St. Timothy’s Episcopal ChurchPO Box 7416 • Salem, OR 97303

503-363-0601 • mail@sainttimothys.org • www.sainttimothys.org

Tidings

OCTOBER 2016

From the Rector...

All We Have is a Gift from God

There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. (1 Timothy 6)

My parents recently moved to a new home, downsizing in the process. As a result, Pamela and I received a number of pieces of furniture and household items…some for us, and some in trust for our children. It has made me think about how many gifts come into our life.

As I look around our home, I see that so many of the things in it were gifts: from family and friends at the time of our wedding, at significant times since, and items received when members of the family moved, “downsized,” or died. Our kitchen is filled with wedding gifts we use day in and day out…utensils, a food proces-sor, dishes. There’s the toy sailboat my often-troubled uncle built when a young, happy boy. A table given by my mother-in-law has served us well since we moved back to Oregon in 1993, and the bedroom set we use came to us after Pamela’s beloved grandmother passed away in 2004. Photos and pictures on the walls

(Continued)

remind me of the gift of relationships that have shaped me, and books on the shelf and recordings of music tell of the gift of ideas and beauty that have en-larged and shaped my mind and character. So many gifts, so many relationships.

Taken together, this points to something true about all of life. We are recipients of far more than we know—in fact, everything. From life itself, the creation, and our very bodies, to the teach-ers and mentors along the way and the opportunities that we have been given, to the choice of how we will respond to the challenges of life…we have all received so many gifts from God.

St. Paul writes Timothy that we come into the world with nothing so that we may take nothing out of it. All of the possessions we have are signs of our complete dependence on God. Knowing and accepting that dependence makes it possible for us as Christians to live realistically—as stewards, not owners, of what we have received. This is a profound freedom.

Each year, the Church calls us to make a pledge of financial sup- port not only to the Church, but as a primary tool in our spiritual growth. By praying about, making, budgeting for, and living out our pledge, we are putting trust in God’s grace and acknowledg- ing how dependent we are on that grace. This helps us to be more flexible, less possessive, and in general truly godly and generous than we would be if we forgot the truth that “all we have is a gift from God.”

Pledging also teaches us the meaning of contentment—something St. Paul tells us we should combine with godliness. The advertising culture around us tells us we should always be seeking more and live in a permanent state of dissatisfaction. But this only feeds our passions, anxieties, and fears. Our pledge and other forms of prayerful stewardship do quite the opposite. They teach us to live on the level of our reason, our love for God, and Christ’s peace. Making a pledge and offering our time and talents to God in prayer is a counter-cultural act, as is all our giving to those ministries that spread the Kingdom of God and its justice. In doing these things, we remember that we must give an account for our lives to the God who has given us everything. Let that account be made in love and gratitude!

(Continued)

(Continued)

In later October, you will receive an envelope with a pledge card. Please reflect on it with prayer, and then fill it out. Bring it to church on (or send it back to church by) All Saints’ Sunday (Nov. 6) so that it may be brought to the altar and blessed. Thus will begin a new year of stewardship of God’s many gifts—spiritual and temporal. O, how much we have received from our generous God! O, how good it is to be a cheerful giver!

Faithfully in Christ,

A Prayer when Making a Pledge

Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to thee, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly thine, utterly dedicated unto thee; and then use us, we pray thee, as thou wilt, and always to thy glory and the welfare of thy people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. (From the Book of Common Prayer, p. 832)

The Kalendar in OctoberSunday Eucharist Readings: Year C (Track II)

Daily Office Readings: Year 2Friday Observance on all Fridays

Sunday, October 2: The 20th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 22) – 8 & 10 AMHabakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4; Psalm 37:1-10; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10This Sunday will also be our annual Acolyte Recognition and Commissioning Sunday.

