TIMING IS EVERYTHING

I used to have a math teacher in high school who thought that the funniest question anyone could ask was, “What’s new with Latin?”  He subjected me to that question at least once every couple of weeks during my senior year, knowing that I was taking fourth year Latin with Mrs. DeReus.  My math teacher didn’t expect an answer to his question.  It was just fun for him to ask it.  Latin was a “dead” language, wasn’t it?  So, there could be nothing new about it. 
 
Years later, Latin came in handy where I was working on the staff of the annual high school youth camp sponsored by the Diocese of Western New York.  The Diocese would rent the old seminary located next to St. Bonaventure University in Olean, NY, and fill the former seminarians’ rooms with high school students for a week of worship, learning, and fun.  Priests from the diocese served as counselors and taught courses each morning.  The conference lasted about a week.  At the end of the time together, everyone went home exhausted and happy. 
 
The youth especially enjoyed being on a college campus.  Although we spent a lot of time in the spaces of the old seminary, we used other parts of the St. Bonaventure campus, walking to meals, or to the on-campus nightclub, or to the athletic facilities and pool.
 
Scattered around the campus were a number of sundials, each of them with a phrase about time.  The phrases were all in Latin, and I remembered enough of mine to be able to translate most, if not all, of the phrases.  Here were a few of them:
 
Tempus salve vulnera – Time heals wounds.
 
Tempus neminem manet– Time waits for no one.

Tempus rerum imperator – time, commander of all things

Tempus fugit – time flies

. . . The last phrase being one many of us likely recognize. 
 
The start of a New Year invariably gets me thinking about time – especially why its passage seems to be accelerating as I grow older.  So, I was glad to see a preview of a new book written by Alan Burdick, a science journalist and staff writer for The New Yorker, where he is a frequent contributor to Elements, the magazine's science-and-tech blog.  The book’s title is Why Time Flies: A Mostly Scientific Investigation.  Burdick writes, “’Time’ is the most commonly used noun in the English language; it’s always on our minds and it advances through every living moment. But what is time, exactly? Do children experience it the same way adults do? Why does it seem to slow down when we’re bored and speed by as we get older? How and why does time fly?”
 
When I saw the publication date for the book of January 1, 2017, it brought a smile to my face.  Someone in the marketing department was paying attention!  (Although more recently, both Amazon’s and Simon & Schuster’s websites say that the book won’t ship until January 24.)  If Burdick’s article “Present Tense,” in the most recent issue of The New Yorker, is any indication of the quality of the book, it will be worth waiting the extra twenty-three days.  In the article, he talks about his own patterns of sleeping and waking, St. Augustine’s thoughts about time, and a little bit of the psychologist William James thrown in for good measure. 
 
The late liturgical scholar Marion Hatchett wrote a book called Sanctifying Life, Time, and Space.  To sanctify something is to make it holy – to set it apart, to dedicate it.  Hatchett saw in the common things that make up our lives the potential to have them infused with God. 
 
How will you use your time in 2017?  Will it fly? Heal wounds that need to be healed?  Will you use it wisely, practicing careful stewardship of it?   What part of an hour, or a day, or a week, will you set aside for prayer, or service, or simply enjoying God’s presence?
 
Take some time to think about these things.  After all, tempus neminem manet (time waits for no one.)

Blessings,

Stephen Applegate

January 8
A Visit From Procter Center
Speaker: Amy Boyd, Executive Director
Amy will reflect on the past year at Procter Center, review some of the activities available at the Center, talk about plans for 2017, and share notes from her professional background as well as her overall impressions of the facility and its programs.

January 15
Feed the Dream
Speaker: Alan Minton
Alan Minton will discuss the origin and history of Granville's Annual Martin Luther King Day Feed the Dream food drive, plans for this year, and different ways to support the effort.

January 22
Introducing Pilgrim: A Course for the Christian Journey
Pilgrim is a teaching and discipleship resource that helps inquirers and new Christians explore what it means to travel through life with Christ. Last fall a group of nine parishioners met with Father Applegate and Wayne Piper and spent six weeks using Pilgrim materials to study the Lord's Prayer. Participants found the program engaging and will share impressions of their learning experience during this session of "Grounds for Discussion". You can learn more about the series at https://www.churchpublishing.org/pilgrimprogram.

