The Newsletter of Saint John’s Episcopal Parish, Hagerstown, Maryland SOUNDINGS October 2017 Rector’s Ramblings on . . . Respecting the dignity of every human being? HOO – RAH! Football season is here. As you probably know by now, I’m a big fan of the game. Yes, it has it’s problems – it’s violent, it’s injury-prone, there are long-term issues that we are just now beginning to understand. I personally don’t believe children lower than the 7th grade should be playing tackle football. And there are any number of other issues surrounding the sport with which we should be concerned. But I do love it. People ask me all the time, “Who is your favorite team?” Honestly, since I became an official I really don’t root for anyone but the guys in stripes – with two exceptions: I will always be a fan of the WSU Cougars, and, being from the PNW, the Seattle Seahawks will always be my go-to team in the NFL. All that said, one of the reasons I like football so much is because it resembles, or can be used as a metaphor, for both life in general and the church in particular. It requires people to work together. ere are obstacles to overcome. It has both short-term and long-term goals. And, like our ministry fair, it utilizes the many talents of many different people. e game of football has very specific rules that govern the actions of players and coaches. Likewise, there are some very specific rules that govern this body we call the church. Some of those rules have to do with player safety – and this is why we insist that our volunteers take the Safeguarding training, so that
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The Newsletter of Saint John’s Episcopal Parish, Hagerstown, Maryland
SOUNDINGSOctober 2017
Rector’s Ramblings on . . . Respecting the dignity of every
human being?HOO – RAH! Football season is here.
As you probably know by now, I’m a big fan of the game. Yes, it has it’s problems – it’s violent, it’s injury-prone, there are long-term issues that we are just now beginning to understand. I personally don’t believe children lower than the 7th grade should be playing tackle football. And there are any number of other issues surrounding the sport with which we should be concerned. But I do love it.
People ask me all the time, “Who is your favorite team?”
Honestly, since I became an official I really don’t root for anyone but the guys in stripes – with two exceptions: I will always be a fan of the WSU Cougars, and, being from the PNW, the Seattle Seahawks will always be my go-to team in the NFL.
All that said, one of the reasons I like football so much is because it resembles, or can be used as a metaphor, for both life in general and the church in particular. It requires people to work together. There are obstacles to overcome. It has both short-term and long-term goals. And, like our ministry fair, it utilizes the many talents of many different people.
The game of football has very specific rules that govern the actions of players and coaches. Likewise, there are some very specific rules that govern this body we call the church. Some of those rules have to do with player safety – and this is why we insist that our volunteers take the Safeguarding training, so that
we can be more alert and aware of what is going on in order to keep our players/members safe. Some of those rules let us know how the game is played – for us Episcopalians, we call those rubrics – and they let us know what we can generally expect from Sunday to Sunday and parish to parish.
One of my favorite stories comes from a game I worked in the small town of Glendale, OR. The head coach of the JV team only had 11 players (they played 8-man football), and were almost always on the losing end of games. During a timeout he told his players, “I’m running out of plays that don’t work!”
As you might guess, that became the subject of a Ramblings article in which I asked the congregation to think about what we might be doing that is no longer working.
I was working a game here recently and the visitors ran a play up the middle. It gained maybe five yards and, as usual, there was a pile of players at the end of the play. As they were unpiling, a member of the home team grabbed the arm of an opponent and helped him to his feet. From the home sideline I heard a coach yell, “We don’t help the other team up!!”
Football is like church. Coaches are like clergy in that what they say is often taken as gospel truth. Teams are like congregations in which the team/congregation will take on the personality of the leader.
If the coaches from that team are teaching their players not to help up their opponents, what else are they teaching them? They are teaching them that it’s okay to not respect the other person. They are teaching them that only their players have value. They are teaching them that they are involved in a win-at-all-costs zero-sum game.
And, unfortunately, there are plenty of churches out there who preach the same message.
The churches and clergy leaders who preach that message will use any number of pre-selected, and limited, biblical passages in order to enforce their restrictive, us-first beliefs on others. Things like: Wives must submit to their husbands; women should keep silent; the Jews were responsible for killing Jesus; and a few other clobber verses taken out of context used to suppress rather than liberate.
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How do we play the game here at St. John’s?
I would hope that we play it like that player who reached out to help his opponent up from the ground. Rather than focusing on and living by those few clobber verses, I would hope we would focus on and live by the many verses that liberate and uplift those around us. Verses like: you shall love the stranger; when an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow; do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God; feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick; love one another; do not repay evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all; let us love in truth and action.
