May 2015 Church Mouse - St. John`s Episcopal Church of Oakland

Church Mouse
News & Events from St. John’s Episcopal Church • Oakland, California
May 2015
Saturday, May 2
8:30 to 10:30 a.m. –
Genesis Fundraiser Breakfast
(St. Teresa’s)
10:30 to 4 – Parish Work Day
5:00 – Parish BBQ
May 3 – 5th Easter
7:45 – Early Eucharist
10:00 – Choral Eucharist
May 8-10 – Parish Retreat
at Bishop’s Ranch in Healdsburg
May 10 –6th Easter
7:45 – Early Eucharist
10:00 – Choral Eucharist
Saturday, May 16, 5-9 p.m.
Spring Enchanted Evening
Dinner and Auction
May 17 – 7th Easter
7:45 – Early Eucharist
10:00 – Choral Eucharist
May 24 –Pentecost
7:45 – Early Eucharist
10:00 – Choral Eucharist
Associate Rector Says, “Baloney, Malarkey, Hogwash”
They are spinning lies!
That was the first reaction to the
women’s story that the tomb was
empty that first Easter morning.
I love this Easter story… The
women, who were there at the crucifixion were compelled to go complete the burial rights for Jesus. When they got there, Jesus was
gone- the tomb was empty. They see some amazing things after that and run to tell the disciples
and the response was “malarkey”.
We believe in this amazing man who was considered crazy and dangerous by those in power.
He was crazy and dangerous because he spoke
about God’s amazing love for God’s people:
ALL of God’s people. We work hard to live
out his vision, to be his hands and feet in the
world.
Hogwash? Come and see.
What hogwash… Religion is the opiate of the
people… I’m spiritual but I don’t believe in organized religion… There are so many hypocrites
in Christianity… I’m happy, why do I need anything else in my life....
I am reading “Crazy Christians” by Bishop Michael Curry. In this book he say,s “So forgive
me for saying it this way, but Jesus was, and is,
crazy! And those who would follow him, those
who would be his disciples, those who would
love as and be the people of the Way, are called
to be exactly that - crazy. If you asked me what
the Church needs today, I would say this: We
need some crazy Christians…. Christians who
are as crazy as the Lord. Crazy enough to love
like Jesus, to give like Jesus, to forgive like Jesus,
“to do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with
God”.
We have an amazing faith community that is like
an extended family. We come together, we worship together, we stand by each other through
the thick and thin of the trials of life.
We can continue to be this amazing community
in the hills of Oakland, set apart and little crazy
all on our own but I don’t think that is the type
of “Crazy Christians” we are being called to be.
I love this story because I can relate to those
women that morning. I hear the same doubt almost every day in the Bay Area when it comes to
the church.
May 31 – 1st Pentecost
7:45 – Early Eucharist
10:00 – Choral Eucharist
––Continued on Page 2
Senior Warden Hopes It’s Time to Leave Church
Last Call
for Parish Retreat
May 8 -10
www.stjohnsoakland.org
to register
Most clergy spend a great deal
of time and energy trying to
get parishioners and others into
the pews. So why do ours keep
nudging us to get out of them?
Not to mention the Episcopal
liturgy itself that ends by sending us “out into the world, to do
the work you have given us to do, to love and
serve you as faithful witnesses…”.
In my early years at St. John’s as an exhausted
young widow with a full time job and two small
children, some of this was annoying to hear because I came to church tapped out, desperate for
some stillness, some spiritual nurturing, and with
very little bandwidth for activities beyond just
making it through another week. If that’s where
you are, stay there and let us love and support
you right there. It will change when it’s meant to
change. For the rest of us, time to get out of the
pews – after our Sunday stop in the pews to fill
our spiritual tanks.
Some of us heard alarming news, a hard truth
from a brave young Ugandan whose life’s work
is to use his organizing and legal skills to protect
the marginalized, the unsafe, in a country where
good governance and the rule of law is a work in
progress. At the tender age of 33, Nicholas Opiyo took on the oppressive law against homosexuality that had been passed by the Ugandan parliament and won the case, albeit on a technicality, that rendered the law unenforceable – at least
for the time being. He remains in tireless pursuit of protecting the rights of those who need
protection and his youthful bitterness about the
government that failed to protect him as a child
has become a powerful, contagious act of love
for the country that is his home.
