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May 1 - 31, 2005 St. John’s Episcopal
Church SPECIAL EVENTS
Eagle Notes Deadline If you would like to submit an article or information to be published in the Eagle Notes, all information must be in the church office no later than May 18 for June publication. Please have information on diskette or e-mail to: parishadmin@stjohnscollegepark.com From the Rector WAY TO GO, Holy Spirit!!! On Sunday, May 15, we will celebrate the wild life of the Holy Spirit by observing Pentecost, the feast commemorating tongues of fire alighting upon the disciples so that their preaching was heard by people of many nations and languages and yet understood by all. It is a day in which we are to remember that the Church is truly “catholic,” universal, not bounded by race, tribe, language, or nation. Pentecost tells us that the Gospel is not the property of any people or culture or time, and that the Holy Spirit can get hold of people (like that befuddled group that followed Jesus around in a fog) and do amazing things in and with their lives (like using them to spread the Good News to every corner of the earth). Wear Red! WAY TO GO ROBBIN!!! The First Letter of Peter requires that as a Christian, you must “[a]lways be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence” (1 Pet. 3:15). To be able to “account for the hope that is in us,” (isn’t that a great phrase?) it helps if we have studied our faith. Education can never take the place of faith or passion, but to articulate our faith well, education sure helps. And for many of us (myself included), education about the Bible and our beliefs serves only to strengthen faith and inflame passion. When that happens, the Holy Spirit is at work through education, and the faith and passion become infectious. They spread like wildfire, like the wind that blows where it will, like the Spirit. On Sunday, May 8, at the 10:30 service, we will congratulate Robbin Iddins for having completed the Education for Ministry program. This, folks, is a big deal. Education for Ministry, affectionately known as EFM, is a program of theological education-at-a-distance of the School of Theology of the University of the South (Sewanee). It is a four-year program that covers the basics of a theological education in the Old and New Testaments, church history, liturgy, and theology. Students meet regularly, usually once a week, in seminars under the guidance of trained mentors. There is lots of homework, and EFM is a big commitment. Robbin studied with an EFM group at St. Catherine’s, Marietta. I am so proud of Robbin, and you should be too. I hope you will join me and members of Robbin’s EFM group as we celebrate her accomplishment. It’s an example of what can happen when that wild and restless Holy Spirit that gets hold of someone like Robbin and does such wonderful things in her life and with her life. Congratulations, Robbin! WAY TO GO, AA! I also want to congratulate Tri-Cities AA. On April 25, 2005, at the regular Monday night meeting, I presented a certificate of congratulations to this group which has met at St. John’s for fifty years. Not many churches can say that they have hosted an AA group for half a century; I am proud that St. John’s is one of them. And I am reminded of three things: (1) AA has been engaged in powerful and life-saving ministry, (2) there is much the Church could learn from AA, and (3) recovering addicts make wonderful Christians! (They understand grace so well.) AA meets Monday and Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m. The Monday night meeting is open to non-alcoholics. Congratulations, AA! The framed certificate is in Bott Hall on the “AA” wall. Check it out! May BirthdaysEnid Springer Jim Crea Bena Sue Livsey Richard Vinal, III Trinity Stegall
Chris Hinkson
Dock Anderson
About our Worship... Did You Know? by David McLeod, chair of the Worship Commission The symbol of the cross, which is at the heart of our faith, has an interesting history. The original cross symbol was in the form of a Tau cross, so named because it resembled the Greek letter ‘Tau’, or our letter T. The Tau cross became associated with St. Philip, who was allegedly crucified on such a cross in Phrygia. Later in Christian history, the Tau cross became the Roman Cross that we are familiar with today. Did you know that at St John’s, we have 5 different processional crosses? The Main Cross, which is used now primarily for High Holy Days, weighs approximately 30 pounds, is solid brass, and is very top-heavy; The Wylie Cross, so named for the benefactors who gave it to the church as a memorial, weighs approximately 25 pounds and is also solid brass. We have a smaller brass cross, designed to be carried by the youth, and two wooden crosses (one of which was donated by our late Parish Administrator, Beverly Gordy), which we use during the Lenten season. There is also the North Lawn Cross (brought into the church on Good Friday), the Main Altar Cross, the Chapel Cross, and the Cross in Bott Hall, not to mention the crosses worn by Acolytes, Choir, Lay Readers and parishioners. Traditionally, worshipers make the sign of the cross to acknowledge receipt of a blessing. The priest will also make this sign during the Absolution, and many of us trace this sign with water on our forehead to remind ourselves of the gift of baptism as we come forward to receive communion. The symbol of the cross, for Christians all over the world, is a reminder that Christ died for us. Thanks Be to God! A Note from Carol A job share has been initiated. This means I will work Monday—Wednesday and Mark Robertson will work on Tuesday and Thursday. This will allow me to continue working at St. John’s on a part time basis and still have someone in the office Monday—Thursday. I am very happy that we could work this out so that I can stay on at St. John’s. I am looking forward to working with Mark and getting to know him better. How lucky I am to have two church families! A United Thank Offering Ingathering will be held on Sunday, May 15th. You are invited to count your blessings—money you have put in the Blue Box in thanksgiving for large and small daily gifts from God. These gifts will brighten your life and the lives of those around you. The power of the Blue Box is unlimited. Your prayers and offerings have built churches, schools, fed the hungry, and clothed the poor. In our area, your offerings have enabled a grant of $70,000 to be given to Santa Maria to build a church hall in East Point. If you do not have a Blue Box, or would like to know more about the United Thank Offering, please ask me. We need you!! Yours in thanksgiving, Georgie P. White UTO Coordinator Diocese of Atlanta 