May 24, 2012

 

Come, Holy Spirit, descend on us!

This Sunday is the Day of Pentecost. Services will be at 8 and 10 AM followed by coffee hour. Remember to wear red! What languages will we hear this year?

Readings for this Sunday: Acts 2:1-21, Psalm 104:25-35; 37, Romans 8:22-27, John 20:19-23

In case you have not yet heard, it is with great joy that we announce the election of the Reverend Rob Hirschfeld as bishop Coadjutor to succeed Bishop Robinson.  Rob+ will come to us from Grace Church in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he has been the rector for 10 years. He will be consecrated on August 4, serve alongside Bp. Robinson for 5 months, and be installed as the Tenth Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire on January 5, 2013.

A big thank you to the Saint Andrew’s folks who went down to Concord a week ago for the Electing Convention: our delegates, Kaitlyn, Cathie, Bruce, and George; our volunteers, Duane and Tom; supportive spouses of voters, Patti and Lee; and priests, Heidi+ and Peg+. As you can see from the pictures, it was a truly a spirit-filled day!

Kitchen users alert! If you are someone who uses our kitchen, please be attentive to turning off burners and the oven when you have finished! The oven was found left on recently and there have been several incidents of the knobs on the stove being accidentally turned on. Since most of our burners have the pilot light intentionally turned off (to save fuel), a knob that gets turned on without being lit releases toxic gas into the air! This occurred recently, causing such a serious fume buildup that the we called our provider, Maine Gas. At his suggestion, we have now removed the knobs from all but two burners. They reinstall very easily when they are needed for preparing a big meal, and instructions are clearly posted.

Short-term (4 months) housing wanted for a 22 year old female social work intern with a placement in Tamworth. she's willing to pay rent. Call the office for contact details.

A call has gone out for choristers who would like to sing as part of the all-diocesan choir for the consecration of our next bishop on August 4. If you are interested, please contact Bernice, our organist.

Food for thought from Br. David Vryhof of SSJE.... 

"True faith engages us at the deepest level of our being. It is a life-transforming power that connects us with the very life of God. It is the source of the new life that God gives -- that eternal life which has been promised to us."


See you in church!                       

Blessings, Heidi+

From the office at St. Andrew’s

UPCOMING WEEK’S CALENDAR:

Fri  5/25:

            10a-noon  Food Center

           

Sat  5/26:            

            8pm AA & Al-Anon(PH,PR)

Sun 5/27:

            8 AM Holy Eucharist, Rite I

            10 AM Holy Eucharist, Rite II

           5 PM Dinner Bell (Cook Team: Madison)

Mon 5/28            Church office closed

                     

Tue  5/29:           

            10am – noon  Food Center

            8pm AA (PH)

           

Wed 5/30:

            9 AM Service of Morning Prayer           

                       

Thu  5/31:       

             

May 16, 2012

This Sunday, the 7th Sunday after Easter, we will celebrate the election of our next bishop! Services are at 8 and 10 AM, each followed by coffee hour. We hope you will join us for worship and fellowship.

Today is Ascension Day, a principal feast of the church year – right up there with Easter and Christmas – is observed on the 40^th Day of Easter, the Thursday after the 6^th Sunday of Easter. At one time, in England it was the custom to carry at the head of the procession the banner bearing the device of the lion and at the foot the banner of the dragon, to symbolize the triumph of Christ in his ascension over the evil one.

The Collect for Ascension Day:

Almighty God, whose blessed son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

May our clouds of prayers ascend into heaven in these final two days of preparation for the election of our next bishop. Please remember this diocese, the wider church which our bishop is also called to serve, the delegates from this parish who will be voting: George Rau, Cathie Lewis, Bruce Kennedy, Kaitlyn Marshall, as well as Heidi, our rector, and Peg Custer, retired priest, and, of ocurse, the three nominees: Rob Hirschfeld, Penny Bridges, and Bill Rich.

