March 2006 Vol. 8 No. 3 Archive of Previous Issues The Grapevine is published monthly (except for a combined July/August issue) by St. Patrick's Episcopal Church E-mail St. Patricks The Rev. Hugh Stevenson, Rector Editor: Herc Roland, 538-3134

Table of Contents for March 2006 [Vol. 8 No. 3]

Growth Episcopal Elections Youth In Church Around St. Patrick's Parish Outreach Turning Points

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THEY WILL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE

When we lived in Hong Kong, Angela signed up to be a Marriage Guidance Counselor. She went through the extensive training and became a counselor and attended supervision meetings. It was obvious to me that these meetings were enriching her life. I wanted what she had. So the following year, I followed in her footsteps and became a counselor, too. I valued the new skills I had gained. But more than that I appreciated the support that I received from the group.

This experience changed the course of both our lives. Angela went on to get her Master of Social Work and became a therapist, specializing in children; I got my doctorate in Family Ministries at Bexley Hall Seminary, Rochester.

This is a paradigm of our formation in the Christian life. We join a church because of the experience that others have had. We can see the difference that it has made in their lives and we want it for ourselves, too.

When we join the community, it may change the course of our lives, so that we find ourselves doing things that we never imagined we would do.

At our vestry workshop we began to discuss the overall goals of St Patrick’s during the coming year. One of the obvious goals is growth. Do we want to grow larger as a congregation?

We recognize that there will be losses as well as gains if we grow larger. Some people like St Patrick’s just the way it is; “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Take my own role. If the congregation grows, I will spend more time in administration than I do at the moment—and less time visiting people at home. At the present moment, St Patrick’s is at an awkward size. We are half way between being a “Pastoral-sized” church and a “Program-sized church.”

While we will do our utmost to attract people to St Patrick’s, whether we grow or not is really not up to us. Jesus sent out his disciples to “Go, make disciples of all nations.” He sent out his disciples two by two, to preach, “The Kingdom of God has come near.” It is our divine calling to bring all people to the knowledge of Jesus.

We have something very attractive at St Patrick’s. Rather than hiding our light under a bushel, we should share it. People will look at us (regardless of what we tell them) and decide for themselves whether they are attracted by what we have.

Before they join us they will need to determine whether they think that we will support them along life’s journey, so that they grow as human beings. That’s our first task. Growing the church comes second.

Hugh Stevenson

EPISCOPAL ELECTIONS

The search committee will release their names to the Standing Committee of the Diocese on February 18. Shortly after, their names, biographies, photographs and their answers to three questions will be posted on the diocesan website:

Between April 25 and the election, the delegates, alternates and clergy of St Patrick’s will meet to discuss the nominations.

The election will take place at Faith Church, Cameron Park, on Saturday May 6. The program for the day will be something like this:

• From 7:00 am: Registration
• 8:30 am: Eucharist
• 9:45 am: Call to order
• 10:00 am: Report from the nominating committee
• 10:30 am: First ballot.
• Noon: Noonday prayers followed by lunch.

If the convention fails to elect a bishop with a majority of the lay votes and the clergy votes (voting separately), we return the following Saturday (May 13) for a second convention.

Our new bishop must receive the consent of General Convention meeting in Ohio in June. His consecration is scheduled for September. Bishop Jerry retires at the end of the year.

Almighty, God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a bishop for this Diocese that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Frank Griswold our current Presiding Bishop will retire at the General Convention this year. The Episcopal nominating committee has short-listed the following:

• J. Neil Alexander, Bishop of Atlanta
• Edwin F. Gulick, Jr., Bishop of Kentucky
• Katharine Jefferts Schori, Bishop of Nevada
• Henry N. Parsley, Jr., Bishop of Alabama.

Our bishop, Jerry Lamb has been on the nominating committee. He writes, “The election of the new Presiding Bishop will take place at the General Convention in June. This is an extremely important election in the life of our Church. The Presiding Bishop has a preeminent role of leadership in this Church. Earlier materials from the Nominating Committee outline the various roles that the Presiding Bishop has for the church. Among them is the leadership in the House of Bishops, the spokesperson for the church in the United States and the person who would interface with other Anglican Primates throughout the world.

Pray God will enlighten the minds and hearts of those who will vote for the new Presiding Bishop. Pray for those who are deputies to General Convention who will consent to the election by their votes. Pray for the Nominees that God may strengthen them and guide them through these next few months. Pray for the Anglican Church that this election might bring about a renewed sense of community among the Anglican Churches throughout the world.

YOUTH IN CHURCH

Teri Gilmore, Diocesan Youth Ministries Developer wrote this piece for Aurora, the Bishops newsletter.

"We don't have any teens here in our church." How many times have you heard that from parishioners, clergy, staff or that lone teen who faithfully shows up each week to be an acolyte? What are we willing to do about it? To get us thinking about that question, I offer some stunning facts gleaned from a recent survey of US teen spirituality entitled Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers by Christian Smith.

