You can help raise money for our friends in Haiti by putting used cell phones in the collection box in Bott Hall. We raise $3.00 for every phone we collect and we safeguard our environment by recycling. All proceeds go to Bethlehem Ministry, so collect those old/used phones.

In his book, Grateful and Generous Hearts, the Rev. Dr. John H. Westerhoff says: “Stewardship is one dimension of the Christian life of faith. It is not a program, not an every-member canvass, not a fund-raising campaign, not an occasion for people to vote whether they like or do not like how the church spends their money or treats them.”

More information will be forthcoming as we move into the "season," but for now, try to visualize stewardship as the posture of your daily life. How do you spend money--cash or credit? What do you do with your spare time if any? Do you get enough rest? Do you get together with friends and family, or would you rather stay home and watch television? Do you recycle? None of these questions has to do with raising money for church, but they have a lot to do with stewardship. More to come later.

Peace,

Emile Escalera,
for the Stewardship
Commission

On Oct. 11 at 10 a.m. at St. Mark's Church in LaGrange, Bishop Alexander and our clergy and lay deputies to General Convention will hold the last of three public meetings to report on General Convention and to answer questions.

The 97^th Annual Council of the Diocese of Atlanta will convene on Nov. 7-8, 2003 at the Georgia International Convention Center. Your delegates are Robbin Iddins, Carl Cheely, and Georgie White (Robert Hopkins is the alternate).

Because the Convocation of Southwest Atlanta (ours!) is hosting, and because the rector is dean of that convocation, we will play a special role in offering hospitality to council. Here are some of the volunteer opportunities shared by the 10 churches in our convocation:

The week before council, we'll need volunteers to come to St. John's and help put council packets together. The more, the merrier!

We'll provide cookies both afternoons (for 500), so we’ll need bakers!

We need to provide 2 volunteers to arrive at 7:30 a.m. and help set up displays.

We need to provide 8 volunteers on Friday morning to assist with registration.

We need "stage hands" to assist with setting up and taking down whatever is needed for worship (worshipping in the same space in which council meets).

The next New Beginnings weekend (#10) is 10/24-26 at Indian Springs State Park in Flovilla, GA. This is a unique weekend, specially designed to respond to the issues, concerns, and needs of youth in Grades 6 thru 9. Participants do not have to be Episcopalian, but must be recommended through an Episcopal Church and have the backing of an adult sponsor from their church who will be attending the entire weekend with the participant. Ninth graders may choose to serve on a team, provided they have attended one weekend as a participant. See Robbin Iddins if you or your children want to attend. Cost is $80 and scholarships are available. The due date is 10/5. If any adults are interested in sponsoring or working on the team, advise Robbin.

Beginning October 2, Odyssey Family Counseling Center will offer a group on Thursday evenings from 6-7 pm for adults experiencing grief and loss due to the death of a loved one. No charge. Call 404-669-3462.

I just got back from Clergy Conference at Camp Mikell, our camp near Toccoa. As you can imagine, we talked a lot about the stresses the Church is under right now. As is often the case in times of stress and difficulty, however, good things came out of it as we were reminded of our core values. The Bishop spoke of how some churches are organized around a particular creed or confession. Others are the legacy of a strong personality (Luther, Calvin, Wesley). We are neither. And because of that, our Bishop said that he has the utmost confidence in the resiliency of the Episcopal Church. Having gone through history with no defining piece of paper to point to, and no defining patriarch to whose memory and writings we can appeal, we have developed practical and resilient bonds to hold us together. He identified five:

We are people of prayer.

We are people who revere the Word of God, while accepting that we may disagree on its interpretation.

We worship together in beauty and holiness.

We fellowship together, thanking God for the opportunity to share in the laughter and tears of one another’s lives, and

We roll up our sleeves and work together for the spread of the kingdom of God.

I think what the Bishop said is true — those are the things that hold us together, and those are the bonds that make us tough, practical, and resilient.

Look again at that list. Aren’t those the things that should hold a church together? I want you to know that I am proud to be an Episcopalian, part of this Church that goes about the difficult task of building and maintaining community by telling the truth and living in the inner-connectedness provided by these wonderful bonds.

Generally, I can’t stand bumper stickers on my car. (Just my idiosyncrasy — I actually enjoy some of them on other cars.) I made one exception for one that says, “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You” because I wanted my car to be a rolling advertisement for our Church’s spirit of welcome. I’m about to make another exception. I am going to have bumper stickers made up that say, “Blessed to be an Episcopalian.” Why? Because I am blessed, and I want to drive around proclaiming it.

I hope you feel how blessed you are. I hope you’ll buy a bumper sticker (at cost) and let your car spread the word that our community is tough, and resilient, and deeply blessed.