––Continued on Page 2
Associate Rector
Senior Warden
––Continued from Page 1
––Continued from Page 1
That brings me to the second reason why
I love that story so much. It is an astonishing moment, one where I bet even the
women who spread the story were thinking, “No way… This can’t be happening,
this is total Baloney. “
He spoke to a sizeable group of St. John’s
parishioners after church April 19 and
upon hearing his story, one asked “How
can we help?” He said all the usual –
prayers, help with funding, and so forth
and then, quietly, “I think you need to
leave church.” He was astounded, he said,
to be speaking to members of a Christian
church who support his work. The evangelicals are in Uganda, he pointed out, and
they are doing useful work that is helpful – infrastructure, medical care, building supplies – while preaching a gospel of
hatred for all who are in the LGBT community in that country. That theology of
hate, based in fear and misunderstanding,
has taken root and it will take a very long
time – and patient, intelligent efforts with
many setbacks, to redeem the mindset of
those who have adopted it in Uganda and
the rest of the world where it is unsafe for
some to live in peace and to love.
Every day I ask myself… Do you really
believe this? Do you really believe God
cares that much? Really? Every single day.
And many more days than not, I say, “yes”:
not yes, but YES.
We are a faith community that loves to
wonder, one who questions, one who embraces our doubt. What I hear from people about religion (before they know my
occupation) is what they think we believe.
They have no idea what it is all about. They
have no idea what we are about. They have
no idea why being part of a faith community can and will change their lives and
the lives of people around them.
not to mention community organizing to
make change at the level of government
policies: Genesis Website. We have a committee of our own, dedicated to welcoming members of the LGBT community:
Arms Wide Open.
Can you feel God’s hand tapping you on
the shoulder? Come to the pews, gas up
and then LEAVE. Go spread the gospel
of forgiveness, grace, compassion and inclusion by a God and a savior who loves
us all – just as we are. Let’s be a church
that continues to surprise the world with
the true message of our faith. We’re saving a place for you whenever you’re ready
to join – or to organize and try something
new – that puts faith into action.
Susan Pierpoint
The Year in Worship
Perhaps we start letting the crazy out. Let
our little secret out, let others know who
we are and why it matters.
Eucharistic Lectionary: B
Daily Office Lectionary: Year B
Advent 2014 to Advent eve 2015
Let’s get started…. Anyone in?
Krista+
St. John’s Episcopal Church
1707 Gouldin Road, Oakland, CA 94611
510/339-2200 –– Fax 510/339-2487
www.stjohnsoakland.org
Donate Items
for May 16 Auction
www.stjohnsoakland.org
Nicholas Opiyo with Martha Helms
and Rev. Scott Denman
St. John’s does a great deal of outstanding work in Uganda – many tens of thousands of dollars in outreach and support
for AIDS orphans through Y.E.S. Uganda http://www.caroladamsministry.com/
and maternal and child care through the
KIDA hospital in Ruwenzori http://
www.friendsofruwenzori.org/
among
other things.
St. John’s members also volunteer closer
to home: tutor in Oakland schools http://
www.faith-network.com/ , volunteer for
organizations supporting elders http://
www.northoaklandvillage.org/ , feed and
minister to the homeless and bereft on
32nd and San Pablo http://sacredspaceeastbay.org/ and work at St. James Food
Pantry http://www.stjohnsoakland.org/
ministries/outreach , to name just a few,
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The Rev. Scott Denman, Rector
The Rev. Krista Fregoso, Associate Rector
Editor: Laurie Bennett
Layout: Ray Craun
Production: Dennis Reeve
Publisher: Bedivere
It ys a sotyll mouse that slepyth
in the catty’s ear.
––Hilles Commonplace Book, 1530
Breakfast Fundraiser
Supports GENESIS
Come and celebrate at the 4th Annual
Genesis Breakfast on Saturday, May 2nd
at 8:30 a.m.
In 2014, led by Margie Bowman, St. John’s
was able to help Genesis reach its goal of
$15,000 with a separate collection the day
after the 2014 Genesis event by raising
more than $1800.
Spring Enchanted Evening
Come to the St. John’s Auction, our first
in five years, on Saturday, May 16th from
5-9 p.m.! Join us for a wonderful night of
community fun and fund raising!
It’s an international affair. Live Irish music
with dancing, food and wine will set the
stage for an exciting evening of bidding.
