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Table of Contents for April 2001 [Vol. 3 No. 4]
- The Abuse of Power
- Holy Week
- Easter Sunday is April 15
- Turning Points
- Our Satellite Will Pick Up...
- Human Race
- Mini Organ Recitals
- ECW Lunch
- New Hymnals
- Boutique Workshops
- John Bogart Library
- Good Library Ideas
- Vacation Bible School
- United Thank Offering
- Quilting Group
- Life Begins At 80
THE ABUSE OF POWER
When I was at High School, a friend was ragging me and I lost my temper with him. I told him to quit and I threatened him, claiming that I was bigger and stronger than he was. James has
probably forgotten the incident, but I have not. I realized how easy it is to be a bully, to use our physical presence or our power to intimidate someone who is weaker than we are. We need to
be sensitive concerning our use of the power that we wield.
Many people abuse their authority, their status or their physical strength to intimidate those who are weaker than themselves. Parents abuse their children. Husbands abuse their wives. Bosses
abuse their employees. I have read that soldiers in the United Nations forces in Kosovo sometimes abused the local people. Colonial powers have traditionally imposed their will upon
the states subject to them.
This is how it was in the first century of the Christian Era. Sixty-three years before the birth of Jesus, Pompeii and the Roman army had overrun Palestine installing a client king. The Romans
were in charge and were hated by the Jews. The governor, Pilate, was installed in the fortress next to the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus was among those who were bullied by him.
The way that the Roman soldiers treated Jesus was not unusual. They beat him and stripped him. They mocked him by dressing him in royal robes, before they carried out his death sentence by crucifixion.
Christians have wanted to see the exercise of personal power and authority in Jesus' response to his torture. Although they mocked him by calling him "The king of the Jews," he reigned from
atop the cross. In our passiontide hymns, we sing of his triumph. "The royal banners forward go, the cross shines forth in mystic glow" (Hymn 162), and "Jesus Christ, the world's redeemer
from that cross now reigns as king" (Hymn 165).
Gandhi spoke about the power of passive resistance. In the movie, we saw him tearing up pass cards. As often as the police knocked him down, he climbed back on his feet and continued his
protest. They could not stop him or subdue him. They had the physical power but he came out on top. And he exposed their bullying tactics.
In the mid-80's, the Jewish writer, Elie Wiesel who had survived the Nazi concentration camps, was invited to the White House to receive an award. He took the opportunity in his acceptance
speech on national TV, to plead with President Reagan not to visit the graveyard of S.S. officers in Bitberg, Germany. Some may say that what Wiesel said was inappropriate. What I
saw was a powerless man who had nothing to lose speaking the truth to those who exercised immense authority.
As I read again the story of Good Friday, I identify both with those who bullied Jesus because there is a bully in each one of us, and with Jesus who was not intimidated by the violence of his
captors and whose resurrection had already begun.
--Hugh Stevenson
HOLY WEEK
Palm Sunday is April 8. At the 8 a.m. service, the palms will be blessed and distributed after communion. At the 10 a.m. service we will gather outside the doors of the church by the St.
Patrick's cross (weather permitting) and process in, even as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday. Those who wish may sit in church and wait for the congregation to arrive.
Maunday Thursday is April 12. On this day we remember that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and called us all to do the same for one another. Then he instituted the sacrament of
Eucharist. He took bread which he called his body and told us to do the same in memory of him. We will celebrate the Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. At the latter service, there will
be an anthem and it will conclude with the stripping of the altar, reminding us that Jesus was stripped before his crucifixion.
Good Friday is April 13. This year we will share a Good Friday service with Pastor Carolyn Woodson at Kenwood Community Church at noon. Since Good Friday is a normal working
day for many people and so that no one will be excluded, we will also hold a Family Service with music at 7:00 p.m. The church will be barren with no adornments and there is no communion on this day.
