The Messenger The Newsletter of the Church of the Incarnation Great Falls, Montana

November 2019 ______________________________________________________________________

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.

We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.

Grant us the gift of you Spirit, that we may know him and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen. [The Book of Common Prayer, p. 836]

The Messenger

The Newsletter of the Church of the Incarnation Great Falls, Montana

Editor Emeritus: Viola (“Vi”) Stahlecker Editor: The Reverend Tim Ljunggren

Bishop-Elect of the Diocese of Montana: The Reverend Martha (“Marty”) E. Stebbins

Rector of the Church of the Incarnation: The Reverend Tim Ljunggren

Deacon of the Church of the Incarnation: The Reverend Marcia Lauzon

Senior Warden of the Church of the Incarnation: Sara Quay

Junior Warden of the Church of the Incarnation: Peter Jennings

Vestry Members of the Church of the Incarnation: Ann Bartell, Cameele Dohrman,

Trudy Nelson, Richard Pate, Rick Rounds, and Lynn Rounds

Vergers of the Church of the Incarnation: Kevin Williams and Phyllis Viccione

Treasurer of the Church of the Incarnation: Gretchen Swift

Security Director of the Church of the Incarnation: Rick Rounds

THE CHURCH OF THE INCARNATION

P.O. Box 3046 600 Third Avenue North

Great Falls, Montana

TELEPHONE: (406) 453-4167

churchoftheincarnationmontana.org

Ordination of Our New Bishop

Ordination of The Rev. Martha (“Marty”) E. Stebbins

December 7th, 2019 11 a.m.

St. Paul’s Methodist Church 512 Logan Street

Helena, MT 59601

Hotel Information:

The Great Northern Best Western 835 Great Northern Blvd 406-457-5500

A block of rooms is under “Episcopal Diocese of Montana” and are reserved until November 12th.

Rates: Double Queen $140.00 per night & King $155.00 per night.

Don’t Forget to Change Your Clocks

Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 3rd at 2:00 A.M.; please remember to set your clocks back one hour (remember the saying, “spring forward, fall back”). In other words, everyone gets an extra hour of sleep on Sunday evening, November 3rd!

Parish Movie Night Returns

The Church of the Incarnation’s Parish Movie Night will resume on Thursday, November 7th, from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Come and join us for some homemade chili, popcorn, beverages and the film Keeping the Faith – food, fellowship, fun, and film!

Andy’s Bunch Monthly Breakfast

Saturday, November 9th 8:30-9:30 A.M.

Perkins Restaurant (On the corner of Second Avenue North and Sixth Street)

The Saint Andrew’s Guild (Andy’s Bunch) breakfast is an event for men and boys of the Church of the Incarnation and is normally held on the second Saturday of each month. Come and join us for some great food and fellowship!

Veterans Luncheon

Sunday, November 10th

Immediately Following the 10 A.M. Worship Service Parish Hall

In honor of Veterans Day (Monday, November 11th), our parish will be hosting a Veterans Luncheon on Sunday, November 10th. Pulled pork sandwiches and refreshments will be provided; please bring a side dish and/or dessert to share. If you know any veterans, please invite them to attend!

Episcopal Church Women (ECW)

Meeting and Luncheon

Wednesday, November 13th 12:45 P.M. in the Parish Hall

All women of the Church of the Incarnation are cordially invited to attend! Officers will be elected and planning for the upcoming year will take place. Please RSVP Sara Quay at (505) 919-8321.

Church of the Incarnation at the Celtic Cowboy

Sunday, November 17th 6:00-8:00 P.M.

Come and join us for our monthly excursion to the Celtic Cowboy (116 1st Avenue South)! Irish pub food and beverages, plus some great pub music! Come one, come all!

Greening of the Church

Sunday, November 24th Immediately Following the 10 A.M. Service

In preparation for the season of Advent, we will be “hanging the greens.” Please plan on joining us for this fun event as we prepare to wait and watch for the coming of Christ!

Parish Office Closed

The Parish Office will be closed beginning on Monday, November 25th and will reopen on Monday, December 2nd. Please have a very happy and a very blessed Thanksgiving holiday!

Kickstart Your Holiday Season!