January 29
How very revealing!
Speaker: Father Applegate
The season of Epiphany is particularly long this year.  (The Epiphany season, like the season after Pentecost, is like an accordion – it stretches and shrinks to fill the available space caused by the movement of Easter.)  So, we have additional time to think about Epiphany, a word that means “manifesting” or “revealing.” 
 
During Coffee: Grounds for Discussion, the Rector will lead us in thinking about the idea of God’s revealing God’s self.  The late Richard Norris, who taught theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, wrote: “All questions about God. . . come to focus on one question: Has God revealed himself to us?  The Christian theologian maintains that the ultimate questions of human life can be answered only in the self-revelation of God.  If God appeared to humankind in revelation, establishing a relationship with us, then our questions about identity and the meaning of human life are answered. . .”
 
What do you think?  And, if you believe that God has revealed God’s self to us, how has God revealed God’s self to you?

ST. LUKE'S BOOK CLUB
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Tuesday, January 24, 7:00-8:30 pm – Undercroft
At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade's worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi's transformation from a naive medical student "possessed," as he wrote, "by the question of what, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life" into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, the most critical place for human identity, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality.

What makes life worth living in the face of death? What do you do when the future, no longer a ladder toward your goals in life, flattens out into a perpetual present? What does it mean to have a child, to nurture a new life as another fades away? These are some of the questions Kalanithi wrestles with in this profoundly moving, exquisitely observed memoir. Library copies are available. Those interested in participating should contact Wayne Piper at  wwp1946@gmail.com or 614-296-6988.

CONVERSATIONS ON RELIGION & CULTURE
Sunday, January 29, 4:00-6:00 pm – Parish House

In order to become more accessible to the entire congregation, the Conversations in Religion and Culture group has established its regular meeting date as the last Sunday of each month. We will meet from 4:00 to 6:00 pm in the Parish House. Our discussions are open to all who are interested in the topic.

We believe adult education to be different from the education of children which intends to impart a certain body of knowledge. For adults, we think education happens as we share, and particularly as we share out of our own life experiences. Therefore, these discussions are intended not to deliver some information to you, but to help you learn what others have experienced and learned and to share out of our lives.

With that in mind, before each evening's discussion we will have a one to two page paper to set the framework of the discussion and to offer some thought-provoking questions around which we can begin the conversation.

The following schedule of discussion topics reaches only a few months ahead. That is intentional. We understand that some topics may need more that one two-hour conversation and that contemporary issues may incite us to change the order of topics and to add to the list or to delete.

January 29, 2017 - End of Life Issues
We will begin this discussion from the platform of Atul Gawande's book "Being Mortal." Please read this book before the discussion.

February 26, 2017 - Reading the Bible
The presenting question is, "Do we read a religious book in a different way from the way we read the Bible?" Lots of issues are tied up in here: the authority of Scripture; what we understand them to be; how we approach them, and what we want out of them.

March 26, 2017 - Intercessory Prayer: Do We Believe God Intervenes? How?
Prayer comes in many shapes, but "intercessory prayer" is the most familiar form for most of us.

April 20, 2017 - Christian Values and Governance
Given that we are not empowered to change our form of government, what Christian values come into play? What do you perceive to be our "Christian values?" What do you perceive to be the driving values of our American culture?

May 28, 2017 - Reviewing National Politics
The Trump administration will have been in place for four months; what is happening? What are your responses to that? What needs to be done? As a Christian, what is your response so far?

Click here (http://www.stlukesgranville.org/about-us/education/adult-education-2) for dates and topics that have not yet been assigned.

NOTICE OF THE ANNUAL MEETING

Notice is hereby given of the Annual Meeting of St. Luke’s Church, Granville, Ohio on Sunday, February 5, 2017.  There will be an 8:00 am and 10:00 am celebration of the Holy Eucharist that morning, and the luncheon and meeting will take place immediately following the 10:00 am service.  The purpose of the Annual Meeting shall be to elect Vestry members; to receive reports by the Rector, Vestry officers, and organizations of the Parish; and to conduct any other business that can properly come before the meeting.
 
A Nominating Committee has been formed by the Vestry, whose members will place a slate of candidates for Vestry before the Annual Meeting.  The terms of four members of the Vestry: John Gustafson, Don Eyer, Harriet Donaldson, and Dave Proctor – expire as of the Annual Meeting.  The congregation will be electing four new members to serve three-year terms.
 
Lunch will be served upstairs immediately following the 10:00 am service.  Children care will be provided for children through 1:00 pm, and lunch will be served for them in the Undercroft. 
 
