July 28, 2016

This coming Sunday, July 31st, and the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, we will have two services at 8 and 10 AM. We hope you will join us as we worship with Rev. Bill Cruse, our summer supply priest. 

We will enjoy music from a guest organist, Billie Bell, coming to us from New Fields, NH.

See photos from last week's coffee hour in the gallery below

Readings for Sunday

Hosea 11:1-11; Psalm 107:1-9, 43, Colossians 3:1-11, Luke 12:13-21.

Coffee Hour

There are still 10 o'clock slots that need to be filled for coffee hosts. Please check the sign-up sheet in the Parish Hall and please consider volunteering. 

Name Tags

Thank you for wearing your name tag on Sunday!

A special note from Heidi

 Dear Friends,

Shortly after our rich and wonderful final weekend together with all of you, Duane and I left for a week of vacation in Woods Hole, where we have been enjoying the luxury of a week of pure Sabbath ... lots of water time, naps, reading, good food, enjoying each other's company, as well as visiting with old friends, and just soaking up the beauty of the village and ocean world around us.

I want you to know from the bottom of my heart how touched we were by the wonderful, multi-layered send-off you gave us -- from the Women's Lunch Bunch and the fabulous event on Friday evening under the tent, to the collaborative liturgical planning for our teary and yet celebratory leaving-taking service, the wonderful Parish gift of the wall-hanging in the making, and the many sweet personal notes and good-bye conversations. I can only imagine how many hours of planning, organizing, rehearsing, and the myriad little (and not-so-little) chores were involved! All so generously and lovingly offered! Thank you for the part that each of you played.

You are indeed an extraordinary congregation. I so treasure each of you for who you are and how you have shared yourself with me -- as you also share yourselves with each other. I think we have all learned a great deal in our time together about what it means to be the body of Christ, just as we have been blessed with many, many glimpses of the Kingdom of God. And I hope that all of us have come to realize what an important place joy and love and authenticity have in this wild and wonderful journey of being Jesus followers.

You are all close in my prayers, with gratitude to God for the years we have shared together, and with hope and excitement for your next chapter and who you are already becoming.

Blessings and much love,

Heidi+

Media Releases

It is very important that ALL parents or guardians sign a release form giving permission for children’s photos to be displayed publically and on social media relating to church events which may include but not be limited to the church website and  Thursday memos. Future pictures may be delayed in posting until these releases are signed and on file.  Deb will be emailing these out this week to those we have addresses for….please return them by email, regular mail or drop at the office on Sunday. Thank you.

Food for thought




Photo gallery
July 24th coffee hour with Rev. Bill
photos provided by Lisa T.

July 21, 2016

The altar flowers created from the
retirement party centerpieces.

This coming Sunday, July 24th , and the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, we will have services at 8 and 10 AM. We hope you will join us to welcome Rev. Bill Cruse, our summer supply priest.

Readings for Sunday: Hosea 1:2-10, Psalm 85, Colossians 2:6-19, Luke 11:1-13.

Make yourself known!  Please wear your name badge on Sundays.  It will be most helpful for our new priests to get to know who you are and is also welcoming to new members and visitors. If you need a name badge, please leave Deb a note in the office.

Many thanks to everyone who helped in making Heidi’s good bye weekend so memorable.

On Friday evening…A large tent outside the Parish Hall, a catered buffet, a large gathering of family, parishioners, and community members, Valerie May's gentle harp music, and a wonderful continuous slide show of Heidi's and Duane's years with us provided the perfect setting for their retirement send-off.  That slide show will be made available by link via email sometime in the next week. 

Remembrances filled the evening with two poems read by Sammie Wakefield from Mary Oliver's collection, "Thirst", a story-retrospective from Lisa Thompson, and musical entertainment included carefully selected songs for the occasion and sung with hearts and voices of joy, including The Reverend Mary Eades who led the singing of "Every time I  feel the Spirit", "Give me birds at the dawning", " Parting Glass" and sang, with choir members Carolyn and Chris Boldt, "The Bells of Norwich". At the end of the evening, everyone joined in singing "Go in Spirit", some selections also accompanied by Bernice on keyboard. Chris Mills added an entertaining condensed version of the Stone Church Players’ productions.

