Perspective July 2007 - Church of Our Saviour, Mill Valley Jul07...and a stranger. It may be through...

Church of Our Saviour, Mill Valley, CA

With Such a Cloud of Confirmands By Mother Este

Congratulations to the Confirmation Class:

• Michael Brophy

• Star Huson

• Rachel Lang

• Eleanor Coleman

• Charlotte Thomas

• Kate Gaumond

• Jenelle Mathews

• Sarah Higgins

• Avery Maverick

• Sammy Pearson

• Campbell von Eschen

• Gemma Yob

• Elijah Goldberg

Inside this issue:

Shoes Off, Spirits On 2 News You Can Use 5

Education for Ministry 6

Who’s in the Pews? 7

Summer Outreach 8

Lay Schedule 9

July Calendar 10

July 2007 Volume XLV, Issue 7

PERSPECTIVE

June 9 and 10 were great days for this church! We had thirteen exuberant candidates confirmed at Grace Cathedral on Saturday June 9th and they did us proud. The evening party was delightful, and Confirmation Sunday was a great success. The youth showed tremendous creativity in writing a rap Collect for the day (accompanied by our wonderful guest, African drummer Michael Cobina) and a splendidly written group sermon by Charlotte Tho-mas, Elijah Goldberg Kate Gau-mond and Sarah Higgins. The prayers of the people, read by Rachel Lang and Star Huson, and the closing blessing were also written by the youth. All the mu-sic was chosen by them as well. We also used the brilliant altar cloth that was the first thing they created together at the Bishop’s Ranch retreat last Octo-ber. I was really proud of all of them.

To give you a flavor of the as-tounding youth-led service, here is Charlotte Thomas’ rap Collect for the day, Elijah Goldberg’s portion of the sermon, and the final blessing written by Jenelle Mathews:

Collect for the Day:

G.O.D. is the only one for me In my mind he looks like Mu-

hammed Ali He sent his boy out to preach

his word And with him JC brought his

loving heard

Who woulda thought that the little J-man

Could make up his own dedi-cated clan?

But he did more than fulfill some wishes,

More than just loaves and little fishes,

When he saw that the people were trippin’ down

He raised them, kissed them off the ground.

A godly heart, with the purest soul,

But there for the people was my bro. He died to save us from the flames of Hell,

(Continued on page 4)

When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to him, Jesus said in a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it with-ered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.” As he said this, he called out, “Let any-one with ears to hear listen!”

Luke 8:4-8

On a warm, muggy day late this spring in Nagoya, Japan, I took off my shoes to enter a gymnasium. Piled high on a table near the door were copies of the new hymnal of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, the Anglican/Episcopal Church of Japan, as well as Bibles – gifts for the new students at a small college that trains child-care professionals.

I had traveled to Nagoya to visit my good friends Shintaro and Shoko and their two-month-old, Mugiho. Shin-taro and I studied together in semi-nary, and he now serves as priest in the Diocese of Chubu, teaches at the college across the street from St. Mark’s Cathedral, and serves as chaplain.

Each Wednesday, he leads a Chris-tian prayer service for a students and the faculty. Few are regular church-goers. Most aren’t even Christian. So Shintaro wrestles with the challenges of teaching required

classes on religion that few are in-terested in, and praying in a way that must seem strange to a few hundred students, most in their early adulthood, steeped in all that is contemporary Japan: post-modern, highly mobile, saturated with iPods, cell phones, commerce, consumerism, and a high cost of liv-ing.

Shintaro had asked me to play pi-ano, as a guest musician, for the two worship services he was lead-ing. Regularly juggling the guitar, giving a brief homily, and leading prayers makes him chuckle about it being the “Shintaro” show. That’s church life for much of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, which is deeply stretched for human resources. So I was happy to play, and I sat at the piano and watched the growing crowd of chatting, young adult exu-berance come in and sit on the hard wood of the gym floor. Behind the laughter and whispering back and forth I could sense the curiosity of the newness of the experience for some of them. What were they ex-pecting of this chaplain wearing the funny collar, and the gaijin at the piano?

