June 2015 encourager

Going deeper…

Taking a leap of faith…

Getting off the fence…

These are but a few of the metaphors that speak to the idea that, only through commitment do we encounter the fullness of God in Jesus Christ.

This desire to go deeper and the willingness to leap can take many forms, such as a commitment to regularly read the Bible or other spiritual literature, or to attend a class or Bible study.

But if you are like me, it helps to make such commitments in solidarity with fellow travelers and to place one’s self in a structured environment in which to learn and grow. Precisely because of all these factors St Barnabas is offering a class that addresses this desire to go deeper in faith.

JUNE/JULY 2015 EUCHARISTIC LECTIONARY YEAR B

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 Adult Classes

WEEKDAY WORSHIP 12:00 PM

Thursdays Holy Eucharist & Healing (Chapel)

601 W. CREEK STREET FREDERICKSBURG TX 78623 830-997-5762 stbarnabasfbg@gmail.com

The course, which we are calling Everyone Belongs, will be aimed at newcomers to St Barnabas and the Episcopal tradition but is also appropriate for any person who wants to refresh their knowledge within a community of believers. Participation in the Everyone Belongs can culminate in being Confirmed, Received, or Reaffirmed by the Bishop on his next visit on October 18, 2015.

The course will address such topics as+What it means to be part of a church +An overview of Church History, with a special focus on Anglican/ Episcopal History +The Book of Common Prayer The Sacraments The Creeds The Holy Trinity +Instructed Eucharist in which the different parts of our Sunday Service are explained in terms of their origin and historical significance.

It is my intention to hold the class on six Wednesday nights (5:30-7 p.m.) during the months of July and August: Proposed dates–July 8, 15 and August 5, 12, 19, 26 As I realize the summer months can be busy, this is a tentative schedule that can be adjusted. Please call or email me with any questions.

Father Jeff

Understanding Confirmation, Reaffirmation and Reception Confirmation Baptism is the ancient entry rite into the Church. In baptism, we affirm that we belong to the God who is made known to us in Jesus, and we promise (or, if we are infants or very young children, promises are made on our behalf) to live our lives in accordance with this deepest truth about who we are and whose we are. Confirmation in the Episcopal Church is a sacramental rite in which a baptized person makes a mature and public affirmation of the promises that are usually made at baptism by parents and godparents. After making these affirmations, a bishop in apostolic succession lays hands on the candidate and prays a prayer of confirmation. (See the Book of Common Prayer for the promises made at Holy Baptism, pp. 299-308, and for the proceedings at the service of Confirmation, pp. 413-419.)

Reaffirmation Reaffirmation is for people who have already been confirmed in the Episcopal Church. Some people presented to the bishop during the service of Confirmation are there to “reaffirm” their Christian vows. These might be people who have been away from the church for a period of time and want to make a new beginning. Others might sense that they are at a new stage in their spiritual life and want to affirm this in ritual.

Periodically, a spouse, fiancé or parent who is already a confirmed Episcopalian will go through reaffirmation as a way of honoring his or her family member's decision to become a confirmed Episcopalian, saying in effect, “We are in this together.” We all go through many changes in our life’s journey, and reaffirmation provides a rite for those who want to take stock of their religious and spiritual life anew.

Reception Reception is a way of honoring anyone who has made a mature confession of faith in any other denomination by saying, in effect, we recognize and honor your spiritual journey in another fellowship, and we welcome you into the fellowship of the Episcopal Church, as you continue that journey. The bishop lays hands on the person being received and says, “We recognize you as a member of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church, and we receive you into the fellowship of this Communion” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 418).

So, if you have not been confirmed or received by a bishop in apostolic succession, you may choose either confirmation or reception, although tradition might nudge you toward confirmation.

May 10 Confirmation Eight St. Barnabas youth were confirmed by Bishop Bill Frey on May 10. Pictured left to right are Sam Cowsar, Allison Young, Fr. Jeff, Sydney Cohn, Estella McMurrey, Riley Cohn, Bishop Frey, Graham Hammond, Katya Walker, Maddie Squyres, and Marilee Pankratz.

Commonly Asked Questions "I was baptized as an infant in another denomination, and then my family stopped attending Church. I only began attending again as an adult with my family. I want to join The Episcopal Church, but I don't know if I need to be confirmed, reaffirmed, or received."

We suggest that you be confirmed, because you have not made a mature affirmation of the faith. Your Baptism, once registered in the parish office, makes you a full member of The Episcopal Church. Confirmation is a way for you to reaffirm your faith and remain deeply connected to the Baptism of your childhood.

