October St. Clarian newsletter

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Dear Ones,

I was moved that Jessie and I were asked by Rabbi Josh Whinston to share in a month-long series of daily reflections on forgiveness leading up to the holy day of Yom Kippur. I thought I would re-print my contribution for St. Clarians.

Dear temple members,

I am thankful to be asked to be included in your series of reflections on forgiveness as the Christian pastor of St Clare’s. As a teenager I loved the dark funny novels of Kurt Vonnegut, although I had far less of a clue about what forgiveness really involves than I did mistrust and critical judgment. Later I discovered that although he was not a Christian, Vonnegut was invited to preach at an Episcopal parish in 1980. Vonnegut lived through many horrors during World War II, and this was his sermon thesis based on the famous “sermon on the mount” of Jesus of Nazareth found in chapters five through seven of the gospel of Matthew: “Being merciful, it seems to me, is the only good idea we have received so far.”

At the time I learned of Mr. Vonnegut’s sermon I think I understood that forgiveness was nice and admirable, but it felt weak at times, or even, unjust. Like many, I think I confused surrendering hostility and enmity and wishing harm to others with surrendering also, the desire that people be accountable to one another, and that in fact, we should in spite of its seeming inconvenience and difficulty, subject ourselves to mutual accountability out of love. Forgiveness is one of the most powerful creative things we can do, it now seems to me. It has changed my life, and changed me for the better, and I have thrived as a result of the compassion and positive concern of others.

Nearly all of the harm done by Christians, at least, as religious people in history, and particularly to Jewish people, has arisen from power, competition, mistrust, misunderstanding, hostility, and lack of mercy and forgiveness. So it is paradoxical that for any person in the role of oppressor or bringer of harm, or at least ill will, one of the things that leads to mutual accountability and new understanding, is first, forgiveness received from, or offered to, another you think incorrect or “less than.” It is why perhaps the most painfully ignored words of Jesus for Christians from that sermon on the mount is “love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” Humans are guilty of profound betrayal of God, self and others, and it unleashes great harm. The harder follow up task we too often also fail at: if you want to approach God, and remember that someone has “something against you,” “go, first be reconciled.”

It took me about seven years to do this with effort and follow through after my first marriage failed. This is the longest struggle that I am aware of having to make about an important life investment full of mutual bitterness. But it unleashed good to do so, where before it was bound. The other aspect of life where I have most struggled and maybe grown in the power of forgiveness is whenever a feeling of being betrayed or tricked has happened to me. Thankfully, forgiveness is a better feeling with better results than pain or anger. And trying to create reconciled relationships is the thing that has most impressed and moved me in all people whom I see doing this, as they are attended by the glistening of the glory of God, and it is “mercy, alleluia.” – in love, James Rhodenhiser

So is there a connection between forgiveness and being a good steward of ourselves, and particularly, our money? My dad used to say, “It's only money, so we had better figure how best to make use of it to help.” I will write each of you a pastoral letter in a month or so to encourage you as you consider yourselves as God’s stewards for the coming year. You are all very dear to me.

In Christ’s love,

NEWS AND EVENTS

FALL FUNdraising FESTIVAL: On October 8 from 3 to 6 p.m., we'll have a silent auction, beer and wine tasting, carnival style games, and activities for all ages with all funds benefiting St. Clare’s Outreach Projects, including the Haiti Outreach Mission and Back Door Food Pantry. If you love the Haiti Gala, this is event is for you. If you’ve never attended the Haiti Gala, this event is for you. If you are 80, this event is for you. If you are 8, this event is for you, too! You can buy your tickets online on or before Friday, October 7 (click here), or at the door.

TASTY TUESDAY TOGETHER: Mark your calendars for Tasty Tuesday Together! Once a month we gather for a community-wide meal on a Tuesday evening. We’ll have homecooked meals by Christine Modey and Adam Lowen some months, and other months the meal will be catered. Dinner is served from 5:30 to 7 p.m. There will be vegan and gluten-free options each month. The suggested donation to cover the cost of the dinner is $8/person and $5/child (12 and under).

October 18
November 15
January 17
February 28
March 21
April 25
May 16
June 20

DIOCESAN CONVENTION: This year the convention will be Friday and Saturday, October 21-22, at the Lansing Center in Lansing. Everyone is encouraged to attend the convention to learn more about the various workings of the Diocese. You can find more details at www.edomi.org/convention. The convention needs MANY volunteers to help keep the convention running, serving as greeters/hospitality, tellers, and setting up or breaking down vendor displays. In addition to our gratitude, volunteers receive special treats and perks. Convention volunteers may also take advantage of the special room rates available to delegates. For more information, or to request a volunteer form, please contact Julie Travis, Volunteer Coordinator, at pcjuli@yahoo.com or 734-233-7334.

GENESIS GROUNDS CLEAN UP: Sunday, October 30, 1 to 4 p.m.
Help Wanted: Come when you can, leave when you must.
Only an hour to spare? Perfect!

HOLY BAPTISM: The next opportunity for baptism will be on Sunday, November 6 (All Saints’ Sunday). Speak with James or Jessie if you are interested in baptism for yourself or your child.

