growing together in god’s love - st andrew's … together in god’s love november 2015...
TRANSCRIPT
Growing Together in God’s Love
November 2015
Volume 4 Issue 11
Calendar highlights:
Tuesday, November 10
7 pm: Vestry Agenda Planning
Thursday, November 12
6:30 pm: Women’s Book Group
Tuesday, November 17
7 pm: Vestry Meeting
Wednesday, November 18
7 pm: Coed Spirituality Group
Sunday, November 22
St. Andrew’s Day
Giving Sunday
Sunday, November 29
10:30 am: Wreath-making
From Mother Jenni
“Choose to Live Generously” Dear People of St. Andrew’s,
“Sometimes,” as St. Augustine is credited with observing, “God wants
to give us something but cannot, because our hands are full – there is nowhere
for Him to put it. Sometimes, it seems, we must lose
what we cannot keep in order to find what we cannot
lose.”
When I was 14 my maternal grandmother
moved in with us following my grandfather’s death.
She needed company and attention for she could not
remember from one moment to the next though she
played the piano with gusto, occasionally accompany-
ing herself, peeled peaches in one motion and did all
my Latin homework. Good thing she made an A on
that because my test scores were pretty low (what a
surprise). She was an incredibly engaging storyteller about (Continued on Page 7)
Inside this issue:
Holiday Fair 3
Music in August 4
Middle School Youth Group 5
Church School 5
Faces of Our Faith 6
Letter from Timothy 6
Church School, Youth Staff Hired 7
Women’s Spirituality 8
Kitchen Committee 8
Coed Spirituality 8
Seen Around Church 9
Treasurer’s Report 10
Summary of Vestry Meeting 10
Stewardship Letter 11
Transition Team Continues Its Work
The Transition Team is excited by the progress they are making in ac-
complishing all the preliminary work that must be done in the search for a new
rector for St. Andrew’s. The Team meets every Tuesday night to continue the
work with which they are charged:
▪ What is God’s mission? How are we participating in God’s mission?
▪ How is God calling us? Where is God calling us?
▪ What is God’s mission at St. Andrew’s?
▪ Who are the best candidates that can lead us there?
To that end the Team has:
▪ Conducted a Discernment Day, whereby many members of the parish had
their voice in guiding our direction
▪ Answered the extensive essay questions in the Office of Transitional Minis-
try Portfolio Narrative Questions for Parishes necessary for our Parish Profile
document as well as being a narrative in the creation (Continued on Page 2)
Happy
Thanksgiving !
Page 2
Transition Team (continued from Page 1)
of our search webpage and new parish website.
▪ Worked on Parish Profile Info Forms
As the Team continues in its mission we are buoyed by the guidance and enthusiasm of our Transi-
tion Process Advisor Rev. Maureen Peitler-Lederman who said this week: “I can't tell you how amazed I am
at the work you've all already done.” That work will continue faithfully. Thank you for your continued
prayers!
Once the Transition Team completes the Parish Profile, it will be made available for candidates to re-
view. More details about the interview process and the roles of the Diocese, Transition Team and Vestry will
be made available as we move into that phase of the process.
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
Staff Officers Vestry
Jenni Matheson, Interim Rector Gary Naegel, Senior Warden Mark Auletta
[email protected] [email protected] Art Criddle
Barbara Gibbons, Parish Administrator John Armstrong, Junior Warden Lucinda Embersits
[email protected] [email protected] Kristen Garnett
Grant Underwood, Music Director Cathy Golden, Treasurer Amanda Hayward
[email protected] [email protected] Colleen McHugh
Mary Merkle-Scotland, Youth Minister Louise Beecher, Clerk Alan Miller
[email protected] [email protected] Rebecca Rastetter
Shelby Auletta, Church School Coordinator
David Mikus, Sexton
[email protected] Webmaster: Terry Sinclair
Anita Spear, Preschool Director Messenger Editor: John Armstrong
[email protected] Photography: Alan Miller, John Armstrong
Our Transition Team: Margaret Mason, Alice Hencir, Mary Potenziani, Nancy Karas, Patches Earle, Laura
Miller and Art Criddle
Page 3 Volume 4 Issue 11
Fun for Everyone but We Need Your Help
Holiday Fair Rings in the Christmas Season!
