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A New Program Year Brings St. George’s New Opportunities and Old Favorites

By The Rev. Dr. Paul S. Nancarrow

As the activities of summer wind down, preparations for a new program year of service and celebration at St. George’s begin to wind up. Our plans for 2002-2003 are full of opportunities for work and worship, mission and ministry, new projects and continuing traditions, as we live out our Christian calling together.

On Sunday, September 8, we will have our annual Sunday School Kickoff. Kitty Reese is the Sunday School Coordinator this year, and has assembled a great team of teachers to help our younger parishioners grow and explore their faith. This will be our second year using the Episcopal Children’s Curriculum for the elementary-age children and the Episcopal Curriculum for Youth for junior and senior high kids. Teachers and children alike expressed their liking for this curriculum last year; parents are also encouraged to note the take-home materials this curriculum offers, and the chance for parents to share in their children’s faith development. Kickoff Sunday will also provide an opportunity to meet their teachers and to register for their classes.

Please be sure to register; the doors are always open to children, of course, but it is very helpful to us to have a registered count of students in the program.

Also during the week of the 8th, we will welcome Mary Phelps to St. George’s as our Seminary Intern for the academic year. Mary is a student at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and is preparing for ordination to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church. Mary is a parishioner at St. David’s in Minnetonka, and has been active there in a wide range of lay ministries, as well as working for St. David’s Press. In her role as intern, Mary will work with our lay pastoral care ministry and Lay Eucharistic Visitors, she will be involved in Sunday worship, and she will be getting some hands-on experience with parish administration. Having a seminary intern is a great way for St. George’s to live out its mission to be a “teaching parish”; please welcome Mary and help her make her time here a good time of learning and growing in discipleship for us all.

As we approach the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, we are naturally drawn to reflect on our nation’s strength and our nation’s vulnerability in the world, on how much has changed and how much has remained the same in the last year, and on how our faith sustains us in difficult times. St. David’s Church will be hosting a special service that evening at which Christian, Muslim, and Jewish leaders will pray and reflect on where we’ve been in the last year and where we might be going together in the future. All area churches have been invited to participate; rather than hold our own service that day, I am encouraging St. Georgites to attend the service at St. David’s and bear witness to the larger relationships that make us stronger together.

Christian education for adults will get going again with a new series of Wednesday School classes beginning on September 18. The first in the series will be “So We Believe in Jesus: Now what? - a Practical Study of the book of Acts.” This course will look at selected stories from the Acts of the Apostles to see how the first believers in Jesus moved from believing in Christ to behaving in Christ, and will ask how we might follow their example to make that same transition in ourselves. Why did Philip share his faith with a complete stranger? Why did Peter go to the house of a Roman soldier, when he had never hung out with Gentiles before? Why did Paul argue philosophy with the intelligentsia in Athens? In each case, their faith made a practical difference in the choices they made and the things they did. We can learn from their stories how faith can make a practical difference for us, too.

Classes later in the fall will include “Henry the Eighth and All That” on Anglican church history, and “Second Advent” on apocalyptic teaching in the New Testament.

And, as always, we will have opportunities to join in continuing ministries at St. George’s: the annual Coat Drive, Habitat for Humanity Day(s), Dinner at Your Door deliveries, Confirmation preparation, United Thank Offering ingathering, Sunday worship and fellowship. This promises to be a good time for St. George’s as we grow in our year’s goals to develop a mission-mindset, to set our youth ministry on a stable foundation, and to strengthen our pastoral care ministries, so that we Listen, Proclaim, Serve and Celebrate together in the love of God.

We’re Connecting!

From all reports, parishioners are connecting over this summer of 2002. If you haven’t been visited yet in our Parish Connection process, you can expect to be contacted soon. This is becoming a valuable experience in getting to know each other. Results of the interviews will help the vestry and parish mission planners to do their job as St. George’s moves from a “maintenance” mindset to a “mission” mindset in our parish life. While paying attention to keeping the church roof repaired, lawn mowed, etc. is very important, this process is helping us to better understand the mission God wants for us.

The Parish Connection calls are slated to be completed by the end of September. This will pretty much mark the end of our summer season and the beginning of a bit busier time for all of us. Please make yourselves available when you’re called to arrange a visit to your home. You’ll be contributing to our mission visioning process and you’ll enjoy the experience!

German’s Concert is a Community Event!

