The Eagle - December 2006

Some years ago – so I am told – an irate gentleman (if such there be) stormed into the Episcopal Diocesan office in Garden City, Long Island. His complaint concerned the holiday display at a nearby department store. Santa Claus and his sleigh were represented; but there were only four reindeer, half the correct number. "Something must be done!" he said, "people just don't read their Bibles any more." Of course, this gentleman had not given his Bible a careful reading. Scripture says nothing about Santa Claus, Christmas presents and trees; and there is no mention of Rudolph or of any other reindeer. Indeed, even the usual Christmas story we tell simply puts together and harmonizes the two very different birth narratives found in Matthew and Luke. The birth of Jesus has obviously engendered a great many legends and customs that we take for granted as part of Christmas.

People in various times and places have reacted against this development. Indeed, in the seventeenth century in Boston several Huguenots (French Calvinists) were arrested for celebrating Christmas. And forty years ago when I was living in Edinburgh, Christmas was an ordinary working day and not a public holiday at all. In our own time and place there are occasional efforts to "keep Christ in Christmas." For example, in one parish I know of there is a visit, not of Santa Claus, but of St. Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra; and the saint collects toys to be given to needy children. But is it really necessary to get rid of the customs that have accumulated around our celebration of Christmas? To be sure, sometimes the demands made by them become harassments, make us irritable, and undermine the religious joy that ought to be ours when we remember that the Son of God came to live and die as one of us. Nevertheless, when he did so, he identified himself with everything in this messy world of ours.

And so, let me suggest that we can respond to the difficulties I've mentioned not by eliminating what has come to be part of Christmas, but by seeing it the way children do. After all, Christ tells us that we must become like children. We can learn again the keen expectation and excitement of children waiting for the great day to come because we can believe that in the little town of Bethlehem the hopes and fears of all the years meet together and assure us that Christ comes into our lives not only at Christmas but in all the circumstances of our lives. Moreover, we can remember that Christ came to us not as a dread judge but as a helpless child. And so he comes to us in compassionate love for our own helplessness and to assure us, as St. Paul says, that God has chosen "what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and what is weak in the world to shame the strong." In this way Christ is "the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor 1:24,27).

Ordination of The Revd. Dr. Randall Balmer ~ At Saint John’s Church, on the 7^th of December at 7:00p.m., the Reverend Dr. Randall Balmer will be ordained to the priesthood. This is, of course, a major milestone in the life of one who has become an integral part of our Parish life. You are not merely invited but urged to attend this celebratory service, one of such importance in the history of Saint John’s, and support Randall as he enters upon his priestly ministry.

Advent Lessons & Carols ~ On December the 10^th 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.

Adult Forum ~ The final meeting of this Autumn’s Adult Forum took place on November 19^th. Under the Reverend Rowan Greer’s able leadership, the forum has been a wonderfully successful, informative, and provocative arena during the entire Fall. Father Greer’s gifts to us of his time and his wisdom… not to mention his great good humor… are a precious part of the life of this parish church. We are deeply in his debt for this kindness and look forward to continued meetings with him in the future.

This year’s Christmas Pageant will take place at the 10:00 a.m. service on the 17^th of December. Bruce and Helena Fifer have agreed, once again, to direct the Pageant, and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their generosity in doing this.

For those who will be participants in the Pageant (and every child at Saint John’s is hereby invited), there will be a meeting in the Undercroft on Sunday, the 10^th of December, right after Church. At this time costumes will be distributed and the initial discussion regarding who will take which roles will take place. The following Saturday, December 16^th, we will gather in the Parish House at Noon for pizza and will then adjourn to the Church for Pageant rehearsal. While it would be great if interested participants could be at both gatherings, we’ll figure out a way around it if you could only get to one…but please do try to get there for both of them.

Christmas Flowers ~ Attached to this copy of The Eagle on the red sheet is a form through which you may request that individuals be remembered at Christmas in the service leaflet for the Christmas services. If you would like to contribute to helping with the decorating of the Church at Christmas in the name of these individuals, you may also do that. An envelope is provided for this purpose as well as one to make a Special Christmas Offering if you so desire. Please return the completed form to the collection basin or Office absolutely no later than 9.30am on Monday, December 18^th.

Christmas Toy Drive

This year we will be collecting toys for the Food Drive that serves various organizations in this area. Among them are organizations such as the Senior Center, PAL, Veterans of CT, The Santa Fund of New Milford, and a number of others. In total, over a hundred families received gifts and non-perishable foodstuffs through this effort overseen by Don Claydy, who has dedicated his time to this for well on to twenty years. There will be a box in the Baptistry very clearly marked to receive your gifts of new unwrapped toys and non-perishable food items. Last year, through Mr. Claydy’s efforts, 56 food baskets were delivered to those in need in this area of Litchfield County and over 500 kids received approximately five Christmas gifts they might otherwise not have received. We urge you to take time between now and December 17^th (the third Sunday in Advent) to bring in your gifts and food. This is a wonderful effort on behalf of those in need in our area by one man who has made a personal campaign out of doing all he can to bring light into the ofttime dark worlds of people who live practically at our very doorstep.

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.

