Hello from the Vicar 12/23/10

This is a copy of my weekly "Hello from the Vicar" e-mail:

Hi, all!

At our house, we're in the middle of buying presents, hanging decorations, pinning up Christmas cards, and buying supplies for Christmas dinner. It's a busy week for all of us, I'm sure.

A popular Christmas song says, "It's the most wonderful time of the year." It can also be the most hectic, crazy, stressed-out time of the year. And for those of us who are coping with loss, sadness, or change, it can be the most difficult time of the year. Whatever circumstances you find yourself in, I hope the star of Bethlehem will guide you to the stable where the Christ child lays in the manger.

Last Saturday was a big day at St. Antony's. Bill Demmon and his crew cooked a delicious breakfast for 23 men, and Bob Hoag wryly directed the annual men's gift exchange/swap/theft session. As I sipped my coffee, I reflected on what a solid group of committed men we have.

At the Greening of the Church that followed, I learned from our talented Caroline Hoag how to wrap the sprigs of fir, pine, and cedar around a rope to create a lush evergreen garland, and I watched as Bennie Wright lifted it up over the cross to drape the sparkly hanging that Allison Edmonds found. It looks gorgeous!


All this took place as Melanie Reeder led the children through the Christmas pageant rehearsal, complete with Christmas carols sounding through the church. And up in the barn, Debbie Stockwell and Carrie Rivers were creating fresh evergreen wreaths for the nave. Is this a great church family or what?

My thanks to Cheryl Wright and Ruth Lindstrum for their planning and preparation, and to all who participated. The Christmas Pageant at the 10:00 Eucharist on Sunday was a delight, and I had a great time with the youth group in the afternoon eating pizza and watching the movie Narnia. What fun kids!.

I hope you'll remember Adrienne Daugherty who is slowly recovering from surgery, and Bill Proctor's mother, Janet, who was recently diagnosed with cancer, and let's keep in prayer all those who are traveling this holiday weekend. I'm sorry to pass on the news that Catherine Lowe died last Monday. Her obituary is here. She requested no services, but I'm sure the family would appreciate cards of support at 5290 NW Apex Rd., Silverdale, WA 98383.

I'm looking forward to candlelight and carols at our Christmas Eve Eucharists (5PM and 10:30 PM). I'm reminded that we'll have many guests on Christmas Eve, and I know we'll all welcome them and make a special effort to make them feel at home.

May the Christ child be born in our hearts this holy season.
Bill 

Hello from the Vicar 12/17/10

This is a copy of my weekly "Hello from the Vicar" e-mail to the parish:

Hi, all!

Last Sunday morning I was glad our church is on a hill so we didn't get inundated! That was some heavy rain. Thanks to all who braved the downpours to come to the Eucharist.

Today I heard a report on NPR about a "Secret Santa" program that fills children's requests for Christmas presents. The spokesperson said that in previous years kids asked for big-screen TVs, iPads, and Barbies, but this year more kids are asking for winter coats, shoes, and necessities. The "head elf" said, "The need is greater this year than I've ever seen it. One little girl didn't want anything for herself. She wanted a winter coat for her mother."

This makes me think about our Christmas Angel program. In the Narthex were 30 tags, each with the name of a child and a list of gifts for that child. Amazingly, all 30 of the tags were taken by our folks, and last Sunday the Narthex was filled with bags full of presents for these children. It gives me a really good feeling to know that we've made a real difference in the lives of God's children in need. My thanks to Donna Hilton for making this happen again this year.

I'm anticipating the Men's Breakfast and the "Greening of the Church" this Saturday. I hope you'll find time to participate. It's a day when you can see the St. Antony's family working, playing, singing and joking together. That's what a family does! Look for some different Christmas decorations this year as we try some new things.

This week I visited Catherine Lowe. Her lung disease has left her weak and on oxygen. I'm sure she'd appreciate cards at 5290 NW Apex Rd., Silverdale, WA 98383. One of the things I like best about St. Antony's is the support we give each other in good times and bad. What a difference it makes!

We'll have the children's Christmas Pageant at the 10:00 Eucharist this Sunday. There's always something special about seeing children act out the story of Christmas. I love our kids! And will you please remember our college students as they travel home for the holiday. We look forward to seeing them with us at God's holy table as we are nourished with Christ''s Body and Blood.

