The Sentinel

December 2006

FATHER DAVID’S MESSAGE  

ANNUAL REPORT  

            I do believe that it’s been a good year for St. Stephen’s.  We have continued the task entrusted to us by the Lord of sharing and celebrating God’s love and mercy with those with whom we come in to contact.        We are brought to Christ in a variety of ways but chiefly through our parish liturgies, social time, prayer, and outreach to the wider community – through every aspect of parish life.  This is what’s called “evangelization” and we do this well.  

            A vital element of successful evangelization is, of course, the willingness of those in community to offer their gifts and talents.  The old maxim:  “Believe that everything depends on God; act as if everything depends on you”, certainly applies to St. Stephen’s.  

            Examples abound such as the various activities of the ECW, Men’s Group, adult education, baby-sitting service, music ministry, liturgical ministries (chalicers, acolytes, readers, ushers), ministry of the vestry, those who help produce the weekly bulletin, work of finance committee and those myriad forms of ministry unseen and unknown.  For so few people it is indeed an impressive record and we are all grateful.  

            We are also grateful for the ministry of four (4) outgoing vestry members:  Bill Lanier, Lloyd Maynard, Susan Stephens and Peter Strickland.  Over the last three (3) years they have been models of evangelization.  A special thanks to Peter Strickland, who, in serving as senior warden for over two (2) years, went well beyond the call of duty.  

            Our Sunday Eucharist is at the heart of all evangelization.  The opening sentence of the Book of Common Prayer reminds us of this:  “The Holy Eucharist, the principle act of Christian worship on the Lord’s day….”  Yet, like most churches we are experiencing a decline in participants on Sunday Morning.  There are obviously legitimate reasons for this decline, such as work, necessary travel, family responsibility, etc.  It would be unrealistic to expect the cultural shift responsible for the decrease in Sunday church participation to change.  But we do need this time together, as God’s people.  We need the nourishment Jesus gives us here at his two (2) tables:  the table of the Word and the table of the Lord’s Body and Blood.  I don’t know what can be done to meet this challenge to our traditional observance of the Sabbath.  Maybe the Lord is calling some of us to make sacrifices!  Maybe the Lord is challenging some of us to re-evaluate our reasons, or at least some of our reasons, for absenting ourselves from Sunday Eucharist!  

            Nevertheless, our community remains strong in worship and outreach.  We have so much to be thankful for St. Stephen’s is blessed with so many generous people.  In fact, our accomplishments keep reminding me of the feeding of the multitude with only five loaves and a couple of fish.  The disciples were aghast at Jesus’ suggestion.  But Jesus wanted to teach them a lesson.  They must learn to trust not in their own resources, but in his power.  What they themselves have to give is pitifully inadequate.  When these meager resources are entrusted to Jesus, however, they are transformed beyond imagining.  And when everybody is fed the disciples are still able to fill a basket with the leftovers.  I believe that this same miracle is being performed right here at St. Stephen’s.  We are small in number, but our accomplishments are great due to entrusting our meager resourced to the power of God.

                                                                        Father David

ST. STEPHEN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

ERWIN , NORTH CAROLINA

ANNUAL MEETING

December 3, 2006

AGENDA

WELCOME                                                                                        Peter Strickland  

OPENING PRAYER                                                                           David McGuinness  

SECRETARY’S REPORT                                                                   Pam Tuohey

            Minutes  

ELECTION OF NEW VESTRY MEMBERS                         Peter Strickland

            4 (3 for 3 years, 1 for 2 years)  

TREASURER’S REPORT                                                                   David Heinzman  

REPORTS OF EACH PARISH ORGANIZATION

            Senior Warden                                                             Peter Strickland

            Junior Warden                                                                          Lloyd Maynard

            Episcopal Church Women                                                        Kitty Heinzman

            Episcopal Young Church-members                                           Peter Strickland

            Men’s Fellowship                                                                     Lloyd Maynard

            Choir                                                                                        Kathy Tuttle

            Altar Guild                                                                                Nina Maynard

            Acolytes                                                                                   John Todd

            Lay Service Assistants                                                  Peter Strickland

            Church School                                                                           Sarah Wells

            Memorial Committee                                                                Diane Lanier