The Electing Convention takes place this Saturday, May 19^th within the context of a eucharist which will begin at 10 AM. Real time updates will be found by going on Facebook and 'liking' the Search Committee Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/nhbpsearch) or going on Twitter and 'following' the Search Committee Twitter handle (https://twitter.com/#!/nhbpsearch). Updates will also be made to the Search Committee website (http://search.nhepiscopal.org) as soon as possible.  We will be using the 'hashtag' #TenthBishopNH.

We are looking for foreign language readers for the Day of Pentecost, Sunday, May 27^th. If you are interested, please, call or email the church office. And remember to wear Red!

Our summer altar flowers program is under way. If you wish to provide flowers from your garden please complete an envelope from the Altar Flower Chart in the Parish Hall and turn in to the office. We encourage flowers to be given in memory, in honor, or in thanksgiving.  If you do not have garden flowers and would like flowers to be ordered ($20), please note that accordingly on the flower chart and include your contribution in the envelope. Thank you.

Readings for this Sunday: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26, Psalm 1, 1 John 5:9-13, John 17:6-19

 Blessings, Heidi+

From the office at St. Andrew’s

UPCOMING WEEK’S CALENDAR:  

Fri  5/18:

            10a-noon  Food Center          

Sat  5/19:       

            Electing Convention
            8pm AA & Al-Anon(PH,PR)

 Sun 5/20:

           8 AM Holy Eucharist, Rite I
           10 AM Holy Eucharist, Rite II
           5 PM Dinner Bell (Cook Team: Madison) 

Mon 5/21        Church office closed        

Tue  5/22:      

            10am – noon  Food Center
            8pm AA (PH)

         

Wed 5/23:
            9 AM Service of Morning Prayer

                    

Thu  5/24: 

            5 PM-9 PM Vestry Retreat

May 10, 2012

Cherry Blossom Sprigs

This Sunday, the 6th Sunday after Easter, we will have services at 8 and 10 AM, each followed by coffee hour. We hope you will join us for worship.

Readings for this Sunday: Acts 10:44-48, Psalm 98, 1 John 5:1-6, John 15:9-17.

 

Last Sunday we welcomed Bridget Frizzell into the church through the sacrament of Holy Baptism. She is the daughter of Lobin and Greg, and the sister of Bailee and Bryce.

Congratulations to Devon Clough who graduated May 5^th, Summa Cum Laude from Keen State College with a BFA in Graphic Design Communications.

We have started our summer altar flowers program. If you wish to provide flowers from your garden please complete an envelope from the Altar Flower Chart in the Parish Hall and turn in to the office. We encourage flowers to be given in memory, in honor, or in thanksgiving.  If you do not have garden flowers and would like flowers to be ordered ($20), please note that accordingly on the flower chart and include your contribution in the envelope. Thank you.
 

Thank you to all who participated in the Meet & Greet sessions last week. We had 21 people from St. Andrew’s went to at least one of the presentation and at least six of us went to two or three! And over twenty of us, including people who had not attended the M&Gs, also came together for a Parish Forum to reflect together about the nominees and the diocese. Please continue to keep the election process in your prayers as we approach the Electing Convention on May 19^th.

Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a bishop for this Diocese, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 Blessings, Heidi+

From the office at St. Andrew’s

UPCOMING WEEK’S CALENDAR:

Fri  5/11:

            10a-noon  Food Center
         
Sat  5/12:       
            8pm AA & Al-Anon(PH,PR)
 

Sun 5/13:


 8 AM Holy Eucharist, Rite I
 10 AM Holy Eucharist, Rite II
 5 PM Dinner Bell (Cook Team: UUFES )

Mon 5/14        Church office closed

           
Tue  5/15:      
            10am – noon  Food Center
            8pm AA (PH)
         
Wed 5/9:
            9 AM Service of Morning Prayer   
               

Thu  5/10: 

May 3, 2012



The Cast of “Who murdered ‘Pepi’ Roni” performed on the 27^th.

This Sunday, the 5th Sunday after Easter, we will have one service at 9 AM at which we will welcome Bridgette Frizzell through the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Coffee hour, hosted by the Liturgy Committee will follow the service. All who are interested will then gather for an All Parish Forum to discuss and reflect on the Bishop nominees in preparation for the Electing Convention on May 19th. 

