August 29, 2013



Our church bells joined with thousands of  others across this country yesterday at 3:00,
 proclaiming our commitment to work for the freedom and dignity of every human being.

The service for this coming Sunday, September 1st, the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, we will have ONE service only at 9AM. Join us for this Sunday of Labor Day weekend as we round out the summer season. The coffee hour following the service will be hosted by the Choir.

The Celebration of the Life of Stan Coville, long-time member and friend of Saint Andrew’s, will take place this Saturday, August 31, at noon at the Wonalancet Chapel. Rev. Heidi will officiate. All are welcome.

There is a Service of Morning Prayer every Wednesday at 9 AM. We hope you will join us for worship and fellowship.
Readings for this Sunday: Jeremiah 2:4-13; Psalm 81:1, 10-16; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14.

A new parish directory is in the works!!! Now we need your picture! Duane will be available to do photos after the service this coming Sunday, as well as the following Sunday. Please see him in the “photo studio corner” of the Parish Hall. If you have already left town for the season or happen to have a favorite “head shot” of your own, you are welcome to email your picture to Debra in the office (office@standrewsinthevalley.org). Even if we have your picture from a previous directory, maybe it’s time to update it? Thanks.

Our Annual Rummage Sale will be held next Saturday, Sept. 7, from 9 to 3, which means next week is “drop-off” time! We welcome the donations of clean clothing (for all ages) in good condition, as well as shoes, accessories, jewelry, and household linens.  We especially are looking for children's clothing for the back-to-school time and outerwear, as we head into colder weather. 

Drop-off times: Tuesday, Sept. 3rd and Wednesday, Sept. 4th from 9 to noon and from 3 to 7. We will not be able to accept any drop-offs after 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Additional drop-off days for parishioners: This Sunday, Sept. 1st and Monday, Sept. 2nd for those who have a key. 

We also need your help for set-up on Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as for staffing the event itself. Whatever help you can give will be much appreciated.  Please contact Diane Lombardi at 986-2981 with your offers to help and availability times.

 EfM (Education for Ministry) is about to begin; the first session starts September 3rd.  It looks like the time will be 2:30 to 5:30pm on Tuesdays - I just need to tell you that attending this course last year was totally phenomenal.  The first year is studying the Old Testament which we did in 36 weeks of reading and. meeting together.  From now on for the rest of my life when I read the lessons or hear a homily the meaning and references are enhanced so very much.  It is quite wonderful.  Our first part of our class is each group, years 1,2,3 and 4 reflect a little on what their weeks reading was about, we take a break and then between us all discuss (it's called "theological reflection") what it means to us and to this world of ours in the 21st Century.  The readings for the week are interesting, the people in the group are great and Robin is probably the best facilitator you could ever have.  So, if you are thinking about taking EfM. now would be the time.  There is still time to contact Rev. Robin Soller at Trinity Church in Meredith.  If you have any questions that maybe I could help answer, give me a call.  Peg Reinfuss  367-8498

 

Preparations are beginning for the Sandwich Fair – October 12-14.

As there was a setback in growing produce for the Fair, we will be depending on the “value added” items even more. If you can make jams and jellies – great! If you know where elderberries or blackberries are plentiful for picking, let Gretchen know (323-7459).  We are also looking for people with artistic and crafting skills to help with turning dried gourds into decorative items – every ability is helpful, from cleaning to painting.

This year is the 250th anniversary of the Town of Sandwich.  There is a theme of “Then and Now” for vendors.  We are looking for some “then” items to decorate the booth.  Gretchen’s brother is building us a wooden structure from which we can display things. An idea of “old fashioned” wire-topped jam jars, etc.  If you have ideas, please call Gretchen or see her in church. Thank you.

The next Evangelism Institute will take place on Saturday, September 21, 2013, from 10:00 to 3:00  at Lake Opechee Inn, in Lakeport, (Laconia) NH. The registration deadline is September 8. Please register by going on-line to http://evangelism.nhepiscopal.org/

Several vestry members will be attending, but having a strong group participating together will provide a stronger core to bring the information and practices back home. Learn about inviting new people to church through the “Come and See” program, integrate new members into our church with the  “Koinonia” program, and looking ahead at the changes coming to New Hampshire in upcoming decades! This is particularly helpful for our greeters and all who have connections with people who have no church affiliation (which is all of us).