Our own Kerry Heffernan has planned
wonderful Italian food, using fresh, seasonal ingredients... not to be missed! Here
is a just a fraction of the menu:
Antipasti Table
Field Greens with Pancetta, Walnuts,
Parmigiano and Balsamico
Delta Asparagus with Meyer Lemon,
Sieved Egg, Toasted Pine Nuts and Radishes
Ribollita da San Giovanni; tomato, kale
and bread soup
Margie Bowman in 2014
Our work in 2014 led to a 70.76% approval
of Measure BB--which devotes $15 million
toward a Free Youth Bus Pass program.
The Genesis Youth that were involved in
the campaign were given opportunity to
tell their stories. When asked what was
her “Ferguson Moment” (the moment
when she was spurred into action to make
a better community), a young woman answered, “When I spoke out for Measure
BB for Genesis--because that was the first
time that I had done something to make
things better in our city.” Your contribution is what makes this ministry possible!
Here are the details--email Krista Fregoso ([email protected]) if you
can attend or wish to contribute.
Date: May 2, 2015 (Saturday)
Location: St. Theresa Catholic
Church (Event Center) 30 Mandalay
Road,
Oakland
Time: 8:30-10:30 a.m.
Gallo Pepperoni Bruschetta with Basil
Pesto
To buy tickets ($40.00 before May 1,
$50.00 afterward), go to www.biddingowl.com/StJohnsoakland. We have a
huge variety of items! Where else could
you find both a Deep Fat Fryer and a Tour
of Napa? How about a Day at the Oakland Zoo or a Foodie Fiesta?? Tickets will
also be on sale at church and the evening
of the event. Don’t miss out on this evening of fun, and the opportunity to support your favorite church community at
the same time.
Watch for more details in the Friday emails
and on the narthex bulletin board.
Questions? Please contact Ken Fuller at
[email protected].
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Carol Adams Looking
For Orphan Sponsors
There’s always a lot going on around here
and I want you all to be in the loop with
all the exciting things God is doing. This
ministry wouldn’t be able to go on without your support!
The last couple of months we have been
able to enroll over 300 students in over 60
different schools, from Primary to University! Being able to provide these young
people with an education is so important.
We have a wonderful couple from Ireland
that is here for a year to help out. The husband is a construction engineer who has
worked in Africa in past years and his wife
is a retired school teacher who is helping
some of our kids at Manna Rescue Home.
We were able to raise money to rebuild
a home for a child headed family whose
father recently passed away. We just had
50+ visitors staying at our hostel because
they were in town competing in a triathlon. The income from the hostel continues
to help provide for a lot of our needs. We
have our struggles with theft and corruption but we press on and trust that God
will continue to provide.
Currently we are trying to get all the kids
at Manna Rescue Home sponsored. We
have a total of 30 children living at the
home and currently18 need sponsorship.
Sponsorship includes: three healthy meals
and two snacks a day, housing, school
fees, clothing, shoes, school supplies,
medical expenses, an in house nurse and
counselors, individual and group counseling and occasional outings. Twelve of
our kids are in a marching band thanks
to you at St John’s and they play events!
If you’re interested, any donation is gratefully accepted! The suggested donation is
$35 a month and you can sign up on Paypal. If you have any questions or you would
like to be matched up with a specific child
please reply to this email.
Thanks again for your continued support
over the years!
Carol
Treasurer’s Corner
In the April Mouse,
I asked you to begin
an examination of
your relationship to
Money, our cultural
financial tool - which
I referred to as a “potentially
insidious
idol and hugely effective tool – to be used wisely, generously,
carefully and at times recklessly.” Today I
will start with one of my favorite passages
from The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist.
When fundraising for the Hunger Project
she met a wonderful woman in a church
basement who taught her a great lesson
about Money.
“Girl,” she said, “my name is Gertrude and I
like what you’ve said and I like you,” she said.
“Now I ain’t got no checkbook and I ain’t
got no credit cards. To me, money is a lot like
water. For some folks it rushes through their
life like a raging river. Money comes though
my life like a little trickle. But I want to pass it
on in a way that does the most good for the
most folks. I see that as my right and as my
responsibility. It’s also my joy.”
The Soul of Money, pg 101.
I love this passage from The Soul of Money for both its allegorical message and its
instruction. “Money is like water.” This is
an allegory that we can clearly understand;
but Gertrude says so much more when
she describes the control of her trickle
or raging river as a right, a responsibility,
and a joy. These three points tag in closely with the relationship questions I raised
last month.
So here are some follow up questions and
thoughts for you to tie in with last month’s
money history journey.