Voting Eligibility for the Annual Meeting
 
Article I, Section 3 of the Code of Regulations of St. Luke’s defines Communicants in Good Standing as follows:
All communicants of St. Luke's Church who for the previous year have been faithful in
corporate worship, unless for good cause prevented, and have been faithful in working, praying, and giving financially to St. Luke's Church, are to be considered communicants in good standing. This determination shall be made by the Rector and Wardens.
 
Article II, Section 1E
Persons eligible to vote in the Annual Meeting shall be those sixteen years of age or older who have been Communicants in Good Standing, as verified by Church records, for not less than six months preceding the day they wish to vote. A list of eligible voters, compiled by the Rector and approved by the Vestry, shall be available at the meeting. Ballots will be distributed only to eligible voters.

According to the by-laws of the parish, Article II, Secton 1E, those eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting are as follows:

VESTRY NOMINEES 
                                                                                                                                  

Wayne Piper – Wayne is currently retired (at least for the time being!)  In his retirement, he services on the Granville Arts Commission.  Beginning in January 2017, he will be a member of the board of the Granville Historical Society (GHS).  He is on the publications committee of GHS and have served as a host during hours when the museum is open.  Additionally, he is a member of the Community Engagement Committee of the Granville Public Library, where he served as interim director prior to the appointment of Anita Carroll.  Following graduation from the University of Michigan, he began his career as a high school English teacher.  Wayne also earned a Masters Degree in Library Science from Michigan State University. Wayne ended full-time employment in 2008 as Director of Professional Development for the Ohio Library Council.  Immediately after he retired, he did a considerable amount of consulting for public libraries across the country.  At St. Luke’s, Wayne chairs the Adult Education Committee, schedules and convenes the meetings of the St. Luke’s Book Club, serves as a Friendly Visitor, cooks for one of the Meal-a-Month teams providing meals at St. Vincent Haven, and serves as an usher and lector.  Wayne and his partner, Dave Proctor, chose Granville as the place for them to live in retirement (and we are glad they did!)  In his spare(!) time, Wayne can be found with a cup of tea and a book, cooking, and entertaining friends nearby and far.
 
                                                                   

Bart Weiler, CFP® – Bart is President of Weiler Financial, Inc. in Pataskala, and is active in the community.  He is a graduate of West Liberty University near Wheeling, West Virginia, where he played basketball.  Bart a member of the Licking Memorial Hospital Board and the Licking County Family YMCA.  He is Past President (and current member) of the Rotary Club of Pataskala, a member of the Pataskala Chamber of Commerce, and of the Licking Country Chamber of Commerce.  Bart previously served on the Vestry.  Married to Juliana, they have two children, Isabella, who was recently confirmed by Bishop Breidenthal, and John-Luke.  In addition to running a successful business, Bart enjoys coaching basketball and football for John-Luke, and attending Isabella’s volleyball games and horse shows. 
 
                                                                    

Geoff Wilson – Even before he graduated from Clarion University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Business in Marketing, Geoff was involved feeding hungry people in a family catering business.  For the past 19 years, he has been the Operating Partner of Arby’s #70 in Heath.  Prior to joining Arby’s, Geoff was Food Service Director at OSU-N/COTC in Newark, and was Production Manager for Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn.  Married to Diana for 29 years, they have three sons, Stephen, Joseph, and Alexander whom he worked with as an active Boy Scout Leader.  Geoff is a past District Commissioner of the Boy Scouts of America.  Not surprisingly, he enjoys camping, Geocaching (which he describes as a good reason to go for a hike, kayaking, and bicycling). At St. Luke’s, Geoff has served as Junior Warden, and a member of Search and Property Committees.  He is a lector and a Market Street Pantry Volunteer.  Geoff writes, “I enjoy being part of this diverse and vibrant community.”
 
                                                                       
Katy Zeanah, Ph.D. – Katy serves as the School Psychologist for the Southwestern City School District – Ohio’s sixth largest public school district.  She received her Bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College where she starred with the Kenyon Ladies Basketball Team.  She earned her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University.  As part of her degree requirement, she interned at Boys Town in Omaha, which led Katy, her wife, Sue, their son, Henry, and dog, Eddie, to Nebraska for a year, during which Sue took a leave of absence from her teaching position at Granville Schools.  Katy previously served for a year on the Vestry, completing an unexpired term.  She has also been an usher, greeter, and Youth Group leader.  To balance commuting times, Katy and Sue live in Clintonville.  She has enjoyed exploring Columbus’ local restaurants, coffee shops, and activities.  She is a former volunteer/coach with “Girls on the Run” in Franklin County. 

