Rozeff and Tasha Higgins
Editor’s note: Paul, Tasha’s
husband, is a local fisherman who was seriously injured on his boat
and is now recovering.
Will you convey to the congregation and Richard my thanks for your thoughts and prayers in behalf of my brother Bill Lawrence. He was a fine, kind and thoughtful man who was on the vestry of two of the churches that he belonged to over the years. I was grateful that he had a good summer last summer and was able to get out on the water in his new motorboat. He loved being on the water and when not on the water sitting on his porch and watching the action on the water. We shall all miss him. Thank you for your notes.
Sally Clark
Long-time summer parishioner William Lawrence died in Falmouth, Massachusetts, on December 22, a month before his 92nd birthday. Among his survivors are his wife, Barbara Buchanan, brothers Charles (Ike) and Samuel, and sisters Sally L.Clark and Susan L. Hazard, also summer parishioners. We send our love to them and to the rest of his family.
Joan Bromage
TREASURE TROVE
It's not too soon to start setting aside donations for the "Treasure Trove" booth (formerly the Jumble Sale) at the Quietside Festival this summer. Items should be in very good condition and may include art works, costume jewelry, linens, toys and games, small household items, and collectibles. Please, no clothing.
Ann Benson
READY TO STAFF THE QSF LEMONADE STAND?
Probably not today when the temperature is below freezing! Last year’s Quietside Festival was a resounding success, due the physical and fiscal efforts of so many of you. Several months ago, we reported we had several luncheon sail/cruises lined up for the auction. We could use more of them, but we’ve learned that tickets to various events, be they sports or music (or let your imagination roam) are a hot commodity. Do you have some you might care to share? We look for any input you can offer on how to make this year’s QSF on July 14th more rewarding to the church and the community. We appreciate your sharing any of your thoughts with Ted Bromage or Doris Walton. And when Shirley Zinn asks you to staff the Lemonade stand – please say YES.
Ted Bromage
POSTPONED...
UNTIL SUMMER
A U2charist
is an Episcopal Eucharist service that features the music of the rock
band U2 and a message about God’s call to rally around the Millennium
Development Goals. The U2charist is a great opportunity to reach out
to the people in our congregation and larger community, especially young
people. This service focuses on the music and message of U2 about global
reconciliation, justice for the poor and oppressed, and the importance
of caring for our neighbors. Led by the global MDG ambassador, Bono,
U2 is calling people worldwide to a deeper faith and engagement with
God’s mission. The U2charist seeks to be an extension of this ministry.
Cass Wright
POSTPONED...
UNTIL SUMMER
A U2charist is an Episcopal
Eucharist service that features the music of the rock band U2 and a
message about God’s call to rally around the Millennium Development
Goals. The U2charist is a great opportunity to reach out to the people
in our congregation and larger community, especially young people. This
service focuses on the music and message of U2 about global reconciliation,
justice for the poor and oppressed, and the importance of caring for
our neighbors. Led by the global MDG ambassador, Bono, U2 is calling
people worldwide to a deeper faith and engagement with God’s mission.
The U2charist seeks to be an extension of this ministry.
Cass Wright
Come Worship with Us
Sundays
8:00 and 10:00 at St. John’s
Ash Wednesday, February 21
6:00 p.m. at St. John’s
Thursdays
9:30 a.m. at St. John’s
Fridays in Lent
12:15 Prayer/Organ
8:30 p.m. Compline
Birthdays
February 3
Michael Shook
February 5
Sally Hopkins
February 10
Avis Higgins
February 11
Ella Jackson
February 12
Serena Young
February 16
Patti Murphy
February 23
Wesley DeCamp
Wedding
Anniversaries
February 18
Michael & Wesley
DeCamp
POSTPONED...
UNTIL SUMMER
A U2charist is an Episcopal
Eucharist service that features the music of the rock band U2 and a
message about God’s call to rally around the Millennium Development
Goals. The U2charist is a great opportunity to reach out to the people
in our congregation and larger community, especially young people. This
service focuses on the music and message of U2 about global reconciliation,
justice for the poor and oppressed, and the importance of caring for
our neighbors. Led by the global MDG ambassador, Bono, U2 is calling
people worldwide to a deeper faith and engagement with God’s mission.
