September 25, 2014


Signs of the turning of the season
This coming Sunday, September 28th, the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, we will have services, at 8 and 10 a.m. We hope you will join us as we kick off our Stewardship season with worship and fellowship. Special thanks to Peg Cade and Joan Wallick, Coffee Hour hosts.
The readings for this Sunday are Exodus 17:1-7, Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16, Philippians 2:1-13, Matthew 21:23-32.
Next Wednesday, October 1, Sammie Wakefield will be showing slides and talking about her most recent trip to Peru with Eleanore’s Project. We will gather at 5:30 for a light supper while we view the pictures, followed by time to ask questions and engage in deeper discussion. While normally our “First Wednesday” gatherings end promptly at 7:00, this session may go a little longer, but you are free to leave as necessary. We’re still looking for two volunteers to bring soup. Please let Rev. Heidi know.
 Embracing an Alternative Orthodoxy, a five-session study series, with presentations by Richard Rohr in conversation with a group of Christians from various denominational backgrounds (via DVD), followed by our own conversations and explorations: Our first meeting will be this coming Wednesday, October 1, at 11 am in the Prince Room. The topic for this session will be Atonement Theology. Please RSVP to frantzdale@gmail.com if you plan to attend so that you can receive some reflection questions in advance.
 Cocoa is looking forward to seeing you and your animals at church on October 5th to honor the Feast Day of Saint Francis with our annual Blessing of the Animals at our 9:00 service. As usual, dogs on leashes are welcome, cats and other small animals should be caged or crated. We will designate the transept as an “Animal Free Zone,” and welcome larger animals for a blessing outside at 10:15. Invite your friends to “Bring-Your-Pet-to-Church Sunday!”
 Preparations for the Sandwich Fair, Oct 11 – 13. . .
Set-up for the Fair is in less than two weeks! Now’s the time for bakers to get going. Convenient-to-eat snacks are very popular. Call Carol (539-2780) to let her know your plans.

Volunteers needed to staff our booth: The success of our booth at the Fair depends on being well staffed! With three of us on deck at all times, we can be relaxed and welcoming vendors, tend well to our customers, provide help for each other, and have a good time reaching out to folks. To volunteer, please call the office (323-8515). Please leave name, phone number, and preferred staffing time. Or sign up on Sunday.
The available times follow:
Saturday, October 11
7:30 pm to 10:30 am: 3 needed
10 am to 1 pm:  2 needed
12:30 pm to 3:30 pm:  2 needed
3 pm to 6 pm:  3 needed
Sunday, October 12
7:30 pm to 10:30 am: 1 needed
10 am to 1 pm:  3 needed
12:30 pm to 3:30 pm:  2 needed
3 pm to 6 pm:  3 needed
Monday, October 13
7:30 pm to 10:30 am: 2 needed
10 am to 1 pm:  all set
12:30 pm to 3:30 pm:  3 needed
3 pm to 6 pm:  1 needed

Flowers last Sunday given in loving memory of Francis MacNichol by Chris Mills
An update on contributions received in response to our anticipated budget shortfall: To date 20 households have either generously contributed or agreed to contribute a combined total $5,500. Thank you. If you are behind on your pledge payments it would help our cash flow for you to bring your payments up to date as soon as possible. If others of you are able, additional special gifts are still welcome.
Lost and Found Department: A handsome single-bladed jackknife was found in the kitchen two weeks ago. Is it yours? Check with the office.
Are you a Jazz enthusiast? Dwight Baldwin, an affiliate member here who worships in the Portsmouth area much of the year, has sent along this announcement of a Jazz Eucharist concert on Oct 4 at Music Hall in Portsmouth, a premier production of Mass in Blue by Will Todd. Click https://go.madmimi.com/redirects/1411061843-2d1d2cbe7480ebae30151974f22913be-f70d847?pa=25157469303  then go to page two for details. It sounds like great fun!
Food for thought on Gratitude and Generosity. . .
Gratitude – the simple and profound feeling of being thankful – is the foundation of all generosity. I am generous when I believe that right now, right here, and in this place, I myself am being given what I need. Generosity requires that we relinquish something, and this is impossible if we are not glad for what we have. Sallie Jiko Tisdale, "As If There is Nothing to Lose"
The practice of generosity is the practice of freedom, and it carries with it all the joy and pleasure that are associated with liberation. Indeed, there may be no greater sense of fulfillment in life than the simultaneous feelings of human interconnection and pure freedom that arise from an authentic act of selfless generosity. Dale S. Wright, “The Bodhisattva’s Gift”

See you in church!
Blessings,
Heidi+

September 18, 2014



Melissa's new friend Able was one of the first
to be ready for the 10 AM service last Sunday!