The Christmas Market is coming! November 30th, from 10 A.M. until 4 P.M. in the Parish Hall! We will host 18 local vendors offering all sorts of arts and crafts, including handmade pottery, quilts, weaving, dolls, ornaments, and more! Delicious soups and pies will be available for only $5.00, and live music throughout the day will complete this festive holiday kickoff! Mark your calendars and ring in the season with us! Vendors wanted! Some spaces for our Christmas Market are still available! If you sell or make things (or know someone who does), please call Gretchen Wilson for an application and more information (733-6311 or 770-0076)!

Taize “Blue Christmas” Service

Thursday, December 12th 7:00 P.M.

Church of the Incarnation

While the holiday season is often a joyous time for many people, there are those who suffer from loss, loneliness, and/or other issues that rob them of the joy of the Christmas season. The Taize “Blue Christmas” service is an event that focuses on bringing people together in prayerful contemplation while, at the same time, offering a time of wholeness, healing, hope, and love. Please come and join us for an evening of candlelit prayer and the seeking of solace through guided music and meditations.

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in God’s Word I hope.”

-Psalm 130:5

Great Falls College-Montana State University Community Choir

Holiday Concert

Thursday, December 19th 6:00 P.M.

Church of the Incarnation

Please mark your calendars! The Great Falls College-Montana State University Community Choir will be performing at our parish as part of their Holiday Concert celebration; the concert is free and open to the public.

Parish Nursery Ministry

We are in need of volunteers to help staff our Parish Nursery during the 10 AM Worship Service. Two persons will be assigned each Sunday and training will be provided. Please contact Father Tim for further details.

Be Sure to Pledge to Our Parish

Stewardship is a critical element of our lives together as a Christian community; the giving of our time, talent, and treasure back to God are ways to increase the presence of God’s work in our parish, our community, and our world. Please prayerfully consider how much of yourself you can faithfully give in the coming year. (Pledge cards will be mailed by the end of October and extra copies will be available in the back of the church.)

Volunteers Needed for Lay

Eucharistic Ministry

Want to make a difference in the lives of others? Want to connect with those who need a human touch? Please consider becoming a Lay Eucharistic Minister serving our homebound and hospitalized parishioners. If you feel called to this very special ministry, please contact Father Tim.

All Saints’ Day and November's Saint of the Month:

Saint Andrew the Apostle

On November 1st we solemnly celebrate and honor all of the saints, past and present. All Saints’ Day is also referred to as All Hallows, Solemnity of All Saints, or The Feast of All Saints. You may think of the saints as “the windows which God shines through” (courtesy of The Rt. Rev. Carl Wright).

We celebrate Saint Andrew the Apostle on November 30th. St. Andrew was the first of the twelve apostles named in the Gospel according to St. John and the brother of Simon Peter. St. Andrew at once recognized Jesus to be the Messiah and quickly introduced him to his brother Peter. The name Andrew (in Greek) means “manly,” “brave,” “manhood,” or “valor”.

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St. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist prior to being called by Jesus. He was one of the apostles who helped our Lord Jesus Christ with the feeding of the 5000 on the shores of Galilee. He was crucified on a saltire (x-shaped) cross (commonly known as the Saint Andrew’s cross) and he is said to have preached for two days from that cross.

St. Andrew is considered to be the founder and first bishop of the Church of Byzantium and is therefore the patron saint of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. He is also the patron saint of Ukraine, Romania, Russia, and Scotland.

Following King Robert Bruce’s victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 (he declared himself to be King of Scotland in 1306), the Declaration of Arbroath officially named St. Andrew as the patron saint of Scotland. And the Saltire became the national flag of Scotland in 1385. The Saltire is also part of the Episcopal Church’s Flag (at the upper left-hand corner of the flag).

A disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Spero

FISH Activities

Volunteers from the Church of the Incarnation helped FISH distribute emergency food to several families of Great Falls from 21 - 25 October 2019. Those who helped with this heartfelt effort were: Bob Shanks, Jack Corcino, Fr. Tim Ljunggren, Rob Wilson, Chuck and Gerry Jennings, Ann Bartell, Elaine Schoyen, Mary Lois Long, Robert Huff and Cassie Wilson (volunteers from other churches), Nona Munroe, Lynne Mahan, Cliff, Cheryl Quintero, and Cliff Baird. A big thank you from FISH for a job well done!