• Across denominational and religious lines the majority of teenagers in this country are not turned off by religion. "US teens as a whole are anything but a-religious or irreligious." "Most feel quite positive about religion."

• "Contrary to many popular assumptions and stereotypes, the character of teenage religiosity in the United States is extraordinarily conventional. Very few teenagers, younger than the age of 18 at least, appear to be exposed to, interested in, or actively pursuing the kind of 'spiritual but not religious' personal quest of eclectic spiritual seeking."

• Teens really want to have relationships with older members of their congregations and truly appreciate those older members who respect and enjoy their company. They are far more influenced in their spirituality by their parents and other adults than we might imagine.

• Religiously involved teens fare far better on most sociological measures such as drug and alcohol use, sexual activity, negative media consumption (action videogames, too much TV, r-rated films). They are more likely to eat dinner at home, get along with their siblings and parents, and generally feel more positive about life and the future. Those teens who come from difficult home situations are especially assisted by their involvement in church activities. And it appears that although to some extent this is due to "good kids" being more drawn to church, the study also found that religious involvement actually caused the above positive outcomes.
• Though a significant portion of teens who drift away from their religion do so because they are questioning their beliefs (32%), the vast majority (57%) say their drift from the church (or synagogue, mosque, temple) was due to vague reasons such as: "Don't know why," "Lack of interest", "Just stopped going", "life disruptions." Only 7 percent said they did so because they "Dislike religion." Surely we can work with this!
• The key factor in increasing teen participation in church is this: the presence of a designated youth minister--especially a paid, full-time youth minister. The congregations that are willing to really invest in youth are those who find their youth participating at high levels.

What do the young people at St Patrick’s think about Teri’s article? Do you agree? Please let Michael Monnot or me know.
Hugh Stevenson

AROUND ST. PATRICK'S

Of course, this dinner could not be a success without the help of many of you. There are sign up sheets in the parish hall for many opportunities to serve! If you would like to help, but are unsure of what you can do, please call me. Please call Tommie Apostolides to help with donations for raffle baskets and special prizes.
Kate Aldrich (539-9603)

Chronicles of Narnia. On Wednesday morning at 9:45 am, we will discuss the life of C.S. Lewis, his other writings, the idea of allegory and his book The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. We will watch the movie.

Sunday Liturgy. Our liturgies change with the coming of Lent. The confession and absolution are transferred to the beginning of the service. We sing the kyries (“Lord have mercy”) to the setting by Schubert. In Rite II, we use Eucharistic Prayer A and in Rite I, Prayer I. We do not say or sing Alleluia until Easter. The liturgical color of Lent is purple.

March 5: Lent 1, we begin the 8:00 am and the 10:30 am services of the morning with the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) and the penitential introduction. The theme for this Sunday is the Temptation of Jesus.

March 12, Healing Sunday, we will offer the Laying on of Hands and anointing with oil for healing for any who wish. You may seek healing for physical ailments or for emotional or mental pain or for another reason. No one will ask you any questions. Please come forward after the Prayers of the People.

March 19 is the Sunday closest to St. Patrick’s Day, our patron saint. We give thanks for the Celtic saints who are depicted in our windows and we pray for the people of Ireland, and Irish people abroad.

March 26, the fourth Sunday or middle Sunday of Lent, is called “Laetare Sunday.” It comes from the Latin Mass, which began, “Rejoice, O Jerusalem.” It is also known as Refreshment Sunday (or Mothering Sunday in U.K.). Traditionally this Sunday was a break from the Lenten discipline.

Daughters of the King the Spring Assembly will take place on April 29, 2006 at Trinity Cathedral in Sacramento. All women interested in this ministry are invited to attend.

RUMMAGE SALE
The Youth Group Rummage Sale will be held on Saturday, May 6. Please look through your closets, attics and garages for any treasures you can donate. We ask that you hang onto them until the end of April, and then we will start storing items in the youth group room and the storage locker. Please, no clothing or mattresses.

PARISH OUTREACH

The Outreach Committee met on February 1 and heard a report about the Glen Ellen Shelter, which we are helping to support. This year the Armory is not providing shelter for homeless people. But there are a number of small shelters including the one in Glen Ellen. Those who are getting back on their feet want to help the shelter by growing vegetables and fruit.

We made the following grants.

Glen Ellen Garden	300
Bus passes for residents	100
Glen Ellen dishes	100
FISH	500
ERD	250
Doctors without borders	250
TOTAL	1500

FISH in Santa Rosa is short of the following non-perishable food:

Canned soups	Canned tunafish
Canned fruit	Peanut butter
Canned vegetables	Dry beans
Canned beans (refried, kidney)	Rice
Hot and cold cereals	Pasta
Tomato sauce (6 or 8 oz)	Pork and beans
Pasta sauce	Dry milk

Please bring food on Sundays and put it in the food basket in the church entrance.

