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On December 11we will hold our Annual Parish Meeting. There will be a combined 10:00 service, followed by our usual (and fun!) Second Sunday Brunch, during which we will conduct the business of the meeting. One of the most important agenda items is the election of new members to the vestry (and members to fill unexpired terms, if necessary). Some of you know all about the vestry and it’s role, but many of you are new to the Episcopal Church, and others might have been here for a while and haven’t had it explained to you, so I thought it would be worthwhile to go over the role and function of the vestry.

Members of the Vestry serve for three-year terms, and are not allowed to run again until they have had at least one year off. The Vestry is charged with maintaining the “temporal affairs of the parish,” including finance, facilities, worship supplies, and record-keeping. In fact, Vestry members are personally liable for the debts of the church. (Not to worry; churches usually borrows funds to meet shortfalls). If there is no rector, the Vestry is in charge and is responsible for recruiting and selecting a new rector. (Let’s hope that bit of information is not needed!)

Each new vestry begins the year with a retreat (ours is usually on MLK weekend). Although I would love for the parish to absorb all the cost of the retreat, we cannot and therefore ask vestry members to pay their own way (I offer liberal scholarships, however). Vestry members are assigned to work with committees of the parish. While members of the vestry are often chairs of these committees, they need not be. It can work very well for someone else to chair and for the vestry member to serve as liaison to the vestry. Currently, these committees consist of: outreach, parish life, newcomers, Christian education, worship (a committee to advise me), stewardship, finance, Bargain Shop, properties, communications, youth, and pastoral care. (Check the announcement page of your Sunday bulletin to see which vestry members are assigned to which committees). We might reorganize and reconfigure next year, but the point is that we have a “working” vestry — members are expected to do more than just attend vestry meetings.

They are, however, expected to faithfully attend vestry meetings, which are held on third Tuesdays at 6:00. The meeting usually lasts about an hour and a half. Members are asked to submit written reports the week before the meeting. Vestry members also take turns serving on Sunday mornings. They make sure we have greeters. (If a greeter scheduled to be there doesn’t’ show, don’t be surprised if the vestry person “on” for that Sunday asks you to jump in!) They ensure an accurate count of those in attendance (very important for our recordkeeping!), make sure the collection money is handled properly, and secure the building before leaving. Each vestry member also takes one month a year during which he or she is responsible for recruiting folks to help with refreshments after the 10:30 service.

The vestry also elects St. John’s three lay delegates to Annual Council of the Diocese of Atlanta, an important role since Annual Council is vital to the operation of the Diocese, setting budget priorities and electing a new Bishop when needed.

The senior and junior wardens are the ranking officers of the vestry (and yes, we’ve already heard the prison jokes!). The senior warden is appointed by the rector and chairs meetings in the rector’s absence. The junior warden is elected by the vestry. Both must be members of the vestry. I meet regularly with the wardens to discuss the life of the parish and to solicit advice.

You can see that serving on the Vestry is a very important position. In fact, it is more important than the list of duties suggests. Vestry members are the elected representatives of the parish, and are at the heart of what the parish is and what it will become. Vestry members are expected to care deeply about the parish, work diligently for the parish, and pray regularly for the parish. How well the Vestry functions is crucial to how well the parish will function.

I hope some of you have learned something about the role of the vestry, and I hope all of you will thank our vestry members for their service, especially those rotating off this year (Katie Aboul-Khair, Donn Blosser, Joanne Lindsey, and Gale Mull ).

And, I hope one more thing: that you will let me or a vestry member know if you are interested in serving on the vestry. A nominating committee is being formed (in accordance with our by-laws), and will present a slate of candidates very soon. If you would like to be considered, don’t be shy! Perhaps God is calling you to this vital ministry at St. John’s.

One quick note: by canon law, you must have made a pledge to serve on the vestry. If you’re interested in standing for election to the vestry but haven’t pledged, I encourage you to look at pledging as the next step in your commitment to God’s work here.

You have gotten letters and pledge cards encouraging you to give to St. John’s. I always feel that it is important that you know that I don’t ask you to do what I don’t do. So (with Charlotte’s permission) here is our stewardship disclosure: Charlotte and I give over ten percent of our gross income.

