All Saints Episcopal Church, Hilton Head Island, SC

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

In this month's issue (click on any title):

THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS from the Rector

Still Singing

At the age of 91, the guy still takes his swings around the golf course, striving to shoot his age.  He is out there in the heat of the day two or three times a week.  The shots go straight, although not quite as far as they once did – but he is out there for the fun, the camaraderie, and the tall tales. 

He feels a bit differently about lay reading and singing in the parish choir.  He says he has been blessed with a good mind, a good voice, and the faith to sing to the glory of God since he was 10 years old.  He has been lay reading since 1948.  A few Sundays back, at the 8:00 service, he decided his legs were giving out and resolved to forego lay reading after 60 years.  Balancing the chalice as he mounted the steps, he realized that perhaps people were more worried about his unsteady pace than receiving the Blood of Christ.

I imagine that was a difficult decision to make.  In his situation, one’s heart says “yes” but one’s head knows better.

Charlie Richman and Florence, his late wife, were transplanted to Hilton Head Plantation and All Saints in 1982.  They were founding members of this parish.  Back then, Charlie had just retired from the Avondale Textile Company.  Although Avondale’s plant is in Alabama, Charlie’s work found him in downtown Manhattan (New York City).  Although he may have retired, he continued his great love of singing and lay reading and retained his keen interest within and beyond the parish setting.  Somehow, it never occurred to him to retire completely.  He felt blessed by God, with God-given talents that had greatly rewarded him professionally.  In retirement, he would continue to share his talents with this faith community.

Like many of us who have an abundance of talent and time to give that which God has given us, Charlie (who had by then been retired for over 26 years and counting) possessed an abundance of time and talent to give back that which God had given him. He decided that this parish and the life and mission and vision of this parish was important to him.  It still is. 

Faith does not seek retirement – a comfortable place to pack it in and let the next generation take over.  Age is not the factor but, rather, the desire, perhaps, to draw closer to our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.  Retirement may afford that space of time for something new to take hold, something that has been there, underneath it all, waiting to take shape in our lives.

With great sensitivity, Charlie has now given up lay reading.  But he has not retired from faith and the desire to serve Christ in other capacities.

What is it that you have to offer God and His creation at this stage of your life? You may not hit the ball as far as you once did, but your faith can move you deeper, with surprising results!

Sincerely in Christ,

Rick Lindsey

Index of all 'Thoughts and Reflections'

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THE ASSOCIATE’S CORNER

None of that would happen without the contributions and service of so many of our folks beyond the clergy.  Members of the altar guild prepare the church for worship while lay readers proclaim appointed lessons from scripture and assist in the administration of communion.  Those on the flower guild help to make our worship space beautiful while ushers kindly greet people as they arrive.  Following services, our care committee prepares, arranges, and serves food and beverages with generous hospitality.

In terms of our staff, our organist, Steven Branyon, plays beautiful and appropriate music at services.  Marilyn Adams, our administrator, is key in coordinating the various ministries as well as preparing the bulletins that enable people to participate with greater ease.  Our receptionist, Nancy Stephens, assists as needed, graciously integrating this work into her regular schedule.  Ron Bruns, our sexton, cleans and prepares our sanctuary and other facilities so that they are truly inviting.

Helping families and friends through what is a very difficult time is a lovely gift that we offer – and a ministry that we perform very well in this parish.  Many thanks to all who help with this caring work.

Over the past month or so, we have had our share of funerals.  During this time, a number of people who’ve attended those services have remarked about how helpful they are and how much they appreciate our care and hospitality for those who are grieving.

Summer blessings,

Mark

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FROM THE DEACON’S DESK

Hurricane Evacuation!

We all hope that evacuation will not be necessary during the 2008 hurricane season. But whenever it does come, the next evacuation will be quite different from the last one nine years ago.  Tens of thousands of homes have been built since 1999 between Hilton Head Island the I-95, and we are all nine years older!  Beaufort County suggests that it will take up to 36 hours to evacuate our area completely.

Why bother evacuating?  Cinda Seamon, safety officer of our fire department, tells me that if we get a direct hit there will be no emergency services on the island.  If you call 911, no one will answer.  You may have electricity for a while, but then there will be none.  Tap water may well be unsafe to drink.  Wild animals such as snakes relocate; pet dogs left behind form packs; animals in general go a little crazy after a serious storm.  And you will be on your own.

Evacuation time will be a particularly good time to show our love for each other. We have in our parish some seniors who are living in their own houses and may feel that it would be extremely difficult to deal with evacuation traffic for hours on end. We also have not yet very senior folks who could take a senior with them when driving from the shore inland.  If you feel you cannot take a senior with you, could you help him or her pack?  Or could you at least let the fire department know that your elderly neighbor will not be evacuating?

