From the Rector A Season of Renewal - St. Luke's ParishFrom the Rector — A Season of Renewal I...

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The Bellringer August 2019

The parish newsletter of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

From the Rector —

A Season of Renewal

I just wrote a sermon about the story of Martha and Mary, told in Luke 10:38-42. I think the central question in this passage is not whether it is better to be active or contemplative, whether the kingdom of God steps outside social expectations or obeys them, or whether Mary is accepting discipleship while Martha somehow refuses it. Those are all questions raised by the story,

true. But the central question is: What is God calling us to do now? What is God calling us to do now? We ask this question periodically as a community of faith, and as individual Christians. I see us asking it, finding answers, and living into them all the time. Soon we will celebrate baptisms, confirmations, receptions, and renewal of baptismal vows. “What is God calling us to do now?” asked some of our Christian companions—and the answer was, “Make a public statement of faith and proclaim that you are a member of this community.” We rejoice with them as they do this, and we are delighted that they are living into this answer. What is God calling us to do now? Our Outreach team is asking this question too. St. Luke’s is well-known for outreach. What shall we do in the coming year? Where are our hearts? What is the Holy Spirit leading us to do? How will we show the love of Christ to the Sequim community? Will we do the same things we have done, or new ones? We do not yet know, but the possibilities are exciting, and the opportunity for renewal is a precious gift. What is God calling us to do now? We are rejuvenating some of our liturgical ministries—altar guild, lectors, acolytes, Eucharist ministers and visitors. The liturgy team works with great diligence to make our worship beautiful, and new people doing new things is part of that. As some people tire and need rest, others feel called to enter a new area of service. This is a natural ebb and flow of life in the Church, and it is wonderful.

Continued on page 5

Featured in This Issue

From the Rector 1

July Calendar Link 2

Spotlight on Ministries 2

August Birthdays 3

Columbarium Information 3

Don Freeman Study Group 3

Spiritual Groups 3

Communication Team News 4

From the Rector (Con’t.) 5

Pancake Breakfast Photos 5

St. Luke’s Good Samaritans 6

Photo Club Pictures 7

From the Sr. Warden 8

Outreach News 9

Foyer Groups News 9

Cursillo News 10

Contact St. Luke’s 11

Ministries & Ministers 11

Mission Statement 11

Worship Schedule 11

http://www.stlukesparish.net/

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August 2019

PLEASE NOTE — St. Luke’s Calendar: The monthly calendar will no longer be included in the Bellringer since it is a duplication of the official calendar that is found online. St. Luke’s calendar may be found online at https://wp.me/PawdzV-Au. In addition to the monthly calendar, the schedule of services and events is being distributed weekly by email.

Spotlight on Ministries

The Bell Choir

Our Bell Choir year will kick off early on August 19th in the form of a Bell Camp! This should be a very fun event for both beginners and “old hands” at ringing. It is even a good time to try out if you have been itching to pick up a bell and ring it! Ringing is a great introduction to instrumental music, as the reading requirements are minimal (you are only responsible for a line and an adjoining space note), so it is easy to find your notes. Basic rhythm reading helps, but I will be also be working at that during the camp. The Bell Camp will run from Monday through Thursday, August 19-22, with a final rehearsal on Saturday, August 24th, before playing together at the 10:00 August 25th Sunday service. Beginners will meet from 10:00 until 11:15, which is cookie and beverage break time—and chocolate. You cannot have a bell session without chocolate! The ‘older pros’ will join us at 11:30 to ring together on the Sunday music before continuing at 12:15 to work on more complicated techniques such as weaving, four-in-hand, and shelly ringing. Do plan to come! This Camp is open to anyone—whether you attend St. Luke’s or not! Kids over the age of 10 are also welcome. After Labor Day, we will continue rehearsals on Tuesdays at 3:00 in the Sanctuary, and are planning on performing during services about every six weeks. This is a truly joyous and fun activity that adds so much to the worship experience! Come join us!

~Susan Kaiser

https://wp.me/PawdzV-Au

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August Birthdays

In August, we continue Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi, with Professor Amy-Jill Levine presenting the video sessions. Professor Levine analyses these “stories,” showing how the parables are not just about Jesus, but are also about us—and they still challenge and provoke us 2,000 years later. Beginning August 28th, ProFuture Faith: The Prodigal Species Comes Home, featuring Reverend Michael Dowd begins. This course bridges the gap between head and heart, science and faith. Further details are at our website and on the Parish Bulletin Board. July 31 The Pearl of Great Price August 7 The Mustard Seed August 14 The Laborers in the Vineyard August 21 The Widow and the Judge August 28 Un-Trivializing God—Reality as Thou The Don Freeman Study Group meets at 10:00 am Wednesdays in the Fireside Room. All are welcome—even if you can only drop by one week. Questions can be referred to Alan or Mary Jo Camagna by emailing them at: [email protected]

