EUCHARISTIC LECTIONARY YEAR A

SUNDAY WORSHIP

7:45 AM Holy Eucharist Rite I

9 AM Holy Eucharist Rite II

11 AM Holy Eucharist Rite II

Children’s Worship

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

10 AM Adult Classes

Sunday School

Encouragers

WEEKDAY WORSHIP

6 PM Wednesday

Holy Eucharist Rite II

12 PM Thursday

Holy Eucharist &

Healing (Chapel)

April 2017

Sabbatical—a break or change from a normal routine for the

purpose of refreshment.

The word is out that I will be taking a Sabbatical in the coming months. To set

the tone for this announcement, this past Sunday the Rev. Joan Saylors

preached at each of our services about the Biblical concept of Sabbath,

especially as it relates to the life of priest and congregation.

The idea of a sabbatical, has actually been in the works since 2014, and was

initiated by then Senior Warden Dr. Jim Spruiell, and carried forward by the next

two Senior Wardens, Vickie Luckenbach and John Sumners. There have been

many starts and stops in the process and more than a little foot-dragging on my

part. Amid our manic, production oriented culture, the idea of taking an

extended rest is hard to get one’s mind around. But the leadership was

insistent, and with Father Bur’s arrival another piece fell in place.

So on May 1st, I will completely step away from my all of priestly duties and

responsibilities, and into, what I pray will be, a three-month period of

refreshment and renewal. Having been advised that it’s very difficult to

separate from the church while still in close physical proximity, my plans involve

a fair amount of travel and retreat time.

I’ll begin my Sabbath spending two weeks alone at Our Lady of Guadalupe

Monastery in New Mexico. It’s in a remote and beautiful area and offers

communal meals and daily time for meditation, prayer, and worship with the

host monastic community.

This initial retreat period will be a time for unplugging, for stepping back and

reflecting on where I am in my life with God and in my relationships. I also

relish the multiple daily worship opportunities, services I’ll have no

responsibilities in leading. My life has been so busy with church and family, it’s

frankly hard to imagine what this unencumbered time will be like, or what it will

reveal.

From Father Jeff

Upon my return to “civilization,” my focus will move to my family. For Barclay and the boys, school will be

getting out and I’ll have some uninterrupted down time with them before we head off on our “big trip.” We

will head to England for at least a couple of weeks, where we’ll visit Barclay’s sister who lives in London,

with time set aside for us being tourists in the land where our church was born. But I’d be disingenuous if I

told you we’ll be spending most of our time visiting Anglican heritage sites- It will be a hard sell to get two

teenage preacher’s kids to spend their vacation visiting churches, no matter how grand they may be.

Upon our return from this once-in-a-lifetime trip, the rest of my Sabbath will be interspersed with time at

home and shorter trips. These ventures involve nurturing relationships that have sometimes been

neglected. This includes day trips with Barclay and the boys; some solid uninterrupted time with my

parents; and carving out quality time with other foundational people in my life.

Although I’ve guarded against setting a particular vocational goal in terms of being obligated to produce

something during my sabbatical, I will not be idle in terms of enriching my spiritual and intellectual life as a

priest and leader of a congregation. To this end, I’ve made plans to attend a conference and set aside

multiple days to spend in Austin at the university and the Episcopal seminary there, for researching and

expanding my mind on a number of ministry-related topics.

The other component of sabbatical is the congregations break from the pastor. In this regard, I trust

completely, that in my absence, the parish will continue to thrive under Father Bur’s guidance, and that the

Holy Spirit will raise up people and ideas that will benefit St. Barnabas going forward.

In closing, let me try and convey my gratitude: Earlier I stated that I will be “taking a Sabbatical,” which is

true. But as this idea has become a reality, I’ve come to see that it’s more accurate to say I’ve been “given

a sabbatical.” I am profoundly grateful that my community has seen to it that I and my family have been

given this incredible opportunity. Please know that as I separate intentionally from my beloved community

of St. Barnabas, that everything I do will be done that I might return refreshed and renewed to better serve

you and God and the world He has made.