Readings for this Sunday: Acts 8:26-40, Psalm 22:24-30, 1 John 4:7-21, John 15:1-8

 

After church last Sunday (April 29th), a caravan of young people and adults went on a field trip to the Hird’s farm in Sandwich to visit their sheep in honor of Good Shepherd Sunday.
(see more pictures below)

The Women’s Lunch Bunch will meet on Wednesday, May 9th, at 12 Noon at the Mountain View Station Restaurant in Center Ossipee. If you have questions, please call Dale at 539-3761.

We are starting our summer altar flowers program. If you wish to provide flowers from your garden please complete an envelope from the Altar Flower Chart in the Parish Hall and turn in to the office. We encourage flowers to be given in memory, in honor, or in thanksgiving. If you do not have garden flowers and would like flowers to be ordered ($20), please note that accordingly on the flower chart and include your contribution in the envelope. Thank you. 

A BIG Thank you to the great cast, cooks, servers and all who helped put together the “Mystery Italian Dinner” Fundraiser. Over 80 attendees enjoyed a hugely successful and fun-filled evening of Mystery and delicious food.

Food for thought: A reflection on sheep shearing, following our Good Shepherd Sunday visit last Sunday at the Hird’s farm: In the passages in John’s Gospel (all from chapter 10) which we hear on the Fourth Sunday of Easter each year, Jesus uses several figures of speech related to the keeping and tending of sheep. He speaks of himself as the gate, for his sheep – the gate which keeps out the thieves and the wolves and through which the sheep must pass to reach the green pastures and clear waters that sustain them. He also speaks of himself as the Good Shepherd who knows them each by name and whose face and voice the sheep recognize – the one who cares for his sheep, even to the extent of tracking down lost sheep, facing the dangers of wolves, and ultimately being willing to lay down his life for us. 

As we had the opportunity to watch the shearing process last Sunday, it occurred to me that shearing also is one of the necessary skills of a good shepherd. Sure, it is often assigned to a hired helper, but my guess is that, especially in Jesus’ day, anyone who tended sheep needed also to be able to shear them.

So I found myself wondering whether it might be fruitful to consider the metaphor, not just of Jesus as the good shepherd, but also as the shearer: Jesus – the good shearer of the sheep – is the one through whom we are separated from all that is extraneous (all our excess baggage) and before whom we are fully seen as our most true selves – vulnerable and shy at first, then free to frolic easily in the sunshine.

May we in the Easter season and beyond, trust the work of Jesus the good shepherd and shearer, releasing us from the accumulations that drag us down, and setting us free to live our lives with newfound delight and enthusiasm for being!

Many thanks to Ronan, Aislinn, Juli and Stephen for sharing their sheep farm with us!

(right) Some of the six children and

 six adults who took part in the field trip.

(left) Ronan, good shepherd that he is, offers

assurance to one of his sheep while it’s being shorn

 

(right) By happy coincidence, it turned out to be sheep-shearing day. The shearer is holding the clippers with her left hand and the sheep’s back with her right. The sheep’s head is in the left foreground.  The partially-separated mass of fleece is to the right- mirroring the image of the sheep.

 Blessings, Heidi+

From the office at St. Andrew’s

UPCOMING WEEK’S CALENDAR:

Fri  5/4:

            10a-noon  Food Center
      
Sat  5/5:         
            8pm AA & Al-Anon(PH,PR)

 Sun 5/6:         

            9 AM Holy Eucharist and Baptism
           5 PM Dinner Bell (Cook Team: Frantz-Dale )

Mon 5/7          Church office closed

            7 pm Boy Scouts

           

Tue  5/8:        
            10am – noon  Food Center
            5pm Evening Prayer, 5:30 pm Liturgy Comm.
            7pm Boyscout Committee Mtg
            8pm AA (PH)

        

Wed 5/9:
            9 AM Service of Morning Prayer   

Thu  5/10: