January 29, 2014

Friends,

Your presence is requested this coming Sunday, January 29th, at 9 a.m. for worship, followed by A Slideshow of the Year in Review, brunch and our Annual Meeting.

“Requested?” you say.
Yes. We both want and need you with us for the service and the meeting that follows as we check in on how we’re doing, officially welcome newcomers, and elect new vestry members. We also need you with us as we consider some important Next Steps for us. And… in order for us to have a valid Annual Meeting we need a quorum.

The Brunch is Pot Luck, so bring something to share for the sit-down meal – savory or sweet, vegetable, fruit, or protein.

If you missed church last Sunday when copies of the 2014 Annual report were delivered, feel free to stop by Thursday or Friday morning to pick up a copy. They are on the table in front of the bulletin board in the Parish Hall. Or email her (office@standrewsinthevalley.org) for an electronic copy.

The Nominating committee has put forward the following slate: (Photos of them are on the Parish bulletin board)
Senior Warden: Carol Tubman
Junior Warden: Sally DeGroot*
Clerk: Chris Mills
Treasurer: Bob Seston
Vestry: Jennifer Huckman*
Vestry:            Gretchen Behr-Svendsen
Vestry: David Manley
Vestry: Phil Wallick
* indicate new to the position

Readings for this Sunday: Deuteronomy 18:15-20, Psalm 111, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Mark 1:21-28.

This Sunday at 4:00 pm a service of Evensong will be held at Trinity Church in Tilton. Bishop Rob Hirschfeld will be officiating for the Secularizing of a Consecrated Building. The small congregation of Trinity made the difficult decision several months ago to close its doors as a church and to be open to the Spirit’s call for their next steps in what God is calling them to, and where. I expect to be attending and have space for a couple of passengers if you are interested in  joining me in this witness of support. If you choose to go on your own the address is 274 Main Street, Tilton.

 Lent begins February 18^th. Lent is traditionally a time to take on some form of spiritual practice that helps us draw closer to God. We are in the process of deciding on a couple of offerings ranging from a couple of book possibilities, to a daily Lenten series offered through SSJE focusing on our relationship with and understanding of time, to a weekly shared meal (with or without a study or worship component), to an initiative that might involve participants of all ages, to a contemplative early evening worship service. Some of these could even lend themselves to on-line, rather than, or in addition to, in-person, participation. If you are interested in being part of the decision-making, or if you have other suggestions, you are invited to join me and others immediately following the 10:00 service on February 8 and if you can’t make it on the 8^th, let me know your thoughts.

All are Welcome! Every Wednesday at 9 AM a small congregation gathers for a service of Morning Prayer. This is a Prayer Book service of scripture readings, reflection, and prayer – a wonderful way to begin your day and anchor the middle of your week. All are welcome.

Food for thought…
Understanding the words we use in liturgy, as well as in our common speech, matters. And when it comes to religious matters in some cases it can make all the difference in the world. Sometimes digging into the etymology of words can shed some welcome light:

from Unearthing My Religion Real Talk about Real Faith,
by Mary Gray-Reeves, Bishop of the diocese of El Camino Real in Californian

… “To believe” in Latin (the language that has shaped much of Western theological thought) is opinor, opinari, meaning “to opine” (from which we get out word opinion), which was not typically a religious word. Instead, Latin used credo, meaning “I set my heart upon” or “I give my loyalty to,” as the word to describe religious “believing.” In medieval English, the concept of credo was translated as “believe,” but in medieval English that meant roughly the same thing as its German cousin belieben, “to prize, treasure, or hold dear,” and which comes from the root word Liebe, “love.” Thus in early English, to “believe” was to “belove” something or someone as an act of trust or loyalty. Belief was not an intellectual opinion.

… [It is a relatively modern to associate believing with provable fact.] In centuries past, belief had nothing to do with one’s weighing evidence or intellectual choice. Belief was not a doctrinal test. Instead, belief was more like a marriage vow – “I do” as a pledge of faithfulness and loving service to and with the other. Indeed, in early English usage, you could not hold, claim, or possess a belief about God, but you could cherish, love, and trust in, or devote yourself to God.