Advent blessings,
Bill 

Hello from the Vicar 12/10/10

This is a copy of my "Hello From the Vicar" e-mail for this week.

Hi, all!

This week I've been rehearsing with the Bremerton Symphony Chorale for our Christmas concert this Saturday. I keep hearing in my head the glorious "Amen" in "Worthy is the Lamb" of Handel's Messiah, especially the sopranos as they loft their high 'A' just before the entire symphony comes to a breathtaking halt... and then launches the final thunderous 'Amen'. It helps get me through December's dark, rainy weather and gloomy skies...I guess you could say it's one of my Advent disciplines.

Last Saturday I stopped by St. Paul's Church in Bremerton to encourage our volunteers from St. Antony's as they prepared and served a free meal to the homeless at the Lord's Neighborhood Diner. I'm so proud of our members who were so cheerful, dedicated, and positive. We served at the very first meal of the year, a "test run" for the Diner. A special thanks to Sallie Snyder, Pat Reese, Lynda Loveday, Donna Hilton, John and Janet Steller, Barbara Berglind, Steve Miller, Jim and Judy Bryant, and Bob and Sondra Meith.

Next Saturday, December 18, we'll have the Men's Breakfast and the Greening of the Church. This is one of the highlights of the year at St. Antony's and I hope you won't miss it. Thanks to Cheryl Wright for helping to organize this.

This week I enjoyed a pleasant visit with Mary Warner at Claremont East Apartments. Mary is an elegant southern lady and always a delight to visit. I hope you'll remember her with a card or a visit at 2707 Clare Ave., Bremerton, WA 98310.

My thanks to all who have returned their pledge cards for 2011 to support the work of God in our parish. We still have a few to go, so if it has slipped your mind, this is a gentle reminder.

Bill

Our first time at the Lord's Neighborhood Diner

Today volunteers from St. Antony's helped cook and serve the first meal at the Lord's Neighborhood Diner. The Lord's Diner is located in the basement of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Bremerton, and it's a natural partnership for us. Several of our volunteers today have worked at the Lord's Diner for many years.

Barbara Berglind prepares the buns

Today was the first day of the re-start of the diner. After thirteen years of operation from 1995 to 2008, the Diner had to be temporarily shut down to improve the standards of operation. The board worked hard to bring everything up to standards for a non-profit meals operation, and this is the first week of operation since 2008.

We had a good number of enthusiastic volunteers, and I'm proud of the way we pitched in and made the Diner work. The number of clients served was small, but it was a good test run for the Diner. We'll be back again in a couple of months.

Chef John Steller 

A chorus line of volunteers 

 Darlene Sawyer, one of the staff members

People enjoying a good meal 

Rolling up napkins with silverware before the meal

Hello from the Vicar 12/4/10

Hi, all!

This is the first edition of a weekly e-mail newsletter I'm sending to my friends at St. Antony's. I hope you like the format: a brief, informal, weekly update on what's happening at St. Antony's. They'll be easy to read -- personal, informative, and lively.

I'm using the Constant Contact e-mail program, which allows for recipients to opt out if they choose. If you want to unsubscribe, it's easy...just go to the bottom of this page . There's also a sign-up button on our parish web page so interested people can sign up to receive these e-mails and we can spread the welcome of St. Antony's a little wider.  Another attractive feature of the Constant Contact program is that it's a secure service so your e-mail address won't be sold or stolen.

You may have noticed that the power outage last week messed up the timers for the outdoor lights at church. Instead of coming on at sunset, they were coming on in the early part of the day and going out before dark. Not very helpful!  We finally got them re-set so they work right (let me know if we need to make adjustments). It reminds me that interruptions in our lives sometimes make us re-set our internal clocks and compasses. 

Advent is like that. In Advent we come to the darkest part of the year and we reflect on the themes of darkness, waiting, and watching. At our house, we're lighting an Advent candle during dinner each night. It helps remind us that the light of Christ shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it. (John 1:5)

This week I visited Jeanne Hummel in her new home at Country Meadows Cottages. Her address is 12146 Country Meadows Lane #17, Silverdale, WA 98383-9550 and she'd appreciate cards and visits. I also visited Eunice Brodde, who has moved to an assisted living apartment at Clearbrook. Cards and brief visits for Eunice would be very helpful: 12295 Schold Rd NW, Silverdale, WA.