The Town Pump’s Matching Program From the 1st of September through November 30th the Town Pump is matching all donations to FISH, dollar for dollar up to a total $20,000. As of the end of October The Church of the Incarnation has contributed $390.00. (continued on next page)

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FISH Data for September 2019 The chart below is a comparison of those serviced by FISH between September 2018 and September 2019. As you can see there was a noticeable increase in demand in 2019 compared to 2018. This increase occurred in the number of families (non-singles), singles, and adults; we were up 4.1%, 1.5%, and 1.5% respectively. There was also a decrease in the number of children, meals served, and pounds of food delivered; we were down 6.5%, 1.3%, and 6.9% respectively. For the year-to-date (YTD) numbers there was an increase in the number of families (non singles), singles, adults, children, meals served, and pounds of food delivered; we were up 10.4%, 0.6%, 1.4%, 10.2%, 4.2%, and 3.2% respectively. This means FISH provided about 4.0 tons of emergency food to our community during the month of September 2019 and 45.4 tons for the months of January through September 2019 (that’s about 5.1 tons per month).

Clearly, there is still a demand (in our community) for the emergency food we distribute through FISH. Amen! Bob Shanks Member of the FISH Board of Directors Representing the Church of the Incarnation

Sep 2018 2018 YTD Sep 2019 2019 YTD

Families (non- singles)

73 751 76 829

Singles 69 665 70 669

Adults 199 2,059 202 2,088

Children 108 962 101 1,060

Meals 4,605 45,315 4,545 47,220

Pounds of Food

8,621 87,988 8,026 90,827

Meet Our Bishop-Elect

Bishop-Elect Marty with her husband Bob and dog, Cal. They also have a two-year-old black medium-haired rescue cat named Ruger.

The Rev. Martha E. (“Marty”) Stebbins has been the rector of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Wilson, North Carolina for over nine years. This parish has continued to grow spiritually and in size and has a below-average age for an Episcopal Church in the United States. Marty was raised in a military family. She was baptized at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Annandale, Virginia as an infant. Raised in a multi-denominational and multi-faith extended family, she had ample opportunity to explore her faith.

She inherited the family’s deep abiding love for animals, resulting in a menagerie of many things feathered, scaled and furred.

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She was confirmed at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Raleigh, North Carolina as a college student by Bishop Thomas Fraser. After undergraduate studies in zoology and engineering, Marty went on to graduate from North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She was offered a research and teaching stipend to continue her studies and received a Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in veterinary bacteriology. Her career ranged from academia to industry.

During this time, she continued her faith journey, working with the college chaplain at Oklahoma State University when she was on faculty there. After marrying her husband, Bob Grudier, she relocated back to North Carolina and began to discern a call to the vocational diaconate. She switched to the priesthood track with Bishop Michael Curry’s permission and blessing. Attending Seminary of the Southwest, she graduated in 2005 with her Master of Divinity degree and returned to North Carolina to be ordained to the transitional diaconate on June 25, 2005 by Bishop Curry. She became the Cluster Missioner for the Sandhills Cluster of Churches and was ordained to the priesthood on December 28, 2005 by North Carolina’s Suffragan Bishop Gary Gloster.

As a clergyperson, Marty has been active in her diocesan affairs, including being the Secretary of the Standing Committee during North Carolina’s bishop search after Bishop Curry’s election to Presiding Bishop. She has been active on the Provincial level, serving at the longstanding chaplain for the Province IV’s HIV/AIDs Retreat at Kanuga. She served on a variety of community boards and groups in her community.

Episcopal Relief & Development

Episcopal Relief & Development is an effective, reliable, and vital ministry of the Episcopal Church in communities around the world. It provides emergency assistance in times of disaster, rebuilds devastated communities after the immediate crisis is over, and offers long-term solutions to help people sustain safer, healthier, and more productive lives.

To find out more, please go to https://www.episcopalrelief.org.

Words to Live By

"Being a Christian is not essentially about joining a church or being a nice person, but about following in the footsteps of Jesus, taking his teachings seriously, letting his Spirit take the lead in our lives, and in so doing helping to change the world from our nightmare into God’s dream."

-Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

Pub and Painting Night a Success

Sarah Justice (center), Interim Director of the Parish Gibson Square Museum, leads

participants in a surrealism painting session.

