| Sundays | 10:00 AM | Holy Eucharist Rite II and Unction |
| Sundays | 11:00 AM | Coffee in Church Garden |
| September 2 | 10:00 AM | Social & Hospitality Meeting |
| September 10 | 8:30 AM | Company of Gentlemen's Breakfast |
| September 14 | 4:00 PM | Viva La Musica |
| September 17 | 2:00 - 3:30 PM | Church Choir Rehearsal |
| September 19 | 10:00 AM | Finance Committee Meeting |
| September 23 | 10:00 AM | Wardens' Meeting |
| September 23 | 1:00 PM | Men's Luncheon |
| September 23 | 1:00 PM | Ladies' Luncheon |
| September 24 | 2:00 - 3:30 PM | Church Choir Rehearsal |
| September 25 | 10:00 - 12:30 | Vestry Meeting |
| September 25 | 3:00 - 5:30 PM | Cantantes Rehearsal |
| September 29 | 8:00 AM | Outreach Meeting |
| September 30 | 3:00 - 5:30 PM | Cantantes Rehearsal |
Other meetings will be announced as scheduled
September 2008
Beloved of Andrew in God,
The curve of the year begins taking us into fall though I confess wondering whether to credit (or not) Lakeside falls and winters with more rigorous ones up north. Still many of us have enjoyed what we recognize as summer days – fun, light, good rains (thanks be!), family visits, perhaps trips away. Thoughts now move to preparations for the year’s later months: to what must be done around the house and secured against a gathering chill. Is the gas fire working? For those lucky to have a working fireplace, is there wood to be found? For the truly adventurous, canning anyone? And how about trips for the holidays arriving soon?
On the ecclesiastical front we’re a month past the Lambeth Conference. For some church folk the doings there are still much in mind; for others much less so. Personally I need to let concern with global Anglican issues subside in the face of something more immediate, necessary: preparing my own spiritual house for winter.
In Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis lays out a basic fact about spiritual growth: “If I am a field that contains nothing but grass-seed, I cannot produce wheat. . . If I want to produce wheat . . . I must be ploughed up and re-sown.”
Lewis wants us to take stock, suggesting we look first at ourselves to see just what kind of being or person we are in ourselves. Can we take that proverbial hard look in the mirror and truthfully acknowledge what we see: our blind spots, our anxieties or anger or frustrations? Without the requisite candor, Lewis, I think, feels we’re not going to get far in our spiritual journey.
But he offers help: “. . . (T)he real problem of the Christian life. . . comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you. . . And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice. . . letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. . . . We can only do it for moments at first. But from those moments the new sort of life will be spreading through our system: because now we are letting God work at the right part of us.”
The center of Lewis’s and our being should be Christ. Yet the difficulty, the challenge is that we cannot pursue Christ as we pursue or assault the daily grind either around the house or around Lakeside. Jesus asks - no, Jesus demands - more if he is to reach us inside where it counts. He wants some of our time – quiet time – alone with him. Tough for many of us. We don’t care for what it feels like when we’re alone or let our minds stray too far from appointed tasks. We like or want to feel busy. Yet we must give up some of this busyness if we’re to make progress towards what we secretly long or hope for: spiritual peace. The Psalmist distills what our goal should be: “Be still,” God says to him, “and know that I am God.” Can it be more succinctly expressed?
We must begin slowly. Perhaps we can only give Jesus a few moments a day at first, maybe a minute or two. But let it be a conscious gift. Ask Jesus to work in the right part of you, in the deep down heart of you, perhaps saying, “Come, Lord Jesus,” the final request in the Book of Revelation.
Whatever works, my hope for each of us is that we will renew our pledge first to take care of that which is nearest – our own spiritual house. If we do, can St. Andrew’s and the larger church house not benefit as well from the journeys we take? May our journeys into Christ deepen and grow brighter while the days slowly darken earlier.
Michael
RECTOR’S REPORT TO VESTRY
28 AUGUST 2008
When Jesus spoke of almsgiving in Matthew’s Chapter 6, he said: “. . . do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. . .” It’s an intriguing phrase for the context though I’m going to use it to help me ease into another one entirely: pastoral care.