At our BC meeting on Wednesday night, we passed a motion to make an offer on the property on Clear Creek Rd. The offer will be made through the diocesan property committee in due course. I think we've had a good parish discussion about this property, and I feel hopeful about it.

See you Sunday as we gather round the table for the Eucharist -- our life together with God and one other.

Bill

Buying new property

At their meeting on Wednesday, the Bishop's Committee voted to make an offer on the property at Half Mile Road and Clear Creek Road.

We've had a substantial parish discussion about this piece of property, and we've provided quite a bit of information to everyone. During the discussion at the BC meeting, we gave some time to listening to reactions from people in the parish. All the members said that people seem favorable about this purchase.

We talked about the November 8 meeting, and what we heard from parishioners at that meeting. Someone said, "I thought the mood of the meeting changed after people heard the facts about the property. It went from reserved and cautious to being positive."

The vote on Wednesday by the BC was unanimous. I think that says a lot for the consensus we've built around this decision. I'm happy with the process we've used to get to this point.

Now we'll see what happens next. I communicated our decision to the property manager of the diocese, and he'll get the wheels turning to make the offer and bring us the response from the Catholic Archdiocese. It'll be interesting to see how all this develops!
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Advent Conspiracy

How can we meaningfully observe the season of Advent? I've been looking for new ideas, and I came upon a website with an interesting approach. Advent Conspiracy offers a new way to celebrate to Advent and Christmas. Basically they're trying to de-commercialize Christmas and make it more meaningful by helping us think about how we observe this season. You can find ithem at www.adventconspiracy.org

They offer four basic concepts:

• Worship Fully
• Spend Less
• Give More
• Love All

Here's what the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Boise, Idaho, did for their Advent Conspiracy:

"Our parish has adopted Advent Conspiracy as a way to encourage parishioners to Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All. We showed the video at all Masses, along with our own Powerpoint show, and it was met with applause! We are asking parishioners to support charities that help the poor, including the World Hunger Project, which provides a way for families to grow sustainable food sources, including getting seed and water sources, as well as support for our St. Vincent dePaul Conference, our Food Bank, our Christmas Giving Tree program for needy families, and Catholic Charities."

Of course, we already do many of these things during Advent. We support various local non-profits and we participate in Christmas Angels. But the theme of "Advent Conspiracy" might be a way to tie them all together. An interesting idea for us for next year?

The Vicar's hello

Last Saturday I sent an e-mail to our parish list as a friendly hello and update for the parish. I'd like to start doing this weekly as a way of staying in touch with the parish. I've read other parish weekly letters and I've found them warm, personal and rich. I'd like to use the email software Constant Contact because it's easy to use and it looks good in all browsers. I hope that these letters will be down-to-earth, personal, and focused on our parish life. Here's the letter I sent last Saturday:

To my St. Antony’s friends,

It's been quite a week in Kitsap County. The storm that came through on Monday night blew down trees all over the county and iced up the roads everywhere. I hope you found shelter during the storm and have been able to get back to normal. I know a lot of us were without power for extended periods of time, which made us especially thankful for the simple things of life. At our house, we snuggled down in layers of blankets and thought about those who were out in the cold. It made Thanksgiving Day even more meaningful.

Last Sunday we celebrated the 25th anniversary of St. Antony's with an energetic and fitting joint Eucharist, followed by a fantastic potluck brunch. Thank you to Cheryl Wright and Ruth Lindstrum for organizing the brunch, and to all who made it a success. That was fun!

Tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent. We'll see new hangings of rich blue fabric, the Jesse Tree, and the Advent Wreath. My thanks to Sondra Meith for sewing the beautiful hangings, and to Barbara Steadman for supplying the beeswax candles as she has for many years.

Advent is a season of anticipation and expectation, waiting for the coming of God's kingdom. Advent provides a still point of quiet in the center of our lives that we can return to even in the midst of the holiday frenzy.

I'll see you tomorrow as we begin our Advent time.

With the joy of Christ,

Bill

Twenty-Fifth Anniversary celebration

Today we celebrated the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the founding of St. Antony's. We had a combined service at 9:00, with good participation from people both the 8:00 and 10:00 Eucharists. It was fun to hear a few memories by people who had been present from the beginning of St. Antony's. Afterwards we had a big potluck brunch. The modular building was packed with every seat taken. The food was great and many hands helped set up and take down. A success!