            Finance Committee                                                                   Bill Lanier

            Building & Grounds Committee                                     Lloyd Maynard

            Evangelism Committee                                                  John Todd

            Ushers Committee                                                                    Lloyd Maynard

            Track Rack Committee                           

 RECTOR’S REPORT                                                                          David McGuinness  

OLD BUSINESS

            Organ Repair                                                                            Michael Wimberly  

NEW BUSINESS

            Elevator/Lift                                                                              Lloyd Maynard  

ADJOURN  

CLOSING PRAYER                                                                           David McGuinness

The Sentinel

November 2006

FATHER DAVID’S MESSAGE  

JESUS AND THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE

            We live in times when marriage break-up is sadly all too common.  The ancient Jews had an extremely high ideal of marriage.  It was a special sign of the covenant between God and Israel .  But, by the time of Jesus, divorce had become easy to obtain.  Jesus challenged them on this issue and tried to raise the bar.  In Mark’s Gospel (10:5-9) Jesus makes it clear that divorce, allowed by Moses, was a concession to sinful weak human nature, but at the beginning of Creation God made it otherwise.  

          The church follows the tradition that what God unites we must not divide.  It compares a Christian marriage relationship to that of Christ and his Church.  But it is also important that we recognize that sometimes human sinfulness, as well as weaknesses in human nature, lead to marital failure.  Indeed, the high rate of marriage break-up may be a symptom of a greater breakdown in society.  

          The term the “lonely crowd” has been used to describe the alienation and loneliness so commonly felt by many, young and old, in our society.  This is a call to all Christians to be compassionate, caring and supportive of all who hurt, whether married or not married.  It is also a call to be challenging, in a Christ-like way, to those who do not take enough personal responsibility for their sinful ways and immature behavior.  

          As a church we have to make it our business to create a world of harmony and unity.  We must defend and pray for the sanctity of marriage and, at the same time, find ways of supporting relationship that are struggling.  

          Needless to say, those of us who care deeply about all this, and especially those of us who are married, can begin to address this issue by making sure our own personal relationships are alive and growing!

                                                                        Father David

VESTRY MEETING

            The Vestry meets Wednesday 15 November 2006 after the 6:30 PM Evening Prayer in the church office.

ACOLYTE TRAINING:

            John Todd will schedule.

MEN’S FELLOWSHIP

Thursday November 16, 2006 at place to be determined.  Please sign up if you are attending so there will be enough food.  Please pay Mike Wells $10.00 in advance for the meal.

FALL FESTIVALS

On Saturday November 4, 2006 we will need volunteers to help work the booth at the Cotton Festival in Dunn from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM . 

There is a sign-up sheet in the Parish Hall

NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS

3        Jay Elliott

5        Nina Maynard

6        Ammei Lee Merriott    

7        Sandra Ralph Joseph

Kim Lanier

11    Pauline Ralph

12    Karl Roth

14    Tom Lee

John Todd

15    Paul Wells

16    Kyle Pope

20    Eleanor Nicholl Willard

29    Michael Lee

Peter Strickland

NOVEMBER ANNIVERSARYS

9        Jenny & Greg Sills

11    Mary & Frank Speer

23    Sarah & Michael Wells

25    Cindy & Peter Strickland

27  Madlyn & David McGuiness

BAZAAR WORKSHOPS

Dear Friends,

    As the date of our Christmas Bazaar draws near, the message is clear, we must all put our best effort into this function.  The bazaar is the only fundraiser for St. Stephen’s and so much depends on the outcome.  We have several very important projects to fund over the next year, primarily the start of an elevator fund.  Let’s make the bazaar a priority.  

    The bazaar will be held on Saturday November 11, 2006 from 9:00 AM until 2:00 PM , here at the church.  The weekend before ( Saturday November 4, 2006 ) will be the Cotton Festival in Dunn, where we will be selling raffle tickets on the various door prizes.  These ticket sales are so important as they usually result in fifty percent (50%) of the bazaar profits.  Please try to sell as many tickets as possible.  Tickets are in the kitchen with a signup sheet.  We need people to help with the booth at the Cotton Festival also – please signup.  

