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St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church

A Spiritual Oasis Where Lives are Transformed
Volume 22; Issue 03
April 2005

As you enter the parking lot of St. Jude the Apostle Church, you will notice a sign saying: “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You.” The clergy and the laity of our parish do their best to welcome those who come to our campus for the first time. Episcopalians, on the whole, are very friendly people, and delight in showing hospitality to those who come for a visit. We always hope (of course) that they will return and become part of our community of faith. One of the ways a Christian can know how well s/he has integrated her faith is by how much she reaches out in hospitality to others. Hospitality (i.e. kindness and generosity) are tell tale signs of the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

We are now in the midst of Holy Week which began with the celebration of Palm/Passion Sunday as well as an Interfaith Service for Peace. This week, we will be seeing many new faces on campus. While it is easier to welcome one or two new folks on a Sunday, it becomes increasingly more difficult to welcome many, many new visitors. Please take the time to show hospitality to our newer folks. Be especially aware of our newcomers and visitors who join us in Holy Week Services. Take the time to visit during the coffee hour, help families with children, assist newcomers with the complexity of the liturgy. Offer to show newcomers the location of bathrooms, the nursery, Sunday School Rooms, and parish hall. Sign up to be a host/hostess at the Maundy Thursday celebration. Bring a treat to share at the 9:00 am coffee hour on Easter Sunday. Park across the street (on Easter Day) so that newcomers can have a parking place nearer to the church. How people experience their first visit usually determines whether or not they will return.

This is my seventh Holy Week at St. Jude’s. I continue to look forward to this exceptional week in the life of the Church. I want to encourage everyone to especially participate in the worship and community life during this time. On Maundy Thursday at 6:30 p.m., we will have a special remembrance of the Lord’s “Last Supper” with Holy Communion, a simple soup supper, and singing in the parish hall. A quiet but profound liturgy concludes in the Church. Call the church office to sign up for the Maundy Thursday meal if you haven’t done so yet and let us know if you need childcare for babies and very young children. Families are invited to sit down together as a group. On Good Friday, we have two services at 12:00 noon and 7:00pm, with a special service of Stations of the Cross for children at 4:00pm. The Easter Vigil on Saturday evening, begins with a bonfire at 8:00pm followed by baptism and vigil in the church. During this service, we will hear about God’s saving acts in history. Finally, on Easter Day, we celebrate the resurrection at 8:00 and 10:30am. There will be special coffee hours, and an easter-egg hunt for the children after the 10:30 am service.

May the power of the Holy Spirit, (which offers life in the face of death, light in the face of darkness, hope in the face of despair), fill you with faith, hope, and charity in this season of new life.

Have a Blessed Easter,

 

Peace,

Did You Know?

Easter Resurrection: New Life In Christ
The Rev. Mary Blessing

“Behold, I am making all things new.” This is the theme for St. Jude’s this year. Today, as I stop to imagine how God might be “making all things new” here, I am struck by the way St. Jude’s has been blessed this Winter with more and more families of young children discovering us and choosing us as their church family. Our “spiritual oasis” is filled with the laughter of young children toddling along side smiling parents greeting one another—“Behold, God is making all things new” here at St. Jude’s. Praise God!

Along with this new growth comes the joy and challenge of nurturing new, young people in their spiritual life. Beginning with our youngest members, under a year, up to our more senior members we are called to care for everyone’s spiritual well-being. The way babies know God is present is when they feel loved--cared for in a safe, pleasant environment. Basic human needs must be met: food, shelter, bathroom needs, comfort, safe play things, appropriate books, a place to rest. To that end, our classroom bathrooms and our Nursery are going to be remodeled and refurbished, upgrading and improving toilets, bathroom areas, storage, the wall heater, furnishings and more.

Of course, we know that Christ will be present to our children in the lives of the people who serve them—their parents, our babysitters, teachers, other parents, teens, and other children—but having an upgraded space in which to share the love of Christ will bring a sense of peace and joy to uplift the hearts of all who enjoy our young children’s program. The more improved our space the more likely we will attract and keep even more families who come seeking a positive environment for their children to discover their “new life in Christ.”

As our young children’s Godly Play Chapel grows, we will continue to expand our need for appropriate classrooms. While we do not know the complete layout of future rooms, we know we want our children to continue to grow in their exploration into Biblical stories. We know that it will take more teachers, storytellers, doorpersons, and musicians to lead our Godly Play sessions. We know that with growth comes change. We want that change to be positive for all—for our new families and for those who have been with us for years. We encourage our current members to take time to get to know new members, to invite them to outings, to have their children play and share time together, to share their spiritual explorations with one another, and rejoice together so we all may share NEW LIFE IN CHRIST.

Children’s Sabbath Poem

Pamela O’Brien, Church of the Cross, Erie, PA

I want my children to be

Strong and brave,

To do what they believe to be right

Even when it costs them a lot.

