fishtales february and march 2014

Fishtales Newsletter | Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church founded in 1886 1 February | March 2014

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Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church Newslet t erSa int Mary’s Episcopal Church Newslet t erSa int Mary’s Episcopal Church Newslet t er February | March 2014February | March 2014February | March 2014

One of the most fun events of the year !

The Saint Mary’s

Auction Saturday, March 8

SILENT AUCTION: 5:30-7:15pm

LIVE AUCTION: 7:30pm

Hosted at: St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church

60 North Kent Street, St. Paul (The church has a parking lot on Kent between Summit and Portland.)

The St. Mary’s Annual Auction is Just Around the Corner and You’re Invited!

The auction is our biggest fundraiser and also one of the best parties of the year. You’ll dine on hearty appetizers, sip on your favorite beverages, and enjoy delectable desserts throughout the evening—all for a food and beverage cover charge of only $5.00.

The evening begins at 5:30 pm sharp with the silent auction. Be sure to get there right on time so you have plenty of time to peruse the tables and place your bids! Silent auction sections will close at different times to heighten the bidding competition, with the final section closing at 7:15 pm. Other fun events include the Bead Game of Chance, the Wine Pull, the raffle grand prize drawing, and of course the always fabulous (and often raucous!) Live Auction! Get up close to the action of the live auction, by reserving a table for you and up to 7 of your guests for $10—just let Amy and Ginny know! There will also be non-reserved seating.

Thanks to your generous support, donations, and participation, the auction raises funds that directly aid St. Mary’s general budget, as well as a special, fund-a-need Outreach project. (Last year’s fund-a-need put $3000 toward the Galtier School Outreach Fund.)

Did you know we now accept credit cards for Silent and Live Auction purchases? However, cash or check is required on the night of the auction for the Wine Pull, the Bead Game of Chance, and Raffle tickets, so be sure to have cash or your checkbook on hand!

So, save the date, get a sitter for the kids, and be sure to bring your friends! This is a great night to share what an amazingly fun church community you belong to!

—Amy Driscoll and Ginny DeLuca, Auction co-chairs, [email protected].

Suggestions for Donation Items:

Gift cards

Art, jewelry, and craft items

Electronics and tools

Personal services (e.g. gardening, cleaning, knitting or skiing lessons)

Sports equipment

Dinner parties—previous parties have included Sushi-making night; Russian, Italian, French, Georgian theme; Fish fry; Girls’ Night Out

Theme baskets, i.e. sports, gardening, health, food, and movie night

Massages, pedicures, and manicures

Airline tickets and donated miles

Weekend at the cabin

Sponsor a wine or beer tasting evening

Hotel overnight


Caring for Our CommunityCaring for Our CommunityCaring for Our Community Newcomers Coffee

We've been holding "newcomers coffee" about once a month at Dunn Bros Coffee and plan to continue these events in 2014 (Tuesdays, February 11, March 4, and April 15 at 7:00-8:00pm at Dunn Bros. Coffee—4648 E Lake St., Minneapolis). It's been a great chance for informal conversation outside of Sunday mornings, and we continue to see new faces. We're also planning a larger welcome party in the spring for all new members and the wider St. Mary’s community. As usual, we'll formally recognize new members at service a few times a year. In 2013, we welcomed 29 new households! Please be sure to introduce yourself to our newcomers and visitors. Let us know if you'd like to be a part of the group of St. Marians working to make new and prospective members welcome, by helping plan parties or connecting with new people.

—Amanda Underwood and Rachel Walberg, Newcomers co-chairs

[email protected], [email protected]

Happy New Year from Buildings and Grounds!

We could not do our job on vestry without the continual help from all of you who generously give of your time and talent. The winter season is in full swing, and we thank you shoveling volunteers for keeping the walkways safe for all. And thanks to Marty, Michael, Dendy, and Nina for assembling new furniture.

After the completion of the carpet installation, the St. Mary's room is slowly being updated with new furniture and has been rearranged to add a bit more quaintness. Thank you, LeeAnne for dyeing the slip covers, and for all who've helped assemble the Ikea furniture.

The staff office remodel is also underway, and a heartfelt thanks goes to Justin Langenfeld for assembling the desks, and Jill Plain, John Wall and Ron Pearson for painting the walls. Our 'B & G' vestry position keeps us busy tending to all things related to maintenance of, and improvements to, the church. The new year finds us making plans for up and coming projects for 2014!

—Susan Russell and Bruce Anderson, Building and Grounds co-chairs

[email protected]

Happy New Year!

As we embark upon this new year, we would like to say thank you to the vestry leaders who help ensure that St. Mary’s continues to be a Christ-centered community with a mission to express God’s love for all people. Throughout this edition of Fishtales, you will find many examples of new endeavors that vestry teams have recently undertaken.

Please pass along your questions, thoughts, and ideas (as well as thanks!) to these fantastic leaders among us who help ensure that St. Mary’s is a place full of spirit that also nurtures our souls.

—Caroline Kaker and Linda Davis-Johnson, Vestry co-wardens


Meetings at St. Mary’s

I’ve been pondering how we can create some consistent hospitality norms for meetings at St. Mary’s. So at each gathering, please:

begin with introductions (and introduce again when latecomers arrive)

read our mission statement and the Romero prayer (http://tinyurl.com/lvp3lw7)—you can pass the sign around and each read a line. (Each meeting space has the quote in a plastic holder on a table.)

close with a prayer of some sort—it could be the Lord’s Prayer, or Life is Short, or something else.

