February - St. Mary`s Episcopal Church

The Bells of Saint Mary
February 2014
It isn’t Lent yet
One of the things that I know is true about being your Rector is that we never
seem to stop planning and looking down the road months at a time. Here it is the
middle of January, we have not even had the Annual Meeting (but we will at the
end of this month!) and I am thinking about Lent and the rest of this year. Part of
that is because the last day of February falls on a Friday this year, and Lent begins
on the 5th of March…and I feel pretty certain that many of you won’t get around
to reading the Bells before Lent is here and so some of this issue has to include a
look at Lent. Which is a shame, since Epiphany is a wonderful season and one
that is totally focused on ministry all of it itself. It is sort of crazy-making…but
priesthood is like that. Laugh while you can I always say…because you don’t know
what is coming next.
To the extent that I know what is coming…here is some of what I know:
Inside this issue:
The Revival of St. Mary's Wish List
The Annual Tea
Mickey’s Funnies
Miss Ella and the Neighborhood
The Bookworm Recommends
February Birthdays
Vestry Liaisons
Scenes of Christmas Past
Financial
Prayers of the People
E-talks are starting back up during this Epiphany season that lasts through February.
This series, begun last fall with Josh Failing’s talk on the Exxon Valdez disaster in his
home state of Alaska, followed by John Sipos’ talk on Fly Fishing and Kristina Failing’s talk on Marine Biology and my work with Dog in the Manger have been very
popular with you and I am sure will continue to be. The whole idea, that God has
given us all the gifts we need to be active in ministry in our own community of St.
Mary’s, is experienced by those who attend not just from the presenters, but from
each person who attends. Come join us! Always Wed. nights.
In early February I will fly up to Red Shirt and spend three days meeting with the
Elders and the Village Council to make arrangements for the return of the Red Shirt
Project to the village this summer. It is always a wonderful time for me. Bob Two
Bulls and I will attend two meetings in the village. Both quite formal in their structure; they are also a vivid reminder that there is a proper way to do things in the
community of the Oglala/Lakota people…and that is to have good manners, wait to
be invited to speak, and always, always practice humility in all that you do. There is
actually a moment in each of the meetings where we are invited to return to the
village in the summer and the village will host/participate in the Red Shirt Project.
It is also a time when I get to spend time with my friend Bob; and that means the
world to me. Remember that the work we do is based in Matthew 25…and it is
work that we all do on behalf of those who are most in need of help. In these difficult times of financial trouble and hardship, those who have the least suffer the
most.
During Lent, we will have a Wednesday night Eucharist and study time. I want us to
look at Holy Currency, a remarkable book written by our friend The Rev. Eric Law,
founder of the Kaleidoscope Project and one of the people whose work I believe in
and want to always know more about.
Holy Currency is an invitation to re-imagine the church and how the church conducts “business”. It envisions the word currency in terms of time, talent, treasure,
barter, creativity, art, gifts, knowledge and most of all, new ways to share these gifts
given to us by God. All the way from feeding programs to use of space and worship
practices, it is thought-provoking, challenging and exciting stuff. It is a natural outgrowth from the work we have already done under the banner of “Missional Ministry in the Grace Margin” and is a book and a concept well worth an investment of
time spent reading, reflecting and playing with.
I am planning on a simple worship at 6:00 in the evening, followed by soup, salad
and bread and discussion in Fitch Hall. Everything would be out the door by 8:00
pm on Wednesdays in Lent. What do you think? Will you come and join me? I will
find out how much the books are and let you know.
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Also in February your Vestry will gather with its newly elected members for a day
of retreat and planning for the coming year. With Valley Haven now in their own
facility at Maple and Third Street in Lompoc, our campus has a real quiet to it
that has not been present since I arrived here. The opportunity to examine and
re-vision what God is calling us to do with our property is before us and we need
to be praying and listening for what that might look like. Any prayers and ideas
you have on that subject would be most welcome as we discern together what
God has in mind for us to do in 2014.
As you left the Annual Meeting this year, our Communications Ministry Development Team gave you a hand-out questionnaire requesting reflections and
thoughts about the end of 2013 and our Advent and Christmas Season. Please
do fill those out and get them back to us so that your input can be part of the
work the Vestry does on retreat.
During the Epiphany Season, I had the opportunity to preach at the Institution of
my friend, The Rev. George Silides as Rector of St. Ambrose in Claremont. At that
service I said these words:
Let’s be real clear here…the church is not in decline. The church will continue
to rise and bloom. Rise and bloom. Creativity and innovation are in decline…
but the church of Jesus Christ is just fine. Your church has an enormous
amount of creative and bold, innovative people…proof of that is they called
you to be their Rector. There you go. Your church is not in decline. Your
church is Rising and blooming. Pure gold they are George…pure gold.