The Don Freeman Study Group

The Bellringer

Claire Alkire

Maggie Bourne-Raiswell

Glenndia Bridenbaugh

Patrick Francois

Debbie Golwas

JoAnn Haick

Barbara Heckard

Jayne Johnson

Nick Lester

Mark Meythaler

Kyle Morton

Bill Newblom

Dave Otis

Janet Popelka

Candace Pratt

Florence Rhoads

Ann Salmon

Kara Selby

JoAnn Thompson

Roger Uhden

Mark Wegehaupt

Margie Whitmore

Gloria Wynne-Yanagihara

. . . Strengthen their trust in Your goodness all the

days of their lives. . .

Spiritual Groups of St. Luke’s Parish

Professor Amy-Jill Levine

Columbarium brochures are available on the Parish

Information Shelf beside the east door to the Parish Hall

and in the Church Office.

Community of Francis and Clare Br. Joe Nuber [email protected]

Cursillo Claire Alkire [email protected]

Daughters of the King Suzi Schmidt [email protected]

Little Sisters of St. Clare Sr. Karen Anne Williamson [email protected]

Men's Spirituality George Alkire [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]





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Articles for the Bellringer must be submitted by the 20th of each month for the next month’s edition. Please email your articles and information to Karen Sorrick at: [email protected]

August 2019

Communications Team News

Coming Soon to a Computer, Mobile Phone or Tablet Near You!!

St. Luke’s Communications Team, along with the approval of the Rector and the Vestry, are introducing a Church Directory that is available online. You can also utilize it on other mobile devices such as your smartphone and iPad or other tablets. We are currently working behind the scenes to make it as complete as we can before it is rolled out to everyone. There will be many advantages to having our Directory online: Every member will have access via their own log-in and password and will be able to make changes to

their profile. If you move or change your phone number, you can update it online and when someone needs to look

up your new information, it will be easily accessible. No more stickers that you must put into the old printed directory. New members can be added quickly. You will be able to change your picture anytime you would like, and we encourage you to share a

favorite picture of yourself and your family. Member birthdays will be available (if the member decides to share it). You will have control over how much information you would like to share. If you do not have access to the internet or a smartphone, the office administrators will make any

changes needed for you, and the church will continue to make printed copies available to those members.

This is one way that we can move “Forward Together.” More information will be coming soon!

~Donna Atwood

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The Bellringer

July Men’s Club Breakfast

Rob Onnen and Jerry Oden

Seated: Mtr. ClayOla, Naomi Hutchison, Ruth Otis, Kristin Huson (Otis’ daughter), and Candace Pratt Standing: Dave Otis and Susan Kaiser

Jack Fintel with Ralph and Mary Frye

Please note that due to the festivities on Confirmation Sunday, August 4th and a single 10:00 service, the monthly Men’s

Club Breakfast is cancelled—it will resume on the first Sunday in September!

What is God calling us to do now? The youth of the Diocese are asking this question as they go on pilgrimage, walking the Olympic Trail and doing activities around care for God’s creation. The Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori is hiking with them, helping them form the questions and seek the answers. We will host them on one night of the pilgrimage, and are arranging activities for August 6th. It has been said that our youth are a prophetic voice to the Church. Where will their answers lead us, their elders? How will we help them live into what they learn? What is God calling us to do now? One thing about God, you just never know where he will lead you next. But wherever it is, it will be wonderful. May you be renewed in spirit, in faith, in vocation.

