February 2016 encourager

LENT With Ash Wednesday falling on February 10, the Season of Lent comes early this year. This period of the church year is often seen as an opportunity to “clean house,” a time for purging ourselves of those things and traits, which clutter our lives and keep us from living in unity with God and each other.

While it’s certainly appropriate to focus on such practices during Lent, or really, any time, this year, I’d like to go in a different direction with our Lenten Program.

If there is one inescapable fact of life, it is that every one of us, are going to have periods of personal struggle. There’s no “if” about it—dark valleys are part of the landscape of every life.

FEBRUARY 2016 EUCHARISTIC LECTIONARY YEAR C

SUNDAY WORSHIP 7:45 AM 9:00 AM 11:00 AM

Holy Eucharist Rite I Holy Eucharist Rite II Holy Eucharist Rite II Children’s Chapel

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 10:00 am

For this reason, I’d like to focus our attention this Lent on how we might equip and fortify ourselves as we journey through a tough time. And for this purpose, I’d like to turn our attention to, what is perhaps the most well known and certainly well worn, pieces of Holy Scripture: The 23rd Psalm. For within its few beautiful verses, lies some of the most profound wisdom ever recorded.

Each evening program will focus on a particular aspect of the psalm that points us toward life-giving practices. These essential themes include: 

The necessity of a guide, a shepherd for our journey.



Our need to experience and cultivate beauty along the way.



The importance of finding rest and sustenance.



Learning to practice gratitude, and even celebrate, our blessings amid suffering.



The assurance of security and sufficiency.

Adult Classes Encouragers

WEEKDAY WORSHIP 6:00 PM

Wednesday, Holy Eucharist Rite II

12:00 pm

Thursdays Holy Eucharist & Healing (Chapel)

The Lenten programs begin on February 16. Each Wednesday in Lent, Holy Eucharist will be held at 5:30 p.m. A dinner of soup and bread will be served at 6:00 p.m. and the program will run from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

Father Jeff

Muchas gracias por acer felices a mis niños este año. Que diosito los bendiga. Gracias!

Thank you so much for helping our family. It really put a smile on our faces. Very grateful.

Angel Tree Thanks We provided Christmas baskets and gifts for 14 families and 26 children through the Angel Tree program. Thank you, St. Barnabas!

Muchas gracias de todo Corazon Familia Gonzalez. Un abrazo muy fuerte Y Dios los bendiga.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It has been a rough year for my children and I, but with your blessings we had a very bright Holiday!

St. Barnabas Donates a Well in Honduras David Spencer, Texas Water Mission The St. Barnabas Outreach Committee and Vestry have donated funds to sponsor a water well project in Honduras. The donation was made to the Texas Water Mission (TWM), a ministry of the Diocese of West Texas. The TWM drills wells in rural villages in central Honduras, where a lack of clean water is a major health issue for many people. The wells are drilled on church property, schools, government offices or other places to which the public will have permanent access.

In addition to the drilling project, the donation also funds a health and hygiene course that is taught in the village at the same time, as well as a Bible school for the children in the area.

Although scheduling is not definite as yet, the well project will probably happen in late July or early August of this year. Volunteers are always welcome on the missions, but when a church sponsors a well, the TWM likes to invite a group from the church to make the trip with us. If you are interested in going, please contact David Spencer at 1-830-995-2912. More specifics will be available in February.

Praise the Lord!

Daughters of the King The Annual Coffee to introduce prospective members to the Daughters of the King (DOK) was held on January 10 at Nan Mosley’s house. Current members brought

delicious treats for all to enjoy.

The DOK Discernment Class begins on February 3. St. Barnabas women who are interested in membership but were unable to attend the coffee should contact Wendy Bush (830-456-2171) or Katharine Brundrett (830-9927273) about joining the class.

Do You Need a Facelift?

Susan Kimbrell, Stewardship Committee

There are several restoration projects or facelifts going on around town. Three facelifts that come to mind - the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME) on Main Street, St. Barnabas Outreach program and the St. Barnabas pledge card church. All three of these facelifts are actually tied together when you think about them. These activities are related because each shows how St. Barnabas has always been a giving church.

A recent article in the Fredericksburg Standard described the facelift and restoration work that the CME is now receiving. This little church on East Main Street has a tie with St. Barnabas. Not only was the CME a Methodist Episcopal church for the African Americans that lived in Fredericksburg in the late 1880s, this church was also the inspiration for the little white church that the Stewardship Committee uses each year to hold the pledge cards.

