November 2009 Vol. 11 No. 10 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: Mary Banks, 539-7378

Table of Contents for November 2009 [Vol. 11 No. 10]

Nunc dimittis Turning Points OctoberFest November Events Stewardship Around St Patrick's

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NUNC DIMITTIS

Eight days after his birth, Jesus was taken to the temple by Mary and Joseph to be named and for the proper sacrifices to be offered (Luke 2:21). It was a kind of baptism, in which Jesus was offered to the Lord.

There are always people who hang about the church. When Mary and Joseph arrived at the temple, they found Simeon, an old man, there. He took the infant in his arms. He was a kind of surrogate grandfather for Jesus.

It was enough for him just to hold the baby in his arms. He praised God and spoke the words that are familiar to us from Evensong, "Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace."

He had been waiting for this moment for a long time and did not have long to live. Simeon's canticle says (with hindsight) that he recognized that Jesus would deliver his own people (the Jews), and would be a light for those who were not his people (the Gentiles). All this would take place after his death.

For myself, I believe that what counted for Simeon was that this unique child of God was born. Not only was this a new generation, it was also a new creation-Genesis, all over again. He had never expected to see this day and now he was holding the child whom John calls "the Word of God" in his own arms.

I love baptizing infants (I love baptizing adults too). It is a joy to hold these children in my arms as a surrogate grandfather. The birth of each child is a miracle. They are the start of a new generation in the family of God. I thank God for the gift of each child.

When Jesus had grown up, he too loved holding children in his arms. His disciples had their own agenda for him that he should focus upon the adults who would be instrumental in establishing the reign of God on earth. So they tried to run interference. But Jesus reprimanded them saying, "Let the children come to me; don't get in the way." Then he added, "To such as these belongs the kingdom of God" (in the present moment, not in the future tense).

Finally in God's good time, I was privileged to hold my own granddaughter, Rachel, in my arms. A host of reflections came to me. Rachel is the first of a new generation both for us and for her father's family. She is a vulnerable infant as Jesus was. She offers us hope for the future. She is a sign of God's generosity. And much more.

Who knows what she will be and do when she is grown up? For me it is enough to praise God with Simeon's words and say, "Nunc dimittis!" and place her back in her mother's arms.

Hugh Stevenson

TURNING POINTS

Welcome to Fran Morell, our new communications coordinator.

All find a welcome:
On October 11 we welcomed:
Andrea Thomas (from Glen Ellen) and her mother from Americus (Georgia)
Don and Betty Freedman from Oakmont
Iver Tipsmark from Oakmont

For this, much thanks:
To all our office volunteers.
Those who collate and mail the Grapevine
Jean Elliott

Charlie Buff	John Landon
Phyllis Cressy
Barbara Fry	Carol Gwatkin
Cathy Landon	Pam Pegley
Penny Mackenzie	Judy Rose
Connie van Loben Sels	Bobette Watson

Folders

Judy Rose	Josie Ross
Diane Melder	Connie Philippe
Ninon Cabrales	Carolyn & Bill Perry
Barbara DeCampo	Penny Mackenzie

Counters

Pris Abercrombie

Phyllis Cressy

We ask God's protection of:
those serving in the military overseas
Frederic Cazel, grandson of Wes & Tommie is serving in Afghanistan. And Cody Abercrombie grandson of Pris & Jack in the USAF.

May they know God's healing power:

Greta MacLeod	Gordon Gary
Shirley Pippin	Loren Brown
Dick Beynon	Peg Robins
Harry Fry	Ed Dill
Merilyn Adams	Lolita & Wayne Seguin
Marcia Ronchetti	Missy Harper
Judy Rose's brother Gennaro, and Rosalyn

Congratulations to Scott Alderson on his engagement. Scott has been recruited by the USAF.

Deepest sympathy: to John Gnam and Jackie Senter on the death of John's brother, Tom.

To Charlie & Anne Chapman on the death of Charlie's sister-in-law, Rosemary.

To Judy & Charlie Buff on the death of their son-in-law, Rick Bennsky (Jennifer's husband).

Tewa prayer for Thanksgiving
Oh our Mother the Earth, oh our Father the Sky,
Your children are we, and with tired backs
We bring you the gifts that you love.
Then weave for us a garment of brightness;
May the warp be the white light of morning,
May the weft be the red light of evening,
May the fringes be the falling rain,
May the border be the standing rainbow.
Thus weave for us a garment of brightness
That we may walk fittingly where birds sing,
That we may walk fittingly where grass is green,
Oh our Mother the Earth, oh our Father the Sky!