When Der Chor Belcanto performs in concert at St. George’s at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday September 29, it will be a community event. St. George’s has invited our Lutheran friends from Ascension, First, Reformation and Wooddale Lutheran churches. We have celebrated Lenten services with them these last two years. We’re inviting the rest of the community to join us as well, but these four parishes are special friends. Please invite your friends and neighbors to come too, and enjoy the concert and our beautiful church.

St. Georges will dedicate a free will offering to Compassion International, a worldwide organization dedicated to helping children in poverty all over the world. Compassion provides schooling in a Christian setting and supports children’s physical needs in order to equip them for life.

If you’d like to see and hear Belcanto elsewhere while they’re in the area, you can attend the Saturday September 28 public mass at 5:00

p.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. You can also catch them at the Wilderness Theater in the Mall of America on Weds. October 2 at 5:00 p.m.

While we have host homes for some of the choir members, there are still a number of opportunities to have them stay with you over the weekend. They arrive Friday, September 27 and depart Monday morning, September 30. Please let us know if you can be a host. It’s a hospitality experience with an international flavor!

John and Sandy Stonhouse

952-920-4024

ECS Gala 2002!

Gala 2002 is a special evening to celebrate the work of Episcopal Community Services (ECS) and to raise essential support for families and youth through the Upper Midwest.

Last year, the ECS Gala raised over $60,000. Through the generosity of the nearly three hundred supporters who attended, and through the many volunteers, auction and cash donors, hundreds of struggling families and children throughout the State of Minnesota are experiencing more stability and hope in their lives, some for the first time ever.

This year, we are again asking for your participation. To meet the increasing demand for our services in this challenging economic environment, we will rely heavily on raising funds through the ECS Gala again in 2002.

Would you be be kind enough to donate an auction item this year? Would you like to volunteer with our planning committee? Would you be willing to sponsor a table and attend with a group of friends? Your contribution, along with the support of other generous individuals like you in your community, is critical to the success of this event.

The ECS Gala is planned for Friday, October 18 at the Depot in Minneapolis. It promises to be an exciting celebration held in a wonderful setting. Please plan to join us!

Date: Friday, October 18

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Place: The Depot

For more information:

Ticket sales—Katie Hardy at

952-926-7156

Email—

thehardys@usinternet.com

Auction donations– Julie Baker

at 952-928-9611

Email-djbaker2@aol.com

From the Minister of Music

To the members of St. George’s: ‘Tis the end of the summer when the thoughts of a wandering musician turn to the problem—how to schedule the music for the next three months (what I call my “pre-Christmas package”!) and also think ahead of those exciting projects coming up.

Then I think of all those little details that come to my attention, each one having some sort of impact on each carefully laid-out plan I’ve been working on. This is the part of the job that none of you (except other choir directors and organists) ever hear about. This is why I appreciate and try to gather all of those “heart’s desires” concerning music from you.

This, of course, is a little lead-in to my request: if you have a thought concerning some major musical events that would “stretch” us as a musical community (and obviously one which you would want to support with your prayers and presence), LET ME KNOW! I’ve actually found in my twenty-five years of being a church musician that my planning goes much smoother when I have the “big events” in place. Then the normal Sunday planning goes even smoother. Just a thought!

Our choir doings will get started as usual on Sunday, September 8 at 8:30 a.m. in the choir room. (In case you don’t know, it’s next door to the chapel). This is a good time to consider, if I don’t know of your interest, to join in and augment our small but mighty forces. It’s amazing what a few new, enthusiastic and loyal members will do for a choir program. We have had a few recently who I think very highly of for their support. But the major kudos go to the stalwart members who are the very heart of this church. You know who they are—and God definitely has their names down in that golden choir members book.

So let’s get this musical ball rolling again in September and “ride that train to glory”. Most sincerely, in His service and yours, Lawrence Henry, Minister of Music (alias M.o.M.)

Parish Teams Open Houses

I’ve heard a few people wondering what the parish Open Houses are all about. They are NOT about recruiting people to work on the teams. Very simply, they ARE a way to: acknowledge the wonderful work the various groups and teams within St. George’s do; learn about what, exactly, the teams do, including current and upcoming events and projects; find out how God enriches the lives of those doing His work in the parish; and maybe, discovering a calling for yourself in working with one of the teams.

Come to one of the parish Teams Open Houses. Team members would appreciate the support and you might just find it a very rewarding experience.

Bishop Appoints Jan Hagerman

Everyone in the congregation can witness Jan Hagerman’s commitment to children. Now, she’s taken that commitment to a higher level. Bishop James Jelinek has appointed Jan to a 3-year term as a trustee of the Sheltering Arms Foundation effective July 1, 2002.