Sunday, October 9: The 21st Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23)*2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c; Psalm 111; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19

(Continued)

(Continued)

78978978978 78978978978

*NOTE for Oct. 9: This Sunday we will share worship with Mending Wings Youth Ministries at the 10 AM service. This will take place in the Parish Hall and follow a special format (this Sunday only) combining elements of Native and Euro-American Christian worship practices. Those desiring the usual pattern of worship this Sunday should attend the 8 AM liturgy

Sunday, Oct. 16: The 22nd Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24) – 8 & 10 AM

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c; Psalm 111; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19

Sunday, Oct. 23: The 23rd Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 25) – 8 & 10 AMSirach 35:12-17 or Jeremiah 14:7-10,19-22; Psalm 84:1-6; 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18; Luke 18:9-14

Saturday, October 29: Confessions before All Saints’ – Noon-2 PMAs we prepare for All Saints’ Sunday you may desire to avail yourself of the heal-ing and restorative grace found in Sacramental Confession. This will be offered in the chapel. Preparation tools, if you desire them, may be had from Fr. Brandon beforehand. If you have never made a confession before, Fr. Brandon will walk you through it. While confessions may be scheduled anytime, the next formal time set aside for confession at St. Timothy’s will occur in Advent, before Christmas.

Sunday, October 30: The Feast of Dedication – 8 & 10 AM1 Kings 8:22-23, 27b-30; Psalm: 84; 1 Peter 2:1-9; Matthew 21:10-14This is the annual service of thanksgiving for the holy ground upon which we worship and the benefactors who have given and labored to build and maintain the buildings and ministries here. In addition to special readings, prayers, and hymns, this Sunday’s liturgy concludes with the Te Deum…the ancient Church’s greatest liturgical hymn of praise.

(Continued)

(Continued)

Looking ahead into early November…Wednesday, November 2: All Souls’ Day – 7 PMThe Commemoration of All Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day) serves as the annual service of remembrance, and intercession for, all those Christians we have known who have entered into Eternal Life. The liturgy this evening includes the reading at the altar of the necrology (the list of those faithful departed remembered by parishioners) and special prayers for the departed. At the end of the service, the congregation goes to the parish’s Memorial Garden to offer the Litany for the Dead and the Com-mendation. This is a special time to offer one’s grieving to God in the company of fellow-Christians, as well as to receive reassurance in the teaching about the Communion of Saints. You may want to invite someone known to you who would benefit from such reassurance.

Sunday, November 6: All Saints’ Sunday – 8 & 10 AMDaniel 7:1-3,15-18; Psalm 149; Ephesians 1:11-23; Luke 6:20-31All Saints’ is a Principal Feast of the Church Year (one of the seven such feasts in the Calendar) celebrating the witness of the Saints as well as our own call to be the saints of God through baptism. This is one of the most joyous feasts of our faith, and a good time to give thanks for those saints who have been of special signif-icance to you. All Saints’ Sunday is also the day of our Pledge Ingathering, so bring your pledge on that Sunday so it may be brought to the altar and blessed.

Later in November…

• Pre-Advent Quiet Day at St. Timothy’s: Saturday, November 19• Christ-the-King Sunday: November 20• Thanksgiving Day Liturgy (10 AM): November 24• Advent Sunday: November 27

Note: The Holy Eucharist is offered each Tuesday at 10 AM in the Chapel, fol-lowed by tea and conversation in the parish library. All are invited!

(Continued)

Remigius 1of Rheims

Pent. XX 2 8 am HE 9 am CS 10 am HE

3 Francis 4of Assisi

5 William 6Tyndale

7 8

Pent. XXI 9 8 am HE 9 am CS10 am HE Mending Wings

10 12 13 11 Joseph 14Scheres-chewsky

Teresa of 15 Avila

Pent. XXII 16

8 am HE 9 am CS 10 am HE

Ignatius of 17Antioch

St. Luke 18

10 am HE

10 am HE

10 am HE

10 am HE

Henry 19 Martyn

20 21 22

Pent. XXIII 23 8 am HE 9 am CS 10 am HE Choir

St. James of 24Jerusalem (tsf.)

25 Alfred the 26Great

27

Dedication 30 Festival 8 am HE 9 am CS 10 am HE Choir

All Hallows’ 31Eve

Days of Special Devotion to be observed by acts of discipline and self-denial.