OKTOBERFEST

Raffle and Silent Auction thank you
Our Raffle and Silent Auction at the Oktoberfest were very successful. We had a great array of items, most donated/obtained by our members. We very much appreciate and thank the following parishioners for their generosity:

I also want to thank the Raffle team who worked at the event:

A great team effort! And lastly, thank you to everyone who bought raffle tickets and who bid in the Silent Auction. YOU made this a success!
Shirley Ward

STEWARDSHIP 2009
During the latter half of October pledge cards went out in the mail. On the cards you can indicate if you would a call or a visit from a member of the Stewardship Committee If not already, will you send or bring your completed pledge card to church? Our pledges will be consecrated on November 8.

Even without raising any of our expenses, we still need to increase our income from pledges by $20,000. Our emphasis this year is on our gratitude to God for our church and for what it means to us.

NOVEMBER EVENTS

Summer Time Ends
Remember to wake up some time during the night of October 31, in order to turn your clocks back one hour!

All Saints. November 1

• Baptism of Stella Claire Weber.
• Commemoration of loved ones (please name them yourself).
• Mark Thompson, friend of Bud Crystal, sings the Lord's Prayer.
• After the 10:30 service we will process to the Memorial Garden, to pray for those interred there.

Every Member Canvass

• November 8 is Consecration Sunday. We will bless the pledges (and pledgers) at all services. If you did not receive a pledge card, you will find extras on the table in the church entrance.
• Veterans Day. If you have medals, please wear them! We will sing, "Almighty Father strong to save" those in peril on sea land and air (Hymn 579)

Diocesan Convention

• The Diocesan Convention will be held in Redding on November 13-14. Our delegates are Wendy Wood, Angela Stevenson, Minerva Haddad, Barbara Hunt, Karen Steelman and Doug Steelman, plus the clergy. A number of others are going, in order to meet our Presiding Bishop, Katherine.

Instructed Eucharist

• On November 15 at all service we will have an instructed Eucharist. Sunday school children will join us for worship on that day for the instruction.
• Piano Recital. For the postlude after the 10:30 service, Sylvia O'Neill and Alan Rae will play the Gershwin/Percy Grainger transcription of Porgy and Bess for 4 hands

• On November 22, we celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving. Members of the congregation will present wine from their vineyards and bread from their kitchens. We come to church to offer to God our thanksgivings for all our ministries.
• We will dedicate shawls made by our outreach workshop for Nursing Home patients.
• Food Ingathering. We will gather dried and canned food, which will be distributed through F.I.S.H. Please bring non-perishable items and place them in the wagons or boxes in the church entrance. The food will be brought forward and offered at the altar in thanksgiving for all the blessings that God gives us.
• The family of Henry Hayes, who sang in the choir at St Patrick's, will join us at the 10:30 service. We will sing one of Henry's favorite hymns (The spacious firmament on high, # 409). After the 10:30 service there will be a brief memorial for Henry.
• The Fall Concert by the Santa Rosa Symphonic chorus will take place Saturday (8:00 p.m.) and Sunday (3:00 p.m.) at the Glaser Center, Mendocino Avenue. The program includes Britten's Ceremony of Carols and Rutter's Gloria. Tickets from Hugh Stevenson
• There will be no mid-week Thanksgiving service on Nov 25.

Advent Sunday

• At all services on November 29, we will bless the Advent Wreath and light the first candle.
• At 10:30, the service of Advent carols and readings followed by the Eucharist.

STEWARDSHIP AND SERVICE

Dear Friends,
On August 30, I set out on a medical relief mission to the Solomon Islands, armed with your love and support for an unknown journey with 23 strangers. The impetus for my adventure was a desire to share my skills, to provide basic health care to people that have little, and experience if I could, a different way of life. It wasn't until I joined the St Patrick's Stewardship Committee that I made the connection between what I love doing and stewardship. Stewards are those who "look after" some thing or some body according to my dictionary and there are limitless ways, of course, that can be done. Jesus, our Grand Steward, sets an example for us, but I have never thought of my actions in those terms - I've just done it because it felt right. I don't think of myself as a religious person, but as a spiritual one, believing that there are many paths to stewardship and many leaders to follow should one choose to do so. My stewardship path therefore is a fairly wiggly one, which makes it interesting, challenging and a great deal of fun!