…So the creeds (from credo) – “I/we believe in God… [and] in one Lord, Jesus Christ …[and] in the  Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life … – or baptismal faith statements like “I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior,” may better be embraced as “I trust… ,” or the more awkward, “I belove.” I trust Jesus. I belove Jesus. I trust the faith. I belove the faith.  Trust Christian community.  Belove Christian community.”

I invite you to consider this the next time you recite the creed or the next time you find yourself in conversation with someone who is trying to figure out what “this church stuff that so occupies your life” is all about!

Blessings in this season of light.
See you in church!
Heidi+

January 22, 2015

  
Services for this coming Sunday, January 25th, the Third Sunday after the Epiphany, will be at 8 and 10 a.m. with coffee hour following both services.

Readings for this Sunday: Jonah 3:1-5, 10, Psalm 62:6-14, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, Mark 1:14- 20

All are Welcome! Every Wednesday at 9 AM a small congregation gathers for a service of Morning Prayer. This is a Prayer Book service of scripture readings, reflection, and prayer – a wonderful way to begin your day and anchor the middle of your week. All are welcome.

Robert Burns night is being celebrated this coming Sunday evening at the Corner House in Sandwich. Last year a group of us from St. Andrew's went together. If you're interested, let Gabriele know (476-5685). Noteworthy "Sandwich ( and St. Andrew's) Minstrels Carolyn and Chris Boldt are on the program.

Our Annual Parish Meeting is coming up next Sunday,  February 1st! Mark your calendar and plan to attend and bring something for our food table. We will have an All-Parish Brunch immediately following the single 9:00 a.m. morning service, with the Annual Meeting beginning at approximately 11 a.m. Expect a phone-tree call mid-week with specifics about food.

Annual Reports will be in Parish Hall mailboxes this Sunday. Please pick up your copy and read it in advance of next Sunday’s meeting. Please remember to bring your report with you.

A note from Lynne Clough: 

And a thank you from Joan Marshall, who expresses her gratitude for the parish’s involvement in the blessing and reception honoring her parents, June and George Donovan, on the 70^th wedding anniversary the Sunday after Christmas.

Offering Envelopes:  There are now permanent numbers for everyone that have been assigned. If you have old envelopes that you are using up, please check with Debra (in the office) for your new number to write on them OR dispose of them and ask Debra to print new ones for you.  She can print them for you even if you only submit your contribution monthly, quarterly, etc–as well as weekly. If you checked off  “I need envelopes” on your pledge, they have been printed and are in your Parish Hall mailbox.

Food for thought…

Yesterday at Saint Andrew’s we celebrated the life of Gregory Palmer, a local young man whose life was tragically cut short at the age of 22. There were at least 240 people present for the service, many deeply grief-struck and in need of community. Gregory was not a member of the parish. In fact, I doubt that he was a churchgoer, but his father grew up at Saint Andrew’s, served as an acolyte and active in the church. When the heartbreaking need arose for him to arrange for his son’s funeral, there was no question in his mind that Saint Andrew’s would be the place. “This is my church. It has always been!”

I write about this today in part as a reminder to all of us that “This is my church” is something that is felt by dozens (possibly hundreds) of people who may not be Sunday worshippers, but who know God in their own, often very powerful though perhaps private ways, and recognize this place – our church – as their own. We may stand quietly on a side road, but our witness to God’s abiding and enduring love and the hope that provides is a gift that we offer beyond measure.

“…love is from God: everyone who loves is born of God and knows God …No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. [1 John 3: 7, 12]

And, from a recent daily offering from the Br. Curtis at SSJE… “Where love is, there is God. Where there is any love at all, there we see the life and witness of God, which we see revealed most supremely and uniquely through the person of Jesus Christ.”

My special thanks to Duane, George, Gretchen, Cathie, Lisa, Debra, and Judy for their generosity of heart and time for providing the necessary and much-appreciated “home-team” presence and hospitality – a visible witness to our 240 guests – that death is not the last word and that God’s love is abundantly real. (The reception per se was completely arranged by the family and their friends, from the setting up of tables to tidying up and putting the facility back to rights.)