Passing on money that does the most good
for the most folks – as a right…
1. How much choice do you feel you
have about how you spend your money?
When you look at the obligations in your
life – loans, commute or other work related expenses, household utility and management expenses – is there any wiggle
room? Have you so hemmed your life in
with an expensive life-style that you feel
like you have no choices? Do you have a
plan to fix that?
2. Do you regard your financial life as
something that YOU are in charge of or
have you delegated that responsibility to
someone else – your spouse, your accountant, your financial planner, someone in
your family? Have you just neglected that
opportunity to own your own cash flow?
If you took greater interest or control,
what would that look like?
3. Do you have flexibility with your decisions that can create good for others?
4. Would you be willing to create a budget, look at last year’s expenses – all of
them – and try to create a plan – this can
bolster your ability to exercise control as a
right and then roll that right into the questions about responsibility.
Passing on money that does the most good
for the most folks – as a responsibility…
When addressing the responsibility of
passing on money as a responsibility, it is
important to take inventory of the values
you want to reflect with your purchasing
power. What is important to you? Think
of values both in a short term and a long
term perspective. When you spend money, are you thinking of the choices you are
making? Are your purchases in line with
your values? For example, if you are concerned about the environment, are you
evaluating the packaging of items to see
what trash you are generating? When buying a gift, does that gift reflect your values? If it is manufactured by cheap labor
in China, do you want to support cheap
labor in China? Try to think of all your
spending as a reflection of your values.
When your spending reflects your values,
a lot of anxiety about that spending simply goes away, you are in control and in
synch.
Passing on money that does the most
good for the most folks – as a Joy…
When have you given money in a way
that has really created joy for you? I had
a conversation with a homeless man who
told me of his long day asking for money
with no success. We commiserated about
the sorry state of his day, I, in my car, he,
on the street corner. But I had no cash at
the time and could not change his reality.
So I kindly bid farewell and drove away. I
thought of him and changed my route - I
went to a store and bought an item with
my debit card so I could get some cash
and drove back to find him and give it to
him. It was a small gesture. But he simply
glowed over the fact that I returned, that I
heard his story, cared and responded. This
was such a joy, for him and for me.
4
Can you imagine a gift that brings joy?
Sometimes only you know the joy because
it flows from a secret you share with God,
sometimes the world knows. For some,
long-term planned gifts can be joyful
gifts – gifts that will create good that you
will know in your heart for a long time.
But sometimes joy can be found in small
spontaneous gifts – like Gertrude’s gift to
Lynne Twist - that came from a good feeling that just bubbled out - or like my gift
to the man on the street corner. We do so
much planning and intentional spending,
it is important to sometimes take control
of the joy and direct a little cash that way
too (like cash in the plate after a great sermon, hint, hint) – just for the joy of it!
Next month: More on Money as water….
Hope you are enjoying this conversation.
Much love,
Lilah
Spring Work Day
Is May 2nd
All are welcome on
Saturday, May 2nd to
be in community and
spruce up St. John’s.
Since the AA group
fills the church parking until 10 (and the
Genesis
breakfast
is from 8:30-10:30),
we will start at 10:30 a.m. and work until 4 p.m. Please come lend a hand for any
hours you have during that time, or join
us for the barbecue at 5.
Our Spring work day normally focuses on
the exterior. Bring gloves, hats, sunscreen,
and any gardening tools you may wish
to use in addition to the tools we have at
church. There are also opportunities for
light painting and gutters to be cleaned.
We’ll start clean-up around 2:30 and then
ALL are welcome for a pot luck barbecue
(whether you could join in the work day or
not). Social time at 4 to 4:45 and the grill
should be ready by 5ish.
Questions? Anything you have noticed
that we could work on (with your help)?
We may need some help that day preparing for the “Spring Enchanted Evening”
event which is on May 16th.
Ken Fuller, Operations Catalyst.
[email protected].
Easter at Sacred Space
Uganda: At the Crossroads
of Healing; How Kitojo
Hospital Came About
by Melissa Ridlon
Sunday at Sacred Space, Oakland,
is always a challenge and a joy. Easter Sunday was certainly no exception as
congregants shared it with the residents
of the community who had absolutely no
where else to go, friends from the Nation
of Islam, a church group that had brought
hot lunches for everyone, and even three
members of a “death metal” band who
stopped by to ask if Br. Brendan played
guitar and wanted to join them.