October Birthdays

2 Peggy Goforth

5 John Sullivan

7 Tom Lawrence

8 Jocelyn Cartwright Kay Myklebust

12 Michael Castellanos

13 Sandy Noble

14 Merryn Grae

16 Alison Kaiser

22 Haley Herrin

24 Erindale Cannon

29 Tom Cole

31 Robin Price

St Simon 28& St Jude

Martyrs 29of Uganda

Crafts 10

Crafts 10

Crafts 10

Crafts 10

Diocesan Meeting 10

Vestry 6:30

Inquirers’ Class 7

Inquirers’ Class 7

Inquirers’ Class 7

Inquirers’ Class 7

DiocesanMeeting 1:30

Missions 7

Anglican Ethos 7

Sts Anna& Simeon 4:30

Anglican Ethos 7

Anglican Ethos 7

Anglican Ethos 7

Newcomers 6:30

Confessions 12 - 2

Deadline for Nov. Tidings

Acolyte Festival

Calendar Notes for October

Sunday, Oct. 2: Acolyte Festival

Tuesday, Oct. 4: Newcomers Commission meeting, 6:30 PM

Sunday, Oct. 9: Visit from Mending Wings from Yakama Reservation, 10:00 AM

Friday, Oct. 14: Diocesan Meeting, 10 AM

Saturday, Oct. 15: Deadline for November Tidings announcements

Tuesday, Oct. 18: Diocesan Meeting, 1:30 PM

Sunday, Oct. 23: Choir rehearsals begin

Wednesday, Oct. 26: Missions Commission Meeting, 7 PM

Thursday, Oct. 27: Guild of Sts. Anna & Simeon, 4:30 PM

Saturday, Oct. 29: Confessions, Noon - 2 PM

Sunday, Oct. 30: Dedication Festival

Coming Up in November:

Wednesday, Nov. 2: Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, 7 PM

Sunday, Nov. 6: Solemnity of All Saints, Standard Time

Please Note:The Anglican Ethos class meets on Monday evenings at 7 PM (except Halloween).Inquirers’ Class meets on Wednesday evenings at 7 PM.Both classes continue until late November.

Kitchen help is needed for the Advent Sunday (Nov. 27) Brunch. Please contact Sarah Whitney (sarahwhitney85@gmail.com or Pat Eder (pattieder@msn.com) if you can invest an hour or two.

Lector Ministry News…

After many years of excellent leadership, Sue Bergquist has completed her service as head of the Lector ministry at St. Tim-othy’s. Lectors are the people who read the first two lessons from Scripture at the Holy Eucharist. Merryn Grae has agreed to become the new Head Lector and will give training in this ministry. St. Timo-thy’s is blessed by many fine Lectors, and we desire to keep this tradition alive and well as an offering to God and this community.

As part of the transition process, the Lector Manual has been updated and a certificate will be given to all current and new Lectors in recognition of the signifi-cance of this ministry’s value to our common life. Notice of an upcoming training/refreshing session will be forthcoming, and the new manuals and certificates will be distributed at that time. A subsequent training will be scheduled for those who cannot attend.

If you are interested in more information about this ministry or about further train-ing, please contact Merryn Grae. And...thank you, Sue, for your excellent service!

mmmm “Day by Day we Magnify Thee” mmmmA series of resources for living out the

Classical Anglican practice of faith…

On the Spiritual Practice of Stewardship for Anglican Christians

Giving is an integral part of a faithful and joyful Christian life, just as the Offer-tory is an essential aspect of the Eucharistic Action. The question is not whether to give, but how much. For many, the standard of the Tithe—10 percent of one’s income—is the basis for giving. For others, whose income is far beyond what is necessary, a tithe may be only a beginning point. For some, who face

(Continued)

(Continued)

overwhelming demands to care for family or others, a tithe may be too much. Each of us must think realistically about finances, make provision for those who depend upon us, and use what God has given us wisely and as a reflection of our faith.

Bishop Jeremy Taylor wrote in the 1600s in The Rule and Exercises of Holy Liv-ing, “He that gains all that he can gain lawfully this year, possibly next year will be tempted to gain something unlawfully.” In the same way, if we give only what we think we can easily spare, we will have reason to give even less next year. Even if one contributes more substantially by check, electronic payments, or other meth-ods, placing something in the offering plate at the Eucharist makes a concrete and specific connection between each worshiper and what is offered at the altar. [Such special offerings are a good way to encourage a deeper sense of gratitude for blessings each week, or to give generosity towards sudden emergencies or new opportunities in the international/national/local ministry of the Church.]