At its December 13, 2106 meeting the Vestry . . .

• Opened the meeting by reading from The Genesee Diary: Report from a Trappist Monastery by late Henri Nouwen. The reading came from an entry written on December 25, 1974 by Nouwen, who was concluding his seven month stay at the Abbey of the Genesee in upstate New York.
• Passed the annual resolutions related to the rector’s housing allowance.  Section 107 of the Internal Revenue Code permits a minister of the gospel to exclude from gross income (in computing federal income taxes) a church-designated allowance paid to him as part of his compensation.  Since St. Luke’s Church does not provide Father Applegate with a rectory, the Vestry allocated part of his salary for housing and part for utilities.  Such a designation must be made prior to the compensation being paid. 
• Prepared for the Annual Parish Meeting by taking two actions:  It approved the Eligible Voter List.  In accordance with parish bylaws, Father Applegate prepared and presented the list of eligible voters. He noted that to be eligible a person must be at least sixteen (16) years of age and must have been a communicant in good standing for not less than six (6) months prior to the Annual Meeting. The Eligible Voter List is published elsewhere in this issue of The Good News.  And John Gustafson presented the report of the nominating committee. The committee nominated candidates for the four positions that will be voted on at the upcoming annual meeting. The following members have agreed to have their names placed in nomination: Wayne Piper, Bart Weiler, Geoff Wilson and Katy Zeanah.  Their biographies also appear in this newsletter.
• Reviewed financial reports for November 2016, a year-end financial projection, and a report from the Stewardship Committee before considering a proposed 2017 budget recommended by the Finance Committee.  Based on the information available, the Vestry voted to approve a budget with income projected to increase by a modest 3% compared with 2016.
• Discussed Bishop Breidenthal’s recent visitation to St. Luke’s.  It was an honor to have him come for the three morning services and to lead Coffee: Grounds for Discussion.  Father Applegate noted that Sally McClaskey and Father John Kauffman did an excellent job with the youth who were confirmed on Sunday. The preparation took place during three overnights held at St. Luke’s.  Father Applegate also reported that the youth gave a generous donation to the Discretionary Fund in honor of Sally and John.
• Talked about plans for a Vestry Retreat/Work Day after the Annual Meeting.  The day is usually scheduled on a Saturday sometime in early March. Two dates were proposed – March 4 and March 11. 2017. The Vestry will be surveyed to see which date would work best.
• Received the rector’s monthly report.  Since we last met, he has been spending his time on a variety of things, among them: completing the Fall Stewardship Drive;  working with Bill Dargusch and Bill Wilken to try to resolve the remaining punch list items with Midstate Contractors.  (Midstate has not responded to communications from our end.  Bill Wilken, working with Leon Gage and Paul Jenks, has installed the coat hooks and door closers, the hardware in the kitchen and nursery, shims under the pews so the doors open and close, and has met with Gordon Flesch to trouble-shoot the white board issues.  Among the unresolved issues is the railing going down the steps to the Undercroft.  The Vestry agrees that we will build a temporary railing if Midstate does not respond); preparing for the bishop’s visitation; Christmas service preparation, wrapping up the 2016 fiscal year, and turning our attention to 2017.  Father Applegate added that he is really pleased by the good work the staff is doing.  The music “triumvirate” has certainly jelled with Joe Hammer’s arrival.  Mary Lucas-Miller has worked hard to have the Christmas Pageant cast and rehearsed.  Father Applegate also mentioned that he is looking forward to the Advent Quiet Day on Saturday (December 17).

• Received the following committee reports:

  • Adult Christian Education – In the absence of Don Eyer, Father Applegate reviewed the Grounds for Discussion programs that are scheduled for January, 2017. One of the presenters will be Amy Boyd, who will be talking about the Procter Center. Alan Minton will also be presenting in January. He will be talking about the Feed the Dream Project.
  • Christian Education – Rehearsals are continuing this week for the Pageant which will be presented on Sunday, December 18 at 10:00 am.
  • Fellowship - Harriet Donaldson noted that we had a great reception on Sunday after the 11:00 am service and offered special thanks to those who worked hard to make it such a nice event.
  • Finance – Josh Whittington stated that much of the financial information was covered earlier in the meeting when the Vestry reviewed the recommended budget for 2017. It was reported that to date, we have borrowed $245,000 on our bridge loan for the undercroft project with PNC Bank. That loan comes due in 2020. Parish Treasurer Dixon Miller reported that, at the next meeting of the Finance Committee, the members will be reviewing our current investments.
  • Historic Preservation – Dave Proctor reported that Shayne Miller, the newest member of the Historic Preservation Committee, has recommended that each month the committee highlight a historically significant member of St. Luke's Church. On Sunday, December 18, 2016 there will be a bouquet of yellow roses in the Narthex in memory of the 149^th anniversary of Major Charles Griffin's birth (December 18, 1825). Major Griffin's family moved to Granville when he was a young boy and they were one of the first to worship at St. Luke's Church. Their house, with a historical marker, still stands next to Raccoon Valley Golf Course.
  • Membership – The Membership Committee will be hosting a reception after the pageant this coming Sunday. The Wise Woman retreat will be held on January 6, 2017 in the Undercroft. On February 24, 2017 there will be a Family Game Night in the Undercroft. There were no new members since the last meeting of the Vestry.
  • Outreach – Vicki Reed offered kudos to everyone who worked so hard to make the recent Turkey Trot an outstanding success. Michelann Scheetz and Michele Layman provided great leadership and inspiration, as did all of the members of the committee. It was noted that this major event, which involves people and organizations both local and across the state is in keeping with Bishop Breidenthal's emphasis on reaching out into our neighborhoods. This year's events and promotional items raised $75,000 for the Food Pantry Network of Licking County. Vicki again called the attention of the Vestry to the 2017 Outreach Proposal which project that in 2016 St. Luke's Church will allocate $130,165 to outreach projects!
  • Pastoral Care – Shelly Morehead reported that on January 8, 2017 a group of church members will discuss and help identify the health care needs of the parish. She noted that St. Luke's has a phenomenal number of members with health care backgrounds.
  • Worship – the main focus has been on preparations for Christmas.

(Complete Vestry minutes are available by request to the clerk, Dave Proctor.)

• HUNGER  HURTS!
• OVER 30% OF OUR CLIENTS ARE CHILDREN

GRANVILLE TURKEY TROT RAISES $75,000
11th Annual Event Aids Food Pantry Network
As previously reported through other parish communications, the 11^th Annual Granville Turkey Trot raised $75,000 during its one-day event on Thanksgiving Day.  A check for that amount was presented to Chuck Moore, Executive Director of the Food Pantry Network of Licking County (FPN) on Friday, December 9, 2016 at Day y Noche in downtown Granville. 
 
Michele Layman and Michelann Scheetz co-chaired the Thanksgiving Day walk/run having inherited the leadership from Bruce Westall, who led the event for its first decade.  A strong committee and an outstanding team of volunteers made for a smooth transition.
 
A wet and cold Thanksgiving may have scared off some participants, but 2,250 people filled East Broadway in front of St. Luke’s and headed east at the sound of the starter’s pistol. 
 
Always billed as a “fun” run, this year’s Turkey Trot included “serious” runners, joggers, walkers, and pushers of strollers.  Entire families walked.  Wrestlers teamed up to raise funds for the hungry, and volunteers from Granville’s churches and community served to help register “day of” participants, pass out numbers to those who had previously registered online or at one of the local registration drop-off locations, distribute water, or serve as “road warriors” to keep participants save as they moved in a mass east on Newark-Granville Road and back.  The Licking County Coalition of Housing sold coffee and refreshments, Bailey’s Drive In Donuts’ stand was active throughout the morning, and, in spite of the cold and rain, people stuck around after they had completed the course to enjoy the sense of community that has become so much a feature of the Turkey Trot.
 
With the presentation of this year’s check, the Turkey Trot has contributed more than $500,000 in the last eleven years to the Food Pantry Network of Licking County.  At the breakfast, Chuck Moore said, “Seventy-five thousand dollars is phenomenal.  Anything we get, we’re very happy with. This allows me not to have to worry about fundraising and to focus on programming.”
 
 FPN provides food to 32 pantries and feeding stations in Licking County.  St. Luke’s Market Street Pantry is one of FPN’s member pantries. 
 

                                       
Members of the committee present a check for $75,000 to Chuck Moore (orange shirt) following the 11^th Annual Granville Turkey Trot presented by St. Luke’s Church