| The Eagle |
|
|
Home Schedule of Services The Eagle |
November
2004 Rector’s
Message Dear
Friends, I
am sitting in my Office on the early afternoon of October 24th.
The
services of this morning were quite wonderful…well attended, especially
beautiful
flowers on the altar, exquisite music from the Choir, and so many other
things
that make Saint John’s the remarkable place I find it to be. After
the services, a special meeting of the Parish was held to which
everyone in the
Parish had received a month ago a quite lovely invitation from the
Vestry. The
meeting took place in the context of a sumptuous brunch prepared and
served by
the Vestry. Truly, it was a meal to remember. Remarks
by Winston Fowlkes, our Stewardship Chair and Treasurer, and Mary
Schinke, a
member of the Stewardship Committee and Vestry, followed the meal.
Their words,
just as the meal, are worthy of remembering. Each, in his or her own
manner
offered insights regarding the future of Their
message, to a marked degree, mirrored the message you will receive in
the mail
this week as part of Saint John’s Stewardship effort for 2005…a message
that
calls us to recognize that the vitality and life of this Parish cannot
depend
upon the hand of the past but must depend firmly upon each of us in our
own
generations making the commitment to sustain her wonderful and gracious
journey. I
believe that Winston and Mary’s words are of such importance that it
would be
irresponsible of me to fail to include them in this edition of the
Eagle…and
equally irresponsible of any who were not present at today’s brunch to
fail to
take the time to read them. Life
moves on. Nothing should ever be taken for-granted. The words that
follow what
I have written here remind us of that and of the remarkable jewel which
is our
Parish. I urge you to take them to heart. Faithfully, The
Revd RL Ficks III, Rector Remarks
by Winston Fowlkes Stewardship
Chair and Treasurer I’m
Winston Fowlkes. Today I’m wearing the hat of Chairman of your
Stewardship
Committee. First, I’d like to thank all of you for making the effort to
be here
today. I’d also like to thank those members of the Vestry who prepared
this
delicious brunch for all of us. Today’s
topic is the stewardship of From
a balance sheet point of view, our Parish is in very good shape. Our
buildings
have been well taken care of, and we are not aware of any major
requirements
for maintenance or replacement. We have approximately $700,000 in
reserve fund
investments. Our challenge is in meeting annual operating costs. Last
fall, the Stewardship Committee presented to the Parish a synopsis of
where we
stood in terms of annual financial support of Last
fall we asked everyone to reexamine his or her financial commitments to
the
Parish. The response was positive: those who pledged increased the
amount of
their pledges 15% to a total of $227,775. However, we have lost some of
our
most significant supporters. As a result, the amounts pledged for this
year,
2004, are some $53,000 less than budgeted. When this became apparent in
the
early part of this year, the Vestry decided to fund the shortfall for
2004 from
Reserve Funds. The
Vestry has adopted a Proposed Budget for 2005. Today I will just touch
on its
highlights, as you will receive a copy of it next week. It calls for
expenditures of some $359,000 for the year. This is $9,000 or 2.5%,
less than
2004. We have examined our expenses as closely as possible, but there
are few
areas that are discretionary. We have only four staff personnel: the
rector,
the choirmaster, the parish administrator and the sexton. Their
salaries and
related expenses amount to 57% of the Budget. To meet
this budget, we will need to receive pledges totaling $277,000. This is
$49,000 more
than actually pledged this year. This is the financial challenge before
us
now. This
week you will all receive a letter asking for your pledges. In addition
to that
letter, the Vestry has decided that its members will contact all
parishioners
to underscore the importance of this undertaking. To meet our financial
goals,
we are asking the members of the Parish to increase their pledges by
20% over
last year. Naturally we understand that there are those who will be
unable to
do this, but I close with the hope that there may be others who will
choose to
exceed this target. Remarks
by Mary Schinke Vestry
and Stewardship Committee Member As
Winston mentioned, I have been asked to speak to you on behalf of the
Stewardship Committee about the spiritual component of Christian
stewardship.
