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St. George’s Banner
March 2008
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Ron’s Reflections
Experience Holy Week
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We will have
five special worship services during Holy Week to offer an opportunity to
experience what Jesus experienced in the week before his trial and death.
Holy Week will begin on Palm Sunday,
March 16. This year we will continue a
tradition begun last year of Palm Sunday being the time when the church
celebrated only Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. In modern times—probably
because the fear is that many people will only worship on Sunday and not during
Holy Week—the church has seen Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem as only a
small part of the Palm Sunday liturgy, a liturgy that quickly moves to the story
of Jesus’ death. This year we will leave the story of Jesus’ death for Good
Friday.
On Tuesday night of Holy Week, March 18,
we will meet as we have on Tuesday nights during Lent for a simple supper and
discussion. We will meet in the parish hall at 6:30 PM for supper and then spend
the rest of the evening reflecting and sharing on the topic, “Who is Jesus to
you?”
On Thursday night of Holy Week—also known as Maundy
Thursday, March 20—we will pick
up the story with Jesus gathering with his disciples for the Last Supper. This
service will help people experience fellowship at table with Jesus, to sense
Jesus’ love for his disciples, and his uncertainty about what will follow. With
the help of the St. Cecilia Choir we will have beautiful music at this service.
Friday of Holy Week, Good Friday,
March 20, will bring the trial, crucifixion,
and death of Jesus. We will have two services on this day. At 12:05 PM eight
members of St. George’s will each share a meditation on one of the eight
Stations of the Cross (steps on Jesus’ way to crucifixion) that are mentioned in
the Bible. We offer people an opportunity to be with Jesus, to walk with him. I
expect that the reflections will be beautifully written and will inform and
inspire all who hear them.
At 7:30 PM on Good Friday, we will have a Meditation and Carol service. Using
readings from Old Testament prophecy, Gospel writings, and congregational and
choral singing, we offer people an experience of Jesus in the Garden of
Gethsemane, at his trial, and at his Crucifixion. This promises to be a very
moving evening.
At 7:30 PM on Holy Saturday,
March 22, we will gather at
St. Michael’s Episcopal
Church at 1132 North Ivanhoe Street for the Great
Vigil of Easter. This service will help us to remember the story of
our salvation leading to Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead. This promises to be
a very moving service, with the rare opportunity to worship with another
Episcopal congregation. Please plan to
attend—please don’t tell the St. Michael’s folks this—we want to outnumber them!
We will celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection with
color, splendor, and joy on Easter Sunday,
March 23. We will have three joyful
services, at 7:45, 9:00, and 11:00 AM—and yes, due to the generosity of many
folks we will have a brass quintet. Please note that, as of Easter Sunday, the
time of the latter service each will will be at 11:00 AM rather than 11:15. Come
to one—or all three services! There will be an Easter Egg Hunt for children in
the parish hall at 10:15 AM.
--
Ron Crocker, Rector
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Ron’s Reflections:
Experience Holy Week
Warden’s Word
A Thanksgiving message
Farewell to St. George’s Friend St George on
Facebook Taste and see that the Lord is good!
EYC ice skating
Announcements Why come to the
Saturday-morning Men’s Group meetings? |
Warden’s Word
A Thanksgiving message
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Gratitude is one of the great gifts of life. We don’t talk much about gratitude.
We are far more inclined to concentrate on our discomfort in a world where the
only constant is change. One day, when I was full of “woe is me,” a friend
suggested that I start a “Gratitude Journal” and that at the end of every day I
record something in it for which I am grateful. What an awakening! A litany of
some of my blessings which I resolve to celebrate:
I am
grateful for the many opportunities St. George’s has given me to serve. I am
grateful to this congregation which has taught me so much. I am grateful for the
many friendships I have made here. I am grateful to the Vestry that has helped
me grow.
