June 2013

Superman LivesThis summer, the big blockbuster movies coming out of Hollywood will once again be based on comic book superheroes. Iron Man 3 is already reaping great rewards at the box office and the Superman origin story Man of Steel will likely do the same when it comes out later this month. A lot of pop culture critics have been saying for some time that they are growing tired of the whole superhero genre, and for a while I was right there with them, but lately I have come to appreciate these films in a new way. The reason why these films continue to find success, year after year, is because we continue to live in a dark and cynical age, and we need great heroes now more than ever before.

I grew up reading comic books and lately I have been becoming reacquainted with my great love for superheroes as I have watched various superhero cartoons with my son. The heroes on the screen are not perfect. They are flawed and sometimes deeply scarred characters, but they have been given powers to do great things and they use those powers to help those who cannot help themselves. In an age in which the very idea of absolute good and evil is seriously questioned by our cultural elites, the straightforward moral compass of superheroes strikes a strangely warm note.

We do not live with any illusions of innocence in our culture anymore, least of all in our popular entertainment. We expect treachery and deceit, false motives and broken promises, and dark characters who switch sides as often as it suits them. Television shows like Scandal and House of Cards and even comedies like Arrested Development are wildly popular because they portray damaged people engaged in layers of self deception doing dark and unsettling things. These shows lift us up because they artfully expose the ways in which life always lets us down. But not the superheroes. They can be gritty, dark even, but they always do the right thing in the end, using their powers for good instead of evil, rescuing us from the darkness of the world as we know it.

It is something of a cliché to say that superheroes are a kind of stand-in for Jesus. While there is some truth to this idea, what I think has even more resonance for us as Christians is the yearning for redemption in all of us which the popularity of superheroes brings to light. Most moviegoers are probably not aware of it, but one of the reasons so many of us flock to these superhero films is because we want to be rescued, we need to be rescued. The darkness and uncertainty of our lives is a universal experience. No matter who we are or what we believe, we are all on a collision course with death that none of us can break free from by our own power. We yearn to see the good guys use their powers to kick butt because we yearn deep within us for grace, for forgiveness, for the opportunity to be set free from the chains of sin and death that bind us. And so, whether Superman and Iron Man are types of Jesus or not, their displays of heroics on the screen momentarily fill a void for us as spectators that only Jesus can fill truly and completely.

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The cynicism of our age is one of the things that keeps many people from accepting the Gospel, because we find it hard to believe that anything could be that good or that one man could be so powerful and exercise that power on our behalf instead of for his own gain. Even if He is the Son of God, surely He cannot be that good, can He? So many people scoff away the claims of the Christian faith, but underneath their tough exterior is hopefulness that perhaps Jesus really might be the one who never lets us down, that maybe He really is the one who will rescue us. And so the success of the superhero films gives me hope, not just that I will continue to get to see some of my favorite childhood heroes brought to life in the fullness of 3D special effects, but that our collective yearning for a pure hero may finally lead us all to the one and only person who has truly fought and defeated the evils that oppress us, the one man who is more than a man, who can save us once and for all.

In His Mercy,Fr. Jonathan

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Women of Holy ComforterWomen's Group News

by Rosemary Davis

Thanks to Sara Risi, Barbara Wilson and the other members of the Women's Group Board for a lovely afternoon at our Annual Tea. It's always a great way to end the year.

I apologize for not being able to attend; I had a commitment with my daughter to attend her Choral Concert and Mothers’ Brunch. However, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Board and all of the Women of Holy Comforter for their help and support this past year. We had several very successful fundraisers and a great time at the Dinner Dance and Painted Tea Cup Tea. We really hope there will be more functions on the calendar that will continue to bring us all together.

I was particularly proud of the multi-generational aspect of our functions. It really is one of the things that makes the Holy Comforter community so special.

As we begin to plan our events for next year, I am hoping for some input. I would appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to send me an email (davis1310@comcast.net) and tell me what activities you would like to see the Women's Group sponsor. Also, if you do not actively participate in the group, I'd really like to know why and what we could do to encourage your participation.