Fun, food, bargains, pictures with Santa, music, holiday decorations, did we say ‘food?
—you will find all that and more at the Holiday Fair on Saturday, December 5. From 9 to 3 that
Saturday the Christmas spirit takes over at St. Andrew’s—Farmer Hall, preschool classrooms,
the choir room, narthex, even the sanctuary. This happily anticipated festive event kicks off the holiday sea-
son every year for many Madison residents.
Fair Chair Maira Rieger and the many volunteers on her fair team hope that every parish family will
find a way to join the fun. Cookies, pies and cakes baked the day before the fair are especially welcome.
Helping hands to decorate and set up the day before and clean up afterward are also needed. Different
rooms need different kinds of gently used items. Containers are now set up in Farmer Hall. Here’s the
lineup of items we can all donate:
Besides the goodies and bargains there will be plenty of fun activities:
Attic Treasures Check your basement or attic. We can use pieces of china, good glassware, silver, brass, wrought iron, antiques, serving dishes, and home décor items.
Basement Bargains One man’s trash, is another’s treasure, just be sure it’s clean and not broken.
Theme Baskets Groups within the church often choose their own theme and create a unique bas-ket. Or individuals can donate one of their own choice. Contact Donna Johansen at [email protected] if you plan to donate a theme basket. Tickets for the finished bas-kets are sold the day of the fair.
Christmas Shoppe We sell gently used Christmas and holiday decorations — for the tree, the house, and the table.
Bottle Shop Anything that you can put into a bottle or jar: coins, candy, jam, lotion, wine. Kids love buying bot-tles as gifts for their brothers, sis-ters and parents.
Jewelry, etc… Clean out your jewelry boxes and closet shelves to donate necklaces, pins, ear-rings, scarves, belts, hats, gloves, and purses.
Nearly New Books We can use children’s books, cookbooks, best sellers, fiction and non-fiction. Also, CDs, tapes, music-related items, and computer games go in this room. But please, NO
magazines or encyclopedias.
Kids Toys & Games Gently used toys, games and sports equip-ment will be for sale in this room.
Furniture Plus Medium/small furniture items (end tables, tables, etc), tools (new or used that do not require fuel) all in good condition.
Bake Shoppe Kitchen goodies are needed! Pies are the #1 seller, followed closely by cakes, breads and cookies. Also, we welcome sugar-free alternatives. Each family is encouraged to donate at least one baked good. Donations should be dropped off on the day before the fair on Friday, December 4.
Tiny Tree Decorating Contest
Fun for families and individuals of all ages! Pick up a "tiny tree" in late November from Brenda Naegel during coffee hour and bring it back deco-rated the day before the fair. Trees will displayed the day of the fair so fair-goers can vote for their favorite. Prizes will be awarded and decorated trees will be donated after the fair to homebound parishioners.
Crafts Room Children will have fun making various craft projects. Parents can assist their children here.
All-Day Cafe Enjoy coffee and treats all morning — and fabulous homemade lunch specials, too!
Photos with Santa No appointment necessary —11 am to 1pm, digital proofs provided in one week.
Elfie Selfies
Kids and adults will have a great time posing as an elf and posting their selfies online to share with friends and family.
Wreaths
Wreaths—freshest of the fresh—will be on sale all day.
Handmade Gifts
Vendors will display hand-crafted jewelry and hats.
Page 4
Music at St. Andrew’s: November, 2015
“At the round earth’s imagined corners blow your trumpets, angels,
And arise from death your numberless infinities of souls…”
Trinity Choir and Spirit & Chancel Choir Evensong, 4pm Sunday, November 1
Trinity Episcopal Church, 120 Sigourney Street, Hartford
W ith Christmas coming around the bend, we usually think of December as the primary festive season,
but the church year is chock-full of Holy Days and sacred moments throughout the month of Novem-
ber! This month, we will celebrate many occasions of the Christian church year, both within our parish and
with other parishes.
On All Saints’ Sunday (November 1), we will come together for many special moments. At our 8
o’clock traditional service, we will sing “For All the Saints” and “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God.” At the
9:30 service, our Youth Choir will sing “Creation of Peace,” while a small ensemble of adults will sing
“Litany of the Saints.” And later that day singers from our Spirit & Chancel Choir will sing in an All Saints’
Day 4pm Evensong Service at Trinity Church in Hartford (120 Sigourney Street, Hartford), in collaboration
with The Trinity Choir. Please come to Evensong to worship with us!