The Sheltering Arms Foundation’s mission is to enhance the lives of children and help them reach their full potential—especially those experiencing barriers to success. As a Minnesota based grant-making organization, governed by a Board of Trustees of women volunteers representing various Episcopal congregations through the state, the foundation supports programs benefiting children and their families with the least access to resources, and are least likely to have a wide array of choices about their future.

In the past 12 months, the sheltering Arms foundation, the successor organization of the sheltering Arms Orphanage, Hospital and School, awarded $530,000 to support a total of 39 vital programs that respond to the many challenges facing children and families through the state. Jan will begin her term as a new trustee on the grant-making committee.

Jan is already St. George’s parish liaison to the congregations concerned for children, which coordinates parish level work throughout a number of congregations in the Twin cities. The CCC is part of the Children’s Advocacy Network, an umbrella organization that advocates for all children, especially those most at risk. Jan is also participating in another CAN group, Ready for K, that coordinates the efforts of a wide range of early childhood programs.

Congratulations, Jan, on taking your love of children into the community. Children are one of God’s greatest gifts and your advocacy for them is a wonderful way to celebrate God’s presence in our everyday lives.

John Hagerman’s Recipe for a Corn Feed

1 Very Helpful Wife

175 Ears of Very Good Corn

200 Pcs. Roasted chicken

2 Pots Baked Beans

3 Gallons Vanilla Ice Cream

1 Group of Very Helpful People

1 LARGE Group Very Hungry People

Putting these ingredients together just the right way makes for a very wonderful time. A few people to spend a couple of hours with set-up (Joan Kimble, Maurine Bernier and the Stonhouses) really set the presentation for the recipe.

The food, of course, is paramount to this recipe. A thank-you to the Cadys for their wonderful beans and, of course, the Gysland’s for the corn and veggies. What a great year for corn!

Oh yes, the hungry people! The largest number in a long time came this year, just over 100. To the best of anyone’s knowledge nobody left hungry.

Add a little fun, with a shucking contest and door prizes for a little pep. Four teams had all the corn shucked in under 5 minutes! True, some teams were a little faster or a little tidier, but the job got done! Harry Kelley gets a BIG thank you for all of the great door prizes he was able to get for us!

The final step for this recipe is, of course, the clean-up. Like all steps though, it is not a tough one. A thank-you to Shirley Brown for making sure it all got done. This recipe really takes very little time to prepare. You just have to make sure there are some good people who can help you put it together, who know they are going to have some fun and make people happy and FULL.

Those little extras that you add also make it that much better. Another thank-you to all who volunteered their help at the corn feed itself: the Zauns, Susan Faus, Leslie Olufson, Kathie Brown, Laura Harmon, and, of course, Patty D. Who would believe that going to Sam’s Club with two small children on her day off would be one of her favorite activities!

Dental Mission to Honduras - Rosie and Lou Michelich

In July, we went to Honduras on a dental mission trip. Peace Lutheran Church in Dallas, Texas organized the trip. Twenty-eight people were on the team; they were from Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa and Minnesota. The six American dentists were joined by five Honduran dentists for three of the five days we provided dental care. Several local students helped by being interpreters. We stayed near the city of Santa Rita de Copan.

We worked in a new medical clinic that had no equipment when we arrived. In three hours we transformed the building into a functional dental clinic with areas for oral hygiene, triage surgery, restorative, sterilization and mechanical. Each morning, when we arrived at the clinic, there were 150 people lined up outside of the building. Some had been there since 5 a.m. We treated 550 people in five days, removed 1800 teeth and did over 700 fillings. The workday was from 8 a.m. to 6 .m. with a short lunch break. Every patient was given oral hygiene instruction, a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, and a Bible.

There were no lights in the facility. Dentists and assistants used head lamps and flashlights. One treatment area had two collapsible dental chairs—each one fit into a large duffel bag. Another area had six homemade plywood chairs that had cushions on them. We brought everything that we needed with us—including two electric generator sets and an air compressor.

All ages of patients were seen—from children to the elderly. Dental care is available I a nearby town, but many people cannot afford dental treatment. People were very appreciative of the treatment we made available to them. One day a woman who had been seen in the clinic gave us a beautiful bouquet of tropical flowers.

On our free day, we visited the Mayan ruins at Copan and had time to shop for souvenirs. We took many pictures of all our activities and would love to share them with you. We have both a photo album and Internet page for those who are interested. If you’d like to see our album, please call us at home at 763-553-1506.

If you are interested in viewing them on the Internet, send an e-mail to lou@michelich.com