June 2010 Vol. 12 No. 6 Archive of Previous Issues The Grapevine is published monthly (except for a combined July/August issue) by St. Patrick's Episcopal Church E-mail St. Patricks The Rev. Hugh Stevenson, Rector Editor: Mary Banks, 539-7378

Table of Contents for June 2010 [Vol. 12 No. 6]

PURPOSE TURNING POINTS JUNE EVENTS SUNDAY SCHOOL REPORT CHURCH DIVINITY SCHOOL OF THE PACIFIC GRATEFUL GLAD and GIVING

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PURPOSE

At the Clergy Leadership Project, I learned that we all need a clear sense of purpose. Our instructor, Hugh O'Doherty, talked about purpose. He quoted Sun Tzu: "Purpose is the motivating force for achievement. When you are doing something that serves your purpose you are at your best. We cannot use what we learn without the fire of purpose in our hearts." After giving us various examples, he challenged us to state our own purpose. I blurted out (God knows where it came from) that my purpose is to broaden my horizons.

When my father was aging, his horizons contracted. He did not like to stray too far from home. He visited with fewer and fewer people. He was not open to learning new things. He was resistant to trying new foods. He was not in favor of change.

By contrast, my great aunt started learning Greek at the age of 80 in order to read Homer in the original. People in their 80s at St Patrick's have published books, taken painting lessons, taken up bird watching, and studied new musical instruments. I hope to do likewise. That is my purpose.

One of my goals at the Clergy Leadership Project was to make new friends outside our Diocese of Northern California. Now I have a small circle with whom I communicate by email and phone on a regular basis, from California to Florida with ages ranging from 30 to 65.

Thirty years ago I wrote my DMin thesis on the subject of "The Integration of the Shadow." It was based on Jung's theories. Jung believed that all those things about ourselves which we repress hide away in our shadow side in our unconscious, and that the main goal in life is to rediscover them and accept them as part of "me." He called this task, "individuation." At CLP I had time to sit quietly within the group and to become aware of what was going on inside me and become more centered. What Jung called the "Shadow," CLP called the "submerged part of the iceberg."

My hope is also to broaden my spiritual horizons. As the Prayer of St Richard of Chichester says, I want to "see God more clearly, to love God more dearly, and to follow God more nearly." I want what the 4th Gospel calls "life in all its abundance" (John 10:10).

At the recent diocesan conference, Grateful, Glad-and Giving, the speaker stressed that people in our churches, especially newcomers, need to know what is the vision (or purpose) of our congregation. Perhaps you will share with me the purpose of broadening our horizons at St Patrick's. At CLP our leader reminded us that "if you're not standing in your purpose, you're standing in someone else's."

Finally, Tennyson wrote about the travels of Ulysses in one of my favorite poems: "For my purpose holds/ To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths/ Of all the western stars, until I die. ?/To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." That's what I want to do.

Hugh Stevenson

TURNING POINTS

All find a welcome:
Claire Morelli visited us on May 9, also Al Gilmore and Sandy Wald.
On May 23, the Kellers, friends of Karen Krestensen & Bill Kelly; and Arnie & Gayle Carston.

For this, much thanks:
To Dennis Studebaker, with Kathy Littman, for the Sing-along on May 8 and to the 40 parishioners who took part in singing some wonderful old songs (after an excellent potluck dinner).

"Special thanks to Angela Stevenson for asking us to lead the sing-along and for doing all the organizing and managing, and thanks to those who pitched in to help with set up and clean up."
Dennis Studebaker.

Thanks to Marge Ruehrdanz for organizing the ECW evening meeting on May 11 and all who brought cakes. About 50 people came. Thanks also to Jill Hunting for her eloquent and moving testimony to her brother, Pete, and for the memoir she wrote about him.

Relocation:
Ruth Wright is now at Apt 1223, 6300 E. Speedway Bld, Tucson AZ 85710 (cell probably 548-9842).

We will exalt you, O God, our King:
Karen Poer and George Siela had twins on April 5, Elizabeth and Michael. Mother and babies are doing well.
Pam and Colin Pegley are celebrating their golden wedding anniversary.