As Christians these are the verses we should focus on in living out our calling as followers of God in Christ. As Episcopalians we can fall back on our baptismal covenant to proclaim the Good News of God in Christ, to seek and serve Christ in all persons; and to respect the dignity of every human being.
It just may be that Grantland Rice was correct: For when the One Great Scorer comes to mark against your name, he writes – not that you won or lost – but HOW you played the game.
As we go through this game of life, may we play it like he who helped up his opponent rather than like he who wants to keep his opponent down on the ground. Yes, we can have our difference. Yes, we may oppose each other at times. Yes, we may have different goals. But there is no reason why we can’t do that while also respecting their dignity as a fellow human being.
Blessings,
Todd+
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A BOLD Stewardship Campaign BeginsGoals –
• Increase pledging individuals/families to at least 150• Increase total amount pledged by at least 7% to $350,000• Achieve incremental personal increases by encouraging propor-
tional giving.Objectives –
• Maintain all current pledging units• Encourage non-pledging givers to become pledgers• Encourage non-givers to become givers• Encourage pledgers to consider the 10% Biblical tithe for giving• Encourage all to achieve incremental increase in amount given to
support our people and programs. Ingathering Celebration – November 12Please be alert to all means of communication.
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Talent Show!At the request of several youth at St John’s, we are organizing a youth talent show following the 10:15 service on October 8th. Interested youth should contact Margaret Clinch at [email protected] with what talent they’d like to share with the group.
Youth GroupIs always open to any youth in the church in 6th grade and up who is interested in at-tending. Our normal schedule of Youth Group activities is for the first Friday of every month. These will range from movie and discussion topics, board game nights, outside ac-tivities like skating or swimming, and moving forward, hopefully an even broader range. We bookend and frame our activities with prayer, beginning with joining into the larger parish’s Evening Prayer at 5:30 pm on Fridays, and concluding our own evenings with Compline.
Our September Planning meeting saw us plan out youth events from October through De-cember. Our October First Friday will see us meet at the church, then visit either the Islamic Center or the local Synagogue to learn more about their worship services and beliefs. We’ll wrap up with ice cream and a check-in discussion. Additionally in October we will host a Halloween party on Friday, October 27th for the younger kids in our parish.
November’s First Friday will be a movie and discussion night, focusing on Toy Story. We are also working on organizing a Rake and Run date for November, where we will go out and rake leaves for people who are finding it harder to get their own lawns done. If you know of a parishioner who would appreciate the youth group helping out, please let us know! Other-wise, we will be visiting our neighbors around the church to see if they need assistance.
And December’s First Friday will focus on our scripture and traditions, with a Bible study of the two birth narratives of Jesus and a discussion of where many of our Christmas traditions came from.
Volunteer Opportunities!We can always use more volunteers who want to interact and be present in the lives of our youth at St John’s. If you are interested in helping out, or want to know more about what types of volunteering are most needed, please contact Margaret Clinch and she will be glad to put you to work! A perennial volunteer opportunity is Children’s Chapel: exploring the Sunday’s gospel lesson with children in grades 6 and under during the first half of a Sunday service.
Youth Update
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Music NotesSaxophone and Piano Concert – Eastern Echos
The third concert in the 2017Music at Saint John’s Series will take place on Friday, October 6 at 7:00 p.m. The concert, featuring Shepherd University music faculty Yu-Hsuan Liao, assistant professor of music (piano), and Jeremy Koch, adjunct music professor (saxophone), will include a variety of music, including Asian-in-spired pieces.
“Both saxophone and piano are western instruments, however we discovered several interesting compositions that were written in the last two decades by Asian composers,” Liao said. “They used contemporary western compositional technique to give the musical idioms such as ancient Chinese music and folk songs that are so essentially eastern a new twist. We are very excited to present this unique pro-gram.”
Be sure to invite a friend or neighbor to attend this creative program. The program is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the concert.
Halloween ConcertThe local Cumberland Valley and Chambersburg Chapters of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), are sponsoring a Spooktacular Halloween Concert on Friday, October 27, 7:30 p.m. at Mercersburg Academy Chapel. Area musicians including Mark King will perform in the concert. The program is geared toward children, as well as adults. People are invited to dress in costume. Trick or treat candy will be given to children at the end of the concert. Our children and youth choirs will be attending this fun event. The program is free and the public is invited to attend.
Halloween PartyThe Saint Francis Choir (children) and Canterbury Choir (youth) will have their Halloween Party on Monday, October 30 at 5:30 p.m. including a costume contest and fun Halloween food.
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Many ThanksThanks to everyone who participated in the South Prospect Street Porchfest in many ways: greeters, docents, musicians, providers of baked goods and bottled water, people who set up and cleaned up, and everyone who attended the event.
Many Thanks – Part 2Thank you to the many people who were involved with the Haitian Youth Choir Concert: organizers, providers of food and bottled water for lunch, dinner and reception; people who set up and cleaned up; and providers of lodging.
October Carillon Recitals at Mercersburg AcademyOctober 1 – Steven Ball (Atlantic City, NJ), October 8 – Julia Littleton (Washing-ton DC), October 15 – Jim Brinson (Mercersburg Academy), October 22 – Ed Nassor (Washington DC). The recitals begin at 3:00 p.m. and are free and the public is invited to attend.
Biblical Reference to Trumpets - #1The Lord said to Moses “Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together. The trumpet blast will be the signal for setting out. The sons of Aaron, the priests are to blow the trumpets. At times of rejoicing – feasts and festivals – you are to sound the trumpets.” – Numbers 10: 1,2,6, 8, 10
Choral Evensong in NovemberChoral Evensong for the Sunday after All Saints’ Day will take place on November 5 at 5:00 p.m. More information will appear in the November issue of Soundings.
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THANK YOUS - ST. JOHN’S DAY!
I want to thank the wonderful team who worked together to make St. John’s Day possible this year! There were many compliments for the day, and I really wanted to let you know how this day was created and how our ministry has been enhanced.
To get us started, Fr. Todd practically ran to his office after Coffee Hour one Sunday to work on developing a theme for St. John’s Day. J We searched through scriptures and discussed thoughts to recognize and expand our individual gifts of ministry within our Parish through “MANY PEOPLE, MANY GIFTS.” We chose I Corinthians 12:4 to suc-cinctly describe our theme through God’s Holy Word. A team was then quickly formed to work out details for St. John’s celebration, September 10. I’d like to express my sincere honor and appreciation to work with Deanna Soulis, Bob & Susan Rauth, Bruce Massey, Gerrie Mangum, Cathy & Frank Bushey and Mary Lou Brooks. Each brought distinct gifts to the table, and what a joy it was to see them evolve for St. John’s Day. The Team talked, inspired each other, laughed together, developed an activity, decided on how to present posters for parish participation, called on many of you to prepare food, set up tables and decorate the room. THANK YOU, ONE & ALL! It was truly great fun, from beginning to end!
We also thank our Jr. Warden, Dusty Graham, for providing activities shared by each Commission for the posters and organizing Vestry participation; Margaret Clinch for put-ting together a great power point slide show on the ‘big screen’; all the parishioners who took pictures to document ‘Our Day’; Pat Abeles for washing a lot of dishes and helping to clean up the kitchen; plus all others who cleared & cleaned tables and put them away. AGAIN, THANK YOU ONE & ALL!
Lastly, we’d like to report that the Blue Sheets were reviewed showing what many of us like to do. At least 14 areas of ministry include many new names of participation. We will see additional lectors, chalicist(s), musicians, greeters, LEMs, ushers, office helpers, photographers, those who like to teach and/or work with youth, more help in the kitch-en, additional financial minds, visitors, a caller to remind others of their commitment(s) made, writers, etc. WE ARE TRULY BLESSED BY EACH OF YOUR GIFTS! SEEN & UNSEEN! May God grant us wisdom, grant us knowledge and grant us courage!
Submitted by Betty Markle
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Name Tags as an Act of Hospitality
As all, or most, of you know by now, we have ordered new name tags to replace our exist-ing lanyard name tags that were created last year before my arrival. Those name tags were created to help me get to know everyone here at St. John’s, and it has worked well. But I wasn’t the only person who benefited from this – many people have said that they appre-ciated finally knowing the names of people they’ve sat next to, sometimes for years, on Sundays.
These new name tags are professionally made with the Episcopal shield on them and the phrase, “St. John’s Welcomes You.” They are white with black lettering, so they are easy to read. And they come in either pin or magnet style. After the initial run, we put out a sheet for those whom we missed, spelled wrong, or ordered the wrong type.
I have run into some people, however, who don’t want to wear a name tag because, “Ev-erybody knows me.”