I want my children to be weak,

To know what it means to be lonely

And scared and vulnerable,

And to be able to cry

And to say, “Please help me.”

I want my children to love,

To love a lot, life and other people,

Especially those who aren’t very lovable;

To love buttercups

And red maple leaves,

And gentle snows

And shells that cover ocean beaches

After a storm;

To love hot cider, and clean floors

And great books and classical music.

I want my children to despise,

To despise a lot, pretense and lies

And killing, cruel words

Violent acts and mean tempers,

Diseases that ravage the body and the mind.

I don’t want them to despise pain

And death and endings,

Things that in their essence

Are a part of living.

I want my children to love God

And no matter what,

No matter how dark it gets at night,

No matter what awful something

The light of day exposes,

I want them to never ever

Let go of God.

I want my children

To go to bed each night,

To rise up each morning, hoping,

Beyond that trusting,

Beyond that believing

That God loves them,

That God will never let them go.

Diocesan Communications
Linda Morris

Property Highlights
Tom Dyer

Spring Weeds. The orchard has bloomed and spring rains have accelerated the weeds more than Dean can manage. We need all Property Patrons (and friends) who haven’t done so already to make an extra effort to tend their spaces.

Sunday Schoolers are on the march! Look for storage improvements and classroom upgrades in anticipation of the restroom refurbishment project scheduled to start in early April.

Please report any safety concerns or repair items (such as broken sprinkler pipes) to the Office. Leave problem noted, location, your name and contact information for follow-up.

Spring Cleanup . Mark your calendar and save April 16 th for our all parish workday. More particulars to follow.

Spring Cleaning Our Individual Property Plots
Peggy McNutt

The weather has been beautiful, and the weeds are gloriously happy.  This is a great time to be outside and get our "individual plots" all spruced up.  The church property will be just beautiful for our Easter services.

 Thanks for all of your hard work!  It shows how much we care about our "Spiritual Oasis”.

Attendance
Ned Snow

Attendance at Sunday services in February was up 10% over February 2004.  This is a continued GREAT trend, and is very cool to observe.  It's neat to see so many new families joining our parish family!

Vestry – March
Jim Blessing

There were two major topics of focus this month: areas that we want to address in the coming year; and vestry leadership on short- and long-term parish goals. Many of the goals are well on the way to completion, but a few have had to be set aside for this year. The Vestry acknowledged that without adequate leadership, many goals cannot be achieved. It is desirable that vestry members be directly involved in many of the activities of the parish.

The growing needs of the Sunday school program will be getting additional attention in future vestry meetings, as well as a site safety review and choir area renovation.

The new Vestry reviewed the terms of the past Vestry Covenant (a code of conduct) and agreed on a new set of principles for this year.

Due to a permanent new work schedule conflict, Dave Knapp will not be able to complete this, the final year of his vestry term. The Vestry has appointed his wife, Kay Knapp, to fill his vacant position for the remainder of this year.

Stephen Ministry
Diane Snow

Think Stephen Ministry: You are the front lines of caring ministry in our congregation. Throughout the week, as you meet and greet those around you, think Stephen Ministry. If you see persons who are downcast or struggling through difficult times, think Stephen Ministry. Tell them about this special ministry where they can receive the extra love and care they need to make it through the challenge or crisis they are facing. If you want to request a Stephen Minister please call Betsy Fox Fisher. For more information about the program please call Betsy, or Diane Snow or Jerry Witherspoon .

Future calendar: Commissioning of Stephen Ministers: June 6, 2005

Recycle Cellphones and PDAs
Pat Coles

If you are like me you probably have at least one old cellphone and you aren't sure what to do with it. If so we now have a box at St Jude's where you can drop them, one in the Farmhouse the other in the Parish Hall. If they are still usable they will be refurbished and donated to people who need them for security purposes, e.g. battered women's shelters, etc. If they are unusable they will be disassembled for parts. Be sure to remove any of your private information rom the phones and PDAs prior to contributing them!

This is first an environmental project but the proceeds will be given to help fight breast cancer. For more information go to http://www.recycleforbreastcancer.org/index.htm.

Reminder: Even though you can put ink cartridges in the cellphone container, St Jude's benefits financially if you put your ink cartridges in the INK CARTRIDGE box.

Pat Coles Tells Why She Named St. Jude’s As Beneficiary Of Her IRA
Nancy Symons, Chair of Planned Giving/Endowment Board

I recently sat down with Pat Coles after the memorial service for long-time parishioner Carol Phillips. As usual, Pat was in the trenches setting tables and serving food for the reception that followed. When I asked her why she wanted to leave a legacy to St. Jude’s, she replied:

“St. Jude’s has been at the center of my life for many years. I am so grateful for the blessings I have received at St. Jude’s that I decided to do something that would ensure that future generations have similar opportunities and benefits.