 The obligatory church potluck photo

 A smiling clean-up crew!

Fall Cleanup Day

Today was a Cleanup Day at St. Antony's as well a a day to prepare for our Twenty-Fifth Anniversary celebration tomorrow. An energetic group of about 15 people scrubbed, raked, cleaned and set up for tomorrow's St. Antony Day brunch. My thanks to all who joined this effort and accomplished so much!

Bob Hoag blows leaves off the grass

Ken Stephens sweeps up

Loretta McGinley and Mary Zabinsky sweep under the apple trees

Ruth Lindstrum and Sallie Snyder prepare the modular for the brunch

Mark and Allison Edmonds clean up the basement

My impressions of Diocesan Convention

On October 29 and 30, I attended Diocesan Convention at the Sea-Tac Hilton, along with our delegates Bill and Elisabeth Demmon, Maggie Scott, and Tovi Andrews. Here are my impressions:

• It was fun seeing old friends and making new friends. This is always the best part of convention for me.
• The convention was shortened this year in the interest of saving time and money. The result was that we packed a lot of agenda into a short time, which I found exhausting.
• We ordained two deacons in the Friday Eucharist. It's hard to have an impressive Eucharist in a hotel ballroom.
• We passed a flat budget, with a slight decrease in the assessment for parishes. This seems appropriate.
• We debated two resolutions to make congregations more accountable to the diocese. We passed one and tabled one. I'm generally in favor of both.
• We had three Indaba sessions (small group conversations). I think we need to re-invigorate the Indaba groups because they're losing their impact.

A good parish conversation

Last night we held a parish meeting to discuss purchasing a piece of property for a future church building.

I thought it was a good meeting, with about 40 people attending. John Stockwell gave an informative presentation on the property in question and many people asked questions for clarification. I think everyone got a lot of information. In the comment portion of the meeting, we had many comments from a wide representation of people. Not everyone spoke, but everyone was given the opportunity to speak.

What I heard was a cautious desire to move ahead with this purchase. The sentiment seemed to be, "This property would be a good investment even if we don't build on it."

There were some reservations expressed, and the pros and cons of the property in question were batted back and forth. There was a lot of concern about how much the taxes would be and how we would pay the taxes. I didn't hear anyone say that we should immediately start a building campaign, but the mood of the meeting was generally positive toward the purchase.

What I thought was impressive about this meeting was that we did the hard work that a parish needs to do to work through an issue. We wrestled with our concerns, our fears, our hopes, and our dreams. We were honest with each other, and we were respectful of each other. That's a wonderful accomplishment!

We purposely didn't take a vote on the issue, leaving the decision in the hands of the Bishop's Committee, as is appropriate. The BC meets on December 1 to take up the matter. Should be an interesting meeting!
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Naval Chaplains Anniversary Banquet

RADM Greg Horn

Last Friday evening I attended the Naval Chaplains Anniversary Banquet at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. I was invited by Capt. James Puttler, Navy Region Northwest Region Chaplain. It was an impressive formal dinner with a Marine color guard, a Navy jazz ensemble, and lots of brass present in formal dress.

The speaker was Rear Admiral Greg Horn, Deputy Chief of Chaplains for Reserve Matters. He gave an energetic speech emphasizing the "ministry of presence" that chaplains offer the marines and sailors in their care. It was eye-opening for me to be there and experience Navy culture. Below is a still photo from the video that Adm. Horn showed, portraying the chaplains' "ministry of presence."

Finding a time to blog

I haven't posted much on this blog lately because my daily schedule has changed, and I haven't found time in my schedule for writing.

I'm now doing my centering prayer at home early in the morning, and then coming to church for Morning Prayer in the chancel at 9:00. I like this schedule because it allows me to say my prayers in our worship space, and it makes it possible for others to join me. On Thursday mornings at 9:00 we have scheduled Morning Prayer for the parish and others are especially invited at that time.

I used to write my blog entries at home before I came to church in the morning, but now I leave too early to do that. So I need to find a time later in the day when I can make blog entries. I enjoy the writing, but I need to find a time to do it on a regular basis. I'll work on that!

Swamped by a busy fall schedule

The last few weeks have been very busy for me...as you can see by the scarcity of posts on this blog! The reason is that we've started up our fall programming and all the sudden I have a lot more things on my plate.