If alcohol is to be served, both food and equally attractive alternative beverages must be served as well.

Thank you! Every gathering of St. Mary's is open to anyone. Expect visitors and make them feel welcome! This is easily done, for instance, by always having at least one open chair for a latecomer or a newcomer to feel welcome.

—LeeAnne


Scan this to donate to St. Mary’s!

Sanctuary Upgrade Team (SUT) Update

The team is closing in on completion of the architect search process and expects to make a recommendation to the vestry in late February. We have enlarged our search beyond the initial three architects, so now we will be choosing between 5 rather than 3 architects.

After the architect interviews were completed, the team put together a Request for Proposal (RFP) summarizing our goals for the sanctuary upgrade. The architects were asked to describe how they would lead the congregation through the process of developing and implementing a design for the sanctuary upgrade and how much each phase of the design development process would cost. Meanwhile, members of the team have been interviewing and gathering information from references who have worked with each architect. The team will review and discuss the interviews, all the reference information gathered, along with the responses to the RFP, before making the recommendation to the vestry.

While the architect search has been the team’s primary focus up to now, a subcommittee has also begun planning for engaging the congregation in the sanctuary upgrade process. Our goal is to involve everyone in the congregation in the upgrade plan formulation. Informational meetings about this will begin in earnest once the architect has been hired.

Another subgroup of our team has also started planning for how to fund the sanctuary upgrade.

Check the bulletin board at the top of the stairs at church for more information on the SUT.

—Bob Butterbrodt and Nancy Driscoll,

SUT co-leaders [email protected], [email protected]

Stewardship

Over the last three years, we have been honored to be your stewardship chairs, and as we close the books on the 2014 Stewardship Campaign, our last, we find ourselves once again incredibly humbled and proud of the generosity of St. Mary's members.

In a difficult time for many churches whose numbers are declining, in some cases being forced to merge to survive, we are one of the fortunate few who have a financially healthy, growing, thriving congregation.

Here's just a snapshot of where we have come from, and where we are at today:

In 2010, we had 121 households (76% of our congregation), who pledged a total of $199,500 and a pledge average of $1650.

By 2012, we had grown to 143 households (94% of our congregation), who pledged a total of $242,000. The pledge average was $1694.

We are proud to announce that for 2014 we have indeed grown again, as this year's pledge income comes from 155 households (88% of the congregation), for a grand total of $253,169. The pledge average works out to $1633.

Again, thank you to all who have been so generous to share your treasure with us, and also for your tolerance of our frequent "reminder" announcements.

—Dale Williams and Amy Driscoll, Stewardship co-hairs


.

Thank you to John Hofsteder and Dan Brown for hanging our outdoor Christmas lights!

It looks great!


A Disturbing Neighborhood Event

Around 7:00pm, on a cold night in December, a neighbor was walking home from the bus stop, and when he got to the corner of Laurel and Dewey, two men approached him. They assaulted him, robbed him, and as he was running away, a shot was fired, but didn't hit the neighbor.

St. Mary's quickly responded by hosting a neighborhood meeting and invited a policeman to talk to us about the incident. The meeting went well and begins a more concerted effort for neighbors to know each other better, stay in better communication, and work together making the neighborhood safe. St. Mary's will be the host site and provide hospitality for these meetings. I’m looking for a St. Marian who lives in the neighborhood to be the host for the meetings; if you are interested, please let me know.

We are reminding all who use our building to keep the lobby door locked, unless there is a greeter present. Please always provide warm hospitality to everyone, and help guests connect with whichever building user they are there to see. And let us all look out for each other, be aware of our surroundings, walk each other to our cars at night, and not minimize or dismiss incidents that you sense aren't safe.

If you have any more suggestions, or would like to be an active part of the neighborhood meetings, please just send an email to [email protected].

Also, Margy Mattlin, Edie Meissner, and Rex McKee are scheduling multiple opportunities to learn about gun violence, and to pray for those affected. Keep an eye out for those offerings.

This incident, as disturbing as it is, also provides another opportunity for our church to be used to make the world a better place. Our ancestors sacrificed much to building this church, generations have taken good care of the facilities, and we are about to continue the legacy of good stewardship of this space as we move toward upgrading it. May we move ever more clearly and deeply into our mission to "express God's love to all people," right here in the center of our neighborhood.

It's why we are here.

—LeeAnne

Annual Finance Meeting 10:00am, February 9, St. Mary’s Room

Come one, come all, to learn about the status of our financial health!

This yearly check-up invites conversation about how we are stewarding our financial resources. You will hear a recap of 2013 (spoiler alert—it’s good news!), as well as our projected costs and expenses for 2014. It is St. Mary's policy to have transparent finances, which means at any time you can see where our money goes—salaries and everything. At this gathering there will be plenty of time for questions, and a chance to offer gratitude to those who attend to our finances. And this year, we will have a special thank-you to George Green who is retiring from his ministry tracking our money.

Anyone out there know how to knit?

There’s this great idea to knit a blanket for each new baby born, but the arrival of babies is outpacing the clicking of knitting needles! (A nice problem to have, actually!) Many thanks to Deb Brown and Mia McDavid, our current knitters. If you would like to knit baby blankets, please let me know, thanks!