Andre Breton. Rene Magritte. Salvador Dali. Frida Kahlo. While these surrealistic artists may be unfamiliar to many people, they took front and center stage at the October 3rd Pub and Painting Night at the Church of the Incarnation. Led by Sara Justice, the Interim Director of the Paris Gibson Square Museum in Great Falls (and fueled with an English pub dinner of beer battered fish and fries), 17 participants tried their hands at making stream-of-consciousness artwork. Teaming with the Parish Gibson Square Museum for the second time in six months, the continuing series of hands-on painting exercises invites both parishioners and members of the community to immerse themselves in art through creating it. The next painting event of the series will be scheduled for February of next year.

Furry (and Feathered) Friends Honored at St. Francis Animal

Blessing

On Sunday, October 6th, our parish came alive with the sounds of barks and clucks as parishioners brought their four-legged and winged companions to church for the St. Francis Animal Blessing; six dogs and three chickens came forward to receive their blessings from Fr. Tim during the 10 A.M. Worship Service.

[Photos by Gerry Jennings]

Jenny’s Clothing Closet Continues To Reach Out to the Needy

Serving nearly 5,000 men, women, and children each year, Jenny’s Clothing Closet remains a viable and much-needed outreach ministry to the Great Falls community after fourteen years of existence at the Church of the Incarnation. Renamed after Jenny Otis, one of the founding members of the ministry and longtime parishioner who passed away last year, Jenny’s Clothing Closet is open twice a month on Saturday mornings from 10 A.M. until 1:00 P.M. and provides free clothing to anyone who comes into the basement store. It is also utilized as an emergency resource center for individuals and families in the community facing unexpected disasters such as home fires.

Jenny Otis (1950-2018)

Want to Get Smarter?

Developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, edX was created in 2012. More than 70 schools, nonprofit organizations, and corporations offer thousands of courses (the majority of which are free), serving millions of students worldwide. Courses run the gamut of disciplines, from religious studies to computer science (and everything in between). Many courses are self-paced while others require students to meet weekly online. Courses may consist of video and text content, discussion forums, and/or a number of problem and assessment types. For more information (and to get a look at the courses offered), go to www.edx.org.

November Calendar Reminders

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD: Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 A.M. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH: Movie Night at the Parish; 6:00-8:00 P.M. (Parish Hall) SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH: Andy’s Bunch Monthly Breakfast; 8:30-9:30 A.M. (Perkins Restaurant, 526 2nd Avenue North) SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH: Veterans Luncheon, immediately following the 10 A.M. Worship Service (Parish Hall). WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH: Episcopal Church Women (ECW) Meeting and Luncheon; 12:45 P.M. (Parish Hall) SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH: The Church of the Incarnation at the Celtic Cowboy (116 1st Avenue South); 6:00-8:00 P.M. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24TH: Greening of the Church, immediately following the 10 A.M. Worship Service MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25TH—SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1ST: Parish Office closed for Thanksgiving holiday (reopens Monday, December 2nd). SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH: Christmas Market; 10 A.M.-4:00 P.M. (Parish Hall)

Parish Sunday Worship and Rota November 2019

Sunday, November 3rd (All Saints Sunday):

Acolyte: Tom Dohrman Lector: Janet Tiffany Chalice: Cameele Dohrman Altar Guild: Gayle Archey and Cheryl Quintero Usher: Gretchen Swift Flower Delivery: Cheryl Quintero

Sunday, November 10th (The 22nd Sunday after Pentecost):

Acolyte: Jim Lowery Lector: Robin Hometchko Chalice: Cheryl Quintero Altar Guild: Gayle Archey and Cheryl Quintero Usher: Dick Dohrman Flower Delivery: Tim Ljunggren

Sunday, November 17th (The 23rd Sunday after Pentecost):

Acolyte: Cliff Baird Lector: Maryann Cosgrove Chalice: Rick Rounds Altar Guild: Gail Bernard and Ardelle Watkins Usher: To be announced Flower Delivery: Gayle Archey

Sunday, November 24th (Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King):

MORNING PRAYER

Acolyte: None First Reader: Lana Furdell Second Reader: Jeff Brainard Altar Guild: Gail Bernard and Ardelle Watkins Usher: Cliff Baird Flower Delivery: Phyllis Viccione

Have Something to Add to

The Messenger?

Please submit your stories, articles, pictures, etc. by email to:

rector.incarnation@gmail.com

All items should be submitted by the 20th of each month for inclusion in the following month’s newsletter!

On the Lighter Side