Table of Contents for October 2011 [Vol. 13 No. 9]

---

FRAGMENTS

Picking up the crumbs
We all have fragments of ourselves that we split off and disown. We will not be emotionally whole until we reclaim those fragments and accept them as parts of ourselves. Let me give you some examples:

1. Although we frequently confess that we have erred and strayed-that we are sinners, we are most likely to disclaim the wrongs that we have done. They become fragments, which we disown, part of the shadow-side of ourselves. Like Adam and Eve, we blame the snake.
2. The working life of a clergyman is made up of a diversity of unrelated tasks: visiting the housebound, responding to emails, writing sermons, taking funerals, attending meetings, planning services and a host of other things. The result is that one too easily becomes scattered. The art is to unite all the bits into a whole.
3. I had not been conscious of splitting off the "English" fragments of myself until we went to Cornwall on pilgrimage this past May. I visited old haunts and reconnected with old friends. I wrote in the summer Grapevine about my pilgrimage as being one reconnecting. I had not realized that the most important person with whom I needed to reconnect was myself.
4. Mary C Earle, an Episcopal priest with a chronic condition, wrote Broken Body Healing Spirit (2003). She quotes a woman rabbi, suffering from lupus, who had not accepted that she was a sick person. The rabbi needed to "come out" to herself. "I didn't realize the extent to which I had been leading, for so long a double life-a sick person posturing as healthy. I had pushed myself so long-my whole life. So there were always two people operating in my body, and one was a liar." Many of us like to pretend to ourselves that we are fine or that any illness is a temporary aberration. (Thanks to Judy Rose for drawing my attention to this passage. Mary Earle's book would make excellent study group material!)
5. We will not be made whole until we reconnect with creation. Ecology, awareness of global warming, reducing our carbon footprint, recycling our waste, are all important for the integration of ourselves.

The derivation of the word, "religion" is from the Latin meaning "reconnecting the ligaments that hold the body together." Brian McLaren (in A new kind of Christian) puts it this way, "We're 'deligamented,' disconnected, fragmented people who need to be 'religamented,' reconnected, put back together with God, with one another, reintegrated within ourselves, reconnected to the world we are part of" (p. 103).

The purpose of religion is therefore to reconnect the parts of ourselves that have become fragmented. That is the way to wholeness. The business of the church is healing. Before Sunday, October 16, reflect upon what parts of you are fragmented; then come to the altar rail to receive the laying on of hands and anointing with oil that you may be made whole.
Hugh Stevenson

TURNING POINTS

All Find a Welcome:
Alfred & Gutrun Roller, from Oakmont, came to the August 28 service and stayed for the picnic.
Gina McGee was here on August 14 and afterwards.
Amber Papworth and Nicholas Scozzari were here on August 28. They are getting married in 2012. Carol Papworth is back in town.
Marg and George Baird, parents of Greg, have recently moved to Oakmont.
Pam Kendall brought her neighbor, Peggy Mills, to St. Patrick's.
Peter and Naoko Vincent brought their priest (from Utah) to church. She's now in Modesto.

For this, much thanks:
To the 3G (Grateful, Glad and Giving) Committee for hosting the Parish Picnic on August 28.
To the Sunshine Committee for sponsoring the October 11 reception for those aged 90 and over.
To the ECW, who hosted a soiree on September 16. Ann Peters spoke about the 2011 pilgrimage.

Farewell:
Alice Day is returning to Trinity Sonoma.
Jill Hunting and her fiancé, Bob Aicher, are moving to Pasadena, CA.
Gloria Pankow has moved to Davis.
Steve and Michelle Merla have moved to Bakersfield.

Relocation:
Mark and Mary Alyce Stephens and their boys (Channing, Cole and Fallon) are back in town.
Ramon and Dorothy Estrada and their girls (Alyce and Eloise) are in Santa Rosa, CA.
Don and Pat Bearden have moved to Spring Lake Village.

We ask God's protection on Andrew Belding.

We will exalt you, O God, our King:
Heather and Erik Shumaker had a baby boy on September 20 (9lbs 12oz!), a grandson for May and Bill McKoy.
The Rev Ann Hallisey has been appointed Dean of Students at our seminary (CDSP). Ann was sponsored for ordination by St. Patrick's in the early '80s. She is married to Bishop Barry.
Andy and Elly Frauenhofer celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in Sept.

Blessing on:
Brian Gillis was here on August 21. Although originally from Windsor, he is studying at Union Theological Seminary NY. With two friends he is riding his bicycle from Hong Kong to South Africa to do research and to raise money for charities supporting the Millennium Goals. For information see

May they know God's healing power:

May they rest in peace:
Lelia Eastburn, resident of Spring Lake Village, died on August 14.
Ruby Yaryan, daughter of Jack and Sue, died September 6 in Southern California.

Deepest sympathy to:
The family of Jean Elliott, who died August 24. She arrived from Rye, NH in 2002.
Margi Sommer, on the death of her son, Richard, who died suddenly while on holiday in London.
Marshall Dawson and family on the death of his father, Art, early in 2011.