By Katherine Dean, board member
of Friends of Ruwenzori
In 1999, native Ugandan Reverend Ezra
Musobozi and his wife Marjorie came
upon a weeded T in the road, a convergence of dirt trails leading to trading posts
in the rural Western Ugandan district of
Kabarole.
They purchased a plot of land there. Land
covered in a weed “not even the goats
would eat.” It was from this weed, known
in the region as matojo, that the name for
this crossroads was derived: KITOJO.
Ezra and Marjorie had a dream of bringing HIV prevention, education and medicine to the farmers of this region--rural
Ugandans, who at that time had to walk
hours, if not days to the nearest hospitals.
KIDA, Kitojo Integrated Development
Association, was established for the purpose of bringing healing and education
closer to parishes far from the nearest municipality (Fort Portal).
In 2001, on a mission trip to Uganda, Karen and Gil Gleason, Scott Denman and
others from St. John’s witnessed a whole
community of rural villagers engaged in
molding bricks out of mud on the Kitojo
land site. When the Gleasons heard from
Ezra and Marjorie about their plans to
build an AIDS clinic out of these 40,000
hand made bricks, a US-Uganda partnership was born.
Money to accomplish the dream came
slowly, but each step that the Kitojo community took inspired more support. When
the bricks were fired and ready to use, Rev.
Ezra gathered boys who had dropped out
of school, hired a masonry expert who
taught the boys how to construct a building, which they actually did. They used
mud for mortar. A German visitor was inspired to provide funds for roof framing
and a metal roof. An offering collection
at St. John’s in 2003 raised enough so that
the small 4-room clinic could be finished
and opened for HIV testing.
Now there was a place where those living
in the surrounding parishes could come
for testing, information and support.
Many of those in need were children who
had been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic, devastating to Uganda. KIDA was well
on its way towards “empowering people
to take care of their own lives” and improving their health and well being.
Friends of Ruwenzori (FOR), established
by the Gleasons in 2004 to partner with
KIDA, began fundraising for KIDA’s
programs. FOR’s efforts have been so
successful that now, from what was just
weeds, a fully operational hospital exists,
along with education facilities that serve
six parishes in the District.
At this time Kitojo Hospital, with 30
beds and a small operating theater, relies
primarily on solar power for its electricity. Given the electrical needs of an operational hospital, this source is often not
enough on its own, and the expense of
importing additional equipment for solar
power is high.
There is a back-up, diesel-driven generator
that kicks in when the solar batteries are
drained. However fueling this generator is
costly. The Kitojo Hospital back-up generator required $4,000.00 in fuel last year
alone. (To get a sense of what $4,000.00
dollars is to a rural community in Uganda,
the average income of farmers in that region is $2.18/per day.)
One other consideration is that hospital
staff residences have no electric power at
present, resulting in some staff turnover
and rendering Kitojo hospital less competitive for new hires.
Fortunately the Ugandan government recently built a grid now reaching rural areas including where Kitojo Hospital resides. With the right funding, it will be
possible for Kitojo Hospital to connect to
this grid. This connection should greatly
reduce the yearly cost of energy for the
hospital and, for the first time, bring electricity to staff residences. FOR and KIDA
are now actively raising the $9,000 needed
for this connection.
5
The moment in the photo came right after Gwendolyn had asked why volunteers
spend time with them when they are just
a bunch of “alcoholics and drug users.”
Melissa Ridlon stumbled through trying to answer that everyone is struggling
with something, and being accepted in
this community was truly an experience
of resurrection for hey. Gwendolyn said,
“Now I understand,” and knelt down.
After kneeling she spontaneously prayed
something along the lines of, “Thank you
God for life. Thank you God for everything. I know you became human. I know
you suffered and people hit you and hurt
you. Thank you for Jesus Christ and for
saving us. Thank you for the cross and everything.”
For more information about
KIDA please visit: http://
www.FriendsOfRuwenzori.org
“Like” us on Facebook
“LIKES FOR LIGHTS”
Holy Week pictures
Maundy Thursday, April 2
Bridget Mooney
Clerg y serves soup
One of the youth tables
Foot washing
Good Friday, April 3
Choir
Easter Vigil, April 4
“Passion” reading
Easter, April 5
9 a.m. Eucharist
Rev. Scott sermon to 9 a.m. children
Flowering of cross
10:45 choir with Jun
Wheat Grows
at Bishop’s Ranch
St. John’s support of the “Food to ALTAR Table” project is now visible at Bishop’s Ranch. Although it looks more like
grass than the sustainable heirloom wheat
that it is, the picture shows that the wheat
field is on its way.