May they know God's healing power:

Conner Johnson	Peg Robins
Greta MacLeod	Ed Dill
John Orb	Judy Rose
Frank Barner	Harry Fry
Bea Biggs	Shirley Pippin
Allan Beattie	Ann Hunter
John Creaghe	Harv Doron

We ask God's protection of:
those serving in the military overseas
Jamie Crouse and Ian Papworth serving in Afghanistan.

Blessings on:
Maya Natalie Hall, baptized at Pentecost, May 23 (daughter of Angie and Casey, granddaughter of Jane and Rex Hall).

Deepest sympathy:
To Mary McDonald whose husband, Craig, died on April 16.
To the friends of Mike Clark who died on March 23.

JUNE EVENTS

SUNDAY SCHOOL APPRECIATION
On June 6 at the 9:00 a.m. Eucharist, we will recognize Raymond Skipp and our Sunday school children.

BACCALAUREATE
On June 6 we give Bibles to graduating seniors

• Elizabeth Peters goes to Washington University at St Louis to study medicine.
• Jessica Begley goes to UC Irvine to study civil engineering.
• Evan MacLeod goes to the University of Colorado, Boulder to study engineering.
• Ashley Bowman goes to Santa Rosa JC to study culinary arts.
• Adam Flournoy is going to Santa Rosa JC to major in Civil Engineering
• Brittany West will spend the summer in the steps of King Arthur in Cornwall and then to Santa Rosa JC to study digital imaging

COLLEGE GRADUATE
Mike Atkin graduates from UC Los Angeles with a degree in economics.

OTHER COLLEGE STUDENTS

• Sarah Johnson is at Cal Poly studying mathematics and education. She will spend this year in Madrid learning Spanish.
• Justin Overshiner is studying chemistry at Chico State in order to become a forensic scientist. He is engaged to Julie.
• Gus Peters is at Washington University, St Louis.
• Allyson Hunt is at Sonoma State.

HAYDN'S CREATION will be sung by SR Symphonic chorus, directed by Dan Earl, on June 5-6. Carol Menke is one of the soloists. Tickets are available from Jackie Senter and Hugh Stevenson.

PRIMARY ELECTION
Tuesday, June 8, is Election Day. Copies of Impact, the flier from California Council of Churches with an interpretation of the resolutions (13-17) are on the table in the Parish Hall.

CHOIR FINALE
The choir's final Sunday before the summer will be June 13. We will recognize the choir and Robert Young on that day. Rehearsals begin August 25. The choir will sing for the first time in the fall on September 12.

BAPTISM on June 13 of Georgia Jenkins, sister of Julia, daughter of Christine & Mark.

BISHOP PHILLIP NEWELL, the retired Bishop of Tasmania, with his wife Merle will be with us on June 20. They are the parents of Michael Newell. Bishop Phillip will be preaching at the 10:00 a.m. service.

CAMP NOEL PORTER
Alumni and Camp setup weekend is May 28-31, 2010 (Memorial Weekend). This weekend is a work weekend. Inside rooms are provided, along with breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday and breakfast on Monday. Attendees will be repairing winter damage, cleaning up the grounds and setting up the tents for the coming summer program. The fee for this weekend is $75 for ages 13 and up, $25 for ages 5 to 12, under 5 free. Interested? For more information call the camp (530.583.3014) or email: http://campnoelportertc.com/camping_2008. html

Counselor Training (Grades 10-12) takes place during the week of June 13-19.

Camps begin June 20 (for Junior Highs). CNP is located in beautiful Tahoe City. All are welcome. The counselors and staff lead games and arts and crafts activities. There is daily worship. The food is fantastic. Web site: campnoelporter.com. Some "camperships" are available from St Patrick's.

SUNDAY SCHOOL REPORT

All is going well in Sunday school. Besides discussing and doing activities around the Gospel and lessons from the Sunday service, we are rehearsing The Story of Noah. You may recall our wacky skit of Moses telling Pharaoh: "Let my people go!" - the journey through the Red Sea and the hardships in the wilderness. We did the story in about ten minutes and not forty years so, as you can see, our children are fast learners!

