February 2013

The

Lent is just around

the corner, so it’s

high time that we

all get busy work-

ing on the subject

of repentance.

As you may remember, Lent

follows the example of Jesus who,

just after his baptism by John, was

driven into the wilderness for forty

days by the same Spirit that had

just descended on him like a dove

at the baptism.

There is a direct relationship be-

tween Jesus’ experience in the

wilderness and the wilderness-like

journey that we at St. John’s have

undertaken as we begin in earnest

the search for our next Rector.

That relationship lies in the

proclamation of John who

preached a baptism of repentance

for the forgiveness of sins.

Well, all of this sounds pretty

tricky and very theological. But

it’s like this: in the desert, Jesus

was tempted by Satan and minis-

tered to by angels. And so are we,

wherever we are. In the desert,

By W. Bruce McPherson

Lent: It’s All About

Changing Direction

Continued on Page 3

The Cedar Tree

In the beginning, in the unbeginning

of endlessness and of eternity, God saw this tree.

He saw these cedar branches bending low under the full exhaustion of the snow.

And since He set no wind of day to rising, this burden of beauty and this burden of cold, whether the wood breaks or the branches hold

must be of His devising.

There is a cedar similarly decked deep in the winter of my intellect

under the snow, the snow, the scales of light its limitations tell.

I clasp this thought: from all eternity

God who is good looked down upon this tree white in the weighted air,

and of another cedar reckoned well. He knew how much each tree, each twig could bear.

He counted every snowflake as it fell.

Jessica Powers, an American poet and Carmelite nun.n.

By Arnita Jones

It is frustrating when a parishioner finds that a check

for a pledge payment has not cleared his bank or

when she finds that a donation for flowers has been

credited to the music program instead.

Most of us have experienced this kind of problem

at St. John’s over the years and I wish I could be

writing to promise that this will never happen again. I

cannot do that, but I can tell you that a number of us

here at St. John’s have been working on the problems

and we are optimistic about improvements we have

made and others that are in process.

One way to minimize problems with any financial

system is to have a sound infrastructure and good

procedures for handling money. To that end we have

made a number of changes since last spring.

It became clear early in 2012 that the work on the

building necessary to complete installation of the

new organ would require more funds. We had pledg-

es for the required amount but many of these were to

be paid over a three or four year period, but the work,

of course, had to be paid for as completed, required a

bank loan.

After weeks of negotiations with three area banks

and discussions among the vestry, finance committee,

and the capital campaign committee, we settled on a

loan from Sandy Spring Bank in Maryland. It pro-

vided a line of credit of $600,000 but, because of

careful management of the construction process, we

did not need to draw down the entire amount.

That and pledge payments through December of

2012 leaves us with a loan amount of approximately

$390,000. We urge those who have made a multi-

year pledge to help us reduce the loan principal as

soon as possible, thus saving on interest that will oth-

erwise have to be paid.

Updated figures will be available at the Annual

Meeting. Capital campaign committee members

Joan Bristol, Julie Cooke, Patricia Parson and inter-

im rector Bruce McPherson were critical to this ef-

fort.

The House Tour last year accounted for about

twenty-seven percent of the parish income. It is a

momentous undertaking for a church the size of St.

Johns and involves literally almost everyone in the

parish.

Revenues come from the Patrons’ Party, ticket

sales and advertising income, in that order, and we

were fortunate last year that the Patrons’ Party, was

hosted by Frida Burling, at no cost to the parish,

and that Stephanie Bothwell did such a good job of

coordinating the work of all the other volunteers

involved in this effort.

We tried hard to do a better job of tracking ex-

penses and revenues with the result that we have

better information for planning both the upcoming

April 27th event and the 2013 parish budget.

During the first half of 2012, it also became clear

that existing bookkeeping arrangements were unsat-

isfactory and that some changes were needed.

Bruce and I consulted with Mike Febrey, a CPA

who has worked with many parishes in the diocese,

and followed up on his recommendation to switch

to a new accounting system designed for churches.

He also helped us identify a new accountant, Nil-

velyn Wilson, also known as Nibe, who has made

an extraordinary effort to get the new system up and

running and to work with us in establishing new

procedures to keep better track of our money.

Continued on page 6

Financial Accounting: Cornerstone of Stewardship

Page 2 The Sentinel

A Report from the Treasurer

Bookeeping

House Tour

Capital Campaign

Continued from cover Jesus wrestled with his hopes and fears seeking, we might suppose, to see his

ministry, his role in the history of humankind, with new eyes. In a sense that is what repentance is all about.