Pastor care is something we should all be doing in one way or another. Few really know what it is though many perhaps think we know. When I say all of us should be doing it, what is it we should be doing? The simplest thing to say is: walking with others when their walking gets hard.
Now all of us have known times when we’ve experienced stress, grave illness, loss of spouse or partner, professional or financial difficulty, divorce or separation, estrangement from family or once-close friends. The list could be added to. The thing all these areas have in common is that whether or not we’ve known comfort or solace from others in bearing the burdens, we know intuitively the bearing goes easier when there’s someone who’ll listen; someone who’ll care how we’re doing; someone who knows and loves us no matter what.
Each of us here has no doubt ministered to a friend or family member in such circumstances and has not counted the hours or ways in which you’ve done so. Nor should you have. In effect, your “left hand” did not know what “the right” was doing. The hours and ways came from your heart, your capacity to identify or empathize, your willingness to accompany in whatever small way seemed right. You were, in short, doing pastoral care.
Priests too find themselves vocationally engaged in pastoral care, often with individuals whom they barely know. It often lies near the heart of their calling, and so it is in my case and of my own choosing. Because it is, I’ve not stopped to keep a running tally of how many home visits or home communions or phone visits or hospital visits or occasions assisting with a congregant’s personal needs I may have had, say, over a month’s time. I have simply done them because I believed a priest was needed, and they needed doing. If you will, “the right hand” was at work.
What or who is “the left?” In this case, I suppose, it’s you, the Vestry, or, in a wider sense, St. Andrew’s. You do not know have any numbers because I myself have never keep count. I don’t know how many people actually might have been interested, but perhaps others would like to know simply to know what their priest is “up to.” Be assured (and I’m no exception) it’s a good deal more than what transpires on Sunday.
In order to address such interest or, perhaps more specifically, respond to the Long Range Planning survey’s suggestion that more pastoral care seemed needed, may I provide some numbers for services performed over the past month:
Home visits and/or communion: 16
Phone visits (pastoral, not social): 5
Office visits: 3
In addition, I have recently spent a number of hours shepherding a member of the congregation through renewing a passport; supporting a spouse during her husband’s surgery; helping two parishioners obtain proper medical care locally. Smaller items may belong here, but I simply have no record of them.
Volume varies, of course, with the month, but the need for home visits has risen recently. It this enough? This is for you, “the left hand” to determine.
I don’t know if this accounting helps. I hope so. What’s important for me to convey to the congregation is that I try to respond when a need arises or is requested – because I wish to - and not ask up front how much time is involved.
This position is supposed to be part-time and is compensated as part-time. Additionally there is no designated or compensated assistant for pastoral care. And while we have Parish Caregivers, to whom I’m most grateful, and may in future have a lay ministry team, still most people hope for a priest’s presence in times of real need. For the moment St. Andrew’s has determined I am that priest and that “the buck (pun intended) stops (in more than one sense) here.”
The recent patch which has brought several deaths has also brought some stress with it. Time away from Connie, who is my first pastoral obligation, goes up when the needs pile up, and we both understand that. That said, what I wish you to remember is that this “right hand” cares for the spiritual well-being of all in this church. I will do my best to serve that need with the energy I have while attempting to keep some balance in my personal life.
Junior Warden’s Report
28 August, 2008 Vestry Meeting
There was a flurry of activity at the beginning of the month when just about all the Church Committees met. I will now proceed to give a brief report on each.