The story of Noah begins with God telling Noah to build an ark, if only he knew what an ark was. When the ark was completed, the animals entered the ark two by two, even "lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" They reached land in forty days. Once again ten minutes for our story. I told you our children are fast!

The Gospel lessons are really interesting for the children. Beginning with the Resurrection, when the huge stone was rolled away, then when the disciples saw the Risen Lord enter the locked room, and "doubting' Thomas came to believe that he had seen the Lord, that sums up our faith. We believe even though we haven't seen Jesus, or have we? Some people challenge me and ask, "Where is God?" I look at the beauty all around me and quietly respond, "You show me where God ain't!" Two men walking to Emmaus, recognized the Lord as He broke bread with them. Then He was gone.

Now, we are talking about the Lord shouting from the shore to the disciples, "Cast your nets to the other side of the boat." You know what happened - the Lord invited His disciples to have breakfast with Him: a feast of fish, freshly caught. Like fish, the Lord catches us fresh each day. He wraps us in His love and through us shares his love for all. Our children's minds are like parachutes, they only function when they are open. May God's peace be always with you and always show a kind heart to all you meet.
Raymond Skipp

The last Sunday for Sunday school is Recognition Sunday, June 6. Sunday school reconvenes on September 12. A report on the Youth Group will follow next month.

DAVID AND GOLIATH
The great cricketing nations are Australia and South Africa, India and Pakistan, and England. An extraordinary new nation has joined them: Afghanistan. After the Soviet invasion of 1979, the children of Afghan refugees in Pakistan began to play cricket. When they returned home, they brought the game with them. There are no grassy cricket pitches in Afghanistan; they have to play their "home" matches in the United Arab Emirates. Of course the team had no money and had to scrounge for food. Not until 2009, did the International Cricket Council make them a grant of 1 million pounds.

In May 2008 they took part in the Division 5 World Cricket league in Jersey. They were ranked 29th. They beat Japan in the first and went on to win the competition. They were promoted to Division 4 and took part in the next competition in Tanzania. The competition was intense but they won every match. In 2009, promoted to Division 3 they went next to Argentina. They lost to Uganda and sadly did not qualify to go further.

However in February, this year, they won a competition in Dubai, even beating Ireland and they were through to the World 20/20 in West Indies taking place in April and May. In their first game they played Australia and in the second India. There was no fairy tale ending.

Most of the team members have lost siblings, either to illness or war; there's been a lot of suffering and yet they have risen to the highest level, playing against cricketing millionaires. Their success has raised morale. There are also a lot of girl cricketers. An English crew has made a movie about them. The US is funding the construction of a proper cricket ground in Jalalabad. There's talk of starting a local league.

It's a Biblical story, the triumph of the little guy. As the Psalmist says (105:12-15), "When [the Israelites] were few in number, of little account, wandering from nation to nation, [the Lord] allowed no one to oppress them, saying 'Do not touch my anointed ones'." And Jesus, in the Beatitudes said, "blessed are the poor, the meek, those who mourn; the Kingdom will be theirs." In the Kingdom of God the small guy comes out top.

CHURCH DIVINITY SCHOOL OF THE PACIFIC

We support CDSP with a line item in the budget of St Patrick's. In 1982 a resolution of General Convention asked parishes to give 1% of their disposable income to theological education for the seminary of the Rector. I attended one seminary in England (Westcott House Cambridge) and two in the USA (Bexley Hall and Virginia) but have so far taken no courses at CDSP. However, CDSP has provided us with four assistants: Peggy Moore, Helen McPeak, Julie Wizorek and Michael Monnot. In addition CDSP offers courses for the training of laity. Other denominations also encourage the 1% plan.

None of the seminaries in the Episcopal Church receives grants from the Church's budget; so they must rely on the good will of the churches like us to provide the financial underpinning necessary to accomplish their mission.

The seminary was founded in 1893 and since 1911 has been designated the official seminary of the Episcopal Province west of the Rockies. It is a founding member of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, which is a federation of nine seminaries of various traditions and 11 academic centers, including a center for Jewish studies and a center for Islamic studies.

