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February 2007
Vol. 9 No. 2
Archive of Previous Issues
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The Grapevine is published monthly
(except for a combined July/August issue)
by St. Patrick's Episcopal Church
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Table of Contents for February 2007 [Vol. 9 No. 2]
During the early summer, late April to late July, I will be taking a sabbatical. It's now 10 years since my last one when I walked the camino across Northern Spain. I took a mini-sabbatical a few years ago when I wrote some adult educational class material. My letter of agreement calls for a 3-month sabbatical, every five years.
There is a lot of Biblical material about Sabbaths. On the seventh day of creation, God rested from his labors. This is one of the reasons for the Commandment to "Keep the Sabbath day holy." The other is the reminder that once the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, and Pharaoh never gave them a break. All creation needs a Sabbath break. In the seventh year, the Israelites were told not to sow the fields or prune the vineyards. "It shall be a year of complete rest for the land" (Lev. 25).
The sabbatical is valuable for more than the opportunity for study etc that it makes possible for the Rector. It changes the dynamics of the parish. It brings a time of disengagement for both me and for the parish, a time of reflection. My tendency is to try to stick my oar into what goes on here. You will have the opportunity to decide what works for you. And I have sacred space to sit back and ask myself whether I am doing what God is calling me to do. I hope that I will reinvent myself and return to St Patrick's in late July with new ideas and new energy.
For some years I have been collecting material about saints and heroes of the church. I am looking forward to an opportunity to write down and organize this material. It would be great if it were publishable. But if not, I could make it available in the John Bogart Library. Most lists of saints are ordered according to the date of their feast day. It makes sense to me to gather them according to common themes and see how they relate to each others. For example, martyrs of the early church, founders of monasticism, winners and losers at Nicaea, victims of the Nazis and so on.
I am also looking forward to an opportunity to visiting my family in England, and combining that with visits to sites, significant for the saints that I am writing about.
Meanwhile at St Patrick's, George Hunt has agreed to cover for me while I am gone. He will be here half-time. A number of things will happen while I am gone. Bishop Barry will be here for his visitation and confirmation on May 27. Marcia will be very busy in the parish office. Are you available to help her? May this Sabbath time be a holy time for all of us!
Hugh Stevenson
AROUND ST. PATRICK'S
February sees the continuation of the Neighborhood Meetings. Thanks to the hosts and hostesses, and all who have so far attended. We hope they have proved useful.
February 4, we sing spirituals at our 9 am and 10:30 services. February is Black History Month.
Feb. 4, 9:45 am. The discussion continues on Marcus Borg's book, The Heart of Christianity.
Feb. 4, 10:30 Sunday school meets. The theme of the day: Elisha heals Naaman of his leprosy.
RECTOR'S VACATION
Hugh will be away, February 8-15; Bishop George Hunt will be here on Sunday Feb 11.
February 10. The Women's breakfast group is meeting this month at Lyon's Restaurant, corner of Farmers Lane and 4th Street at 8:30 am.
February 11, 9:45 The ECW Board meets in Education Center.
10:30 Sunday school studies the Call of Isaiah.
February 13, E.C.W. luncheon will be held on Tuesday, at 11:00 a.m. The speaker will be from SAY (Social Advocates for Youth) whom we supported in last's year's Holiday Bazaar. All women are welcome! Please sign up.
Before February 18, please bring your palm crosses from last year to church to be burnt to make ash for Ash Wednesday.
February 18, 10:30 am, Baptism of Amelia Leslie, daughter of Susan and Robert Leslie who were married at St Patrick's. The Sunday school children come into church for the whole service.
Forward Day by day. The latest Bible study notes (February-April) have been placed in the tract rack in the Church entrance. Please help yourself. There should be enough for all those who want one.
February 18, 4:00 p.m., a concert of romantic music by Robert Schumann for Valentine's Day featuring Karen Carle (soprano), Ted von Pohle (baritone), Robert Young (piano). They will play Schumann's song cycle, "Myrthen," which he wrote as a wedding gift for his bride, Clara Wieck. This very romantic music, so bring your valentine! Recommended donation, $10. This is part of our music series at St Patrick's.
