Names and a Prayer

I think we’re good at this, but we always have to be sure we’re staying good at it. One area we’ve neglected lately is nametags. We have them in the back of the church, but few people wear them. The ushers haven’t been encouraging people to wear them, and, frankly, neither have I. I am now.

I know some folks hate nametags. I hope that if you’re in that group, you’ll nevertheless wear one as a member of the Hospitality Committee. We have ordered a special kind that will not hurt you! Nametags are helpful to visitors, newcomers, and “old timers” alike. Let’s get to church two minutes early so we’ll have time to put on a nametag and make the point that we want to get to know other’s names and to share our names with those who don’t know us. It’s all about community. It’s all about being the Body of Christ.

A Prayer: Recently I was at Kanuga (an Episcopal conference Center in Hendersonville, NC) for a meeting of the Province IV Synod. Province IV consists of the twenty dioceses in the southeast, and the Synod meets each of the two years before General Convention and does not meet the year after General Convention. I am a deputy to the 2006 General Convention, so I “get” to go to Province IV Synods.

One of the presenters was a Maori woman from New Zealand named Dr. Jenny Plane Te Paa. She and other presenters (especially the Most Rev. Josiah Idowu-Fearon, Archbishop of Kaduna, Nigeria) spoke at length about the Windsor Report and other issues of importance. My impressions of those weighty matters will have to be expressed elsewhere. Frankly, I found both their presentations more problematic than helpful.

What I did find helpful, however, was a prayer that Jenny prayed out of the New Zealand Prayer Book. Before praying it, she told us a story about it. The New Zealand Prayer Book Revision Commission had worked long and hard to revise the Prayer Book, but had experienced much conflict. Those of us who remember the revision of our own Prayer Book can sympathize. (I still occasionally run into people who left the Episcopal Church over the issue.) One member went to his room during a working retreat and could not sleep because of the stress. The next night, exhausted, he went to his room, wrote the prayer, and slept through the night. The next morning, he shared the prayer with the rest of the commission, along with the story of how it came to be. His self-revelation of how the stress was eating him up struck a note with the other members of the commission, all of whom had been losing sleep as well. The commissioners, who had been at loggerheads over academic and theological issues, were able to relate on a more human level as they shared their pain. It was a turning point, and the result was the New Zealand Prayer Book, often regarded as one of the most powerful Prayer Books in the Anglican Communion.

The prayer ended up in the “Kiwi” Prayer Book. I love it, and I thought I would share it with you. I suggest you cut it out and put it by your bed.

Back in May, Jim held a meeting for chalice bearers, now known simply as (“Eucharistic Ministers”) and readers. The meeting was pretty well attended, and I think that those who were there came away with a better understanding of this important and vital ministry.

Inot an easy thing to do, to stand up in front of people and read Scripture, even though you may know everyone in the room. And it can be even more intimidating to serve communion from behind the Altar Rail. (I’ve been doing both for many years now, and I still get nervous every time I do it.) But if you were to ask anyone who does it now or has done it in the past, you would find that most describe it as a moving experience. To be a part of the service, not just a bystander, has been one of the most humbling and rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. I have been blessed over the years to be able to serve in several different ministries (I’m even on my first term with the Vestry), and I find this one to be one of the most challenging, but worth it.

Time to celebrate good news! Family Life has received notification that they will receive a grant to renovate their kitchen. What a blessing! They will no longer have to work around the current kitchen set up, but will be able to design it around our needs.

The grant was given to them so that they can purchase new cabinets and appliances for a kitchen serving food to the homeless, so that they can provide healthier and more seasonal food choices instead of relying entirely on packaged foods.”

The grant comes to them on behalf of the Episcopal Church and the United Thank Offering.

“Without the help of St. John’s Episcopal in College Park, this grant would not have been available to them. Thank You St. John’s Parish.”

Jane Gunter,

Director of Family Life Ministries

Don’t forget to bring food to the church for Family Life. Items needed are: *peanut butter, *jelly, canned tomatoes, canned fruit, canned meat, *dried milk, dried beans, rice, boxed potatoes, pasta, juice, oatmeal, and toothpaste.

Vergers are laypersons a ministry of service centered around the liturgies.  This work, specific to each parish and under the direction of the rector, includes coordination of-related ministries including readers, eucharistic ministers and visitors, usher/greeters, and acolytes.  Other duties might include and special occasion events, and giving church tours. Just as in English village churches, the verger or "protector of" provides the clergy and worshipers logistical support -- including directing traffic troubleshooting -- in order that worship can occur smoothly.  The motto of the Verger's Guild of the Episcopal Church (VGEC) is "Worship in Service; Service in Worship."

Martha McLeod has been a VGEC member since 2003 (Acolyte Director since 1988) but has been performing many verger-type duties for several years. Her appointment is, in the words of the Rector, “Naming and recognizing that which has already been taking place.” Martha says “I have lots to learn! I hope everyone at St.John's will help me learn what I can best do to serve the parish in this ministry.”