Since the bazaar is only a few weeks away I urge all who can attend our Wednesday night workshops.  We have made great progress, but we have a way to go.  There is a job for everyone.  The workshops begin after the prayer service and end at 9:00 PM .  On the Wednesday before the bazaar, November 8, we will be setting up tables and getting things into place.  On Friday night, November 109, people will be here to help with food and craft items being brought in.  Please try to price your items ahead of time.  The freezer will be placed in the kitchen before long and people with frozen food items may bring them at any time.  

Let me say that we need food, food and more food!  Our frozen items sell out so quickly, as do the baked goods.  Please try to contribute our favorite casserole, cake, pie, etc.  We will have a breakfast café again this year with biscuits and drinks.  Some individually wrapped brownies or cookies would do well there also.  

Once again I thank each one of you for your support and continued hard work to make this event a success.  It is a special blessing to me personally to be involved.

    Yours in Christ,

            Jenny Sills

,

Operation Christmas Child  

The Episcopal Church Women are again sponsoring Operation Christmas Child for St. Stephen’s Church.  Operation Christmas Child is a missions project that every member of the family can participate in by bringing a gift-filled shoe box to church on or before November 12.  On November 12, the children and entire congregation will present their shoeboxes during the Shoe Box Dedication Service.  These shoeboxes will be sent to children in 90 countries throughout the world by Samaritan’s Purse.  

          To Pack your shoebox gift:  

1.      Decide on your category:  Boy or Girl, Age in Years (2-4) (5-9) or (10-14).  

2.      Buy your gifts:  Toys such as small cars, dolls, harmonicas, yo-yos, toys that light up or make noise with extra batteries, Etch-A-Sketch, Slinky and stuffed animals; school supplies such as pens, pencils and sharpener, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads, solar calculators; hygiene items such as toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and comb; miscellaneous items such as hard candy, mints, gum, t-shirts, hairclips, small picture books, flashlights and batteries, ball caps, sunglasses.  Do not include liquids, toys of war, chocolate candy, used items, medicines (like cough drops) or vitamins, aerosol cans or breakable items.  

3.      Pack your gifts in a shoebox.  You may wrap the shoebox, but wrap the bottom and top separately.  Include seven dollars ($7.00) for handling in a envelope (a check is recommended payable to Samaritan’s Purse with a note on the memo line that the gift is for Operation Christmas Child).  Put the envelope inside the box on top of the toys.  

4.      Put a rubber band around the shoebox, and cut of the category label from your brochure and place on top of box (or write your own label, including boy or girl and age).  

5.      Bring the shoebox to church on or before November 12, 2006 .  

Operation Christmas Child is a way every member of our church, whatever the age, can share the gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, with needy children around the world.  Shopping for your child is heartwarming.  Please participate.

The Sentinel

October 2006

FATHER DAVID’S MESSAGE

OUR NEED FOR SABBATH TIME

The Sabbath is a gift from God.  It is a weekly reminder of God’s goodness, kindness, compassion and mercy.  On this day the productivity mentality is put aside, at the least for those who do not have to work.  On this day we are free to care for the eternal seeds planted in our minds, hearts and souls by an incredibly loving God.  We may not be able to shut distractions out completely, but we can slow things down.  We can try the Lord, not to Mammon.

It would be a pity, therefore, if we took this day for granted, if it became just like any other day.  For Christians, this day has a communal aspect because we believe that we are drawn to God’s love as a community gathered together.  This is the day we join the People of God and are reminded that life is a pilgrimage to our Father’s Kingdom.  We listen to the Word of God, which is “a lamp for our steps and a light for our path”.  And we celebrate and receive Eucharist, which is the food of our journey.  Christ, our light, who was raised from the dead by the Father on this day, has gone ahead of us.  He invites us all to follow.  

                                                                        Father David

ANNUAL PET BLESSING

            Sunday October 8, 2006 at 2:00 PM we will have our annual Community Pet Blessing in honor of St. Francis.  It will be held in the lot behind the church.  Snacks will be provided for all animals.  Bring your friends and their pets.

BAZAAR WORKSHOPS

Every Wednesday night after Evening Prayer in the Parish Hall there will be craft workshops preparing items for sale at our Bazaar in November.  We need anyone who is interested in helping out.  Thank you in advance for all your assistance.  Anyone who need to may contact me at (919) 894-2406.