Christmas Card Sale ~ Choose from several designs depicting the beautiful scenes in the paintings of Henry Siddons Mowbray for your holiday greetings. The cost is $15 for 10 Note Cards or Christmas Cards and the proceeds from the sales benefit both the Altar Guild and Saint John’s Church. The cards are available at Saint John’s or by calling Ann Burton at 868-2003.

Loaves and Fishes is in Need ~ For many years, Saint John’s has supplied food and food servers once a month at Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen in New Milford. Over those years, a considerable number of dedicated members of the Parish have overseen this work. Most recently, David Poole has held this post. In order for us to continue to undertake this ministry to those in need practically at our doorstep, it would be a positive thing if a few additional members of the Parish stepped forward to offer time in this ministry. The commitment seems rather manageable…one Friday afternoon a month for about two and one-half hours transporting casseroles prepared by parishioners and stored in the Parish House refrigerator to the Richmond Center on Main Street in New Milford, warming them up, and helping serve them to those who visit the Center for a daily hot meal. Obviously, if two or three volunteers step forward, this commitment becomes quite modest and might be only required of each volunteer three or four times a year. This is a worthwhile ministry of this Parish to those in need. If you are willing to explore the possibility of sharing in this effort, please call David Poole (354.8964).

Sunday School Effort ~ The children of Saint John's Sunday School are participating in the Town of Washington's Christmas Drive for local soldiers. There are boxes at the back of the Church for items such as: CDs, DVDs, seasonal food and beverages (candy, cookies, hot cider mixes), decorations to brighten their areas, blank cards for them to send home, etc. Small, light items are ideal for shipping. Artwork and cards from children will also be included. The soldiers love to cover their walls with original works so be creative! Volunteers will wrap many of the items ... donations of paper, ribbon and tape would be appreciated. The last mailing will be on Thursday, December 7th so our last collection date at Saint John's Church will be Sunday, December 3rd.

Treasurer’s Message ~ The Vestry has asked me to review with you the financial status of our Parish and the budgeted outlook for next year.

Let me start with some history. Over the last five years, our annual operating expenses for the Parish increased from $329,000 in 2002 to an estimated $367,000 for this year, 2006. This is an increase of only $38,000 or 11% over the five-year period. That works out to an average of a little over 2% per year, which I think can be characterized as modest by most any standards.

On the income side, the story is different. During this same five-year period, our pledge receipts have declined from $260,000 in 2002 to an estimated $240,000 this year. Thus pledges this year are some $20,000 less than they were five years ago. During this period, many families have increased their pledges, some substantially, but we have also lost a number of generous supporters.

After combining pledges with other sources of income – plate offerings, special events like the Bazaar and one-time gifts – we have incurred a deficit in every year since 2002.

To fund these deficits, we have had to withdraw money from our endowment. Over this period, these withdrawals have totaled just under $170,000.

Obviously, we cannot continue to draw on the endowment at this rate, or it will become depleted. Right now, our endowment stands at about $780,000. The Finance Committee has recommended to the Vestry that we can prudently withdraw up to 5% of the principal each year. Accordingly, the proposed budget for 2007 includes receiving $40,000 from the endowment.

The proposed 2007 budget projects expenses of $386,000, about 5% more than this year. Wherever possible, expenditures have been kept at the same level as this year. Increased items beyond our control include medical insurance (up 10%), heating oil (up 18%), electricity (up 20%) and property insurance (up 18%). To meet these expenses, after projecting all other sources of income, we are looking for pledges amounting to $287,000. This is a significant increase over this year. It is my hope that we can respond positively to this challenge and maintain all the activities that are vital to the life of Saint John’s.

Vestry News ~ At its regularly scheduled meeting of Sunday, November 19, 2006 the following received attention:

Music Notes ~ Fans of lengthy Advent seasons are headed for disappointment this year, as we gear up for as short an Advent as is calendrically possible. (There’s no chance, of course, that ‘calendrically’ is a real word, but you get the idea.) Scarcely will the echoes of Advent Lessons & Carols have died out in the sanctuary when, hey presto, we will be foregathering in the same space to celebrate Christmas itself - a mere two weeks having separated these events.

Thursday, 7 December: the joyous service in celebration of Randall Balmer's ordination to the priesthood (7 P.M.)

Friday, 15 December: The Saint John’s Chorale Christmas Candlelight Concert - first performance (8 P.M.)

Sunday, 17 December: The Saint John’s Chorale Christmas Candlelight Concert - second performance (4 P.M.)

I’m rather surprised we didn’t try scheduling one of the Saint John’s Concert Series performances during December just to round things out. Or did we? I’d better check.

Of course, each of the above events is in its unique way an important one in the life of the Parish, carrying with it the opportunity to deepen the experience of this remarkable season of expectation and fulfillment. And, although the roster of celebrations viewed from this side of December seems rather daunting, I’m sure that come January we’ll all be able to look back upon it with far more fond memories than sighs of relief.

No matter how you look at it, though, December is an enormously taxing time for the members of the Choir and the Chorale - remember, the above list doesn't show any of the many rehearsals involved! - and I’m sure that each of you joins me in extending the heartiest possible ‘Thank You’ to each of them for the unselfish contribution of his or her time, talent, and energy. An Advent and Christmas season without music would be unthinkable. Without them it would be impossible.