This is a somewhat daunting task because, as the committee discussed
Christian
stewardship at numerous meetings, it became clear that there were as
many
different experiences as there are committee members. I would expect
that the
same is true for the whole parish. However, in discussing the impact of
stewardship on our lives, some common themes emerged. Perhaps more
important,
it became clear that having the conversations about the spiritual gifts
of
stewardship helped each of us bring to the forefront of our minds and
articulate the power of stewardship in strengthening our spirits,
bringing our
families closer and, most of all, deepening our relationship to
God. Christian
stewardship is different from nonprofit philanthropy. When you give to
a
museum, you help fund the operation of the organization. And like a
museum, a
parish church needs money to operate. But Christian stewardship
involves a
great deal more than funding the operation of a worthy institution. It
is one
of the tools we have for exploring God’s love for us. In
our committee meetings we talked about different approaches various
branches of
the church have taken towards stewardship. There’s sacrificial giving,
tithing,
pew rentals, bequests, naming opportunities, selling tickets to high
holy days.
All of these approaches have their benefits for the recipient and the
giver,
but they may miss the mark. One of the ways I’ve come to think of
stewardship
is giving until it’s scary vs. “tipping” God. I’ll handle tipping God
first. If
you like the church, like the services, like the programs, or don’t,
you can
express that with a contribution that, like a tip in a restaurant,
expresses
your satisfaction or dissatisfaction. But that tip amount doesn’t
really have
any impact on you, the giver. Many waiters and waitresses make a living
off of
that dynamic. I doubt that God views stewardship as a sort of applause
meter
for how well we like the service. According
to Jesus’ teaching, God wants more for us. Jesus talked about money a
lot, and
I imagine that was because he knew how important it was to us and how
important
it is for us spiritually (and sometimes difficult for us) to manage
it’s place
in our lives and how important it is to the world that we be good
stewards of
money. Whether we have a lot of it or very little of it, money has an
unparalleled ability to command, distort, consume our focus. I would
bet that
Jesus talked about money so much because, the more we can “get right”
with our
money, the more freedom we will have. And stewardship is one way for us
to
shift our focus away from mammon and grow in our relationship to God.
For me
that’s where giving until it’s scary comes in. Giving until it’s scary
is
stretching myself a bit beyond my comfort level; giving something that
I will
definitely notice; an amount that matters to my bottom line. It’s meant
being a
bit worried about whether I would be able to honor my pledge. In my
experience,
it always works out. More than that, I can see more clearly how it’s
God that
provides for me. In the end, what started as a precarious feeling
pledge is
transformed into a joyful gift out of bounty. Our
treasurer has calculated that, if everyone increases their pledge by
20%, we
will be able to balance our budget. I believe balancing the budget
would be
great. But a 20% increase in your pledge may not be that transformative
amount,
an amount that does something for you spiritually; it might take 50% or
100%.
The critical point is not to miss the opportunity really to examine
your
relationship to God and the role of your giving in that relationship.
The
way I get to my pledge is another blessing of Christian stewardship.
It’s an
annual discussion, my husband, Steven and I have. In the beginning it
had to be
a family discussion, because we were considering giving amounts that
matter too
much to be made without a partnership discussion. What we found is that
having
the discussion was a spiritual gift. We had to talk about what we have.
We had
to talk about where it came from. We had to talk about how we feel
about the
church and how we feel about God. We had to talk about what we have to
give
thanks for. The
first time we kept putting it off. We’d say we’ve got to talk about
stewardship, but not now. We’ve got to decide about our pledge, but we
have to do
something else first. We kept putting it off; just didn’t want to have
the
conversation. It was scary and unpleasant; we were being asked to give
up some
of our money. Now
it’s become a happy discussion each year that we look forward to. It’s
an opportunity
to take stock, examine our lives, and realize and remember and give
thanks.
