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A Long Obedience . . .
In many of my sermons, I often quote from a contemporary paraphrase of the Bible, called The Message, in order to make the words of Holy Scripture come alive. Like many preachers, I read the passages on which I plan to preach in many translations: the New Revised Standard Version (which is the version we use at the 8:00 and 11:00 am services), Today’s English Version (which we use at the 9:15 am service,) the New English Bible, and even the King James Version. None of these versions, no matter how good they are, have the “punch” or immediacy of The Message.
The person who “translated” The Message is a Presbyterian pastor, Eugene Peterson, who planted Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, where he served for 29 years before retiring in 1991. He subsequently taught at Regent College in British Columbia, before finally retiring completely in 2006. Although The Message has come under criticism by biblical scholars for not being true to the original texts (it is a paraphrase, after all!), Peterson was going for something different. As Peterson himself explained:
When Paul of Tarsus wrote a letter, the people who received it understood it instantly, When the prophet Isaiah preached a sermon, I can't imagine that people went to the library to figure it out. That was the basic premise under which I worked. I began with the New Testament in the Greek --- a rough and jagged language, not so grammatically clean. I just typed out a page the way I thought it would have sounded to the Galatians.
Eugene Peterson has written several other books, among them a book about being a disciple of Jesus. It’s called, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. As we approach Holy Week, I want to talk about obedience. One of the most important images to express the nature of Christ’s person and work was that of God’s obedient servant. The passage we read every year as the Epistle for Palm Sunday says:
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)
Obedience is not a popular virtue these days. We’ve all heard some form of the argument that goes, “Obedience is the attitude of a child or a servant. Christianity inhibits the growth of a mature and responsible adult person. It keeps one an infant.” I’ve heard several people take umbrage at being called “a child of God.”
I understand. Let’s be honest, Christianity has, at times, helped keep people immature, submissive, and in their place. With that acknowledgement, it’s also true that the Christian faith has promoted freedom and dignity. I won’t list all the people who have been heroically obedient. Here are two that come to mind right away: Martin Luther King, Jr. and William Stringfellow.
All this to lead into the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane – an expression of perfect Christian obedience. Robert G. Hamerton-Kelly, who served as Dean of the Chapel at Stanford Memorial Church for 14 years and was on the faculty at Standford University for more than 30 years, once wrote,
. . . if you stand in Gethsemane, as I have stood, and look across the Kidron ravine to the temple [in Jerusalem], you realize that anyone in that garden could have seen a party of soldiers coming for about twenty to thirty minutes. So, imagine the scene: In the dark Jesus sees the torches bobbing in the night, coming closer and closer. He hears the faint murmur of voices and the clanking of arms becoming louder and louder. Jesus knows that his friend Judas is not off on a social visit. He knows what the soldiers are coming for. And for twenty minutes to half an hour he sees them coming. Behind him runs the path to Bethany and the safety of the house of Martha and Mary, barely twenty yards behind him. . .. All of a sudden, it makes all kinds of sense to go and visit Martha and Mary. . .
But he doesn’t go. The Gospel of Mark tells us that he went back and forth between praying to his Father that the cup be removed and trying to get his friends to keep him company. God is silent. His friends are sleeping. Mark writes that Jesus was "distressed and agitated." We can only imagine.
And then the soldiers arrive. In Peterson’s version of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus says to his disciples, “Get up. Let’s get going. My betrayer has arrived.” Jesus has endured. He has been heroically and perfectly obedient. He has chosen to follow the way of the cross – the way that, he told his followers, is the way of life.
Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, March 20. We’ll read the Passion Gospel, celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and begin a week of services and remembrances that take us through Jesus’ death to resurrection.
I hope you will enter the schedule of Holy Week services into whatever you keep as your calendar. To make it easier, you might simply block off the evenings of March 23-26, from Wednesday to Saturday, 7:30 – 9:00 pm. Something deeply meaningful will be going on each night at St. Luke’s.
It may seem like a “long obedience” to you – spending four whole nights in a row at church. My guess, though, is that it will seem much shorter to each of us than the twenty to thirty minutes did to Jesus as he watched the Judas-led procession make its way down the Kidron ravine and back up it again before it entered the Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus asks us, as he asked his disciples, “Could you not watch with me one hour?”