No, they don’t.
St. John’s is a large parish and not everyone knows everyone else, especially when we combine the 8 o’clock and 10:15 services. Plus, in the past month we have had several new people come into our church – people who plan on making St. John’s their parish home. As we continue to grow, there will be more and more people who don’t know you.
The new name tags are here. A second order is being placed shortly. Please remember to wear your name tag at any and all church functions – Sunday morning for sure, but also concerts, fundraisers, and any other time our parish family gathers together.
It’s always nice to address someone by a name other than, “Hey, you.” And the name tags, when worn on non-Sunday events, identify you as a member of the St. John’s and may lead to a conversation about the church.
So please, be hospitable to others and extend hospitality to strangers by wearing your name tags.
Thank you,
Todd+
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The Kitchen
As everyone knows by now the kitchen has undergone a renovation. Many if not all of the appliances have been relocated to new locations in the floor plan and new items have been installed. I will attempt to give you a brief tutorial as to the operation of the new equip-ment.
The half wall was lowered slightly to make it easier to serve large meals and addition-al outlets were installed for convenience. The small hand sink close to the windows was removed for space considerations but the sink in the stainless steel table is still there with new faucets. The old steam table that set on the side of the half wall towards Trimble Hall is gone and in its place are some relocated cabinets. The ceiling mounted heater that was located above the side entry door and all of its controls are gone. The heating and air con-ditioning of the kitchen are now handled solely by the new ceiling unit close to the large sink, but the thermostat was relocated to back of the wall where the remaining small hand sink is located. The phone was relocated under the speaker that allows the kitchen staff to listen to the Church service.
A new hood was installed on the east wall of the kitchen and of course the stove and a new gas grill have been relocated under it. I am told by some that at one time this was the location of the stove. It’s the same stove as before so everyone knows how to operate it. The gas grill is new and has been set up and is ready to use. It is a dual control unit so the temperature can be regulated on either side. The new hood operates a little differently than the old one. The lights for the hood operate from the same wall switch as before. It is located on the wall just inside the door next to the refrigerator and is part of the bank of switches which control the new LED ceiling lights. The fan controls, however, are located on the corner of the hood closest to the freezer. They may be a little difficult to reach and somewhat confusing to operate but do not worry. The hood has a sensor built into it so that it senses a rise in temperature when someone starts to cook and will come on auto-matically, adjust its speed as needed and shut itself off when the temperature drops. So there should be no need to adjust the controls on the hood. A new roof was installed over the entire kitchen area so NO LEAKS!
Many of the cabinets were relocated and there is still some work to be done on their reor-ganization so you may need to search a little for some items.
So feel free to wander into to the kitchen and look around and get use to the new sur-roundings.
Also remember, when you see him, to thank Charlie Chaney for his untiring devotion to this project. I feel certain that without his dedication and follow through on this project
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The Christmas Boutique Collections to Start Now that school has started and the holidays are just around the corner, it is time to start collecting items for our second annual Christmas Boutique. We are looking for items that would be appropriate as gifts, and of course, Christmas-themed décor, all of which should be in good to excellent condition. The proceeds of this activity may be The Rector’s Discretionary Fund, and/or another recipient, yet to be determined. Ideas: board games, jigsaw puzzles, working electronics; collectibles such as figurines, nice jewelry, pictures, table linens, craft supplies such as knitting and crocheting materials and tools, beads, clay, paints and paintbrushes; home décor, kitchen items, cookbooks, children and adult level books, CDs, DVDs, media players, pottery, decorative pillows, needlework (shawls, scarves, hats and gloves), working small appliances and lamps, small pieces of fur-niture (good condition), infants’ and children’s toys, and so forth. If you have something you would like to donate but are not sure if it is appropriate, just give me a call or e-mail me, and I will get back to you promptly. As last year, there will be two large cardboard boxes on the stage in Trimble Hall marked “Christmas Boutique Donations”. If you have questions or would like to participate in this fun event please let me know! Melissa Hutton, 240-625-6550 [email protected]
Refresh, Re-energize Yourself! Come to the Quiet Day!The Daughters of the King are sponsoring a Quiet Day for all interested persons Saturday, Oc-tober 14 from 10-3 p.m. It is not just for members or women; everyone is invited. Fr. Todd will lead a series of meditations on the theme of Forgiveness. Daughters will provide a continental breakfast of bagels and fruit as well as coffee and tea. Please bring a bag lunch. There is no cost, but please call the office to register (301 733-2560) so that we will have enough materials for everyone.