OCTOBER AT ST PATRICK'S

October 2
Daughters of the King meets at 11:30 a.m., followed by lunch.

Blessing of the beasts at St. Francis Winery, on Pythian Road, 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. in honor of St. Francis. Fr. Patrick Leslie of Star of the Valley Roman Catholic Church will perform the blessing. All are welcome.

October 8
Total Ministry workshop at Holy Trinity Willows (one of our parish goals). We seek to understand how we can best fulfill our baptismal covenants by service to God in our everyday life, discovering ministry in the gifts that we have, church growth by building on personal experience, and doing what each of us does best.

October 9
Women's cursillo at the Angela Center. Judy Buff is on the team.

Robert Young, Sylvia O Neill and Alan Rea play Bach's C major concerto for two keyboards as the postlude to the 10:30 a.m. service.

October 15
Camp Noel Porter is holding a fund-raising Oktoberfest at St. John's Roseville 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Tickets are $25.

October 16
Healing Sunday. At all services on the Sunday closest to St. Luke's Day we offer the laying on of hands and anointing with oil for those who come to the altar rail. We do not ask why you seek healing. For many it is a comfort to receive the laying on of hands with the prayers of the congregation.

Pledge Ingathering. In mid-October, you will receive through the mail a pledge card for 2012. Will you please complete your card and send it back by mail or bring it on this day?

Lectors & Cup-bearers: 9:45 workshop in the Common Room.

October 18
Kurt Brouwer of Brouwer & Janachowski, our parish financial advisers, will attend the Finance Committee meeting at 2:00 p.m. Guests are invited to this meeting.

October 22
Convocation and preparation for the Diocesan Convention at Vallejo, noon.

October 23
At 9:45 Robert Young will teach a workshop on "Shape Note" singing from the Southern Harmony hymnbook which was published in 1835 in New Haven CT; the hymns were collected by "Singin' Billy" Walker from S. Carolina. We will sing four of the hymns from our hymnal at the 10:30 service.

October 30, All Saints
The Biennial Visitation by our Bishop, Barry Beisner. Confirmation at the 10:30 service. Some candidates from Incarnation Church will join us. He will renew the baptismal promises of any who wish. Are you interested? Call Hugh (833-4228). The Bishop will celebrate and preach at all services and license Lay Eucharistic Ministers.

Commemoration of the Departed. We remember by name those who have died during this past year. There is no sign up sheet. Will you speak the names of your loved ones who have died? After the 10:30 a.m. service, we proceed to the Memorial Garden to pray for those interred there.

November 5
Fall Fling
Dinner, Auction and Raffle
6:00 p.m.
Tickets are now on sale.

Daylight Savings time ends.
The clocks fall back one hour.

November 6
Consecration Day. Pledge cards and pledgers will be blessed at all services.

November 12
Diocesan Convention at Redding. Our delegates are Barbara Hunt, Angela Stevenson, Minerva Haddad and Charlie Chapman. Hugh Stevenson and Bishop George Hunt are also attending.

DAUGHTERS OF THE KING

DAUGHTERS OF THE KING
Sock it to Us The Daughters Of The King would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the sock drive this year. Audrey Jaynes takes the sock donations to the St. Andrew's mission at Monte Rio. The mission helps people in transition with food and clothing. Recently, our DOK chapter received a letter from Judy Lebrecht at the mission, thanking St. Patrick. To quote Judy, "everyone is very, very happy to have clean new socks!!"

If you haven't made a sock donation yet, there is still time. We are accepting men's, women's and children's socks through November 1, to have socks available for the coming cooler weather season. New socks and clean used socks in good condition can be put in the DOK sock donation box next to the FISH food basket.

Prayer List
A Daughter pledges herself to a life-long program of prayer, service and evangelism. St. Patrick's Daughters answer their call to prayer by maintaining and praying over a list of those in need of healing, solace or strength. If you would like a name included in their prayers, please complete a blue DOK prayer request card on the table near the Sunday bulletins. Alternatively, you may contact Minerva Haddad or the parish office to add a name.

PHOENIX
This poem did the rounds among the medical staff at Kaiser. October 16 is "Healing Sunday."

The gun fires, the clinic starts, and you are off from room to room you ride the rails of their pain, their fear, confusion, ire, their need for a face that will not close at the telling of their secret shame, a space to cry into, for once, at last.

Some days burn with the need. You start in a flame and end in ash, and you are nothing at the close but a shadow of your long-ago intention to hold the broken pieces of a soul and try to make them whole again.

Some days are nothing but ground glass across which you kabuki dance, miming feelings you do not have for an audience you do not want.

And then it happens.
A patient crumbles before you, and as you try to catch her, a piece of you falls to mingle with her scattered shards. A corner of you dies as they are dying. Or you see them turn away from scars they carved for years in their weak flesh, shedding the past like reptile skin, making of their lives a testament to what can be, to how we change, and you walk away the stronger for having seen and touched them.

You cannot make them whole - of course,
you know now that you never could -
but maybe it is all they need from you,
to fall a bit when they fall,
to rise when they take flight,
simply, in the end, to know that each of you
belongs a little to the other.