This coming Sunday, September 21st, the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, we will have two services, at 8 and 10 a.m. We hope you will join us for worship and fellowship followed by Coffee Hour hosted by Carolyn Seston.
The readings for this Sunday are Exodus 16:2-15, Psalm 105:1-6,37-45, Philippians 1:21-30, Matthew 20:1-16.
Jim & George: Taken about 8
years ago at a Roast Beef Supper
 It is with deep sorrow that I that I share the news of the death of Jim Clough, Lynne’s husband and Devon’s father, who died on Monday after a long illness. A celebration of Jim’s life will be held at the Little White Church in Eaton next Tuesday, September 23, at 3 PM. Please keep Lynne and Devon in your prayers. Cards may be sent to them at P. O. Box 173, Chocorua NH 03817.

This Saturday from 11:00 until 3:00 five Saint Andrew's fabric artisans will be participating in the Harvest Festival at the Remick Museum in Tamworth. Consider stopping by to learn and enjoy.
As part of our approach to the religious and spiritual formation of our children (and in recognition of the fact that on most Sundays the sermons are primarily focused for adults), one Sunday each month we have a dialogue sermon geared especially to our children. I invite them to come forward, so that the discussion can be more immediate, and I often make use of the wooden "Godly Play" figures that we have, which were made by Sammie Wakefield. 
Retelling the Gospel story of the day in an authentic but simplified form, acting it out with the wooden figures, encourages the children to be engaged with the story as story. The retelling is then followed by a few very open-ended questions. "I wonder... what part of the story pleased you the most?" "I wonder... did anything surprise you?" "I wonder, how do suppose [this person] felt when [something particular] happened or was said?" With the "Godly Play" approach, we aren't looking for absolute answers, nor are we trying to tell the children what to think; rather, we are inviting them to reflect on their own experiences and feelings, which, along with thoughtful, sensitive adult question-posing, opens them to the workings of the Holy Spirit.
And now, a word of invitation to adults: We are in real need of a couple of people who work well and easily with children who would like to be trained in the "Godly Play" approach, so that we could offer this to our children more often than the once a month. "Godly Play" is considerably more than just the story-telling. It also involves supporting the children in following up on the stories individually, both through retelling the story themselves with the figures, as well as a variety of artistic responses.
Bibles stories are designed and intended to grow on us (at whatever age) with time and experience. The more securely they are seated in our memories, the greater the likelihood that we can draw on them when we need them or that they will rise to our consciousness unbidden at the right moment.

This past Sunday, children were invited forward to listen to a retelling of the Gospel story with the help of wooden "people" from our "Godly Play" set. We then wrestled together with the disciple Peter's question, "How many times should I forgive, Lord?" Of course, it's not just the young people who are drawn to this approach. We are all visual, tactile human beings, with curiosity, appreciation for story, and hearts to love, hungry for Good News that speaks to our souls.
Another aspect of our formation as liturgical Christians is our recognition that we are shaped by the liturgy and the ways in which we pray. Liturgy is the work of the people – all of us, including everyone in the pews – but there is a special deeper connection that comes with taking a public (often vested) role in the service. I welcome any of you who find yourselves drawn to this possibility to speak up, as Albert did last week, asking if he could acolyte. If you are at least six or seven, have the desire, and sit reasonably still during worship, we would love to have you as part of the team.
Thank you, Albert, for stepping forward to serve!

