From Father Don’s Den

March 2016

April 2017

Amy Boeck Administrative Assistant (937) 653-3497 nmvec@ctcn.net

Sally Johnson Chronicle Editor

(937) 653-3801 sljohn@ctcn.net

The bottom line of Easter is the Resurrection of Jesus

Christ, and this Resurrection has four critical and related

benchmarks. If we understand these, we begin to under-

stand the Resurrection.

1. Christ died for our sins.

2. He was buried.

3. He was raised on the third day.

4. He appeared.

I would like to share a story of a chaplain. He tragically lost an

adult son, an Army officer. While visiting with his wife at the grave

of their son, they saw a woman kneeling before two grave stones,

praying aloud, almost like a conversation. Every time the bereaved

couple visited the cemetery, this same woman was there.

The chaplain approached her, introduced his wife and himself and said, “I don’t want to intrude, but I have

noticed that you have been here every time we have visited.”

She said, “Oh, I know who you are. I read about your loss in the newspaper. I come here all the time. You

see, my husband and son are buried here. I spend time with the Lord, and, in a sense, with them, too.

“I don’t want to ever forget them or for them to forget me. I know they are with the Lord. I read in the Bi-

ble in First Corinthians, that ‘…as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But, each in his own

turn: Christ the first fruits, then when He comes, those who belong to Him’. Doesn’t it say that? And, I believe

that to be true. When I see them, my Lord, my husband and my son, we sure won’t be strangers.”

As they walked away, the chaplain’s wife said to him, “I’m sorry, Honey, but that’s the best sermon I ever

heard.” The chaplain suggested that perhaps the opposite of joy is not sorrow, but unbelief.

This woman’s belief was real and joyful. How she believed! The bottom line of Easter is the Resurrection

and the bottom line of our response is belief. In the end, our hope is centered on this living, resurrected Lord.

Con’t on page 2

Father Don Duford Home phone 937-738-2216 Cell phone 248-227-9725

frduford@yahoo.com

2

Father Don’s Den Con’t from page 1

“Christ died for our sins---was bur-

ied---raised on the third day---appeared

to the disciples and others---and also to

me.” May he appear by faith to each of

us as well, this Easter Morn. Amen.

I pray that all will receive the fruits

of Holy Week by participation in the

services. I hope all will be with family

during the Easter season and enjoy the

love of those we love. Please pray for

me as we celebrate the Institution of

Priesthood on Maundy Thursday. May

God’s blessings be with you and your

loved ones.

Peace, Blessings

and Love in Christ,

Easter flower memorials

Palm Sunday services will continue in each parish as in previous years at the regular 9:15 and 11 a.m. wor-

ship hours. The Mechanicsburg United Methodist Church will join Cluster parishes for a Maundy Thursday

observance at 5:30 p.m. at Our Saviour, April 13. A light, agape meal will follow.

The schedule for Good Friday, April 14, includes a service at 12 noon at Our Saviour and another at 5:30

p.m. at Epiphany. The plate collections that day will be sent to the Diocese of Southern Ohio to be forwarded

to four Episcopal dioceses in the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.

On Easter Sunday the Cluster will observe the regular service schedule with the traditional egg hunt after

worship at Our Saviour.

A new service, “Healing of Memories,” will be offered at Epiphany April 4 at 5:30 p.m. Fr. Don explains

that this is “a powerful prayer service which takes one from birth to where they are now, unifies one with God

and enhances spiritual life.”

Combined service April 30

Our Saviour is reviving the plan to have a combined service on the fifth Sunday of any month. Conse-

quently, April 30 the parishes will worship together at 10 a.m. at Our Saviour, followed by a scrumptious pot-

luck lunch---chicken entrée provided. Then we’ll all pitch in to continue the filling of backpacks with personal

and gift items for youngsters entering foster care in Champaign and Logan counties. It’s inconceivable that a

child should be wrenched from home and family empty hearted and empty handed! A cash donation can help,

too. Thanks in advance for sharing in this compassionate venture.

Ed Hardin, Epiphany altar flower

coordinator, requests that Easter

flower contributors make donations

and submit memorials and thanks

for special blessings for the Easter

pew bulletin by Sunday, April 9.

Donor forms are available at the

back of the church and in pews.

Those who worship at Epiphany have been inspired by the

handwork of former members Janet Cartwright and Ruth Brown,

who designed and sewed the altar and lectern cloths in use during

Lent. Dorothy Headlee remembers the project well. “Janet and

Ruth brought their sewing machines and worked in the nursery,”

she said. “When the cloths were completed, there was an article

about them in the Diocesan newspaper.” The hangings were only

used for a short time as the fabric triggered allergic reactions in

clergy. The Altar Guild recently rediscovered them and the su-

perb handwork of Ruth and Janet enhances worship once again.