On November 22 we will celebrate St. Andrew’s Day. The pipers Durant McCurley and George Mar-
tin, who have joined us for many years, will lead us with the processional and recessional. The Spirit & Chan-
cel Choir will sing at the 9:30 service that day. Because the Shoreline Ministerial Association decided to can-
cel the Interfaith Thanksgiving Community Service this year, we will come together at St. Andrew’s that af-
ternoon for a Thanksgiving Evensong in our own sanctuary. Please bring a canned good as an offering.
November 29 will bring a change in the liturgical season – we will begin to celebrate Advent. With
this change we will also see new sung liturgies in our worship (not a permanent preferential change, but a
change to reflect and acknowledge the change in our lectionary season).
Mark Your Calendars
4pm Sunday, 11/1 All Souls’ Evensong at Trinity Episcopal, Hartford
4pm Sunday, 11/22 Thanksgiving Evensong at St. Andrew’s Church
Of Musical Note
Thanks to all those who attended St. Andrew’s Cabaret Live! last month and contributed to a wonderful night
of food, music, and fellowship. To everyone who was a part of this memorable time: your support of our mu-
sicians goes a long way! Thanks to your contributions, both in ticket purchases and material donations, we
raised funds for our collective future ministries.
Sr. Youth Choir – Please remember to bring your instruments to rehearsal on Wednesday, November 4.
Out of the Past: Youth choristers at the
InterFaith service, November 2012
Page 5 Volume 4 Issue 11
Youth Matters
Middle School Group Hikes, Carves, Donates Toys The Middle School Youth Group has gotten off to a fun and fantastic start this year with lots of beautiful and
enthusiastic kids in the group. In September we joined forces with the High School Youth Group and made care pack-
ages for St. Andrew’s college freshmen. In October we met for a very cold and
invigorating hike at Hammonasset—yes, there were snowflakes!—followed by
pumpkin carving and games at the house of Sandy Butler, the group’s volun-
teer coordinator.
Coming Up. On November 15 we will take the kids shopping for toys
to donate to the Toys-for-Tots program. This is an idea that stemmed from the
kids themselves. They wanted to bring toys to kids in the hospital, and while
that is not feasible, we adapted the idea a bit, and are going to donate to kids in
need through Toys-For-Tots. The group will meet at 1:45pm in the St. An-
drew’s parking lot, head to the store, and then deliver our toys to the Madison
Police who is an official Toys-for-Tots drop off location. We will end at the church for snacks and activities and reflec-
tions on being thankful. (Please note kids need to bring $20 to purchase a toy. Scholarship funds are available for those in need;
please contact Mary Merkle-Scotland.)
Sandy Butler
Church School: More Than 60 Children!
As fall gets into full swing there is more change in the air than just the seasons! I am very excited to begin offi-
cially working as the Church School Coordinator. Let me begin by sharing the good news that we have 62 children regis-
tered. Our talented group of teachers includes:
PreK Megan Sesma and Louise Beecher
Kindergarten-First Kate Henderson, Anastasia King and Jen Below
Second- Third (First Commujnion) Shelby Auletta and Olivia Nye
Fourth-Fifth Rebecca Rastetter, Nancy Anselmo and Patricia Black
Sixth-Seventh (Rite 13) Ian Merkle-Scotland and Carrie Albert
Eighth-Ninth (Confirmation) Patches Earle, Florie Earle and Kerry Arena
Our second and third graders have begun preparation for their First Informed Holy Communion on May 15,
2016. Our eighth and ninth graders will be confirmed on June 4, 2016 at St. John’s in Essex as part of the regional confir-
mation group.
The children in the younger classes follow the Spark curriculum. The Sixth-Seventh grade class follows the
“Connect” curriculum, while the Confirmation class is using the “Confirm Not Conform” curriculum. Spark and Con-
nect both are online programs which allow teachers to access materials from home at their convenience.
Children may, of course, drop into Church School at any time and will always be greeted with a warm welcome!
