Volume 4, Issue 5

May 2012

We Can Take Comfort in PentecostWe Can Take Comfort in PentecostWe Can Take Comfort in PentecostWe Can Take Comfort in Pentecost

Pentecost Sunday will occur on May 27th. This is the Sunday where we commemorate the dispensation of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. It was this Spirit that inspired and empowered this motley crew of eleven men to be the evangelists and motivators of a new religion which became essentially world wide in a single generation.

Jesus promised this gift in advance. One time he mentioned was when he was in the upper room with them, celebrating the Seder, just before he was arrested. He knew the disciples were worried about what was about to happen. They knew there was coming a point when he would no longer be with them. So he said these words, “I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you. Before long the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:18-19). He mentioned several times during this meal that the ‘paracletos’, which is often translated as the Counselor, would come to them, and be with them.

It is comforting to know that we are never alone. The Counselor is always with us. Because of the presence of God’s spirit in our lives, we are not left abandoned like orphans. We are not forsaken to the random circumstances of a cruel and uncaring world. We are, no matter what our feelings might be, cared for and deeply loved by our Creator. God is always by our side.

It is the Spirit that reminds us of this, even during very challenging moments, or in our darkest hour. This is God’s breath which tells us not to fear, but trust in the Lord. Jesus promised that he would never leave us or forsake us, but would be with us until the end of time (Matthew 28:20). The Spirit constantly whispers this assurance deep in our hearts.

Father Rick +

From the Senior Warden

We just finished celebrating a holiday dedicated to mothers. It was hard to make dinner reservations due to the

demand. It was hard to find flowers if you did not buy them early. If you didn’t look for a Mother’s Day card

earlier in the week you were left to choose between a sarcastic or inappropriately themed card. It is a shame

that a holiday that was first celebrated in 1908 and then recognized in 1914 has become so commercial that the

original intent is lost in the celebration. “Mother” has several definitions, both noun and verb. While we first

think of “mother” being a female parent, the definition may also include “to care for or protect”. While we only

celebrate Mother’s Day as a holiday once each year, we recognize that mothers work their miracles more than

once each year. They work them each day with their hearts full of love. The following is a quoted message from

the Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral (Oklahoma) and a member of the Choctaw Nation.

"Let us stretch the arms of sentiment to embrace every woman who lives the role of mother. She may have children of

her own. She may not. It does not matter. The woman who is teacher, mentor, care-giver, Godmother, aunt, or friend:

all may come beneath our tent of blessing today. For we raise the hymn of praise beyond the Hallmark greeting to

honor the depth of what women give, what women share, what women are, all the world round. To mother is to lead,

a steady hand to hold all life, to birth the hope of generations in a single female heart."

Peace,

Bob Klassen

Sorry no report this month as our treasurer is out cruising’. . .

From the Junior Warden . . .From the Junior Warden . . .From the Junior Warden . . .From the Junior Warden . . . Often we are caught up in the day to day goings on and don’t take the time to check our progress as a mission. We are constantly looking for ways to improve our revenue stream which in and of itself is not all bad, unless it comes at the expense of the community. I think at St. James we aren’t experiencing this phenomenon. The revenue stream continues to hold its own. Our mission continues to be an extremely cohesive group. This is a result of the leaders and membership being able to listen to needs of each other and doing whatever needs to be done for the church community as a whole. Not every idea or project has a 100% backing but that doesn’t mean we should throw up our hands in disgust and go away this is contrary and if everyone did it nothing would be accomplished. I for one am proud to be a member of St. James a faithful active community. On Saturday May 19th we will have the last workday for a few months. The list of projects has grown disproportionate to the number of volunteers. Room 4 in the pre-school needs painting. The fence around the pre-school needs rust scraped and painting in spots where it is rusted. The fountain in the memorial garden needs cleaning. The altar area in the sanctuary needs a thorough cleaning. Just to name a few of the items. Please help us out on May 19th

.

Last month I began what I hope will remain and active part of the newsletter in recognizing various persons or groups of people who silently go about the business of the St. James.