EASTER SUNDAY IS APRIL 15
There will be three services on Easter: 8, 9 and 11 a.m. The 8:00 a.m. Easter service will begin with the lighting of the Paschal candle and will conclude with the singing of "Jesus Christ Is
Risen Today." At both the 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. services, Robert will accompany Peter Estabrook and another trumpeter. Brannon Breining, son of Mimsie and Mark, will be baptized
at the 11:00 a.m. service. If there are any other adults or children who would like to be baptized at this time let me know.
Church Decorating. The Altar Guild will be decorating the church on Saturday, April 14. If you would like to help, please call the directress, Hjordis Wolfe (833-4968).
The Plowering Cross. Before the beginning of the 9:00 a.m. service on Easter Day, the children decorate the flowering cross and carry it into the sanctuary. Please bring flowers for them to
decorate the cross.
Easter Eggtivities. The Easter Bunny needs jelly beans and small chocolate Easter candies for the Easter egg hunt. This will take place at 10:15 a.m. On Easter Day. She says that she has
plenty of plastic Easter eggs from last year.
Easter Coffee Hours. Refreshments will be served after the 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. services, but not after the 11:00 a.m. service. Would you like to volunteer with others to do the coffee,
juice and refreshments? At the same time, could you please check the schedule and see if you can lend a hand on another Sunday?
Easter Parking. If the "front 40" is dry enough, we will use it for overflow parking. Please do not block the entrance leading from the church driveway. Do remember that there IS additional
parking at the rear of the church.
Easter Flowers If you want to give Easter decorations in memory of, or in thanksgiving for, a loved one, please sign the Flower Book in the church entrance. Please write in CAPITALS.
Make checks out to St. Patrick's, marked "For Easter Flowers."
TURNING POINTS
- Linda gelding has made a lot of progress in her rehabilitation.
- Ruben Beseda has a new knee.
- Tom Clark is gaining his strength back at home.
- Jim Foster has recovered from pneumonia and hopes to be back in church soon.
- Betty Kent has recovered from her surgery and is back in church.
- Katherine Monnier Lucas has not been well lately.
- Phyllis Mealman broke her wrist and is in North Coast Rehab (Fulton Road).
- Diane Sexton injured her shoulder.
Who's moved
- Marion Hawley has moved to Spring Lake Village. Joyce Banzet has moved in Santa Rosa.
- Jim Muck and Amanda Johnson have moved to 714 Bowers Way, Wheatland 95692 where Jim is taking over his father's farm (mostly walnuts).
- Juliana Sand was here for a few weeks but has now resumed to Massachusetts.
Welcome to:
- Jill Boeve from Sonoma
- Arlene Caffrey who, like Cliff and Betty Kent was formerly a member of St. Andrew's, Saratoga, and now lives on Sonoma Highway.
- Shirley Cooms of Glen Ellen and Barbara Nichols of Oakmont Drive.
- Mario and Marcia Gomez and their children Amy and Daniel from Santa Rosa
- John and Cathy Landon of Oakmont Drive.
- Violet Martinez came with her friend Gladys O'Flyn. She's from Santa Rosa.
- Mike and Sylvia O'Neill live in San Francisco and have a weekend place in Sonoma
- Marjorie McAdam brought her colleague Dicksie Park Tamanaha. They both work at the Sonoma County Museum
Births
- Camille Richardson announces the birth of her great grandson, Schuyler, who will be baptized at St. Patrick's in July.
- Spence and Shirley Flournoy announced the birth of their great grandson, Matthew Jean.
Celebrations
- Hugh Dunn will turn 100 on April 24. Our oldest parishioner!
- Andrew gelding has been accepted for Annapolis (and other schools as well).
Thanks
- Dorothy Pierce, assisted by Judy Buffand and others, organized the first Arts Festival, "For the Beauty of the Earth." The Sunday School made the banner and altar frontal and
45 parishioners exhibited their work.
- Will Brown was the property manager up until the beginning of the year.
- Margaret Bock is standing down as Vestry clerk;
- John Leech is taking her place. John with the Rector is also teaching an adult study group during Lent on the story of the church in the 2nd millennium.
- Shirley Rush is examining different curricula for this summer's Vacation Bible School.
