Saint Monica's Episcopal Church
Messenger
May 2014
Here and Now By Lisa Meeder Turnbull from Episcopal Church Vital Practices on October 11, 2013 Wherever you are, be there.
(Peter Jennings) So often in my work with congregational leaders I hear a longing for the way things used to be. This longing is not simply for the financial stability of the past, though that is certainly a component, but for the ways of a bygone era—a time of identity, of security, of assurance; a time that seemed to have an infinite future, grounded in recognized and predictable social patterns. Though today’s congregations can hardly claim the overt hostilities known to the exiles in Jeremiah’s day, the less tangible enemies of indifference and perceived irrelevance can be just as formidable. While the false prophets trade on feel-good predictions, assurances that it will all be over soon, and easy answers for making it all OK, Jeremiah speaks a raw truth of presence: The Lord has put you here. The Lord has put you now. The Great I Am, the God whose very name is in the present tense, wants you to be the light in this darkness, the unfailing strength in this chaos, the place of refuge in this storm. Jeremiah speaks for a God who calls us not to radical hospitality, but to radical relevance. Jeremiah tells us bluntly to stop treating our Episcopal identity, our baptism, our commitment to felt-need ministry as constraints, but rather to understand them as the very “roots and wings” which allow us to thrive. Does doing church in a new way throw out history? Does moving the frontline abandon the matriarchs and pa-
Our Staff & Vestry Vestry: Chuck Barnett - Senior Warden, Dan Ferguson- Junior Warden, Ann Philen, Bill Ramsey, Melanie Velaski, Beth Woods, Linda Aligood, Tom Chaapel, Frank Murphy Carol Farrel - Treasurer Viv Welch—Clerk of the Vestry Dr. Kadisha Onalbayeva - Music Director Sally Putters - Parish Nurse
triarchs who brought us to this moment? Does radical relevance mean caving in to popular culture? Heavens no! Jeremiah never tells the Israelites, “Stop being so Jewish; tone it down and you’ll get on better.” Instead he tells them to live life to the fullest in this place where they happen to be: Get married. Have babies. Buy a house. Settle in and get used to one another. Make it work and watch what happens. OK, so maybe that’s not the exact approach that we are likely to take with our communities, but you get the point. It’s a point worth getting. It’s a question worth taking to the next vestry retreat, the next planning meeting, the next women’s fellowship or youth weekend: How do we answer the call to radical relevance? How do we live as The Church of the Here and Now?
Introducing Charities of the Month At the May vestry meeting, the vestry decided to sponsor a Charity of the Month for our outreach programs. Manna Food Bank will be the charity for June. Please bring donations of nonperishable food or cash donations to help us with this project. Checks can be made payable to St. Monica's. We will sponsor a local school with school supplies as our July project and Favor House will be our August charity. Please see Linda Aligood or Ann Philen or any vestry member if you have questions. Please join us in this effort and help us increase our outreach to our community. We also welcome your suggestions of charities and plans to implement the projects.
F O O D PA N T RY
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Saint Monica’s Messenger
Saint Monica’s Day marked 60 years as a worshipping community The Lord blessed us with a perfect spring day for St. Monica’s 60th Anniversary on May 4. It was a day to honor those who came before us and to celebrate our mission and ministry in the Cantonment community. Over the last 60 years, St. Monica’s has withstood the test of time. To mark this milestone, we kicked off a weekend long celebration with the opening of the fourth season of The Market on Saturday followed by food, fun and fellowship on Sunday. The event was a great success because of all the hard work of many dedicated members. The celebration committee spent weeks combing through hundreds of photographs to prepare a video which chronicled our history. Several members from the past returned to join us for this special day. Some even shared lighthearted stories and memories. The reception that followed in the Parish Hall and on the lawn was great fun with lots of wonderful food, happy people and good times to be remembered.
Everyone enjoyed searching for names of loved ones, past and present, on the Membership Quilt, and new members got a chance to sign it.
Disaster preparedness By Nurse Sally
Even the youngest members of our congregation, Blake, Ashton and Christopher were kicking up their heels to the musical entertainment of Fred Woods and Tom Condon. Also pictured is Blake and Christopher’s mom, Sarah Rivera.
Open 1st & 3rd Saturdays @ 8 am Arts & Crafts, Fresh Vegetables & Fruit, Fresh Baked Goods, Fresh & Dried Herbs & More! See you there!
It is not too early to be thinking about possible hurricanes and summer storms. There are several good publications pertaining to local resources, TV and radio stations that put out good programs regarding the situation. When available they will be placed in the narthex for you to take home. Here are a few reminders for you: Do you plan to leave your home? If so notify someone where you are going and leave a phone number where you can be reached. If you are headed for a medical shelter in the area (contact the Escambia Health Department for locations), someone will need to stay with the sick person at the shelter to provide needed care. Some things to consider: Can the sick person sit up in a wheel chair? Is transportation to a medical shelter a problem (plan to leave early)? Do you have medical equipment that requires electricity? If so, you may need to contact the equipment company about a back-up plan. If you plan to stay home, do you have a two-week supply of medications for everyone in the family? You will need to have enough drinking water on hand for at least five days. Are you receiving home health, hospice services or dialysis treatment? Be sure you have the name of the company and the phone number? Are you using medical supplies on a regular basis (bandages, catheter supplies) be sure to have enough to last one week? You will also need to have enough non-perishable food for everyone to last five to seven days. Be sure it doesn’t require electricity for preparation. Do you have flashlights and batteries, a battery powered radio, and first aid supplies? And be sure you have secured objects in the yard and protected windows and doors before you leave.