Blessings,
Stephen Applegate
This year our Lenten offering, to be received at all services on Palm Sunday, March 20, will go to The Food Pantry Network of Licking County’s (FPN) Operation Feed. Operation Feed is a community-wide food drive which coordinates and promotes the collection of food to feed those in need during times of emergency. It generates 15% of the food and 50% of the funding needed annually by the FPN. Last year, the network served more than 1.4 million meals to nearly 332,000 individuals. To contribute, write a check to St. Luke's Church and put "Operation Feed" in the memo line.
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Coffee: Grounds For Discussion
St. Luke’s Adult Coffee-Discussion group that meets on Sunday mornings between the 9:15 and 11:00 am services, completes a study of the Gospels appointed for the Sundays in Lent. Father Applegate will lead the group as we look at the following texts together.
March 6
Fourth Sunday in Lent -- Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
The fifteenth chapter of Luke’s Gospel is about things that are lost – the lost sheep, the lost coin and, in this Sunday’s reading, the lost son. In one of his most famous parables, The Prodigal Son, Jesus tells the story of a young man who asks his father for his inheritance, then goes off and spends it all “having a riotous good time,” as one translation puts it. We’ll look closely at the characters in the story and spend some time on this statement, spoken by the father “this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.”
March 13
Fifth Sunday in Lent -- John 12:1-8
Lazarus of Bethany, and his sisters, Mary and Martha, have places of great significance in John’s Gospel. In this brief passage, Mary takes costly perfume, anoints Jesus’ feet, and wipes them with her hair – all to the consternation of Judas Iscariot. In his mind, the perfume could have been sold and the money used for other things! Jesus interprets Mary’s anointing of him as being connected with his burial. We’ll look at the reading and set it alongside the story of Jesus’ washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper.
March 20
NO CLASSES -- Palm Sunday
March 27
NO CLASSES -- Easter
PLEASE NOTE: Coffee: Grounds for Discussion meets in the Historical Society building starting at about 10:00 am. The entrance is located right off the pedestrian walkway at the rear of their building.
Conversations on Religion and Culture
March 13, 4:00 - 6:00 pm – Parish House
The group will continue its discussion of the complex of issues which is going by several titles - jihadism, Radical Islam, ISIL (a.k.a. Daesh), etc. The sessions are facilitated by the Reverend Jack Bowers, and the date of the next month's session is chosen by those present. All are welcome.
St Luke's Book Club
March 29, 7:00 pm – Parish House
The Road to Character, David Brooks
Looking to some of the world’s greatest thinkers and inspiring leaders, Brooks explores how, through internal struggle and a sense of their own limitations, they have built a strong inner character. Labor activist Frances Perkins understood the need to suppress parts of herself so that she could be an instrument in a larger cause. Dwight Eisenhower organized his life not around impulsive self-expression but considered self-restraint. Dorothy Day, a devout Catholic convert and champion of the poor, learned as a young woman the vocabulary of simplicity and surrender. Blending psychology, politics, spirituality, and confessional, The Road to Character provides an opportunity for us to rethink our priorities, and strive to build rich inner lives marked by humility and moral depth. During construction in the Undercroft, the Book Club will meet in the Parish House at 7:00 pm.
St. Luke's University: Exploring Celtic Christianity
March 2, 9, & 16, 6:00 pm – United Church of Granville
A joint Lenten series between the United Church of Granville and St. Luke's Church, led by The Reverend Jack Bowers.
In the first centuries of the Christian Era, the faith of the church was evolving in quite different ways in the several parts of the Mediterranean world. While it was developing in a hierarchical form (both structurally and theologically) within the Roman Empire, it took quite different shapes in rural, agrarian, non-urbanized Europe north of the Alps. The Good New of Jesus Christ that was grafted onto the Celtic culture produced quite a different spirituality than that which evolved in urbanized and industrialized Rome and which we have inherited through the Roman and protestant churches.
In an effort to enlighten and deepen our own spiritual lives, this Lenten series will explore the basic nature of Celtic Christianity (as opposed to Roman/ protestant Christianity) and the faith and spirituality that evolved in that part of Christendom.
All sessions will be held at the United Church of Granville with a light supper of bread and soup at 6:00 pm followed by study at 7:00 pm.
