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:

September 23 for October publication

October 21 for November publication

November 18 for December publication

December 16 for Jan., 2005 publication

Please have information on diskette or e-mail to: parishadmin@stjohnscollegepark.com.

For many years the Episcopal Church has been concerned about the physical, mental, emotional, and intellectual health of the clergy as studies have consistently shown a very high “burn out” rate among priests (much higher than most other professions). In response, the Church has recognized the need for clergy to take a three-month (not one year!) sabbatical leave every seventh year. The “Policies of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta” have for many years stated that “sabbatical leaves and continuing education arrangements should be included in every letter of agreement. The norm is for sabbatical time to accrue so as to allow a priest three months off after the sixth year of service, not to include continuing education and vacation time.” My contract provides for “three months of sabbatical leave available in the seventh year of service.” On February 1, 2004, I completed my sixth year of service at St. John’s, and I will take my sabbatical leave from September 1 through November 30.

The parish will be in good hands. Will Manders, your senior warden, Katie Aboul-Khair, your junior warden, and a committee of the Vestry have done a good job of ensuring that my duties will be covered. Ruth has agreed to increase her time (she currently works three days a week), and she will preach about half the Sundays (and be here almost all of them). When she is not preaching, you will hear sermons by the Rev. Martha Mercure, the Rev. Bob Bast, and the Rev. Spurgeon Hays, very good preachers all. I hope you will enjoy and benefit from hearing different voices and different perspectives. Ruth and Carol McGittigan, our parish administrator, will handle day-to-day operations and challenges. As Dame Julian of Norwich (c. 1417, feast day May 8) said, “All will be well; all will be well; all manner of things will be well.”

As for me, my family obligations make it impractical to take an extended trip, as many clergy do on Sabbatical. Nevertheless, I hope to study, renew my vision of ministry in my life and at St. John’s, and embrace (in the words of the national church web page on sabbaticals) this “opportunity to revitalize and gain new perspective with ‘holy play.'” I already have a stack of books I plan to read. I plan to prepare to teach lots of classes, often using PowerPoint (so I will learn it better). I am attending two one-week classes at a folk school in North Carolina, one on photography and one on pottery (for beginners!). Finally, I am planning to make good a promise I made to Charlotte when I proposed to her. I said I would take her to Europe “some time.” (I had to sweeten the pot somehow!) Our twentieth anniversary is in November, and she, strangely, thinks that’s long enough to qualify as “some time.” We hope to go for two weeks in October.

I will not see most of you during this time, but you will be in my prayers every day. God bless you.

Our pantry always needs big doses of peanut butter and jelly. Any brand, any size, any flavor would be a blessing to those in need. This is a staple we have a hard time doing without during the school year.

By now we are sure you have noticed that many walls around the building has been re-plastered and painted. We give special thanks to Fred Daniell who headed up this project and along with the help of Claude Lindsey painted Bott Hall and other areas needing paint.

Special thanks to Jeanne Condrey for filling in while Carol was on vacation. Jeanne is always willing to help out and her support is appreciated!

Welcome Sunday School members and parents! We will open our Sunday School session with a breakfast on Sunday, September 12. Come meet your Sunday school teachers and receive information which will be handed out at that time.

We will begin classes promptly at 9:30 on Sunday, September 19. Classes are as follows:

Dear Jim,

I just wanted to take a moment to “formally” thank you for your help and hospitality in relation to Camp Odyssey. It was our pleasure to be able to offer the children a meaningful experience, and of course we would not have been able to do this without your support and access to the facility.

I ask that you pass along a special thanks to Carol. It is my understanding that she was extremely supportive. Actually, I believe she became a camp celebrity when she brought the cupcakes to be decorated. I heard about that treat from both campers and staff!

Again we are so lucky to be able to partner with you to help make a difference to others. We are grateful!

Annie Kelahan,

Clinical Director

We apologize if we have missed your birthday. If so, please call the church office and let us know.

The rector recently convened an Adult Education Committee to help plan an implement adult education at St. John’s. If you would like to be a part of that group, call Carol at the church office. Here is the exciting line-up the committee planned for the fall:

Flea Market

Now is the time for you to begin cleaning out your cabinets, closets, basements and garages to get rid those unwanted but still in good condition items for the upcoming Flea Market. The Flea Market will be held the same day as the Blessing of the Animals on October 2. You may bring items to the church where we will store them for you until the sale.

Volunteers are needed to help by setting up, working during the sale, and clean up after the sale. Please call the church office and let us know if you would like to volunteer. More volunteers means less work and more fun for everyone!

College Park Festival

Make plans now to be at the College Park Festival on Saturday, September 11 around Barrett Park on Rugby Avenue. We will staff a tent where we will provide water and dog biscuits to our four legged friends, and information about St. John’s to their owners.

Volunteers are needed to set up the tent prior to the festival, staff the tent during the festival and take down and clean up after the festival is over. If you can help please sign up on the sheet in Bott hall or the Narthex or you can call Carol at 404-761-8402.

Greetings from New England

I returned “home” (Deep River, Connecticut) after two weeks of traveling to visit friends and family. I covered a lot of territory from near the border of Maine and Canada to Martha’s Vineyard, hitting nine of the seven Northeastern states.

It has been wonderful to catch up with eight of my eleven nephews and their children, as well as with my siblings. I’m fortunate that many have stayed in the New England area. I also spent a night with our former organist/choir master from Epiphany in New Hampshire and spent three nights with my friend Claibourne Jones in Main. I had a much too short visit with Louise and Frank Manza in their incredibly beautiful home on the Maine coast. Louise made popovers, a specialty I remember from my childhood days in Maine, which I love… not on the Atkins diet!

The weather has been cool—often sweatshirts weren’t enough. And we had a good bit of rain resulting from the tail end of two hurricanes. I think I’ve slept under blankets almost every night!

Now I have almost two weeks to stay put before hading back to Atlanta. I expect to be there September 1. It’s interesting to think ahead to three months without Jim. But I think we have covered the bases with some excellent supply preachers to give me a break. And I know we have a strong Vestry to handle whatever may come up. Jim well deserves this chance to pursue his interests, to refresh his outlook, or whatever seems to suit him. We will miss him, but I am very glad he has this opportunity.

With Love to all,

Ruth

As I watched the news and saw pictures of the damage from Hurricane Charlie, memories from my past came flooding forward. My family and I lived in Miami when Hurricane Andrew hit the Miami coast. So I know what the victims of Charlie have in store.

We were blessed beyond expectation or imagination and now we are able to look back and see those blessings and know how much better off we are because of them. Neighbors helped one another and new and lasting friendships were formed. Plus we rebuilt and ended up with a much nicer house than the one Andrew destroyed. That being said, recovery is very slow. It is not just material things that are lost in a disaster like Andrew or Charlie but the loss of any sense of normalcy. As we prepare for our oldest daughter’s wedding we feel acutely the loss of her baby pictures.

Long after the media has gone and the people whose lives were touched by Charlie are forgotten they will still be recovering. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers over the next months to come.

The Youth will go to the movies on Sept 19th following the 10:30 service.(The schedule indicates a hike up Stone Mountain but Robbin will not be able to do that.) Everyone wanting to attend is required to sign-up on the sheet posted on the bulletin board in Bott Hall by September 12.questions, please see Robbin Iddins.

Mark your calendar and don’t miss the Blessing of the Animals on Saturday, October 2nd. Look for details in upcoming Eagle Notes and Bulletins.