As a sponsoring parish in this Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA) project, St.
John’s will receive a portion of the harvest
with which to bake its communion bread.
For more information, read the articles in
the March and April Mouse newsletters,
and visit the website, http://whatsupwithwheat.com/ .
Living Lives of Thanksgiving
On Sunday, April 12th, Art and Fran Toy,
at the urging of their two children, sponsored a Dim Sum Lunch at Chef’s Wok
Restaurant in Alameda, which was preceded by a service of thanksgiving at St.
John’s during the regular 10:45 service.
Fran’s friend, the Rev. Debra Low-Skinner was the guest preacher. Both Sigmund
Siegel’s solo of one of Fran’s favorites, Panis Angelicus and Jun Kim’s rendition on
the organ of Finlandia, one of Art’s favorites, was fabulous!
Fran and Art wrote to their relatives,
friends, and the members of the parish about having much for which to give
thanks. First and foremost, as octogenarians, they were grateful that they both
remained “upright and taking nourishment.” Equally important, they were also
very thankful for loving, caring, generous, and supportive children and the same
could be said for members of the church
family.
The lunch gathering was great! Lively
conversation and much laughter could be
heard among the 100 friends, relatives,
and members of St. John’s who enjoyed
six varieties of dim sum, two noodle dishes, and a vegetable dish.
Art and Fran had asked that they not
be given presents or cards. Instead, they
would be grateful and honored if St. John’s
received a voluntary tax-deductible donation for in-reach and out-reach.
If you missed this year’s event, keep this
in mind. Each Sunday, St. John’s usually
uses the birthday prayer from The Book
of Common Prayer which begins: “O
God, our times are in your hand:” (BCP
pg. 830). Art and Fran intend, if God
grants them the time, to have another service of thanksgiving and celebratory meal
next year.
In addition to being thankful for their
many blessings, Fran was celebrating the
thirtieth anniversary of her ordination as
the first Asian American female priest in
the Episcopal Church USA and Art and
Fran were celebrating their upcoming
59th wedding anniversary.
Update on Post Flood Renovations
Wheat on April 13
The Design and Project Team at St. John’s
presented on Sunday, April 12th. They
gave a thorough update on the progress
and timeline for our post flood renovation, including the unveiling of some exciting new plans for the interior spaces for
the narthex, a new nursery and the hall7
way leading to the reception room as well
as renovations on the patio which will ultimately tie into our master plan for a new
sanctuary. Contracts were signed on April
15th to begin the permit and construction
processes.
St. John’s Family
St. John’s (late 70’s) Youth Group held a
reunion in March: with Kimberley DeGroot Meier, Suzanne Tindall, Don Reasoner, Elizabeth Reasoner and Kit Milhous Pho in Oakland.
LIBBY SWEARENGEN CERULLO’S
first piece to be publicly displayed permanently - “Reflecting Pool” - was recently installed at the Hill School CFTA in
Pottstown, PA.
VANESSA
WITTMER,
TRISH
DOLAN and STEVE SWEARENGEN
participated in the Oakland Marathon
and emerged smiling!
Chancel Choir member
BETTINA
GRAY’s
composition was selected to
have a premiere performance at the 2015
World Parliament of
Religions. The “Light
and Life” anthem for
choir and strings -- which St. John’s sang
in a preliminary version in 2007 -- will get
a performance at the Parliament in Salt
Lake in October 2015.
BAILEY ZIEGMANN (2nd from left)
had a role in her school musical, “Annie
Get Your Gun” in April.
Easter was the occasion for a family reOn a visit to Bishop’s Ranch, SUSAN PIERPOINT and CAROL BOOTH find the union of the CHRIS MCQUEEN FAMname of EMILY KNELL, Carol’s granddaughter, on the plaque beside the labyrinth… ILY: REBECCA, MARY, CHRIS, RACHEL and Mary’s children (photo by
Robin Young).
GENESIS Breakfast
A recent BOOTH Family reunion in Illinois included SARAH, ERNEST, JULIE
and EMILY (far left).
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May 2nd, 8:30-10:30 a.m.