This year’s Institute will feature fewer speakers, but more conversation leaders. As attendees, you will be more engaged with the presenters but also with each other at your tables. The day will be broken into four movements: Speed Evangelism, Come and See Q&A, a Welcoming Ministries panel, and a World Cafe conversation.

Food for thought as we learn to let go, from poet Denise Levertov…

Suspended

I had grasped God’s garment in the void
but my hand slipped
on the rich silk of it.
The ‘everlasting arms’ my sister loved to remember
must have upheld my leaden weight
from falling, even so,
for though I claw at empty air and feel
nothing, no embrace,
I have not plummeted.

Blessings as we round out this summer season.

Heidi+

August 22, 2013

The services for this coming Sunday, August 25th, the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, will be at 8 and 10 AM, with Heidi's return. There is a Service of Morning Prayer every Wednesday at 9 AM. We hope you will join us for worship and fellowship.

Readings for this Sunday: Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; Hebrews 12:18-29; Luke 13:10-17.

Sunday service, August 11th, with Jay Hutchinson
More pictures below- provided by Ray Walker

 

The upcoming Rummage Sale will be Saturday, Sept. 7th -  9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

We will welcome the donations of clean, in good condition clothing (for all ages), shoes and accessories, jewelry, and household linens.  We especially are looking for children's clothing for this back-to-school time and outerwear as we head into colder weather. 

Drop-off times will be on Tuesday, Sept. 3rd and Wednesday, Sept. 4th from 9 a.m. to noon and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.  We will not be able to accept any drop-offs after 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Additional drop-off days for parishioners: Sunday, Sept. 1st and Monday, Sept. 2nd for those who have a key. 

Also, we are needing the help of many hands to accept donations on Tuesday and Wednesday, set up the rummage sale, and work at the event itself.  Whatever help you can give will be much appreciated.  Please contact Diane Lombardi at 986-2981 with your offers to help and availability times.

EfM is about to begin, the first session starts September 3rd.  It looks like the time will be 2:30 to 5:30pm on Tuesdays - I just need to tell you that attending this course last year was totally phenomenal.  The first year is studying the Old Testament which we did in 36 weeks of reading and. meeting together.  From now on for the rest of my life when I read the lessons or hear a homily the meaning and references are enhanced so very much.  It is quite wonderful.  Our first part of our class is each group, years 1,2,3 and 4 reflect a little on what their weeks reading was about, we take a break and then between us all discuss (it's called "theological reflection") what it means to us and to this world of ours in the 21st Century.  The readings for the week are interesting, the people in the group are great and Robin is probably the best facilitator you could ever have.  So, if you are thinking about taking EfM. now would be the time.  There is still time to contact Rev. Robin Soller at Trinity Church in Meredith.  If you have any questions that maybe I could help answer, give me a call.  Peg Reinfuss  367-8498

 

The next Evangelism Institute will take place on Saturday, September 21, 2013, from 10:00 to 3:00  at Lake Opechee Inn, in Lakeport, (Laconia) NH. The registration deadline is September 8. Please register by going on-line to http://evangelism.nhepiscopal.org/

Several vestry members will be attending, but having a strong group participating together will provide a stronger core to bring the information and practices back home. Learn about inviting new people to church through the “Come and See” program, integrate new members into our church with the  “Koinonia” program, and looking ahead at the changes coming to New Hampshire in upcoming decades! This is particularly helpful for our greeters and all who have connections with people who have no church affiliation (which is all of us).

This year’s Institute will feature fewer speakers, but more conversation leaders. As attendees, you will be more engaged with the presenters but also with each other at your tables. The day will be broken into four movements: Speed Evangelism, Come and See Q&A, a Welcoming Ministries panel, and a World Cafe conversation.

 

Preparations are beginning for the Sandwich Fair – October 12-14.As there was a setback in growing produce for the Fair- we will be depending on the “value added” items even more. If you can make jams and jellies- great! If you know where elderberries or blackberries are plentiful for picking- let Gretchen know (323-7459).  We are also looking for people with artistic and crafting skills to help with turning dried gourds into decorative items- every ability is helpful- from cleaning to painting.

 

This year is the 250th anniversary of the Town of Sandwich.  There is a theme of “Then and Now” for vendors.  We are looking for some “then” items to decorate the booth.  My brother is building us a wooden structure from which we can display things. An idea of “old fashioned” wire-topped jam jars, etc.  Anyone with other ideas please call Gretchen or see her in church. Thank you.