The U2charist seeks to be an extension of this ministry.
Cass Wright
VESTRY NOTES
The January meeting was opened with prayer.
Financial matters--Spencer Irvin, treasurer, reports that the church's financial situation is as expected for this time of year. More pledges are coming in.
--There was discussion about the expenditure of money in the special fund of the endowment which is to be used for St. Andrew's Church.
--Bill Voorhies, music director, is to have a formal contract, being drawn up.
--The proposed 2007 budget was presented to the vestry for approval, and accepted with thanks to the Finance and Investment committee for their work.
Buildings and grounds--Fr. Richard says he is happy in the rectory, especially now that the gutters have been installed! The garage is coming along nicely, the roof to go on soon.
--Joan reports that the plaque to be placed on the house is on order, but slow to be completed.
Old business--Food pantry...Onorio says that the application fee for establishing the food pantry as a 501C3 non-profit is $750. Since there is a line in the budget for outreach, it was voted to take that amount from that line. Once the 501C3 status is definite, the food pantry will be a community effort, a board elected, and hopefully other community groups involved. If expenses go as in the past, the pantry is in good shape financially for this season.
Calendar matters--
-Jan 29--knitters will gather in the undercroft to knit hats and mittens
for folks in a small Alaskan village. This hopes to be an on-going ministry.
-Feb 8--next vestry meeting
-Feb 9--Fr. Richard will inaugurate a "youth night" with pizza, a movie, and the service of Compline following.
-Feb 11--Celebration of new ministry at St. James Church, Old Town. Fridays during Lent, noonday prayers and music will be held at St. John's.
New business-- The following
slate of vestry members and officers will be presented to the annual
meeting: Sr. Warden-Joan Bromage, Treasurer-Spencer Irvin, Ass't Treasurer-
Jim Vekasi, clerk-Michele Nadder; vestry members-Ann Halkett, Mimi Barnes,
Patsy Fogarty, Chip Leighton. Convention delegates: Rita Redfield, Joe
Wright and Margot Haertel, and alternates: Evelyn Rowland and Frank
Barnes.
-Service times and survey: A good listening session was held and a survey
will be soon available in the church for parishioners to express their
opinions about service times. There will be no mailing of the survey.
The committee constructing the survey is Susan Buell, Becky-Buyers Basso,
convenor, and Michele Nadder.
Sunday school-- Fr. Richard will call an education committee together soon. Both adult ed and children's program will be considered.
Shrove Tuesday pancake supper--The men of the parish will again serve up an evening of music and good food on the eve of Lent.
Quietside festival --It was voted to give 10% of the 2007 profits generated by St. John church to the Hancock County Medical Mission as part of our outreach.
Hot water!!-- The boiler-mate now not used at St. Andrew's church will be installed in the kitchen at St. John's, giving much better hot water than at present.
THANK YOU---Enthusiastic
thanks was expressed to the three men whose terms on the vestry expire---Onorio
Cerrato, Frank Barnes, and Chris Peterson .A very special thanks to
Cass Wright for her skilled and careful service as Sr. Warden, guiding
our church through an important time of transition.
Mimi Barnes, clerk
Volunteers make short work of raising trusses
on the rectory
garage
KNIT A SCARF
Please take the time to knit or crochet a RED scarf for women in the cardiac rehab in Ellsworth and the Eastern Maine Medical Center to remind them that they are not alone as they deal with the difficulties of heart disease. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. There are no guidelines for the scarf; your own favorite pattern is fine. There is a basket in the Undercroft of St. Johns where you can drop off the completed scarf.
Nancy Cerrato
Be Prepared #1
–It’s more than a Boy Scout motto.
FIRE!!!