~Mtr. ClayOla

From the Rector — continued from Page 1

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August 2019

Good Samaritans

St. Luke’s parishioners Dick Neal and Sue Cram demonstrate the true meaning of going out to serve the Lord! The following is an un-edited article from the July 10, 2019 edition of the Sequim Gazette: Good Samaritans Save Man from Drowning on Fourth By Conor Dowley, Sequim Gazette “Several Sequim residents came together on the Fourth of July to save someone in distress, pulling a drowning man out of the water in Dungeness Bay and racing him to awaiting medics at John Wayne Marina, saving his life in the process. “John Robert Labbe said he was out crabbing with his family for the holiday when his group heard a call for help from a smaller nearby vessel. A fisherman with more than 20 years of experience, Labbe said, “The first thing I saw was a large man hanging off the side of this boat.” Labbe said at first he thought the man fell out of the boat, but upon making contact he was told by that vessel’s occupants—Sue Cram and Dick Neil—that they had found him floating face-down in the water without a life jacket. The couple said they couldn’t get him into Neil’s (sp) boat, but could only manage to keep him where he was, where he could at least breathe. “I had been getting our second crab pot of the day ready when Sue heard someone calling for help,” Neil said. “And when I started listening I heard a clear, ‘Help me, help me, help me.’” “It took Neil and Cram several minutes to find the man, who was holding onto a floating seat cushion. Neil maneuvered his small boat carefully to safety approach the man, but said his engine’s propeller got fouled in a line drifting up from what eventually turned out to be the man’s capsized and sunken boat. Cram said she was able to reach out a boat hook to the man while they were approaching, who abandoned his floating cushion to try and swim to them. “His face went under the water several times and he wasn’t swimming well,” Neil said. “I thought we were going to lose him.” The man was able to reach the boat and wrap his arms around a downrigger mount on the side, but it quickly became clear that he was too heavy to get him into their boat on their own. “As soon as Labbe arrived and positioned his boat, his father-in-law and friend jumped over to Neil’s vessel to help haul the man, later was identified only as “Ki,” into their boat. Neils’ propeller was still caught in the line and slower than Labbe’s, so using his to get Ki to safety was the only choice. Labbe contacted the Coast Guard via radio and headed to John Wayne Marina, saying he “had to have been pushing 40 miles per hour” to get the man to med-ics waiting for him at the dock. “We were scared he wasn’t going to make it,” Labbe said. “He was unresponsive and so hypothermic. . .his face and arms and legs were blue, and the only warmth he had left was a little bit in his chest and back.: “Labbe said that his father-in-law started gathering every jacket on the boat to try and keep Ki warm, includ-ing jackets provided by Neil and Cram. That effort, they surmised, helped save Ki’s life; he was starting to become more responsive as he was being loaded into the waiting ambulance at the marina, they said. “The medics said if we’d been even 10 minutes slower, he probably would not have survived,” Labbe said. “Dan Orr, assistant chief with Fire District 3, estimated the man had been in the water for about 45 minutes. Labbe and his family returned to the area where they’d found Ki to check on Cram and Neil. The couple freed them-selves from the tangled line and had resumed their own crabbing—and in the process found Ki’s sunken boat. Labbe described it as a “8-or1—foot aluminum dinghy” with short side walls—not a well-suited boat for those waters, he said. Labbe and Neil both theorized that Ki accidentally capsized the dinghy while leaning over the side to retrieve a crab pot. Ki was treated at Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles and released several hours later. Coincidentally, Labbe’s sister, Christy, is a nurse at OMC and was on duty in the ER when Ki was brought in, and confirmed to her brother that he had survived and was released to someone who came to pick him up. “On our way out there, we had been thinking about turning around and heading back to Sequim Bay with how rough the winds were on our way out,” Neil said. “I am so glad we didn’t.”

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July Photo Club visit to Nelson’s Duck Pond

The Bellringer

St Luke’s Photo Club meets the 1st Saturday of each month in the parish hall… everyone is welcome. Contact

Lawrence Culbertson or Sherry Niermann for more information.

Beautiful photos taken by members Diane Moore, Jayne Johnson, Sherry Niermann, Gail Melvin, and Dianne Onnen. Also attending this fun adventure but not pictured were Laura DuBois, Diane Grove, and Donna Atwood.

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August 2019

From the Sr. Warden

On my trip last month, I visited London and a few other places in the United Kingdom. One thing that has struck me in many of my travels over the years is that people always create sacred space. There seems to be an innate desire in humans to be close to the holy. The above pictures are just two examples. It does not matter what religion or culture—we find ways to remind ourselves of the spiritual world around us. I was in awe Stonehenge was started over 5,000 years ago. While the exact purpose of the stones is not known, it is known that the area had been used as a place for burial and that some of the stones are aligned for the Summer and Winter Solstices—demonstrating that people were trying to connect with that which they do not fully comprehend. In one of the museums I visited they displayed several high crosses like the one above. I have seen these before, especially in Ireland. Once again, early Christians created places to remind them of the holy. Is this not why we come together in our church building regularly? Are we not trying to keep an awareness of God’s presence in our lives? We use music and art, vestments and banners—all to help create a sacred space—a place where we can feel closer to God and to each other. Of course, we believe that God is always present to us. But we are human and often need reminders. Sometimes it is in a beautiful cathedral, sometimes in a little stone chapel, or perhaps out in the forest; anyone who has climbed mountains understands why the ancients thought that God lived there. So what is my point? I believe that places where people have worshipped for many years do have an aura of the holiness about them. But in actuality, it is any place that helps us to become more aware of the presence of God. It could be ancient stones, or beautifully-carved crosses, or gothic cathedrals—or it could be a quiet place in your home. The point is to find that place within yourself where God is and to be aware of God’s presence.

~Br. Joe Nuber

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The Bellringer

Outreach News

Be a Part of the Outreach Re-start!

