All Saints Episcopal Church, Hilton Head Island, SC

It probably occurred in the eighties, maybe another decade altogether, but I remember a singer/child star re-launching his career at Madison Square Garden. Mid-performance, he was lustily booed off the stage because his appearance wasn’t what the audience expected nor was his music to their liking; his songs were new and quite different in nature from his previous hits. In response, Ricky Nelson wrote a song that became a hit immediately, entitled “Garden Party.” Same smooth voice, same general style, but the lyrics were priceless. More than poking fun at that humiliating incident at Madison Square Garden, his words were his own affirmation of self in the midst of what other people wanted him to be. In effect, as you may have guessed, he finally realized that he needed to be himself regardless of what others wanted or demanded. A hard lesson that is probably repeated often throughout our own lives.

Edwin Friedman has spent his professional life exploring the dynamics and drama of people interacting with people; for him it has been a systematic approach to understanding individual behavior, family relationships, and what he calls “systems”: organizations, groups, even nations, in that age-old process of relating to one another. His work is fascinating and liberating for a person whose whole ordained life has been and continues to be about ministering within the “system” of parish life.

In his lifetime, Friedman produced two seminal books that defined his groundbreaking and provocative theories. The first, Generation to Generation, detailed patterns of behavior that moved and were repeated over generations in the scope of various people in specific relationships. The second, finished just prior to his death a few years ago, describes a lifetime of work and study of “systems” that fail and/or are damaged by human relationships. The title of this second book is, aptly, Failure of Nerve. It is a must-read for anyone involved significantly in any organization, public or private. In this more recent book, Friedman encourages “leaders” of systems to differentiate themselves; in other words, he urges them to be clear and steadfast about who they are and where they are taking that organization, regardless of whether that organization is a church, the Red Cross, Amnesty International, or Greenpeace.

I am often calling All Saints the Body of Christ, for that is my understanding of what happened and continues to happen when we come together in the name of Jesus Christ. Who we are is unique and I believe sacred in the sense that our reason for being is about a set of beliefs that places us in relationship with God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our Mission and Vision Statement gives strong reference to a welcoming and inclusive church that has a broad understanding of Christian faith and practice. What it means to me is that All Saints encourages members or would-be members to explore their faith and have the privilege to express themselves about matters of faith. I find a parish strong when people have the freedom to test, explore, and articulate their faith journey in the context of the parish. I just want people to come back for more, to be encouraged to find faith a vast and deep place of the heart and soul. The Episcopal Church provides a welcome and inclusive theological framework for faith to flourish.

Ricky Nelson found the ground beneath him to be true to himself. The older I get, the more I realize faith is a never-ending process of experience and exploration with a living and dynamic God. There are fewer answers in my quest to know God in all fullness, but there are better and more profound questions that lead me into the presence and reality of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

As April gives way to May, it’s not too early to anticipate the celebration of Pentecost, one of three great festivals of the Church, the other two being Easter and Christmas. Soon the white of Eastertide will become fiery red as the presence of the Holy Spirit is proclaimed.

One has the sense that here at All Saints there is an awareness, hopefully a growing one, of the reality of life in the spirit, not just for each of us as individuals, but for all of us in our shared identity as children of God “with whom he is well pleased.”

Our celebration of Pentecost, on Sunday, May 11, will be marked by a chorus of international languages which reminds us of the variety of languages spoken on Pentecost. Come join us, and don’t forget to wear red!

It is the intent of the Vestry to communicate openly with everyone and to ask for input as we seek to work in the best interests of All Saints. Most of the Vestry actions are reported in the “Pelican’s Bill”, and we have published the email addresses of every Vestry member to make it easier for you to give us input.

