Luke's Log June 2007

My dear friends,                            

We have had an awesome journey through the exciting part of the liturgical year: Advent and Christmas, Epiphany and Lent, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost.  Not to mention the great celebration on May 19 with Bishop Itty of our renewed facilities.  It has been a great series of seasons.  And now we come to the long stretch of green, of “Sundays after” rather than “Sundays of”.  Sometimes this liturgical period is called “ordinary time”. 

I am ready for “ordinary time”.  I am ready to do the regular stuff in regular ways, enjoying the rhythms of the day and the week.  I am looking forward to singing the “standard” hymns.  It will be nice to have a break from intense planning and organization of special liturgies and special events.  Pam and I will be rediscovering what it is like to have just the two of us living in our home, practicing “domestic tranquility.”  Like many of you we look forward to some travel time, being with family and friends, and experiencing some new places as well.

Since this a pastor’s letter in a June newsletter I am duty bound to remind you of the usual, the ordinary things you will find in almost all such letters:  (1) Keep coming to worship during the summer.  (2) Worship in other churches when you are away from home.  (I enjoy receiving your reports and copies of the worship bulletins.)  (3) Keep current in your giving, or even pay ahead if you will be away.  The church’s expenses continue.

Now, wasn’t that easy?  Now for the really important part.

Jesus does not think of you as ordinary.  Jesus thinks you are fascinating, valuable, and extraordinary.  He has invested in you.  All of which seems extraordinary to me, and perhaps also to you.  God wants us, loves us, and thinks we are actually useful to his purposes.  It’s all true, so true that, paradoxically, it’s ordinary.  What seems extraordinary to us—extraordinary love, extraordinary mercy, extraordinary help—is ordinary to God.  If we live into it long enough, it can even become ordinary to us as well. 

God would be pleased if all our deeds of kindness, patience and love were so second nature that we thought them ordinary.  God is pleased when our prayer lives are so routine that we don’t need to decide about praying. 

I pray that for me, and for you, this will be an ordinary summer, in God’s way, a summer of love, of renewal, of peace, of good things given and received. 

Grace and peace to you and yours,

Father Jim

Congratulations to Sam and Amy Marsh, Dennis and Margaret James, who were received into the Episcopal Church on May 19th by Bishop Itty.

to Mary Wineteer, John Barnard, and Bill Cowell, who reaffirmed their baptismal vows with Bishop Itty.

to Don Kane for the wonderful job he did on getting our new facilities started and seeing it through to the completion and dedication on May 19, 2007. 

DEREK SEALS
Please continue to keep Derek Seals in your prayers as he is going through another round of chemotherapy.   If you would like to help the Seals family, an account has been set-up at US Bank in Derek’s name.

SUNDAY SCHOOL OVERNIGHTER!
The Sunday School Overnighter is Saturday, June 9th starting at 4:30pm at St. Luke’s.  Bring

• Squirt gun
• Sleeping bag
• Board games
• A friend

We need someone to make phone calls to all the children who attend Sunday School.  Please R.S.V.P to the office at St. Luke’s (476-2493).

 “CAN” YOU HELP EMILY?
Emily Sanchez has been selected as a member of a “People to People Ambassador” team and will travel to London and Paris in mid-July.  She has to raise all her own funding.  People have been very generous, but Emily still needs a bit more money.  So, she has decided to do a can & bottle drive.

If you could donate any cans, glass bottles or plastic bottles that can be returned for deposit, please bring them to the church or call Emily at 471-1096 and she will gladly pick them up.

VESTRY NOTES

Your vestry met on May 24.  Highlights of the meeting were:

• Celebrated the conclusion of the Handicapped Access work and its dedication by Bishop Itty the previous Saturday.
• Thanked Ken and Marianna Merritt for their gift of a sound system for the hearing impaired, in memory of his mother, former Vestry member Florence Kinney.
• Received various reports, including those of the welcoming task group and the children’s ministry task group.
• Junior Warden Theron Middleton reported on accomplished and planned projects.  The electrical plugs in the Sacristy have been upgraded and a shelf built to store the hearing impaired sound system. Woodwork on some of the parish hall and guild room windows will be refinished this summer.  The windows in the kitchen probably need replacing.  Changing the light fixtures and cleaning the ceiling in the Chapel as well as refurbishing the pews in both the Chapel and Sanctuary are planned projects.
• Finances are typical for this time of year, somewhat behind, but not bad.
• Transferred funds from the Scott and Williams gifts and the Peg Peil and Roland and Arlene Stearns Memorials to pay for most, but not all, the balance on our new landscaping.
• Transferred funds from the Vannice and Gaskill gifts to pay for Stephen Ministry registration.
• Authorized the sale of all but one of the old parish hall folding tables, with funds to help pay for new ones.  (The remainder of the cost of the new ones is a designated gift.)
• Called for a new parish photo directory this fall.
• Set the Church Picnic for 5pm on Sunday, July 8 (Place to be determined).
• Set the next three Vestry meetings dates: June 14, August 23, and September 20.

Full minutes and the current financial report are posted on the bulletin board and available from the office.

FROM OUR PARISH NURSE  
 
Frances Osborne, R.N.

Taking a Chance

Taking chances is something we all do and we have done it since we were born.  We took a chance with our first steps and we took a chance the first time our father or mother let go of the two-wheel bicycle.  If we did not take chances, we would achieve nothing or do nothing.  So, taking chances are worth taking, such as learning to ride a bicycle, learning to ski, going to college, and trying to find a better job.  Some chances are not worth taking.  Weaving in and out of traffic on a bicycle, smoking, doing drugs or following a “something for nothing” dream.

As people get older they become wiser or possibly just conservative.  But, as an older person, it is still good and challenging to try new things.  Start an exercise program, changing your eating habits, or taking an art class are just a few chances we can take.  Therefore, no matter what your age, take a chance and follow your heart.  But toss in a little common sense.  Ask yourself, what is the best that could happen.  Would you be stronger, wiser, and more successful if you succeed?  If you fail would you be hurt physically, would the social and emotional costs be very high, and would you be hurt financially?

As people age, the risks of living alone increase.  Are you willing to take those risks?  If you decide it is worth the risk, why not reduce the risk?  Objectively assess your home.  Do you need grab bars in the bath or a scatter rug, or to get Lifeline?  If you feel that living alone is not worth the risk of a broken bone or dying, then maybe you should consider changing your living arrangements.

Parents should let their children take risks, because taking risks is how we grow and gain self-confidence.  However, parents should also be alert to stopping behavior that is too risky and could lead to serious physical or psychological problems and divert those behaviors to safer alternatives.

So go ahead, take a chance and live life to the fullest, for that is what makes life worth living.

PAINT YOUR HEART OUT
“Paint your heart out” is coming soon.  Prep day is September 1st and paint day will be September 8th.  If anyone in the Parish needs their house painted, applications are available from John Kirschner.  For information on how to qualify for this wonderful project call John at 474-2483.

BIBLE STUDIES FOR ADULTS:

Bible Study
Monday 4pm Bible study has begun a study of the earliest books of the New Testament, starting with Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians. 

The Bible
Deacon Joani’s Wednesday morning Bible study is meeting at 10:00am in the Guild Room. She is doing an over-view of the Bible and Apocrypha beginning with Genesis. All are welcome.  Please make note of the time change.

Genesis
The Wednesday Night Bible study group has begun a study of the Book of Genesis led by Joe and Starr Hungate.  The group meets at 7:00pm at the home of Al and Lucille Fitchell, 1258 Ironwood.  New comers are welcome.  Call Dan and Joan Collins at 476-6169 if you have any questions or need directions to the Fitchell’s.

MUSIC NOTES 

Choir
The Choir will suspend Wednesday evening choir practice for June, July and August.  The choir will continue to lead our singing at the 10:30 Eucharist.  Summer choir members are welcome to join them for one or more Sundays.  Those joining the choir for that Sunday are encouraged to arrive at 9:45am for a warm up and review of that day’s music.  An occasional simple anthem may be prepared as well.  Other musicians are welcome to offer solos, duets, and small ensembles pieces, both vocal and instrumental.     

Bell Choir
The Handbell Choir will be taking the summer off.  Rehearsals will begin again sometime in September.