—LeeAnne

Thank You, Associated Clergy-in-Residence!

We are so lucky to have so many talented clergy as a part of our congregation! At a thank-you party at LeeAnne’s, they settled on a name for themselves: Associated Clergy-in-Residence! These people have donated their time and talent in many ways in our community, and we are grateful. Jane Wells and Margy Mattlin are deacons, and priests include Walt Gordon, Betsy Lee, Kate Hennessy-Keimig, Deb Brown, and Grant Robinson. And of course, Rex is our deacon assigned here by the bishop. Many, many thanks to all of you! So glad you are here!

Christmas Pageant! What a spectacular job everyone!

Many thanks to MiaLisa and all who inspired those dancing angels and singing shepherds

and the full cast of the Christmas story! —LeeAnne


How Did it Go with Three Christmas Eve services?

2013 was the first year we have grown enough to accommodate three services on Christmas Eve, and it was anyone’s guess how it would all work out!

The first service proved the most popular, with 195 in attendance. The middle service, our first Christmas Eve ever in the 9am worship style, had 110, and the last service had 86. So if you were adding, that’s a total of 391, which exceeds the previous year’s attendance by 53.

We did a pretty good job anticipating how many bulletins to print, ushers to have, etc. Next year we might consider more space between the 2nd and 3rd services, as rearranging all that furniture in the little bit of time allotted was kind of crazy.

All in all—a big success! Thank you all for filling the multitudinous lay minister roles, and for the heroics of bulletin production!

—LeeAnne

Thank you Walt! Please join me in expressing gratitude to Walt Gordon, one of our associated clergy-in-residence, who

generously donated hours each week creating our worship bulletins for a year. Walt has such a fine eye for detail, and an eagerness to enhance our worship with bios and art—each Sunday, we held a masterpiece in our hands!

Our staff person Jessica Neary will be creating bulletins now, but if anyone out there would like to try their

hand at bulletin creation, that would be a lovely gift, and free up Jessica’s time for different things. Many thanks, Walt—we are grateful!

—LeeAnne

Thank you St. Mary’s!

Penelope, Otto, and I went to a baptism at a Catholic church last week. As soon as we entered the sanctuary and she figured out we were in a church, she brightened and exclaimed, "sing!" I felt so happy that Penelope felt at home in a church environment and was pleased to be at church.

The custom at this church is that the young chil-dren sit in the "cry room" and, wanting to respect their tradition, we did. Penelope was quite puzzled by the existence of a cry room and even more so that the par-ents were shushing their toddlers in the cry room. I snuck her out of the cry room for the actual baptism, and we got as close as we could without drawing too much attention to ourselves. (The children were not invited, but I figured there really is no point in going to a baptism if you don't get to see water poured on the baby's head.) Penelope was clearly trying to engage with the process, and it was sad to see her enthusiasm stifled.

So, thank you St. Mary's, and thank you 9am worship team, for creating a space that welcomes and engages children. It really does make a difference.

—Anne Valaas-Turner

Some of the altar guild getting things sparkly for

Christmas! Meredith, Nancy, Paulette, Patty, Molly, and Molly .

The Choristers at a pre-Lessons and

Carols rehearsal.


Hospitality

We have so much to celebrate at St Mary’s, and we always do it with style!

Lessons and Carols was lovely! Thank you to Bjorn, all musicians, and readers for a lovely service. Thank you to Julie Thomas and the kitchen crew who created such a delicious feast for us. Thank you to all who spent time on Saturday morning setting up and decorating the undercroft—it looked wonderful! I really appreciate you all for volunteering your time and talent during a busy holiday season. And clean-up crew, nice work, that was over and done with so quickly and efficiently, I think I was collapsing at home by 8:30pm. BRAVO to all!!

Next we shared our baking talents for the Christmas bake sale. I was astounded when I arrived early on Sunday. The long tables were so full of yummy treats that we needed another table to place even more goodies as they arrived. Thank you, Nancy Driscoll, for helping me with this effort. Thanks Charlotte for working with us and for sharing brilliant ideas for making next year’s bake sale even better! Thank you all bakers who shared your talents and to those of you who shared your treasure and bought treats for holiday celebrations. I know several visitors were so pleased to purchase our goodies and were happy they didn’t have to bake cookies themselves later that day! EVERYONE WINS!

We began our New Year with the combined service celebrating the Festival of Lights! Thank you Anne Green for offering your gifts to us, designing a service that honors our St. Mary’s ancestors, and nourishes our souls and senses!

After service, we held the annual Epiphany party. Following tradition, we crowned a new queen—this year the queen is Deleelah—and the children smashed a piñata. We added a new twist to the celebration this year and held the first annual St. Mary’s chili cook-off. Things were definitely arctic outside, but the wonderful crockpots of chili warmed things up. Anna Clark won this year’s cook-off and has promised to share the recipe with us all—recipe here: http://tinyurl.com/l3csptm. Special Thanks to Janice Roller, Anne Nickoloff, and MaryAnn Jackson who stayed after the party was over to put things back in order—THANK YOU ladies!!

NEXT UP!

Mark your calendars, line up the sitters—you are all invited to St. Mary’s biggest party of the year, the annual Auction, to be held March 8, 5:30pm at St. John’s. See the cover article of this issue of Fishtales for more details, and stay tuned for more announcements!