This past fall the vestry asked that I look into smoke alarms, fire extinguishers and emergency lighting. I met with SWH Fire Chief Sam Chisholm for a St. John “walk through”. A similar inspection at St. Andrew will take place in the spring. We have a hard-wired smoke detector in the Undercroft and battery powered ones in the kitchen and the nave. Though we’ve had small fire extinguishers in the Sacristy and at the rear of the church, he said we were sadly lacking in larger (5# ones) where they were most likely to be needed – at the front of the Nave. After some discussion a pair of new 5# extinguishers have been installed at the head of both side aisles. Reading Preservation Magazine’s recent article on fires in historic structures was scary. These old structures are dry, typically have balloon wall construction (which is comparable to having a flue on either side of every stud) and are particularly at risk when re-construction/re-hab work is taking place. So if fire breaks out, it must be put out quickly or a total loss will take place.
What should you do in case
of fire? If you are near the fire site, and are physically able,
get an extinguisher, hold it upright, and pull the safety ring pin.
Then, starting about 8’ back from the flame, aim at the base of the
fire. Squeeze the lever and sweep side to side. Contents
will be emptied in about two minutes -- then exit the building.
If you are present, and don’t have an extinguisher in hand, GET OUT
OF THE BUILDING, immediately!
Emergency lighting has been purchased and will be installed in the stairwells and undercroft shortly. Please do all you can to preserve our wonderful church.
Be Prepared #2. Pandemic
A pandemic (from Greek ??? pan all + ????? demos people) is an epidemic (an outbreak of an infectious disease) that spreads across a large region, or even worldwide.
Several weeks ago Patsy Fogarty
and I attended a gathering of the 5 local Episcopal churches at St.
Mary’s winter chapel in NEH. At our earlier meeting this past
fall we discussed ways our churches could make a difference in our communities
at time of crisis. You’ve heard a bit about Pandemic, but what
does that mean today, tomorrow or whenever? Gretchen O'Grady of the
Ellsworth chapter of the American Red Cross spoke to the group.
Who will be the helpers and caregivers? It was eye opening to
learn it will be the individual and the family. You can we expect
the National and State governments to limit or stop most travel.
One sneezing session in an airplane holds the possibility of spreading
the virus around the world. Schools may well be closed; commerce
will be impacted in the extreme. Avoiding exposure is the best
way to protect you and loved ones. The preparations you
can make today probably won’t be possible to do when a pandemic is
in progress. Gretchen handed out two papers that are invaluable
in the planning process. Food and Water in an Emergency
and Home Care for Pandemic Flu Since they are some 9 pages in
length, and to save a few trees they are now on the 5 Church website: http://mdiepiscopalians
Ted Bromage
(244-3227)
ANSWER to the Question of the Month
Sarah Flynn and Vesta Kowalski
SCHEDULE FOR LENT
AT ST. JOHN
CHURCH
February 20 6:00 PM
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper
February 21 6:00 PM Ash Wednesday Service
During Lent
Sundays 8:00 AM Holy Eucharist
10:00 AM Holy Eucharist
Wednesdays 5:00 PM Evening Prayer
Thursdays 9:30 AM Holy Eucharist
Fridays 12:15 PM Noonday Prayer
8:30 PM Compline
Holy Week
April 1 9:00 AM Palm Sunday Service
April 5 5:30 PM Maundy Thursday Agape Supper/
Stripping of the Altar
April 6 12:00 Noon Good Friday Service: Seven Last Words of Christ
5:00 PM Good Friday Liturgy
April 7-8 Easter Services to be announced
Between the Services Schedule for
February, 2006
February 4 Super Bowl
Sunday Special: Dr. Bill Baker on PLAYING WITH GOD: Religion and
Modern Sport
February 11 Blessed are the Poor
February 18 Love thy enemy: does it apply to terrorists?
February 25 Rebuilding the Foundation
LENTEN NOONDAY PRAYER & ORGAN MUSIC
Each Friday in Lent at 12:15 p.m., beginning on February 23 through March 30, we will gather to read the Order for Noonday Prayer and share a quiet time while Bill Voorhies plays organ selections. Bring a sandwich and join us in the undercroft afterwards for refreshments and conversation.