In the spirit of being open and transparent, the Vestry has also created an “Open Forum” process for members of All Saints to make a presentation to the Vestry. There are usually too many topics on our agenda and the Vestry meetings are already too long, so the Open Forum process requires some guidelines, as follows:

A STEWARDSHIP MINUTE

There is a wonderful old hymn called "In the Garden." Perhaps you will remember the first verse and the refrain:

I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses, and the voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses. Refrain: And he walks with me, and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own; and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known. (C.A. Miles 1913)

We are reminded of Christ's last words: "Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Mt. 28:20) Christ is indeed our eternal companion. His promise is indeed to walk and talk with us throughout all of our lives; a promise on which we can always rely. When we sincerely decide to be open to Christ's companionship and to live so as to make him proud of us, we will want to show it in our daily living ... including our stewardship.

An article in the enclosed May issue of Stewardship titled "Walking with Jesus" reminds us that St. Paul told the Christians in Ephesus that Christians are "created in Christ Jesus for good works." (Eph. 2:10) "Good works" has to do with stewardship. That is, using our minds, our strength, our talents, our resources to serve our Lord and Savior daily. That is a big order, so remember we have our eternal Companion who stands ready to help us in our "good works" for the Kingdom of God. Surely we would not want to fail our Lord in that endeavor.

Wow! My first newsletter article for the parishioners of All Saints. It has been at least eight years since my last newsletter article to any congregation. I’m now wondering if I can remember how to go about this!

Let me say how great it is to be with you! Already I have sensed an enormous amount of enthusiasm and a contagious spirit of expectation among many of you about the possibilities of what is to come. I hope that I will be able to meet and exceed your expectations, as both a church musician and as a staff member.

I know that I was introduced to you in last month’s “Pelican’s Bill” (which contained all of my credentials) as well as last Sunday at the 10:15 service. So let me now bring you up to date on what has been accomplished in just the short time I have been among you.

Tuesday, April 1^st, began for me with the staff meetings already set. From that Tuesday afternoon, I started visiting with each choir member separately for one hour each to get to know a little about each one as a person and as a chorister. This time has been very helpful to me and will aid in saving time at rehearsals in the future. Also, my first choir rehearsal on April 3^rd went so well that the choir voted to extend rehearsal times to two hours rather than a hour and a half, a much-needed addition. The choir has also elected a committee of four people, one from each voice part, to be their voice for choir concerns. In the music office, shelving has been installed by volunteers, and a new computer has been donated; a new filing system for easy cross-referencing of all available music is now in place as well. This may not seem like much on paper, but I’m truly thankful for what has been achieved so quickly.

I would like to tell you of some upcoming events that you will not want to miss!

Again, it is a great privilege to be among you, and I – along with you – look to an exciting future at All Saints.

All of you, our recent visitors, are invited to a month of special events just to learn more about All Saints!

On Sunday, May 4^th, at 11:30, following the 10:15 service, you are invited to a festive Brunch and Fellowship in Gordon Mann Hall. We have gladly welcomed you to our Sunday worship services, and we hope you will now use this opportunity to get to know us better. Come enjoy a meal together, meet our clergy and lay leaders, ask your questions about All Saints, and give us a chance to know you better. Please RSVP by calling the church office at 681-8333 so a place may be prepared for you.

NOTE TO OUR COFFEE HOUR DEVOTEES: On May 4^th, our regular coffee hour will also be a festive occasion served on the front lawn (and thanks to Barbara and John Good and their committee for this!).

And on the following Sundays – May 11, 18, and 25 – please join us in the Library at 9:00 a.m. where both our visitors and newcomers will have an opportunity to learn more about us through a new series, Welcome: A Guide to Life at All Saints. This series will allow your questions to be answered in an open discussion with our Rector. You will be able to take a look at the Episcopal Church, its faith, liturgy, and current issues. You’ll have more insight into what it means to join our parish family. And you’ll get an “inside look” at what goes on here at All Saints, including a guided tour of the church.

We look forward to seeing you at any of these upcoming events. For further information, please contact Sara Dodenhoff at 682-2979…she would love to hear from you!