Recognition CornerRecognition CornerRecognition CornerRecognition Corner:::: May 2012May 2012May 2012May 2012

Computers are wonderful. Have you ever wondered how all the prayers (music) get from the computer to the screens in front of the church each week? More than that the computer uses different versions each week the computer as smart as it is can’t do it alone. So hence the need for people power. At the 8:30 service Joon Shim plays traffic cop in the sound booth selecting the correct prayers and in the correct order. Joon stepped up to this over a year ago. Thanks Joon keep up the good work. The 10:30 crew is a pair and a spare. Thanks to Jason Houle, Curt Czarsty, and Kyle Czarsty. The 10:30 service requires hours of preparation each week as a result of adding in the music. In some cases the music gets changed at the last minute so it is in a constant flux but no challenge seems to be too big for this great group of guys. Thanks and our hats are off to you. - - John Hermstein

The preschool is currently enrolling children

ages 2 1/2yrs - 5 yrs. If you, or anyone you know,

is looking for a loving, Christian, academic

preschool please have them contact April

Culbertson at the preschool for more information.

Do you know of anyone looking for summer

camp? Camp St James is coming this June. Camp

St James is for children ages 30 mo - 7

yrs. The camps run weekly from June 4 through

June 22. Each camp has a different theme; Circus

Circus, Cowboys and Cowgirls, and Pirates. There

are flyers in the Narthex. Please take one home

today!

It is with great pleasure that we announce the confirmation of 8 members of our St. James family, Saturday, May 12th, at Trinity Cathedral. Well done! Annika Christensen Clara Christensen Ashley Culbertson Alyssa Houle Abriana Sierra Collin Spence Erica Spence Piper Welch

Come celebrate the journey of our young people on Sunday, May 20th. We will recognize their hard work at the 10:30 service and with a small reception afterwards. Please join us and celebrate this step in their spiritual journey!

To my wonderful St. James’ Family –

Your prayers, support, and generosity have overwhelmed me. My journey to the diaconate and taking a new role here at St. James has been made possible because of all of you. Thank you for being with me on the day of my Ordination and then receiving my family and friends so warmly on Sunday. I thank Father Rick for the opportunity to preach on the 5th Sunday in Easter as I learned much during my preparation for this special occasion. You have humbled me and rendered me speechless with the generous gift of the Deacon Stoles and I will wear them proudly in celebration of our ministry together. This has been quite the month for my family and me. As many of you know I have also been studying for my doctorate in workplace learning leadership. That goal was reached this past weekend in Philadelphia. As I now prepare to focus on our mission and ministry here at St. James, I look forward to working with our Deacons in serving our parish family. I am especially blessed to be able to work with our youth. The potluck on Sunday was, as always, superb. Thank you to the McCullough’s and all who helped and brought delicious food to share. Thank you for your heartfelt embrace!

In Christ’s love, Deacon Robin

A Word from Father Steve

To the Ends of the EarthTo the Ends of the EarthTo the Ends of the EarthTo the Ends of the Earth

Right before his Ascension into heaven, Jesus commanded this followers to “go to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8), and that’s exactly what I’ve dome. São Vicente Island (where I am now) in the República de Cabo Verde was, in fact, beyond the edge of the know world when first sighted by off-course Portuguese sailors in 1444. This largely barren rock of volcanic origin had never before been visited by human beings, and the 1462 settlement of nearby Santiago Island was the earliest European community established anywhere at all in the tropics. It was also the farthest west that any southern European is known to have ventured (and returned to tell the tale).

The Lord’s command to his followers, obviously, isn’t just to “go to the ends of the earth.” Disciples are to go so “that repentance and forgiveness of sins is… proclaimed in his name to all nations” (Lk. 24:47). Well, being uninhabited, Cabo Verde had no one to whom Portuguese colonists could bring the Gospel. They more than made up for this lacking, however, by establishing a social order for which their descendents would eventually need to repent and seek forgiveness. They did this through introducing the slave trade, the mainstay of the local economy until the mid nineteenth century. “Repentance” took the form of chronic poverty among the now Creole inhabitants, and that’s lasted well beyond these islands’ birth as an independent nation in 1975.

Although Cabo Verde citizens are somewhat better off economically than their mainland West African neighbors, a huge gulf separates the few very wealthy from the very poor majority here. Local Anglican Bishop Tilewa Johnson recently addressed this situation in his Easter letter. “The poverty of so many of our brothers and sisters is the result of the greed of a

few,” he writes. “Whilst a small minority can live with an amoral level of wealth, [too many] people survive with inadequate access to food, shelter, sanitation, health care and education… There must be something wrong when people cannot afford adequate and nutritious food to eat. Such injustice cannot be the will of God. Our holy scriptures have something to say to us on this.”