 

 

 

 

What’s next for Tom Reinfuss, our postulant to the vocational diaconate? Tom was approved for postulancy (a three-year period of formal discernment and education) in June, and he is now on summer vacation with his family in Nova Scotia. When he returns in September, he and two other postulants from New Hampshire will begin participating in the formation and education program run by the Diocese of Massachusetts. The tuition for this program for Tom is $1800 for each of the three years of training, the cost to be shared equally by the diocese, the parish, and by each participant.
The parish is committed to covering our $600 share. Since this item was not included in our 2013 budget, the vestry voted to invite direct contributions from members of the parish who might like to provide support. If you would like to contribute to Tom’s tuition, checks should be made payable to St. Andrew’s-in-the-Valley, with a memo line reference “for Tom’s first year tuition.”



 

 

More pictures from Sunday August 11^th.

 

August 15, 2013

The services for this coming Sunday, August 18th, the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, will be at 8 and 10 AM, with guest priest, the Reverend John Allen preaching and presiding. We hope you will join us for worship and fellowship.

Readings for this Sunday:  Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalm 80:1-2, 8-18, Hebrews 11:29-12:2, Luke 12:49-56.

Rector’s August vacation:  Heidi and Duane will be vacationing in Woods Hole with family from August 9^th to August 23^rd. If you have matters of pastoral need or urgent concern, please call the office during weekday mornings or contact one of our wardens: Carol Tubman at 539-2780 or Gretchen Behr-Svendsen at 323-7459.

The upcoming Rummage Sale will be Saturday, Sept. 7th -  9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
We will welcome the donations of clean, in good condition clothing (for all ages), shoes and accessories, jewelry, and household linens.  We especially are looking for children's clothing for this back-to-school time and outerwear as we head into colder weather. 

Drop-off times will be on Tuesday, Sept. 3rd and Wednesday, Sept. 4th from 9 a.m. to noon and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.  We will not be able to accept any drop-offs after 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Additional drop-off days for parishioners: Sunday, Sept. 1st and Monday, Sept. 2nd for those who have a key. 

Also, we are needing the help of many hands to accept donations on Tuesday and Wednesday, set up the rummage sale, and work at the event itself.  Whatever help you can give will be much appreciated.  Please contact Diane Lombardi at 986-2981 with your offers to help and availability times.

 

Preparations are beginning for the Sandwich Fair – October 12-14.
As there was a setback in growing produce for the Fair- we will be depending on the “value added” items even more. If you can make jams and jellies- great! If you know where elderberries or blackberries are plentiful for picking- let Gretchen know (323-7459).  We are also looking for people with artistic and crafting skills to help with turning dried gourds into decorative items- every ability is helpful- from cleaning to painting.

This year is the 250^th anniversary of the Town of Sandwich.  There is a theme of “Then and Now” for vendors.  We are looking for some “then” items to decorate the booth.  My brother is building us a wooden structure from which we can display things. An idea of “old fashioned” wire-topped jam jars, etc.  Anyone with other ideas please call Gretchen or see her in church. Thank you.

 What’s next for Tom Reinfuss, our postulant to the vocational diaconate? Tom was approved for postulancy (a three-year period of formal discernment and education) in June, and he is now on summer vacation with his family in Nova Scotia. When he returns in September, he and two other postulants from New Hampshire will begin participating in the formation and education program run by the Diocese of Massachusetts. The tuition for this program for Tom is $1800 for each of the three years of training, the cost to be shared equally by the diocese, the parish, and by each participant.
The parish is committed to covering our $600 share. Since this item was not included in our 2013 budget, the vestry voted to invite direct contributions from members of the parish who might like to provide support. If you would like to contribute to Tom’s tuition, checks should be made payable to St. Andrew’s-in-the-Valley, with a memo line reference “for Tom’s first year tuition.”

August 8, 2013

 

Parishoners gathered at the rectory for relaxed summer fellowship last Sunday. Other pictures interspersed below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The services for this coming Sunday, August 11th, the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, will be at 8 and 10 AM, with guest priest, the Reverend Jay Hutchinson preaching and presiding. We hope you will join us for worship and fellowship.

Readings for this Sunday:  Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalm 80:1-2, 8-18, Hebrews 11:29-12:2, Luke 12:49-56.

Rector’s August vacation:  Heidi and Duane will be vacationing in Woods Hole with family from August 9^th to August 23^rd. If you have matters of pastoral need or urgent concern, please call the office during weekday mornings or contact one of our wardens: Carol Tubman at 539-2780 or Gretchen Behr-Svendsen at 323-7459.