Shintaro turned on the microphone and asked them to take out their hymnals, and we began to teach them “Bless the Lord, my soul,” a Taizé chant translated into Japa-nese. They caught on quickly, and as we began to pray and sing to-gether, a wondrous hush filled the room, a palpable sense of the Spirit


Shoes Off, Spirits On

July 2007

Father Richard

“Scatter seeds this summer with a

friend, a neighbor, and a stranger. It

may be through quiet witness, an

invitation to worship, a

reflection about the life we share in

this community.”

where they would, much like the parable in the gospels. I could see and was blessed to share for a few hours in the joy he found in this un-usual ministry on the edge, where the Gospel meets fresh ears. Where hearts un-jaded by years in the in-stitutional church puzzle over, won-der at, and wrestle with the Spirit, the root of all wisdom, appearing in their midst in a new way.

Scatter seeds this summer with a friend, a neighbor, and a stranger. It may be through quiet witness, an invitation to worship, a reflection about the life we share in this com-munity. Scatter unabashedly and wait to see what germinates.

God’s peace, and may all your jour-neys this summer be blessed,

rushing in and drawing together a disparate people from many differ-ent paths of life, different faith tra-ditions or no faith tradition at all, focused together on this strange God in their midst and the words of Christ borne to their country over millennia, oceans, and even the blood of martyrs.

It was, quite simply, wonderful. It was the perfect witness to the question so many of us in the indus-trialized world wrestle with today about how to reach out to the unchurched, “spiritual but not reli-gious” crowd. Shintaro dumbed nothing down, and cut no corners. He reached right into the tradition of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, led prayers right out of their Prayer Book and spoke to them out of his own authentic experience. He was planting seeds and letting them fall

(Continued from page 2)

More Confirmation Day Photos!

The Rector’s Reflection

July 2007

Deacon Betsy was deacon for the day!

Avery Graham

Michelle Walker with her Mentees, Martha (05) & Sarah Higgins (07).

My mom doesn’t like that word, but, oh well!

He’s here for you, not to repri-mand or scold,

He’s no mean brother, no, not cold.

And in church if you open your heart to my Lord,

You will find that you will not be bored.

So, go ahead, lift your hands and pray,

‘Cause Jesus is here today! Peace out. Amen

—Charlotte Thomas

The following is Elijah Goldberg’s portion of the sermon, which was based on both the Old Testament reading and the Gospel, both of which told the story of a widow’s son raised from the dead by a miracle.

Two of these readings are centered on miracles, one by Jesus, and two by the Prophet Elijah. So too, has this confirmation journey been like conglomeration of little miracles, just on a slightly smaller scale. It started with the miraculous achievement of being able to sched-ule an evening every month despite our busy schedules and conflicting commitments. It grew with our suc-cessful cooking endeavors. I mean really, if a zero food poisoning rate from a meal cooked by thirteen teenagers does not qualify as a God given miracle, you'd be hard pressed to find something in this day and age that would. The fact

(Continued from page 1) we managed to hold on to nearly our entire class through two years, and all be properly prepared for our confirmation, should definitely qualify. And of course, the teach-ers, clergy, and mentors who we were so blessed to have had. All right, so maybe the small miracles of these last two years of our Con-firmation journey are not quite on par with those performed by Jesus and Elijah, but still, without them we could never have gotten this far.

Final Blessing:

May God bring rhythm to our spirits And happiness to our souls. May we bring joy, with an upbeat and unique perspective To all those we encounter, Now and forever. In the name of God the Mother, God the Savior and God the Pure Spirit. Amen.

Written by Jenelle Mathews

“Therefore, since we are sur-rounded by such a cloud of wit-nesses…let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us…” Hebrews 12:1

Amen!

Peace, Este+

Confirmation

July 2007

Peggy Dunn, former member of our parish, has moved to a rehab center in Petaluma. She would enjoy a note or call from some of her old friends. She may be reached at: Petaluma Care and Rehabilitation, 1115 B Street, Petaluma, CA 94952.Telephone 707.765.3030.

And speaking of long-lost friends, the Satterfields have been heard from! Janis, John and the kids are living in Wayne, PA. John has gotten out of the TV business and is a fi-nancial consultant. They’d love to hear from friends at COS and can be reached at [email protected], or you can drop them a note at 458 Upper Gulph Rd., Wayne, PA 19087.

Another big thank you to everyone who walked in or supported the Marin Hunger Walk. The final num-bers are in and the walk raised $19,711! 25% of that money will stay in Marin and be divided be-tween St. Vincent’s Dining Hall and the Marin Community Bank. That’s almost $5000 for those two great operations.