Joan Bromage
MARDI-GRAS - LET THE GOOD TIMES
ROLL!
Once again the Samba Band
will leave the SWH Library at 5:30 p.m. and proceed to the sanctuary
of St. John on Tuesday, February 20th. There, they will make joyous
music until 6:00 p.m. At that time the men of the parish will serve
pancakes, in the undercroft, to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. We hope to
have live music as we eat, provided by Jim Vekasi. Please help us to
prepare by signing up if you plan to attend. This is a wonderful time
for our church family to gather together to prepare for the season of
Lent. Also, if you have any Mardi-Gras related items that might "dress
up" the undercroft, please give me a call.
Ted Bromage
244-3227
FROM CASS WRIGHT,
RETIRING SR. WARDEN
The annual meeting of the parish
was held on January 28 and, with a quorum of voting members present,
the business of the parish was transacted.
Highlights----
A second vote (first vote—December 3, 2006) passed enacting the following
change to the by-laws.
Section 4-8 “A person who worships at St. Andrew’s and St. John’s
and is in residence for less than half the year is eligible to serve
as one of six seasonal vestry members for a term of three years. If
a seasonal vestry member transfers his or her letter of membership to
St. Andrew’s and St John’s, that person is eligible to vote at vestry
and other parish meetings.
Seasonal vestry members (as regular vestry members) will be presented
by the nominating committee, approved by the vestry and elected at the
annual meeting. All six positions need not be filled.”
The retiring clerk, Mimi Barnes, and retiring assistant treasurer, Ward
MacKenzie, were thanked for their service to the parish. The three retiring
vestrymen, Frank Barnes, Onorio Cerrato, and Chris Peterson also received
the accolades they deserved. The vestry will miss all of these good
people.
Paul Haertel, Junior Warden and chairman of the nominating committee
presented the following slate of officers.
Senior Warden --Joan Bromage
Vestry--Mimi Barnes, Chip Leighton, Patsy Fogarty and Ann Halkett (2
years)
Seasonal Vestry--Neela Zinsser and Rod Lucas
Treasurer--Spencer Ervin
Asst. Treasurer --Jim Vekasi
Clerk --Michele Nadder
Delegates to Convention --Rita Redfield, Joe Wright and Margot Haertel
Alternates to Convention--Evelyn Rowland and Frank Barnes
The slate was elected and the nominating committee is to be congratulated.
A motion to approve all committee reports, including an oral one on
the Food Pantry by Onorio Cerrato, received unanimous support.
* * * * * * * *
First of all I want to extend
my thanks for the parting gift and kind words of the new senior warden.
It was a privilege to have served this parish during the past year.
We have come through a very remarkable year and now my head is full
of images of faces and “sound-bites” and I want to share just a
few.
*Watching Rita Kenway’s joy as she danced to the Samba Band music
on Shrove Tuesday.
*Expressing our gratitude to Vesta when she left us in April.
*When we received the anonymous gift which redeemed St. Andrew’s--
Joe Murphy on the phone saying that he would come right over to SWH
and help me properly bank the check. I will also always remember Rod
Lucas’ face when Paul read the letter containing the happy news at
St. Andrew’s and Ellen Gilmore’s face when I read it at St. John’s.
*Realizing how ill Spencer had become and calling Ian whose response
was that he would head right up to EMMC to be with Spencer and Floy.
*Camping out with the dog upstairs while the search committee conducted
phone interviews with candidates at our kitchen table.
*Visiting with Peggy Walls and the whole Trask family at the funeral
home when Bill died. Mercifully that was the only death in the parish
last year.
*Celebrating the new ministry of our rector, with his family, the Bishop,
the parish and friends.
*Watching Michael and Susan enjoying the Peabody Pew and looking
like good health was returning for Michael.
*Making about a million phone calls, asking someone to do something,
and hearing a willing and helpful “YES.”
It has been a wonderful year and I am grateful to all of you—and to
God.
Cass Wright