Heidi graduated from Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After her Ordination to the Priesthood, she served at Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church, Turner's Falls, Massachusetts before accepting the call to Saint Andrew's in Tamworth. She and Duane arrived in February of 2004.

Heidi and Duane's strong, dedicated leadership at Saint Andrew's will continue in our hearts as we welcome our summer interim, The Reverend Bill Cruse. 

See below a few of the many pictures that will be made available in the near future.

Heidi’s last service was touching and also memorable. Tears of joy and sadness were shared and we wish Heidi and Duane much happiness in their retirement.  It ended on a note of thanksgiving to Heidi and Duane for all they have given to this parish.  

Barbara Lord and Carolyn Boldt presented a quilt project with patches of reflections of St. Andrew's that is in the making by many contributors as a gift of remembrance to Heidi. 

Heidi gifted to the church her lattice cross that has been used on special occasions.The service was recorded and will be available on DVD as soon as production has been fine-tuned and will include many of the abundance of pictures that were snapped.  See some of those photos in the gallery below.

It is very important that ALL parents or guardians sign a release form giving permission for children’s photos to be displayed publicly and on social media relating to church events which may include but not be limited to the church website and  Thursday memos. Future pictures will be delayed in posting until these releases are signed and on file.  Please contact Deb in the office (she can email one to you to complete and bring in) or pick one up in the office when you are here on Sunday.  Thank you.

Food for Thought as we close this chapter of St. Andrew's to open a new one of hope and new beginnings.......

God of our lives, you are always calling us to follow you into the future, inviting us in new ventures, new challenges, new ways to care, new ways to touch the hearts of all.

When we become fearful of the unknown, give us courage.

When we worry that we are not up to the task, remind us that you would not call us if you did not believe in us.

When we get tired, or feel disappointed with the way things are going, remind us that you can bring change and hope out of the most difficult situations.

PHOTO GALLERY

The Party..........

The caterers strategize

The "borrowed" Boldt screen gets set up for the slide show

Heidi awaits her ok to go outside.

The choir practices in secret before the party.

one photo of many ...of the many guests

Cake of St. Andrew's

Heidi and Duane listen intently to the many readings

Heidi and Mary share an emotional hug!

Heidi's Last Sunday Service.............

Duane joins the choir for the last time.

Returning the gifts of Ministry

Returning the gifts of Ministry to the Minister of Music

Returning the keys to the Warden & Jr Warden

July 14, 2016

Thursday MEMO

Savoring the morning entrance

There will be ONE service only, at 10 AM, this coming Sunday, July 17^th. This will be a service of Holy Eucharist in celebration of our shared ministry in this place and will include a liturgy of leave-taking. This will be Rev. Heidi’s final service with us, after which she and Duane move on to retirement. We hope you will join us for this special service of worship and the fellowship that follows.

Readings for Sunday: Genesis 31:44-46, 48-49, Psalm 119:89-96, Philippians 4:4-9, 23, John 21:15-19

DETOUR REMINDER -- WHITTIER ROAD CLOSED!!! : The small bridge on Whittier Road to the east of the church is closed for reconstruction. It is necessary for ALL traffic to approach the church from the west. If you normally approach the church from the East (having taken Rte. 25 from the Rte.16 direction) you will find that Whittier Road is closed for bridge work such that ONE CANNOT GET TO THE CHURCH FROM THE EAST END OF WHITTIER ROAD. So plan ahead and leave an extra five minutes. Take Rte.25 west towards South Tamworth and enter Whittier Road by the western end. If you are coming from Chocorua or points north of that, the best route is to take a right off of Rte.16 at Chocorua Village onto Rte.113, follow it to the Tamworth Four-Corners and there to take a left on Rte.113 to get to Whittier Road from the accessible end!

