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!
-