We begin by introducing ourselves, telling others what we want them to know about us. This was different from the usual questions that we answer: “What brought you to St Patrick’s?” and “what keeps you coming?”

Next we discussed the function of the vestry. Rather than read what the canons say about the role of the vestry, we talked about our experience of being on the vestry and how the vestry looks from the outside. Then I introduced the canons of the National Church, the Diocese and our local bylaws. The vestry has three main responsibilities: to care for the parish finances and its buildings and to fill positions of parish leadership. The vestry has control of what happens to all the moneys that the parish receives. The Rector has the responsibility for the conduct of worship, the choice of music and the use of buildings. Then we shared the Eucharist and broke for lunch.

In the afternoon, we reviewed tasks left over from last year. We discussed a paper that Bill McDonald had submitted about the direction of the parish. We began to identify our overall goal for the year. We discussed the pros and cons of growth and whether it should be our priority. We will take up this subject at another meeting in early March. We are forming commissions through which we hope broaden the decision-making base of the congregation.

In the evening we met with outgoing vestry members for a potluck feast at the Chapmans’.
Hugh Stevenson

A prayer from Hugh Stevenson’s sermon, February 5, “Lord thou knowest how busy must be this day. If I forget thee, do not thou forget me.” (Spoken by Sir Jacob Astley, before the Battle of Edge Hill 1642)

If you open it, close it
If you turn it on, turn it off
If you unlock it, lock it up.
If you break it, admit it.
If you borrow it, return it
If you make a mess, clean it up.
If you move it, put it back.
If it belongs to another, get permission to use it.
If it’s none of you business, don’t ask.

TURNING POINTS

All find a welcome:
Lynn McGarvey

For this, much thanks:
Michael Peterson has installed a new thermostat in the parish hall. It is automatic. Please do not touch it on Sunday mornings. Michael has posted instructions for other days.
Marcia Ronchetti is helping out as parish secretary (pro tem.) Marcia met with the men who serviced the dishwasher in the kitchen. It did not work well because of minerals in the system. It does more than sterilize the cups etc; it washes them too.
Margaret Merchat is helping as vestry clerk (pro tem.)
Anne and Chuck Chapman hosted the vestry dinner on February 4.

We ask God’s protection of:
those serving in the military overseas and civilian staff: Tyler Harris, son of Ninon Cabrales
Daniel, grandson of Lu Pearson
Dallas Casey
Steven Michael, grandson of Ronnie Leonard
Chris Whittaker, grandson of Susan Lee
Dan Whitwright
Michael Peterson’s son

May they know God’s healing power:

Perry Barker	Janice Curry
Linda Belding	Dave Jarrell
Hertha Brown	Mark Kirkland
Charlie Campbell	Lolita Seguin
Kerry Mertle	Gene Streich

Blessings on:
James Hoey and Sarah Doughty who were married on February 18.
Anne and Chuck Chapman who became grandparents of Kaeli on February 13.

May they rest in peace:
Joan Ingold January 20, 2006. Joan was a member of St Patrick’s for nearly 30 years. She was director of music for 12 years and offered her gifts as a seamstress at the Unique Boutique.
Paul Offill, former member of St Patrick’s (February 3)
Bill Hoyt. Michael took the memorial service for Bill’s wife Susan a few months ago.
Billie Overn died in January. Billie served on the vestry and was clerk in the late ‘70s.

Deepest sympathy:
Bill and Karen Babula on the death of Bill’s mother
Marjorie Friedrich on the death of her sister Jerry Johnston

Mardi Gras Party
Thank you to everyone who helped out and attended the Mardi Gras Party on January 28. It was a lot of fun, and the Youth Group will be able to make a sizeable donation to Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) for its Hurricane Relief program. All the receipts have not been turned in, but at a minimum, we made $1,500, possibly more.

• Robert Young and the El Dorado Syncopators for playing their wonderful Dixieland Jazz during the party.
• Lori Hunt for doing all the shopping, and to Jay Hunt for being the head chef and creating our delicious jambalaya.
• Michael Petersen for making the bread pudding dessert!
• Alex Purroy and Doce Lunas Restaurant for making the stock used in the jambalaya, and ordering some of the food through their wholesale suppliers.
• To everyone who helped with set-up, during the party, and clean-up, including Darci and Scott Alderson, Eva, Jack and Mike Atkin, Kate Fountaine, Hutch and Eddie Gibb, Dan Hankins, Lori, Jay and Jared Hunt, Sarah and Meredith Johnson, Susan Johnson, Margaret Merchat, Carol Papworth, Sarah Phillips, Ann, Alec, Ross, Gus and Elizabeth Peters, and Marcia Ronchetti. If we left anyone out, please accept our apologies, and our sincere thanks for all your help and support.