Photo and video permissions: There will be picture taking at both the celebration Friday evening and at the service and reception on Sunday. If you do not want your picture to appear in a public form (such as in the Thursday MEMO), please let us know when you check in to the event.

We remember with thanksgiving former Presiding Bishop Edmond Lee Browning who died on Tuesday at the age of 87 and who served as Presiding Bishop from 1986 to 1997. Words delivered at his acceptance speech, I want to be very clear – this church of ours is open to all – there will be no outcasts – the convictions and hopes of all will be honored, expressed his unwavering commitment to inclusivity and marked his leadership and shaped the church of today and the future. For a full obituary: http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2016/07/12/there-will-be-no-outcasts-official-obituary-for-edmond-lee-browning/

Preston returns tomorrow from his 2^nd week at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center in Greenfield, NH run by the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. He received a campership from the camp, some support through this diocese from a camp fund at Saint Andrew’s-by-the-Sea in Rye NH, and from our Discretionary Fund. His note of gratitude to us is posted on the Parish Bulletin Board. This is a wonderful camp with generous financial support available. I hope other families will consider it as an opportunity in coming summers. Talk to Preston or Chris Mills (his grandmother) for details.

On “The Rector’s Page” [ http://standrewsinthevalley-rector.blogspot.com/ ] …I was asked last winter to contribute to the Tamworth’s 250th book, Tamworth As We See It, with an article reflecting on Tamworth’s religious and spiritual life. Those of you who are Tamworth residents may well have already purchased copies of the book, which is a rich and very readable collection of short pieces on life and times in this wonderful community, and I commend the book to you, even if you do not live in Tamworth. A suggestion was made that I post my article on “The Rector’s Page” of our website, that it would be there as an expression of the part Saint Andrew’s continues to play in the spiritual and religious life of this area.

My thanksgivings and gratitude for this amazing parish church are overflowing already… and the weekend’s events are still ahead of us! Tears, laughter, and love have been actively flowing in both directions as we approach the end of our time together as priest and people.

Thank you to David, who, knowing that my birthday was on the 9^th, utterly surprised me last Sunday when I arrived at coffee hour to an appreciative rousing round of “Happy Birthday” from all of you and a delicious cake miraculously decorated with a frosting photographic image (Go figure what that photo scanner looks like!) of the church!

Thank you to the Women’s Lunch Bunch who, under Dale’s gentle attentive leadership, gathered in unprecedented numbers yesterday at the Mountain View Restaurant (We took over the main dining room!) for good food, wonderful comradery and conversation, and courtesy of a couple of parish angels enlisting the help of “Grammy Gordon,” arranged to top off our meal with two spectacular trifles! Don’t ask me why such delicious lavishness is called a trifle, but by whatever name it was yummy ... and, at least to me, a surprise!

And thank you to those of you who, knowing you will be away this weekend, have taken the time to stop by, call, or send notes. You are all precious to me.

We will be celebrating God’s generous gift of ourselves to each other this weekend. I will literally and symbolically turn in my keys to the church at the close of the liturgy on Sunday, at which point I will no longer be your rector. Much as Duane and I are looking forward to this next chapter in our life, driving away from this beloved church home after coffee hour will be a profound and not-easy moment for us, as it will be for many of you, but making a clear separation will be key for all of you and for us to take our varied next steps. So here I quote from a wise and important piece from our bishop:

As a priest I am bound together in common mission… to the whole church to foster healthy ministry in all our congregations. Clergy seek a professional ethic that understands and respects the ending of pastoral relationships. That is, when a priest leaves a congregation, the pastoral relationship ends.

… Inherent in every professional pastoral relationship is a personal relationship. This mix of relationships goes to the very being of who a priest understands herself to be in God’s church. Without both, no priest could function effectively as a pastor to those who have called us into their lives.