The 15 butterfly larvae we received last month all spun cocoons and turned into the most beautiful Painted lady Butterflies. The children loved seeing this transformation and were amazed at God’s sense of humor to have something start out so silly as a caterpillar which then turned into a truly beautiful butterfly! We are reminded that our children are transforming all the time. They, too, start out little and silly and sometimes funny looking (think of all those bald baby pictures) but are also changing daily. They are developing new skills and are growing into truly kind and considerate boys and girls. We have our wonderful teachers and you parents to thank for that as the children really do learn by observing.

Our St. Jude Research Hospital Trike-a-Thon last month was very successful. We met our goal and raised a total of $2,000. Thank you parents and grandparents and family friends who donated to the cause. It is so important that young boys and girls learn how to give back to the community in some way. And although St. Jude’s isn’t in our local community, it is something the children understand and a great charity to be involved with.

This month we are decorating luminaria bags for Relay for Life. The event will be held on May 9, and the bags are already available for sale in the parish hall at coffee hour on Sunday mornings. Please purchase as many bags as you need…$10 for one, $25 for three. Remove the sticky note from the bag and write your loved one’s name (someone you wish to have remembered at the Relay) and place a check (made out to the American Cancer Society) or cash in the envelope. Let’s see how much we can raise for this great cause. Cancer has affected so many of us in the All Saints community, so Relay for Life is a wonderful way to help all of us fight this awful disease.

The children are also making several craft items to sell at this year’s Garden Tour. They are working very hard, and the items will definitely be unique! Any preschool parents who would like to volunteer on Garden Tour day (Saturday, May 17), please let Ms. Nan know. If you want to purchase tickets to attend, they will also be available. A Garden Tour ticket would make a wonderful Mother’s Day gift; the luncheon is delightful, and the gardens are beautiful!

We will be celebrating our teachers on May 1 with a luncheon provided by the parents of the preschool students. And we welcome Mrs. Joyce Brady to our Blue Dolphin classes as an assistant teacher. She has been our music teacher for many years, and all the children know her, so it has been a wonderful transition.

Then on May 9, we will be celebrating our mothers with a short program (and some muffins!). The children are already busy making surprise gifts for their mothers and are very excited that their moms will be coming to spend time with them in the classroom that morning!

May 12 marks the date for our annual preschool picnic at Dolphin Head at 5:30 p.m. This picnic is for currents students and new families who will be joining us next school term. Please pray for a sunny day!

We have many wonderful things being planned before this school year ends, and we are very excited about them! We are still hoping to schedule a Sunday for the children to sing at church. And we invite you to come visit the preschool to see the children and all the magical things that are happening!

Four years ago, our family began a project to help a deaf three-year-old child on our island, Eliana Adame. Through the kindness of Mark Szen, a fund was established at All Saints and a campaign was begun to raise the $50,000-$70,000 we were told it would cost for a cochlear implant.

A pamphlet was distributed to churches, charities, the schools, and various individuals. Over 100 contributors, large and small, donated to the fund. Meanwhile, we dealt with the medical providers to lower the cost of the operation. On the day of the surgery, we took a check for the total amount required by Memorial Hospital and the implant’s processor. Dr. Miles Goldsmith of the Georgia Ear Institute did not ask for payment.

Easter Monday, 2004, was the day of Eliana’s surgery. We arrived at Eliana’s house at 4:30 a.m. in the pitch black darkness amidst a driving rainstorm. Her mother had the chicken pox and couldn’t go with us. Eliana cried as she parted from her mother, and her father held her as we drove to Savannah.

The operation was to have taken an hour and a half. After two hours had gone by, we received a call from surgery telling us that the doctor was unable to penetrate the calcification on the ear on one side. He asked permission to try the other side. More papers had to be signed, and we waited another two agonizing hours. Finally, the doctor came with the joyous news that he had been successful. This child was about to leave her silent world and hear sounds for the first time.

Six weeks later, the healing was complete, and the processor was connected. The first words Eliana heard were from her mother, saying, “Eliana, I am your mother and I love you, I love you!”