Some of you can’t do that, I know. But I hope that all of you will prayerfully consider your gift of gratitude to God and St. John’s. I once spoke with a man who said, “When I was asked to increase my giving to my church, at first I said, ‘No,’ because I knew I couldn’t do that without making some major changes in my life. Then, through prayer, I realized that those changes were exactly what God was calling me to. That ‘sacrifice’ has been the best thing I ever did!” May we all be so blessed.

1 Thomas Ehrensperger

2 Jane Holloman

Calvin Fields

          Claude Lindsey

Rick Reeves

8 Will Manders

12 Alice Taylor

14 Peyton Hopkins

15 Jeanne Condrey

21 Mary Fowler

22 Dan Seipel

25 Jackie Land

    Jeanne Mull

27 Carl Franzman

28 Denise McLeod

    Comfort Obi

29 Fred Daniell

30 Brent Warberg

Often it is nothing more than our likes and dislikes that keep us from seeing the core of purity and selflessness that is in everyone. We don't like the way he cuts his hair, we don't like the way she drops her r's, and we can't get beyond these surface obstacles. Yet if we free ourselves from the rigid dictates of our own likes and dislikes, we will see people more clearly --even those whom we find difficult to love.

This is seldom easy. Some people are a little more irritating and self-willed than others. But instead of criticizing such people, which only makes their alienation worse, we can focus all our attention on what is best in them. This most practical skill can help those around us tremendously -- while it helps us get over our likes and dislikes as well. It is like turning a flashlight onto one particular spot, concentrating on what is kind, generous, and selfless in the other person. We'll find that this kind of support draws out and strengthens these very qualities in him or her.

For the tenth holiday season, The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany presents an exhibit of over 200 nativity scenes from around the world from Monday, November 28, through Sunday, December 4.

From the elegant to the eccentric, the birth scenes are sculpted in materials ranging from carved wood to volcanic ash. In the church nave, there will be a special exhibit of nativity scenes that highlight the differences between the birth story as told in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew. Each nativity is accompanied by scriptural quotes and hymn texts. The remaining birth scenes will be exhibited in the Parish Hall, where a catered lunch (weekdays only, by reservation), light refreshments, baked goods, crafts and gifts can be purchased.

Admission

$5.00 for adults; $4.00 for Seniors & Students, Children under 12 free. For a brochure or more information call 404.373.8338 or send an e-mail to info@epiphany.org.

Monday - Thursday, November 28 – December 1, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Friday, December 2, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. & 7 - 9 p.m., Saturday, December 3, 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Sunday, December 4, 2 - 4 p.m.

I have opted, at the suggestion of our original attendees, to continue the video series on “When It’s Hard to Choose”. I suspect all of us deal with situations where choices we must make are not clearly right or wrong and the question is, “Where do we look for answers?”.

Over and over we hear these days we need to “recover our values.” What about the times when we must decide which value to give priority? We value responsibility and we also value freedom. And sometimes responsibility means giving up freedom.

This series of videos gives us ideas from people who have spent their lives thinking and talking about Christian values based on various situations. We started October 12 with “Truth-Telling”. The discussion was lively!

Come and join us at 6:00 pm Wednesdays for dinner and the best six sessions on “When It’s Hard to Choose”,

Dear Church Family,

The visits bringing Holy Communion, the casseroles, and other gifts of food, many visits by those who volunteered to lift Roy in and out of bed when he could no longer stand and long visits to just talk, and especially many prayers were a great source of strength to Roy and to us.

Thanks also to the members who provided such a wonderful reception after the memorial service. That was truly an offering of love.

Roy and I met, married, and raised our children at St. John’s and our granddaughter is an acolyte. St. John’s is truly our second family.

Thank You,

Melissa Brady

Geri O’Connor’s new address effective November 1st

Princeton Court Apt. # 326

3633 Howard Avenue

College Park, GA 30337

E-Mail: gwoconnor@belsouth.net

New E-mail address for Donn Blosser

dobloss@bellsouth.net

New E-mail address for Georgie White

gmpjw@netzero.com

November 5, 2005

9:00 a.m.—2:00 p.m.

