St. Mary's In The Hills May Newsletter

Easter greeting parish,

What a wonderful time of year it

is. There are little green things

poking up in the gardens outside

my office. Birds are dive-

bombing each other. The south

breezes bring humidity that feels

good on winter-dried skin. My

favourite though, is that I can

smell soil. I know that may

seem peculiar. Why would anyone take joy in sniffing dirt?

But to me the smell of soil tells me the frost has gone. The

earth is getting ready to bloom! What a glorious Halleluiah

it is when flowers open, the grass turns green again, and

the trees bud and flower. I feel better too when I can go

outside and take in long deep breaths of perfumed air. I

feel like I’ve shaken off the dank, colorless dormancy of win-

ter and am alive again. I wonder if that’s what it was like

for Jesus when he came out of the dark, cold tomb on Easter

morning.

Lent and Easter are perfect opposites, and the change from

one to the other is dramatic and quick. We spend a lot of

time and energy making Lent the penitential season it is.

It starts with the big event of Ash Wednesday, then ends

with the epic Holy Week. Easter, on the other hand, begins

with a bang – or a holy noise as we do it here – then kind of

May 2013

From Rev. Laurel From Rev. Laurel 1

From the Deacon’s

Bench

3

Liturgy 6

Icons Class 6

Garden Invite 7

Crossroads Volun-

teers Needed

7

The Easy Readers 8

2013 CROP Hun-

ger Walk

10

Spring Clean-up 12

Inside this issue:

Glad

Tidings

ebbs off. Easter is 10 days longer than Lent, which tells us that we’re called to

celebrate the risen Lord longer than we acknowledge his suffering. But do we? I

find myself wondering if we spend as much time celebrating our liberation in

Easter as we do acknowledging our wretchedness in Lent?

There ought to be a flip side to the coin of Lenten disciplines. Maybe we eat a

little more chocolate on Easter Sunday to make up for what we gave up during

Lent, but what about the rest of the 49 days? I think in general, people are bet-

ter at acknowledging their own wretchedness than showcasing how God has gift-

ed us. It feels too much like tooting our own horn, conceitedness, narcissism, and

ego centric behavior. And it is, when it’s removed from the fact that all we are

and all we are capable of doing is a gift from God. To assert that God’s love for

us is actually self-generating would indeed be conceited, narcissistic, and all

those other things. It would also be sinful along the lines of blasphemy. Paul

tells us, in his letter to the Ephesians, ―For by grace you have been saved

through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result

of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what [God] has made us, created

in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of

life‖ (Ephesians 2:8-10). In what ways can you celebrate daily, Christ’s gift to

you of salvation?

The purpose of Lent is to bring us to a place where we can receive the many gifts

of Christ’s resurrection. We do this using a variety of Lenten disciplines. Surely

there is some kind of spiritual discipline thank you note for it. Are we like

spoiled children on Christmas morning who unwrap a long-awaited-for gift and

then set it aside to unwrap the next one? I would be eager to try some daily

Easter spiritual discipline that brings Christians to the feet of our Lord the way

Lenten disciplines do. Perhaps the springtime world is on to something with the

daily flowering of new plants and trees that goes on and on and gets better and

better as we move toward summer.

May God shower you with blessings as the rain waters the springtime soil. And

may you blossom in the gifts that you have been given through Christ or Lord.

L+

PAGE 2 GLAD TIDINGS May 2013

From the Deacon’s Bench Dear Friends,

Certain memories don’t fade away with time; some of these are not really

all that big in terms of life events. One that pops into my mind every once in a

while is an interaction that occurred on the first day of my elective gym class

(Social Dance) the spring of my senior year in college [I hereby admit scholarly

quests were not on my calendar that quarter]. Nervous and shy, I stood by oth-

ers who were nervous, and the instructor, said to me, ―Come up here, Miss.‖ I

did, and he took me onto the gym floor, instructed the person to start the record

player [no media players, iPods, back then; these things played discs of black vi-

nyl!] The music started; he told me to relax and to follow him; then, he told the

class, and me, how he would guide my movement with gentle pushes from his

palm placed on my back near my side…well, you get the idea. When it was over,

and I had died a thousand deaths, fearing I’d walk all over his toes and insteps

though I didn’t once, he thanked me and said that I was a good follower because I

relaxed and gave up control.