If you fall into either of these categories - (1) you feel you would greatly benefit from a ride during evacuation; or (2) you would be willing to take one senior and his or her suitcase with you when evacuating - then please call me, at 715-0202 or email me at SandyGrant@roadrunner.com. Give me your contact information: name, address, telephone number and email address if you use email. I will then pair up folks needing a ride with folks willing to give a ride. I will pair them up according to their geographical proximity; for example, Hilton Head Plantation folk with other Hilton Head Plantation folk.

As you contemplate the possibility of offering someone a ride during an emergency evacuation, please remember what our Lord Jesus Christ said: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

John 13:34

Sandy

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TREASURER’S REPORT

FINANCIAL NEWS

Let’s take a look at our finances through the first half of 2008.  After a very strong start, our operating income has tapered off in the last three months.  Total income is at $398,583 and under budget (after allowing for differences in designated gifts).  Year-to-date pledges fell behind budget and last year’s levels for the first time this year during the month of June. 

Operating expenses are near budget and expectedly ahead of last year’s pace due to increased staffing. We have an operating deficit of $6,163 through the first six months.  Buildings and Grounds and DR outreach are both currently over budget, although reimbursements are due in to cover overages. 

Cornerstone receipts through six months are at $100,230.  Principal payments of $79,423 on our mortgage have lowered the outstanding mortgage balance to $96,497.  Hopefully, continued Cornerstone receipts will allow us to pay off the mortgage before the end of the year. 

With the summer months upon us, and the slow economy, pledge and Cornerstone receipts have dropped off considerably.  Keeping current with your payments will help the cash flow through these slower summer months.

The 2009 budget process has been started.  Next year is the final year of The Cornerstone Campaign. The operating budget and annual pledges need to be increased over the next two years to cover the mission and staff costs now picked up by Cornerstone. Eliminating the mortgage only covers a little more than half of the current Cornerstone staff and mission initiatives.  As we move into 2009, there are new needs that will increase both the scope and the burden of our operating fund.

--Mark Szen, Treasurer

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MEETING SPACE AVAILABILITY

Please contact the parish office if your group is interested in using any of the facilities here at All Saints Church.  Space is limited and days/times fill up fast!

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ANNOUNCING A NEW MINISTRY

I was going to make a special request in last month’s Pelican’s Bill for a willing giver to help make another three-fold ministry possible.  Before we could even get that request into print, an anonymous donor came forward to underwrite this project in its entirety!

Now, our new ministry involves recording our services onto a master CD recorder.  For some time now, the master cassette recorder has not worked properly (and no one really uses cassettes now).  Also, the mikes that are used for recording are not designed for recording music (only for speech).  They will have to be replaced and better located in the church than where they are at present.  Most everyone today has a CD player in his home and/or vehicle, so this seems to be the best format to use.

The three-fold recording ministry would enable us to:

• Make enough copies for any sick or shut-in persons by request;
• Make a copy so that the choir may listen and learn on a weekly basis;

• And help us to eventually transfer our services to the All Saints web site so that all who wish to hear our worship may do so by way of the internet.

As a musician, I make a point of listening to music programs by way of the internet from all over the world that I am otherwise unable to get from regular radio and TV programming.  Many quality music programs that used to be available are no longer being broadcast except over the internet.

So let us give thanks that one more door of opportunity has been opened up for our beloved parish! Feel free to contact me at saintsmusic@hargray.com.

With thanks from your parish musician,

--Steven Branyon

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EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN NEWS

The All Saints chapter of Episcopal Church Women will begin a new year in September.  (Note: there will be no August meeting.)  Our first meeting will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 5:45 p.m. in Gordon Mann Hall. 

All women of the church are automatically members and are cordially invited to ECW meetings which will typically be held on the second Tuesday of the month.  An annual contribution of $25 may be offered to offset expenses; however, anyone who does not care to contribute or who cannot afford to contribute monetarily will still be welcome to attend. 

Starting with our September meeting, we will be trying out a new schedule so that our meetings will end by 8:00 p.m.

• Social Time from 5:45 to 6:15 p.m.
• Meditation/Prayer at 6:15 p.m.
• Dinner at 6:30 p.m.
• Speaker and/or Business Meeting at 7:00 p.m.

The cost for dinner will be $5.00; for those who would like wine with dinner, there is an additional $2.00 charge.

A sign-up sheet will be posted in Gordon Mann Hall; you may also sign up by emailing me at marsha911@hargray.com no later than the Sunday prior to that week’s meeting.

Please put us on your calendar so you may become better acquainted with ECW and its good works and good programs.  Come enjoy fellowship among the women of All Saints!

--Marsha W. Rabun

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KITCHEN QUESTIONS

The pantry in the kitchen has quite a collection of canned goods and dry goods that has been accumulating over time.  If the food will not be needed for a particular event or group, it can be used by either the Alzheimer’s Respite Group or during the Family Promise weeks coming up.  If you do not plan on using this food, please contact Bobbie Cubbage directly (Family Promise) or Susan Krohn to let them know.  A section on one of the shelves will be marked off for your unwanted items.  Also, there are still many dishes and containers that want to go back to their homes! Please come to claim them!