It is the experience of the church when a good healthy pastoral relationship has been formed, is also when it is most natural for people to seek the presence of a pastor that is known to them, even when that relationship has ended. Pastoral care, weddings, baptisms, and funerals are the most common points of a person’s life when they might instinctively reach out to a former pastor.

Should such a situation arise in the coming months, hard as it may be for me to say and you to hear, my response will be, “I’m very sorry, but it is simply not appropriate for me to do that. You must understand that I care about you deeply, but I am not your pastor anymore.”  So… build a relationship with your new priest, and support each other in understanding the importance of maintaining clarity in relationships.

Similarly, with friendships … it will simplify things that Duane and I will be moving out of the area, but that probably won’t fully take place until sometime in the fall. I’m sure our paths will cross coincidentally – in the market or on the water or at a gas pump somewhere – and I fully expect we will great each other warmly, but at least during the interim time and until your next rector is comfortably settled in, please don’t invite me to dinner or out for coffee or of for a hike. Both you and I will need to accustom ourselves to daily life without each other, as we each readjust and build our separate social networks.

By God’s grace, may we hold one another in our prayers, give thanks to God for the love that binds us together, and know that in Christ we will never be separated.

Food for thought… in the form of a litany from the book Gorillas of Grace, by Ted Loder.

I Praise You for What is Yet to Be

Wondrous Worker of Wonders,
We praise you, not alone for what has been,
or for what is,
but for what is yet to be,
for you are gracious beyond all telling of it.

We praise you
that out of the turbulence of our lives
a kingdom is coming,
is being shaped even now
out of our slivers of loving,
our bits of trusting,
our sprigs of hoping,
our tootles of laughing,
our drips of crying,
our smidgens of worshiping;
that out of our songs and struggles,
out of our griefs and triumphs,
we are gathered up and saved,
for you are gracious beyond all telling of it.

We praise you
that you turn us loose
to go with you to the edge of now and maybe,
to welcome the new,
to see our possibilities,
to accept our limits,
and yet begin living to the limit
of passion and compassion
until, released by joy,
we uncurl to other people
and to your kingdom coming
for you are gracious beyond all telling of it,

And to you we give glory and thanksgiving!

With much love,
Yours in Christ,
Heidi+

More Pictures!

 

 

 

July 7, 2016

Thursday MEMO

Don’t miss the picture gallery at the end from last Sundays service!

Services for this coming Sunday, July 10^th and the 8^th Sunday after Pentecost, will be at 8 and 10 AM with coffee hour following each service.  We hope you will join us for worship and fellowship. This will be Rev. Heidi’s next to last Sunday.

Readings for Sunday: Amos 7:7-17, Psalm 82, Colossians 1:1-14, Luke 10:25-37

 

The Memorial service in celebration of the life of Andrea Dassori will be held this Saturday, July 9, at 11 AM. Andrea died in April after a long illness. This liturgy will be an opportunity this parish and her friends up here to gather with her family to remember, give thanks for her life, and entrust her to Almighty God. 

BRIDGE WORK ON WHITTIER ROAD!!! ROAD CLOSED!!! If you normally approach the church from the East (having taken Rte. 25 from the Rte.16 direction) you will find that Whittier Road is closed for bridge work such that ONE CANNOT GET TO THE CHURCH FROM THE EAST END OF WHITTIER ROAD. So plan ahead and leave an extra several minutes. You will need to take Rte.25 towards South Tamworth and enter Whittier Road by the western end. If you are coming from Chocorua or points north of that, the best route is to take a right off of Rte.16 at Chocorua Village onto Rte.113, follow it to the Tamworth Four-Corners and there to take a left on Rte.113 to get to Whittier Road from the accessible end! 