Do your spirit a favor—come to part or all of the day as your schedule dictates. For more in-formation, contact Karla Davis or Evvie Williams.
it would never have happened. Also thank Bill Soulis for lending his expertise in creating the drawings and paperwork for the City in order for us to get our permit.
But most of all I want to personally thank everyone in the Church for financially supporting this large undertaking. I am always amazed at the willingness of our members to support all of our worthwhile causes.
Bob Rauth
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From the Christian Formation Commission:
Sunday morning Christian Education at St. John’s is back in session. We have offerings for ages 4 through adults, beginning at 9am on Sunday mornings. New participants are always welcome. If you are bringing a new child to one of the classes, please stop to fill out a registration form and leave it with the teacher. Classes for children ages 4 through high school meet in the classrooms above Trimble Hall. The classes for children in pre-K through 5th grade are divided into Primary (pre-K through first grade) and Elementary (second through fifth grade.) The Primary class is taught by Tracey Happel, Annie Malloy, and Margaret Clinch. The Elementary Class is taught by Nicole Martin and Bet-sy Mummert. These classes are continuing with the Episcopal Children’s Curriculum, a three year cycle which explores the Bible, the church calendar, liturgy and sacraments. The Middle/High School class is led by Joelene Young and Paul Mackey. They are beginning the two-year program of Journey to Adulthood, or J2A, which has been used widely in the Episcopal Church. J2A uses Bible study, prayer, rites of passage, and outreach ministries to help the teens discover their place in the world and God’s family. During their time in J2A, teens learn and practice skills basic to adulthood while they continue toward becom-ing adult members of the church. Joelene and Paul were both pleased to have so many young people join the class, and were excited to see that the kids were interested in work-ing through the J2A program. Everyone involved knows that it is going to take commit-ment and involvement from each participant, and they are all excited to begin the work together.
Adult ForumAdults gather in St. Mary’s chapel at 9am. We are currently watching “God, the Devil, and Bob,” a 13-episode animated series that is both humorous and thought-provoking. After each episode we spend some time discussing topics and questions that arise. New participants are always welcome to join in.
JDOKS UPDATE: Bester Gift Bags Now that Autumn is here and temperatures are dropping, at our meeting on September 24, 2017 we discussed our Fall community project which is coordi-nating with Bester Elementary School. We will be putting together a small gift bag for 10 children. In the bags will be a sweater, sweatshirt, or hoodie, cool socks, and crayons, makers, or color pencils.
Maya Wells.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAYTeddy Cozia 10/2 Marcia Mcknight 10/4 Adriana Cox 10/5 Haley Burkholder 10/6 Becky Seekford 10/6 Mickey Wellman 10/6 Laura Wright 10/6 George S Brody 10/7 Ronald Heiston Sr. 10/7 Elizabeth Durham 10/8 Brian Miller 10/8 Anne Morin 10/8 Connor Abeles 10/9 Jacques Hager 10/9 Pat Abeles 10/10 Ronald Williams 10/11 Frank Bushey 10/12 Howard Whittington 10/12 Lyn Norris 10/13 Sue Sowers 10/14
William Beard 10/15 Michael Harbaugh 10/16 Emily Slocum 10/16 Helen Cook 10/17 Sarah Stanton 10/18 Susan Connolly 10/20 Corie Cozia 10/20 Marty Massey 10/20 Josephine Anderson 10/21 Gaye McGovern 10/21 Susan Rauth 10/21 Dayton Tweedy 10/21 Grace Miller 10/24 Richard Ramsey 10/25 Kevin Magno 10/26 Juanita Burger 10/27 Mark Cook 10/27 Jose Velazquez 10/29 Khalea Pointer 10/30 Lee Mangum Jr. 10/31
Happy Anniversaries! Charles & Lee Brining 10/5 Allan & Tammy Martinez 10/5 Ronald & Evvie Williams 10/9 Mark & Julie Creedon 10/12 David & Nicole Martin 10/14 Donald & Dolores Carpenter 10/15 Bill & Janice Seekford 10/15 Christopher & Ann Dillard 10/16 Kevin & Sareen Hebb 10/17 Christian & Julie Wright 10/18 David Davis & Dan Meyer 10/19 Ethel & Zach Myers 10/20 Jason & Tracey Happel 10/23 Ronald & Nancy Heiston 10/29