In the early 1980’s, George and Nancy Kimbrell along with Paul Alban designed and built the little church to look like the CME— just a smaller version. The church is plain for a reason. The point was not to build a church that duplicated the outward appearance of St. Barnabas. The little white church represents the generosity of our church as the monies it receives don’t stay inside the church but go out to the local community and also to world-wide outreach projects.

This year, our little church is getting ready for its own facelift thanks to the talented hands of Jack Oates. Nancy Kimbrell was contacted and asked if Jack could refresh the appearance of the little church. There was some discussion about adding stained glass windows to the church but it was decided to keep it plain—as originally designed. The church will still represent St. Barnabas as a giving church in the community. So, this fall, the little white church will look as refreshed as its inspiration, the CME, and will once again hold a central place in our annual giving.

The joy of the Lord is your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10

This annual diocesan theme will be introduced at the 112th Diocesan Council to be held in McAllen, February 18—20, and hosted by St. Alban’s of Harlingen. The annual theme “helps us to focus our life together and serve as a guidepost in planning our spiritual formation and ministries through out the year,” according to Bishop Lillibridge. He will elaborate on this in his address to the Diocesan Council.

The St. Barnabas delegation to Council this year consists of Fr. Jeff, Fr. Bur, Vicki and Carl Luckenbach, Johnny and Debbie Gorden, Jimmy and Beth Davis and Bill Burns as alternate.

For information about council activities, special meetings and registration, go to http://council-dwtx.org/

December 2015 Financials

St Barnabas Financials as of December 31, 2015 Dec 15 Actuals Income 72,714 Expenses: Staff 18,233 Operating 6,713 Ministry 5,290 Apportionment 5,292 Total Expenses 35,528 Net Income 37,186

Monthly $ +/- Jan-Dec YTD $ +/Budget Budget Actuals Budget Budget

Annual Budget

36,063

36,651

475,682

432,750

42,932

432,750

20,675

-2,442

246,304

248,105

-1,801

248,105

6,319

394

77,227

75,825

1,402

75,825

3,385

1,905

38,065

40,600

-2,535

40,600

5,292

0

63,504

63,504

0

63,504

35,671

-143

425,100

428,034

-2,934

428,034

392

36,794

50,582

4,716

45,866

4,716

Balance Sheet: There was an increase of about $91K. The following is the breakdown by area: Monthly Operations +$37.2K (explained below) Moms Morning Off -$ 1.3K (explained below) Funds +$40.8K We received a $57K gift from the Dinino estate. These funds were earmarked for the Endowment Fund and the Columbarium Fund, 2/3 and 1/3 respectively. $14K was donated to the Texas Water Ministry, $10K from the Outreach Fund and $4K from our Endowment.

Prepaid Pledges +$12K Significant activity from funds was as follows; Copier Fund (-$1,097), Columbarium Fund (+$17,481), Dugat MMO Scholarship Fund (+$1,352), Endowment Fund (+$32,330), Outreach Fund (-$5,996).

Monthly Operations: Income was over budget by $36.7K and expenses were on budget making the net for the month a positive $37.2K. All income areas (Pledge, Non-Pledge, Plate, and Memorials) were over budget. In particular, we received a $15K memorial. Outreach expenses were over budget by $2.3K, but the other areas were slightly under budget with the total expenses being under budget by $.2K. On a YTD basis, income is over budget by $50.6K and expenses are under budget by $2.9K. Once again, there was an amazing December year-end income hockey stick!

MMO: MMO had a deficit for the month of $1.3K. Tuition income was lower because January has fewer class days while December expenses were normal. On a YTD basis, MMO is still positive for $2.7K. Spring enrollment is at 39 children with 10 teachers, so MMO is running at full capacity.

Annual Meeting

Over 120 St. Barnabites enjoyed a light meal at the 2016 Annual Meeting.

New Vestry Members: John Sumners, Frances Money and Julie Alvarez.

Second from left is Vicki Luckenbach, our new Senior Warden

From the Senior Warden………...