Martha will be installed on a Sunday to be announced.

Congratulations Martha!!!

So St. John’s is celebrating its hundredth anniversary! My very pleasant experience with St. John’s dates back ‘only’ 70 years. As one born in 1918 who grew up in East Point, Georgia and graduated from William A. Russell High School in 1934, I welcomed the fellowship room in the basement and, especially, its dance floor. The church into which I had been ‘born,’ the First Baptist Church of East Point, had a traditional Southern Baptist minister, the Reverend W.A. Duncan, who deplored all card playing, dancing anywhere, and even attending movies on Sunday afternoon or evening. St. john’s pastor then was the Reverend Woolsey Couch, a delightful moderate.

Even though I did not join St. Johns (I might have done so if World War II hadn’t called me away, permanently, in early 1942 from my teaching at West Fulton High School), I have remembered it fondly over the many years since.

Congratulations! Try for a hundred years more!

Sincerely,

Dr. Julian Cecil Stanley Jr.,

Do ;you have time on your hands? Do you want to give back to your church? Do you have bookkeeping/computer skills?

We are looking for a volunteer part time bookkeeper to work in the finance office of the church. Work schedule very flexible! Will train.

Contact Debbie Reeves (770-463-1618) or Emile Escalera (404-559-7983).

Emmaus House

1017 Hank Aaron Drive

Atlanta, GA 30315

Each year, Emmaus House sends up to 14 children to one of five summer camps in New England. The children receive 4-6 week scholarships from the camps, and Emmaus House provides their air transportation and helps with clothing, sleeping bags, duffel bags and other camp supplies. Emmaus is seeking contributions toward their air fare and other camp items. If you have an interest in contributing funds for their air travel or sponsoring a camper by assisting with camp clothing or other supplies, contact Mary Kay Kohles-Baker at 404/276-0014 (cell), 404/351-4420 (home) or mkkb@att.net, or call Columbus Ward at Emmaus House, 404/525-5948. It takes about $500 to provide for one child’s air ticket and other needed camp items. The Emmaus House children and staff will very much appreciate your generosity.

Join the 2^nd Annual Camp Mikell Fundraiser/Golf Tournament on Sunday, Aug.21,at The Providence Club in Monroe, Ga. This Lauderdale type tournament will have a shotgun start at 3 p.m. Cookout dinner and awards at 8 p.m. The cost is $100 per($400 per team). Holeisavailable at $100 per hole. Allsupport the Mikell Pool Fund.you are interested in playing and/or sponsoring a hole, registration forms have been sent to all churches and may be printed from the web site: www.episcopalatlanta.org. If you have any questions contact Kim Smith at 404/601-5354 or ksmith@episcopalatlanta.org.

A Prayer for Night

Lord,

it is night.

The night is for stillness.

Let us be still in the presence of God.

It is night after a long day.

The night is dark.

Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives

rest in you.

The night is quiet.

Let the quietness of our peace enfold us,
all dear to us,
and all who have no peace.

The night heralds the dawn.

Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys,
new possibilities.

In your name we pray.

Amen.

Dear Friends,

Bethlehem Ministry has received your gifts, regular contribution and the gift from a parishioner, and they are being sent on to Pere Bruno.

The work in Haiti could not continue without the support of friends like you and we truly appreciate your contributions and prayers.

Your gift to Bethlehem Ministry will be used , as far as possible, for the use you designated, and you will receive nothing in return except the gratitude of the poor people for whom it is a benefit, and the prayers and thanksgivings of Pere Bruno and others in the ministry.

Sincerely,

A person asked God, “What surprised you most about mankind?”

And God answered: “That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore health. That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor the future. That they live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived…”

Does it seem to you that you are seeing and hearing the word "stewardship" more often than unusual?

It's not even fall, and every week in the bulletin we have a STEWARDSHIP MINUTE, we have someone speak about their stewardship journey once a month during the 10:30 announcements. We have a special stewardship newsletter that we distribute once a month and that is available in the Narthex any time. Well, if it seems that you are seeing and hearing about it more often, you are. And there is a very special reason for it. WE NEED THE MONEY! (Sorry,. As a former banker, old habits die hard)

Please don't misunderstand. We are not broke. We have money in reserves for major expenditures. And we have money to operate the church. But as expenses continue to rise, our offerings are not keeping up. From January until May this year, our total offerings (revenue) was $106,004.43. That sounds like a lot. But our expenses for the same period were $110,354.64. We were short $4,350.21 for the first 5 months of the year!.

Please consider increasing your already generous offering. Every one of us can learn about money, about ourselves, about God as we grow in our ability to be good stewards of all that God has given us.

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trails and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We need casseroles for those who are shut ins or others needing assistance with a meal. keep them in the freezer in the kitchen until they are needed.

If you can help, please prepare a casserole in a disposable container with the date, a description of the dish, and any instructions necessary for reheating the dish. (Please make sure the date is written clearly. We had to throw some away because we didn't know how old they were.) Place the dish in the freezer located in the pantry in Bott Hall.