February 21, Ash Wednesday. There will be two services: 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. with the Imposition of Ashes (from last year's palm crosses) for those who wish, followed by the Eucharist. "I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a Holy Lent." (Prayer Book p. 265)
February 25, The 1st Sunday in Lent. The liturgical color changes to penitential purple and we use Eucharistic prayer that focus on the cross.
Feb 25, 10:30 Sunday school meets. The theme of the day: Isaiah's vision of the Messiah.
February 28, Men's lunch will be held on Wednesday, at 11:30 am, at Playa Azul on Oakmont Drive.
LENT STUDY GROUPS
These are still being planned. We are gathering material for a study group on Benedictine spirituality.
We are also being supplied with study material on ERD (Episcopal Relief and Development)
Bishop Barry will be inviting all parishes to use the Lenten Season as a time of prayer for God's guidance of this Diocese. We will be provided with a set of reflection questions based on the Sunday readings, as a way of focusing our prayers.
TURNING POINTS
All find a welcome:
Edward and Doris Dill have moved to Oakmont from Marin County.
Hanns & Margaret Ullrich, friends of the Pegleys in Oakmont.
Basil Taylor & Paulette Hruska, neighbors of John & Maureen Thompson in Sonoma.
John & Nancy Giambastiani in Oakmont.
For this, much thanks:
- Vic Howard our outgoing Senior Warden who chaired the nominations committee for new vestry members.
- Wendy Wood our in-coming Senior Warden
- Judy and Charlie Buff hosted an Epiphany Ultreya for cursillistas.
- Barbara Hunt showed a video of the investiture of Bishop Katherine as Presiding Bishop to a good crowd and served excellent refreshments on Jan 13.
- Charlotte and Will Horne hosted the choir party on Jan 14.
Farewell to: Elenore Streich who is moving with her husband, Gene, to Grass Valley to be closer to their daughter.
Sandy Hills is moving to San Jacinto CA.
Relocation:
Dick Beynon has moved to Paulin Creek, Range Avenue (528-6209).
We ask God's protection of:
those serving in the military overseas
| Chris Whittaker | Dallas Casey |
| Dan Whitwright | George Sutherland |
| Mike Bennett | Joseph Palamino |
| Troy |
We will exalt you, O God, our King:
Wyn Warfield has a new great granddaughter, Jennifer, born Dec 20.
Christine and Mark Jenkins had their baby on December 16, Julia Maureen, 7 lb, on Dec 16. Julia was baptized on January 7.
Susan and Robert Leslie on the birth of Amelia Rose on October 31. Amelia will be baptized on February 25.
Al and Martha Taira (Sarah Phillips' sister) on the birth of twins, Veronica and Mika, in Seattle.
May they know God's healing power:
| Hertha Brown | Mark Kirkland |
| Janice Currie | Lolita Seguin |
| Scott Ronchetti | Linda Belding |
| Wyn Warfield | Jack Rockwell |
| Millie Allyn | Gus Peters |
| John & Cathy Landon's son, James. |
| Jean Henderson's granddaughter, Anna. |
| Cynthia Pennington's mother, Jeanne. |
Blessings on:
George Arack (Sr.) and Bobbi Sparrow who were married on January 6.
Chris Lamoreaux, grandson of Cliff Kent, is marrying Lisa Ferrerio in Denver on June 10.
May they rest in peace:
Cynthia Mikkelsen
Archie Turner died at the end of 2006.
Deepest sympathy: to Roger and Jill White on the death of their niece, Lori Dahm.
Carol and Bill Gwatkin on the death of Carol's brother Andy Anderson (12/31).
And to Diane and Bob Melder on the death of Diane's father, John Selvaggio, in PA.
ANNUAL MEETING
The Meeting was held on January 21 at 10:30 a.m. 92 people signed in. Mary Banks was the clerk and Diana Estabrook was the parliamentarian. The following were elected to the vestry: Hutch Gibb, John Thompson and Bill Ward. Those continuing on the vestry are: Jean Meyer, Judy Buff, Michael Peterson, Wendy Wood, Margaret Merchat, Jill Hunting, Vicki Ward, Cathy Landon and Becky Jenkins.
In his financial report, Charlie Chapman, the treasurer, told the meeting that the finances are in a healthy situation. After we cancelled our earthquake insurance, we started funding an earthquake account. We are putting money aside for a parsonage fund at a low rate of interest for the next Rector. Unlike other parishes, members of St Patrick's make payments that exceed their pledges. He presented a balanced budget of $346,000 for 2007. We shall need to organize a second fund-raiser in addition to the St Patrick's dinner.