Name tags and new friends in our midst: A warm welcome to Midge, Hettie, Fran, and Joe all of whom have be worshiping with us regularly this summer. Someone made a suggestion recently that when we provide a newcomer with a name tag, we put a red sticker on it for a few months, so that others can make a point of introducing themselves and getting acquainted. And if you’ve been here for longer than a few months, but still think of yourself as “new”, please help yourself to a sticker (on the Parish bulletin board). And maybe it’s time to encourage EVERYONE to wear name tags for the rest of the summer! With guest clergy the next two Sundays, that would be helpful to them as well. Feel free to store your name tag in your parish mail box for easy access. And remember…if you introduce yourself to someone whom you think might be new, and it turns out they’ve been here longer that you … well, it’s about time you get to know each other.

What’s next for Tom Reinfuss, our postulant to the vocational diaconate? Tom was approved for postulancy (a three-year period of formal discernment and education) in June, and he is now on summer vacation with his family in Nova Scotia. When he returns in September, he and two other postulants from New Hampshire will begin participating in the formation and education program run by the Diocese of Massachusetts. The tuition for this program for Tom is $1800 for each of the three years of training, the cost to be shared equally by the diocese, the parish, and by each participant.
The parish is committed to covering our $600 share. Since this item was not included in our 2013 budget, the vestry voted to invite direct contributions from members of the parish who might like to provide support. If you would like to contribute to Tom’s tuition, checks should be made payable to St. Andrew’s-in-the-Valley, with a memo line reference “for Tom’s first year tuition.”

The next Evangelism Institute will take place on Saturday, September 21, 2013, from 10:00 to 3:00  at Lake Opechee Inn, in Lakeport, (Laconia) NH. The registration deadline is September 8. Please register by going on-line to http://evangelism.nhepiscopal.org/

Several vestry members will be attending, but having a strong group participating together will provide a stronger core to bring the information and practices back home. Learn about inviting new people to church through the “Come and See” program, integrate new members into our church with the  “Koinonia” program, and looking ahead at the changes coming to New Hampshire in upcoming decades! This is particularly helpful for our greeters and all who have connections with people who have no church affiliation (which is all of us).

This year’s Institute will feature fewer speakers, but more conversation leaders. As attendees, you will be more engaged with the presenters but also with each other at your tables. The day will be broken into four movements: Speed Evangelism, Come and See Q&A, a Welcoming Ministries panel, and a World Cafe conversation.

Stewardship takes many forms! Our Annual Rummage Sale will be held on Saturday, September 7^th. Many of us have been talking about having too much in our closets. Since we are all called to be good stewards of all we have, take a look through your shelves, drawers, and closets. If you don’t wear it, maybe now’s the time to let someone else put it to use. We won’t have room at the church to store items until the first week of September, but if we all start the sorting process now and have our items ready to go at home, it will make for easy work come September. 

Special Thanks to all the farmers at the Tamworth Farmer’s Market who have been generously supplying the Food Center with fresh produce this summer.  The Tuftonboro goat farmers also donated cheese to our coffee hour last week.  Please support all these hardworking people. Also, thank you to Elizabeth Wiesner who is supplying the Food Center with produce each week from her garden.

Food for thought…on learning to live in the present         from Br. Curtis Almquist SSJE…

The real risk is to be living with your sights focused on the future instead of being grounded in the present while peering into the future. If you get ahead of yourself in life, it’s like cutting in line. Now matters. We need the present to prepare us for the prospect of the future. We actually need now. If we don’t find life now, life will always elude us.

See you in church!

Blessings, Heidi+

August 1, 2013

Parish send off to Nancy Whitaker and Peter Sandberg

  There will be only ONE service this coming Sunday, August 4^th at 9 AM.

Immediately following the liturgy, you are invited to the Rector’s Biennial Summer Brunch, which will take place at the rectory at 247 Pound Road in Madison, about a twenty-minute drive from the church. Beverages and strata will be provided; additional contributions to the food table are welcome. And, yes, you’re invited even if you don’t make it to church.
Time: about 10:30 to 12:30. We hope you will join us for worship and fellowship.

Printed directions will be available in your bulletin on Sunday.
[The short version: East on rt. 25 to rt.16; briefly left on rt. 16; right on rt. 41 passing silver Lake to rt. 113; right on rt. 113 to the stop sign; right on East Madison Road; first real left onto Pound Road; Rectory is the 4^th visible house on the left, #247. Please park on the street headed down hill. Driveway parking is reserved for people who need easy access. The house has a ramped entrance. 267-8220.]