Praise and Worship Musicians
If you are interested in participating, please contact Ulf Bjorklund at 476-5012 for practice times.

Children’s Choir
Our Children’s Choir has been learning together after the 10:30 service, and will continue to do so on most Sundays.  New singers are welcome.

Summer Hymns
You are invited to use the blue note cards in the pews, or any other method, to request favorite hymns during the summer.  These can be from the Hymnal 1982 or other sources.  We can usually meet all requests.  (If you will be gone part of the summer, you might note when, so we can try to have your favorites when you are in town.)

Help Wanted:  
Visitors for the youth prison.
Helpers for the Park Ministry

UPCOMING HAPPENINGS!
July 8                                       : Church Picnic @ 5:00pm at All Sports Park
September 1 & 8                      : paint Your Heart Out
September 15 & 16                  : Sisters of the Transfiguration, Anglican Spirituality Workshop
October 7                                 : CROP Walk
October 13 & 14                      : Rev George Hemingway – Church planning Workshop
November 1                             : All Saints Day
November 8 & 9                      : Diocesan Convention, Salem
November 10                           : Diocesan Ministry Fair, Salem

MEN’S MONDAY MORNING BREAKFAST
The Men’s breakfast meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month and occasionally on a 5th Monday. Breakfast is at the Gold Miner Cafe on the corner of 7th and “M” streets at 8:15. If you have any questions, you can call the office at 476-2493.

  Brittany Lessard 6/2
Thea Samson  6/7       Zoe Reeder 6/30

If during the past year we have missed any child’s birthday, we apologize.  However, we do need to update our birthday list. So, please call the office with the child’s name and birth date.  Thank you.

CHURCH PICNIC
All are invited to a church picnic on July 8th at 5:00pm at Reinhart All-Sports Park in the Bank of America Pavilion.  Bring some pot luck food.  Burgers, hotdogs, and beverages will be provided.  (A collection will be taken for their cost.)  We will have games for kids and interested adults, and delightful conversation for all.  Come enjoy the weather and the people. 

DAUGHTERS OF THE KING
Daughters of the King met on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 7:00pm.  For the month of May, the meetings will be held at the home of Jean Middleton, 339 Beechwood Dr.  All women of the church are welcome.  If you need directions or information, please call Jean at 218-1516 or the church office at 476-2493.

 CURSILLO

Up coming Cursillo:

October 4 – 7    : Co-ed Weekend Cursillo      Eugene, Oregon

To learn more, please contact the office at 476-2493.

If you are planning on sponsoring a candidate, please get the applications in soon, as spaces are filling up fast.

Applications can be found at www.oregoncursillo.org    for additional information, please contact Tracy Esquerre   tracyesg@aol.com  Communications Chair 2007 Women’s Cursillo.

TABLES FOR SALE
We have 9 eight foot by 3 foot folding tables for sale.  Price will be determined by the market, not to exceed $20.  You may use the sign up sheet on the church office door, or phone, to express an interest.  Proceeds will help pay for our new tables.

LISTENING FOR GOD AT BIG SUR
By Harmony Thayer

I sit in the bright sunshine overlooking the central coastline of California 1300 feet below.  The silence is broken only by occasional birdsong.  This is the Day One in my own private garden at the New Camaldoli Hermitage.  I am one of nine silent retreat guests of the 25 Camaldolese Benedictine monks.

I am here for three days to enjoy serenity, beauty, and peace.   I look forward to rest, worship and perhaps a little spiritual spring cleaning.  As well I seek to learn more about prayer, both private and liturgical, as a dialog: to know more about listening to God. 

After a warm greeting the guest master monk explains the logistics of my retreat.  My room with its garden and expansive ocean view is one of nine.  It is equipped with plates and eating implements which I bring to the kitchen where a simple vegetarian meal is brought in at mid day.  For other meals I help myself to healthful foods.  Total silence is observed at all times in the retreat house and environs.  Conversation is permitted in the book store and on the road.

The road leading to the Hermitage from the Coast Highway winds up the hill for two miles.  As part of private worship, I stroll up and down the road delighting in the spectacular color and variety of spring wildflowers and wildlife around me.  From the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator. 