- Paula Cook is standing down as youth leader. She has her hands full as primary caregiver for her grandfather.
- The MacLeod's hosted the Lent Quiet Day at their ranch and the Rev. Gail Cafferata was the speaker.
- The Rev. Patricia Moore took a Sunday service so that the Rector could meet with the Sunday school.
- Rafael Ferndadez, Lorenzo Schoffer and Javier Salmon offered music from South America for the service on March 11 and also at the Arts Festival.
- Neil McKay, our senior warden, purchased from the Charter School the storage unit, book cases for the library, picnic tables and trestle tables for the Common Room.
OUR SATELLITE WILL PICK UP...
With our satellite dish we will pick up an interview with Andrew Greeley, Roman Catholic priest and novelist, on Tuesday, April 17, at 10 a.m., broadcast from Trinity Church, Wall Street.
We will also have access to the 32nd Conference of the Trinity Institute which will discuss the questions: "Are we rational beings or relational beings?" The speakers include a professor of
brain research, a physician and a professor of systematic theology, among others. The Trinity Institute Conference will take place this year in New York City on Thursday, May 3, and
Friday, May 4. It will be down linked by satellite to sites all over the United States, including St. Patrick's.
The first speakers will begin at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time and the second speakers begin at 8:15 a.m., (Coffee and cakes will be provided; we invite donations.) We will be recording the
lectures for a future adult education course.
HUMAN RACE
Would you like to sponsor a walker or runner in the Human Race? It will take place on the morning of May 12, starting from Slater Junior High School on Sonoma Drive. Sponsorship
forms will be available in the Parish Hall during coffee hours on the Sundays before the race. This event will be raising money for the Valley of the Moon Children's Home and CARE
children's counseling center (and possibly other organizations). If you have not taken part in the Human Race before it is a great experience. Join the crowd!
MINI ORGAN RECITALS
Our Music Director and Organist Robert Young will play a series of short organ recitals at the conclusion of some upcoming 10:00 a.m. services. The first will be on April 1. Some will wish
to stay in church for an additional half hour to listen to the music, while others will cross to the Parish Hall for the coffee hour.
ECW LUNCH
Remember the ECW luncheon on April 10 when our own Eva Atkin will speak on her career as a travel agent and bring us up to date on all the newest travel trips. The sign up sheet is in the Parish Hall.
NEW HYMNALS
Such is the generosity of the people of St. Patrick's! We wanted to place 20 new hymnals in church. We ordered 20 books and invited people to give them. We have now had to order a
second box of 20 books because all of these have been underwritten as well. There should be no shortage of hymnals in church!
BOUTIQUE WORKSHOPS
The Boutique workshops in the Common Room (2nd and 4th Friday) are buzzing with all sorts of projects. I visited to see Jane Linker embroidering tea towels, Marge Ward making delicate
trinket boxes, Josie Ross cutting squares and Phyllis Cressy and others sewing place mats. They seemed to have much fun. It made me want to join in, but back to the office for me.
In talking with Connie van Loben Sells, chair of the Boutique garden shop, I learned that she is looking for someone who knows the art of bonsai. She would like to hold a workshop on
bonsai as well as on topiary. Anyone who is interested or can teach, please call Connie, 8335381. Don't forget to take spring cuttings of all your favorites to share with us. Also, Jean
Meyer and Marge Ward, chairs of the gourmet pantry, remind us to be thinking of goodies to prepare. Give either of them a call if you have new ideas.
JOHN BOGART LIBRARY
The library has a new look thanks to the generosity of the Vestry. Neil McKay purchased three new bookcases for us at the Charter School sale. Some sections of books have been
moved. The sign out sheet is on the table, not the shelf. A new explanation of the library arrangement is on the side of the tall bookcase. Otherwise, things remain as you have been accustomed to them.
We have added two new novels: Death Comes to the Archbishop by Willa Cather and In His Steps by Charles Sheldon. Many will be familiar with the Cather novel; it is a staple of high
school English classes and considered by some to be her greatest novel. Sheldon has revised this novel originally written by his great grandfather. It was published by the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association and is the gift of Jean Henderson. Dorothy Groneweg is the Cather donor. We are grateful to both of you for giving these books.