This Sunday is also Church World Service CROP Walk Sunday. The five-mile walk will begin at 1:30 from the Baptist Meeting House in Sandwich. Walk to raise money to combat hunger – locally and globally. Consider contributing by sponsoring a walker!

People of the Way conversations continue: Wednesday, August 7, from 10:15 to 11:30 AM; Wednesday evening, with brown-bag supper at 5:30 and conversation from 6:00 to 7:15.

Last Sunday we bade farewell to Nancy Whitaker and Peter Sandberg. We had a full congregation to see them off. They will be missed.  “For I am persuaded that nothing in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

 

 

 

Education for Ministry: This past year, 10 members of 5 churches joined together most Tuesday evenings to talk about the Bible, Church History, and how those are connected to our lives. The EfM curriculum has been revised, and so we are entering a new phase in this wonderful program that helps us see ourselves as ministers in the world.

Education for Ministry is a program developed at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is a four year program (you only commit to one year at a time) which includes learning and theologicial reflection in a small group setting.

Tom & Peg Reinfuss and Gretchen Behr-Svendsen took part last year and expect to continue. If you would like to know more about EfM, please talk to Heidi or Gretchen, and come to an informational session on Tuesday, August 13 at 7 pm at Trinity church, Meredith.  Robin Soller, rector of Trinity Church, is the mentor. The meeting time for this year is not firm, so if you cannot make Tuesday evening (the standard for last year) please don’t discount the program.

For questions or more information, please contact Robin at 279-6689 or robin.soller@trinitymeredith.org

Copies of the homily from John Booty’s Memorial Service, preached by the Rev. Ellen Aitken, are available on the table under the Parish Bulletin Board.

 The Fun-Raising committee would like to thank everyone who attended or helped at the Backyard Barbecue Bash.  Once again, the rain kept us inside, but it did not dampen spirits.  The food, headlined by smoked pulled pork by Chris and Carolyn and baked beans by Mickey and Elaine, was delicious, and the music by the Caravan Band was the perfect entertainment for the evening.  The committee acknowledges, in addition to the four just mentioned, the food and work contributions of Carol, Gretchen, Sally, Carolyn, Lynne, George, Elaine S., Grete, Heidi, Duane, David, Lynn, Patti, and Peg.  If anybody has been missed, sincerest apologies!

A reminder from Fun-Raising that this is the last chance to buy raffle tickets for the Red Sox VIP Experience, as we will have the drawing on Sunday.  The winner will get two tickets to a game of their choice in the remainder of the 2013 regular season, seating infield grandstand, with a tour of Fenway before the game (value about $250).  The raffle cost is $10 per ticket or 3 for $25, with all monies collected benefitting the church.  You have a good chance of winning, but only if you buy a ticket or three!  Stop by and see Debra in the office or buy them this Sunday morning.

Food for mid-summer reflection from the Rector…

The Labyrinth

Have you walked the labyrinth lately –
taken off your shoes
as you entered the sacred ground?
Breathed deeply and gratefully
as the complexity in your mind stilled to calm?

It is an almost alpine meadow
in our own backyard,
unmown, but still low,
dozens of species
planted here by the wind
and birds –
fed by sun and rain.

Wild strawberry vines entangle
my toes in places –
soft moss in others –
bliss under foot,
punctuated by tiny grasshoppers,
new to the world,
tender and energetic,
cheating
as they hop across the stones
that form the path –
turn by turn
inward to the open heart.

Clover blossoms,
blue-tinged starflowers,
vestiges of hearty dandelions,
yellow cinqfoil,
dwarf yarrow,
a two-inch pine seedling here,
another there,
offspring of the tall pines
that border the field
and whose sun-warmed fragrance fills the air.

And now a stunted, woody micro-shrub,
sprouting hopefully
amongst the minute red blossoms of earthy moss.

Yes, of course … grass,
broad-leafed here,
thin and yellow there,
slightly matted in the path,
growing more freely along the stones.

Clearly others walk here too.
not just I,
but have you?

Now, in the mid of summer
when the sun is low in the sky
and the insects buzz in the wetlands
and a swallow soars and swoops its supper?

Have you allowed yourself
to be touched
by the sacred
here and now?                                    HFD   7/25/13

The labyrinth is in the field behind the Parish Hall, slightly to the left. It’s always open and available. Explanatory pamphlets are on the rack by the office door.

See you in church!
Blessings, Heidi+