I’m
grateful, too, for our differences that have helped me grow in empathy. And,
yes, I am grateful, too, for the challenges we face at this time and in this
place as we strive to enrich our lives in community in this church and invite
others to share our blessings. Each challenge reminds us that summoned or not,
God is with us and will guide us “through the present moment to better moments
to come.”
I’ve
learned that gratitude is good for us. Sr. Joan Chittister, the internationally
acclaimed Benedictine and author, says:
“Gratitude is good for our health because it reduces tension and calms
anxieties.
“Gratitude is good for our souls because it reminds us of the goodness of God.
It helps us to weather the confusing moments in life by reminding us that the
God who has been our companion through all of life's twists and turns is with
us still and, as always, will, in the end, bring us through the present moment
to better moments to come.
“Finally, it's good for the human relationships in our lives because it brings
us to see the good in others, to trust them in the future and to deal with
them lovingly in the present.”
I
have a dream for this our centennial year: May God open wide the eyes of our
hearts to recognize our blessings; may we be the cup of joy to those we invite
into our community; and may we have a really happy Thanksgiving.
--
Norma Kacen, Senior Warden
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I want to thank the community of St. George’s for nurturing me these last 10
years. A long-sought job transfer is finally realized and I will be reuniting
with my family in Colorado. I joined St. George’s not too long after our rector
Ron Crocker arrived. It was his charisma that kept me from “church shopping”
elsewhere and his strength and conviction over the years that have been an
inspiration to me.
The community of St. George’s has sustained me in many ways. I have admired
so many of you for your leadership, talent, and dedication to ministries. Church
has been the highlight of my week and the Men’s Group has been the highlight of
my month. With a job transfer always in the offing, I did not serve as much as I
could have. This was a mistake and perhaps can serve as a lesson to others in
our transient environment. I was not as transient as I had thought.
It has been a great joy watching families grow and tots turn into teens, a
wondrous thing, especially when you don’t have to deal with those teens (did I
say that?). There are certain people each of us look forward to seeing each
Sunday and that is part of the nature of a community. The beauty of the three
services is that, like Forrest Gump said, “you never know what you’re gonna
get.” You will remain in my prayers
-- Ron Saatjian
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The Connections Committee has created a
Facebook entry for St George (note the lack of
a period in St). This is one more way to spread the word about St. Georg’s,
especially among the “Facebook generation” (age 15 to 30). You can see the
profile for St George and friend it at
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1048772972.
Don’t know what Facebook is? It’s an online social network for staying
connected with others between face-to-face visits.
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Taste and see that the
Lord is good!
A reflection on
Psalm 34:8 |
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Lent fast from |
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- Unkind thoughts
- Gossip
- Hasty judgment
- Old grudges
- Complaining
- Small-mindedness
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This
Lent feast on |
- Quiet moments with God
- Time with family, friends, and the
church community
- Service, bearing in mind the hungry
and the hopeless
- The joy of God’s creation
- The freedom of forgiveness
- The power of small choices to
effect change
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-- Karen Abrams
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EYC (youth)
group members skating at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington on
February 17
Click here to see all
of Seton Droppers’ great photos of this event. |
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Visit St. George’s
Calendar or
Announcements pages to find out what’s happening. Our
worship schedule is online, too!
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You can read
all our announcements online. |
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Shrine Mont 2008 is
coming
Shrine Mont
2008 is right around the corner, scheduled for
April 25-27. We are working on the agenda, but wanted you to know
the date of this year’s parish retreat weekend.
Baptisms
currently scheduled
Update from the ad hoc Alternative Revenue Committee
The ad hoc Alternate Revenue Committee is
underway, and is considering a list of about 30 non-donation revenue
sources, from bake sales to day care, and even options involving
redeveloping the church property. We
encourage you to send any creative (and realistic) ideas for revenue sources
we have not yet tapped to bclarkeva@verizon.net.
Our goal is to evaluate all of the revenue options, determine those that
should be pursued for deeper evaluation, and deliver a report to the Vestry
and the parish by the end of May. Committee member are Mary Martha
Churchman, Ellyn Crawford, Ron Crocker, Ron Godard,
Lois Ireland, Nina Janopaul, Michael Woods, and Bob
Clarke.