—Ginny Deluca, Hospitality chair

[email protected]

Pastoral Care

Last spring, I accepted the newly created and still "evolving" pastoral position on the vestry. As our church community has expanded, so has the need for our community to be present to ourselves and others during times of tragedy, transitions, and triumphs. As a community whose mission is to "express God's love for all people," it only seems fitting to explore

Deleelah

Theo


Communications Survey

Big thanks to all of you who have already completed the communications survey! Between the paper version available just outside the church sanctuary and the online version, we already have nearly 100 responses—but keep ‘em coming. Let your voice be heard, so we can do the best job possible of getting you the information you need when and how you need it. The results of the survey will be published in the April and May Fishtales. You can take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3CWT6WC. Contact [email protected] with any questions or concerns.

—Jennie Ward,

Communications chair

St. Mary's Episcopal Men's Group

Mission Statement: To provide a safe and sin-cere environment for men to grow emotionally, so-cially, and spiritually.

First Tuesday of every month at 8:00pm O'Gara's Bar and Grill—164 Snelling Ave N, St Paul (Don't forget to look in the small room on the south end of the building when searching for people.)

—Craig Turino, [email protected]

Our condolences go to Jessica and Carl Kuhl on the death of their eight-week old baby boy Cully. Cully was born with his heart not functioning correctly, and even after seven surgeries,

his little body just wasn’t able to recover. He was baptized at the hospital and died later that same day.

Thank you to the St. Marians who provided hospitality to the hundreds of mourners at his burial service.

May Cully’s soul, and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

this more and see how our community can respond by using a pastoral care model.

What is pastoral care? I've asked myself the same question, and although there are many ways to explain it, I see it as this—pastoral care offers both emotional and spiritual support in a respectful, confidential, and compassionate way in times of a loss, health crisis, or other demanding times. Friends and family can be a source of support, and sometimes, it can also be beneficial to find support with someone more removed from the experience.

We are fortunate to have our priest LeeAnne, our deacon Rex, and a host of other clergy members and professionals at St. Mary's who have been trained in pastoral care. Many of us have found ourselves in support roles or are drawn to pastoral care and have a desire to know more. You might be one of those people. If so, there are some ways you may want to explore this work. Pastoral care opportunities can include:

Attend the quarterly Pastoral care workshop (spring date TBA).

Knitting hats or blankets for newborns or those going through a health crisis.

Letter writing in response to Sunday's blessings/thanksgivings.

Attending funerals of those who have passed at Saint Mary's or have relations to our members.

Visiting our members who are home bound.

Bringing meals over to individuals/families who are stressed.

Partnering in prayer.

Please contact me if you desire to learn more or are interested in these opportunities.

—Anne Murphy,

Pastoral Care Chair [email protected]


Many Thanks to…

the people who added a musical voice to the 7:30pm Christmas Eve service: Will Kemperman, marimba; Charlotte Howell, Katherine W., violins; Betsy Lee, Cindy Hanson-Scott, flutes; William W., clarinets; Vonda Humburg, tenor sax; Zack J., trumpet; Chuck Watt, trombone; Jim May, Dixie Gedstad, Jak K., guitar; Karl Smelker, bass; Mike Johnson, Alex G., Nathan S., Kayni, hand percussion; Nina Johnson, Cathy McNaughton, Anne Murphy, Vonda Humberg, Betsy Lee, Cindy Hanson-Scott, Vocals;

the people who added a musical voice to the Epiphany Festivals of Lights combined service: Lucien O., Katherine W., violin; Charlotte Howell, viola; Todd Maitland, cello; Jim Deluca, recorder; Betsy Lee, Cindy Hanson-Scott, flutes; William W., clarinets; Vonda Humburg, tenor sax; Giulia D, bassoon; David Colwell, Zack J., trumpet; Chuck Watt, trombone; Jim May, Dixie Gedstad, Jak K., guitar; Karl Smelker, bass; Mike Johnson, Alex G., hand percussion;

our resident arrangers Charles Watt and Jim May, and the sound guy, Don Horton, who made all those people sound good.

Calling all Musicians!

Do you play a string, woodwind, or brass instrument? We (Bjorn and Conie) want to include you in the next combined worship service! The next one will be on Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2014, at 10:00am, so check your calendar and clear that date. Let us know what you play and about how long you’ve been playing it, then we’ll write some parts for you and organize some rehearsals. Come! Let us make a joyful noise together!

—Conie Borchardt, 9:00am Music Director [email protected]

Twitter: Mary9music

WorshipWorshipWorship Continuing Dialogue and Liturgy on Violence in Our Communities

The Violence Conversation Committee will be hosting a monthly Liturgy of Remembrances on the fourth Sunday of each month beginning February 23 at Noon in the chapel. It is our intent to remember in prayer by name those who have been killed by violent means in our communities. Join us for a brief liturgy of prayers, reflections, and naming of those killed.

On Ash Wednesday, March 5, immediately following our 6:00pm Ash Wednesday service, we will be showing a brief video of the homily given at our recent Diocesan Convention by the Right Reverend Laura Ahrens, Bishop Suffragan of The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut. Bishop Laura speaks passionately of her personal experience with the families of the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary. Coffee and discussion will follow.