In my report, I said that at two vestry workshops we had come to the conclusion that rather than seeking to increase attendance at our worship, we should focus upon the building up the fellowship of our parish and of finding niches in which our members can exercise their ministries. This led us to plan the neighborhood meetings which are now in progress.
Robert Young reported on the Music Program for this year. Hugh invited people to sign up for the Foyer supper groups. Judy Buff invited people to help her revisit our emergency preparedness procedures. We then discussed the proposal to enter a companion relationship with a parish in the diocese of Honduras. A variety of opinions were expressed. Some were excited by the idea, while others wanted us to give our money closer to home. The Outreach Committee will discuss this idea further.
There was time for a number of comments and questions. The meeting closed just before noon.
At the end of the meeting, I announced that I had invited Wendy Wood to be the Senior Warden. At the first vestry meeting, the vestry voted Margaret Merchat to be the Junior Warden.
At the first vestry meeting, we organized our schedule of meetings for the year which will usually be on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. There will be a meeting for vestry members and others at St Stephen's, Sebastopol on February 10. At the announcement time each Sunday, a vestry member will introduce him or herself and will welcome the congregation.
January meeting. The main work of the meeting in early January was to finalize and approve the budget for 2007 and to organize the Annual Meeting. In addition, we took time to review the past year and to look back at our Christmas celebrations. In 2006, we revised the policy for how to put money into the endowment fund. In 2007 we will work on clearer guideline on how grants may be made.
ENDOWMENT FUND
The Designated Funds Committee makes grants from the Endowment Fund for charitable causes. They will be meeting on Monday, February 12 in the Education Center. Application forms are available from the Parish secretary and should be mailed to Will Haymaker, chairman of the committee to arrive by February 5.
WOMEN'S RETREAT
A number of people are requesting a women's retreat. If there is sufficient demand we will organize one. If you are interested, please see Karen Steelman or Judy Buff, or call the parish office (833-4228).
NANCY YOUNG
Nancy, a member of our congregation, has an art show at Chateau St Jean till March. The show is open 10-5 daily.
CANDIDATES FOR THE 2007 VESTRY
HUTCH GIBB
Hutch and Bernadette Gibb joined St Patrick's in 1989, before Eddie was born. He is now a junior at Cardinal Newman. Hutch retired in 2000 after 37 years working for Sears. He has been involved in the State Park Assoc. of Sonoma Valley, Goodwill, Junior Achievement, St. Eugene's School Board, and the United Way. He grew up in Southern California where he became a fan of the Chargers and the Dodgers. He has been on the vestry twice before: 1996-9 when he chaired the property commission. He was elected in 2001 and became the Senior Warden the following year. He would like to help build interest and attendance at the 9 am service.
JOHN THOMPSON
John is a lifelong Anglican/Episcopalian who first came to St. Patrick's in 2004. He was formerly a member at Grace Church, Fairfield, where he and Maureen were married (in 1980). John was in the choir and served on the vestry at Grace Church as he also did at St. John's in Marysville, years earlier. John & Maureen have attended many of the adult education classes along with daughter and son-in-law, Kathleen and Bob Leonard. John is semi-retired but continues to work as a real estate land broker. Prior to his brokerage activities, John was a healthcare executive and amongst other positions, served as the CEO for various hospitals in Northern California. He was a Trustee of the California Hospital Assn. and was a former Chairman of the Hospital Council of Northern California. He also served on the Advisory Board to the U.C. Medical Center, Davis, in the formative years of that Medical School. He believes his background in these positions would serve well in attending to the stewardship of the Parish assets. He would like to see St. Patrick's develop a plan to encourage younger families to participate in Parish life at St. Patrick's.
John and Maureen enjoy occasional travel ventures as well as light reading and listening to the classics at home and in the concert hall. They'd like to get back in the habit of going to musical theater. John also enjoys watching Maureen spoil grandchildren. The Thompsons live in Sonoma Greens, where Kathleen and Bob also reside.