“No one who puts hand to plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
I said those words because I believe that. St. Mary’s is rising and blooming and
will continue to do so. We are creative, bold, innovative people and you are all
pure gold to me. I look forward to everything before us as we enter into 2014.
One of the best things I have ever heard said in the church is by our current Presiding Bishop, Katherine J. Schori. She said:
The Church does not have a mission. God’s mission has a church.
That’s us. United in mission for God’s church. How can you not be excited?!
With my hand on the plow,
Fr. Michael
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The Revival of the St. Mary’s WISH LIST
Welcome back to our Wish List. Here are a few new items for you to consider.
In the past…I have included in this list things that I wanted us to have here at
church. It is how we got new Bibles and 100 copies of Wonder, Love & Praise.
Now what I would like to do is to ask you what you wish for. It does not need to
be things…it can be anything. It can be dreams, it can be new dishes, it can be
world peace. Put it out there and let’s build a St. Mary’s wish list.
Send me an email at [email protected] and I will report back to you,
via the Bells, each month for three months with our (hopefully) growing list.
Thanks for considering this.
Fr. Michael
Annual Spring Tea
The Saint Martha’s Guild invites you to attend their annual spring tea on Saturday, March 1 from 1:30 to 3:00pm in Fitch Hall. Reservations are necessary and
can be made by calling Heidi Holdsambeck at 733-2917 or e-mail hholdsambeck@ gmail.com. A ten dollar donation at the door is
requested. A full house is expected so call Heidi today for reservations to this
popular and well-attended event.
Our theme this year is “Women of Noble Character”
These are pictures of last year’s event.
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Mikey’s Funnies: Things to Learn From a Dog

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.

Let others know when they've invaded your territory.

Take naps and stretch before rising.

Run, romp and play daily.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them
gently.
 Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout.
Run right back and make friends.
 Bond with your pack.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Today’s Thought:
Loving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live in a hostile world. Same
world.
Mikey's Funnies is generously hosted by Agathon Group, website development
and hosting with a ministry heart: http://www.agathongroup.com/
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Miss Ella and the Neighborhood
Grandma was very popular in our neighborhood. The door of The Big House was always open and there always seemed to be some sort of party or celebration. We celebrated everything and took part in every celebration anyone had. If there wasn't one,
we seemed to think one up, so things stayed pretty active. Grandma was a great cook
and it seemed to me that the first thing she said to anyone entering the house was,
"Are you hungry? Would you like some coffee and cake?" People always seemed to sit
down at the table and with the amount of traffic in and out of The Big House, there
were always two or three people at the table eating and talking.
There was another reason for Grandma's popularity. She was what I'd call a "practical
Christian" and so it was on our several blocks. Grandpa had built her a wooden wagon. It was rather large, had large wheels and was painted red. If you saw that wagon
arriving at your front door, you felt much better. The wagon delivered German Bundt
Cakes for birthdays, groceries for those who couldn't get out, medicine for those who
were ill, freshly done laundry that you couldn't get done and sometimes rides for very
small children. Grandpa had installed heavy ropes to pull the wagon and I was eight or
nine before I could muster the strength to pull it. I was also an asthmatic and that kind
of exertion was pretty much out of the question, but I always accompanied Grandma
on her rounds.
Houses that she regularly visited were those that usually within the two blocks surrounding our house. In those houses lived these people: across the street were the
Greeks (much more about them in another chapter. There were so many of them that
they spilled over into another house next door to them.). Next to them lived Mrs. Malvina Bradley, who we called "Auntie Bradley". She was pretty much bed-ridden and
was a Christian Scientist. I often ran errands for her and she would always give me a
nickel, which got me into great trouble. More about that later. Across from her was
Aunt Katie Freeman, Grandma's sister, who worked in a laundry and had a face like a
gargoyle. She was married to a Houston Police Officer and had three children, one of
whom baby sat me and took me, when I was four years old, to the movie,
"Frankenstein", thereby causing great consternation and starting me on the road to a
lifelong love of horror movies.
Next to Aunt Katie lived the Wong family. The house had two stories with a gallery
around both floors. They would shoot off fireworks from the second story when it was
Chinese New Year and once set the house across the street on fire. No one seemed
to mind and they used a water hose to put it out. The Houston Fire Brigade was not
involved and the fireworks went on as usual. The Wong family owned the laundry and
regularly played mahjong at Grandma's. Their children were very smart and spoke
English better than Grandma, who was still struggling with not speaking German any
more because of the brick.