I was baptized as an adult in another denomination. Should I be confirmed in The Episcopal Church?"

We recommend that you be received into The Episcopal Church. Since Confirmation is a "mature and public affirmation," it would really be redundant for you to make another mature and public affirmation; you made such a affirmation at your Baptism. And, The Episcopal Church honors your commitment to faith. Reception would mean that the bishop publicly recognizes the faith that has been present in your life.

You would be formally welcomed into The Episcopal Church through the laying on of hands. You may want to consider Reaffirmation if you feel your faith has grown substantially in the past few years. Confirmation is a pastoral rite of the Church, so its sacramental nature should connect with your present relationship with God. Am I a "full member" of The Episcopal Church without being confirmed?

Yes. The Book of Common Prayer defines Baptism as "full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ's Body the Church. The bond which God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble." Confirmation is a pastoral rite not an initiatory rite. This means that the sacramental nature of Confirmation connects with our growth in faith and in relationship with God. Through Holy Baptism, we join Christ's Body, either as infants or adults.

What is "apostolic succession"?

Apostolic succession is the teaching that those who have been consecrated (ordained) as bishops represent a direct, uninterrupted line of continuity from the Apostles of Jesus Christ. This teaching confers upon such bishops the authority to confirm church members, ordain clergy (including those newly elected as bishops), and exercise authority in their dioceses. So, those who have already been confirmed in a tradition that consecrates bishops in apostolic succession, do not need to be confirmed again in the Episcopal Church; they are said to be "received."

Report from Kairos

by Bud Parrish

Kairos is a lay Christian Ministry that brings Christ’s love into prisons. Our motto is, “Listen, listen, love, love.” We come as disciples on a journey, not as the source of answers. We don’t control anything. We are just blessed by God to be there, loving and serving Him. Our team was in the Connally Unit May 6–9. Many thanks to those who prayed for us—the prayer chain went around the chapel almost twice. Thanks also to the MMO children for the placemats and the Community of Hope for the poster and to the volunteers who baked 80 dozen cookies. The love was really felt and the Holy Spirit moving.

At the end of the Kairos experience, inmates are asked to describe the impact of the experience. Words can’t do justice to describe a weeping, fearsome, tattooed, former gang member describe the love he felt for the first time, or the inmate who told how he arrived depressed, found love and was taking hope back.

The next Kairos at the Connally Unit will be held October 28-31. Anyone interested in being part of the team, please call Bud Parrish (997-6162) or Ralph Greenlee (864-5227.)

Wrong Again!

By Tom Taylor

For thirty years I have been grumbling about churches that give a miserly portion of their income to causes outside of themselves – what we call outreach. Most churches budget about 4% of their income for outreach, a number that more or less matches individual giving by Christians – which, since the individual number includes donations to church, makes for a rather circular system of giving, basically just taking very good care of ourselves. My question has always been: how can a church expect its members to be generous if it cannot set an example?

Well, St. Barnabas has answered my question. With just two churchsponsored fund-raising projects – for the Zoe Ministries and The Good Samaritan Center – our church, with the help of others in the community, has contributed nearly $100,000 to these two organizations over the past two years. This is equivalent to about 10% of St. Barnabas’ budget, the traditional tithe. I would never have guessed things would work out this well.

Apparently I was overly attached to pre-conceived notions of long standing and firm grip. An all too common malady.

Why has the “special project” model worked so well for St. Barnabas? Perhaps it is because Americans value autonomy, and prefer to make their own judgements about how their charitable donations should be distributed. We don’t want to delegate that choice to a vestry. Our donations to church are for church, where, ideally, people are spiritually formed to be generous. But we wish to express our generosity in ways consistent with personal autonomy, a far cry from the “trust us” values of traditional stewardship campaigns. We seek to join a specific cause that resonates with our personal beliefs. The emphasis on autonomy over trust may or may not be a good thing, but I feel confident that the beneficiaries of our giving don’t much care about the finer points of our motivation. So I look forward to the next St. Barnabas special project, and to being proven wrong, yet again.

Our Graduates

Coy Earley, Fr. Jeff, Austin Spruiell Marilee Pankratz, Andrew Alvarez, Fr. Jeff, Carly McMahon

Walking the Comino

By Jane Good This past fall during a daily walk, I found myself stirred by a deep desire to walk the Camino, also known as The Way or the Santiago Pilgrimage Route.

For around 900 years, thousands of people have been drawn to walk the Camino, to arrive in Santiago and honor the relics of the apostle James or simply, to walk. Drawn by a desire to be healed, to seek a miracle, to fulfill a prison term, to avoid disease, to simply get away, people came from all over Europe. Our son walked it many years ago, so I knew about it, but it was my interest in silence and contemplative living that probably fueled my desire more than anything.