Peace and Grace,

Father Jeff Almighty God,

you have called us to tend and keep

the garden of your creation. Give us wisdom and reverence for all your plants and animals who share this planet with us

and whose lives make possible our own. Help us to remember

that they too love the sweetness of life and join with us in giving you praise.

Anyway, Aunt Lonnie died, and so it seemed only appropriate to have the priest say something.

So, there they all were at this neat little cemetery by the riverside, and they sang “Amazing Grace”

and all that good stuff. Then my friend got up and he stood by the hole where Aunt Lonnie’s body

was and he said, “If God is a God of justice only, Aunt Lonnie is in Hell right now.” And that’s the

truth. But it’s not just the truth for Aunt Lonnie, it’s the truth for all of us. If God is a God of justice

only, there is no good news, there’s nothing. What we need is mercy. We absolutely need it;

without it, we cannot stand. Without it, we cannot live. (Pages 29-30)

There would probably be plenty of us in the same predicament as Aunt Lonnie but thankfully Jesus has

prepared a place for each of us. The good news found in Christ Jesus is that grace and mercy are freely

given in abundance by God to all of us, even to the Aunt Lonnies in our midst.

Faithfully,

Fr. Bur

From Father Bur One of my favorite anecdotes comes from a book entitled, An Altar

in Your Heart: Mediations on the Jesus Prayer by Bishop Bob

Hibbs. The story is as follows:

I have a friend who is an Episcopal priest and about an

umpteenth generation Texan, who had an aunt named

Lonnie. Apparently, she was the terror of the family – one of

these really poisonous, passive-aggressive people who just

broke other people wherever she went. You know the kind:

“If you love me, you will ... .” All of the family belonged to the

Umbadumblian Church, except for this guy who turned out to

be a priest in a church that sounded like Pepsi-Cola spelled

sideways.

Volunteers will be making the palm crosses for Palm Sunday on Friday, April 7 at 10 a.m.

Training is provided and all are welcome!

St Barnabas Financials as of February 28, 2017

Feb 17

Actuals

Monthly

Budget

$ +/-

Budget

Jan-Feb

Actuals

YTD

Budget

$ +/-

Budget

Annual

Budget

Income 47,079 49,797 -2,718 89,705 99,594 -9,889 597,550

Expenses:

Staff 26,220 27,404 -1,184 75,149 78,259 -3,110 373,603

Operating 6,033 6,751 -718 13,787 13,502 285 81,000

Ministry 3,536 3,447 89 5,998 6,894 -896 41,350

Apportionment 5,581 5,581 0 11,162 11,162 0 66,972

Total Expenses 41,370 43,183 -1,813 106,096 109,817 -3,721 562,925

Net Income 5,709 6,614 -905 -16,391 -10,223 -6,168 34,625

February 2017 Financial Report

Cash in the Bank (unrestricted) $114,995

Balance Sheet: There was a decrease of $ 3,454. The following is the breakdown by area:

Monthly Operations $ 5,707 (explained below)

Moms Morning Off - -$ 2,669 (explained below)

Prepaid Pledges - -$12,476 remaining balance of $124,761

Restricted Funds $ 5,151

Significant activity from funds were as follows; Outreach ($583), Columbarium ($991), Rector

Discretionary (-$700) Dugat MMO Scholarship (-$553), Endowment ($2,865), Sabbatical ($2,100)

Monthly Operations: Income was slightly under budget (-$2,718), primarily in non-pledge income.

Expenses were under budget by $1,812. This resulted in the month being over budget by $907. ($5,707

vs $6,614). YTD results are over budget by $6,668.

MMO: MMO had a deficit of $2,669. MMO is starting off well again this year. Enrollment is still running

at full+ capacity with 40 children with 10 teachers. YTD results are over budget by $1,349.

April 9, Palm Sunday Holy Eucharist, 7:45 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m.

9 and 11 a.m. services will begin in the garden for the

procession.