Now if my family or certain co-workers, employees, or friends heard that,

they’d have a hard time believing it as I learned early that success in today’s

world comes to the independent, self-sufficient person. It wasn’t until I was older

that I learned independence is not the ultimate goal; interdependence is. Oh, one

has to become independent before one can achieve interdependence. Every rela-

tionship I have enjoyed and grown into became interdependent, that is reciprocal.

They did not all begin that way, but that’s where they are heading or are now.

For example, while I was in the hospital for all those weeks and even after I came

home for rehabilitation, I discovered what a great, capable, and reliable partner

my husband is! My pride, my independence, and my need to take care (read con-

trol) of things blinded me to his many talents not only as caregiver, provider, and

family man, but I realized I had stolen his opportunity to do these things for me,

for others, for himself. My healing was not only from the cancer surgeries but

from acute and damaging independence. I thank God for my life’s partner. I am

not proud to admit that even in situations where I found myself partnering with

God, I think I pretty much outright said or at least implied, ―It’s okay, God; I’ve

got this one.‖ I took the lesson—God helps those who help themselves—to heart.

Relationships can sour, dwindle, or suffocate in such an atmosphere. Dancing


will not happen.

Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, said, ―Life is a spiritual dance

and that our unseen partner has steps to teach us if we will allow ourselves to be

led. The next time you are restless, remind yourself it is the universe asking

'Shall we dance?‖

It was here, at St. Mary’s, during Lent in the middle 1990’s, I attended a study of

Julian of Norwich’s writings and her relationship with God. The study’s name

was based on a book about her called All Will be Well. It was through this study,

I felt and knew God was asking me to dance. Through her, I realized that God

yearns for me as much as I yearn for God. There was God’s work to be done, and

God was asking me, Marlyn, to work, yes to dance, for God, with God. The Joy

that entered my being that day has not left me. Have I stumbled? Tried to lead?

Not listened to the music? My Minnesota self says, ―You bet cha!‖ Yet, I keep on

trying to follow God’s direction, the push of God’s palm, the feel of God’s step.

Never, not once, has God left me on the dance floor alone.

Here I am, and here are you. We are invited to the dance. God yearns for

us as we yearn for God. CROP Walk is about to happen. See God walking to

eliminate poverty in the world. See the poor walking, and see God walking. God

is there in our neighbors both near and far; God is in us. Look, there is God!

See her crossing the parking lot, burdened by the load of worry she carries and

how she is barely able to hang on to her child’s wanting hand. Oh, and over

there, see God crying because he’s just received word his brother, his best friend,

died. Ah, there’s God running to help the woman with burden as you reach for

her child’s hand, and there is God again, walking up to you and wrapping God’s

arm around you as you weep for your friend.

Let Jesus lead you on to the floor, accept God’s invitation to the dance,

and with the Spirit dance until God’s work is done and the only resounding music

is God’s love that rings in our minds, hearts, and souls.

May it be so, Deacon Marlyn


We continue our

Easter season in

May, so make

your Alleluias

loud and bright.

The 8:30 congre-

gation is doing a

wonderful job

intoning the Eu-

charistic Pray-

ers. Well done everyone. What a won-

derful way to highlight the season!

Sunday, May 12 is Mother’s Day, and

we will have a special recognition of

the moms in our community.

Sunday, May 19 is Pentecost, and we’ll

have a special event to celebrate the in

-breaking of the Holy Spirit, the birth-


A 4-part course on Iconography will be offered in May. This

is free and open to the public. The course covers such

things as writing and reading icons, symbology, and histori-

cal and contemporary icons. Evening meetings will be

Tuesday May 21 from 7-8p; Thursday May 23, from 7-8p;

Tuesday May 28, from 7-8p; and Thursday May 30 from 7-

8p.

Liturgy day of the Church, and our mission for

the Kingdom of Heaven. Bring your

friends.

The Season after Pentecost will bring

some changes to our liturgy. We will

resume the Confession and Absolution.

We’ll use Eucharistic Prayer A. Since

this is a long season, we may change

up the Eucharistic Prayer so that we

don’t slip into automatic praying.