Three sample floral centerpieces decorated the coffee hour table. Sally plans to make more of them to be sold at the Sandwich Fair

Calling all lovers of homemade jams, jellies, pickles, etc. Sandwich Fair is coming up the second weekend of October. Anyone who wishes to create their own delicacies for sale, please contact David, Gretchen, Chris or Carol with questions and requests for labels. For all who love to consume homemade canned goods, consider saving you empty jars for re-use by one of us. Also, if you frequent yard sales and happen to see 8 or 16 oz. canning jars, grab them. (New jars run from $8-$12/case of twelve.) We will reimburse you.
Fall Programming: There’s more to the fall than the Sandwich Fair! And there’s more to Saint Francis than the blessing of the animals!
Embracing and Alternative Orthodoxy: Richard Rohr on the Legacy of St. Francis. I am excited to offer this study series which is based on a five-session DVD, each segment of which will lay out some information and get us thinking, so that we can then engage in a focused discussion among ourselves. (This is NOT a book group, so it does not involve reading assignments, though there’s a useful reflection activity that is suggested in advance of each session.)

The sign-up sheet is posted in the Parish Hall. We expect to meet alternate Wednesday mornings, start time to be determined by interest. If you have questions, call or email me. I would like to start on September 24.

The five topics for exploration are:
1. Atonement Theology
2. Eco-Spirituality
3. The Cosmic Christ
4. Orthodoxy vs. Orthopraxy
5. Mysticism over Moralism

Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest, founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, and author of numerous books. To get a sense of his work and a flavor for his approach, Googling his name will give you plenty of exposure.
On Wednesday, October 1, as part of our “First Wednesday Supper” series, Sammie Wakefield will be showing slides and talking about her most recent trip to Peru with Eleanore’s Project. We will gather at 5:30 for a light supper while we view the pictures, followed by time to ask questions and engage in deeper discussion. While normally our “First Wednesday” gatherings end promptly at 7:00, this session may go a little longer, but you are free to leave as necessary.

Oreo wishes he could attend, but he has to be away: He hopes that you and your animals will come on October 5th to honor the Feast Day of Saint Francis with our annual Blessing of the Animals at our 9:00 service. As usual, dogs on leashes are welcome, cats and other small animals should be caged or crated. We will designate the transept as an “Animal Free Zone,” and welcome larger animals for a blessing outside at 10:15. Invite your friends to “Bring-Your-Pet-to-Church Sunday!”





Food for thought...
Hildegard’s mandala of the Cosmic Tree 
Below is one of the readings appointed for the Feast Day of Hildegard of Bingen (September 17), whom we remembered yesterday at Morning Prayer. Hildegard was a remarkable woman and widely recognized saint of the church who died in 1179 at the age of 81. She was a mystic, poet, composer, dramatist, doctor, scientist, preacher, and abbess, whose works abound with feminine imagery for God and God’s creation and whose counsel was eagerly sought by kings and queens, abbots and abbesses, archbishops and popes.
The pride of the higher realms is the clear vault of the sky,
    as glorious to behold as the sight of the heavens.
The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises
    what a marvelous instrument it is, the work of the Most High.

It is the moon that marks the changing seasons,
    governing the times, their everlasting sign.
From the moon comes the sign for festal days,
    a light that wanes when it completes its course.

The glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven,
    a glittering array in the heights of the Lord.
On the orders of the Holy One they stand in their appointed places;
    they never relax in their watches.

Look at the rainbow, and praise him who made it;
    it is exceedingly beautiful in its brightness.
It encircles the sky with its glorious arc;
    the hands of the Most High have stretched it out.

We could say more but could never say enough;
    let the final word be: “He is the all.”
Where can we find the strength to praise him?
    For he is greater than all his works. 

- Ecclesiasticus, chapter 43

I wonder, what might she have said about last week’s aurora borealis?