The Buildings, Grounds and Activities Committee met on 4 August at 2 PM. The How to Do It Manual was talked about and Esther was asked to set up the Grounds Sub-Committee responsibilities for inclusion into the manual. All were asked to look at the manual with a critical eye for future revision. Tom also asked each of the members to list what their capabilities were in the areas of electrical, plumbing, construction etc.. Tom also gave a status report on the Rectory and mentioned that during the construction of the back laundry area the washing machine was damaged and that Connie was looking into repair or replacement of the unit. The itinerary of Tom’s trip was passed out and he said that John Stard will be taking over for him until his return on 26 August. A list of items that needed attention was addressed such as the replacement of the motion sensor on the Church porch light, bleaching the brick walkways, fixing the lock on amplifier door, lawnmower needs work, the screen partition needs fixing, etc. and each was assigned for action. Jim said that he would look in the States for a white rubber wall strip to protect the piano as well as anti-graffiti paint for the parking lot wall. The next meeting will be on Saturday, 6 September.
The Social and Hospitality Committee met on August 5th. Ana Sime was welcomed as a new member. The Memorial service for Frank Edwards would be set up once the family has set a date. The list of coffee volunteers was set through October, and it was mentioned that a new coffee pot had been purchased. The upcoming Ladies luncheon was discussed, the new date of Aug 21 for the church picnic was approved by vestry, and the concept of a Madrigal dinner to be held during Epiphany on 5 January at 4:00 p.m. was well received. It was also noted that the Harvest Comida had a conflict with a pre scheduled community event and it is now planned for the 3rd or 7th of Nov. Furthermore, it was suggested that a “Kitchen Shower” be held to fill in the missing items for the kitchen, coverage during absences was agreed upon and a suggestion made that B, G & A (Buildings, Grounds & Activities) install molding around the cabinets to deter mice. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 2 at 10:00.
The Parish Caregivers Committee held their meeting on Friday, 8 August. It was mentioned that Mary Edwards is in mourning for the loss of Frank and although being visited she doesn’t need transportation or meals at this time. Jean Strange who is virtually bed ridden is awaiting hip surgery and will need visits now and especially after surgery. Bert and Iris Slocomb are spending the summer in Virginia where Bert will have surgery, and Al Moore is recovering in St. Louis from extensive knee surgery. Fran Aldcroft filled in for Nancy in coordinating meals but there are no requests at the present time. The need for more drivers who were willing to drive to Guadalajara was addressed and a call will go out later in the year. It was mentioned that Nancy Wellstead’s car was rear-ended by a big truck and will take a long while to repair. Sylvia gave an update on Medical Emergency/First Aid Response and recommended that we proceed with the rest of the plan and table the AED until they are more widely accepted in Mexico. Jim asked that members think about the financial needs in each area for submission to the budget, that each area of responsibility write a short paragraph on what they do for those who would be taking over their roles, that the Long Range Planning Report was presented to Vestry for action but that there was nothing of note for the Committee, and that the Volunteer Study Group would be meeting and all were invited to attend. The next meeting is scheduled for Friday, 3 October at 10 a.m.
The Volunteer Study Group held their initial meeting on Saturday, August 9th. The purpose was to lay the ground work for the study in the areas of the background, why it was set up, purpose of the group, purpose of the meeting and general ground rules. SW Bill Watt gave a presentation regarding the results of a study done by a sub-committee chaired by Fran Aldcroft of the Long Range Planning Committee. It was mentioned that the primary categories that the Group would be looking at are demographics, procurement of participants, placement of participants, retention, and rewards. They held a very productive meeting on 27 August with the primary topic being the demography of the local area and what we can expect from the new Baby Boomer arrivals that coming to the local area within the near future. Many ideas and suggestions were brought up that also were of side benefit to our committees and other church activities.
The Finance Committee met on 21 August, the results of which were covered by its Chair Dick Nelson in his report today.
The Outreach Committee held two meetings this reporting period, the first on 28 July and the recent one on 25 August. The July meeting was about the Ajijic Holiday House Tour and they discussed details about tickets, maps and timing. They came up with seven names of people who they would ask to use their house and divided up who would call each person. At the August meeting discussion again focused on the Holiday House Tour and trying to firm up the houses that were to be used. So far only two houses were confirmed but by the next meeting they should have all in place.
I will be gone from the 3rd of September until probably the 3rd of October while I visit Budapest, Croatia, and Prague.
Respectfully submitted,
Junior Warden