Saint Monica’s Messenger
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June 29 is Social media Sunday -Moses wasn’t using TripAdvisor to find a nice, reasonable hotel in the desert -Martha wasn’t on Pinterest looking up recipes to serve Jesus -David wasn’t posting his latest psalms to his YouTube Channel -Jesus wasn’t live tweeting events (although all the Beatitudes are 140 characters or less, making them perfectly suited for Twitter!) However, our faith has gone viral since the very beginning. Paul might not have had a smartphone, but he used the social media of his time: Epistles, which continue to spread throughout the world today. On June 29, 2014, we invite you to join others in being a part of making the Good News go viral by sharing the gospel and being the church online. We are using the hashtag #Episcopal on that day to share Social Media Sunday participation in Episcopal churches. We also encourage the use of the hashtags #ChSocM (Church Social Media) and #SMSunday. The organizers at episcoshare did a little number crunching, and if even a minority of people in the church who are already using social media post about The Episcopal Church on June 29, 2014, almost 10,000,000 of our friends and family will learn something about us and our church! They are hoping to help people of faith get beyond their fear of using digital media and understand that these are very effective tools we can use to do what we should already be doing: inviting others, showing care and concern for people, telling friends about our church and showing them Jesus. Social media, when done right, is about the relationship, not the technology. Use the hashtags to live Tweet your thoughts about the sermon, take a “selfie” of you at church and share it on Instagram, or check in on Facebook. Invite your church friends who you see on social media to join you that day. Remember to use the #Episcopal hashtag whenever you share something #Episcopal the morning of June 29, 2014. Let us know how many of your followers saw your posts.
July 21-25
A Holy Man
Thurgood Marshall June 5 is World Environment Day
World Environment Day (WED), the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment, is celebrated every year on June 5. It is a widely observed global day for positive environmental action. Awareness is growing that caring for the earth is an essential part of the human vocation. We are called in our Marks of Mission to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of our earth. WED serves as the ‘people’s day’ for doing something positive for the environment, galvanizing individual actions into a collective power that generates an exponential positive impact on the planet. There are many ways of changing our habits, purchases, and actions to have a far-reaching impact on environments all over the world. Consider how you might affect change by powering down your electronic devices for just one day; begin recycling or start composting; only do business with companies that have demonstrated their commitment to environmental issues; use reusable bags when shopping at the supermarket; or find alternative water sources to avoid plastic bottles. Urge others to do the same and remember that God made the earth and we must protect and care for all the creatures that walk among us. For more information, visit the World Environment Day web site.
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Saint Monica’s Messenger
Diocesan Administrator, Vince Currie to retire July 1 By Elizabeth MacWhinnie, Diocesan Communications Coordinator Vince Currie, Diocesan Administrator, is set to retire July 1 after 33 years of service with the Diocese. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Vince on a Tuesday afternoon to speak with him about his time with the Diocese and his plans for retirement. When we first sat down I remarked on the large size of his office, and he said, “Yes, well this used to be the men's bathroom at the old bus station. The urinals were all there under the windows.” I knew then that this would be a fun interview. Vince was born and raised in Pensacola. He first attended Christ Church where his mother was once church secretary. Shortly after college, Vince returned to Pensacola with his wife Dianne and became active in the Diocese. He helped lead the EYC at St. Christopher's and he served on the vestry, and as senior warden. He began going to Diocesan Conventions, and when the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast was formed in 1970, he was on the first Commission on Finance and was the second Treasurer of the Diocese. He was also chair of the 1980 Bishop's Nominating Committee. Vince was hired by Bishop Duvall shortly after the Bishop's election. Vince said he could remember it like it was yesterday. Just after the 1981 Diocesan Convention, the Bishop walked up to Vince and asked if he and his wife Dianne would be home the next evening. Vince said they would, and then, Vince remembered with a chuckle, the Bishop promptly invited himself and his wife Nancy over for dinner. At the dinner Bishop Duvall asked Vince to be the Diocesan Administrator and Vince said it would have to be a family decision. Vince was doing well with his insurance business and working for the Diocese would mean moving from Pensacola to Mobile, but Vince was intrigued by the offer and he had felt called to serve the church in this way, so with his family's support, he accepted the job. When I asked Vince what he would miss most about his job, he said that it would be the trust and relationships he has been able to build with the people of the Diocese. He said that when clergy or other members of the Diocese need help with a problem, they could come to him for help and guidance and trust in confidentiality when needed. Of course, Vince will still be very active in the Diocese and the National Church because he has a passion for service. He is currently the First Chair Lay Deputy to the next Gen-
eral Convention. As a matter of fact, he is the most senior deputy in the House of Deputies, having been elected to represent the Diocese at every General Convention since 1976. He served one term as Vice President of the House of Deputies. Vince is also currently serving on the Episcopal Church Pension Fund (and will do so until 2018). Locally, he is on the Lakeview Center Board and the Baptist Hospital Finance and Investment Committees. All of Vince's volunteer work seems like more than enough to keep him busy during retirement, but he does hope to spend time with the grandchildren, travel with his wife on some of her work trips, get some fishing in, and possibly start raising chickens! A few years ago, Vince was given an honorary doctorate at Sewanee. He said they probably gave it to him because of his work at the national level, or maybe because he was the chairman of the board of Credo for 10 years, but he thinks the real reason is that if you stay in one place long enough, people are bound to recognize you. We're glad you stayed around in this place for 33 years, Vince. We recognize you. We will miss you.