I studied how to structure my gift to achieve the “best bang for my buck.” I decided that the best method tax wise would be to name St. Jude’s as one of the beneficiaries of my IRA (which rolled over from my Hewlett Packard 401(k)) since IRA’s are subject to both income tax and estate tax at death. By naming a charity, my gift could escape both taxations”.

I then told Pat that I wanted to pass on her story. She was somewhat reticent, especially since Pastor Karen had just talked on vainglory at the previous Lenten Series lecture. I persuaded Pat to let me write this article with the argument that her witness is valuable. I truly believe that we are not vain, when we witness an act that serves God and motivates others to do otherwise. Pat agreed, hoping that her story might prompt others to consider making a similar decision.

If you have questions about naming St. Jude’s as sole or partial beneficiary of your IRA or other tax-deferred account, please contact Nancy Symons.

Restorative Justice
Mary Souza

AURORA FORUM

At Stanford University

Restorative Justice: Reducing Crime by Reforming Prisoner Experience

Michael Krasny of KQED Radio hosts San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey and visionary Garden Project founder Cathrine Sneed

Thursday, April 14 7:30 pm, Kresge Auditorium

San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey and Garden Project founder and director Cathrine Sneed discuss new and effective approaches to prisoner education now in place at the San Francisco County Jail system in a conversation hosted by Michael Krasny of KQED Public Radio.

Learn more at http://auroraforum.org/

Women’s Getaway Weekend in Arnold
Joellen Stolarik

Save the dates of April 29-May 1 for a fun, relaxing, "hang loose" weekend in God's country...aka Arnold, CA (less than 3 hours east in the beautiful Sierras).

We have 3 cabins (Disney’s, Stolarik’s and Varty’s) ready to accommodate you. You can participate in as much (beach, swimming, golfing, hiking, tennis, kayaking, fishing, snowshoeing?, browsing in local shops and the gold country, wine tasting) OR as little (chatting, reading, sleeping) as you want!

The entire weekend will run $50/person . Sign-ups will be between services on April 10, 17, and 24 and will be on a first come, first served basis with payment due at time of sign-up.

If you have questions feel free to contact Kathy, Joellen or Libby.

Housing:

Disney Cabin (12) - Stolarik Cabin (9) - Varty Cabin (7)

What to bring:

Meals:

Food for Saturday dinner and Sunday brunch will be at the host cabin and will be prepared by the cabin guests.

Directions:

Arnold is 3 hours drive East in the Sierras (4,000 ft.) half-way between Yosemite and Tahoe…east of Angels Camp and Murphys…in the heart of the Gold Country.

Carpooling will be arranged by Kathy and Joellen with specific directions handed out at sign-up time.

 

  

ST. JUDE’S SOCIAL JUSTICE - OUTREACH COMMITTEE

Invites you to participate in seeking ways to fulfill our baptismal covenant to seek Christ, serve our neighbors, strive for justice and peace and respect the dignity of every human being.

Next meeting: April 5, 2005*

7:30 pm

St. Jude’s Parish Hall

*note change of meeting day to the First Tuesday of the Month

 

Adult Education in April
Bruce La Fetra

If you are new to St. Jude's and have young children, there is child care in Room 5 starting at 9:00.

 

Emissaries of Grace: Shannon White Eagle returns to St. Jude’s on April 3
Mary Souza

On Sunday April 3, Shannon Frediani (aka Shannon White Eagle) of The Voices of Angels Foundation will again share with us the power of sung, inspired prayer. As she did in February 2004, Ms Frediani will offer the anthem at both the 8:00 and 10:30 worship services that day. During the Adult Forum, she will tell about the Emissaries of Grace project– using gifts for healing for the incarcerated and others who are isolated.

Ms Frediani’s music uses the power of the voice as instrument (without words) to facilitate deep contemplative prayer, tapping a creative unifying force that transcends boundaries toward the healing of all divisions. Through Emissaries of Grace, The Voices of Angels offers, records and distributes song as prayer to the unheard and disenfranchised voices of the world, those unable to walk out and be in nature, purchase music, or attend worship -- those incarcerated, institutionalized, or isolated.

The Voices of Angels Foundation’s mission is to foster inspired arts for healing in service to our world. Founded in 2000 by Santa Cruz County residents Shannon and John Frediani, this non-profit, ecumenical effort views art as a universal form of spiritual practice and prayer in action. Their activities include :

Don’t miss this powerful experience! Learn how you too might use your gifts as an Emissary of Grace.

To learn more, visit http://www.thevoicesofangels.com/

The editors, Nancy and Allan Chapman, would like to thank the faithful production crew that copies, folds, labels, and mails The View each month.

Updated 4/3/2005
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