Even though the Godly Play rooms are resting this summer, we are still at work behind the scenes...writing new stories, planning schedules, and getting ready to wonder to-gether. We'll see you on Sunday, September 16th when we kick off a

new start to Sunday School.

There will be a workshop for Godly Play teachers at St. John's, Ross, as part of a denaery wide enrichment event. Please mark your calendars for Saturday, August 25th. Details will follow!

Sally and Ann

During the summer of 2007, we are welcoming the Macrina Community, a spiritual community for and by those outside of the institutional church. They will be gathering at Church of Our Saviour for worship from 5-6 p.m. on Sunday evenings.

The Macrina Community is made up of women and men, families and single people, parents and children, all of whom have one thing in com-mon: a desire to grow in spiritual wellness, and to find the mystery and beauty of God present in the world around them. On their web-site they state: “We’re staking our claim that a compassionate and lov-ing God is calling all people into deep and transformative relation-ship with one another and with all of creation. Following Jesus’ lead, we seek this transformation through worship, play, service, study, medi-tation and prayer, and plain old daily living.” For more information about the Macrina Community, visit their website at www.macrina.org.

News You Can Use

July 2007

http://www.macrina.org

Education for Ministry combines the traditional functions of a fellowship group and Bible study with methods of theological reflection designed to help us make conscious connections between our faith traditions and the “post-religious” world we find our-selves in today.

EfM was created and is administered by the School of Theology at the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. EfM is a four year pro-gram, committed to one year at a time, covering The Old Testament (yr 1), the New Testament (yr 2), Church History (yr 3) and Christian Theology (yr 4). Any one EfM group may have participants in each of the year’s studies.

How does the EfM program work? EfM works in Stories: stories from the Old Testa-ment and the New Testa-ment; stories of the early church and of the theologians and philoso-phers who developed the concepts that form the basis of Christian be-lief. Our stories.

In EfM learners read, study and dis-cuss our heritage as told in the Bi-ble. The first year is concerned with the story of the people of God, as told in the Old Testament. As learners study, they learn how the people of God, in varying times and places, thought about God and about themselves and how they acted in their relations with God.

In the weekly seminars, which last about 3 hours, participants discuss and explore how the stories being

studied are re-told today in movies, books, television shows, art, litera-ture, the daily news, and in our lives. Through Theological Reflec-tion exercises learners reconcile the various positions of Tradition, Cul-ture, and their own personal experi-ences and beliefs.

EfM participants set their own lean-ing goals, and each has the freedom to work in his or her own way. There are clear expectations: at-tend the weekly seminars; read the material; participate in the discus-sions and group life. Each group has a mentor, trained and accredited by Sewanee, required to take refresher training periodically.

Next year’s study group at St. John’s Ross is in the for-mation stages, to begin mid-September. The group will consist of 6 to 12 partici-

pants, and the co-mentors and will meet Tuesday evenings. The cost is $340 for the year, which pays for materials, administrative support from the University of the South, and a modest stipend for the co-mentors.

For additional information or to dis-cuss your interest in EfM, please contact: Bruce Cozzi, [email protected], 415.454.9275, or Rev. Carol Luther, [email protected], 415.456.2524. Learners from all Deanery churches are welcome.

New Education for Ministry Group Forming

July 2007

Who’s in the Pews?

Stay tuned next month for more

“Where are they now?’

stories about our former acolytes.

July 2007

Mark Tarpey-Schwed & Bill Cullen

Better to Light One Candle

When asked how long he led the acolyte program, Bill Cullen stops to calculate: “Sometime after Fr. Murray left and before Fr. Robert.” An interim was conducting the ser-vice then, and Bill noticed that the little girl acolyte had no clue what to do. That’s when he started the training program. It might’ve been thirty years, he figures; maybe longer. And probably it would be longer yet if Mark Tarpey-Schwed hadn’t stepped in to take the pro-gram. Mark is not himself an ex-acolyte. Recruited by Michelle Walker, he had to learn on the job.

Mark Tarpey-Schwed is a returning member here. He and his partner, Randy, attended Church of Our Sav-iour several years ago. Their twin daughters, Frances and Camilla, were baptized here by Fr. Robert in 2001. But after that, spending each service in the nursery was less than spiritually fulfilling, so the whole family took some time out. After the girls turned five, they were en-rolled in Godly Play, and Mark and Randy returned to the parish.