Stewardship
is an opportunity to reflect on our blessings, recognize the source of
our
gifts and respond to the source of those gifts with thanksgiving. Each
of us
has many gifts. We have families, homes, food, clothing, cars, hobbies
and
talents that bring us joy. Our money is one of those gifts. How do we
get
money? Sometimes we are given it by family; sometimes we work for it;
sometimes
we make it work for us by wisely investing it; and sometimes we have a
lucky
windfall. But how is it that any of these methods come to pass? Who
gave us the
intellectual and physical capability to make money? God is where we got
what we
have. And we all know, that when someone gives you a gift, the right
thing to
do is to thank them. Now
we can’t possibly begin to repay God for all that he has given us. And
scripture tells us, he doesn’t require that. But one of the gifts we
have from
God is His church. And we can express some measure of our thanks and
our love
by supporting his special institution in this world. There again, God
blesses
us. In the bible, God says you won’t build me a house, I will build you
one.
God doesn’t have boundaries; he’s operating all over. The church is
only one of
God’s arenas. And who benefits most from the existence of the church?
Not God,
but us. He doesn’t need St. John’s, but we do. We need to come here as
a place
where we can focus, our children can learn, and we can be refreshed, be
fed, be
comforted, and be strengthened. Our giving benefits us. Stewardship
is a mechanism through which God can show us that he has provided for
us and
will continue to provide for us. God is not a hot investment. It’s not
that we
can put in $1 and get back $10. This is not about testing God. Jesus
didn’t
jump off the top of the Temple, and neither should we. It’s not about
being
irresponsible in our personal finances to test if God will bail us out.
I
admire the faith of the widow who gave all she had to the temple, but
this is a
journey, and I for one, am no where near the widow’s mite. But if we
start
taking the steps, step by step, to exercise our faith and trust in God
by
giving something that matters to us over to Him, I am confident that
St. John’s
will continue to flourish. More importantly, God’s work in our world
will move
forward with power, and, most of all, each of us will thrive in ways we
haven’t
even imagined. This is most important because, as each of us grows
spiritually,
we will transform ourselves, our community and the ripples of that
transformation will have no end. Think
about it. Pray about it. Discuss it with your family. Engage in the
spiritual
opportunity that is Christian stewardship. Hooray
for the Bazaar! ~ As
this edition
of The Eagle is being put in the mail, we are at the eve of this year’s
Saint
John’s Bazaar. We have no doubt that it will be a fantastic success and
extend
our deep and abiding thanks to Chris Boshears and Laura Daly who agreed
to
serve as co-chairs of the Bazaar this year and to Ann Burton and Isabel
Fowlkes
who chair the Silent Auction. Thanks also goes to dozens and dozens of
other
individuals who will be pitching in to make the Bazaar the wonderful
success it
always is. Congratulations and deep gratitude to everyone who made this
labor
of love to benefit the work Saint John’s. Adult
Forum ~ We
are fortunate that the Reverend Rowan
Greer has agreed again to lead the Autumn Adult Forum at Saint John’s.
The
Forum begins on Sundays at 9.00 AM in the Parish House Library and
allows those
who have attended the 8.00 AM service to be in this gathering as well
as those
who will be attending the 10.00 AM service. The Forum ends about five
minutes
of ten and coffee is available for those attending. This year’s Forum
will be
offered through November 21. Father Greer’s topic is “Reform and
Renewal:
Evangelicals and Tractarians.” Father Greer notes, “We shall examine
the
message, method, and impact of two attempts to revive the Church of
England.
The Evangelicals of the 18th through 19th century
appealed to the 16th century church; the Tractarians of the
Oxford
Movement to the 17th century Church. Is reviving the past in
the
service of the present and with an eye to the future a good thing?” We
cordially invite you to attend these meetings. It is not essential that
you
attend all of them but certainly are urged to come to as many as
possible. You
are assured that your time will be time very well spent. We are graced
to have
so fine a teacher as Father Greer in our midst. The schedule for the
Forum is
available by calling the Office (868.2527). Layreaders,
Chalice Bearers, Acolytes and Ushers ~
Please be aware
that any member of the Parish who is interested in becoming involved in
any of
these ministries should feel free to contact the Rector and let him
know of
that interest. You would be most welcomed and your gifts received with
gratitude. We
have a special need this year for new Acolytes. A number of our more
senior
corps members have gone off to college. Any young person in fourth
grade or
above would be welcomed to become involved in this ministry in the life
of
Saint John’s. Please contact Father Ficks (868-2527) for additional
details. All
Saints’ Day ~ On
Monday, November 1st
at 9:30 a.m. in the Chapel, the Feast of All Saints’ will be observed,
and on
Sunday, October 31st, the Solemnity of All Saints at both
morning
services and Evensong. At these services, members of the Parish who
have died
this year will be remembered as well as those whose names are given to
us by
members of the Parish who wish to have various departed loved ones
remembered. Ecumenical
Thanksgiving Service ~ This
year’s
Community Thanksgiving Service will take place at First Congregational
Church
at 7.00 p.m. on November 21st. We hope that you will join in
this
wonderful celebration of our shared Faith as Christians and our
Community
Thanksgiving for all the blessings of this life. Thanksgiving
Day Service at Saint
John’s ~ At 9:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, November 25th,
the
Eucharist will be celebrated in the Chapel at Saint John’s.