ACOLYTE TRAINING:

            Sunday October 15, 2006 right after the 11:00 AM service for about 15-20 minutes, the acolytes who are present will have a training session.  Those who are in church please stay after for a few minutes and we will go through the training. Please take advantage of the opportunity.

MEN’S FELLOWSHIP

          Thursday, October 19, 2006, at Lloyd Maynard's "fellowshop".  Please sign up if you are attending so there will be enough food.  Please pay Mike Wells $10.00 in advance for the meal.

FALL FESTIVALS

On Saturday October 7, 2006 we will need volunteers to help work the booth at the Denim Days Festival in Erwin from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM .

Also on Saturday November 4, 2006 we will need volunteers to help work the booth at the Cotton Festival in Dunn from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM . 

There are sign-up sheets for all three festivals in the Parish Hall.

SENIOR WARDEN REPORT:

As I alluded to last month our annual meeting will be held during its regular canonical time on Sunday December 2, 2006 after the 11:00 AM Eucharist.  At that meeting we will be electing 4 new members to the Vestry.  Three of the new members will serve for three years and one will serve for two years.  Your church is in need of your leadership so please prayerfully consider whether you would be willing to serve on the Vestry. 

At the annual meeting we will also be presenting our annual proposed budget.  With that in mind we all will need to prayerfully consider our pledges for next year.  We have had a good year this year.  Our church would like to be able to afford a full-time rector.  To do that we would need to almost double our budget.  That is not feasible at this time, but we can begin saving up for that time by placing our extra revenues in reserve until the time we can pay a full-time rector. Therefore, please consider increasing your pledge for next year.

At the annual meeting the various organizations of the church will present their annual reports.  Those organizations are the ECW, EYC, Men’s Fellowship, Choir, Altar Guild, Acolytes, Lay Service Assistants, Finance Committee, Building and Grounds Committee, Memorials Committee, Evangelism Committee, Usher Committee, Tract Rack Committee, Christian Education Director, Rector, Senior Warden, Junior Warden, Secretary and Treasurer.  Each organization will need to submit its report in writing to the Vestry no later than October 31, 2006 .

It is great to have Sandra Joseph back at home recuperating.  Please keep her in your prayers as she continues on her road to recovery. 

It is also good to have Peggy Royal back in church after her wreck.

            Yours in Christ,

The Sentinel

September 2006

FATHER DAVID’S MESSAGE

“By this will all know you are my disciples –

by the love you have for one another.”

(John 13:35)

The truth of the above quotation from St. John’s Gospel was given powerful witness by an atheist, no less, in the second century.  A man called Aristides, a non-Christian, when defending the Christians before the Emperor Hadrian made the following statement:

“Christians love one another. 

They never fail to help widows.

They save orphans from those who would hurt them.

If a man has something,

He gives freely to the man who has nothing.  

If they see a stranger

Christians take him into their homes,

And treat him like a brother.

Not that they consider themselves brothers

In the usual sense,

But brothers instead through the Spirit, in God.  

And if they hear that one of them is in jail,

Or persecuted for professing the name of their redeemer,

They all give him what he needs.

If it is possible, they bail him out.  

If one of them is poor

And there isn’t enough food to go around,

They fast several days to give him the food he needs.

We are dealing with a new kind of person.

There is something divine in them.”  

          Questions:  Would Aristides be equally impressed by Christians today?  What characteristics might he point out to impress Hadrian?

                                                                        Father David

BAZAAR WORKSHOPS

Dear Friends,

This summer has been a productive one for the ECW.  In June and July our pickle workshops yielded over 100 pints of cucumber and squash pickles.  The bi0monthly craft workshops allowed us to get a jump-start on several projects – some completed, some in progress.  I want to thank everyone who took part in these meetings, for their time and dedication.  Also thanks for the donations of supplies.

As September rolls around, we are about two months from the bazaar on November 11 2006 .  We will begin craft workshops every Wednesday immediately after evening Prayer.  We will meet in the parish hall upstairs.  These sessions will end at 9:00 PM .  We will not on the Wednesdays of the covered dish supper.  At these meetings we will do a variety of things and there is a job for everyone.  Please join us if possible.  We have a great time!