If you have not officially registered a child, I ask that you please do so. The information collected on the registration
form allows us to share calendar information and news with you via our email group and helps keep your children safe
by alerting us of any allergies or restrictions your child may have.
I am looking forward to a fantastic year filled with children learning about our church and God, sharing laugh-
ter and fun, and growing together.
Shelby Auletta
Page 6
Faces of our Faith
Pete Moore: “I have found comfort in my faith“
My journey of faith has frequently been bumpy, meandering and sometimes even lost. My early
church years began with my family's encouragement and my regular attendance at an Episcopal church
wherever we lived. When we moved to Connecticut, I attended Trinity Church in
New Haven and eventually joined the Trinity Boys' Choir. For three years that in-
volved two services on Sunday and choir practice at least twice a week. That kept me
closely involved with the church.
However, when my college years came along, church attendance suffered and my
involvement with the church pretty much disappeared. After Jean and I were mar-
ried, we lived in Manhattan. Occasional attendance during the first years of our mar-
riage was the norm, but the birth of our son brought us back to the church. Subse-
quently, when our son was two, we moved to the suburbs and became affiliated with
and active in our local Episcopal church. Then, when Jean and I retired, we moved
to Madison and after some church shopping, we joined St. Andrew's. It was a good
decision!
The journey has still been bumpy at times. Doubts have arisen and questions have been unanswered.
Yet, the welcoming atmosphere and the many examples of strong faith and true Christian values here at St.
Andrew's have supported and strengthened my own beliefs. I have found comfort in my faith.
Timothy Graduates, Thanks St. Andrew’s
One of the orphans that St. Andrew’s is supporting in Uganda, Timothy Engwau, has written to tell us
of his graduation from school. In an email to Martha Hoffman, president of Call to Care Uganda, he tells his
good news:
Praise the Good Lord, I hope the Lord has kept you, the fam-ily, and all at Madison well. Today I write to share the good news of my graduation that is scheduled to take place on the 30th of October this very year, exactly 10 days from today. The graduation list was released yesterday and I made!! I graduate with a CGPA of 4.115!! Words alone may not be enough to show my gratitude to Call for Care Uganda and all at St. Andrews for all you have done to see me all the way to this point but I pray that the almighty God bless you Abun-dantly! My plan is to someday upgrade to a master degree either in IT or in Business Administration but God's plan is always the best so, I shall wait on that which He has in store for me. In the meanwhile I already started a look out for some work to do although it hasn't been an easy task, I'm positive something will work out. Once again I thank you and the whole team at St. Andrews and Call for Care Uganda. Your sponsored son,
Engwau Timothy
Page 7 Volume 4 Issue 11
Mother Jenni (continued from Page 1)
the people and events of her earlier life and she told an assortment of what could only be called story cycles –
i.e. several different stories told about the same event or person.
One of my favorite story cycles was The Great Depression Cycle. These were a series of stories from
her life as a young wife and mother of four. The times brought all her creative powers to bear. She made
party dresses out of old linens for my mom, which she embroidered, or smocked, or pleated. She grew
enough vegetables to can for the winter and keep her family healthy and full, bartered eggs for seed, ingen-
iously designed toys from discarded items, helped deliver babies, rode a bike instead of driving a car, shared
meals or medicine (my grandfather was the town pharmacist) with any hungry or sick person who knocked
at the door.
One day a traveler left a special mark on their gate post. Gran said it was the ‘secret code’ signifying
safety and welcome. At my grandparents’ house food, water, maybe even an overnight in a dry barn was
available. It was a home that shared from the little that they had with people who had even less.
I loved those stories. The dramatic scarcity of the time was almost unbelievable to me: ONE orange
was a big deal in a Christmas stocking? ONE baseball glove was shared by three uncles? I was stunned that
the scarcity was so devastating that in fear and shame people chose to take their own lives leaping to their
deaths in cities and turning guns on themselves in the country. Their hands were a lot fuller than my grand-
mother’s. What I loved even more about those stories and found even more fascinating, was the wistful look
that would come over my grandmother’s face as she’d shake her head and say, “It was a hard, hard time,
honey - - - and I never felt so rich. We had plenty of fun of our own making and the Lord was good to us.”