Adult Inquirer's Class
First meeting - Sunday, February 28, 4:30 pm - Parish House
Do you have questions about your faith that haven’t been answered? Do you want to know more about the Episcopal Church? Are you curious about The Book of Common Prayer? Or would you like “juggling lessons” – instructions on how to juggle a bulletin, and a prayer book, and a hymnal without growing another hand? Then this class may just be for you!
Father Applegate will lead the classes at a time to be determined by the group on the following topics:
I. Holy Scripture & the Jesus Story
II. The Early Church & Statements of Faith
III. The English Reformation
IV. The Book of Common Prayer
V. Holy Baptism, Holy Eucharist, & Other Rites of the Church
VI. The Episcopal Church, USA, Its History & Structure
VII. The Christian Life: Ethics, Stewardship & Prayer
Safe Church Training
Saturday, March 5, 2016, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm – Trinity Church, Newark
Because of the large number of people expected from St. Luke’s and Trinity Church, Newark, the Safe Church Training program, originally schedule for St. Luke’s Parish House will now be held at Trinity Church, 76 East Main St. in Newark!
Deacon Mary Raysa and Jimi James will serve as trainers for this Episcopal Church program. The program is designed to help all of us maintain a safe environment for children and adults. The Diocese of Southern Ohio requires that those people who fall into any of the following areas take this course if they have not already done so:
• All Staff & Clergy
• Wardens (the program is recommended for Vestry members)
• Friendly Visitors
• Eucharistic Visitors
• Youth Ministers
• Sunday School teachers (more than 3 times)
• Nursery School (more than 4 times)
The training is free and open to all. Registration is easy and can be accomplished online by following these steps:
• Go to http://diosohio.org/events/event/safe-church-comprehensive-training
• Complete the 2016 sign up form and click “submit” at the bottom of the page
If you are working part time with children OR are renewing your certification (every five years required), you may do the training online.
Online training is available when you are and is self-paced. You can access the training by going to http://diosohio.org/congregations-2/training/safe-church-training Scroll down to “Online Training” and following the instructions given there.
If you have any questions about Safe Church Training, whether you are required to take it, or when your certification needs to be renewed, please contact Deacon Mary Raysa, at deaconmary@icloud.com or call 614-537-3972.
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SUNDAY LESSONS
March 6: Luke 12:16-21
The Foolish Rich Man
March 13: Luke 15:1-3, 8-10
The Lost Coin
March 20
March 27
Ways you can help...
• Drop off individual wrapped candy donations to the Parish Office by Wednesday, March 23
• Help "preparing" the eggs, Parish House 9-11am, Thursday, March 24
Coming up in April...
Early Communion Class - grades 1 & 2 - details to follow
Looking for volunteers to help with Children's Education on Sundays, 10-11am, in April & May
Google Calendar - Please note that if you are viewing the Google Calendar, we have made several 'heading' changes.
- Child Care - Children under 5 years old - Nursery
- Church School - Time, date and programs for the Sunday Church School
- Kids Activities 6+ - These are days that there is no Church School, but rather activities and snacks for children 6 and up.
Sign up both student and volunteer online www.granvillevbs.com! Many volunteers needed: class guides, rotation leaders, hospitality, etc.
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HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP
Sunday, March 13, 6:00 pm
Supper & Game Night – Applegate home
Saturday, March 26, 6:00 pm
Supper in the Parish House followed by participation in the Easter Vigil
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NOTES FROM THE CHOIRMASTER...
"When in our music God is glorified" – Part II
“When in our music God is glorified, and adoration leaves no room for pride, it is as though the whole creation cried Alleluia!” Those words, written by the Rev. F. Pratt Green, when set to music by Charles V. Stanford are what run through my mind every time I climb those stairs to enter St. Luke’s. This congregation has been blessed with an amazing marriage of wonderful music sung and played with powerful expressions of faith by musicians and congregants alike, nurtured over the past ten years by the talented Scott Hayes and the pastoral staff.
While some of us seek our communion with God in private, there are many of us who find the arts, and music in particular, as the conduit for the practice of our faith and our continuing dialogue with God. Be it a wounded spirit soothed, a grieving heart solaced, or a soul given license to sing and dance with joy, music – and especially singing – is a ministry that belongs to all of God’s people. That knowledge and belief is also what runs through my mind and informs my approach to the music ministry of St. Luke’s.
