“Welcome back!” That’s what

I often hear at this time of

year. School is starting up

again, and most everyone is

done with their weekend get-

aways to the cottage. One of

my favorite things to do is

welcome people as they ar-

rive to worship on Sunday

mornings.

There are a few things to bring to your attention in

this issue of Glad Tidings. First is a big thank you to every-

one who helped make our liturgies this summer so good.

Our outdoor services were all joyful celebrations with a good

variety of music. The weather held out nicely too. Peggy’s

funeral brought out the best in our community. We’ve got-

ten a few cards from attendees thanking us for that time we

spent in prayer and remembrance together.

Coming up in September will be the start of the next

church school year. The search for a Director of Christian

Education slowed down in August, as many potential candi-

dates were on vacation. We hope with the start of the school

year, the search process will ramp up again. Regular Vestry

meetings resume on September 9th and will continue

through the end of the year.

Fall 2014

From Rev. Laurel From Rev. Laurel 1

Summer in Review 2

Annual Winter

Warmth Project

3

From the Deacon’s

Bench

4

Coffee Hour Help

Needed

4

Health and Well-

ness

6

Sunday School

News

7

Christian Ed. Direc-

tor Wanted

8

Inside this issue:

Glad

Tidings

PAGE 2 GLAD TIDINGS Fall 2014

Liturgically we remain in the Season after Pentecost, though there will be

some minor changes to keep our prayer from getting stale. We will shift to a dif-

ferent set of Prayers of the People and a different form of the Eucharistic Pray-

ers.

I always look forward to the time we get to spend together, both in wor-

ship and on other days. May God bless us on the journey of life in this season and

every season. May Christ give us grace and show us mercy as we continue to

learn how to be his disciples. May the power of the Holy Spirit enliven our faith

and empower our works. Amen.

Summer in Review

Summer may be our slow season, but we certainly kept busy. If you were

out of town on your own summertime adventures, here’s a recap of what you

missed…

Spring clean-up went very well, with lots

of help from parishioners and scouts. We got

leaves raked, windows washed, gutters cleared,

branches trimmed, and

pews polished, and many

other bi-annual tidying

chores. Many hands do

make light work. Many

thanks go to property com-

mittee leaders, and volun-

teers for keeping our church home beautiful and inviting.

Reverend Laurel made good on the challenge we gave

her for Crop walk, completing all 100 push-ups in short or-

der. Let’s see how many other Lake Orion parish pastors can

step up to a challenge!

PAGE 3 GLAD TIDINGS Fall 2014

We had three outdoor worship services

this year, and all were well-attended, beautiful-

ly prayed, and blessed with good weather. This

year we did something special for each service

with the music. Our own wonderful, gifted, and

talented resident

musicians helped us

make a joyful noise

unto the Lord for our

first service in June. July had a taste of the Caribbean

with steel drums. August was Celtic themes with Bree

on flute, VikiSue on autoharp, and guest musician Mr.

Sean Minnie on bagpipes. Many parishioners wore

their family tartans to help give it that perfect touch.

The choir, and many others, gathered for a

concert/sing-along for our sister Peggy. Her hus-

band Lee and a college roommate were also there to

celebrate. Much fun was had by all, and the out-

pouring of love was palpable. Peggy will be missed.

Annual Winter Warmth Project

The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit, is asking St. Mary's and other

parishes from surrounding communities for help for their Annual Winter

Warmth Project. Approximately 1,000 crocheted/knitted scarves are needed to

help keep the homeless warm during the cold winter months. If you feel crafty and

would like to make more than scarves, hats are always welcome. The deadline

is November 28. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Maxine Hender-

son (248-393-1906) or Bobbi Patton (248-628-4428).

PAGE 4 GLAD TIDINGS Fall 2014

From the Deacon’s Bench

Dear Friends,

Recently I read a book (one I really like by the way) about a man who be-

lieved he was in the presence of God by a feeling that came over him. Well, the

author, Elizabeth Strout, was more eloquent than that in her novel, Abide with

Me, but I believe I’ve captured the gist of the character’s words. I connected with

this man right away being a person who also is kinetically connected to her

world. My feelings often are the key to what I see, hear, taste, and even smell.

Just the other day, they were so heightened, I could barely go on with what I was

doing.

I was listening to a piece by Mozart, and the violinist pulled or pushed the

bow across the strings to make a sound, a sound so sweet, so poignant, so perfect

that it stretched across my being and pulled the fibers of my soul creating tears

in my eyes. The beauty of it was surely God’s creation, and I felt myself right

smack dab in the middle of it. Yes, I am one who is lucky enough to occasionally

actually feel being in the presence of God.

The beauty of the seasons is something people from the northern part of

this country value. I remember as a young girl waking one wintery morning to

what was a fairy land of ice. My bedroom windows faced East, and when I looked

out of their frosty covering of icy flakes etched on the glass, the sun glistened

across everything in my view. Diamonds covered the trees and shrubs, but they

didn’t look cold; they were filled with the sun’s warm glow. I felt loved, cher-

ished, and as you can see, this moment, like the icy flakes, is etched not only in

my memory but in my heart. Thinking about it now, I know now that then I was

in presence of God.

Hands are also beautiful for me. The hands of my father, browned from

his work and being in the sun; rough, again from his work; open and loving as he

always offered them to me in that manner are among the first I recall as beauti-

ful. The hands of my babies, soft and pink, grasping not just in the beginning but

throughout their lives for knowledge, for understanding, for life, are beautiful to

me. Hands of all kinds touch me. I love to see the beauty of the work they do, of

the things they co-create with God. My college roommate worked summers in a

PAGE 5 GLAD TIDINGS Fall 2014

canning factory, and in the fall when she returned, she had lost one of her hands

to above the wrist. Her world did not change; what she had done with two hands,

she now did with one, and the young woman and her work are beautiful to me.