For all those reasons, I embarked on my adventure, charged with your commission to change lives in a far off place which played a significant part in our past, but has been largely forgotten. There are stories and pictures that I hope to share with you soon, that detail the work our team accomplished. I came away with a renewed sense of commitment to myself as a teacher, healer and care provider. I learned an enormous amount, but barely scratched the surface of understanding the forces that drive a different culture. There is so much to do, but doing it in a manner that fits with a cultural perspective and improves it, is a daunting task. So it is with much that's needed. For example, at one hospital, we were asked to teach nursing staff about hand hygiene by the UK physician team. We discovered that there was one sink per 20-bed ward, intermittent running water, and one hand towel. The nurses were well aware of hygiene principles, but lacked basics. The solution? Enlist a group of staff from our hospitals to provide fanny packs, small containers of Purell, large refill bottles, & commit to shipping on a routine basis. That is stewardship!

I came away with a renewed energy, grateful for all that I have, especially my health, and new friendships. Did we do good? I think so. But we also raised expectations that failed to be realized. We could not see everyone who came to our clinics, and we could not help those with serious illnesses that in this country would be easily taken care of. Medications for chronic conditions were in short supply and antibiotics overused. Access to health care is a problem in the Solomons as it is here, but like here, it can be remedied by improving education for providers and the population. Will I go back? Yes! Join me, by supporting me with your love and prayers, and finding your own niche as a steward of this life and congregation.
With much love,
Kate

Savour the English Language!
"He had delusions of adequacy."- Walter Kerr
"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices that I admire."- Winston Churchill
"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure."- Clarence Darrow
"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).
"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?'- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)
"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it."- Moses Hadas
"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."- Mark Twain
"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."- Oscar Wilde
"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial."- Irvin S. Cobb

AROUND ST PATRICK'S

Welcome Fran Morell!
I would like to introduce myself to the Parish. My name is Fran Morell, and I will be serving as your new Communication Coordinator. I live in Santa Rosa with my husband, Bob. We have two wonderful children who are grown and on their own. I also received a gift from God in the form of a granddaughter who I adore and loves to go on adventures with me.

I look forward to working with the members of St. Patrick's it feels like home to me, as my parents attended St Patrick's when it was in the Kenwood Community Church (before 1982). I attended the Church of the Incarnation where I was active in Vacation Bible School and the annual trips to Camp Noel Porter to set up the youth camp. I later transferred my membership here to St. Patrick's. I am active in Redwood Empire Cursillo. I love to travel and play around with photography, along with scrapbooking and other crafts. I look forward to meeting all of you soon.
Fran Morell

Advent

• Advent is the New Year of the church calendar. We begin a new cycle of readings, "Year C." Most of the Gospel readings will from St. Luke.
• November 29 is the first Sunday of Advent. On the four Sundays we look forward to the Incarnation of the Word of God. This is a season of both expectation and penitence; we are exhorted to prepare our hearts to receive our Lord. The liturgical color is purple and we use Eucharistic Prayer B for Rite II.

Advent 2, December 6

• The Rector will be in Troy NY (hopefully) baptizing his granddaughter, Rachel, in a Roman Catholic Church. Her father's family is RC.
• At the morning service we will be visited by Santa who will distribute largesse to the young (and the young-at-heart).

• We no longer use numbers on the offering envelopes. Envelopes are strictly for the convenience and privacy of the contributor.
• Please do not write two checks for separate weeks. One check suffices; but in the memo section of the check, please indicate what the check is for (i.e. "Plate 10/2 & 10/9" or "Flowers $30" or "Pledge $100" etc).
• If you are giving cash, please include your name on the front of the envelope.
• If you are giving for more than one Sunday, the entire amount will be posted in the week that it is given. Questions: contact Marcia at 833-4228.

"Stir up" Sunday
The last Sunday before Advent (Nov 22) is known as Stir up Sunday and traditionally in England we make our Christmas puddings that weekend, starting on the Saturday. The term comes from the collect for the day in the English Book of Common Prayer:

"Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Making the pudding ahead of time ensures that the flavours develop. Before cooking it on the Sunday each member of the family is invited to help in its preparation. Finally everyone in the family takes turns to give the completed pudding mix a stir with a large wooden spoon, making a wish as they do so. Prior to cooking the pudding my mother hid old, thoroughly washed sixpenny bits in the mix, signifying wealth to those lucky enough to find one on their plate. Caution over swallowing them was required!
Pam Pegley