Thank you Janet and Ruth

Holy Week, Easter and other services

Wednesday, April 12, Melvin Miller Park will rival an impres-

sionist painting with masses of colorful figures dotting the hillside

greens, scooping up bright plastic eggs. The annual Urbana Pediat-

rics/Epiphany Egg Hunt will be launched that day at 5 p.m. at

Miller Park. Clients of Jobs and Family Services have also been

invited so lots of volunteers are needed. Ed Hardin, Heather An-

gus, Ruth Vance and a lot of other good eggs have put this together

so let them know if you’re available to help.

Prefacing the Egg Hunt was the Egg Stuff. Experienced hands

assembled bag after bag of candy-loaded plastic eggs with assem-

bly-line efficiency during a couple of after-service coffee hours...

“and work became play for heaven and the future’s sake”.

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Scrambling for eggs

An officer and a gentleman This spring, after four years of well-earned academic hon-

ors, Andrew Fansler of Epiphany will receive his diploma from

Urbana High School. This fall he will begin classes at The Ohio

State University and, the day that he receives that degree, he will

also be commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force.

Andrew has qualified for a scholarship of $18,000 annually

for the full four years from the OSU Air Force Reserve Officer

Training Corps (ROTC). This covers OSU’s excellent academic

curriculum and preparation as an officer in the military.

After graduation Andrew will serve from six to ten years in

the Air Force with opportunity to advance in rank and responsi-

bility. Andrew as a serious Christian disciple, a young man of

integrity and faith, and we will send him on his way with great

confidence and affection. Andrew Fansler

Paddy and O.J. at work. Katie pitches in. Carol and Jesse team up.

Ryan Brugh and his staff from Brugh Auto and Tire Company in Urbana demonstrated their skill in food

preparation and serving for Epiphany’s March Community Meal. Ryan has been part of the firm’s manage-

ment for many years and he and his wife, Courtney, recently purchased the business from Chuck and Andrea

Sweeting, life-long members of Epiphany.

Ryan, Courtney, daughter Madison, and two of the Brugh associates cooked sausages and pancakes and

served them with applesauce, cookies and brownies, coffee and a cold beverage for March meal guests. Madi-

son, oldest of the Brugh’s five children, will be a freshman at The Ohio State University this fall majoring in

art. Fr. Don also assisted at the buffet table, serving desserts.

On-site manager Paddy Barr’s duty roster included volunteers Sharon Applegate, Ed Hardin, Sally Johnson

and Angela Murray. Andrew Fansler also stopped by to lend a hand and Veda Jackson, February volunteer,

teamed up with Paddy and Courtney Brugh to make pancakes. The March meal was funded by Williams

Hardware of Urbana, another longtime family business. Williams’ associates Kathy and Keith Bowden attend

Our Saviour.

The March meal at Our Saviour was again served by the Yada Yada Ladies of the Mechanicsburg Chris-

tian Fellowship. Their creed of “sharing love, showing mercy, acting justly, understanding the needs of those

around us and taking care of them,” continues to be a balm to hearts and homes.

Brugh associates do it all

4

Clockwise from top left: Court-

ney Brugh shares the griddle

work with Paddy Barr and Veda

Jackson; Fr. Don, Sharon

Applegate, and Brugh associ-

ates staff the buffet; Pancake

batter briskly whisked by Ed

Hardin; Ryan Brugh heads the

sausage detail.

5

The stirring melodies of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! reverberated over eastern

Champaign County from three sold-out performances at Mechanicsburg High School in late

March. Among the cast of this impressive production were Our Saviour’s Sophie and Will

Boeck, Leo Compton and Grace Rozmus, whose youthful beauty and joie de vivre injected

fresh spirit into the old favorite.

Theater is another vehicle of Truth----human nature put before us in exaggerated vignettes.

Actors become someone else, speaking their thoughts with their words, living their heritage

and humanness. As Somerset Maugham wrote, “you stand in their shoes and feel with their

hearts”. Having done that, you may never see things quite the same again.

Our Saviour’s Sophie and Will Boeck (left) and Leo Compton and Grace

Rozmus, costumed and in character for their roles in Oklahoma!

These days one can carry home $50 worth of groceries in one bag. And, five percent of the substantial total

we invest in food and supplies can find its way back to Epiphany as a dividend from Kroger. But, not unless

we’re enrolled in the Kroger Community Rewards Program.

April is enrollment month. Even if you are now a current mem-

ber, you’ll need to re-enroll to continue the profit-sharing. To re-

new or enroll online, go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com

and follow the directions. Use the Columbus, Ohio, link. You

will be asked for the church’s organization number. It is 81119.

If you don’t have a computer or could use some help, Shary

Stadler will be happy to assist.

April is enrollment month

Oh, what a beautiful evening!

A meeting of musicians

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Pianist John Mortensen displayed his mastery of the classics and his talent

for improvisation during the second of the Champaign County Arts Coun-

cil’s Sunday Series March 19. His audience included Arts Council members

Rudy and Helen Morris and Sally Johnson of Epiphany. A former organist

for Epiphany and other churches, Helen began piano studies as a young girl.

After Mortensen performed a difficult piece by Rachmaninoff, Helen con-

fided that she had prepared that same selection for a music contest when she

was fourteen years old! The final concert of the Arts Council series will fea-

ture the Wittenberg Woodwind Quintet April 23.