Uncertain whether my temperamental back could handle a big backpack and my body could hold up without reliable sleep, I joined a supported hike.

Support was provided if needed, but we walked independently to each day’s destination.

My journey began on March 15 in a heavy snow in Roncesvalles, Spain in the Pyrenees just across the French border. We stayed in an ancient monastery there in the mountains and received the Pilgrim’s passport and Pilgrim’s blessing in the church the evening before heading out. It was the beginning of one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. The first step on the Camino was exhilarating to say the least. After the first few days I settled in with a 70-year-old Australian woman as a walking partner. She became one of the most important elements of my Camino.

During the next 33 days, we walked through snow, rain, flash flooding, tons of mud, rocks, snow again and then almost three weeks of gorgeous weather. It’s hard to believe, but even the snow and rain and mud and rocks were wonderful. We walked through mountains, rolling hills and gorgeous farmland, through over 350 towns and villages and a few cities, past thousands of religious monuments. As we traveled, winter ended and spring arrived. The path was lined with heather and gorse in full bloom and the hillsides were solid pink. Wildflowers greeted us all through Galicia as we neared Santiago.

Although it was early in the Camino season there were pilgrims on the path. The people we met in the first days became familiar faces, then dear friends. As we got closer to Santiago, the numbers increased, as only 100K are required to receive the Compostela, the certificate of completion. As late as the last day we were making new friends. Most of all, it was a time of “emptying”, a time filled with silence and beauty, free of multi-tasking and mental clutter, but certainly not completely free of difficulties.

On April 17, after walking over 450 miles, I approached the square in Santiago. As I drew closer to the old part of town and had my first glimpse of the cathedral spires, the tears began to flow. In the square, I watched and waited as other pilgrims I had met and known through the journey began to arrive. The scallop shell marker in the center of the square is the final step of the Camino. That evening in the cathedral the giant incense burner, the botafumeiro flew, capping off the journey of a lifetime. The beauty of Spain, it’s people and countryside, the pilgrims I met and most of all the experience that I had will stay with me forever.

Jane Good and her husband Bruce are long-time members of St. Barnabas.

Vestry Happenings May’s Vestry meeting opened with our guest, Robin Cowsar, giving a report on the new kneelers to adorn our altar. The kneeler project has been a six-year journey, with many obstacles overcome. The kneelers are in the final stage now and we hope to dedicate them sometime this summer.

Next up was Everyone Belongs, our ongoing program of making St. Barnabas a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone – newcomers and parishioners alike. The ever-so-gentle shift from being a community of friends to being a friendly community.

On the business agenda were the following:  Outreach realignment  Charter forming the “Biennial Community Outreach Project Committee”  The allocation of surplus budget monies  The revision of St. Barnabas’ Facilities Use Manual  A status report of St. Barnabas’ insurance coverage  Potential projects of present “outreach fund”  The need for a “Master Campus Plan” as there is a pressing need for additional Columbarium Niches  The recently completed work regarding the buildings and grounds  The need to budget for equipment replacement over the next ten years.

(The Jr. Warden has compiled a spread sheet that details the items, their install dates, estimated life years, and estimated replacement costs in 2015 dollars.)

May 2015 Financials Balance Sheet: There was a decrease of about $3K, caused by a $3K expense in the building fund for major plumbing and audio repairs, along with a $2.5K expense for landscaping improvements (plants and trees.) A $1K donation was made to the Dugat MMO Scholarship fund. Activity from other funds was as follows: Copier Fund (-$880), Daughter of the Kings Fund (-$462), Encouragers Fund (-$515).

Monthly Operations: A $6K positive result this month was due to higher pledge and rental income ($4K) and payroll was lower because the quarterly pension payment was made last month. There are non-budgeted expenses of $2K for web programming for the new web site. There is now an overage of $2K on a YTD basis.

MMO: MMO had a small overage of $300 for the month., with a YTD surplus of $6.6K. Enrollment is still high. Next month we expect a larger negative due to minimal income, but continuing payroll for Camp Barnabas.