And indeed they do. “But woe to you who are rich,” says Jesus to those who seek to follow him, “for you have received your consolation” (Lk. 6:24). To one in particular he says this: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” (Mt.19:21). And Scripture records that the earliest Christians took these teachings seriously and even literally. “All who believed were together and had all things in common,” we read in Acts; “they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need” (2:44-45).

I’ve been confronted by income inequality as I’ve wandered around São Vicente for the past few days, and I’ve been thinking about the “Occupy” movement back home in America. Like it or not, there is a growing disparity between the wealth of the “One Percent” in the US and that of the rest of us. And one wonders if those few at the top receive far more than their work

deserves, and whether those at the bottom are paid nearly as much as their labor is really worth. Profound questions, these – pondered in a place where, between poor and rich, “a great chasm has been fixed” (Lk. 16:26).

Bishop Johnson and the Anglican Church in these parts speaks with a level of moral authority that comes from “walking the walk” of which the bishop talks. Clergy here, I’m told, are all paid the same since all share in the Church’s common ministry. In this sense, the Church models the Kingdom it prophetically proclaims.

"We have often failed to speak a compelling word of commitment to economic justice," our American House of Bishops wrote after its 2009 retreat in North Carolina. Perhaps, though, this is a good thing, since we haven’t yet begun to put our own house in order on this. A few “high end” clergy are paid far more than anyone could possibly ever need, and many in the lower echelons receive salaries that are little above subsistence level. There’s a pay disparity between male and female clergy, and “a great chasm has been fixed” between bishops and priests and between ordained and lay Church employees. A whole lot needs to be changed if our Church is to model God's Kingdom.

American Anglicanism’s proclamation of the Gospel “to the ends of the earth,” perhaps, consists of teaching the sexual equality by which we live. At the same time, West Africa’s proclamation to our American “end of the earth,” I suspect, is that we need to embrace economic justice in our own Episcopal Church before we’re qualified to commend it to others.

The road “to the ends of the earth” to proclaim the Gospel is apparently a two-way street. Father Steve +

Candlelight Taize Worship

Wednesday, May 30th at 7:00 pm

a meditative, peaceful series of simple sung versicles, prayers, and a short reading.

With life's fast pace, this experience will instill peace in any noisy heart.

Smell the flowers. . . Hear the birds sing. . . Hear the leaf blowers and the chain saws. . . Envision the whirling of dust cloths and brooms. . .

Come help get our campus get cleaned up on our bi-monthly

workday, Saturday, May 19th. There will be lots of projects

to do and lunch will be provided.

Guild of St Homobonus

We have an opportunity to join with Tender Loving Care Ministries, Inc. (TLC) . Headquartered in Potomac,

MD, they share the love of Jesus Christ by ministering to the clothing needs of poverty-stricken children of the

mountains of Eastern Kentucky and other Appalachian areas. TLC provides high quality hand-sewn clothing

and hand-constructed accessories as well as retail and custom-made items such as underwear, socks, shoes,

and winter coats.

For Easter this year TLC sent clothing to more than 700 children. This doesn’t meet the need! Poverty is ex-

treme. Many children live without indoor plumbing and/or electricity. A large percentage of parents are un-

employed and many can’t read and write at a functional level. Under-nourishment is prevalent. Children are

socially and academically behind by the time they enter school. Most of these children have never experi-

enced the thrill of having new clothes.

Volunteers, spread across the United States and Canada sew dresses, pants and shirts; knit winter hats, scarves

and mittens; and make accessories such as hair-bows and jewelry. TLC provides all the patterns; we just need

to do the work.

Four major clothing shipments per year are provided to the children. If we get a group going in August, we

can make several outfits for the Christmas distribution. These outfits must be in their hands by November 1,

2012.

Will you be a part? Contact Jon Cox at 480.268.9376 or drjoncox@alumni.uwindsor.ca for more information or to answer the

following questions.

A) How can you help?

B) What days and times are best for meeting?

C) How often shall we meet?

And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least

of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Matt 25:40

St. Homobonus is the Confessor and a patron of tailors and cloth workers.

He was born in Cremona, Italy, where he became a merchant. Married,

he was a model of virtue beloved by all. Homobonus died on November 13

while attending Mass at St. Giles Church in Cremona. His fellow citizens

petitioned the Holy See for his canonization, which was performed in

1199.