April 10, Monday Morning Prayer, 8 a.m. in the Chapel

April 12, Wednesday Lenten Lunch Program, 12:10—12:55 p.m. in the Parish

Hall. Bring your lunch.

April 12, Wednesday Holy Eucharist, 6 p.m. in the Sanctuary

Holy Week Schedule

From the Senior Warden

John Sumners—Sr. Warden

Julie Alvarez—Secretary

Ric McCormick—Treasurer

Jimmy Davis

Vickie Luckenbach

David Spencer

Frances Money

Shelly Kothmann

Ken Smith

John Wallace

John Youngblood

CHURCH VESTRY

March has been a busy month for St Barnabas and the vestry. Along with regular business affairs, we

focused primarily on two main topics this month: vision and planning for our many programs at St.

Barnabas and the exciting sabbatical opportunity for Fr. Jeff.

The vestry will be spending some time each month in an open discussion with Fr. Jeff and Fr. Bur on the

programs St. Barnabas is offering our parish. Our goal is to review what is working, what is not, what

parishioners would like to see happening in our church, and general brainstorming about new and

exciting ways to continue strengthening our church community. If you have ideas for new programs or

comments about existing programs please reach out to a vestry member or one of our clergy. St.

Barnabas is our community, and we want to further strength the concept of “Everyone Belongs.”

This month, the vestry also began final preparations for Fr. Jeff’s sabbatical. Fr. Jeff and the Hammonds

have been with us now over eight years, which marks only the second rector in St. Barnabas history to

reach that milestone. This is a very exciting time for Fr. Jeff and all of us at St. Barnabas. The dates have

been set, and Jeff is finalizing plans for his sabbatical summer. I know all of us are very excited to hear

about his adventures while he is away and to see a rejuvenated Fr. Jeff upon his return.

Many of you have expressed a desire to contribute directly and assist in making this awesome sabbatical

opportunity possible for Fr. Jeff. If you would like to join me in contributing to Fr. Jeff’s sabbatical, please

note on your gift “Sabbatical Fund”. We will be gathering these gifts through Easter. This is a great way to

make a personal investment in our beloved rector. Giving out of desire to do so always feels good, but it

is especially sweet when your gift directly benefits someone you love.

John Sumners, Sr. Warden

April 13, Maundy Thursday Holy Eucharist, Healing Service, 12 noon in the Chapel

Holy Eucharist, 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary,

Washing of feet and stripping the altar

April 13-14, Easter Vigil Begins after Maundy Thursday Service and extends up to

the Good Friday service at 12 noon.

Sign up for prayer times on the hour.

April 14, Good Friday Holy Eucharist, 12 noon in the Sanctuary

April 14, Good Friday Stations of the Cross at 6 p.m.

April 16, Easter Sunday Holy Eucharist, 7:45 a.m. and 9 a.m. in the Sanctuary

Easter Egg Hunt, meet in Parish Hall at 10:15 a.m.

Holy Eucharist, 11 a.m. in the Parish Hall

Flowering of the Cross begins at 11 a.m.

An exciting underground adventure awaits the VBS kids as they

discover the light that shines for us to find our way in the world. VBS

participants will experience Sing and Play Rock, Spelunker Sports,

Imagination Station, KidVid Cinema and more! Children will meet

some special Bible Memory Buddies during the week.

Volunteers are needed

Crew Leaders – working with small groups of kids

Station Leaders – leading groups in activities

Snack Patrol – preparing and serving daily snacks

Also, we need some behind the scenes help:

Creative minds to transform the Parish Hall into a cave-like atmosphere

Set up and Clean Up crews

Those interested or moved to serve this important part of our children’s ministry, please contact Karen

Young at 830-285-1012.

Vacation Bible School

Set for July 24—28

On March 9, teacher Emily Bowyer brought

the 7th and 8th graders from Ambleside

School for a nature study in our Biblical

Garden. The students spent their time

sketching and painting.

Bobble Head Bishop

The staff at the Bishop Jones Center struggled to come up with an

appropriate retirement gift for Bishop Gary Lillibridge, but eventually

settled on several thousand Bobble Heads in his likeness. All who

purchased one were encouraged to have Bishop Bobble Head

participate in parish life. So… here he is enjoying the bluebonnets

in the St. Barnabas garden.