On Good Friday, April 18, at our Noon service, we will lead a Liturgy of Stations of the Cross for victims of gun violence in our communities. The liturgy will be adapted from the liturgy last year in Washington, D.C.

The Right Reverend Mariann Budde, Bishop of Washington, D.C., recently wrote in the Huffington Post:

“As people of faith, we’re good at showing up to

provide comfort for those who grieve, and that is

important, holy work. But now is also a time for us to

show up in ways that will prevent such deaths in the

future. If we only pray and offer comfort now, and do

not act, we are complicit in perpetuating the

conditions that allow such crimes to occur. It is time, in

the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to substitute

courage for caution.”

There is a growing conversation here at Saint Mary’s that God will give us courage to work for peace in our communities.

Join us

—Rex McKee, Edie Meissner, Margy Mattlin [email protected], 651-698-4760 (Edie),

[email protected]


It's Spring Musical Time!

St. Mary's children and young people present...

"Elijah: God's Faithful Prophet"

by Mark Patterson

Sunday, March 23, at 10:00am

(between the 9:00 and 10:30am services)

"Elijah" tells the story of the Old Testament prophet Elijah, who is commanded by the Lord to declare that rain shall not come to the land for three years because of the wicked ways of the people. Under the reign of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, false ways, false values, and false gods, including the cult of Baal (whose worship included sacrificing human infants... sick!) were introduced to the Israelites. In the coming drought, many suffer, including a widow and her son who have a miraculous encounter with Elijah, and a final confrontation between the false gods and the true God of Israel brings both fire from the skies as well as the final blessing of rain. The stories the musical will explore are found in the Bible's First Book of Kings, chapters 17 and 18. This musical has it all: a wicked queen, miraculous birds that help the prophet, and a showdown complete with pyrotechnics!

The story of Elijah, is relevant for today, with its themes of environmental consequences to human actions, human visions, and values conflicting with God's desire for humanity, and the constant question of what "gods" and values we truly follow.

The Choristers will provide most of the music, joined with a few side roles (both spoken and sung), and there will be dancers and excellent stagecraft.

If your child or young person would like to take part in the musical, please sign up, by emailing Bjorn at [email protected], by February 5. There are also opportunities for youths and adults in directing and managing the stage.

Mark your calendars, and plan on coming back to church if you are a 7:45am service attender, staying late if you are a 9:00am person, or coming early if you are one of the 10:30am crowd.

Support our young people and enjoy an engaging retelling of this challenging story. Not to be missed!

Bells

How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, In the icy air of night! While the stars, that oversprinkle All the heavens, seem to twinkle With a crystalline delight; Keeping time, time, time, In a sort of Runic rhyme, To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells From the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells— From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.

This excerpt from Poe's poem "The Bells" reminds us of the joy that the sound of bells bring. Handbells will be part of two upcoming Sunday services, February 23 and March 30.

Rehearsals will take place the two Tuesday evenings prior to each Sunday's presenting of music in church.

As this year we are using a month-to-month format, anyone is welcome to join "the regulars" for one or both months. The ability to read rhythms is helpful, but not necessary. If you'd like to have a go at it, contact Bjorn for a brief tutorial prior to coming to your first rehearsal.

Consider it! We have fun!

Women's Chorus Returns

This last fall, we enjoyed the sound of our pick-up men's chorus and now that spring is just around the corner, it is time to hear what the women among us can do!

There will be one rehearsal at 7:00pm on Wednesday, February 26, in the choir room, and we will present our anthem at both the tail-end of the 9:00am service and the beginning of the 10:30am service the following Sunday, March 2.

Singers will be able to select either service to attend in its entirety and will come a bit early or stay a little late to share the sounds of an all-female chorus.

Talk to Bjorn or Conie, or send them an email so we can be sure to have enough music for everyone. This is a great opportunity for those that love to sing but cannot commit to singing regularly.

—Bjorn Gustafson, 10:30am Music Director

[email protected]


Neighborliness

In October 2013, about 25 folks involved in various outreach ministries at St. Mary’s gathered for our Outreach volunteer appreciation dinner and celebration. We were honored to have the Rev. Patricia Lull, executive director of the St. Paul Area Council of Churches, join us that evening to share her insights on the importance of neighborliness— even as the world we live in causes our concept of what it means to be a “neighbor” to become increasingly diffuse.

Patricia harkened us back to a time when many of us knew all the neighbors on our block or in our town by name. A time when we tended to look out for each other, keeping a watchful eye on the neighborhood kids, or helping out a family in need. When we took the time to sit down and listen to a neighbor who was troubled, or in need of a human connection. She challenged us with a question that went something like this, “Who are our neighbors now and how do we meet them where they are with

compassion and service that affords dignity?”

At St. Mary’s, “outreach” is a key component of who we are as a community. A great many of us are quick to say that the primary reason we come to St. Mary’s is our church’s community, style of worship, or welcoming nature. But folks often note as well that they are drawn by all we do in the name of Outreach—that we have an intentional connection to the community in which we reside and beyond.

As the Outreach representative on the vestry, I am continually inspired by St. Marians’ commitment to our communities. Whether working with students at Galtier Elementary School or helping to support students in Haiti; volunteering to help serve meals at First Nations Kitchen; picking up bread and delivering it to the local food shelf; packing meals for Feed My Starving Children; spending time with residents at Episcopal homes; providing micro loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries through KIVA; or standing in solidarity and action around social justice issues that touch our community—we are on a good path.