On Thursday, August 15th, at 9:00 am in the St. Luke’s Chapel, your Outreach Team will convene to explore our past and current activities and dreams for the future. We will look specifically at the Mission of Outreach at St. Luke’s and will explore the places where God may be calling us. All input is welcome! Bring your ideas and your passions and join Mother ClayOla, Deacon Diane, and the members of the Outreach Team on August 15, 2019!

~Sherry Niermann

Foyer Group

The Foyer Groups at St. Luke’s are up and running! There are currently six groups of about seven people that are participating. The groups are informal gatherings around a meal and are scheduled and planned by the designated group member that is next in rotation. The Gatherings are a great and fun way to meet and get to know members of our church. If you are interested in learning more about Foyer Groups or joining, please contact me and I will provide you with information and details at [email protected]; 360-683-2594—I will get back to you promptly! Here are some pictures from recent Foyer Gatherings:

Tye Long, Candace Pratt, John and Karen Junell, and Mark

Meythaler (Sherry Meythaler is the photographer!)

A scrumptious-looking dessert from the

Meythaler-hosted Foyer Group dinner.

Clay Sorrick, George Alkire, Jack Fintel, Britt-Nicole Peterson,

and Clair Alkire (Karen Sorrick taking picture)

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August 2019

Cursillo News

Prayer and Share offered by Come and See. . . Go and Tell/Cursillo

WHAT : Fellowship, music, reflecting on our baptismal covenant, sharing, and enjoying a light lunch. WHO: All! Whether already experienced with Cursillo or curious to learn—all are welcome to attend. WHEN: Saturday, August 24, from 10:00 am—1:30 pm WHERE: St. Luke’s Parish Hall WHY: As God’s community, the Body of Christ, we are to meet together, encourage one another, nourish our souls and minds and bodies in fellowship. For experienced Cursillistas, this is an opportunity to refill your “Joy Bucket.” For those curious, it can be a taste of Come and See. . . Go and Tell/Cursillo, a faith formation ministry. More information is available from Claire Alkire at [email protected].

~Claire Alkire

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The Bellringer

8:00 am

10:00 am

Our Mission

St. Luke’s Parish is an inclusive Christian community dedicated to

spiritual growth, healing, and compassion through our worship,

hospitality, and ministry to the larger community.

Ministries and Ministers of St. Luke’s Parish

CONTACT INFORMATION

Rev. ClayOla Gitane, Rector

[email protected]

360.683.4862 (Church Office)

817.637.0846 (Mtr. ClayOla’s cell)

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 896

Sequim, WA 98382

Rector Rev. ClayOla Gitane [email protected]

Assisting Clergy Rev. Maggie Bourne-Raiswell [email protected]

Assisting Clergy Rev. Sue Thompson [email protected]

Deacon Rev. Diane Moore [email protected]

Parish Council Rob Onnen [email protected]

Secretary Donna Stinson [email protected]

Bookkeeper Judy Mosset [email protected]

Treasurer Jerry Oden [email protected]

Vestry (Sr. Warden) Br. Joe Nuber [email protected]

Vestry Donna Atwood [email protected]

Vestry Melodie Cannon [email protected]

Vestry Sue Clary [email protected]

Vestry Steve Cole [email protected]

Vestry Sue Cram [email protected]

Vestry (Jr. Warden) Dick Neal [email protected]

Vestry Pat Oden [email protected]

Vestry (Jr. Warden) Jim Reker [email protected]

Vestry Clerk Karen Sorrick [email protected]

Altar Guild Karen Junell [email protected]

Altar Servers Sherry Niermann [email protected]

Bazaar Workshop Roberta Griset [email protected]

Caregiver Support Group Sherry Niermann [email protected]

Caregiver Support Group Janet Popelka [email protected]

Centering Prayer Judity Parker [email protected]

Columbarium Barbara Kient-Alford [email protected]

Don Freeman Study Group Mary Jo Camagna [email protected]

Eucharistic Ministers Linda Dow [email protected]

Flower Ministry Stacie Koochek [email protected]

Foyer Groups Harry Alford [email protected]

Grief Spiritual Support Janet Popelka [email protected]

Grief Spiritual Support Rev. Sue Thompson [email protected]

Hospitality Stacie Koochek [email protected]

Men's Club Roger Uhden [email protected]

Memorial Receptions Sue Clary [email protected]

Music (Choir) Susan Kaiser [email protected]

Music (Pianist) Heidi Fivash

Music Live Sammy Greenwood [email protected]

Outreach Diane Moore [email protected]

Prayer Quilts Virginia Reker [email protected]

Soup's On Steve Penning [email protected]

Soup's On Barbara Heckard [email protected]

Taizé Trish Noa [email protected]

Ushers (8:00 am) Debbie Golwas [email protected]

Ushers (10:00 am) Virginia Reker [email protected]

Wire Choir Art Moore [email protected]










































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