Retreatants are invited but not required to attend any or all of the four Offices celebrated:  Vigils at 5:30 am; Lauds at 7:00 am; Eucharist at 11:30 am and Vespers at 5:00 pm.  I respond eagerly as the community worship experience is both inspiring and beautiful.  The a cappella voices of the monks resonate within my heart as they chant the psalms.   I have read that Benedictines pray all 150 psalms every two weeks. As Robert Hale states in the book mentioned below, “The Psalms as worship are God’s Spirit-filled Word to us which we through faith make our own and, united with the Word, offer in the Spirit back to the Father.  The dynamic Trinitarian Cycle which is the shape of liturgy, of Scripture, of our whole lives as Christians, is of this nature.”  The parts of the services are framed by long luxurious pauses; time to digest and reflect. Hymns and scripture readings are included, as well as insightful homilies.

After Vespers, monks and retreatants gather to meditate around the periphery of the octagonal chapel.  Presence is palpable.

Father Bruno meets with me for spiritual direction.  Our time together is filled with compassion, warmth and humor.  Father Bruno is the first monk I have ever met.  I now think of him not only as gifted spiritual advisor but also as a dear and delightful friend. 

As I relax into the rhythm of liturgy, meditation, solitude, reflection and private prayer I find myself more able to access the deep, inner core of my soul, which is so easily obscured by the distractions of day-to-day life.  Insights come more easily, clearly and frequently.  Tension fades away.  I rejoice in the freedom of time to write, read or simply sit in the garden and “bliss out” completely without distractions.  This 800 acre space at Lucia, California is a foretaste of heaven.

If you would like to experience a retreat at the New Camaldoli Hermitage, plan well ahead.  Feel free to call or e-mail me if you’d like more detail (472-9716 or harmonythayer@aol.com).  For further reading, Love on the Mountain; The Chronicle Journal of a Camaldolese Monk by Robert Halewill soon be available from the St. Luke’s library.

Ulf Bjorklund:  One of a series of parishioner profiles by Juliette Fischer-Melia

Ulf was born in 1958 in Boden, Sweden which is just south of the Arctic Circle.  He has 5 siblings: 4 brothers and a sister.  His parents emigrated from Finland.  His father was a factory foreman and his mother a homemaker.

Ulf moved at the age of sixteen to Umea.  There he made his decision for Christ through friends on his 22nd birthday in 1980.  The same year, he joined the mission group “Operation Mobilization” (doing outreach through literature), and worked in their book centers in London and Ireland. 

From 1984 to 2003, he worked with Covenant Players – performing in 10 countries, on 3 continents, and in 5 languages.  Included in those countries were Nigeria and Cameron.  Ulf and Kim met each other soon after he started with the Covenant Players.  While directing her in a play, they fell in love and became engaged in 1988.  Ulf had to complete his commitment to Africa, which separated them for 1 ½ years.  They then traveled together in Norway for 1 year before getting married on January 1, 1991.  In central Sweden, they ran an office for Covenant Players for 6 years – from 1993 to 1999, after which they came to USA in December 1999. They then lived in Northridge, Ca. for about 2 years before coming to Grants Pass in 2003.

Ulf has played drum in a band, and plays guitar and keyboard for pleasure.  Another hobby Ulf enjoys is restoring old photographs and he has a business of his own doing this for other people. He reminisces that he has “lived in everything from a hut to a castle”.

Ulf has served as St. Luke’s webmaster, and is currently a member of the Vestry.  We have enjoyed very much the Praise Band that Ulf brought together.  He and Kim will soon be moving
to Portland, and we will miss them dearly.  They were very much part of us and our church.  We wish them success and happiness in all their endeavors.

Stephen Ministers:  The After People

Frequently people will ask, “Exactly what is a Stephen Minister?”  Stephen Ministers are “After People”.