See you in church!
Blessings,
Heidi+

September11, 2014


The fruits of our harvest!!!
Don’t miss the picture gallery of the Harvest Party at the bottom
This coming Sunday, September 14th, the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, we will have two services, at 8 and 10 a.m. We hope you will join us for worship and fellowship followed by Coffee Hour.
The readings for this Sunday are Exodus 14:19-31, Psalm 114, Romans 14:1-12, Matthew 18:21-35.
The Annual Harvest Gathering Party last Saturday was a huge success! Thanks to all the harvesters: Sally, Grete, Patti, George, Duane, Heidi, Joan W, Barbara Lord, Dale, Ann, Chris Boldt, and especially Gretchen, who not only oversaw the harvesting and preparing of the squashes, but had planted and tended the vines. Special thanks too to Gretchen’s brothers Karl and Robert for their assistance and support.
  
The squashes will be sold at our booth at the Sandwich Fair, October 11-13 – some as fall decorations, and others dried and decorated. If you would like to help with scrubbing the dried gourds, which is truly important but unskilled work, contact Barbara Lord (367-1051). If you would like to receive coaching on decorating, let Gretchen know (323-7459) and she’ll direct you to a good coach! While all this can be done individually at home, doing this work and creativity as a group makes it all the more fun. Those who worked together last Saturday can certainly attest to the community-building companionship of picking and scrubbing together.
Calling all lovers of homemade jams, jellies, pickles, etc. Sandwich Fair is coming up the second weekend of October. Anyone who wishes to create their own delicacies for sale, please contact David, Gretchen, Chris or Carol with questions and requests for labels. For all who love to consume homemade canned goods, consider saving you empty jars for re-use by one of us. Also, if you frequent yard sales and happen to see 8 or 16oz canning jars, grab them. (New jars run from $8-$12/case of twelve) We will reimburse you.
Help needed with Dinner Bell this Sunday Twice a year Heidi and Duane (367-8220) are scheduled to do Dinner Bell with the young people of the parish, often assisted by their parents. But family lives are not predictable! It happens that this year none of the families are available. Can you lend a hand? Either with pre-making something at home, being part of the cook team from 4 to 6, or arriving at 5 to doing dish-washing? Haven’t done Dinner Bell before? Come be part of this important ministry to the wider community! No experience necessary?
Fall Programming: There’s more to the fall than the Sandwich Fair! And there’s more to Saint Francis than the blessing of the animals!
Embracing an Alternative Orthodoxy: Richard Rohr on the Legacy of St. Francis. I am excited to offer this study series which is based on a five-session DVD, each segment of which will lay out some information and get us thinking, so that we can then engage in a focused discussion among ourselves. (This is NOT a book group, so it does not involve reading assignments, though there’s a useful reflection activity that is suggested in advance of each session.)
If you are someone who has felt that “theology” is boring and over your head, this might be just the thing to change your mind! And if you are someone who cares about theology and wrestles with what you think the church has taught you, this might be for you!  And if you are someone who has been deeply formed by the church’s theological understandings and who thinks you have a pretty good grasp of what you know and how it continues to shape your life, this may broaden your understandings and open you to new perspectives. Whichever category you may place yourself in, the goal of this exploration is not academic learning, but deepening and enlivening our faith and spiritual lives, all of which undergirds our ability to reach out into the world in the name of Christ!
The five topics for exploration are:
1. Atonement Theology
2. Eco-Spirituality
3. The Cosmic Christ
4. Orthodoxy vs. Orthopraxy
5. Mysticism over Moralism
Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest, founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, and author of numerous books. To get a sense of his work and a flavor for his approach, Googling his name will give you plenty of exposure. If you’d like to receive daily reflection pieces go to https://cac.org/sign-up 
When will this group be meeting? The suggested time is alternate Wednesday mornings at 10:15. If you are interested, please contact me directly or sign up on the sheet posted in the Parish Hall. I’d like to get going a soon as possible.
On Wednesday, October 1, as part of our “First Wednesday Supper” series, Sammie Wakefield will be showing slides and talking about her most recent trip to Peru with Eleanore’s Project, working with children and their families to provide custom wheelchairs. Sammie is our emissary in this extraordinary ministry. We will gather at 5:30 for a light supper while we view the pictures, followed by time to ask questions and engage in deeper discussion. While normally our “First Wednesday” gatherings end promptly at 7:00, this session may go a little longer, but you are free to leave as necessary.
Plan ahead: On October 5th we will honor the Feast Day of Saint Francis with our annual Blessing of the Animals at our 9:00 service. As usual, dogs on leashes are welcome, cats and other small animals should be caged or crated. We will designate the transept as an “Animal Free Zone,” and welcome larger animals for a blessing outside at 10:15. Invite your friends to “Bring-Your-Pet-to-Church Sunday!”
Food for thought from Richard Rohr on Unlocking Attachments …
Contemplation is the key to unlocking the attachments and addictions of the mind so that we can see clearly. I think some form of contemplative practice is necessary to be able to detach from your own agenda, your own anger, your own ego, and your own fear.
I find most people operate not out of “consciousness,” but out of their level of practiced brain function, which relies on early-life conditioning and has little to do with God encounter or grace or mercy or freedom or love. We primarily operate from habituated patterns based on what Mom told me, what went wrong when I was young, and the defense mechanisms I learned that helped me to be right and good, to be first and famous, or whatever I may want to be. These are not all bad but they are not all good either.
All of that old and practiced thinking has to be recognized and accounted for, which is the work of contemplation. Without contemplation, you don’t see clearly. Everything is all about you, and you just keep seeing everything through your own agenda, anger, and wounds. Isn’t that most people you know?  Few ever achieve much inner freedom. Contemplation, sadly, helps you see your woundedness! That’s why most people do not stay long with contemplative prayer, because it’s not very glorious. It’s a continual humiliation, realizing, “Oh my God, I did it again. I still don’t know how to love!”
We need some form of contemplative practice that touches our unconscious conditioning, where all our wounds lie, where all our defense mechanisms are operative secretly. Once these are not taken so seriously, there is finally room for the inrushing of God and grace!