My grandmother was grateful for God’s love, mercy and goodness. Her response to the gratitude she
experienced was generosity. Like Auntie Mame she recognized ‘life is a feast and most poor suckers are
starving’. She recognized the abundance of her life came from open handedness and she was grateful that
enabled her to share what had been given her. She decided to live abundantly.
Make the choice to live generously, sharing out of your abundance your blessing so that you may be a
blessing to others. Let go of what owns you in order to hold onto who loves you.
God’s peace and generosity be with you all,
Breaking News!
Staff Hired for Youth, Church School It is a great joy to announce that Shelby Auletta and Mary Merkle-Scotland
have been hired to serve as Christian Education Coordi-
nator and Youth Minister, respectively. Shelby and
Mary have responded to the call to serve as faithful
stewards of God's bounty by sharing, teaching and
modeling God's word and companionship with people
being formed in the Christian faith and life. Thanks be
to God!
Page 8
Spirituality Group To Discuss
Apostle Paul: Reinterpreter of Jesus’s Message
The Coed Spirituality Discussion Group, led by Mother Jenni and John Arm-
strong, will meet next on Wednesday, Novermber 18 at 7 o’clock. The group will dis-
cuss commentary by the historian David MacCulloch on how Paul spread messages
preached by Jesus but also adjusted them to be more politically acceptable. The reading
for the November meeting is MacCulloch’s commentary plus the chapter “Listening
with the Imagination: George MacDonald” from Listening for the Heartbeat of God by John
Philip Newell.
The group is exploring the first thousand years of Christianity, tracing the devel-
opment of Roman Christianity and Celtic Christianity. These two distinct traditions
grew up separately but sometimes collided and together formed much of what Christi-
anity is today.
Women’s Spirituality Book Club
The Women's Spirituality Book Group will be discussing the novel The
Hummingbird by Stephen Kiernan on Thursday, November 12 at 6:30. This master-
ful novel tells the moving story of a hospice nurse, her soldier husband suffering
post-traumatic syndrome after three deployments in Iraq, and her dying patient,
an embittered retired historian expert in World War II. The professor comes to
trust the nurse, and tells her a story from that long-ago war, which guides her to a
way to help her husband battle his demons. The Hummingbird is a masterful story
of marital commitment, service to country, the battles we fight for those we love,
learning to let go, and finding absolution through wisdom and acceptance. The
book is available in hardback and Kindle versions from Amazon, and can also be
found in the public library. Please RSVP to Rebecca Rastetter
([email protected]) by November 10 and let her know if you need
childcare.
Calling All Chefs
Earlier this year the Vestry stepped out in a leap of faith and approved the renovation of the Parish kitchen. Re-
calling Teddy Roosevelt’s famous quote, ”if you build it, they will come” and after many years of doing without a func-
tional kitchen we built it--and now we need you to come. This December the new kitchen will be operational and we are
going to have many new opportunities to break bread together in 2016 and beyond.
A key ingredient to successfully implementing active cooking and meal preparation into parish life will be a
new Kitchen Committee. The Committee is needed to champion the proper operation and preservation of the kitchen.
Without an overseeing group we run a very real risk of letting our investment fall into disarray. There will be ongoing
maintenance, cleanliness and safety procedures that must be adhered to.
Please contact Alan Miller ([email protected] ) if you are interested and willing to serve on this new Com-
mittee.
Page 9 Volume 4 Issue 11
Seen Around the Church
Page 10
Finance Committee Report and Financial Update
September 2015 Monthly
Income Year-To-Date YTD Budget
Annual
Budget
Total Pledges 19,074 150,844 153,153 204,200
4% from Endowment 3,550 35,550 31,887 42,520
Supplement from
Endowment 25,000 25,000 52,497 70,000
Fund-Raisers 0 14,712 18,747 25,000
Other Income 432 3,132 4,122 5,500
Total Income 48,056 229,188 260,406 347,220
Expenses 23,014 242,127 253,098 337,455
Difference 25,042 -12,939 7,308 9,765
Summary of October Vestry Meeting
Church School. The vestry approved the creation of two part-time positions to meet the needs of its young people - a 15-
hour a week director for the pre-K to 6 Sunday School program and a 10-hour-a -week youth minister to serve middle school and
high school students. Shelby Auletta will fill the Sunday School position, while Mary Merkle-Scotland will directing the youth pro-
gram.