Loaves
& Fishes ~ Our
day for
Loaves & Fishes is November 20th. Please sign up for
cooking
food or delivering it and serving it at Loaves & Fishes. The
sign-up sheet
is in the Parish House. Please have the pans of food delivered by noon
on the
19th. Please note: we are in need of volunteers to help with
serving
on that day. It will not take a great deal of your time, but it will be
a
tremendous help at the Soup Kitchen. Please give the Office (868-2527)
a call
to find out more about how you can help in this way. An
Invitation to
Join Saint John’s Choir With
the arrival of our new choirmaster, Richard Busch a new chapter in our
history
began. We’d like to invite anyone who has thought about singing with
the Choir
to go ahead and give it a try. Whether you’ve joined the church just
recently,
or sang in a chorus many years ago and feel a bit rusty, or simply
wonder if
singing is a skill you might like to develop, the Choir is a wonderful
place to
be. Members
of the Choir work hard, keep a brisk pace, and give substantially of
their
time, but we also enjoy each other’s company and have a lot of fun
together. In
addition to the camaraderie and achievement of any group activity, the
Choir
offers a unique worship experience. Saint Augustine wrote, “The person
who
sings, prays twice.” Singing sacred music in a choral setting also
offers the
chance to pray more deeply. The singer joins together in worship not
only with
other choristers and the congregation, but, in spirit, with composers
and
singers from other times and places—through music spanning the early
works of
William Byrd and Thomas Tallis, the romantic strains of Joseph
Rheinberger, and
the contemporary tones of Ned Rorem. Sacred music expresses not only
feelings
of joy and worship, but doubt and conflict as well—particularly through
the
rich tradition of the psalms, sung in four-, five-, or six-part
Anglican chant
at every service. If
it has seemed daunting in the past to join a group that’s been together
for so
long, please be assured that is not the case. It is our deepest hope
you will
come and join us in this musical journey we share. Please know that,
even if
you decide that singing isn’t for you, we would be pleased to have you
with us
to “give it a try.” Our rehearsals are at 7.30pm on Thursday evenings
in the
Choir Room of the Parish Hall. If you have questions or concerns about
this
matter, we urge you to speak with a member of the Choir or with our
Choirmaster, Richard Busch (868-2527). Our
warmest best wishes, The
Choir of Saint John’s
Nominations
for the Vestry ~
Please be aware
that, during November, the Vestry Nominating Committee (made up of
those
members leaving the Vestry in any given year) will be meeting to make
nominations for new members of the Vestry and Officers for the coming
year.
This year, Winston Fowlkes, Jeanne Reid, Swing Croasdaile, Steve
Morris, David
Knutson, Clyde Lincoln and Carter Walker will comprise the Committee.