I spend two to three hours a week preparing for my weekly Bible studies, and a couple more hours leading them, plus I have the Wednesday night program which pretty much takes up all my time on Wednesday afternoons.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you! I love all these things. It's just that they eat up a lot of time that otherwise could be used for things like writing this blog! Another area that suffers is visiting. I was relieved that I could make a pastoral call this afternoon that I'd been planning to do for some time.

I'm doing a lot of good things...if only I could do them faster!
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Freedom 5K Walk/Run

Today eight of us attended the Freedom 5K Walk/run in Bainbridge Island. The event was an awareness raiser and fundraiser for the issue of human slavery. Yes, amazingly enough, human slavery exists today, even in our own communities. The most vulnerable of society -- often homeless kids on the street - are recruited or forced into situations they can't get out of, and end up as prostitutes or unpaid domestic workers. Illegal immigrants are another favorite target of traffickers who take advantage of their illegal status and force them to work in degrading circumstances.

It was good to walk the three miles with my son Guy and the other members of our team. We had a beautiful day to enjoy the walk. About 200 people participated.

From Barn Sale to Barnival

Today we had a meeting to review the Barnival held the weekend before last. It was a good meeting, with nine people present and a lot of energy. We all agreed that the Barnival had been a success and we'd like to do it again next year.

Having said that, we then launched into an energetic discussion of how we could improve things next year. We covered all the major areas of the Barnival planning process and came up with some good ideas. Click here to read my meeting notes if you want the details.

What I think is interesting is the way we went from the Barn Sale last year to the Barnival this year. The Barn Sale was on its last legs, with little participation and a lot of unhappiness over too few people doing too much work. It was once a very lively event, but it had just run its course.

We held a meeting last winter to discuss alternatives for fund raising, but we didn't come up with any firm decisions. Later the BC set a deadline: if no chair came forward, we would cancel the Barn Sale. No one stepped forward, so the Barn Sale quietly died.

That left the door open for something new, and Marty Whitaker stepped forward with some fresh ideas and a vision for a new event. She named it "Barnival", and once we got the idea, off we went.

We had a core of about 10 people who did some crash planning. Although we started late, we got a lot done in a short time and we were able to pull it off. Marty and John and Janet Steller put in a lot of time and energy to make sure we were on our way. Other people came on board, and when the day came, the event was a success, despite the drizzle and a few unexpected glitches.

What impresses me was how we were able to let go of something old and allow something new to be born. Sounds a lot like death and resurrection. A parish must find ways to revitalize itself or else it will die. I think we did a good job in making the transition from the old to the new, and I think it's a good sign for other changes that we'll make to become a revitalized parish.
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My new role at Chorale

I've taken on a new role at Bremerton Chorale, that of social chair. Here's how it came about: I've truly enjoyed singing with the Chorale for two years, but I haven't felt like I've gotten to know the other singers very well. We rehearse intensely, but we haven't had much social time together.

So I volunteered to help us become more connected personally. Last night, our second rehearsal of the season, I organized a brief social time at the beginning of rehearsal, with finger food to eat. After about fifteen minutes of noshing, I stood up and directed the singers to do a series of icebreakers. I told them to gather into groups by sections and introduce themselves. Then I told them to gather into quartets, with one singer from each section, and introduce themselves again. Then we formed a long line according to the distance of our commute, and then another long line according to our length of time in Chorale.

I've also started a Yahoo group e-mail list so we can communicate with the whole group by e-mail, and I'm trying to create a webpage with resources. I'll ask two or three singers each rehearsal to introduce themselves to the group so we get to know each other.

I really enjoy this kind of organizing activity. Several people, including our director, told me, "This is just what we needed." We all want to feel more connected to each other in Chorale, and I think my gifts and personality are helpful in doing this.

Although this is not part of my job description as vicar of St. Antony's, I find that this kind of community activity pays dividends for the parish in the long run. Eventually, someone says, "I wonder what his church is like," and they investigate. 

It's all part of the role of being "the vicar of silverdale."

More Barnival Photos

At the Barnival last Saturday, we had lots of kids activities, and the children loved them! We had face painting, puppet theater, beanbag toss, bubbles, an Apostle scavenger hunt, thumbpainting, and more. Here are some photos.

A flower girl in front of the "Country Capers" duo.