Although the music program is technically in a period of transition while the search is underway for a new musician (or musicians), I have been both impressed and delighted by the voracity of both the volunteer and professional musicians to continue providing amazing music week in and week out.
Specifically, because this is a period of transition, I welcome the participation and input of those of you in the congregation who would like to make music with either the Adult Choir, the Choristers or have other ideas of how to participate and enhance the musical life at St. Luke’s.
During this transition we have the opportunity to experiment with splitting of duties among what Father Applegate calls, “the triumvirate.” Denita Strietelmeier handles the choristers. Luke Tegtmeier provides us with wonderful accompanying on the organ in addition to providing service music. I am working with the adult choir.
My goal with the choir is to provide them with as much vocal training as time will allow. Given my background and education as a professionally trained vocalist and choir conductor, my hope is that all of us will enjoy the further honing of our craft as singers and of relishing the joys of ensemble singing while providing wonderful music each week. Singers work extremely hard, but we also enjoy the companionship and fun of being part of an amazing group. Fortunately, both are in great supply at St. Luke’s.
What’s ahead for the music program?
- Our next Evensong service will be Sunday, March 6 at 4:30 pm. We’ll follow it up with Evensongs on Sunday, April 3 and Sunday, May 1.
- The talented Clark Wilson will be performing at the organ for our Silent Movie Night on Friday, March 11, at 7:00 pm. (Scott told me to be sure and not burn the popcorn!).
- On Good Friday, March 25, at 7:30 pm, St. Luke’s will offer Lessons & Carols for Passiontide. The church will be filled with wonderful music of the choir, our organist Luke Tegtmeier, and other musicians who will be joining us. Lessons appropriate to the season will be interspersed.
- On Sunday, May 15, at 3:00 pm, Scott Hayes returns to Granville to perform with Philip Everingham in a piano and organ program at First Presbyterian.
Of course, St. Luke’s will continue to be filled with music each Sunday at both the 9:15 and 11:00 am services offering our gifts and joining in the church’s one true song. “Let every instrument be tuned for praise! Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise! And my God give us faith to sing always Alleluia! Amen.”
Steve Trumbull
Interim Choirmaster
Editor’s note: When Steve Trumbull submitted this article, he did it without knowing that the Rector’s article for the January Good News referenced the same hymn. Rather than re-write this article, we decided simply to call it “Part II”
SPOTLIGHT ON ST. LUKE'S CHORISTERS CHOIR
“Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.” – Martin Luther
Those who attended the January 31, 2016 Evensong heard me reference this quote as we thanked Scott at the reception for all of the time and talent he put into developing the high quality of music at St. Luke’s over the past ten years.
I’ve been thinking about that quote a lot since then, and how much I am honored to be working with the Choristers program during the next few months.
During initial rehearsals, I’ve been getting a kick out of learning about the students’ individual personalities. We have in our midst some strong spirits with a desire to create good music. Scott has laid an admirable foundation and the Choristers are poised for an enjoyable and productive transition.
My personal goals for them are straightforward: that they become vocally stronger, personally more confident, and continue to improve their musical skills. I’ll consider it a personal home run if they discover music to be a fun challenge as well as a joyful way to explore and express their faith.
Adjustments during this time of transition are not yet specific, but will include:
- Making sure that the program is set up to appropriately capture and nurture the talents already possessed by our current Choristers
- Maximize current efforts in furthering the Choristers’ musical education (which includes a continued focus on the Royal School of Church Music curriculum)
- Grow the size of the program as well as its reputation in the greater Granville area
To those of you who currently have children in the program or have participated in the past, thank you for your dedication. To those of you who have children interested in trying us out, please let me know! We’re ready to grow. And I can’t wait to see what St. Luke’s is capable of.
(By the way, St. Luke’s will have two Choristers who will be attending Treblefest, at Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland on Saturday, February 27. Jacob Lucas-Miller, son of Chris and Mary Lucas-Miller, and Amelia Havill, daughter of Jessen and Beth Havill will be representing St. Luke's. I'll be working with them on the music over the next couple of weeks. Rehearsals begin at 9:00 am, and the day ends with an Evensong service at 3:00 pm. Stephen Cleobury, Director of Music for the world-renowned King's College Choir will be the leader this year. It’s a big deal to have two of our Choristers sing with him!!)