If you
have a person you would like considered as a nominee for the Vestry,
would you
take time to speak with one of the above-mentioned members of the
Vestry and
let them know of your interest. It would be most helpful if you let
them know
why you felt the person you are suggesting is particularly qualified
for this
post. The slate of nominees for the Vestry will be presented at the
Annual
Meeting in January 2005. Advent
Lessons & Carols ~ On
December the
5th at 5.00 p.m., Saint John’s will host the Deanery Service
of
Advent Lessons & Carols. This marvelous service, crafted decades
ago at
Cambridge University by Eric Milner-White, is one of the gems of the
Anglican
Church and offers a beautiful opportunity to hear the word of God in
readings
related to the Advent of our Lord and to rejoice in the music so many
talented
individuals have composed to celebrate this event. The Clergy from the
Parishes
of the Deanery will read at this service, and The Right Reverend Andrew
Smith,
Bishop of the Diocese will be the Officiant. The Altar Guilds of the
Deanery
will receive special recognition at this service and a lovely reception
will
follow. Please mark your calendars to be here for this evening. Saint
John’s Website ~ Saint
John’s has a website and we
hope that you might find it pleasing to visit it. It contains
considerable
information regarding schedules and life at Saint John’s. The internet
address
is www.stjohnswashington.org Vestry
Notes ~ The
regularly scheduled meeting of the
Vestry took place on October 17th at 11:30 a.m. Outreach
Committee Report ~
At its regularly scheduled meeting of October 10th the
following
outreach allocations were made: New
Beginnings Academy: $1,000 Wellspring
Foundation: $1,500 The
Kennedy Center for Child Behavior: $500 Episcopal
Relief and Development: $1,000 Project
Pierre Poussanaint, Haiti: $500 Music
Notes ~ As the
dust begins to settle upon 76
Green Hill Road (aka the Choirmaster's Cottage), the newly-arrived
music
director is delighted to report that things are settling nicely into
place. He - well, let's drop the third person - I am enjoying
getting to
know the good people of Washington, CT., and to begin making music with
them. I'm
always hesitant about including a plea for singers in these monthly
Music
Notes, but, sadly, it is generally necessary to do so. Therefore,
briefly, here goes: WE NEED SINGERS in the choir,
especially in the
Tenor and Bass departments. If ever you have thought that you
might be
interested, this would definitely be the time to put intention into
practice. Scheduling problems? Commuting problems?
Never
fear. These can almost always be accommodated. Please do
not
hesitate to get in touch with me if you want to explore this area of
participation in the life of the church. The
Saint John's Conert Series began its fifteenth season on the 17th of
October
with a splendid concert given by the men's vocal ensemble Lionhart, and
will
continue with concerts by the very talented pianist Thomas Brown (14
November),
solo recorder virtuoso Harocio Franco (16 January), and the
no-introduction-needed Yale Wiffenpoofs (8 May). All concerts are
on
Sundays at 4 PM. Please order your tickets in plenty of time for
these
exciting concerts or, better still, consider becoming a Friend, Patron,
or
Benefactor of this important part of Washington's cultural life and
that of its
surrounding communities. The
Saint John's Chorale Christmas Candlelight Concert will take place on
Firday
evening, the 10th of December at 8 PM, and on Sunday afternoon, the
12th of
December at 4 PM. In addition to a selection of seasonal anthems
and
motets ranging from Byrd and Sweelinck to Poulenc and Busch, the
Chorale will
perform Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on Christmas Carols, and
Giovanni
Pergolesi's Magnificat with chamber orchestra. Please make plans
to
attend and enjoy. The
Choristers of St. Johns, for young parishioners between the ages of 8
and 13,
has begun its fall semester. We have had to do a bit of
fine-tuning with
regard to the scheduling of the Choristers' practice sessions in an
attempt to
accommodate as many students who might be interested in this program as
possible. We have now settled upon 11.30AM Sunday (i.e. following
Church
Service and a brief 'Coffee' hour) as the time best suited to the most
participants. We look forward to the Choristers' active
participation in
the life of musical worship at Saint John's. Evensong
for the Eve of the Feast of All Saints took place on Sunday, the 31st
of
October. The next Evensong will be on the 21st of November in
celebration
of the Feast of Christ The King. Evensong is a most beautiful
service of
meditation, reflection, prayer, and song, unique to the Anglican
tradition. We sincerely hope that you'll plan on attending as
many
Evensongs as possible throughout the liturgical year. Parish
Register Marriages Abigail
Parker Ficks & David Kevin
Shirlaw ~ October 16, 2004 Elizabeth
F. Solley
& Thomas H. Rickart ~ October 23, 2004 Burials Virginia
Upson Ficks ~ October 9, 2004 |