By now, the acolyte program has acquired a substantial number of alumni, and though the young peo-ple are mostly out of sight now, their families are still around to tell their stories. With the help of Bill’s files, this summer “Who’s in the Pews” will be tracking down our former acolytes this summer and bringing the rest of us up to date.

This is the first installment of Where Are They Now?

ERICA PECK used to be a cute semi-Goth with purple hair. Now, says Joan, her mom, Erica has “fewer piercings than before and looks practically conventional.” She’s a 21-year-old starting senior at So-noma State, where she majors in psychology and is maintaining an astonishing 4.0 grade average. Re-cently, Erica served an internship with Hippo Therapy, a program with horses (not hippos) that works to rehabilitate people with physical difficulties. Sometimes, though, this conventional-looking young lady can be found working part-time at Bau-bles and Beads in San Rafael.

BROOKE JOHNSON, now 25, has found her bliss in the outdoors. Brooke is a river rafting guide for All Outdoors on the American, Tuo-lomne, and Merced Rivers. During the season, she bases in Coloma, in the Gold Country. Off-season, Brooke’s company moves to the southern hemisphere, where she continues to guide rafting trips in Patagonia.

JAMES VAN KRIEDT tried the college route at USC in Los Angeles, but found it wasn’t for him. James is now back home in Mill Valley, work-ing at Piazza D’Angelo.

THE MAVERICK KIDS, Avery and Gra-ham, have continued to follow en-tirely different paths. Avery, re-membered for her long, long blond hair, was recently confirmed and is a freshman at Tam High. In Tam’s orchestra, she plays both cello and bass. All on her own, Avery has won


July 2007

School Bags for CWS

The Outreach Committee will be hosting a potluck luncheon on Aug. 29th. Not only will we be having a delicious lunch, but we’ll also be filling school bags for children in need of school supplies living in the many different countries served by Church World Services. Donations of rulers, blunt scissors, small pencil sharpeners, pencils with erasers, spiral notebooks (140-200 sheets—no filler paper, please), construc-tion paper, small boxes of crayons, and large erasers are needed to fill the bags. The bags will be made by St. Anne’s during two sewing work-shops on August 5th and 12th. Anyone who would like to help sew or do-nate fabric, or just cheer us on, is welcome.

Outreach Website

Check out the new Outreach Web-site for the latest activities from

your Outreach Committee. Find ways for you and your family to vol-unteer and learn more about the UN Millennium Development Goals that we are using to guide our activities, as well as the organizations the Committee has chosen to support. Thank you to Fr. Richard for his web-expertise!

Environmental Outreach

This summer we’ll be sponsoring an outdoor community service event, so be on the lookout for the day and destination. We’ll either be taking the ferry to Angel Island to help with restoration clean-up, or par-ticipating in a beach clean-up. The project will be followed by a fun picnic or cook-out. This is a great family event and a good way to earn those community service hours.

Next Outreach Meeting: August 19, following the 10:00 service. All are welcome.

rather than wait for an offer from S.F., he “plans to audition for every company.” Ballet, she says is “90% girls, so they treat the boys nicely.” And young Graham was already be-ing wooed by the New York City Bal-let when he was there last summer.

If you know of any acolyte alumni who should be included next time, please call Rosine at 924-2979.

To be continued...

a black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do. And yes, she still has her long, long hair.

Graham, now 18, has never lost the enthusiasm for ballet that began when he was 7. He’s now at the top level of the San Francisco Ballet School, and after next year, will be an apprentice in the Company. Gra-ham’s mom confirms that her son has a practical side, however, and

(Continued from page 7)

Summer Outreach Activities Planned

Who’s in the Pews?