Next to the Wong family was the Kramer family. He owned a business downtown, was
tall and thin and looked like he hadn't eaten, ever, wore a frock coat and gave children
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pennies when he passed them on the block. He had three grandchildren who
were my friends and a daughter-in-law who was beautiful, played the piano and,
Grandma said, had stomach problems. We used to deliver medicine to her
house, which was across the street from the other Greek house.
Visiting from time to time was Grandma's Uncle, Old Uncle Charlie. He was
called Old Uncle Charlie so that we could tell the difference between him and
Young Uncle Charlie. Not that it was ever hard. Old Uncle Charlie, who deserves a chapter of his own, spoke no English except for a few phrases and I
adored him. More about him later.
You know about the Valenti family, good friends and neighbors, and Mama
Valenti was Grandma's best friend. She was tiny and beautiful and so was her
daughter. I idolized her and Grandma said that if I minded my manners and
learned to play the accordion, I could be just like her. (I forgot to mention that
the Church where we went had an accordion band and it was Grandma's dearest wish that I should join them. I couldn't pick up the instrument, never mind
play it, but Grandma had great hopes in that direction. There are other stories
about the church which I will include in another chapter because the church deserves more attention than I gave it. It loomed large in our house, and so more
later.)
Another near neighbor was Mr. Szabarack. He owned the candy store across
the avenue from us, lived in the back of the store and played the violin when
there were no customers, which there usually weren't. Uncle Charlie said that
Mr. Szabarack once played the violin in a Russian Symphony Orchestra and
was a very sad person. His wife was killed in some sort of thing that Grandma
called "an unpleasantness" and his sons were in prison there. (I learned about
gulags later.) He was a nice old man, but always looked as though he might
burst into tears if you said the wrong thing, so I never spoke when he was
around. He was a part of an adventure that I will tell you about later. He would
pass by our house on the way to his church, except he didn't go to a "real"
church, Grandma said, and that's why he wore a little black beanie under a very
large black hat. He also had very strange looking hair.
Across the avenue lived the Vavares family. The Mother was a Spanish dancer
and her husband played the cello and their daughter was a friend of mine. Also
Grandma's cousin who ran a service station and had children and no wife that I
ever saw, but was talked about in whispers. He lived close by.
There were others. But those were the major players in Grandma's life and in
the life of The Big House we all lived in. They were friends, neighbors, teachers
and mentors and they are etched in my memory. Sometimes, when I can't
sleep, I visit that neighborhood and those friends again. I will write of things that
they did for me and with me in later chapters.
Dede Dunn
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The Bookworm Recommends:
Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in
the Third Crusade
by James Reston, Jr.
A profound difficulty for the modern reader is how to understand the deep and all-encompassing
role and power of faith in past lives. James Reston, Jr. takes on that task in Warriors of God:
Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade. This non-fiction work of well-researched
history gives the reader not only the historical perspective of the Third Crusade 1187 – 1192, but
the ethical, moral and essentially religious character of the so-called Crusader movement.
“The madness was initiated in the name of religion by a Pope of the Christian Church, Urban
II, in 1095 as a measure to redirect the energies of warring European barons from their
bloody, local disputes into a ‘noble’ quest to reclaim the Holy Land from the ‘infidel.’” (pg. xiii)
Reston does the reader the distinct favor of relating Crusade place names, when they differ, to
those of our era. The antiquity of the sites and the land and the cause, fought over again and
again, can be caught in current events and headlines. Complete with maps, old engravings and
other illustrations, the book is enthralling in its immediacy with our own rounds of peace talks
and war aims.
Saladin is still revered in the Arab Moslem world, even in his
day fighting over Sunni and Shi’ite superiority, for amalgamating the entire eastern Mediterranean lands into one Arab
empire, from Libya to the Tigris River, from the Indian Ocean
to the Caspian Sea. In the twentieth century, Arab leaders
have tried to do the same for strength and stability in opposing the ideas and influences of the West and its notions of arbitrary nations and borders. Many of today’s conflicts have
their roots in the Crusader movement.
The fairytales of knights and castles and chivalry are dealt with
and dismissed with facts from eleventh century sources from
both principal sides. The myths surrounding King Richard are
treated kindly, but the amazing saga of his formidable mother,
Eleanor of Aquitaine, emerges with new energy. For example,
in her seventies, she was crossing the Alps in winter to try and
secure the release of her favorite son, King Richard of England,
held for ransom. Her deeds on his behalf are unparalleled and
had a stupendous effect on English history.
Writing at the beginning of the twenty-first century, Reston has taken advantage of many detailed Arabic sources that have begun to be more available to scholars and researchers. A valuable bibliography of contemporary accounts is provided, together with a listing of secondary
sources and a thorough index.