Denita Strietelmeier – Interim Chorister Choirmaster
chitadenita@gmail.com
FROM THE INTERIM ORGANIST
Many thanks for the warm welcome that I’ve received from so many of you at St. Luke’s. It’s been a pleasure so far to lead you all in singing from the organ bench - what a great singing community! My duties within this so-called “Triumvirate” are simply to play the organ or piano to help lead you all in worship. That means that I interact with everyone in worship, but in less direct way than, for example, a choir director interacting with choir members. I would like to share a few of my passions with you, to help you to understand the thought behind what I do.
One of the highest compliments I received at St. Luke’s was from someone who said that he didn’t even realize that there was someone new at the organ because everything just seemed to flow so naturally. My goal is to fade to the background as much as possible. Hopefully introductions, breaths, and cues are obvious. When melodies are less familiar, I’ll try to help you out even more carefully. And I do what I can to make the organ reflect the general text of each stanza of every hymn - growly, reedy sounds for a stanza about the devil, gentle flutes for stanzas about love and peace, full organ for high praise, etc.
One of my passions - and this may not come to bear during my interim time at St. Luke’s - is global music. I believe that there are compelling reasons for Christians to sing music from many different cultures in the same way that we naturally sing music from many different time periods. That’s a subject for another article, but suffice to say that you may get to hear me play accordion or djembe someday...
Luke Tegtmeier
Interim Organist
ORGANIST-CHOIRMASTER SEARCH COMMITTEE BEGINS ITS WORK
The search committee for an Organist/Choirmaster to fill the vacancy left by Scott Hayes' large footprint at St. Luke's has been assembled. The parishioners on the committee include Father Applegate, Ali Evans, Cherie Holland, Don Jones, Galen Kendrick, Marita Moore, Russ Potter, Vicki Reed, as Vestry liaison, and Ginny Sharkey as chair. Marti Rideout, an organist and choirmaster with many years of experience, as well as author of All Things Necessary: A Practical Guide for Episcopal Church Musicians, is serving the committee as consultant.
The committee has met and agreed on a timeline suggested by Marti, which, if successful, will bring a new Organist-Choirmaster to St. Luke's in August, 2016. An advertisement for the job has been posted on various websites including the Association of Anglican Musicians (AAM) and the American Guild of Organists (AGO). A more thorough description of the employment opportunity will be available soon on our St. Luke's website.
Please hold the search committee's efforts in your prayers as it works to bring a new Organist-Choirmaster to St. Luke's. Scott Hayes was a treasure for us and left us a legacy of music that is a strong foundation of our worship. The committee hopes to bring a person who can continue to enhance and build our worship and community at St. Luke's.
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Find Your Forté – MUSIC SCHOLARSHIPS FOR YOUTH
The Find Your Forté scholarship fund was established by the Vestry, with funds given in memory of Dr. Frederick N. Karaffa, to provide need-based scholarships for St. Luke’s youth ages 8 – 18. The fund offers grants to help cover tuition costs for instrumental and choral training programs both for members and for others who are actively participating in St. Luke’s music ministries.
A maximum of $1000 is budgeted to be awarded annually, with a maximum of $250 per youth. Recipients of scholarships in a given year will be eligible to reapply for scholarships in subsequent years.
Programs eligible for support include, but are not limited to, music camps, summer choral training programs (such as those offered by the Royal School of Church Music), and instrumental music training programs. Regular music lessons, taken locally, are not eligible.
To apply, please request an application from the Parish Office – stlukegran@windstream.net or (740) 587-0167. There is no deadline to apply. Applications will be considered each calendar year on a rolling basis until all funds ($1000/year) are disbursed.
Fred Karaffa was a violinist, a member of the Adult Choir, former Senior Warden, and long-time member of St. Luke’s. If you would like to take part in helping St. Luke’s youth further their music studies by donating to this fund, please contact Father Applegate.
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Click here to print out an Easter Flower form.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
The construction for the new east side entrance has been completed and a gas line that was in that area has been relocated. Several oak columns were removed and replaced by steel columns. Additional steel columns have been added for structural support, which will be encased in the walls.