July 2007

Ministry July 1st 5 Pentecost

July 8th 6 Pentecost


July 22nd 8 Pentecost


8:00 am Presider/Preacher

Father Richard Father Richard Father Richard Father Richard Mother Este

EM Vyvien Gear Toni van Kriedt Peter Menkin Ros Patterson Bill Cullen

Lector Joan Martin Vyvien Gear Peggy Redfield Joan Dedo

9:00 am Redwoods

Vyvien Gear Toni van Kriedt Peter Menkin Ros Patterson Clergy

10:00 am Crucifer/Server

Elijah Goldberg Georgina Coleman

Acolytes Dylan Lang Altar Guild

Connie Rider Joan Peck



Ros Patterson Cathy Steele

Ros Patterson Cathy Steele

EM Michelle Walker Ros Patterson Fred Cone Bill Cullen Michelle Walker

Lector 1 Youth John Nicholson Caroline Gibbs Michelle Walker Nancy Cone

Lector 2 Youth Charlaine Shackelford

Bill Cullen Peter Menkin Fred Cone

LEV Michelle Walker Ros Patterson Vyvien Gear Nancy Cone Michelle Walker

Ushers Charles Redfield Cliff Mishalko

Winifred & John MacLeod

C. Coleman Bill Thomas

Cathy Wilmoth Bill Thomas

Tom Dugan Philip Norris

Coffee Host

The Mooney Family

Rosine Reynolds & Valerie Robin

Choir Room

SUMMER SUNDAY SCHOOL





Sunday Ministries at COS

Rector The Rev. Richard E. Helmer [email protected]

Senior Warden Steve Quarles

Associate Rector of Youth & Children’s ministries

The Rev. Este Gardner Cantor Junior Warden John MacLeod

Deacon The Rev. Betsy Payne Rosen Sexton Terry Peck

Choirmaster/ Organist Dr. Daniel Hoggatt Co-Treasurers Jeff Johnson Gay Johnson

Parish Administrator Lynn I. Baker 388.1907

Perspective Editor

Michelle Walker Perspective

@oursaviourmv.org

Our Staff

July

200

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JULY 2007 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 Community Sunday 8:00 AM Eucharist Rite I 10:00 AM Eucharist Rite II with Baptism

Connie Acton

2 5:00 PM Evening Prayer Martha Higgins

3 9:30 AM Morning Prayer 7:00 PM 12 Step Meeting

4 Office Closed 8:30 AM Weight Watchers 9:30 AM Morning Prayer 9:30 AM St. Anne's Circle 10:30 AM Weight Watchers Pru Starr

5 9:30 AM Morning Prayer 7:00 PM Evening Prayer 7:30 PM Women's Alanon

6 9:30 AM Morning Prayer

7 Amy Gage

8 8:00 AM Eucharist Rite I 10:00 AM Eucharist Rite II 10:00 AM Summer Narnia Series

9 5:00 PM Evening Prayer

10 9:30 AM Morning Prayer 7:00 PM 12 Step Meeting Morgan Gutenkunst

11 8:30 AM Weight Watchers 9:30 AM Morning Prayer 9:30 AM St. Anne's Circle 10:30 AM Weight Watchers Miriam Martin


13 9:30 AM Morning Prayer Colin Wong Barbara Madore Grant Lippitt Nick Knepper

14 Nan Wrisley

15 8:00 AM Eucharist Rite I 10:00 AM Eucharist Rite II 10:00 AM Summer Narnia Series Rachel Saurman Elessar Beecroft


17 9:30 AM Morning Prayer 7:00 PM 12 Step Meeting Phyllis Staton Sally Thomas

18 8:30 AM Weight Watchers 9:30 AM Morning Prayer 9:30 AM St. Anne's Circle 10:30 AM Weight Watchers

19 9:30 AM Morning Prayer 7:00 PM Evening Prayer 7:30 PM Women's Alanon Gregg Steele


21

22 8:00 AM Eucharist Rite I 10:00 AM Eucharist Rite II 10:00 AM Summer Narnia Series 1:15 PM HCU Service at the Redwoods




26 9:30 AM Morning Prayer 7:00 PM Evening Prayer 7:30 PM Women's Alanon Caroline MacDonald

27 9:30 AM Morning Prayer Avery Maverick Rob Wilkinson

28 Orville Erringer

29 8:00 AM Eucharist Rite I 10:00 AM Eucharist Rite II 10:00 AM Summer Narnia Series Trudy Montizambert






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July 2007

Church of Our Saviour

Confirmation Day!

10 Old Mill Mill Valley, CA 94941

Phone: 415.388.1907 Fax: 415.388.6584

E-mail: [email protected]

NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION US POSTAGE PAID MILL VALLEY, CA 94941 PERMIT #48

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

The Episcopal Church of Our Saviour strives to be a welcoming community

for those seeking to deepen their relationship with God, and to journey

in faith with God’s people through the breaking of bread and in service

to others, in Christ’s name.

Rachel Lang & Star Huson

Two Generations: Higgins’, Goldbergs, & Gaumonds

Charlotte Thomas with her mentor, Amy Gage.

Perspective July 2007 - Church of Our Saviour, Mill Valley Jul07...and a stranger. It may be through...

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