Yet, I believe that as we continue to grow as a community, we ought to challenge our thinking by continually asking ourselves, “How are we paying attention to those in need around us?”; “Are we taking the time to connect with people in a way that says ‘you and I are both human beings equal in the eyes of God and equally deserving of dignity and respect?’”; and “How can I serve others in a way that lets their humanity touch mine?”

Thank you everyone at St. Mary’s who gives so generously of their time and money to continue to make giving to our communities—both locally and globally—something that is part of the fabric of who we are at St. Mary’s. If you would like to learn more about participating in one or more of our outreach activities, visit the Doing Good tab on saintmarysepiscopal.org, or contact me at [email protected].

—Katie Colon, Outreach chair

Doing GoodDoing GoodDoing Good

Why I Love the

Contemplative Liturgy*

Let me see. A dozen candles on a low table, light in a circle of darkness. The air resonant with the sound of the singing bowl. Gathering energies of six or eight or ten people intent on listening inward. Companionable silence. And above all, rhythm.

The best thing about Anglicanism, I thought on first encountering it, was Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, the marking of the gorgeous diurnal round at its most tender times; and standing behind that rhythm the original monastic Hours. We live in the matrix of the day! To be able to come to St. Mary's in the evening, letting darkness come, letting go of fuss and fret, lighting candles and yielding to the turning of light toward darkness, letting be. It doesn't seem practical to have Morning Prayer, but how wonderful that we can have this occasional Evening Prayer.

—Terry Krier *Contemplative Liturgy—1st and 3rd Sundays Gather 6:45pm; Liturgy 7:00pm


Outreach Financial Donations in 2013

We join a commitment made across the Episcopal Church to give .7% of the money members pledge to bring an end to global poverty by supporting the Millennium Development Goals. In 2013, your pledges helped support the following:

$500 to Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) Green School Program, which provides education about treating water to make it safe and basic hand washing hygiene to about 14 school children and adults in developing countries to improve the health of communities, including in Haiti.

$980 to Bonne Nouvelle School, which provides ongoing support to schoolchildren in Haiti in partnership with parishioners at St. James on the Parkway in St. Paul. This is in addition to $411 donated by St. Marians during the education drive in August.

$200 to the Mama Ada Foundation, which supports school children in Kenya as part of the 2013 mission project of the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota.

Additionally, $372 in unrestricted funds were donated to ERD from other Outreach funds.

Outreach funds were likewise used to support several causes in our local community, including:

$300 to Department of Indian Works Food Shelf. St. Marians also personally donated more than $300 to the food shelf and $300 to Feed My Starving Children during the Souper Bowl of Caring drive in January 2013.

$650 to Galtier Outreach funds to pay for volunteer expenses to support teachers as well as student uniforms.

$500 to Galtier Partnership Fund to provide instructional support.

$500 to Pastoral Care gift cards; this includes 20 Target gift cards valued at $25 each for LeeAnne to use for church and community members in need of emergency assistance.

$500 to Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative to support the development of a housing unit for homeless youth (Prior Crossing) in the neighborhood near Episcopal Homes in St. Paul.

$750 to First Nations Kitchen (FNK). St. Mary’s Youth Group members also raised $147 to donate to FNK by bagging groceries at Kowalski’s.

$500: St. Paul Area Council of Churches to help support their many ministries in our city such as Project Home which provides shelter for homeless families.

Thank you St. Mary’s!

Building Healthy Communities

A Lenten Soup Supper Series for All Episcopal Churches in East Metro

March 10,17 AND 24 6:00-8:00PM

Kings Crossing (University and Dale)

Join good people from other Episcopal faith communities during Lent to focus on how people of faith can work to build healthy communities. This series addresses homelessness and poverty in St Paul.

We will have speakers (the Rev. Dwight Zschiele, author of People of the Way and Julia Dinsmore, author My Name is Child of God Not those People), but we mainly hope to spark story telling and conversation so that those who come can begin to form meaningful relationships with other participants and the speakers, experience spiritual renewal and refreshment, and have time to reflect on where God might be leading us as a mission area in response to what the speakers are saying and the challenges our community face.

Come for the soup, stay for the conversation, and leave energized to engage Gods mission in our neighborhood.

—Margy Mattlin,

[email protected]

St. Mary’s is an active part of the St. Paul Area Council of Churches, which does a lot of good in

our local community. St. Mary’s had some stars in their recent newsletter—Ellie for bringing in food

to the food shelf, and Kris Hennelly’s photo was in as well. Such notoriety!


Angel Tree—Such Great Generosity!

In a nutshell:

40 children from the St. Paul College and Hubbs Child Care centers received gifts of toys and clothes.

$1295 worth of gift cards were donated to their families.

43 books were donated to Galtier Elementary School library by people from St. Mary’s, plus cash donated to buy more books!

In total, Galtier library will receive 132 books—82 donated by St. Mary’s, Olivet, Thirdway, Galtier; 31 books purchased with the $273 in cash donations; 19 purchased with the $210 Red Balloon rebate (20% of the price of each book purchased by St. Mary’s, Olivet, Thirdway, and Galtier).

Thank you, one and all, for your generous response to provide gifts for the children and their families and books for the library at Galtier!