St Barnabas Financials as of May 31, 2015 May 15 Actuals

Monthly Budget

$ +/Budget

Jan-May Actuals

YTD Budget

$ +/Budget

Annual Budget

Income 40,408 Expenses Staff 17,637 Operating 8,520 Ministry 3,088 Apportionment 5,292

36,063

4,345

189,166

180,315

8,851

432,750

20,675 6,319 3,385

-3,038 2,201 -297

110,078 33,555 17,069

103,375 31,595 16,925

6,703 1,960 144

248,105 75,825 40,600

5,292

0

26,460

26,460

0

63,504

34,537

35,671

-1,134

187,162

178,355

8,807

428,034

5,871

392

5,479

2,004

1,960

44

4,716

Total Expenses Net Income

Eight New Daughters

The St.Barnabas Golf Tournament will be held at LBJ Golf Course on October 23.

Details coming soon!

July 12 The St. Barnabas Picnic will be held in the Parish Hall at noon on July 12.

Jeff will dedicate our biblical garden.

Main dish will be provided.

Please bring your favorite picnic dishes by the first letter of your last name.

A—H I-P Q—Z

Desserts Side Dishes Salads and Munchies

June Anniversaries 6/04 6/07 6/09 6/14 6/26

John & Roylynne Brocksch Mell & Nancy Jackson, Jr. Mike & Cindy Scroggins Jon & Marilee Pankratz Edward & Elizabeth Setterbo Bill & Cheri Snyder John & Christi Sumners Stephen & Alane Fry

July Anniversaries 7/07 7/12 7/14 7/15 7/17 7/26 7/27 7/30

Tom & Judy Taylor Stella & Billy Hill Chris & Katherine Brundrett Jonathan & Sharla Godfrey Harvey & Elizabeth Coe Robert & Ginny Thomason Tom & Janice Christofferson Rex & Mary Lou White Morey & Bill Weldon Richard & Cydney Mickelson

The Daughters of the King installed these new members on June 7: Camille Cohn, Beverly Hall, Rex Ann Hill, Elizabeth Loggie, Marcia Manhart, Diane Smith and Sue Thompson. Nancy Grimes will be installed on July 11.

June Birthdays

July Birthdays

6/01 6/03

7/01

6/04 6/05 6/07 6/08 6/09 6/11 6/12 6/14 6/15

6/18 6/19 6/21 6/22 6/23 6/24 6/26

6/27 6/28 6/29 6/30

Barrett Young Kathy Shearer Pris Williams Sally Gunn Patrick Rudolph Bill Roseberry Ben Massengale June Miller Bobbie Heller Dawn Ouanesavanh Salome Stephens Jenny Swanzy Adam Ezarik Dyana Orrin Molly Rodgers Dudley Kiefer Raleigh Kreuz Kimberly Robertson Henry Jackson Jan Peterson VelAnne Howle Christine Hayden Will Smallwood Jack Kendrick Ellie Seracen Rebecca Rather Bob Bates Billy Hill Bruce Good Susan Kimbrell Rad Kothman Alexis Eager Jazz Mobley Beverly Taylor Cindy Beeman Joe Cross Lucille Rochs Sandy Wuest Luke Wynne-Smith

7/03 7/04 7/07 7/09 7/11 7/12 7/13

7/14 7/16 7/17 7/18 7/19 7/21 7/22 7/24 7/25 7/26 7/28 7/29 7/30 7/31

Lynne Cross Martha Davis Frances Money Stella Hill Jane Elwood Rebecca Williams Luke Cowsar Jim Muncey Evelyn Burns Pam Montandon Stephen McCrummen Michael Swanzey Shelly Kothmann Asher Seracen Thea Setterbo Mike Massengale Tracy Mason Eleanor Russell Mell Jackson, Jr. Jack Daffern Cindy Scroggins Jana Neale Kristina Seracen Haley Klenk Bostyn Woolverton Charlene Gish Rex White Joanie Harris Cydney Mickelson Bill Sadd Rosamond Haertlein Meredith Clements Sara Robertson Marilee Pankratz Carly McMahon Morey Weldon Jennifer Cloudt

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

Meetings & Ministries ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS 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 the CEB Thurs, Closed Meeting (Women)—7 p.m. in CEB

AL-ANON

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

BELL CHOIR

Wednesday—Resumes in August

BIBLE STUDIES

DAUGHTERS OF THE KING

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

EDUCATION FOR MINISTRY–Resumes in September LIBRARY GUILD

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

KNITTING GUILD

Wednesdays—3 p.m. in CEB

MEN’S BREAKFAST

Thursday—7 a.m. in Parish Hall

MMO (MOM’S MORNING OFF)

Monday & Wednesday—Resumes in September

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

VESTRY

CHOIR

WISDOM SCHOOL

Tuesday—Resumes in August

3rd Monday of the Month—5 p.m. in Conference Room Gospel of Thomas—Tuesday—11:30 a.m. in Library