Sometimes, it is what you need,
all you need, at the end of the longest day,
holding your own broken pieces in tired, trembling hands,
to rise from your ashes,
to remember who you once were,
who you are.

THE STEPHEN MINISTRY; CHRISTIAN CARE IN ACTION

Kay Lehr became a Stephen Minister at Trinity Cathedral Sacramento. This program validates the ministry of the laity. Part of St. Patrick's mission is 'reaching out in love and concern for others'. I asked Kay to share with us.

The Stephen Ministry began in 1975 when Rev. Kenneth Haugk Ph.D., a St Louis pastor and clinical psychologist, trained nine members of his congregation to assist him with providing Christian care and support to people in his congregation and community who were experiencing life difficulties.

These caregivers were so enthused about their training and one-to-one lay ministry, that they encouraged Dr. Haugk to offer Stephen Ministry training to other congregations. By 1978 the demand for training could not be met by Dr. Haugk alone so he developed a Stephen Leaders Training Course. Once trained, those leaders returned home to recruit, train and supervise their own Stephen Ministers.

Stephen Ministers has grown and currently has a not-for-profit, non-denominational religious education foundation that provides support for the ministry in 11,000 congregations worldwide. The organization has a psychologically sound and theologically based training series, as well as books, courses, videos and training conferences. Dr. Haugk serves as the executive director of the St. Louis based organization.

The training that Stephen Leaders bring to their congregation is 50 hours in length and includes models on listening, feelings, assertiveness, confidentiality and ministering for people in specific situations such as illness, divorce, and grief. Stephen Ministers are also trained to recognize when care receiver's (the name for those served) needs go beyond the scope of care that a Stephen Minister can provide. Stephen Ministers usually have one care receiver at a time; meet with them for about an hour, face to face each week. Stephen Ministers and Leaders also meet twice a month for support, supervision and continuing education. The Stephen Minister can talk about what is happening in the relationship, but the strict confidentiality of the Stephen Minister relationships protects the care receivers name and identity.

I was fortunate to be part of a congregation that offered an excellent Stephen Minister program. The benefits for the congregation seemed threefold: the pastor no longer had to shoulder the entire burden of caring in the congregation; the trained Stephen Ministers became active partners and grew spiritually through their relationships with care receivers and their fellow Stephen Ministers; and the congregation was able to provide quality Christian care and assure that fewer people slipped through the cracks.

It is often said that 'when one gives they receive.' This was very true for me as a Stephen Minister. For instance, I had one care receiver who wanted to explore other forms of prayer. Together we explored Tibetan prayer, walked the labyrinth, and found wonderful prayer books, one of which was the Book of Prayers that Peter Marshall gave to the US Senate. We surmised that Marshall's prayers may be helpful to members in today's administration! We both grew spiritually as we expanded our prayer repertoire.

One of my care receivers was diagnosed with colon cancer at 45, the same age her mother contracted the disease. Sadly her mother died shortly after her diagnosis. My care receiver was fearful and had to undergo protracted chemotherapy and radiation. Her faith was strong and as her body gained strength after her treatment, she decided she would pray for her neighbors as she made it by one more home each morning. This young woman inspired me with her deep faith and concern for others as she faced a difficult time in her life. I think of her daily and now pray for my neighbors when I pass their homes on my morning walk. As her crisis subsided and she recovered with no evidence of disease, our formal relationship ended. I personalized a Stephen Ministry prayer to capture our spiritual relationship as she battled though her treatment.

A part of St. Patrick's mission is 'reaching out in love and concern for others.' Lay one-to-one Christian care may be a way to meet our mission. For those who think they may be interested in employing their spiritual gifts in action through lay Christian care giving, please contact Kay.

A STEPHEN MINISTRY PRAYER; ADULT EDUCATION

Personalized by KayLehr

Father,
You have always taken care of (name), me and all you children, and you always will.
You give us what we need each day and prepare us for tomorrow.
Our faith is growing. Thank you for the daily joy.
Thank you for your healing balm that has soothed (name's) side effects and eased her pain.
Thank you for your perfect love that soaks away fear.
Your tender daily care in every area draws us to our knees to worship.
Thank you for walking with (name) day by day as she faced chemotherapy.
You never failed her and her faith brought her through, enough, so that she prayed for her neighbors as she walked near home.
You have blessed us with a growing friendship and thus, we know you better.
We see you in all we do, in all we are, and all that we can be.

ADULT EDUCATION Jini Bauer is hosting a book group at her home. She mentioned two books that she is interested in: Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen and The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. Call Jini to sign up. Dates and time to be determined.

The sexton of a parish quit. The Rector asked the organist if she would be able also to clean the church. The organist thought for a moment, then she said, "Does that mean I have to mind my keys and pews?"

A parishioner said to the preacher, "That was a very good sermon."
The preacher replied, "It was not me, it was the Lord."
The parishioner said, "Oh, no! It wasn't that good."

PARISH ACCOUNTS

January through August 2011 (8 months)

Year-to-Date 2011