BILL WARD
Bill and Shirley first came to St Patrick's in 2005 when they moved to Fountaingrove. They had formerly been members at Sebastopol Community Church. He was confirmed at the British Embassy in Saigon during the Vietnam War. Before moving up to Sonoma County, they were members of St Matthew's San Mateo.
Bill grew up in Oklahoma and received his degree in Architecture from the Univ. of Oklahoma. He and Shirley met in Houston where he was working as an architect. They moved to California in 1976. Bill continued his career in the building industry, first working in Construction Lending for Security Pacific National Bank and then for a private developer. During this time he traveled throughout the state and quickly realized that Sonoma County was the best place to live. For ten years he and Shirley lived in San Francisco during the week, but spent every weekend at their home in Sebastopol. When they both retired, they moved to Sebastopol and lived there until they relocated to Santa Rosa 2 years ago. Among their recreations are traveling, bridge-playing, and collecting and enjoying wines from around the world.
Bill hopes his experience in the building industry and his knowledge and interest in investment and financial management will be of assistance to St. Patrick's. He and Shirley have both been impressed by the friendly and welcoming environment at our parish, and he looks forward to helping the church in it's continuing mission of outreach in the community and to assisting in building our financial strength to be able to provide the programs and services our members enjoy.
LIBRARY AND YOUTH NEWS
JOHN BOGART LIBRARY
We start this New Year with five thought-provoking new books on Christianity.
First, a Dictionary of Jewish Lore and Legend. This is a clear, systematic guide to the rich heritage of legend, folklore and tradition that is crucial to understanding Judaism. An indispensable addition to our reference collection.
Secondly, The View from Nemo: How Archaeology is Rewriting the Bible and Reshaping the Middle East, by Amy Dockser Marcus, raises questions about many of the widely accepted biblical narratives. The Old Testament has long been considered a reliable record of thousands of years of Middle Eastern history. Marcus shows us that many theories are now discounted by the new archaeological discoveries. She claims many of the problems that plague the modern Middle East have roots in biblical times---and the solutions may lie there as well.
Thirdly, Phillip Jenkins, author of Hidden Gospels: How the Search for Jesus Lost Its Way attacks some "new gospels which happen to support certain currently fashionable ideologies-and just how unwarranted their claims actually are." He examines "the complex agendas and flawed methods of scholars who have created a whole new mythology about Jesus and the early church."
Next, a book, which addresses the current problems in the Episcopal and other mainline churches. Dave Shiflett writes Exodus: Why Americans are Fleeing Liberal Churches for Conservative Christianity. Some of the author's examples of how far the liberal churches have changed will astonish you.
Last but not least is The Four Witnesses: The Rebel, the Rabbi, the Chronicler and the Mystic by Robin Griffith-Jones. Here is a very readable "exploration of the contrasting ways in which Jesus is depicted in the gospels". N.T. Wright calls this "a thoroughly credible historical setting for the whole of early Christianity."
All these books were the gift of Sylvia and Michael O'Neill.
CONFIRMATION CLASSES
Bishop Barry Beisner will be here on May 27, the Feast of Pentecost, and we will present to him some candidates (both adults and children): who wish to be confirmed, and those who wish to be received into the Episcopal Church (from another communion, usually Roman Catholic), and those who want to reaffirm a commitment that they made long ago. If you are desirous of joining St. Patrick's, why not attend these classes and be welcomed by the Bishop at Pentecost?
Although I will be away on sabbatical at the time of the confirmation, I want to get the confirmation classes started and George Hunt will continue them. First I need to know who is interested. If there is demand we can have discussions about Anglicanism (with some history) during the Sunday morning Adult Ed time (9:45 am). This is a class for all members of the congregation, not just those who are considering confirmation.
In the past, confirmation classes for teenagers have worked well on a weekday afternoon, after school and other activities. We have begun the classes with snacks. We have not necessarily met at the church, but at a central point. Let me know what works for you. hugh@stpatskenwood.org or 833-4228.
MEXICO 2007
The Church of the Incarnation is planning to take a group to Tijuana to build a house June 16-23. We are exploring the possibility of joining them. The first meeting of our youth group will be January 28. We will meet with the Incarnation youth group at 10:30 am at Incarnation on February 11, and at St Patrick's on March 11. Thanks to Ann Peters, Margaret Merchat and Kerin McTaggart who have started the planning.
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