Hosted by

The Episcopal Church of The Nativity

Directions: Take Hwy. 92 South from downtown Fayetteville—mind the turns! Just past Harp’s Crossing Baptist Church, bear right on Antioch road. The Church is the first driveway on the left.

*Handmade Treasures * Jewelry Boutique * Silent Auction *

*Baked Goods and Delicacies * Hot Dog Stand * Bargain Books *

White Elephant*

One of the top items at this year's Council, scheduled for Nov. 11-12 at Holy Innocents', Atlanta, is the proposal for a new Canon 20. (Jim Pritchett is a member of the task force which drafted the new canon). It revises the way we support our diocesan ministries and introduces the fair share concept. Here's the new legislation at a glance:

We believe the fair share proposal is indeed fair, and we look forward to discussing it at Council. We thank the Task Force on Diocesan Funding for the enormous amount of work represented in this proposal.

Several serving dishes have been left at church. Please check the table in Bott hall to see if any of the dishes there belong to you. Any dishes left after November 15th will be donated to the Bargain Shop.

As part of our centennial celebration, Father Ed Coleman, rector of St. John’s from 1958-65, will be our guest preacher on November 13 at both services. Fr. Coleman and his wife, Alex, will also join us for our Second Sunday Brunch after the 10:30 service.

According to our records, the Rev. Edwin C. Coleman celebrated his first Sunday at St. John’s on “St. Matthew’s day, September 21, 1958.” (The parish register notes that it was a “rainy day.”) He was installed by Bishop Claiborne on December 28, 1958. During his tenure, the parish built the Education Building, and both College Park and St. John’s were prospering. On Easter Day of 1965, for example, services were held at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., and 11 a.m., with a combined attendance of 937! (It was a “beautiful day!”) His last service at St. John’s was on August 29, 1965.

Help us welcome the Coleman’s back, and look for other figures from our past to join us in the coming months!

Dear St. John’s Family,

An Ingathering of the UTO (United Thank Offering) will be held on Sunday November 20, 205. Please consider this a special chance for you to say thank you for all the gifts poured into your life, and in turn you will be reaching out to many others in his love.

I urge you all to pick up a Blue Box and join the UTO. Put in a convenient place. Take a moment each day to say thank you to God and put a coin in that box. We are not meant to be passive receivers, rather we are bid to be active participants in God’s world.

The power of the Blue Box is unlimited.

Sincerely,

George White

UTO Coordinator

770-996-9081, gmpjw@netzero.com

It's that time again for /DYC at Camp Mikell.This year's theme is "1, 2 Steppin' with God!!" Comethe stepping- stones and stumbling blocks of our lives. Jr. DYC will be December-4th and Sr. DYC will be January 6-8, 2006.

We will leave St. John's on Friday at 3:00p.m. The cost is $100 per person. Scholarships are available.

The theme for the dance will be announced later prior, to the event.Our own youth "Nathan Spring" will be on the teamthis year!

Please see Robbin Iddins for the sign-up form. The deadline to signup is Novemberth for Jr. DYC and December 4th for Sr. DYC.

The College Park Woman’s Club cordially invites you and others in the community to the annual Community Thanksgiving Service.

This year the service will be held at St. John’s on Wednesday, November 23, at 7:00 p.m. Jim Pritchett will officiate, assisted by Ruth Healy and Jim McCrae from CP First UMC. Joan Gray from College Park First Presbyterian will preach.

Church Historian Needed

Eusebius was the first church historian. His people were the Christians who had been persecuted for almost three hundred years. When Constantine became emperor the story of the church could be told.

By this time Eusebius had already prepared a chronology of the Bible and early church, trying to establish the dates of Christ's death and the events that followed. This was a difficult undertaking because many different calendars were in use at the time and he had to match up events recorded under one system to events recorded under others.

Fortunately we don’t have to wait three hundred years to tell our story but we do need to get our records in order. We would like to have a member of St. John’s to serve as our historian. Some of the responsibilities of the historian are:

If you would like to volunteer to be our Eusebius please call Carol at 404-761-8402.