Pianist John Mortensen met Helen and Rudy Morris after the concert.

Welcome Benjamin Benjamin Barkley Kremer arrived February 5 to gladden the

hearts of his parents, Joe and Maggie Kremer, Grandparents Bill and

Diane Kremer, Great-Grandmother Gladys Spencer, Uncle Tom

Kremer and Great-Uncle John Spencer as well as Cluster friends who

share their joy as well as Cluster friends who share their joy in the

greatest of God’s gifts.

Benjamin, born in San Diego, weighed in at a hefty eight pounds,

thirteen ounces, 22 inches long. It’s the first grandchild for Bill and

Diane, first great-grand for Gladys and number one nephew for Tom

and John. Bill, Diane and John made a quick trip to the West Coast in

March and returned with glowing accounts of the cherished newborn

and renewed memories of “what a lot of work babies are”! We re-

joice that Benjamin is happy and healthy and nurtured with love.

Bible study update

Cindy Heffner has a cur-

riculum update for her Mon-

day night Bible Study. The

Letters of John were begun

April 3. Starting June 5,

Revelations will be the sub-

ject of investigation, con-

tinuing until December.

This will conclude the

New Testament and the

group will then decide the

content of the next course of

study. We are so grateful

for Cindy and her ongoing

ministry which deepens our

understanding of and com-

mitment to the Christian

faith.

Benjamin Barkley Kremer

In praise of poets

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April is poetry month. Few will remember that once schools had recitation days and students of every age

performed memorized verses; from Robert Louis Stevenson’s childhood memories to such epic ballads as

Longfellow’s Song of Hiawatha and Tennyson’s heroic Charge of the Light Brigade.

Episcopal Churchman Phillips Brooks prayed that God might “grant us each day a new vision of His truth.”

Poetry can do that. All fine arts seek Truth---poetry by the sights and sounds and shapes of words---symbols

for thought and meaning---arranged in space and silence. Poetry links generations, centuries and civilizations;

connects “us” and “them”. Poems by published poet Amy Jo Schoonover invite us to see Truth in ways we

may not have heretofore considered.

More Than She Could Chew

When Eve took that bite of apple

a piece of earth was marred

forever, and disappeared under

clouds or water or icecap. To balance,

a valley of the moon trembled and

died, the stars’ harmony

went off-key, the sun moved

in its orbit and turned part

of Paradise into desert. Yet

the serpent was just as surprised

as she, expecting meteor showers

instead of the fiery sword, and

new layers of Hell for new

recruits. Somehow the link

from heaven to earth to eternal

desolations ran a different path

than the fall of angels.

Having created humankind

for a dearer though humbler

service, God did not discard this

flawed creature, but devised

new ways to begin the process

upward or forward to understanding

of the perfect circularity

of seasons and promises and love.

An apple was a cheap price

to pay for that mouthful.

Kingdom Come

Push the swing higher yet

and feel the fervent rush of air

that must be what angels know

as they tumble to duty.

When we are seven years old

we know little of angels

but have a whole world

wide-smiling beneath our knees

on the swing’s backstroke.

Fear is a fragmentary thrill

in the pit of the stomach

fully overlaid with joy

in elementary possession

of the future we can see

before the earth comes close again.

To God on High

He came to earth by sacred plan

and lived a life most lowly.

If we but love our fellow man

we tread his pathway holy.

We praise Him best in charity

to those whose pressing need we see

who trust in mercy solely.

If life is but a span of days

and withers as a flower,

all we possess is but a phase

in God’s eternal hour.

While here we live, we ought to do

all deeds of mercy pure and true

and question not God’s power.

April 2 Regular service schedule

April 3 Bible Study, Cindy Heffner’s, 7 p.m.

April 4 Healing of Memories Prayer Service, Epiphany, 5:30 p.m.

April 9 Palm Sunday, regular service schedule

April 10 Vestry Meeting, Our Saviour, 5:30 p.m.

April 12 Urbana Pediatrics/Epiphany Egg Hunt, Melvin Miller Park, 5 p.m.

April 13 Maundy Thursday Service and Agape Meal, Our Saviour, 5:30 p.m.

April 14 Good Friday Services: Our Saviour, 12 noon; Epiphany, 5:30 p.m.

April 16 Easter Sunday, regular service schedule

April 17 Bible Study, Cindy Heffner’s, 7 p.m.

April 18 Community Meal, Epiphany, 5-6:30 p.m.

April 23 Regular service schedule

Epiphany Vestry Meeting following worship

April 24 Cluster Council Meeting, Epiphany, 5:30 p.m.

April 26 Community Meal, Our Saviour, 6 p.m.

April 30 Cluster Service, Our Saviour, 10 a.m., potluck lunch

Sunday Worship Services: Our Saviour, 9:15 a.m., Epiphany, 11 a.m.

Mark your calendars for April

THE CHRONICLE

A publication of the Northern Miami Valley Episcopal Cluster

230 Scioto St.

Urbana, OH 43078

1333 N. Main St.

Urbana, Ohio 43078

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