Grandma Komplin had gnarled hands, hands that made my sister and me sugar

cookies and gave us her time to help us dress our dolls. I could dwell on the

beauty of hands longer, but I think you get the idea—when I am in presence of

hands at work, I find myself in the presence of great beauty, of God.

Abide with Me: As I began reading the novel, I wondered why the author

chose this title, and she made it most clear to me by the end. Abide has more

than one meaning if you check the dictionary, but in this case, the author means,

I feel, to reside, to dwell, to live with me. My personal take-away from the book

is that if I am aware, if all my senses (gifts from God) are employed, that God re-

veals God’s self to me, in many ways, and beauty is but one of them. The title is

a prayer (as well as the title of a hymn) inviting God to take up residence within

the speaker. A feeling came over me, and I know this is so. May it be our prayer

throughout our days.

Deacon Marlyn

Coffee Hour Help Needed

Many thanks to our current coffee hour hosts!

Your hospitality is most appreciated. It's so nice to

gather with church friends each week over a cuppa

and a light treat. We need a few more teams to sign

up for Coffee Hour hosting to continue this ministry of

warmth and fellowship. Extraordinary measures need

not be taken. A simple coffee/tea service and some

simple nibbles are all that's needed. With enough

teams we hope that each team would host once every

4-6 weeks. Please pray about lending your hospitality

to this important ministry.

PAGE 6 GLAD TIDINGS Fall 2014

Health and Wellness

Fat and Cholesterol – so much confusion!

This is the first in a series of article to help educate our congregation

about some common concerns related to nutrition and diet. Fats, carbohydrates,

and protein are all needed in adequate amounts to maintain health.

When it comes to fat, the type of fat you eat is what matter most. Contra-

ry to past reports, it is now believed that healthy fats are necessary and benefi-

cial for health. Instead of adopting a low fat die for weight control, it is more im-

portant to focus on eating “good” fats and avoiding harmful fats. We should

choose foods with “good” unsaturated fats, limit foods high in saturated fat, and

avoid “bad” trans-fat.

GOOD unsaturated fats – Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats –

lower disease risk. Foods high in good fats include vegetable oils (olive, canola,

sunflower, soy, and corn), nuts, seeds, and fish. Avocados are also a source of

monounsaturated fats. Omega-3 fats are an important type of polyunsaturated

fat. The body can’t make these, so they must come from food. An excellent way to

get omega-3 fats is by eating fish 2-3 times per week.

BAD fats – Trans- fat – increase disease risk, even when eaten in small

quantities. Foods with trans- fat are primarily in processed foods made with

trans-fat from partially hydrogenated oil, such as snack foods and bakery prod-

ucts. Fortunately, trans fats have been eliminated from many of these foods.

Many restaurants use partially hydrogenated oils (trans- fat) in their fryers to

prepare deep fried foods.

SATURATED fats – are not as harmful as trans- fat, but negatively im-

pact health and best consumed in moderation. The biggest sources of saturated

fat in the United States are pizza, cheese, butter, dairy desserts, meat products

(sausage, bacon, beef, and hamburger), cookies, and Mexican fast food dishes.

CHOLESTEROL – Consists of LDL (low density lipoproteins), HDL (high

density lipoproteins), and triglycerides. The biggest influence on blood cholesterol

level is the mix of fats and carbohydrates in your diet – not the amount of choles-

terol you eat from food. Although it is important to limit the amount of cholester-

PAGE 7 GLAD TIDINGS Fall 2014

ol, dietary cholesterol is not the problem it was once believed. Without getting too

technical, and to limit details, LDL cholesterol is often referred to as bad, HDL is

referred to as good. High levels of triglycerides can be unhealthy. Foods that nat-

urally contain high levels of cholesterol are eggs and liver.

In summary, eating fat doesn’t make you fat. Bu it is important to under-

stand the various kinds of fats and which ones are acceptable and which are con-

sidered harmful. As always, eating in moderation is ideal. Reading labels is ex-

tremely important (and will be addressed in a later article and on the Health and

Wellness bulletin board).

Yours in (good) health,

Ann Kovl, RD

Sunday School News

We kicked off the new 2014/2015 School year on September 7th! We are

using Year 1 of the Weaving God’s Promises curriculum. The curriculum offers

may ideas to choose from making it easy on the teachers. Often the children lead

us into an unplanned journey, which is even more exciting. As seen during the

Children’s Sermon’s the children have gained a sense of warmth and safety, al-

lowing them to freely and openly express themselves. To allow them to be heard,

without judgment by adults who are listening is a gift many children do not get

in our busy, action packed world.

As always we NEED caring adults to help provide

a nurturing environment where children can grow. Please

consider volunteering. Contact Cathy Flanders at 248-860

-860 if you are interested.

Flanders

flandersc@aol.com

ST. MARY’S IN -THE-HILLS

EPISCOPAL CHURCH 2512 Joslyn Ct.

Lake Orion Mi. 48360 (248) 391-0663

Christian Ed. Director Wanted Paid part time position opening for a Christian Ed. Director at St. Mary’s in-the-

Hills Episcopal Church

The time commitment is 15-20 hours/month with 4 weeks paid vacation and 6

Sundays off/year.

Duties include:

Weekly Sunday School teaching with children 4 years-5th grade

Coordinating adult volunteers to assist you

Directing annual Christmas pageant

Running an annual Vacation Bible School for one week in June

Communicating with Rector, vestry and parish about upcoming events

Meeting with volunteer teachers on a regular basis

Contact our Rector Laurel Dahill at laurel.dahill@stmarysinthehills.org

or call Church Office: 248-391-0663