PARISH MARCH BIRTHDAYS
1 Thomas Bateman
Tim Miley
2 Greg Sharkey
Jean McCalmont
4 Jonathan Downes (son)
Liam Moulton
6 Jessen Havill
7 Bob Karaffa
10 Nicholas Havill
11 Dixon Miller
15 Solomon Parini
Demaris Rosato
16 Simon Parini
17 Stephen Applegate
18 Rick Baltisberger
22 Ella Schneider
23 Michelle Bosse
27 Sarah Baltisberger
Joleen Minton
31 Al Biciunas
Susan Potter
Alice Hayes
PARISH MARCH ANNIVERSARIES
8 Robert & Carolyn Johnson
13 Matthew Tidwell & Elizabeth Weiser
15 Jim & Shelly Morehead
23 Bart & Juliana Weiler
26 Don Jones & Andrew Kohn
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Key things every St. Luke’s member should know!
At its February 9, 2016 meeting (its annual organizational meeting) the Vestry . . .
- Welcomed new members Athena Koehler, Alan Larimer, Shelly Morehead, and Josh Whittington, who were elected to the Vestry at the Annual Meeting of the Parish on February 8.
- Established the Vestry meeting times for the coming year. The Vestry will continue to meet on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish House. The parish by-laws allow the Vestry to “skip” one meeting each year; the Vestry will determine at a later date whether to meet in July or August.
- Elected John Gustafson as Senior Warden, Michelann Scheetz as Junior Warden, Dave Proctor as Clerk, and Dixon Miller as Treasurer, all for one-year terms.
- Decided on Vestry liaison assignments to the standing committees of the parish for the coming year. Here at the liaison relationships established: Adult Education – Don Eyer, Children's Christian Education – Athena Koehler, Fellowship – Harriet Donaldson, Finance – Josh Whittington, Historic Preservation – Dave Proctor, Membership – Sally McClaskey, Outreach – Vicki Reed, Pastoral Care – Shelly Morehead, Property, Buildings and Grounds – Alan Larimer, Stewardship – John Gustafson, Worship – Tom Wortham.
- Voted to approve the 2015 Parochial Report. The Parochial Report is the annual report to the diocese and to the Episcopal Church USA and contains data on membership, attendance, services held, and finances. The Mission Share (the parish’s support of the diocese) is determined by the financial information communicated in the Parochial Report.
- Since the Senior Warden serves as an ex officio member of the committee, John Gustafson, who has been an elected member of the Trustees of St. Luke's Church with a term scheduled to expire in 2019, resigned his elected seat. Bill Dargusch was elected to complete John’s term (expiring in 2019). Bill Wilken, whose term had expired, was re-elected to fill the open position (term expiring in 2020).
- Received a report from Vicki Reed that the Organist-Choirmaster Search Committee had their first meeting on February 8. St. Luke’s has retained the services of Marti Rideout as a consultant, and she is proving to be a great resource. The goal is to offer a position by June 1, 2016 and have a new person in place by August 1, 2016. After reviewing two guides that report average salaries for organist, based upon training and experience the committee was concerned that we might miss a talented potential applicant because our compensation package is not competitive. The Vestry voted to increase the compensation package for the Organist-Choirmaster’s position by $5,000.
- Was updated on the remodeling of the Undercroft and east side entrance. Representatives from St. Luke's and Midstate Contractors meet every other Tuesday to review progress and discuss issues. The construction of the foundation for the new east side entrance has been completed and a gas line that was in that area has been relocated. Additional steel columns are being added for structural support which will be encased in the walls. Midstate is awaiting a final report from the HVAC engineer.
- Welcomed a report that the parish has received a feasible proposal for a sound system to be installed in the church with hearing loop technology for those with hearing aids. Also heard that St. Luke’s has received a generous offer of a gift for an audio-visual system to be installed in the new Undercroft.
- Learned details about the annual Vestry/Leadership Retreat. The retreat will be held at Kendal at Granville on March 12, 2016. The Reverend Jeff Allen, Lead Pastor of High Street United Methodist Church in Springfield, Ohio, will be the facilitator. The focus will be on answering the question: “What kind of church do we want to be in five years?” Do we want to grow or stay the same size? If we want to grow, what would it take? What are the parish’s main strengths and how do we build on these?