Good Friday offering to benefit Jerusalem
Every year since 1922 St. George’s has
made a Good Friday Offering to the
Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Last year our contribution was $200—the
Vestry approved an Outreach Committee proposal that loose plate offerings
from Good Friday and 5% of the Easter loose plate offering be used to make a
donation of up to $200. That is again the proposal of the Outreach Committee
for collecting this year's donation from the congregation.
Worship service time changes 3/23
Please note that the time of the worship service that currently begins at
11:15 AM will change to 11:00 AM, beginning on Easter Sunday,
March 23. The start time of Sunday
School and Adult Forum also will change from 10:10 to 10:00 AM beginning the
next Sunday, March 30.
Senior High Weekend at Shrine Mont 3/28 - 3/30
The Diocese of Virginia Parish Youth
Ministry is holding the Senior High Weekend at Shrine Mont
March 28-30, 2008. This is a great time
of getting away from parents and getting together with other Episcopal youth
in the Diocese. It is early this year, (just like Easter) so we need to get
ready for it. The cost is $120.00 per participant. Please let Seton or
Patty
Droppers (PattyAndSeton@thedroppers.com) know as soon as possible if you are
interested.
Urban Abbey quarterly
meeting 4/5
An important
Abbey community meeting will take place on Saturday, April 5, from 9:00 AM
to 1:00 PM in the parish hall. There will be brunch, morning prayer, and a
contemplative time that will include lectio divina reading of
Scripture. This meeting takes on added importance because the Abbey will
select its Abbot or Abbess for the next two years. We will conclude with the
Eucharist.
Register for summer
camp at Shrine Mont
It's not too early to be planning for summer camp. You can find
information about Shrine Mont camp dates and prices are at
http://www.camps.thediocese.net/. You can pick up camp application forms already signed by the rector on the
rack in the church foyer (outside the office).
Cemetery sites
for sale
St. George’s is offering nine cemetery sites for sale at
prices ranging from $2,200 to $3,200. These sites are at the National
Memorial Park on Lee Highway in Falls Church. Additional information
is available from Don Lundquist (703-538-6271).
Peek at our 2007 Parochial Report
St. George’s has now filed its parochial
report for 2007.
You can view it, if you wish.
Number of confirmed communicants here
St. George’s reported 287 confirmed
communicants in good standing in 2007, 5 of whom were under the age of 16.
These numbers were 314 and 7, respectively, for 2006. The number of adult
confirmed communicants in good standing determines the number of delegates
to which a church is entitled.
New delegate and alternate
At its February 20 meeting, St. George’s
vestry elected Anne Michel as its delegate to Diocesan and Region 3
(Arlington) church Councils, and Laurie Lewis as her alternate. St.
George’s alternate delegate typically “moves up” to become delegate next
year, when a new alternate is elected. Delegates and alternates serve from
Diocesan Council to Diocesan Council, which means the terms for Anne and
Laurie will end upon completion of the 214th Council of the Diocese of
Virginia, which will be held on January 30
and 31,
2009.
Our donations to Bishop Johnston’s discretionary fund
We sent a check last week for $870.64 to
Bishop Johnston’s Discretionary Fund. We also forwarded checks totaling $120
written by individual parishioners directly to the Bishop's fund. This means
that our loose plate offering for the Bishop’s Discretionary Fund—the
beneficiary on days that the Bishop visits—was $1,090.64.
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From 8:00 to 8:30, you get a great light breakfast:
From 8:30 to 9:30 AM, you get to have answered all
of life’s important and other types of questions:
As you can see, we might need a little help on coming up
with good questions; so bring your own important or not so important questions,
and we can guarantee you will get an answer, and perhaps in a few cases, even
the right answer. We meet on the first Saturdays, next on
March 1. Join us!
--John Churchman
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