Please keep Gregory and his family in your prayers.

Blessings in this season of light.
See you in church!
Heidi+

January 15, 2014

Midwinter afternoon sun

Services for this coming Sunday, January 18th, the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, will be at 8 and 10 a.m. with coffee hour following both services.

Readings for this Sunday: 1 Samuel 3:1-20, Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, John 1:43-51.

Coffee Hour Hosts are needed:  Please check the signup sheet in the Parish Hall for dates that need to be filled for after the 8am and 10 am services. There are people who will gladly show you the ropes if you have never hosted.

Martin Luther King’s Legacy Celebrated in Conway: On, Monday, January 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the civil rights leader’s memory will be honored with song, story and reflection at the Conway Village Congregational Church (“The Brown Church”) at 132 Main Street. The event begins at 6pm. The program, “Celebrating the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” will feature The Potluck Singers and other local musicians, words from Freedom Rider Mark Allen of Sandwich, a story by storyteller (and World Fellowship co-director) Andy Davis, and a time for reflections by local clergy and the general public. The program is sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, The World Fellowship Center, and the Clergy of the Eastern Slope.

Did you miss church on Sunday? Every Wednesday at 9 AM a small congregation gathers for a service of Morning Prayer. This is a Prayer Book service of scripture readings, reflection, and prayer – a wonderful way to begin your day and anchor the middle of your week. All are welcome.

Our Annual Parish Meeting is coming up on Sunday,  February 1st! Mark your calendar and plan to attend. We will have an All-Parish Brunch immediately following the single 9:00 a.m. morning service, with the Annual Meeting beginning at approximately 11 a.m.

All annual reports from committee chairs are due in the office by tomorrow, Friday, January 16th. Please send them via email to Debra’s in-box.

Also please check the posted list of members eligible to vote. If your name is not there and you would like to be voting member of St. Andrew’s, please talk to Rev. Heidi.

Offering Envelopes: There are now permanent numbers for everyone that have been assigned. If you have old envelopes that you are using up, please check with Debra (in the office) for your new number to write on them OR dispose of them and ask Debra to print new ones for you.  She can print them for you even if you only submit your contribution monthly, quarterly, etc–as well as weekly. If you checked off  “I need envelopes” on your pledge, they have been printed and are in your Parish Hall mailbox.
End of the year statements will be going out next week and they will have a note enclosed with your new number.

The Freezer key is still missing! It disappeared several weeks ago. It belongs on a hook on the trim of the adjacent kitchen doorway. We lock the freezer not to keep people out (The key should always there.) but to guarantee that the freezer door is securely closed. Best guess is that someone put it in their pocket while using the freezer and accidentally took it home with them. If you used the freezer in December, please check your pockets!

Winter Weather Advisory!!!  Please keep in mind during the winter when the weather looks questionable for safe travel to call the church before you leave home to check for schedule changes. If a storm comes in on Saturday evening or Sunday, I will make a judgment by 6:30 AM about whether to hold, cancel, or delay services. I will also send an email out to you if you have provided me with your email address. PLEASE do not travel if it feels unsafe to you. Enjoy a Sabbath morning at home and remember St. Andrew’s in your prayers.

Food for thought…

    

As we enter fully into this season of Epiphany that began on January 6 with the arrival of the magi to the Christ child and will continue through Shrove Tuesday (March 17), the hours of daylight lengthen, reminding us that we are called to claim that light and share the light of Christ in our own lives.
     The full name of the season that captures an important part of the meaning is “The Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles.” Manifestation. Showing. Making known. Each of us encountered something of the Christ child at Christmas. Don’t let that encounter slip away from your awareness. Now is the time to trust that spark within you that was somehow ignited on Christmas. Breathe that spark into being. Share the glow. Make the light of Christ visible. And be reminded and energized, as each day dawn comes a bit earlier and the afternoon light lasts longer.

 

Blessings in this season of light.
See you in church!
Heidi+

January 8, 2014

Don’t miss other pictures from last Sunday below.