There are also several special services

that will take place for such things as

Independence Day, Father’s Day,

something for back-to-school, and oth-

ers.

Icons Class

Got Sandwiches??

It's time once again to start thinking

about Crossroads. We will be heading

downtown on June 9Th this year. I

anticipate that we will have to make

about 2,000 sandwiches and 120 gal-

lons of soup to feed approximately

1,000 people. To be sure, it is a task

that will require a lot of helping hands.

We need two crews of people. Each

crew must have about 16 people. Some

people may want to stay the entire

day, but others will want to help with

the prep work in the morning from

8:30 until about 11:30 and some may

want to be there to serve the meals to

our guests from 11:30 until a little af-

ter 3:00. In addition, we will prep all of

the vegetables on the morning of the

8Th at the church. Four or five people

will be needed for that task.

If you have questions, please contact

me at 248 628-4428.

A sign up sheet will appear in the fel-

lowship hall soon!

Bobbi Patton

Crossroads Volunteers Needed

The Garden Group invites you to spend time with us, on Thursday morning,

April 25th, from 10:00 – noon, working in our parish gardens. We met on April

11th to plan the upcoming season and enjoy a potluck luncheon. In addition to our

returning, dedicated gardeners from last few years, this year we have three new

parishioners joining us. Inspired by the Book Group, we have chosen a name for

ourselves - The Easy Weeders. We will begin our season by cutting back the orna-

mental grasses, weeding, and tidying up the beds. Bring your own garden tools, if

you have them, and a container for weeds. If you don’t have any garden tools, or

even any knowledge of gardening, join us anyway! We’ll show you what to do on

the second and fourth Thursday mornings of the next five months, through Octo-

ber 10th. Our meeting dates will be on the website calendar. Contact Susan Suter

with questions at 248-620-6524.


Garden Invite

The Easy Readers, the St. Mary’s book group, have selected The Meaning of

Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity, by Cyn-

thia Bourgeault, for our May meeting, and our last book of this season.

Mary Magdalene is one of the most influential symbols in the history of Christi-

anity, yet, if you look in the Bible, you’ll find only a handful of verses that speak

of her. How did she become such a compelling saint in the face of such paltry evi-

dence? In her effort to answer that question, Cynthia Bourgeault, an Episcopal

priest, author, lecturer, and leader of workshops and retreats across the U.S.,

examines the Bible, church tradition, art, legend, and newly discovered texts to

see what is there. Was Jesus’ most important disciple a woman? This book is a

thoughtful and provocative analysis of the evidence. The Most Rev. Dr.

Katharine Jefferts Schiori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, wrote of

this book, “A remarkable invitation into the origins and wisdom of Christianity,

through the apostolic witness of Mary Magdalene. Expect a challenge, perhaps

more than you’re ready for. This book should change something, as it invites you

to deepen your capacity for love, through the witness of Jesus’s beloved disci-

ple.” (From Amazon.com book review)

Pick up a copy of the book and meet with us on Tuesday, May 21st, at noon, for

lunch and discussion at a member’s home. Join us even if you haven’t read the

book - our review may trigger an interest in reading it, after all!

We will not be meeting during the months of June, July, and August. Our Sep-

tember selection is Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. It tells the tale of a 12th-

century monk driven to do the seemingly impossible: build the greatest Gothic

cathedral the world has ever known in 12th century feudal England. Says a re-

viewer, ―The research was excellent, the characters are engaging, and the story

moves at a surprisingly quick pace for a novel of this length.‖ At 973 pages, it

will make a good summertime read.

Please contact Susan Suter with your questions.


The Easy Readers

Spring is here! It is time to put away

the snow boots and take out your walk-

ing shoes and start training for the

31st Annual Lake Orion/Oxford Area

CROP Hunger Walk. The Walk has

been scheduled for Sunday, May 5.

CROP Hunger Walks are community-

wide events sponsored by Church

World Service (CWS) and organized by

local congregations, raising funds and

awareness to combat hunger at home

and around the world. Visit

www.churchworldservice.org to see

how you are making a difference.