Four years later, Eliana has wonderful hearing and continues with the difficult task of learning to speak. She knows many, many words and makes herself understood. She is a first-grader at Okatie Elementary School and is learning to read. Now that she is seven, in January she was able to change the large processor she has been wearing strapped to her chest for a behind-the-ear model which is far more convenient. Her little brother, Eduardo, is finishing his third year as a scholarship student at All Saints Preschool. His ability to play with Eliana and speak English to her is helping her progress.

In addition to help at school, Eliana receives sessions of speech therapy at Hilton Head Regional Medical Center. The cost is daunting, and we have received help from The Children’s Relief Fund. Sertoma and Deep Well have contributed as well.

Many of you know this story, and many of you contributed four years ago to help this miracle occur. Thank you again! Although All Saints has not made a contribution to her fund, the church’s help in providing a place for the fund has been invaluable as is the ongoing help of Marilyn Adams and Mark Szen.

I write to you at this time to let those of you who helped Eliana four years ago know how she is doing. Wonderfully! I also write to let newcomers hear her story. And I write because, after four years and more than $70,000 in donations of one kind or another and the expenses of her care, we are in need of funds to continue her therapy.

In January the Children’s Relief Fund gave us $2,000 which will provide therapy until the summer. We have only a small amount of money still left in the fund. We need your help to continue Eliana’s speech therapy. If you can make a donation, we would be so grateful. Checks should be made out to All Saints Church with the notation, The Eliana Adame Fund. Thank you, and bless you all!

--Bill and Carmen Cunningham, our daughter Cynthia Gonzalez, and the Adame Family

The gathering of United Thank Offering donations will continue through Sunday, May 18. Checks should be made out to All Saints Episcopal Church, with the notation UTO. Checks can be dropped in the collection plate on Sundays.

Coin boxes (filled to the brim, of course!) will also be happily accepted. You may place them in the basket located in the narthex before or after Sunday services. We also have an ECW mail slot in the mailroom, so boxes may be left there as well. UTO boxes may also be left with Marilyn Adams in the church office.

The next meeting of the All Saints’ ECW chapter will be held on Tuesday, May 13, and will feature a special program. All Saints choir member Tom Vassil will speak about the care and nurturing of a professional voice. As always, guests are welcome.

May’s meeting agenda will also include the Nominating Committee’s suggested slate of ECW officers for 208-2009. These are as follows:

Well, we are now only weeks away and everything and everyone is abuzz! What wonderful cooperation from all of you here at All Saints. Everyone takes such great ownership of this glorious gift to the community!

The Premier Party at our own Margaret and Ken Collins’ lovely home on the May River will be Sunday, May 4. At this event we honor the garden owners who have so generously offered their gardens for the Tour. How special to have one of our members own garden on the Tour, that of Stu and Jo Buchanan.

The Silent Art Auction is currently on display in Gordon Mann Hall. Parkers and hostesses have been signing up to work at their favorite locations and times. Bakers have generously signed up to donate for the Heavenly Confections Sale. The Boutique is doing final prep for their big sale. And of course, Lunch is guaranteed to be as wonderful as it always is!

Now we ask for sunshine and great fellowship for Saturday, May 17^th as we all enjoy this wonderful gift to the community through the beauty of a garden.

There is only one final question: have you purchase your tickets yet? You won’t want to miss it!

Speaking of baking….ladies and gentlemen, start your ovens! Your help is needed for the Tour’s bake sale to be successful. We will need lots of cookies, breads, cakes, and pies. Last year we could have sold lots more cookies, so along with your special treat, please make an extra pan of cookies. Bring the goodies to Gordon Mann Hall on Friday, May 16^th. We also need helpers to package and sell baked goods on Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17. there are sign-up sheets in Gordon Mann Hall for both baked goods and helpers.

Recently, Mary Anne Gebler received a call from Bill Shively to tell her that some friends of his from Arizona ha made a contribution in Peg’s memory to Episcopal Relief and Development. The gift was a year of maternal and child health care. What a wonderful way to celebrate Peg’s life.

So perhaps you didn’t know that your donation to ERD can be designated in memory of someone’s life. And the family then receives a card. What a wonderful idea. So perhaps you’d like to give this some thought. Your donation can bring hope to children and families living in poverty.