See you in church!
Blessings,
Heidi+





September 4, 2014



 
Hibiscus behind the Parish Hall, given in
loving memory of Marie Cannon by family members.

 This coming Sunday, September 7th, the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, we will have ONE service only at 9 am. We hope you will join us for worship and fellowship. Coffee Hour will be hosted by the choir.
The readings for this Sunday are Exodus 12:1-14, Psalm 149, Romans 13:8-14, Matthew 18:15-20.
The Women’s Lunch Bunch will meet on Wednesday, September 10th, at noon, at the Mt. View Station Restaurant in Center Ossipee. Please call Dale Appleton if you wish more information.

 The Annual Harvest Gathering Party is scheduled for this Saturday, September 6, meeting at Gretchen and Karl’s house at 9 AM so that we can all go into the field to harvest together. At noon we will gather for a pot-luck meal together at their house. Please plan to come and BRING YOUR CLIPPERS! No special skills required. Families welcome. [106 Tamworth Road. Coming from the church, their driveway is immediately before the Tamworth Police station. 323-7459.] If it’s seriously rainy, please call first.
Calling all lovers of homemade jams, jellies, pickles, etc. Sandwich Fair is coming up the second weekend of October. Anyone who wishes to create their own delicacies for sale, please contact David, Gretchen, Chris or Carol with questions and requests for labels. For all who love to consume homemade canned goods, consider saving you empty jars for re-use by one of us. Also, if you frequent yard sales and happen to see 8 or 16oz canning jars, grab them. (New jars run from $8-$12/case of twelve) We will reimburse you.
Food for thought…


 As summer winds to a close, the nights get cooler, the trees begin to turn, and our vegetable gardens bring forth the last of this season’s abundance, I’m struck by how much the natural world is calling us wake up and to pay attention. But we have choices: We can stay with our routines. We can complain that summer went by too fast, it’s suddenly too cold. We can be discouraged because the plants are browning off and dying back. Or we can stay in the moment and just look – look and appreciate and give thanks for being. We can also use that as a base and open our eyes to the world around us and consider our own next steps in how we engage with this world.
 As Stephen Cope writes in The Great Work of Your Life, “Each of us feels some aspect of the world’s suffering acutely. And we must pay attention. We must act. This little corner of the world is ours to transform. This little corner of the world is ours to save.”

What’s your next step? What’s ours as a church?


See you in church!
Blessings,
Heidi+
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