—Paulette Briese, [email protected]

Thank You from the Child Care Centers

Dear People at St. Mary’s,

We would like to thank you for your generous effort in providing holiday gifts for the 40 children and families at the Children’s Centers at St. Paul College and Hubbs Center. Your gifts, totaling approximately $25 per child in gifts and almost $1300 in gift cards, are much appreciated.

All of our families are so very excited when they see the beautiful gifts. Many of our new immigrant families have never experienced this type of community support and are especially touched. All parents are thrilled with the warm clothing and of course the children’s faces light up when the toys are presented. Gift cards assist families now and throughout the year to ease the financial stress our families’ experience.

The outpouring of community support and compassion is amazing. Our staff looks forward to your delivery, because they are able to see firsthand the joy you bring. Each year, families face cut backs

First Nations’ Kitchen Volunteer Opportunity

February 9, 2014

After my first experience serving at First Nations’ Kitchen (FNK), my text message to LeeAnne was this:

“Wow! 17 volunteers tonight from St. Mary's. Because I am so excited, I'm going to list them all! Kathy, Katie, Scott, Ellen, Sharon, Cassandra, Peter, Jackson, Mike, Nina, Zack, Abby Johnson, Betsy, Aimee, Margaret, Eric, and Caryn. It was great fun! Do I get to do this again?!”

I had not been to FNK before and had no idea what to expect. I’m happy to say that it was just a fun time. Some of us plated the food, others served, and others cleared tables. Finally yet, others cleaned in preparation for the next Sunday. I watched as Abby came out of her shell and eagerly served meals. I saw Abby’s dad carving turkeys like a professional and Peter serve meals like a waiter recalling the skills he learned while going through college. And Sharon, wow, she can wash dishes with the best of them.

I ask you to join us in this fun. You can see that all are welcome. Serving at FNK is a great opportunity for families, or just come join in as part of St Mary’s family. Just come!

The next opportunity will be the evening of Sunday, February 9. There are two shifts: set up and serve from 5:00-6:30pm and clean up from 6:15- 7:30pm. Not available on February 9? Don’t worry, we are also scheduled to serve on April 6, June 1, August 10, October 5, and December 7. You may sign up at http://bit.ly/O5dBi3. You may also email me at [email protected] or call me at 651-631-8308.

—Margaret Thor, Deacon intern

“We had a blast attending your services. Not all large churches give the obvious impression that

they care about one another and are proud of their church. The volunteer leadership of the

congregation is admirable given how busy people seem to be with their work and family obligations.

We were very impressed…” —A review from a first-time visitor


Prayers for Minnesota lives impacted by violence in 2014 as of January 11, 2014

For our St. Mary’s neighbor who was robbed and beaten by people brandishing a gun. He was walking from the Marshall bus toward Summit Ave. in the afternoon.

For the family of 22-year-old Devonte Coppage, a college student and father of a baby boy, killed in a drug-related shooting at White Bear and Maryland Avenues. And for the families of the charged assailants.

For the family of 47-year-old Richard Nelson who was shot and killed by his 18-year-old son, Jonas, in Montgomery, MN.

For the families of college students Kayla Jill Koranda and Nicolas Bryan Roecker who died as the result of handgun murder-suicide near Rochester, MN. The two had been friends since grade school; Roecher had been battling depression when his friend since grade school went to visit him.

—Edie Meissner 651-698-4760

in childcare funding, housing, and other subsidies. We appreciate donations such as yours to help these families.

On behalf of the children we serve, a big thank you to everyone who participated in Angel Tree. Your kind acts of caring will be felt throughout the year.

— Zebune Leifeld, Director of St. Paul College and Hubbs Child Care Centers

Nazara's Group—Pakistan (Embroidery)

A KIVA loan was made to Firdous Nazara by people from St. Mary’s and St. James on the Parkway on Good Friday, 2013. Firdous is part of a larger group of individuals who are there to provide support to the members and to provide a system of peer pressure if needed.

This is what we knew about her when we made the loan. She is an embroidery expert. She does hand embroidery on clothes and is known for her good quality work. Along with her business, she also performs her household responsibilities very well. Her family is very pleased with her hard work and efforts in order to make their life easier. She applied for a loan from KIVA partner Asasah for further improvement of her embroidery business. With the loan investment, she planned to buy decorative embroidery material such as beads, thread, and other raw material that would help her improve her business and increase her profits. She has operated her business for the past many years and is confident that this KIVA loan will be a productive one for her.

There are 38 lenders. Total Loan=$1525; our loan=$100.

This is the report we recently received. “Nazara is obliged for KIVA support which helped her to improve her embroidery business. She has now

larger stock of grocery material such as beads, thread, etc. and she is now able to prepare better looking embroidered clothes for her clients. Due to her improved work, she now receives more orders every month, and she is able to fulfill the orders on time. She is very thankful to KIVA and Asasah for their loan support.