Wow! This is an exciting time for St. Barnabas! We kicked off the new year with three new vestry members: Julie Alvarez, Frances Money and John Sumners. The vestry retreat occurred on Saturday, January 16, at the home of new Senior Warden, Vickie Luckenbach. Those in attendance were Frances Money, John Sumners, Ric McCormick, Jack Oates, Bud Parrish, Pris Williams, Jimmy Davis, David Spencer, Johnny Gorden, Fr. Jeff, and special guest Bur Dobbins.

The vestry retreat consisted of a review of the Vestry notebooks which contain such topics as the Constitution and Canons of the Diocese, the by-laws of St. Barnabas, Financial reports, Job Descriptions, MMO and Facilities. There was also a discussion of the various committees of St. Barnabas, their membership and service to the church.

Fr. Jeff and Fr. Bur led a discussion of their outreach and visioning for the church and the addition of an assistant priest. We are all really in for a deeper, more involved and connected life in our church and community.

The vestry also elected Julie Alvarez as the new Secretary of the Vestry and Bud Parish as the Chancellor. Jack Oates will remain as the Junior Warden and Ric McCormick will remain as the treasurer of the parish.

The Vestry set as an Administrative Goal for 2016 to review policies and procedures so that they align with what the parish is required to do and what is actually happening in the parish. A Ministry Goal for the parish is to strengthen the Everyone Belongs program with Jimmy Davis’ and Fr. Bur’s guidance. The goal for Building and Grounds is to remodel the office area to accommodate Fr. Bur’s new office, provide a new railing in the upstairs organ loft, add additional columbarium spaces and maintain our beautiful campus. Join me in helping us to accomplish our goals!

In Him, Vickie Luckenbach, Sr. Warden

Presentation by David Spencer

On January 3, David Spencer spoke to the Lost and Found Class about his experience as a prosecuting attorney with the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR.) The ICTR’s mandate was to find and prosecute those most responsible for the 1994 genocide. Spencer is a lawyer and had been teaching international criminal law at Texas State University when he was selected for this role. While disappointed in the number of individuals tried and punished, Spencer noted that the ICTR did make a landmark decision to classify rape as a war crime. It also set a precedent for the later criminal tribunal in Yugoslavia.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

The Encouragers Class will host the annual Pancake Supper from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., on February 9.

Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the ritual of shriving in which Christians confess their sins and receive absolution for them. We know that this tradition is at least 1000 years old because a monk in the Anglo-Saxon Ecclesiastical Institutes wrote, “In the week before Lent, everyone shall go to his confessor and confess his deeds and the confessor shall so shrive him.”

Shrove Tuesday is also the last chance to indulge before Lent. In the past, many Christians did not eat such foods as meat, sweets, fats, eggs and milk during Lent. Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday because they used up the eggs, fats and milk in the house, foods that would not last the 40 days of Lent.

MMO Update

Happy New Year! We ended the budget year in the plus column – yeah for us! We have tfive new students and that brings us up to 39 children to minister to in MMO. When the weather is nice outside, we get to enjoy the playgrounds and take the younger children on buggy rides around the block. When we have cold or rainy days, we are blessed to be able to play in the Parish Hall. The one downside to colder weather has been the number of children and teachers who have been sick or plagued by allergies. We encourage sharing but try to be vigilant about not sharing germs. Not an easy task with preschoolers.

Thank you all so much for your support of Mom’s Morning Off with your prayer support, words of encouragement and monetary gifts. It is such a blessing to be a part of a generous and caring church family. Come join us some Wednesday morning at 10:30 a.m. for Chapel. The children love to sing and recite the Lord’s Prayer with Father Jeff.

January 13 was Pajama Party Day and we encouraged the office staff to join us for a relaxing day in their jammies, too!

May God bless you in the coming year.

Outreach Committee

Tom Christofferson, Chair

As Father Jeff likes to remind us “everything we do as Christians is outreach.” Outreach can be a challenging church word to pin down. It’s even harder to describe it in the church budget.

With the hope of greater efficiency, focus, and impact, and not just to confuse further, there is a new Outreach Committee at St. Barnabas in 2016. Tom Christofferson, Susan Kimbrell, and Tom Taylor have agreed to serve staggering terms of one, two, and three years to ensure continuity in the future. The committee budget comes from several sources: the non-budget Outreach Fund ($16K) and a donation from the Endowment Committee ($4K); the Vestry is pledging an annual contribution of $10K from the church budget. The committee will also accept undesignated monetary gifts from parishioners.