The beanbag toss - fun for children of all ages!

Sarah with happy kids

A rosy-cheeked girl

Some of the masks we made

We had a visit from a clown!

Successful Barnival!

Today we held the Barnival! And despite drizzly weather in the morning, we had a good turnout of people all day long and had a successful event. It was especially fun to have music from "Bill and Friends" group and the duo, "Country Capers". With people coming and going, lots of conversations, and music in the background, it felt like a good old country fair. Here are some photos to show what it looked like.

Country Capers Duo

Lunch under the porch

The barbecue crew

Katy throwing beanbags for the beanbag toss

Tossing beanbags

One of our young friends who made a mask and tried out the beanbags.

Losing the colors

Today I visited a parishioner in a care facility. I've visited her many times over the last two years, beginning with the elegant apartment where she took Katy and me to lunch, then, as she declined cognitively, into more and more intensive care facilities. Now she's in a dementia unit.

Today I found her parked in her wheelchair in the main room where a volunteer was singing and playing old favorites on a keyboard. She told me (several times) that she wanted to get up and dance but she couldn't because she might fall.

As she loses her cognitive abilities, I think of her as losing the colors of life. What was once full of color and interest is now becoming grayer and duller. After my visit, I made a sketch of the facility in ink, and when I got home I added color. The colors cheer me up, and remind me how precious life is.

Ray Berglind Mini-Golf Tournament

Last Saturday I attended the Ray Berglind Memorial Mini-Golf Tournament. This is my third tournament, and this time I actually won!! I was so relaxed after a good vacation, I could putt perfectly.

Ray died about 7 years ago, and his family hosts this tournament each year in memory of Ray. The proceed go to Communitas, the non-profit organization that runs several homes for the disabled. Ray's grandson, Devon, is a resident in one of the homes.

The weather was beautiful and we had a good turnout of folks from St. Antony's. Fun for everyone!

Vacation!!

My sons and I on Cape Mountain on the Oregon Coast

I just returned from a week of vacation. What a blessing it was! I traveled down the Oregon coast, had time with my family, saw good friends, enjoyed nature's beauty, and made some sketches.

There's something about getting away from home that is good for the soul. When I get about two hours down the highway, I begin to feel the weight of anxiety lift from my shoulders. The ordinary workday stress melts away, and I feel relaxed and refreshed.

Last Saturday, Katy and I went to Portland and had lunch with our two sons and Chad's girlfriend, Brittany. Then Guy and Chad and I camped on the Oregon coast, visiting friends and hiking to some of our favorite places. Later in the week, Guy and I camped near Long Beach, Washington, where I made a couple of sketches. What a fun week.

Interestingly, the NY Times recently had an article on clergy burnout:

"Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their life expectancy has fallen. Many would change jobs if they could....A growing number of health care experts and religious leaders have settled on one simple remedy that has long been a touchy subject with many clerics: taking more time off."

The article, found here, reports that many denominations are encouraging their clergy to take vacations as a way of preventing clergy burnout and ill health. I agree! My vacation was refreshing and I'm ready to jump back into parish life.
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Celebration of New Ministry for Kathleen Kingslight

Katy, Kathleen, and me

Tonight Katy and I attended the Celebration of New Ministry for Kathleen Kingslight, the new rector of St. Paul's, Bremerton. It was a wonderful service with much celebration, joy and good music as Bishop Greg welcomed her. The people of St. Paul's are obviously delighted to have Kathleen as their rector -- and it showed! I'm very pleased to have an Episcopal clergy colleague so close, and I hope we'll be good friends for many years. Congratulations, Kathleen!

Bible Study at Vintage Apartments

Vintage Apartments

Yesterday I led my third Bible study at Vintage apartments. We're studying "blessings" in the Bible, starting with the Aaronic blessing in Numbers 6:25-26, looking at the many blessings given in the story of Ruth, and continuing with the blessing of Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3.

We've had 5-8 people join us each time, and we've had some good conversations. As always with a Bible study, I open with a time of sharing and close by asking if anyone needs prayers. The residents of Vintage Apartments are low-to-middle income, and many are single women in their seventies and eighties. Several of them gave them a story like this: "When my husband died, my kids wanted me to move closer to them, and they found this apartment for me. So here I am."