“Our fight is a lot more like my rehab. Every day, we must wake up resolved and determined. We’ll pay attention to the details; look for opportunities for

progress, even when the pace is slow… I am committed to my rehab and I am committed to my country, and

my resolution, standing with the vast majority of Americans who know we can and must be safer, is to cede no ground to those who would convince us the

path is too steep or that we are too weak.” —Former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords


Beginnings

We are in the process of starting up a new group here at Saint Mary’s called Beginnings which focuses on expectant parents and parents of young children—birth to under 5 years old. The group kicked off with a parent meet and greet as well as discussion about what the group will look like on Saturday, January 25. It’s not too late to join the group or add to the discussion! A second event is scheduled as a breakfast for Saturday, February 22 from 9:00-11:00am. Please RSVP to MiaLisa McFarland if you plan to attend at [email protected] or 570-269-9688. Of course, any and all are welcome to drop-in to the event.

Mission and Goals of the Group:

While the group is still in the formation phase, here is some information about the working missions and goals of the group.

Serving all of God's people

Engaging young families in community

Filling a gap in lack of activities for families with kids under 5 years old (especially)

Socialization for both parents and kids

Providing a welcoming, non-judgmental, safe space for new relationships among families with children of similar ages

Providing a supportive network of families, information, camaraderie, and space to process

Focusing on and exploring spirituality, traditions, and values

Sunday School Update

Thank you so much to our Sunday schoolers who did a wonderful job in the Christmas pageant. Not only did we have a great group of kids helping out but we also had so many helping hands from parents Erika, Shannon, Julie, and Janice and pageant assistants Stephanie and Claire. What a team! We couldn't have done it without everyone's help!

Our second part of Sunday School started the week after Epiphany. A big thank you to Stephanie, Claire, Meg, Kirby, Shannon, Erika, and Sarah Ann for working with our children this winter quarter. We are lucky to have such a strong team of people guiding the education of our little ones.

Parents of Sunday schoolers, please keep in mind that any event at Episcopal Homes is open to everyone. Typically, we do all kinds of craft activities.

Tweeners Update

Ice Skating at the Depot: We had a great turnout for ice skating at the Depot. With the Hennellys and Dickinsons taking the lead on this event, our tweeners had a wonderful time. We have some very talented skaters in our midst! Additional thanks to the other parents Nina Johnson, Tim Welsh, and Jennifer Bishop, who also helped out.

Bowling: The Murphys, Johnsons and Delucas took the lead on this bowling extravaganza. As per their suggestion, we shifted the venue to Ran-Ham Bowling, and a good time was had by all!

Coming Up in Tweeners:

February 2, Noon-2:00pm: Tween Rock Climbing

March 2, Noon-2:00pm: Tween Games, Discussion, and Lunch (A Taste of Youth Group)

April 6, Noon-2:00pm: Zero Gravity Trampoline Park

April 19, 4:00pm: Easter Vigil (Tweens come around lunch time to help)

Christian FormationChristian FormationChristian Formation

Congratulations to John and Joanna

on the arrival of little Grace!


Sam, Charlie, and Ellie strutting their

gingerbread house making skills.

Ski Trip 2014 Cooke Household (Episcopal Homes) Update

Turkey Craft: A group of Saint Marians headed over to Episcopal Homes to make some turkeys in honor of Thanksgiving. A big thanks to Claire, Ginny Deluca, and Anne Murphy for their help with the group!

Gingerbread Houses: Every year, the very talented Anne Green leads a group of us in making gingerbread houses. It is a time-honored tradition that always exceeds our expectations. The kids’ houses were decorated with such care. We had a great group of youth and adults that helped as well including Claire, George, Matt, Brian, Ginny, Tim, and Kris. When we finished, the group visited our dear friends like Jean, Marianne, and Janice and did a bit of Christmas caroling.

Coming Up at Episcopal Homes:

February 16, Noon-2:00pm : Valentine Party

March 16, Noon-2:00pm: Bingo

April Variety Show, (date TBD; it had been inadvertently scheduled for Easter)

Youth Group Update

Year In Review:

In November, our youth group was extremely active making breakfast bags for the Ronald McDonald House. The youth packed bags of food they donated, making over one hundred breakfasts for families. The following week, our group had a potluck Thanksgiving dinner, which is honestly one of my personal dinner highlights of the year. The group brings such wonderful food, and we had such a lovely turn out of youth groupers for the feast! Despite the huge snowstorm, five youth groupers braved the ice and snow for a skating session at The Oval. The youth

requested a discussion panel on careers, and so we had Margaret Thor, Stephanie Neuhaus, Matthew Palombo, Liz Greene, Jennie Ward, Brian Nerbonne, and Meg Johnson talk about their varied careers. Our year culminated in a trip to Feed My Starving Children.

Ski Trip: Our youth group went to Ironwood, Michigan for their annual ski trip. Equipped with skis, sleds, snowshoes, and our saint-like chaperones Joe Juvland, Margaret Thor, Stephanie Neuhaus, Jim DeLuca, and Susan Stokes, our youth had a wonderful time playing games in the house and skiing the hills in Michigan. Coming Up in Youth Group:

February 5 TBD

February 12 Discussion: College Students

February 19 Service Project

February 26 Fishbowl Conversation

March 5 Ash Wednesday Service

March 12 Discussion at Cooke Household

March 19 Feed My Starving Children

March 26 Sumo Wrestling

—MiaLisa E. McFarland Childrens and Youth Minister

570-269-9688 (cell) [email protected]


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Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church is Christ-centered community with a mission to express God’s love for all people.

You are always welcome to worship with us! Sunday morning service times are 7:45, 9:00, and 10:30am and

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we gather at 6:45pm, and the liturgy goes from 7:00-7:45pm.

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