Thanks for your continued support!

Please Note:There are spaces available through Avenues Unlimited Travel for an October 26, 2013 bus trip to NYC to see the hit play MOTOWN. Price is $163 per person and includes round trip transportation, snacks on the bus and the show. There will be time to have lunch and/or shop while you are there. Buses will depart from the Aronimink Swim Club. Please let Rosemary Davis know if you are interested.

Bricks and Mortarby Jim Gardner

C.H.A.M.P.S. Workday

People ask, “What does C. H. A. M. P. S. mean?” The answer is that it is an acronym for Church Helpers and Property Maintenance Service.

CHAMPS Workday was created by former Property Team Leader Joe Ortlieb to generate enthusiasm and enlist help keeping Holy Comforter Warm and Dry. This year’s Spring Workday included getting the gardens ready for Mothers’ Day and the summer season. We will re-install the irrigation system later.

The Property team especially wants to thank our Cub Scouts in Pack 403, leaders, and parents. They arrived early and stayed late and did a great job helping our parishioners: Steve Perrone and grandson Wyatt, Mellany and Mike Armstrong, Liz Teres, Joanne Bolard, Mike Christopher, Fr. Jonathan, Gail Morgan, and Joan Gardner. Faith and Ray Hemsher bought plants although they couldn’t attend. Pictures are posted on the bulletin board in the Upper Parish Hall.

~~~~~~~~~~Some big days are coming - - Mark your calendar

June 15 — Kitchen and Lower Parish Hall Fix-Up: The Property committee is sponsoring a workgroup to replace the ceiling tiles in the kitchen and Lower Parish Hall. If you can make cuts, we need you and your stepladder. See Jim Gardner for information.

Soon — Don’t forget the Men Only Pizza Party! Have you told Jim Gardner that you can attend? The exact date is the night that we pour the new sidewalks...sometime in the next two weeks. We will insure that the neighborhood youth don’t take advantage of the wet cement to leave graphic messages for posterity.

~~~~~~~~~~Damage to Piano Room

You remember that we have had many days of rainy weather in the last few weeks. Not too many heavy downpours, but lots of drizzly damp days and nights? Well, the wet got to the part of the Piano Room ceiling that was damaged in Hurricane Sandy and some of the ceiling fell down.

We have submitted an insurance claim and the roofer has installed emergency roofing

First Annual Piglet RoastJust for Fun ~ Rain or Shine

(610-259-8613)

patches. However, the Piano Room is closed until repairs are completed and a new ceiling is installed.

by Barbara Wilson

We welcome participation by everyone in the Parish to support the upcoming events for the Mothers’ Home.

June 2, 11:15 am – 11:45 pm in the UPH – Learn more about the Mothers’ Home from Helen McBlain, recently retired Executive Director and now volunteer. Come learn more about the Mothers’ Home and the resident mothers-to-be and new mothers.

I’d like to share a recent message from Lenora Pope, the current Executive Director who says, “Thank you so much for your plans for our moms. Many of these women have had such fractured pasts they really are not accustomed to people genuinely being good to them. May God bless all your efforts!”

June – During the month of June, we will collect money to purchase SEPTA tokens. The residents of the Mothers’ Home rely on public transportation to get to doctor’s appointments, school, jobs, etc. and tokens are the most needed item identified by the Mothers’ Home. During June Sunday collections, you can submit cash in an envelope marked “SEPTA tokens” or a check payable to Holy Comforter with “SEPTA tokens” in the memo line. At the end of the month, we will use the total funds collected to purchase SEPTA tokens.

July 2 – All-American BBQ Dinner at the Mothers’ Home, 6 p.m. The Home has grills available so we’d like to have an outdoor BBQ. We’ll need lots of help to make this BBQ a success, including grill-masters! Save the date now and look for more details as the date gets closer.

Boutique – We’d like to explore the idea of organizing a boutique at the Mothers’ Home so if you are interested, please let me know. If you have questions or would like to get involved, please contact Barbara Wilson, bdubywilson@comcast.net or 610-544-0891.