A Christian rule of life will also take seriously the use of time. Paradoxically, time is con- stant—twenty-four hours in a day and seven day in the week—and yet seems to hang or disappear. A rule of life will ask us to consider and decide how we will spend the time that we are given. There is a venerable tradition of Sunday being treated as a different day, set aside for public worship, renewing ties of family and friendship, and enjoying rest and recreation. In the same way, feasts and fasts through the year will impinge on our schedule. Prayer can be integrated into the active rhythms of life, but it will likely be no more effective than our willingness to allow days and seasons to interrupt and shape our schedule and calendars.

To grow and flourish, we need to be able to spend time in exercise and rest, in study and work, with friends and family, and in solitude. The proportion that dif-ferent aspects of life require will change through the year and across the years. What does not change is our responsibility to use the life we are given wisely and with awareness that we are stewards of time and resources.

From St. Augustine’s Prayer Book: A Book of Devotions (Revised Edition, 2014)

Available at St. Timothy’s

(Continued)

Notes from the Vestry

The August Vestry meeting was held on August 23. A major topic of discussion was the Nursery staffing issue. Gail Coulson came to this meeting and reported that Rosa has resigned as the head nursery person and we are in the process of looking for a replace-ment. A group has been looking into this situation and has been of great help putting together the requirements and brainstorming possible sources. They are also considering a better sound system that would carry services to the nursery and the Narthex. This has been a suggestion for many years and Joel Henderson has been getting some estimates on the possibilities and costs associated with the system.

Other items that were discussed were the Pledge Drive centering around the theme “All we have is a gift from God” and the annual parish survey.

The Junior Warden, Chuck McFerron, reported that he plans on getting some water tests done on a couple of areas in our Church. He also reported that work on the shed expansion is coming along nicely (thanks especially to Shep Earl).

Father Brandon reported that his class on Anglican Ethos will begin on Septem-ber 19th.

Lastly, we met at Sandy Noble’s house on August 28th for a potluck and BBQ. Several commission coordinators were there to report the past year and the plans for the coming year. We are very appreciative of Sandy’s kindness in shar-ing her wonderful back yard and for Rick Wicox’s BBQ talents.

As always, we pray for the health of our Parish, its members, and the continued health of Father Brandon.

Peace and Blessings,Pat Eder

Christian Formation Commission

The Christian Formation Commission is comprised of the leaders of all the lay-led teaching ministries at St. Timothy’s. At present we have four programs: Godly Play, Church School, Adult Study, and Inquirers’ Class/Catechumenate. This year’s teachers are:

Godly Play: Pamela Filbert (coordinator), Elizabeth Gaupo, Gail CoulsonChurch School: Anne WhitneyAdult Study: Dale Cannon, Charlean Clemons, Donald TwistInquirers’/Catchumenate: Michael McFetridge, Jana McFerron, Ruth Speaker

This fall we have a new primary grades class with 5 first- and second-graders eligible. We are using the Episcopal Children’s Curriculum, supplemented by art and games and quizzes. It became apparent when we started planning the class that many of our materials for young chiildren dated from Sarah Whitney’s child-hood, so we have had fun updating our visuals and equipment. Enthusiasm and lively discussion will not be a problem with this group, and Anne and I are taking our vitamins.

—Mary McFetridgeFormation Commission Coordinator

Stewardship Season Timeline

The theme of this fall’s stewardship campaign is “All we have is a gift from God.” We will be hearing and reading different people’s reflections on our theme as the fall progresses.

The Commissions are busy developing their budgets for 2017 and making their requests to the Vestry.

Pledge materals will be mailed out in mid-October. Pledge Sunday is All Saints’ Sunday, Nov. 6; all pledges will be “ingathered” that day.

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSALEM, OR

PERMIT NO. 409

Return Service Requested

St. Timothy’s Episcopal ChurchPO Box 7416Salem, OR 97303

503-363-0601www.sainttimothys.org