770-996-9081Please make your checks payable to St. John’s, marked “UTO”. Pastoral Care Needs Your HelpWe 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. This ministry provides a great help for those in need. Thank you. Help Victims of Tsunami: Episcopal Relief & Development Responds To support families devastated by the earthquake and tsunami in South Asia, donate to the South Asia Relief Fund at www.er-d.org <http://www.er-d.org> or call 800/334-7626, ext. 5129. Gifts can be mailed to: Episcopal Relief and Development, c/o South Asia Relief Fund, Box 12043, Newark, NJ 07101. You can also click on the link on the St. John's Main Page (stjohnscollegepark.com)St. John’s Set To Celebrate 100 Years!It only seems like yesterday, when those faithful gathered in some tiny rooms above the old College Park post office and began a worshipping community that would become St. John’s Episcopal Church. Well, maybe it was a long time ago, but it certainly is something to celebrate! The first service in the original church building, where the Hardin Street parking lot is today, was in December, 1906. That was a whole year before the Diocese of Atlanta came to be. St. John’s has stood the test of time. We want to mark the occasion of our centennial anniversary by remembering and honoring the past and positioning ourselves for our second century of service. I encourage you to participate in the planning of this celebration. If you want to help, call the church office or see Ernie Radaker for details. To the Glory of God and in Thanksgiving for 100 years. . . .St. John’s Church, 1906 - 2006.Ernie Radaker , Chair Centennial CommitteeWhat’s your Favorite Memory?Get the word out! We would like to hear from you about your favorite memory of St. John’s. You may submit your stories by placing your written story in the mailbox on the Parish Administrator’s office door, by snail mail, or e-mail (parishadmin@stjohnscollegepark.com). Please talk to Carol or Ernie if you have any questions. We will share your memories with others in the church through the Eagle Notes over the coming months. It will be fun to walk down memory lane together! Please join Bishop J. Neil Alexander and the people of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church for a Festive Choral Evensong
On Pentecost Sunday, May 15th at 4:00 p.m. 435 Peachtree Street Atlanta, Georgia 30308
A Diocesan-wide Ingathering and Celebration of the kick off year of the Alleluia Fund for Mission Reception following
Go to www.afm2005.org for more information on the Alleluia Fund for Mission and for directions to St. Luke’s.
Alleluia Fund for Mission contribution envelopes are in the back of the church and Bott Hall. Please support this investment in our future.
Below is the financial statement for the parish reporting on the activity for the first three months of 2005. The very first column is the actual amounts for the first quarter of this year. You will notice the bottom line shows a default to date of almost $3,000. The last column of this report shows the amounts recorded last year at this time. You can see that we are behind last year’s total by more than $12,000. Revenues for this period are under budgeted expectations and so are expenses. Our pledge and plate offerings lag far behind last year’s and fall short of this year’s expectations for this time of year. Eighty-seven percent of our operating budget depends upon the gifts and offerings made by you and the other faithful from St. John’s. We even receive offerings from loving folks that don’t even attend this church but want to support our ministry. It’s important for all of us to keep our pledge offerings current. As the summer season rapidly approaches and everyone heads out on vacation, remember St. John’s and continue your giving. We appreciate your financial stewardship of our parish. I promise you it will enhance your spiritual journey for sure! Ernie Radaker , for The Finance Committee
Dear Church Family, A word of thanks to all of your for you many thoughts and prayers with the passing of my brother LeRoy. Yours in Christ, Will Manders We offer our congratulations to:
We extend our Sympathy to: Gerry O’Connor for the loss of her mother, Hilda Antram. Will Manders for the loss of his brother, LeRoy. Jane Graham for the loss of her cousin, Fredrick Waters. Ed Pierce, for the loss of his brother, Ron. Church Work Day Wear your old clothes, bring your tools and cleaning supplies! We are going to have a church work day on Saturday, May 14, from 8:00 a.m. until Noon. We will be cleaning the church inside and out and we will polish the brass. This is a great time to get needed work done and catch up with friends. Daughters of The King Did you know that the Daughters of The King meet every Sunday evening from 5—6 p.m. to pray for those on the prayer list? If you have a prayer need please call the church office and let Carol or Mark know. Please note that names are removed after three weeks unless notified that you would like to remain on the prayer list. The second half of the Via Media program begins on May 4. We have had such an enthusiastic group of over forty people involved that we want to invite others to join us. We meet Wednesday evenings from 6-8 p.m. with dinner, a video and discussion. Anyone in Via Media interested in being confirmed in the Episcopal Church should let either Jim or Ruth know about their interest. In addition to participation in Via Media, a special session, on history, worship, organization and governance is required, which will be held Sunday, May 29th from Noon—3:00 p.m. in the parlor (lunch is included). Confirmation will be held in the Cathedral on June 5 at 4:00 p.m. In order to be confirmed you must have been baptized and be a member of St. John’s. ECW Invitation
The Episcopal Women of Nativity invites you to Fiesta De Mexico On May 20, 2005 7:30 p.m.
The Episcopal Church of Nativity 130 Antioch Road Fayetteville, GA 30215
Donation: Adult $10 Children: $5
Six and Under Free
(Reserve a table of 8 and get one ticket free)
For tickets call (770) 460-6390 Parish Life PICNIC Join us on Sunday, May 15 following the 10:30 service for a picnic. We will provide the hot dogs, hamburgers, and buns. Please bring your favorite picnic accompaniments like Potato salad, coleslaw, watermelon, desserts, etc. SECOND SUNDAY BRUNCH Thanks to all who help with Second Sunday Brunch clean-up. Your help is appreciated! Volunteers are needed each month to assist with Second Sunday Brunch. If you can help please sign up on the sign-up sheet located on the bulletin board in Bott Hall. No 2nd Sunday Brunch in May. We could use your help at the Picnic!
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Eagle Notes