A Note of Thanks…May 8 – a Mothers’ Day Springtime Dinner at the Mothers’ Home. Thank you to Lorraine Bechtel, Joanne Christopher, Amanda Doyle, Mary Sue Hidalgo, Barbara Irving, Harper Lazo, Mimi Lyon, Barbara Powell, Pat Schilling, Chris Stanley, Barbie Swartz, Maria Thompson, and Barbara Wilson for contributing to and/or attending the dinner with the young ladies and babies.

Children and Youth Ministryby Ethel F. Wesley

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

One of the youth group’s favorite hymns is “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God”. The words remind us that all things will be given to us if we ask, seek, and knock. As our soon to be 2013 graduates begin their journeys toward the colleges of their choice, it is our fervent prayer that they will continue to ask, seek, and knock as new truths are revealed to them and as they meet new challenges along the way.

We hold in prayer Reed Armstrong, Hope Morrison, Ryan McElhaney, Armando O’Brien, Ally Powers, and Rylee Pender as they graduate in June. They have selected different courses of study as they branch out to: Colgate University, Bloomsburg University, Drexel University, Pittsburgh University, Penn State University, and Delaware County Community College.

There is a lot of potential in the Class of 2013. They have made us proud both in their commitment to Holy Comforter Church and in their commitment to their communities. They have been role models for the younger members of the youth group as well as to the children of the Sunday School program. This group has achieved many high honors and we hope and pray that the future will continue to shower upon them many of God’s blessings in their college work.

On Youth Sunday, Hope Morrison and Drew Armstrong played several musical selections as violin duets throughout the service. Their years of musical study showed in their concentration and in the quality of their playing.

Thank you for the gifts you offered to all of us on Mothers’ Day. Thanks to Tim Doney, Jacqueline and Elizabeth Hawkins, Noah Baldwin, Nicole and Ryan McElhaney, Armando O’Brien, Drew Armstrong, Hope Morrison, and Junior Lay Reader Reed Armstrong for leading us all in Morning Prayer. Thanks also to our Greeters, Kristen Kennedy and Jalisa Cruz, and the Junior Ushers, Nick and Noah Newmiller, and Michael Katrakazis led by Ramon O’Brien. All of you did a splendid job.

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Not to be forgotten was the choral selection by the Children’s Choir. They sang with strong voices to inspire us in worship.