- Sally McClaskey agreed to serve with Father Applegate to select two nominees to serve as delegates to the 2016 Diocesan Convention to be held in Columbus on November 11 & 12. The parish by-laws require that at least one delegate to convention be a current member of the Vestry. Selection will be made no later than the May meeting of the Vestry.
- Received reports from various committees: from Adult Education - Jack Bowers will be doing a three-week series on Celtic Spirituality at the United Church of Granville. The dates are March 2, 9, and 16, 2016. From Historic Preservation – that they have pursued several different avenues to obtain the assistance of an archivist to help catalogue St. Luke’s records. From Outreach – that Feed the Dream was held at Ross's Granville Market on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Approximately $11,000 and 3 tons of food was collected – an all-time record!
(Complete Vestry minutes are available by request to the clerk, David Proctor.)
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SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2016 IS THE DAY OF CHANGE
Ever since the Winter Soltice, the hours of daylight have been getting a few minutes longer each day. At the Applegate house, the lights that illuminate the thirty steps leading up from Plum Street to our front door are on a timer. This week, I realized that the lights were burning brightly AND unnecessarily. It’s light when I arrive home at the end of the day now – a sure sign that, as dark and as cold as this winter has been, spring is just around the corner.
On Sunday, March 13, we “spring ahead.” Set your clocks forward one hour before retiring on Saturday night. We all lose that hour of sleep we gained back in November.
In addition to setting your clocks forward one hour, remember to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. And then, finally, take the loose change that’s been accumulating on top of your dresser, or empty that special jar where you put your pocket money at the end of the day, or scoop out the coins in the bottom of your pocketbook or purse. Bring all of your loose change to church on March 13 and put it in the kettle in the church narthex. Wayne Piper and Dave Proctor have volunteered to retrieve it, get it counted, and then ensure the proceeds are donated to the Food Pantry Network of Licking County.
It’s the “Day of Change” – for clocks and for all those who will receive food as the result of St. Luke’s generosity. ~ Father A
Help Us Get Through Hump Day!
Wednesdays continue to be busy days at Market Street Pantry. Saturdays are as well, but we are in urgent need of more Volunteers for Wednesdays. You can volunteer for two hours one Wednesday a month or you can be a reserve who is willing to be called in if we are short on a given Wednesday. Here are some good reasons to want to do this:
- You’ll smile at yourself afterwards. Helping those in need gives one a lot of self satisfaction. Many of our volunteers tell us they feel really good about doing this work.
- Hunger hurts and the need is still big. Many of the jobs created by our economic recovery are part time and/or temporary and without benefits. As a result many of the working poor still can’t buy enough food for their families.
- The Clients will make your day. We hear comments from them all the time such as: “ You are a Godsend to us “ and “ You give us dignity “ and “ I don’t know what I’d do without your pantry. “ Can you think of another half day’s effort for which you get this kind of reaction?
- It’s the right thing to do. You’ll be doing God’s work. Jesus told us that helping the poor and the hungry is the most important work we can do.
For further information, contact Kerrie Matesich: kmwmatesich@yahoo.com
REMINDER...
The Market Street Pantry will begin each week with a new food donation theme:
1st Sunday: Peanut Butter
2nd Sunday: Pasta & Sauce
3rd Sunday: Tuna
4th Sunday: Canned Fruit
5th Sunday: Mac & Cheese
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> March 2016 What's Happening! & Lay Ministry Schedule
> March 2016 Calendar
**Remember: Some events only show up on the Google Calendar in small bits. Open the event to read more. Space is limited on the Calendar, so in some instances you will only see partial times and events. The Google Calendar is updated weekly and can be found also on the Website.
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Evensong
Sunday, March 6
4:30 PM - St. Luke's Church
Silent Movie Night
Steamboat Bill, Jr.
Friday, March 11
7:00 PM - St. Luke's Church
Lessons & Carols for Passiontide
Friday, March 25
7:30 PM - St. Luke's Church
Easter Day
Sunday, March 27
9:15 & 11:00 AM - St. Luke's Church
Click here for the full list of concerts!
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The Road to Character, David Brooks
Tuesday, March, 29 @ 7:00 PM - see article under Adult Education section of newsletter
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