We will have raffle tickets by September 1, 2006 .  As usual we hope to sell as many tickets as possible.  These tickets are pure profit since the prizes are donated.  Our goal is 2000 tickets.  I believe this is possible because we have easily sold 1500.  However, this year we will be without Louis and Sandra Joseph.  These great folks have always been two of our main ticket sellers, so we will have to do a little more to make up.

Once again we need all the food we can get for sale art the bazaar.  We will have the frozen food section again this year, so plan to make your special casseroles, soups and of course, St. Stephen’s famous Brunswick Stew.  Anything that freezes well is desirable.  We will need baked goods – cakes, pies, cookies, etc.  Cookies and brownies may be individually wrapped for sale at the “Breakfast Café.”  All our food always sells out so we can never have too much.

Finally we need some supplies for bazaar projects.  We need 35 and 50 count clear lights – 35 count with white cords and 50 count with green cords.  We also need miniature Christmas decorations for topiary trees and wired ribbons.  If you are unable to shop for these things a cash donation would be appreciated.  The less money we take from our treasury, the more we will have for the large projects ahead.

I would encourage all members of our congregation – men women and children – to become involved in the bazaar effort.  This event is well known and highly anticipated in the community.  The Crepe Myrtle Festival in September, the Denim Days in October and the Cotton festival the week before the bazaar in November all give us a chance to present St. Stephen’s to the community as the working and dedicated church we all love.

Thank you in advance for all your assistance.  Anyone who need to may contact me at (919) 894-2406.

Yours in Christ,

Jenny Sills

FALL FESTIVALS

Saturday September 9, 2006 we will need volunteers to help work the booth at the Crepe Myrtle Festival in Angier from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM .  We also need help setting up and taking down.

On Saturday October 7, 2006 we will need volunteers to help work the booth at the Denim Days Festival in Erwin from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM .

Also on Saturday November 4, 2006 we will need volunteers to help work the booth at the Cotton Festival in Dunn from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM . 

There are sign-up sheets for all three festivals in the Parish Hall.

EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN

            The ECW will begin its fall season with a “Salad Supper” meal and meeting at 6:30 PM Tuesday September 29, 2006 in the parish hall.  All are welcome to attend and bring a favorite bowl of salad to share with the group.  Pleas plan to be with us as we have many important issues to discuss.

Kitty Heinzman

SUNDAY SCHOOL

The Sentinel

Aug 2006

FATHER DAVID’S MESSAGE

“FOR WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG.”

A RELECTION ON ST. PAUL (2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10)

In this letter we find St. Paul reflecting on his contentment in finding strength in his weakness.  Like Jesus, St. Paul faced many obstacles in carrying out God’s will.  Yet, he finds that in being favored with the grace to accept his sufferings, including “the thorn in the flesh”, he now feels closer to God.  

At the center of Paul’s faith is his faith in the power of the cross.  For him, the Crucified Christ is the power and wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:23 -24).  In Christ’s display of weakness as he dies on the cross, the strength of God is displayed.  

As baptized Christians we are called to experience the value of weakness.  Like Paul we should always pray to overcome our shortcomings, failings and obstacles on our path of life.  Yet, like Paul, we should be prepared to accept in trust the answer he received:  “My grace is sufficient for you.  For power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

                                                                        Father David

FEAST OF ST. STEPHEN

            On Sunday August 13, 2006 we will celebrate the Feast of St. Stephen, the patron saint of our parish.  We will remember the anniversary of our parish that day, and will have a covered dish meal after the service.  Please come to the service and bring a covered dish for the meal.

BAZAAR WORKSHOPS

     Check the bulletin each week to find out when the next workshops are.

We are in need of pint jars, jelly jars, sugar and vinegar.  These items can be left in the parish hall kitchen.

SUNDAY SCHOOL

          Sunday September 10, 2006 we will start Sunday school classes at 10:00 AM .  Please come and register for your class and take part in the real learning of the Christian faith.  After the 11:00 Eucharist on September 10, 2006 the Men’s Fellowship of the church will provide a meal for the congregation.