Services for this coming Sunday, January 11th, the First Sunday after the Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord, will be at 8 and 10 a.m. with coffee hour following both services. Our guest priest will be the Rev. Ted Rice, who recently retired as interim at All Saints’ church in Wolfeboro. The rector will be taking her “post-Christmas Sabbath Sunday.”

Readings for this Sunday: Genesis 1:1-5, Psalm 29, Acts 19:1-7, Mark 1:4-11.

Coffee Hour Hosts are needed:  Please check the signup sheet in the Parish Hall for dates that need to be filled for after the 8am and 10 am services. There are people who will gladly show you the ropes if you have never hosted.

ALL ARE WELCOME every Wednesday at 9 AM, for a service of Morning Prayer held in the church led by one of our three licensed worship leaders.

Our Annual Parish Meeting is coming up! Mark your calendar and plan to attend the on Sunday,  February 1st. We will have an All Parish Brunch immediately following the single 9:00 a.m. morning service, with the Annual Meeting beginning at approximately 11 a.m.

All annual reports from committee chairs are due in the office by Friday, January 16th.  Please don’t wait until the last minute. Send them via email to the office or drop off a hard copy to Debra’s in-box. If you need a copy of last year’s report, please send your request to her and she can either email it to you or provide a hard copy.

Also please check the posted list of members eligible to vote. If your name is not there and you would like to be voting member of St. Andrew’s, please talk to Rev. Heidi.

Women’s Lunch Bunch will meet this coming Wednesday, January 14^th at noon at the Mountain View Depot Restaurant in Center Ossipee. Questions or need a ride? Call Dale at 539-3761.

Sammie trims the wicks

As a Parish we have supported the work of over a dozen organizations locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally that are an extension of our hearts and hands reaching out in the name of Christ. The money we give away results from the success of many of our fundraising activities. Notes of gratitude from these organizations are posted on the “stage area” bulletin board. Take a look and become familiar with the valuable work that is being done through your support.

The Freezer key is missing! In fact, it’s been missing for several weeks. It belongs on a hook on the trim of the adjacent kitchen doorway. We lock the freezer not to keep people out (The key should always there.) but to guarantee that the freezer door is securely closed. Best guess is that someone put it in their pocket while using the freezer and accidentally took it home with them. If you used the freezer in December, please check your pockets! It's a cylindrical key.

 Winter Weather Advisory!!!  Please keep in mind during the winter when the weather looks questionable for safe travel to call the church before you leave home to check for schedule changes. If a storm comes in on Saturday evening or Sunday, I will make a judgment by 6:30 AM about whether to hold, cancel, or delay services. I will also send an email out to you if you have provided me with your email address. PLEASE do not travel if it feels unsafe to you. Enjoy a Sabbath morning at home and remember St. Andrew’s in your prayers.

Food for thought: Reflections on last Sunday

Don’t assume winter weather means no church! Last Sunday was one of those “winter weather Sundays.” We cancelled morning services and 18 of us met instead at 4 pm, once the roads had been cleared.

The evening darkness invited us to began our worship with the liturgy for light – a perfect opportunity for our celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany in song, prayer, and sacrament. Parishioner (the Rev.) Ellie McLaughlin presided, I preached on the Visit of the Magi to the Christ Child, inviting us all to ponder how their lives might have been changed by that visit, which of course raises the question of how each of us has been changed by how we have met the Christ anew this Christmas.  All of us offered a blessing for Ellie+ on her significant birthday, and in place of coffee hour following the service, we were invited by George and Patti Rau to join the Dinner Bell gathering for supper! The weather out side was cold and wintry, but the spirit inside was rich. Lively and warm!

“Change”, the Word for the day from the brothers at SSJE…
The wise men had come to Him who was Himself the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. None can come to Christ at Bethlehem and go away as they came. Our coming to Christ changes everything, and therefore even to the old scenes we return with changed hearts and new powers.
            -Richard Meux Benson, SSJE (1824-1915).

Blessings in the new season of Epiphany!
See you in church!
Heidi+

Our Evening Celebration of the Epiphany

January 1, 2015

HAPPY NEW YEAR!    HAPPY EPIPHANY!