Jean also gave a copy of All I Need to Know about Prayer I Learned from the Poor by Louise Perrotta. The author tells of her first encounters with the poor of the Caribbean islands. All the
the stories are true. It brings to us a sense of how fortunate we are to live here and have so many blessings.
One more thing: The Vestry has provided for parishioners' benefit three pamphlets on earthquake preparations. They are on the table by the gray file case.
--Ronnie Leonard
GOOD LIBRARY IDEAS
As a supplement to the class on Christianity which has just ended, we offer this list of books from the John Bogart Library:
- Ahlstrom, Sidney E., A Religious History of the American People
- Chidester, David, Christianity, A Global History
- Crosson, John Dominic, Birth of Christianity
- Johnson, Paul, History of Christianity and History of the Jews
- McManners, John., ea., Oxford History of Christianity
- Moffett, Samuel Hugh, History of Christ in Asia
- Pritchard, Robert W., History of the Episcopal Church
- Sykes, Stephen and Stephen Boty, eds., The Study of Anglicanism
- Thompsett, Fredrica Harris, Living With History
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
It's coming! Vacation Bible School will be held at St. Patrick's July 30 to August 3, from 9 to noon. We will trek to the beach and learn five stories about Jesus. We will do arts and crafts,
perform plays, sing and learn songs, eat good snacks and enjoy being a member of God's family.
--Shirley Rush
Director
UNITED THANK OFFERING
UTO's Spring Ingathering will be Sunday, May 20, at both services. We hope that your little Blue Boxes are overflowing. Remember these coins and bills represent your many
thanksgivings. We here in the Sonoma Valley have so much to be thankful for. Spend a minute right now listing your own thanksgivings.
What does UTO do? For the year 2000, 121 grants totaling $3,102,692 were awarded. The largest, for $72,600, will improve the quality of education at an Episcopal school in the
Dominican Republic. The next largest, for $71,140, will help an ecumenical (Episcopal, Lutheran and Methodist) consortium in Wells, Nevada, provide sacramental worship and
pastoral care to an expanding, yet isolated rural community.
Here in northern California, St. Mathew's, Sacramento, received $18,000 to buy commercial refrigerators and freezers and install a new entry for an established food ministry for people
who live within an urban and low income zip code or are authorized by referrals.
Several years ago, it was my privilege to help package food at a Latino Episcopal Church in the inner city of Los Angeles. These packages for low income elderly and shut-ins were being
delivered in a van purchased with UTO funds. The church women themselves were low income, but their hearts went out to those in greater need. The UTO offerings are a blessing to
people throughout the world and in our own country.
--Jeanne Anderson
UTO Chair
QUILTING GROUP
Several people have expressed interest in having a quilting group at St. Patrick's. If you are interested, please sign the sheet in the Parish Hall and indicate your preferred meeting time. We
will then plan an initial meeting. We hope this group will bring together all levels of quilting ability, from beginner to pro, to share experiences, questions and accomplishments and just
have fun together. If you have questions please call Judy Buff, 539-2667.
LIFE BEGINS AT 80
I have good news for you. The first 79 years are the hardest; the years thereafter are a succession of birthday parties.
Once you reach 80, everyone wants to carry your baggage and help you up the steps. If you forget your name or anybody else's name, or an appointment or your own telephone number,
or promise to be three places at the same time, or can 't remember how many grandchildren you have, you need only explain that you are 80. It's a lot better than being 70. At 70, people
are mad at you for everything. At 80, you have a perfect excuse no matter what you do.
Being 70 is no fun at all. At that age, they expect you to retire to Florida and complain about your arthritis. If you survive until 80, everybody is surprised that you are still alive. They treat
you with respect just for having lived so long. Actually they seem surprised that you can walk and talk sensibly.
So please, folks, try to make it to 80. It’s the best time of life. People will forgive you for anything If you ask me, life begins at 80.
Anon.
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