The following are some of the ways the

money raised has helped overcome pov-

erty:

1. Have you ever found something

floating in your glass of water?

It’s enough to make you sick,

isn’t it?

But sickness from dirty water is no

joke. More than 3.5 million people die

each year from waterborne illnesses;

that’s more people than live in Chicago

and Detroit combined. Across South-

east Asia, CWS provides families with

a simple sand filter made from local

sources that traps about 98.5% of pol-

lution, making the water safer to

drink. Last year alone our Walk raised

$23,755. This is enough to supply


2013 CROP Hunger Walk 1,187 filters to communities and fami-

lies. Next time you drink a glass of

water, think about the lives saved by

clean water made possible by our

Walk.

2. Have you ever struggled to com-

plete a project because you did-

n’t have the right tool?

Whether you are working on a home-

improvement or a sewing project, the

right tool can make all the difference

in the success of the job. Refugees liv-

ing in urban areas around the world

have the skills and desire to work but

often lack the necessary tools for such

trades as carpentry, plumbing, tailor-

ing, and embroidery. Providing such

tools complements the skills CWS

teaches, helping refugees find jobs to

support their families and integrate

into the new countries they will call

home. The Walk has raised enough

money to help roughly 11,000 refugees

secure the ―tools‖ to overcome their

own poverty.

3. How many of you would not be

able to perform your job or

many everyday tasks if you

couldn’t read?

For many of the more than 507 million

women worldwide who can’t read, liter-

acy is the difference between getting a

http://www.churchworldservice.org

job and going hungry. Over the past

two years the Walk raised $42,096.

That is enough money to provide clas-

ses for 1,680 women!

4. Take a second and try to think

about the last time you were

hungry. I mean REALLY hun-

gry.

For many people around the world

hunger is a daily reality. The stakes

are even higher in disasters. Rather

than spending vital resources to ship

food across great distances, the CWS

Emergency Food Package uses sources

as close as possible to those in need. It

saves money and makes sure what is

provided is culturally appropriate and

nutritional. Over the past five years,

the Walk has raised $88,242. That is

enough to feed over 800 families of 5

for whole month.

5. Have you ever held a baby in

your arms and dreamed of her

or his future?

Proper nutrition is critical during a

child’s first thousand days of life, mak-

ing the difference between healthy de-

velopment and life-long physical prob-

lems for those who do survive. Last

year, the Walk raised $23,755. This

would provide a yearlong supply of mi-

cronutrients and vitamins for 2,639

babies and toddlers.

6. Walk monies also address hun-


ger and poverty right here in

the Lake Orion and Oxford are-

as.

Oxford FISH and Love INC each share

in 25% of the funds (Oxford Fish 15%

and Love INC 10%). Since the Walk in

1983, the amount of funds allocated to

local hunger-fighting needs here in our

community through the Walk is over

$137,700.

The CROP Hunger Walk does all these

things and more. Being a CROP Walk

Hunger Team Member makes a critical

difference in the lives of people who

live on the very edge of existence. Eri-

ka West (248-894-7154), and Deb Lun-

ney (248-391-0852) and I are the re-

cruiters this year for St. Mary’s. Our

goal this year is $3,000. Please see us

and sign up to be part of our team to

walk.

Please consider walking, strolling, or

jogging the 6.2 miles or do the shorter

route that is only 2 miles. If you are

unable to walk but would like to par-

ticipate, feel free to make a donation or

sponsor one of our walkers. Every lit-

tle bit helps. It is amazing what a

community of churches can accomplish

when we all work together in the name

of Christ.

God’s Peace,

Maxine Henderson (248-393-1906)

ST. MARY’S IN -THE-HILLS

EPISCOPAL CHURCH 2512 Joslyn Ct.

Lake Orion Mi. 48360 (248) 391-0663

Spring Clean-up Get your garden gloves, garden tools, mops, buck-

ets, and dust clothes and get ready for the Annual

Spring Clean-up. This year, the clean-up date will

be April 28, 2013 following the 10:00 AM service.

We will also serve lunch afterward, so bring your

appetite after working for a few hours.

Please join the Property Committee for this event

and help St. Mary's.

Thanks in advance!

The Property Committee

St. Mary's In The Hills May Newsletter

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