St. Teresa’s Church
St. John’s Family – Grandchildren
St. John’s Family can never get enough cute baby pictures, so here are:
Newest addition to the TOM
and NANCY LEHRKIND
JOSHUA PEDDER, grand- NIKOLA BROWN, grand- family – grandson Billy born AINSLEY PIERPOINT
son of SCOTT and KEN- son of DAVID and CAROL March 1, son of Kate Lehr- WEIR posing on her special
DACE DENMAN enjoying knows a good box when it’s kind and Matt Kunkel…
blanket made by SARA E…
spring…
offered…
NANCY EVERETT’s daughter, MEREDITH SHEPARD
JARIGESE, her husband Brian and their twins, Aaron and Connor, have recently welcomed baby Luke…
Former Youth Grouper/Youth Chorister JANINE PEACOCK PARK with
daughter Kaila, also pictured son Elijah and big sister Liesl, visiting the tulip fields
with happy grandmother LAURIE BENNETT in Roozengaarde, Mt. Vernon,
WA…And a pic of Laurie herself with GREG PEACOCK’s daughter, Annabelle,
on the Albuquerque Biopark train…
9
The REV. CHRIS CRAUN
went backpacking with her son,
Jack Sterling Craun (CAROL
KIZZIAH and RAY CRAUN’s
grandson).
St. John’s Spring
Work Day & BBQ
May 2nd, 10:30 – 4. BBQ at 5
Bring Gardening Gloves!
2014-5 CNC Class
Celebrates
St. John’s Iconfirm Service
A huge thanks to all the mentors and
CONGRATULATIONS to all the youth
on a great year of CNC classes, field trips,
retreats, and then to finally teach and celebrate on Saturday, April 25 at the Iconfirm service. Here are the names of the
youth and their mentors. Please thank
them when you see them.
MENTOR
MENTEE
David Brown
Kellor Smith/
Laurel Crocker
Nancy Everett
Gyllian Davies
Katie Ferguson
Carolyn George
Jim Hasler
Tony Koo
Jim MacIlvane
Pete Marcuzzo
Karen Notsund
Lewis Smith
Scott Tate
Nancy Walker
Salina Wittmer
Kendace Denman
Walter Marion
Elise Hansen
Kirby Marion
Maddy Hardtke
Charlotte Lichens
Elizabeth Kroger
Nick Levandowski
Andrew Hansen
Antony Ferguson
William Hansen
Caroline Wynne
Frank Treavor
Max Sharnoff
Sydney Medford
Campbell Lawson
Reilly West
It was a great year of sacredness, exploration , new friends of all ages and finding
and using their voices to make changes in
the world. There is still time to support the
CNC 2015 class efforts to create a magazine that focuses on positive body images, developed by young people for other
young people. Any contributions, large or
small are greatly appreciated and will go
towards spreading awareness about eating disorders. Visit their gofundme page
to make a donation http://de.gofund.me/
nj6lho . As of April 23rd, they have raised
$550 toward their $1500 goal.
Iconfirm service on April 25
2015 CNC class and their mentors
Youth choir
Confirmation by Bishop Marc Andrus
Confirmands serve at Eucharist
Bishop meets with confirmands
Proud mentors
Congregation blesses CNC class at April 25 Iconfirm Service
Time for smiles from CNC Class on April 25
Group hug. Congratulations to All!
Party Time
Celebration cake after service
St. John’s Bulletin Board
Summer Newsletter
GENESIS Breakfast
June / July Mouse deadline is May
17th. The summer issue of the Mouse
combines news for June and July. Submit your pictures and articles to Laurie
Bennett. [email protected]
May 2nd, 8:30-10:30 a.m.
St. Teresa’s Church
St. John’s Spring
Work Day & BBQ
Parish Retreat Is SOON
There are some spaces available, so
don’t forget to register for the parish retreat by May 2. Begin registration on the St. John’s website, www.
stjohnsoakland.org. Scholarships are
available and money need not be a
reason to miss this fabulous retreat on
Mother’s Day weekend (May 8-10).
May 2nd, 10:30 – 4. BBQ at 5
Bring Gardening Gloves!
FUN, FUN, FUN!
Spring Enchanted Evening
Dining, Dancing, Auction, Treasures
May 16th, 5 – 9 p.m.
Donate Items
for May 16 Auction
www.stjohnsoakland.org
St. John’s vision is to manifest God’s love through invitation, inclusion, faith and action
St. John’s Episcopal Church
1707 GOULDIN ROAD, OAKLAND, CA 94611 510/ 339-2200
Church Mouse News