It is not about feeling remorseful for some ill-advised act and promising with grim determination not to do

it again. Repentance is about seeing the old world with new eyes; it’s about changing one’s direction in life;

it’s about discovering a new way to be the people of God in an occasionally confusing, sometimes-troubled,

and frequently messy world.

And that is our mission, too. We at St. John’s will be spending much longer than forty days in an effort to

see our mission and ministry with new eyes. That is part of the Interim experience and, as it happens, that is

what repentance is. Repentance is not something we can do on our own. It is not a matter of our determina-

tion and our iron will.

It is, as Dale Irwin, the president of New York Theological Seminary, says, “a gift of grace. It is the op-

portunity that God has opened before us to walk down a new pathway, to open a new chapter in our lives, to

experience the divine presence in a new and unprecedented way.” Presbyterian theologian and writer Freder-

ick Buechner puts it this way, “To repent is to come to your senses. It is not so much something you do as

something that happens. It is less a turn away from something than it is a turning toward God’s new begin-

ning. It is a turning toward God, a turning toward hope, a turning toward the newness of life promised in Je-

sus Christ.

What is true of our corporate life is also true of our individual lives. This Lent we will offer several opportu-

nities to see the world differently, to see the world as “charged with the grandeur of God,” in the words of

Gerard Manley Hopkins. On Tuesday nights, two groups will gather for Evening Prayer than split up – one

group to explore the book Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and the other to explore ways in which one can

make “Space for God” in one’s life. Both groups are about the business of helping us to see things differently,

to “come to our senses” about the nature of God and the presence of God in our lives. Both groups are about

the business of repentance.

Lent is just around the corner, so it’s time to get to work. I look forward to working with you.

Bruce

Page 3 February, 2013

Rector’s Message:

Season of Lent is About

Changing Direction

February, 2013 Page 4

Parish Life @ St. John’s

Weekend of Worship, Wonder, Work — The Rev. Martin Smith emphasized the power of forgiveness

during the Commissioning Weekend workshop sessions held Jan 25-27 at Blake Hall. In the opening work-

shop, Smith offered a piercing exposition on the Gospel passage, John 20:19-23, in which the resurrected Je-

sus did not scold disciples who had fled from him during the crucifixion. Instead, Jesus gave each the gift of

the Holy Spirit and commissioned them to go forward. Said Smith: “Jesus did not play the blame game.”

Smith, who is well-known for his ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation, was invited to conduct the work-

shop to help commission the search committee for a new rector and to assist the parish in its recovery from the

resignation and aftermath of the previous rector. In small groups, parishioners engaged in probing discussions

about St. John’s and its future. Overwhelmingly, parishioners reported they longed for deeper spiritual en-

counters and more open communications among members and clergy. Rev. Smith said that as the parish looks

toward the future, it is important for members to consider that people of the 21st Century evaluate churches in

terms of their spiritual depth. “Shallow churches will evaporate,” he warned.

Lenten Adult Forums Explore Poetry

Following a very winter successful series featuring

parishioners who spoke about their faith journeys,

the Adult Education Hour will bring the focus on

Christian poetry.

The first session will be March 3 . The topic will

be, “Why Poetry?” The session will also take a look

at poetry in the New Testament.

If you have a favorite poet you would like the

group to get to know, contact Bruce at the church.

During February, the Committee will continue to or-

ganize and schedule upcoming focus groups, a parish

profile, and a number of other critical tasks that will

take the parish through a well-defined process that is

used by churches throughout the diocese.

Members of the Committee are: Laura Scanlon (co-

chair), Gregory Mocek (co-chair), Cindy Anderson,

Jamie Cartwright, Carol Dawson, Rob Johnston, An-

drea Kramer, Ann LaPorta, Carol Seaver, Kevin

Sheives, John Wise, and Wilbur Wright.

Rector Search Committee Update

Page 5 The Sentinel

God was powerfully present in our parish and with

those who gathered on the week-end of January

25th, as we explored “wounds, learnings and de-

sires” with the Rev. Martin Smith.

Close to 50 people came together for food, prayer

and thoughtful discussion over the two days, culmi-

nating with the commissioning of our search com-

mittee and a stimulating sermon by Martin Smith on

Sunday morning.