Thank you. 

--Susan Krohn

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A MARVELOUS SPIRIT

Reaching for the stars a sign of our humanity

[Editor’s Note: the following article, written by The Rev. Anne McConney of Omaha, NE, appeared in the July 2008 issue of “Episcopal Life.” I thought it bore repeating.]

July is a good month, the burning centerpiece of summer, and if it sizzles with heat, it also sizzles with life. July is the month that begins – in a very literal way -- with a bang and goes on from there. July gives us the comfort of cool trees and the wisdom of long days, so that we may discover who we are and how we got here.

July is a time for memories.

I remember those childhood Fourths; I’m sure you do too – the parades and picnics, the bands and the ballgames, and at the end, when we thought we could not bear to wait another minute, the dark and the fireworks, all of it remembered with vividness and joy.

Now think back. Do you remember what you were doing 39 years ago, not on the Fourth of July but on the 20th?

Of course you do. If you were even a few years out of your cradle, you were watching television.

You were not alone. Border skirmishes were suspended, crime rates dropped. All over the world, people gathered around television sets in living rooms, in bars and restaurants, in department stores, to watch a small, wavering image of a man coming down a ladder.

We were waiting to see – to be a part of – the point-instant when a well-booted human foot came down on the soil of another planet.

On this day, at least for a few minutes, we knew we could do anything.

And that, I think, is why we remember it, not for the incredible technology, not for the fame and pride, not even for the historic achievement, but as one of the outward and visible signs of the inward grace of being human. For in all the vast complexity and beauty of the universe, the human spirit is surely the most remarkable thing in any part of God’s creation we have yet seen.

And we have it, our gift from God and our legacy of those who went before.

Human spirit is the force that cannot be denied; it is always seeking new outlets for itself. Often these outlets are religious; sometimes they are not. Sometimes they lead us to the sciences or the arts. Sometimes they send us into the mean streets with a message of love, keep us hoping when common sense says we shouldn’t, set us to overcoming terrible adversities, turn us into uncompromising seekers of truth.

We know we can do anything we set ourselves to do, not because we are arrogant, but because we are blessed.  Once we have accepted the blessing, we will find that we have been given the universe and our own true selves as well.  We will find that the path we follow is not a path at all; it is the royal road that leads us home.

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A STEWARDSHIP MINUTE

A 12th century young Italian man named Giovanni de Bernadone had a wealthy father, who often went to France and nicknamed his son Francis.  Young Francis could wear the finest of clothes, have an expensive carriage and go to parties where the rich frolicked together.  In short, he could have whatever money could buy.  Young Francis, however, began to mature, spiritually speaking, and helped the poor have food, clothing, and other needs met.  He worshipped regularly, prayed deeply and wore a common brown robe in contrast to the finely tailored clothes he had worn before.  He became so devout, loving, and good-hearted that other men began to join him in his ministry.  Their Christian work was so important the pope allowed them to become an order of monks know as the Franciscans.  After the pope’s blessing was given to them, the order began to spread across the world and is still an effective order to this day.  This fascinating story is in the August issue of Stewardship.  The lesson we learn from Francis is that the stewardship of one’s talents, time, and resources of whatever sort are greatly important in living the Christian life.  To be a Christian is not only to believe in Christ, but to serve him by serving others in his name.   

Prayer:  O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, not so much as to be understood as to understand, not so much to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in dying, that we awake to eternal life.  Amen.

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ON EULOGIES DURING THE BURIAL RITE

As the Book of Common Prayer points out, the liturgy for the dead is an Easter liturgy.  It finds its ultimate meaning in the resurrection of Christ, and because of that, gives us reason for hope, as well.  It follows that the central theme is one of Christian joy, while taking into account the reality of loss and grief.  Services, therefore, ought to emphasize and give witness to these things in terms of ritual, ceremony, music and décor.  Provision also is made for a homily to be delivered, but not a eulogy.  The intent is to draw out the way the scripture chosen speaks to our celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the deceased person’s faith and participation in the Paschal Mystery and the consolation of the bereaved.  Words spoken in remembrance or praise of the deceased are best reserved for the wake or vigil preceding the burial rite or the reception that follows.  In this way, family members and friends may share their reflections without fear of disrupting the flow of the liturgy by introducing questionable content or undue length.  Furthermore, given the difficulty of the situation, they need not worry because their emotions may overcome them.

--The Clergy

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SCHOOL DAYS, SCHOOL DAYS, GOOD OLE' GOLDEN RULE DAYS...

All Saints Preschool begins its 2008-09 session on Monday August 18, which means the back parking areas will again be a hubbub of activity with children and parents coming and going, outside playtime activities, etc.  So please remember to be very cautious when using the back driveway during the daytime hours…and if possible, please do not park back there during school days, use the front parking area—better to be safe than sorry.

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