Father Jeff has charged the committee to consider “significant projects of universal giving that do unimpeachable good.” These may include those organizations supported by the previous outreach committee. In December, the committee received its first request, the funding of a single water well ($10K) through the Diocese of West Texas Water Mission. Parishioners who are aware of worthy outreach endeavors are encouraged to contact any of the committee members to learn how to submit a request.

M EETINGS & M INISTRIES ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS

B IRTHDAYS :

Wednesday—6 p.m. in CEB

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

Sun Mon Tues Wed Fri Sat 8 p.m. in CEB Spanish Speaking Meeting Sun & Mon 6:30 p.m. in CEB Thurs, Closed Meeting (Women) 7 p.m. in CEB

1st 4th 7th 9th

AL-ANON

Monday—6:30 p.m. in CEB Friday—6:30 p.m. in CEB

BELL CHOIR

Wednesday—4:30 p.m. in CEB

BIBLE STUDIES

Monday—7 a.m. in Library Thursday—10 a.m. in CEB

CHOIR

Tuesday—7 p.m.—Encourager Room

DAUGHTERS OF THE KING

2nd Saturday of the Month 9:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary

LIBRARY GUILD

1st Thursday of the Month 10 a.m. in the Library

MEN’S BREAKFAST

Thursday—7 a.m. in Parish Hall

MMO (MOM’S MORNING OFF)

Monday & Wednesday—9 a.m.

VESTRY

3rd Monday of the Month—5 p.m. in Conference Room

WISDOM SCHOOL

Gospel of Thomas Tues—11:30 a.m. in Library A View from the East Seasons of Glory Thurs—6 p.m. in the Parish Hall

10th 11th 14th 15th 17th

20th 22nd 23rd

February

Jan McGrath Maddie Squires Debbie Gorden Melinda Pornphet Jack Henderson Tom Carnes Ben Rodgers Tex Schofield Lee Ann Montandon Cheryl Hill Michael Ezarik Haley Howle James Drury, Jr. Charleen Miller Graves Cowsar Martha Zimmerman Harvey Coe Mattie Lastovica

24th 25th 26th 27th 28th

Carl Money Jon Goff Martha Craig Fran Hubbard Allison Young Robert Mosley The Rev. Anne Finn

A NNIVERSARIES : 7th 10th 11th 14th 15th 16th 19th 25th 27th

Charles & Dianna Green Bailey & Marilu Reynolds Larry & BetLu Roquemore George & Cynthia Edmonston Tom & Beverly Carnes Frank & Ellen Pieslak Jack & Lorri Kendrick Milo & Ann Shult Robert & Karen Welch

Ash Wednesday † February 10, 2016 Holy Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes 7:00 a.m.

12:00 noon 6:00 p.m.

Many thanks to Bruce Good and Judy Taylor who are currently taking the church’s recycling.

Return Service Requested

CHURCH CLERGY AND STAFF: Rector: The Rev. Jeff Hammond Lay Pastoral Minister: Morey Weldon Clergy Associate: The Rev. Dr. Dyana Orrin Clergy Associate: The Rev. Anne Finn Parish Administrator: Rachael Cole Office Assistant: Carol Schreider Director of Music: Hazel Hanson Lay Ministry Coordinator: Steve Neale Mom’s Morning Off Director: Sue Gustin Nursery Director: Madeline Clanton Housekeeper: Patty Ramirez

Anglican Prayer Beads Workshop All parishioners are invited to make their own Anglican prayer beads at a workshop on Saturday, February 13, at 10:00 a.m., in the Parish Hall. Anglican prayer beads were developed in the 1980s by U.S. Episcopalians as a way of ordering prayer. This workshop is hosted by the Daughters of the King.

The prayer bead sets consist of 33 beads divided into four groups of seven with additional larger beans separating the groups. The number 33 signifies the number of years Christ lived on earth, while the number seven signifies wholeness or completion of the earth, the days of creation and the seasons of the church.

You will need to bring these supplies:       

A small cross that can be strung on a string.

One large invitatory bead or charm Four large beads, to separate the groups of seven beads 28 small beads 36 smaller beads to separate the other beads Scissors PATIENCE AND A LOVING SPIRIT!

All beads should have holes large enough for a string. We will supply string, instructions, coffee and encouragement. You can use your old jewelry and crosses in your prayer beads if you wish.

Let us know if you are planning to attend by calling 997-6257.