We want to thank the parish com-

mittee and Bruce McPherson who

worked thoughtfully to design this

week-end, with special thanks to Car-

ol Seaver who led the planning and

conceived the idea.

The members of the Search Committee who

have begun their work deserve our deep apprecia-

tion, especially co-chairs Laura Scanlon and Greg

Mocek. Soon we will be hearing more about the

process.

Thanks also are due to everyone who pledged to

this year’s Every Member Commitment and to the

committee who made calls on our entire parish, es-

pecially Tom Cooke who led the effort. Tom sought

to contact every member of our parish.

Our parish recently hosted 10 guests at our win-

ter shelter for two weeks. Thank you to everyone

who brought dinner each evening and extended St.

From Senior Warden Kevin Eckstrom and Julie Cooke, Junior Warden

John’s hospitality and friendship to our guests. A

special thanks goes to Jocelyn Dyer, who did a won-

derful job of organizing the shelter.

. Recognition is deserved to the hard-working com-

mittee and to Sam Carabetta for the organizing talent

that has made the concerts such a success.

We missed sending a message in January, and

therefore need to thank everyone who made the

Greens Sale a success, especially chairs Kate Boehret

and Kevin Sheives. Thank you also to

those who have hosted 7@7 dinners.

These dinners help us know one an-

other and welcome newcomers.

Finally, it’s important to call attention

to the significant and critical property work has been

accomplished in the past months, thanks to Mike Ap-

plin, who, in our eyes, sports a halo for his diligent

work.

Also the kitchen was renovated by the Campaign

Committee with new stove, freezer, ice maker and

serving table, new lighting and wall repair. Thanks

go to Al LaPorta and Nick Elgin for oversight of this

work.

We say farewell as your wardens this month. It has

been a privilege and an honor for us both to serve our

parish in this way. We offer congratulations to Karim

Zia and John VanWagoner for their willingness to

serve as Senior and Junior Wardens.

Warden’s Report

Interim Rector Bruce McPherson

recently blessed the 50-year wedding of

long-time parishioners, Mary and

Henry Meyer following services.

Congratulations!

Throughout Lent there

will be two offerings at

St. John’s on Tuesday

nights beginning with

prayer at 7:00. The se-

ries runs Feb. 19 - March 19.

Book Study - Cindy Anderson

and Sandra Wilbur will lead a re-

flection on faith through discus-

sion of the novel Gilead by Mari-

lynne Robinson. This is a lyrical

and deeply spiritual book by ac-

claimed novelist Marilynne Rob-

inson who won the Pulitzer

Prize for her work.

Space for God – Led by Bruce

McPherson, this group will ex-

amine the several ways in which

men and women through the

ages have found space for God

in their lives. We will look at

the work of artists, musicians,

poets and Anglican mystics as

we work to find our own ways

of being aware of and attuned to

the presence of God.

Tuesday Nights in Lent: Books and Discussion

Page 6 February, 2013

Treasurer Details 2012 Financial Overhaul Continued from page 4

During the course of our work with area banks for the construction loan

we realized that we were not being well-served by our current arrangements

and that St. John’s would benefit by moving to a bank with a more modern

array of services.

Accordingly, we established two accounts at BB&T bank. One account is our regular checking account

and the other, which we are calling the reserve account, contains funds earmarked for upkeep of our property.

Keeping these two funds separate should allow for better tracking of each.

BB&T also offers merchant services, which will allow us to take payments and donations directly

through our web site, while avoiding third party charges we have been paying to an outside vendor. We ex-

pect to have these arrangements, which should greatly facilitate management of events in the new music pro-

gram, as well as House Tour, regular pledge payments and other donations, in place in early February.

It has been important for us to develop regular procedures for handling

money donated to the church on Sundays and at other events. We now have

a set of nine counters who rotate in sets of two through the process of count-

ing the cash from plate offering, totaling and copying checks, sorting out capital campaign checks, and taking

the money to BB&T, which has a branch at Wisconsin and O Street.

Money is getting into our account faster and we hope, with far less confusion. Thanks to Margaret Hucka-

by, Ron Ivey, Martha Lewis, Phyllis McGinley, James Warren, Harry Wilbur, Martha Wilson, and Jill

Wohrle for their service.

Last, but certainly not least, we have had a hard-working finance commit-

tee this year: our two wardens, Kevin Ekstrom and Julie Cooke, Mike Ap-

plin, Tom Cooke, and Patricia Parson. They have been a key part of tack-

ling the problems outlined above and helping us plan for the future and will soon be able to complete an ear-

lier effort begun to develop an investment policy statement to guide our investment company, Neuberger-

Berman.