You can help Navajoland ministry The Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Episcopalians have a great opportunity to aid and participate in the ministry for Native Americans through a special offering that will assist the ongoing mission work in Navajoland. The Navajoland Area Mission is 26,000 square miles that spreads over Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. “For over 100 years The Episcopal Church has had a presence in Navajoland,” Bishop David E. Bailey stated in an April letter sent to all congregations. “As we work to reclaim our traditional spirituality and culture, we must simultaneously address the damage incurred by our history. Some of that damage is emotional and some of it is physical.” Among the requests cited by Bishop Bailey is the construction of new hooghans, a traditional Navajoland dwelling. He is asking for funds to build the ceremonial and educational hooghan at St. Christopher Mission in Bluff, UT, one of the churches of Navajoland. Hooghans cost $25,000 to build and are used for traditional ceremonies as well as educational purposes. “I hope that you will consider joining us in prayer and giving to this Special Offering which promises new life for our people,” Bishop Bailey said. Donations can be made online at www.navajoland.org or checks sent to The Development Office, The Episcopal Church Center, 815 Second Ave., NY NY 10017. For more information contact Cornelia Eaton at ceaton@ec-n.org
Viv Welch
Tom Chaapel & Dave Somerville Bill & Sally Putters Ushers Bill Ramsey & Ray Farrel TBA Carol Farrel & Rowena Chaapel To the glory of God
Chuck Barnett & Connie Chamberlin
Beth Woods
Ushers
Jim Morningstar & Jeff Woods
TBA
Juliana Horn & Jeanine Black
To the glory of God
Melanie Velaski
Carol Farrel
Altar
Greeters
Oblation Bearers
Ushers
Nursery
Coffee Hour
Flowers
Arrangers
Eucharistic Visitor
Carol Farrel
Jeanine Black
To the glory of God
Pauline Somerville & Jackie Wright
TBA
John Velaski
Pauline Somerville
Ray Farrel
Beth Woods
To the glory of God
POTLUCK
Dodie Matlock & Jennifer Johnson To the glory of God
TBA
Jim Morningstar & Jeff Woods TBA
Jeff Woods & Bill Ramsey
Jim Morningstar & Frank Murphy
Ushers
TBA
Ron & Ann Philen Ushers
Dave Somerville
Ray Farrel
Fred Woods
Frank Murphy
June 29
Valerie Smith & Dave Somerville
Connie Chamberlin
Ushers
Dave Somerville
Beth Woods
Ray Farrel
June 22
* If you are unable to meet your obligation, please call a replacement, or swap with someone.
Ray Farrel
Valerie Smith
John Velaski & Dave Somerville
Ray Farrel
Connie Chamberlin
Acolytes
Ray Farrel
Ron Philen
Jackie Wright
Connie Chamberlin
Lector 1st Reading
Dave Somerville
June 15
Frank Murphy
June 8
Eucharistic Minister, 9:30
June 1
Service Schedule for June 2014
June Prayer Requests
Military Prayer List
Rosalynda Blackburn Max & Marie Cartwright Destiny Coy Mack Farrel Diane Fink Cliff & Debbie Foggatt Mike Godwin Ron Giles John Henderson Nancy Holland Jane Hunter Laura Lowe
Brian Condon Daryl Coy Mark Feely Aaron Gaff Benjamin Gaff Tim Hartford Johnny Hurd James Klinginsmith William Knapp Jeremy Wright
Bob Matlock Bill Nix Mindy O Pat Prince Leroy Robbins Tiny Robinson Barbara Roper Melton Scott Dora Seal Frank Welch Marcella Young
Birthdays in June…
3, Jim Morningstar; 8, Beth Woods; 17, Barbara Roper; 20, Bill Putters; 29, Gary Beadle
Anniversaries in June…
16, Bill & Norma Ramsey; 17, Robert & Audrey Westbrook; 19, Bill & Kathy Vail; 22 Ernest & Jennifer Johnson If your birthday or anniversary is not listed or not listed correctly, please let Viv Welch know.
Saint Monica’s Episcopal Church 699 South Highway 95-A Cantonment, Florida 32533 We’re on the web at Www.st-monicas.org
Phone: 850-937-0001 E-mail: Office@st-monicas.org The peace of the Lord be always with you.