To donate, go to the website, www.er&d.org, and make a donation to honor someone…and to make a difference in someone’s life.

Please join All Saints “Saintly Singles” for the annual meeting on Monday, May 12, at 6:00 p.m. at the home of Sarah Eliasoph (129 Headlands Drive, Hilton Head Plantation).

At this meeting, the group will make plans for the summer and into the fall. For those of you who don’t know us, Saintly Singles welcomes all who are single, by death, by divorce, or by choice. We meet monthly at a member’s home for wine, food, and good times; we go to concerts, the theatre, whatever catches our fancy! We are also delighted to welcome friends from churches without a singles group.

Need more info? Need a pass into the Plantation? Want to tell Sarah what you plan to bring to the May meeting? Call her at 681-6297.

Did you know that short-term mission trips are life-changing events? Your gift of reaching out to others comes back to you tenfold as you experience how God works in you with the people of La Redencion Church in Barahona, DR.

Plans are now under way for the Vacation Bible School (VBS) trip on June 21-June 28. VBS will be held in the newly completed church building which All Saints has supported through The Cornerstone Campaign and the efforts of our own construction team. Last year, we had 30 children enrolled in VBS, and 65-70 are expected this year.

Please join us for this life-changing experience…and watch as you build relationships in Christ.

Please call Linda Lanier at 681-9155 or email Soozi Williams at LSoozi@yahoo.com.

Power Lab...Discovering Jesus' Miraculous Power, hosted by Christ Lutheran Church and All Saints Episcopal Church, will be held June 16-20, 9 a.m. –12 p.m., at Christ Lutheran Church for children in Pre-K through 5^th grades. There is a $15.00 registration fee (make checks payable to Christ Lutheran Church) which includes a T-shirt, Bible Buddies, daily Bible crafts, snacks and more. Online registration is available at https://www.groupvbs.com/webtoy/myvbs/cichhi or the parish office. For more information please call: Loni Saunders, VBS Co-Director for All Saints at 6863990.

The Chamber Music Society of Hilton Head concludes its 10^th anniversary season at All Saints with a concert on Monday, May 12, at 7:30 p.m. Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata opens the program. A ground-breaking work in 1803, it continues to amaze audiences today and is no doubt the best-known classical work for violin and piano. “Three Madrigals for Violin & Viola” by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu tells in contemporary musical language the tales of yester-yore’s troubadours. The concert concludes with the dramatic and heartrending “Piano Trio in G Minor” by an earlier Czech composer, Bedrich Smetana.

As always, CMHH looks forward to the splendid acoustics at All Saints and appreciates the opportunity to presents its programs here. Samples of the music to be heard that evening can be found at www.cmhh.org along with program notes. Tickets are $18, students free. Should you have questions, please call Bob and Jean Shamo at 681-9969.

“It is not until you have a burning yes inside of you about what is truly important that you can pleasantly, smilingly, cheerfully say no to all of that which is urgent, but not truly important. Our deepest guilt comes from doing the opposite, implicitly saying no to the truly important and yes, yes, yes to the urgent that is not important. The more we are free from non-necessities, the more we are free to do the more meaningful actions of our lives.”

The Associate's Corner Chamber Music Concert Eliana Adame Update ECW ERD A Final Thought For Our Visitors Garden Tour Update Garden Tour Bake Sale	May, 2008	Mission Trips Music! Preschool News The Rector's Reflections Saintly Singles Senior Warden's Report A Stewardship Minute UTO Donations Vacation Bible School 2008
Apr	Index	Jun

PelicaNews
PelicaNews items are excerpted from the All Saints monthly magazine, The Pelican's Bill.

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PelicaNews PelicaNews items are excerpted from the All Saints monthly magazine, The Pelican's Bill.

If there is no navigation bar present at the left of the screen, click here.

PelicaNews
PelicaNews items are excerpted from the All Saints monthly magazine, The Pelican's Bill.