You can order your own Bobble Head Bishop on line at https://

public.serviceu.com/PaymentForm/23836/?OrgKey=31cf9e98-c974

-4083-92bb-aff2aaafc796 or call Leslie Mixson at 210-824-5387. All

proceeds go to the Diocese’s College Ministries.

He is not

here; he has

risen, just

as he said.

Matthew 28:6

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Sun Mon Tues Wed Fri Sat 8 p.m. in the

CEB (Christian Education Building)

Thurs, Closed Meeting (Women) 7 p.m. in

the CEB

AL-ANON

Monday—6:30 p.m. in the CEB

Friday—6:30 p.m. in the CEB

BELL CHOIIR

Wednesday—4:30 p.m. in the CEB

B IBLE STUDIES

Monday—7 a.m. in the Library

BOY SCOUT TROOP 137

Tuesday—6:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall

CHOIR

Wednesday—7 p.m. in the Encourager

Room

DAUGHTERS OF THE KING

2nd Saturday of the Month, 9:30 a.m. in

the Sanctuary

KNIT-WITS (KNITTING GROUP)

Wednesday—3 p.m. in the CEB

LADIES’ LUNCH

3rd Thursday of the Month,

Fredericksburg Herb Farm

LIBRARY GUILD

1st Thursday of the Month, 10 a.m. in the

Library

MEN’S BREAKFAST

Thursday—7 a.m. in the Parish Hall

MMO (MOM’S MORNING OFF)

9 a.m.—2 p.m.

VESTRY

3rd Monday of the Month—5 p.m. in the

Meetings and Ministries

1st Roylynne Brocksch

3rd Rex Jones

3rd Sharon Smith

10th Christi Sumners

13th Jonathan Godfrey

14th Somsee Pornphet

14th Gus Sumners

16th Michelle Hodges

16th Moye Hooper

16th Lyda Slayton

16th Ginny Thomason

16th Mary Lou White

20th Meagan Laman

21st Emmerson Daily

21st Dan Neelon

22nd Miles Hammond

23rd Nancy Neelon

27th Barrett Burns

27th Cay Meadows

29th Emilie Cox

29th Wayne Seipp

30th Deborah Edwards

5th Deborah & Darrell Edwards

6th Karen & Ron Poidevin

9th Melissa & Bur Dobbins

11th Molly & Byron Fanning

15th Allison & Bob Drury, Jr.

19th Millie & Bill Bennett

20th Kathy & Bud Parish

21st Sandra & Roger Esterling

22nd Angie and Joe Cross

Birthdays

Anniversaries

RESURRECTION

The following items are in the church “Lost and Found” drawer. Any

that are not claimed by April 30 will be taken to the Hospice Resale

Store:

Black Leather women’s gloves

Agnelli jean vest

Child’s school bag with notebook and lunch box

Two baseball caps (Denali Alaska and Thomas Michael Riley)

Two clip-on sunglasses

Women’s sunglasses with rhinestones

Lost and Found

CHURCH CLERGY AND STAFF:

Rector: The Rev. Jeff Hammond

Assistant Rector: The Rev. Bur Dobbins

Lay Pastoral Minister: Morey Weldon

Clergy Associate: The Rev. Dr. Dyana Orrin

Clergy Associate: The Rev. Anne Finn

Clergy Associate: The Rev. Tom Luck

Parish Administrator: Rachael Cole

Office Assistant: Carol Schreider

Youth Director: Marilee Pankratz

Director of Music: Hazel Hanson

Lay Ministry Coordinator: Steve Neale

Mom’s Morning Off Director: Deanne Moellering

Nursery Director: Madeline Clanton

Housekeeper: Patty Ramirez

Return Service Requested

Easter Egg Hunt

Hunt will begin at 10:30 a.m.

BYOB (Bring your own basket!)

Children and their parents should gather in

the Parish Hall by 10:15 a.m.