Stephen Ministers are there:
…after you’ve washed and returned the last casserole dish.
…after the divorce papers have been served and the bottom falls out of your life.
…after the last child honks the horn, waves, and drives away – and the house suddenly seems incredibly empty.
…after you arrive home following the funeral service and the emotions you’ve held at bay come crashing in on you.
…after the relationship has ended but the wounds are still bleeding and painful.
…after the doctors have said, “There’s nothing more we can do.”
…after the door has slammed shut – for the very last time.
…after the phone call you’d always hoped you’d never get.
…after you realize the hands on the gold watch you received at your retirement party move more slowly than you ever imagined.
…after the nursing home director shakes your hand and says, “Welcome to your new home.”
…after the gavel goes down, the handcuffs go on, and your loved on is led away.
…after the baby has arrived, putting more demands on you than you ever dreamed possible.
…after you find the pink slip inserted with what is now your final paycheck.
…after your family and friends have heard your story one too many times, but you still need to talk it out.

Stephen Ministers are the “After People”.  They are ready to come alongside you – or your friends, neighbors, coworkers, or relatives – and provide comfort and support for as long “after” as they are needed.

Does this sound like something that interests you?  Talk with Dan & Joan Collins (476-6169). 

Would you like to support this ministry financially (for training, materials, etc.)?  Simply put a check in the offering plate with “Stephen Ministry” in the lower left.

Would you like to have a Stephen Minister to talk with?  Talk with Dan & Joan…they will either let you know when our own Stephen Ministers are trained, or they will connect you with other help now.

Would you like to pray for this ministry?  YES, please do!

LANDSCAPING GIFTS AND MEMORIALS ARE STILL NEEDED!
Everyone is delighted with the beautiful landscaping installed as part of our new front entrance.  But, the landscaping was not included in the original budget for our new handicap access.  The Vestry can borrow funds internally for the time being, but is eager to encourage special gifts.  One tree and a number of bushes are still available as memorials, as are the irrigation system, the front lawn, the lawns on either side to the walk from the kitchen porch to D Street, the landscaping under the large stained glass windows of the nave, and the renewed landscaping along 4th Street.  Gifts have been given in memory of Bob DeFreitas, whose artistic gifts have blessed St. Luke’s, and in memory of former rector Fr. Chet Shulda, and others.  More are welcome.  Don Kane is keeping track of gifts.  Drop your gift in the offering plate, clearly labeled, or call the church or Don (955-9897) for more information.

HELP NEEDED.  PAY OFFERED.
Rick Vagle, a parishioner and the son of Nick and Connie Vagle, needs help in managing some of his affairs for 2 or 3 hours each week, paid at $8 per hour.  You need to have a car and a driver’s license, and pass a criminal history check.   The need is urgent. He is a pleasant young man who just needs little help in staying organized.  Please talk to Fr. Jim or Rick’s parents to learn more.

GOSPEL RESCUE MISSION
RECYCLING!  I have wonderful news for you and our community as well as some news of a challenge for you and for our community.

The Community Recycling Center, just one arm of the work of the Gospel Rescue Mission, is being rebuilt at 1010 SW Foundry.  The total cost of construction is budgeted at $299, 000.  The replacement value of the previous building was $205,000.  We have been able to take $24,000 in our money for construction but that still left us short by $70,000.  And of course, there is the need to replace vital equipment that was destroyed in the arson caused fire.

The Collins Foundation stepped up to provide us a $70,000 matching Grant.  Upon the completion of this grant we will have the necessary funds to finish construction as well as purchase 2 balers, a material chipper, a pallet jack, a loading ramp and a forklift!  But, we need to raise the $70,000 for the match to be satisfied.

I am asking you to play a role is seeing this Match is made.  The CRC represents approximately 8% of the Mission’s operating budget.  We will be able, once again, to recycle plastics number 1, 2 & 4, cardboard, cloth and various metals.  And on of the greatest befits to all is the opportunity to employ up to 8 of our residents, enabling them to learn employment necessities.

Recycling is an environmental concern.  It is a community concern.  In our case it is also a people concern.  For the sake of our environment, our community, and also our people, would you please be willing to step up and help us meet this Matching Grant?

Your donation is tax-deductible.  Please, be generous to this need by sending your check to: Gospel Rescue Mission, P.O. Box 190, Grants Pass, OR 97528.  Indicate on the Memo line: For the CRC Rebuild.

Sincerely,
Keith O. Heck
Executive Director
Gospel Rescue Mission

(Gifts may also be transmitted via St. Luke’s if you prefer.  Make your designation clear.)