We will have specific 2012 year end figures for the parish at the annual meeting, along with the 2013 budg-

et. Right now what I can tell you is that 2012 ended with a deficit, as expected, and that we intend to present

a balanced budget for 2013 and hope that you will make the effort to with these materials and feel free to ask

any and all questions you have.

Banking

Procedures

Committee

A Note about this month’s cover

As these cold weeks pass, you can warm your heart easily

by searching out the mystical and sublime poetry of Jessica

Powers. She was a Carmelite nun whose work often draws

upon the native imagery of her home state of Wisconsin, but

always speaks of friendship with God and the depths of

mercy, grace and divine mystery.

Page 7

Lenten Music Inspires Penitence Glory By Sam Carabetta

Organist/Choirmaster

During the season of Lent the

form and fabric of worship take

on a penitential tone. This period

between Ash Wednesday and

Easter looks, sounds, and feels

different from the rest of the year.

We seek quiet and reflection.

We serve those in need. We at-

tempt to simplify our lives. We

even “simplify” St. John’s

Church. We begin our liturgy each

Sunday with a Penitential Hymn,

the Lenten Exhortation and Peni-

tential Order (confession first) fol-

lowed by a setting of the Kyrie

eleison.

The Alleluias are withdrawn

from our vocabulary, the service

music is chanted to plainsong and

silence is observed following the

readings. There are no flowers on

the altar, and the clergy wear pur-

ple vestments.

Our worship becomes simpler

and less adorned. This invites us

to consider the core of our faith in

its bare essentials. As Episcopa-

lians we have a great resource in

our hymnody.

I invite you to examine Hymns

140-173, the Lenten and Holy

Week sections of The Hymnal

1982. Texts written by John

Donne, Martin Luther and others

provide edification, comfort, and

nourishment during this season of

renewal.

Hymn 143, “The glory of these

forty days”, refers to an inward

glory of penitence. Much of the

beauty and splendor of St. John’s

is built into the building’s fabric.

Even for a simple season we

cannot hide our beautiful new

pipe organ, brilliant stained glass

windows and stunning wood rere-

dos.

But in these few ways we try to

simplify our prayer, so Easter may

return in splendid radiance and

glory.

The Sentinel

Senior Warden - Karim Zia. Karim is a managing

partner and co-founder of DC Community Ventures,

a community development venture capital fund that

targets investments in under-served markets to pro-

mote economic opportunity for low and moderate

income people. Previously Karim worked as an equi-

ty research analyst in the media and communications

areas at several investment banking firms in New

York City. Most recently, he served as a Managing

Director at Deutsche Bank, advising on numerous

high-profile financings, mergers and acquisitions. He

has served with various education-related organiza-

tions and on several non-profit boards, including St.

John’s Episcopal Preschool and the SEED Founda-

tion. He and his family have been members of St.

John's for 10 years.

Junior Warden - John Van Wagoner. John was

founder and President of the Prospect group of com-

panies, one of the largest commercial roofing and

waterproofing concerns in the U.S as well as of Insu-

lated Building Systems, Inc. and Geotech Systems

Corp, both of which are involved with environmental

sustainability in construction. He has written exten-

sively about sustainable building systems and holds

several of patents and continues as an expert consult-

ant. He has also served on numerous boards includ-

ing Sharing Jerusalem and Yes We Can, both which

promote one of his favorite causes, peace in the Holy

Land. He has also actively supported the work of the

Washington National Cathedral, serving and chairing

several committees. John and his family have been

members of St. John's for "only 60 years."

New Wardens will Take Responsibilities in 2013

St. John’s Episcopal—Georgetown Parish

3240 O Street NW

Washington, DC 20007

stjohnsgeorgetown.org

Save these dates...

Rising Stars

Washington National Opera

Domingo-Cafritz

Young Artists

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Members of the Domingo-Cafritz

Young Artist Program perform semi

-staged ensembles and arias from

popular operas. Personally chosen

by General Director Plácido Domin-

go to train for two years at the

Washington National Opera, these

young performers are poised for

major careers.

2013

Georgetown

House Tour

Saturday, April 21

Call 202-338-1796

Find us online @

www.georgetownhousetour.com

$40 group rate of ten peo-

ple or more

$50 regular rate