In the story of Ruth, Naomi finds herself widowed and alone. As we read the story, it occurred to me that many of these women are like Naomi. They're isolated in their apartments, grieving the loss of their homes and their friends, and looking for support. I hope that our Bible study will be some comfort.

After the Bible study, I made a sketch of the apartments (above).

Election Day

Today was the last day to turn in a ballot for the Washington primary. I got mine in!

I was taught that voting is the responsibility of every citizen. Of course, it's a great privilege, too, but primarily it's the duty of every person in a democracy. Our freedom is precious, and if we don't participate in the democratic process, eventually we as a country will suffer.

So...Vote!

Centering Prayer at St. Antony's

Today, as every Wednesday, we had Centering Prayer at St. Antony's. We have a small but faithful group that gathers weekly to sit in a contemplative silence for twenty minutes. These weekly sessions are a wonderful way to rest, recharge, and renew.

Although I do twenty minutes of Centering Prayer every morning, I still find these group sessions to be helpful. There's something especially powerful about sharing a time of silence with others who also know this practice. The group time adds to the individual time and reinforces it.

It's not all time in silence. We spend the first half hour or so catching up on our lives and sharing. Then we set the timer and move into our contemplative time. If you haven't tried it yet, you should join us!

Barnival planning meeting

Today we had another planning meeting for the Barnival, our barn carnival on September 4. One of our supporters made this poster which we'll be distributing around town. We had a good meeting of ten people with lots of details worked out about products, pricing, locations, etc. We're on our way!

Annual picnic at Wildcat Lake

Today we held our annual picnic at Wildcat Lake. Unfortunately the sun failed to show up, and a mild drizzle discouraged many people from coming. Those of us who did come had a wonderful Eucharist in the new barn and a very pleasant time eating good potluck food together. Not to mention a rousing game of croquet on the lawn afterward!

Vacation Bible School, Day.....4

VBS games

Today was Day 4 of Vacation Bible School.  I can tell I'm running out of steam.  Doing a drama of a Bible story every day is pretty taxing, and the kids are naturally very rambunctious. I think I'm getting too old for this. One more day!

One of the stations, where the kids learn something about God's creation using science. We've got some great scientists.

On of the kids favorite stations is snacks.

Vacation Bible School, Day 3

Today I told the children the story of the woman at the well in John 4.  Yesterday afternoon I spent hours making the mural that you see behind the kids. The "well" is on the right. Last night I fussed over my costume to make me look like the woman at the well. I told the kids to use a lot of imagination!  Today was "hump day" for VBS.  Only two more days...

Bible Study at Vintage Apartments

Today I led the first session of a Bible study at Vintage Apartments in Silverdale. This is a large complex of senior apartments not far from our church. One of our members lives at Vintage Apartments and asked me to lead a Bible Study.

Six women showed up, and we made introductions and got started on a class on "Blessings in the Bible." We talked about how we've received blessings in our lives and we read the Aaronic blessing in Numbers 6:22-27. Almost all the participants are new to the apartment complex, so we were forming new relationships. It was a good start and I enjoyed our Bible study. We'll meet again next week.

Vacation Bible School, Day 2

Today I was Elijah at Vacation Bible School. You can see the "mountain" behind me with the cave where I pouted before God called me to stand before him on the mountain. It was a lot of fun, and I think the kids enjoyed having a prophet to tell them about God, but I wonder if I'm getting too old for this. I was exhausted afterward! Maybe that's why we have children when we're young.

Today Daniel Ferguson stepped in to be the Galactic Blast Commander with his sidekick, "Galileo" the gorilla. He did a great job and Kathy Little continued with her superb energy and enthusiasm, leading music, inspiring the leaders and rounding up kids. Tomorrow: Day 3!

Vacation Bible School, Day 1

Today was the first day of Vacation Bible School at St. Antony's. We're using the "Galactic Blast" curriculum from Cokesbury, which focuses on God's creation.

There was a last-minute flurry to prepare for the event, but everything seemed to come together for the opening morning. Peter Stockwell (above) opened with a dialogue with Galileo, the stuffed gorilla astronaut. The kids loved it. Kathy Little, with her endless energy, put everything together and led the music. She rocks!

Kathy Little

I was responsible for teaching the Bible story for the day, which was the creation story in Genesis. It was fun! (Although sitting on the floor with little kids for an hour left my knees complaining!) Tomorrow, Day 2!