One of several valiant Christmas pansies in our Memorial Garden

This coming Sunday, January 4th, the Second Sunday after Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany, we are scheduled to have ONE service only at 9 a.m., with coffee hour hosted by the Pastoral Care Committee.

But… the weather situation for Sunday morning is a bit “iffy.” Expect an email from me sometime Saturday evening and a final decision on possible changes by Sunday morning at 6:15. The church voice mail will also be updated at that time. If it should be necessary to cancel the morning service, it will probably be postponed to 5 PM.

Readings for this Sunday: Jeremiah 31:7-11, 13-14, Canticle 11: The Third Song of Isaiah, Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a, Matthew 2:1-15, 19-23.

Don't miss the Photo Gallery below from June and George's 70th anniversary honoring.

Coffee Hour Hosts are needed:  Please check the signup sheet in the Parish Hall for dates that need to be filled for after the 8am and 10 am services. There are people who will gladly show you the ropes if you have never hosted.

ALL ARE WELCOME every Wednesday at 9 AM, for a service of Morning Prayer held in the church led by one of our three licensed worship leaders.

Women’s Lunch Bunch will be meeting this Wednesday, January 7^th at noon at the Mountain View Station Restaurant in Center Ossipee. Need a ride? Call Dale at 539-3761.

Are you new to Saint Andrew’s in the past year? We are glad you are here.  If you would like to formalize your membership by transferring into this parish from your previous church or having the record of your baptism (at the church where you were baptized) recorded in our register book, please talk to the rector. This is the procedure by which you become a voting member at our Annual Meeting.

Mark your calendar: Plan to attend the Annual Parish Meeting on Sunday, February 1st.

Debra will be looking for Annual Reports from committee chairs as soon as you can get them to her.  The final due date is January 15th.  Please don’t wait until the last minute. Send them via email to the office or drop off a hard copy to her in-box.  If you need a copy of last year’s report, please send your request to her and she can either email it to you or provide a hard copy.

Winter Weather Advisory!!!  Please keep in mind during the winter: When the weather looks questionable for safe travel, please call the church before you leave home to check for possible schedule changes. If a storm comes in on Saturday evening or Sunday, the rector will make a judgment by 6:30 AM about whether to hold, cancel, or delay services. I will also send an email out to you if you have provided me with your email address. PLEASE do not travel if it feels unsafe to you. Enjoy a Sabbath morning at home and remember St. Andrew’s in your prayers.

Food for thought and contemplation as we live the 12 Days of Christmas…

Going to God with the Shepherds
by Louis William Countryman

If you want to go to God, go without
your certainties. Take your graces. Leave
your certainties behind. If you go looking
for a Triangle inside a Trefoil inside
a Conundrum, you’ll miss he greatest sight
of all, the Holy Trinity playing
children’s games on the lawns of heaven. If
you only look for the Virgin of the Window,
you’ll walk right past Our Lady, laughing and telling
stories with a group of friends.

The disciples
knew not the Lord Jesus in his resurrection
flesh. They were expecting someone else,
someone they knew for certain. And this was like,
but was it he? They knew him only when
he handed them their bread.

Go to God, then,
taking in the hand of memory
the silken light of a clear dawn after
wet weather and say, with tears if need be,
“You made this.” Take the name of your beloved
and say, “You made him and in him you remade me.”
Take the goodness of your life. And take
some moment of uncertain and life-giving
hope, like an angel whispering or – sometimes –
trumpet in your ear. These are your guides.

And so
go with the shepherds on their angelic quest.
Go to that hick town that David left
as soon as he got the chance, go to the stable,
see what you never expected to see, the doors
to God opening in that manger against
all certainty.

And then return to find
anew the tracks of grace: the beauty of men,
the beauty of women, the delight of children,
the running of a swift dog, the flight of birds,
the sweetness of a pear, hands held in quiet.
If you want to go to God, leave your certainties
behind. But be sure to take your graces.

Celebration of June and George Donovan's 70th anniversary.

The book is a collection of photos of their house of many years.
They recently moved to the Center for Community Living on Whittier Road.
They welcome visitors.

Four generations of Donovans

The family with members of the parish

See you in church!
Blessings,
Heidi+