This is the mission of CDSP: "Responding to the challenges of contemporary society with the Good News of Jesus Christ, CDSP, a seminary of the Episcopal Church, rooted in our Anglican identity and tradition, provides quality theological education that integrates scholarship, reflection, worship, spirituality, and the practice of ministry."

Donn Morgan who has been the President and Dean for a number of years has recently stepped down and Mark Richardson has been appointed in his place. Mark is a west-coaster, but most recently was Professor of Theology of General Theological Seminary in New York. He is founder and director of the Science and Spiritual Quest Project and has been moderator of the Trinity Institute conferences since 2005.

While the average age of an incoming class is usually between 35-45, actual ages range from 23 to 71. Tuition for the 2009-2010 academic year for the Master of Divinity costs $620 per unit, or $15,840 per year for full-time study. Financial aid is available in the form of scholarships, grants and work-study programs. Scholarships are awarded based on merit. The website is cdsp.edu.
More about other charities which we support in future Grapevines.

COMING SHORTLIES

INDEPENDENCE DAY, July 4. We support Kenwood Community Church's pancake breakfast.

GEORGE ANDERSON. We will celebrate George's 100th birthday on July 10. Memorial Service on the same day. He died a few weeks short. We'll baptize his great, great nephew & niece at the same service.

GUITAR MASS, we are inviting a host of guitarists to play for our guitar mass in July (date TBD).

CANON BRITT, the Bishop's assistant will be preaching/celebrating on July 27.

ART SHOW, August 14, weekend at St. Patrick's, for all visual artists: 2- D, 3-D, etc. Dorothy Pierce is convening a committee to organize this.

NEW MEMBER SUPPER. We are inviting those who have recently started coming to St Patrick's to a potluck supper in August.

PANCAKE FUNDRAISER. The youth group is raising money to go on a building project in 2011. There will be a pancake fundraiser, end of August/beginning of September.

JAZZ MASS with Robert Young and his Eldorado Syncopators, Labor Day Sunday, September 5.

GRATEFUL GLAD and GIVING

Wendy Wood and Fran Crane went to the Diocesan conference on stewardship in mid-May. They returned enthused. These are some answers to frequently asked questions about the program which is being used by many parishes in our diocese.

What is the Theology of Abundance?
The theology of abundance proclaims that God has already given us everything we need. Our joyful task, then, is simply to acknowledge the riches bestowed upon us!

What is the Ministry of Gratitude?
This is the ministry devoted to gathering resources - time, talent and treasure - in support of mission and ministry. In its approach to encouraging a rich outpouring of gifts from the people, it proclaims that the Theology of Abundance is real!

Why not call it what it is - stewardship? Isn't Gratitude just a warm and fuzzy word for fundraising?
Calling this ministry "Gratitude" points to cause instead of effect. The goal of Stewardship is generosity - abundant giving to the cause of Christ. That's why we place our focus on the gratitude, the condition preceding generosity! Choosing this word, we commit to inspiring joyful - instead of obligatory, need or guilt based - giving.

We have a budget to meet! Don't financial realities get lost in all this talk of Gratitude?
Not at all! A Gratitude-based approach is both daringly open to vision and fearless in discussion of budgets. Gratitude avows that it really is more blessed to give than to receive. And where giving is a good and joyful thing, volunteers find asking others to give is a pleasure! Bottom line, in terms of grace or dollars pledged, we believe grace-based giving will trump guilt every time.

How can the Ministry of Gratitude help my Parish?
The Ministry of Gratitude can help shift focus from scarcity to abundance, from guilt to joy-based giving. We offer program resources and trained consultants. Find us up on the web at www.norcalepiscopal.org. ? Frequently Asked Questions. Invite a consultant in to revitalize your vestry or congregation's relationship to stewardship. A consultant will work with you to reframe existing programs and develop new ones to foster a spirit of year-round gratitude, and a healthy tradition of giving of time, talent, and treasure.

What is Grateful, Glad and Giving?
Grateful, Glad, and Giving is a year-round gratitude-based program for stewardship - and congregational development! Watch both pledge income and the parish roll grow as you become a more joyous and gratitude based community. Grateful, Glad, and Giving can be used to reframe, refresh or enhance your existing ministries!