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If it is true that Arabs have a very long cultural memory, the reader can understand some of
the current conflicts in Syria and the Left Bank, the rise of the Arab Spring and the wholesale,
ongoing violence producing mammoth refugee camps and vast numbers of displaced persons. The Muslim-Christian conflict has a long history and books like this one can increase
our appreciation of that complexity.
Kati Smith Plummer
Sunday Eucharist
8:00 AM and 10:00AM
Church Office Hours
Monday - Thursday 10am - 4pm
Happy
Birth-
Telephone: (805) 733-4400
Fax: (805) 733-4405
www.stmaryslompoc.org
Vestry Liaisons
Outreach
Communications
Worship
Admin
Pastoral Care
Christian Formation
B&G
Rad. Hospitality
New Comer Ministry
Finance
Stewardship
Sheryl Murray and Linda Everly
Steve Aranguren
Leah Olsson
John Sipos
Courtney Tan & Leah Olsson
Nancy Straight
Rob Glasgow and Patrick Roell
Julie Sherman and Sheryl Murray
Nancy Straight, Glen Newcomb,
and Julie Sherman
Rob Glasgow
All
Marie Pope
02/01
Sarah Cunningham
02/02
Julie Sherman
02/02
Paul Hamilton
02/09
Linda Everly
02/10
Mary Wynns-Smith
02/12
Barbara Manchester
02/16
Cynthia LeRoy
02/18
Richard Kendall
02/19
Lisa Johnson
02/20
John Sipos
02/21
Howard Gould
02/23
Gloria Griffith-Montague
02/23
Ryder Johnson
02/23
Patricia LoCicero
02/27
Many Hands Make Light Work
Please join us for a Work Party on Saturday, February 8th, at 8:30 AM. You can
help with the gardening, vacuuming the sanctuary, changing lightbulbs, or many other
things that help keep the church going!
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Scenes of Christmas Past
Patrick Roell and Howard Gould gave the cross on
our steeple some much-needed rehab on
December 14th, 2013.
Marno Goetsch untangled of
the Christmas lights.
Linda Everly brings some of the
Angel Tree gifts
Creche from Isle of Lewis displayed by
Mary and Glen Newcomb.
Creche displayed by
Glen and Mary Newcomb.
Most pictures by our resident photographer, John Beeler
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e-Mail Addresses:
Fr. Michael:
[email protected]
[email protected]
The Rev. Deacon Dr. Judy Lin
[email protected]
The Rev. Deacon Paul Eustace
Elizabeth: Parish Administrator
[email protected]
Michele Pittenger: Christian Formation
[email protected]
Wardens and Clerk:
[email protected]
Bells Editor:
[email protected]
[email protected]
Joseph and Mary finally get in the church
for the Christmas Eve service.
Creche from 1970s St. Mary’s Sunday School
Michelle Pittenger (back to camera) got
someone to take this picture of everyone
getting ready for the Christmas Pageant on
December 24th.
Father Michael at the December 22nd service, with
some of the children, reminding us that the Christmas
pageant is coming up.
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Financial Statement
As of December 31st, 2013
Undesignated checking & savings
Designated Checking
Total
Income
Expenses
Net income/(loss)
$87,107
$40,115
$127,222
Actual
Dec '13
$38,946
$32,033
$6,913
Actual
2013
$319,890
$298,676
$21,214
Budget
2013
$310,000
$316,512
($6,512)
Christian Formation has just purchased the rights to Journey to Adulthood,
the youth formation curriculum of the Episcopal Church. Our staff and teachers are
currently familiarizing themselves with the materials. The youth will begin meeting in
Dave's Room at the beginning of March. We will formally welcome the youth with
the Rite 13 liturgy
Prayers of the People
We ask that you hold these persons in your Daily Prayers.
Lord, open our hearts to your perfect will, that we may faithfully intercede on
behalf of those we bring to you now in prayer:
George Bowman, Gisele Boyd-Snee, Isla Hill, Sheila Holley,
Shelie Jackson, Stan Sheldon, Rachel Williams, and Keith Wright,
And those serving in the armed forces remembered by our parishioners:
Alana, Allan, Bill, Carl, Carlos, Eddie, Ericka, Gustavo, James, Jason,
Josh, Kevin, Kimberly, Matthew, Michael, Paige, Patrick, Robert,
Simon, Ryan, Virginia, and Whitney.
AMEN.
Please Note:
Prayers of the People will be updated monthly. If you would like to add or continue a
name to the POP, please fill out a Prayer Request slip or Pew card, submit via our website
www.stmaryslompoc.org call any of our Prayer Ring members, or email Stephanie Bastian
at [email protected]. Thank you!
“Whenever two of you on earth agree in prayer,
it will be done by My Father in Heaven.”
Matthew 18:19
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