It is all of our hope that the children and youth will continue to ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK as they continue their Christian journey.

~~~~~~~~~~Capital Campaign

by Jack Davis

 Thanks once again to all who have supported the Capital Campaign, Warm and Dry, Part III, Through the Roof, with your gifts and pledges. The roof is adding to the church’s beauty and functionality and the damage to lawns and sidewalks caused by heavy equipment is being fixed. Meantime, we continue to make our monthly payments according to the favorable financing arrangement secured by the Vestry and Wardens.

These payments continue every month, so as we get into the vacation season, please keep current on your kind pledges. We continue to add incrementally to our pledge total, which is now nearly $215,000. All funds remaining after paying the cost of the roof will go into a new endowment specifically set up for future property repairs and improvements. 

So, if you did not get an opportunity to pledge or contribute during the campaign, or if circumstances have changed to allow a larger gift or pledge than you originally contemplated, your further support is gratefully welcomed.

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SEPTA Tokensfor Mothers’ Home

During the month of June, we will be collecting SEPTA tokens or money to buy SEPTA tokens for the women of Mothers’ Home.

In our effort to provide aid to the mothers and mothers-to-be, our mission includes a variety of ways to help the women live more fulfilling lives. SEPTA tokens are in high demand as they help the moms get to jobs, doctors appointments, school, etc.

Please support our effort to help these ladies by giving a little extra on Sundays or via the church office by mail or in person. Clearly note on an envelope or check memo that the money you give is slated for the Mothers’ Home.

Thank You for helping this worthy cause.

Calling all Holy Comforter Folding Chairs…

Please come back! We need you!

In the last year, we have “lost” many of the folding chairs that were stored on racks in the Upper Parish Hall.

At last year’s inventory we had 120 chairs upstairs and this year we have less than 80.

If you see one (or a group) of them wandering the neighborhood, please tell them there is an amnesty and they can return without penalty.

Comforter Submissions

If you would like to submit information to be included in the July Comforter, please submit to Ann Marie Escher by Thursday, June 20. There is NO grace period as I typically ask for submissions by the 20th of each month.

If possible, submit your information in a Microsoft Word document with the doc extension (not docx) emailed to LessMessStress@yahoo.com.

If this is not convenient for you, please just send the information in an email message or send a note to the church office to Ann Marie’s attention.

We welcome your submissions.

First Annual Piglet RoastVolunteers Needed

Please lend a hand to make our first Piglet Roast a success.

The Roast starts at 5 p.m. and we need volunteers to come ahead of time to help set up tables, get ice, and perform other tasks involved.

The Roast will be held on Saturday, June 22. We are asking volunteers to come by 3 p.m. that day.

Please Call Chris Stanley (610-259-8613) June 17- 21 to let her know you are available to help.

Summary of Vestry Minutes for May 21, 2013

Vestry Meeting was called to order by 7:15 p.m.

Vestry Members in Attendance—Ben Johns, Bill Kunigonis, Chris Stanley, Jim Gardner, Dean Gray, Joanne Christopher, Sharon Yost, Angela DiDato, and Harper Lazo

Vestry Members not in Attendance—Harry Thompson, Mimi Lyon, and Sara Risi

Approval of April Minutes—Minutes were accepted as written.

Correspondence—Chris Stanley received a thank-you note from the director of the Domestic Abuse Center for our recent gifts.

Rector’s Report—Father Jonathan spoke about a contact he made in Dallas, Texas in the winter. We will host a one-day conference with Carrie Boren on September 28th. The conference will focus on how to evangelize and share your faith in a non-scary way. Other area churches will be participating as well. Financial Report—Jack Davis and Dean Gray—Expenses and income are pretty well-balanced with the exception of a few surprise repairs. The quarterly withdraw was made from the Endowment. Pledges and donations are a future topic.

Property Committee Report—Jim Gardner— One entire rack’s worth of folding chairs are missing and need to be returned. (80 chairs)

Christian Education and Formation Report—Sharon Yost—Update on the process and where we are at this point.

Lay Eucharistic Minister’s Report—Dean Gray—Tabled until June

Acolytes Report—Sharon Yost—Tabled until June

Old Business

Jim Gardner—AED purchase—$2200 each (Heron) Bill Kunigonis had information on the AED—Zoll product—Purchase adult pads/child pads with possible discount from $2200 to $1500 including the cabinet. Staff needs to be trained—need a doctor to write a prescription and to have a training packet. Chris Stanley made the motion to purchase the AED at the rate Bill had secured. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Fundraising—Chris Stanley offered to coordinate this committee

Summer Party—Chris Stanley—offered her home for a Pig Roast—June 22 or June 23rd—BYOB—sign-ups for drinks, desserts—not a fundraiser—a charge for the food—5:00-7:30.

Family Movie Night—Angela DiDato—Movie cards to be placed in the collection plates—pick a movie—another alternative is Wii activities—possible days—Thursday or mid-afternoon on a Saturday—looking at the fall and for the holidays.

CPR Class—Angela DiDato—She can’t certify, she can demonstrate—we will wait for a training on the AED.

Photo Directory pictures are coming up at the end of May.The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

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9:30a Morning Prayer C5p Evensong C7p AA Meeting LPH

4:30p Evensong C 5p Evensong C 9:30a Morning Prayer C5p Evensong MS

9:00a Property Workday: Kitchen and Lower Parish Hall Fix-Up

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4:30p Great Litany C7:15 p Vestry Meeting

5p Evensong C7p Aids for Friends cooking dinner LPH

9:30a Morning Prayer C5p Evensong MS

Comforter newsletter submissions due

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