Kitchen Renovation. Alan Miller, who is overseeing this project, reported that things were going smoothly. He recom-
mended that a kitchen committee be created to provide a guide for using the new facility, cleaning and equipment use. No individual
or group had those responsibilities for the old kitchen, which suffered as a result, he said.
Calendar. Vestry Warden Gary Naegel reported that Christine Abbott had assumed responsibility for maintaining the
church calendar. A calendar listing all the church’s activities – committee meetings, youth activities, and other events such as the
Holiday Fair – is key to keeping parishioners engaged and involved, he said. It will also facilitate planning of events. The vestry had
previously discussed the need for long-range scheduling for annual activities such as the Spaghetti Dinner.
Time to Order Thanksgiving Turkey!
Thanks to parishioner Kristen Lang, Gozzi’s Turkey Farm in Guilford is again
offering bargain prices on Thanksgiving turkeys as their contribution to the Holiday
Fair. When determining what size turkey to cook, the rule of thumb is a pound and a
half per person—for example, order a 15-pound turkey to feed ten people.
This year parishioners can help others in need by ordering a turkey and donating it to the soup
kitchen, or even to some particular family. The order form is available in the church office or on the website:
http://www.standrewsmadison.org/pdf/TurkeyOrderForm.pdf
Page 11 Volume 4 Issue 11
Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church 232 Durham Road Madison, Connecticut 06443
October 28, 2015
Dear Fellow Member of the St. Andrew’s Community,
Here at St. Andrew’s we worship on Sundays, but we work during the week! On a recent Wednesday in
October the day began at 9 o’clock as 60 preschoolers arrived at St. Andrew’s School. They made Halloween
decorations, heard stories about pumpkins, played on the church’s playground. Then at 10 o’clock a small
group of parishioners gathered for a service of healing and eucharist. It’s a small but faithful group, and they
gather faithfully every Wednesday. Ask any of them and you will learn the Wednesday morning service nour-
ishes their faith, and refreshes their spirit. By noon the preschoolers were hungry, but before diving into their
lunch boxes they took time to sing grace: “…Thank you for the birds that sing / Thank your God for everything. “
The church quiets down Wednesday afternoons—time for Mother Jenni to attend to matters like preparing a
family for a baptism. Evening time, though, the place comes alive again. That particular Wednesday evening
the Finance Committee met for a regular meeting. At the same time Grant met with the Youth Choir as its
eleven members rehearsed “For the Beauty of the Earth.” And in Classroom 1 a dozen parishioners gathered
to study the early history of Roman and Celtic Christianity.
Learning. Praying. Growing in mind and spirit. Reaching in, reaching out. At St.Andrew’s making a differ-
ence in people’s lives happens every day—because as a community of Christ-followers, we are called to take
care of one another, and the world we live in. And you are a vital part of that community!
We are writing today to ask you to renew your commitment to that community. We have enclosed an
Estimate of Giving Form for 2016. Besides the financial estimate, as we have done in the past, we are includ-
ing a Time and Talent Survey. We especially hope you will feel called to join a new ministry, an area where you
feel you can make a difference in the life of a parishioner right here at a St. Andrew’s, or the life of someone
somewhere else in the world. We will be collecting the Estimate of Giving Form and the Time and Talent Survey
on Stewardship Sunday, November 22.
With gratitude,
Gary Naegel John Armstrong
Senior Warden Junior Warden
[email protected] [email protected]
203-421-4426 203-350-5022
St. Andrew’s Church
232 Durham Road
Madison, CT 06443
Mailing Label
NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID GUILFORD CT PERMIT NO 283
The Messenger the monthly newsletter of:
St Andrew’s Episcopal Church
in Madison, CT
Phone: 203-245-2584
On the web: www.StAndrewsMadison.org
Jenni Matheson, Interim Rector
Gary Naegel, Senior Warden
Barbara Gibbons, Parish Administrator
Grant Underwood, Music Director
Mary Merkle-Scotland, Youth Minister
David Mikus, Sexton
Anita Spear, Preschool Director
Come Worship with Us on Sundays
All are welcome!
Services at 8 am and 9:30
Sunday School 10:15 - 11:00