Women's Lunch Bunch is scheduled for Wed, July 13, at noon at the Mountain View Station in Center Ossipee. This will be Heidi’s last time with Lunch Bunch, so Dale Appleton asks that you call her (539-3761) to let her know that you are coming so that she can reserve tables accordingly.

The Rev. Bill Cruse, who will be serving as your priest this summer, beginning on July 24, joined us for worship on Sunday, and in response to the visit wrote: “Great to be with you! John and I really enjoyed the worship AND the hospitality! So many people met us and welcomed us with good conversation!” Bill is looking forward to his time here. By way of introduction, he sends this bio:

He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Rob Hirschfeld in January.  He earned his MDiv from Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, and a Certificate in International Ecumenism and Mission from the Boston Theological Institute in May 2015. During the Spring of 2014 he studied at the Divinity School of Chung Chi College, Chinese University of Hong Kong. Bill works with The Kaleidoscope Institute (KI) in congregational vitality, multiculturalism, and missional ministry, starting as a workshop participant in 1997, then Facilitator, and since 2006 he as been an Associate planning and co-facilitating workshops in the United States and Canada with seminaries, local congregations and regional judicatories of the Episcopal, Methodist and Presbyterian churches, and the KI ecumenical institutes. As a consultant with KI, he is the East Coast Program Coordinator. Bill is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory® and an intercultural competency coach.

     Bill and his family live in Ossining NY, and enjoy summers at a rustic, 100+ year old log cabin in Jackson NH. Bill is an EfM (Education for Ministry), avid gardener, gourmet cook, and enjoys day hikes in all seasons. He grew up on the south shore of Lake Erie in a sailing family, and earned Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Voice Performance from Ohio University. Bill sang professionally in NYC, worked as a coordinator for AIDS-related community services, and was a facilities manager for a global software company. His faith, and a call from God, drew him more fully back to the Church, and ordained ministry, to empower God's people to spread the Gospel of Love, social justice, and to know God's kin-dom that's here for everyone.

It's official! The Vestry has met with the Rev. Caroline Hines and has approved her call to serve as the full-time interim here at Saint Andrew’s beginning in September. She is a trained and experienced interim and has been working for the past year at St. James’ Church in Keene, New Hampshire. Prior to that she has ministered transitions in Maine, Ohio, and Christ Church Exeter, NH, where she had also served as Associate Rector for seven years. A full biographic introduction and a more detailed explanation of interim ministry will be available next week. 

Food for thought from the Rector . . .

A mere ten days from today
together we will celebrate
the ministry we have shared
for 12 1/2 years.
How can this be?
Didn't I just arrive,
so warmly greeted by Chuck, Brooks, and Elaine
on a chilly February afternoon,
with my boxes of books to unpack in my office?

Now, on a steamy July morning,
I sort papers.
Remembering.

Reflecting.

Pondering what shape this vocation will take.

What will I need?

What baggage can I now shed?

*Ever-present God,

You called us on a journey to a place we do not know.

We are not where we started.

We have not reached our destination.

Sometimes we are not sure where we are 

or even who we are.

In many ways, this is not a comfortable place.

Faithful companion,

Be among us, we pray, wherever we may be.

Lighten our hearts.

Open our eyes to new possibilities.

Calm our fears, save us from discouragement,

And help us all to stay the course

so that in our journeys to this Unknown place 

we are carried in your abiding love.

Amen.    

 [* Italics portion from "A Prayer for Transition"
by Kristi Philip, Women's Uncommon Prayers, p. 88,
with modifications.

Peace and blessings, Heidi+

 A Picture Gallery from the Baptism of Peter

The Procession -- with containers of special water

Do you desire to be baptized?

Godmother Gabriele offers the prayers.

Almighty God, we thank you for the gift of water!

Peter, I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you!

Awaiting First Communion

The body of Christ, the bread of Heaven!

Sustain him, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit.

Give him an inquiring mind and discerning heart,

the courage to will and to persevere,

the spirit to know and to love you, 

and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works! 

Amen.