ROTATING SHELTER: During Thanksgiving week (November 21--28), we will be hosting 15-25 homeless men overnight in our building. This is a joint effort of St. Clare's, Temple Beth Emeth, and Blue Ocean Faith. You'll hear more about the project in the weeks to come, but if you want to get a jump on signing up to volunteer, click here.

MINISTRY TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

PARTNERING TOGETHER: We work together--parents and the church--to create time and space for the children of St. Clare's to experience and learn about God's love. I am asking that each family sign up for at least one volunteer opportunity as they each benefit from the ministry we do with children at St. Clare's. Click here to sign up.

DINNER FOR PARENTS: Parents of kids and teens at St. Clare’s are invited to a dinner gathering in your honor on October 28. Children are invited to a play date with dinner at church at 5:30 p.m. Once you've dropped off the kids for a night of fun, join parents from St. Clare's for dinner and a time of celebrating our shared mission--guiding our children on their faith journeys. We'll end in time to pick up the kids at 7:45 p.m. RSVP by Friday, October 21, using this Evite. Let us know if you have any dietary restrictions.

STORYSONG: TOGETHER WITH GOD. Tuesdays from 5 to 5:30 p.m., all children (birth to preschool) and their parents are invited to join Xan Morgan and Charlotte DeVries for a time of listening to stories, praying and singing together. Children’s Choir happens simultaneously for elementary-aged children. Our StorySong choir will lead us in worship by singing in church regularly. As your child’s primary faith former, this time will equip you with ways to talk about God with your little ones. Following Story Song and Children’s Choir, we have a pizza dinner and time to play outside.

SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SCOOP FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN: Jesus welcomed children and encouraged us to welcome them in his name. We take our baptismal promise seriously to nurture all children committed to our care. We believe that the body of Christ in worship is incomplete without them. The presence of children is essential for both the full congregation and for the children themselves because worship is one of the basic ways in which people of any age learn what it means to be Christian.

In order to help your children (and you!) feel comfortable in worship, we have Peaceful Packs available for children in three different developmental stages. For our youngest children, the packs will help them enjoy being in the space while playing with quiet materials. For preschoolers, we hope that the activities will help them have fun while engaging in worship a little more than before. And lastly, the bags for early-elementary students have activities that invite them to respond to what they are hearing and seeing in worship.

The rack of Peaceful Packs is in the Sanctuary. Children are invited to take a bag at the beginning of worship. When they are ready for new activities, we ask that the kids put the activities back into the Peaceful Pack and return it to the rack to pick out a new one. Please help your children practice using the materials in a way that will help them last for them and their friends in worship.

In the Peaceful Packs you will also find tips for parents to help your kids engage in worship. We want you and your kids to feel comfortable worshiping in the space. Here is a little info about two of our services.

9:00 service: Children are welcome to move in the space. Some parents feel more comfortable having their children walk in socks or slippers, this is of course fine with us. Adjacent to the sanctuary is the family room. This room is available during all services as a space for children to play with parent supervision in the room. There is a speaker dial on the wall that allows you to listen to the worship service.

10:30 service: Children (2yrs-5th grade) are in Church School for the first half of the 10:30 service. They return after the sermon and before the Peace, just slightly after 11:00. During this service we have a staffed nursery. The nursery is for babies through three year olds. You’ll find the nursery room one flight down from the main floor, in room 3. Adjacent to the sanctuary is the family room; it is available during all services as a space for children to play with parent supervision in the room. There is a speaker dial on the wall that allows you to listen to the worship service.

YOUTH MINISTRY

YOUTH GROUP FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS: This year we’ll continue to do Sunday School with Blue Ocean Faith on Sunday mornings. The class meets in the Youth Lounge (downstairs) from 10:30 to 11 a.m. each Sunday, and is led by the Blue Ocean Youth Director, Caroline Kittle. Folks are invited to gather around 10:15 a.m. for fellowship before the class begins at 10:30 a.m. All 6th to 8th graders are welcome to attend the class. Jayin will be attending the class as our St. Clare’s representative so you can look for her friendly face when you attend the class! Stay tuned for additional opportunities to gather together as a middle school group.

YOUTH GROUP FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS: We’ll finally kick off our routine of meeting regularly as a high school youth group this month. I’m excited to announce that we have a great team of adult leaders this year. Matt Ranville will continue to serve in this ministry. Dana Nichols, a leader in our church whom many of you already know, will join Matt in this role. It will be a wonderful year together. Please mark your calendars for our pilgrimage planning meetings that we have this month. Those dates are below in our youth calendar. Hopefully by next month we’ll know where we’re going and we can really start planning and fundraising for this experience.

HAPPENING (November 18-20, St. Stephen's, Wyandotte): Happening is more than a Youth Event. It’s an experience. You’ll find yourself telling your friends, family, and complete strangers of the things that happened at Happening! Happening is a retreat program for high school youth used throughout the Episcopal Church. We do everything from praying to playing, and from singing to sleeping. There are talks, small groups, free time and fun. We come together to praise God in an amazing environment, and hope you will join us this year too! Happening begins on Friday, November 18, at 6 p.m., and continues through Sunday, November 20, at 5:30 p.m. Happening is for students in 9th -12th grades. Cost: $50 (scholarships available)

YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY

As some of you know, one of my areas of ministry here at St. Clare’s is young adult ministry. This includes all adults aged 18 through 40. In some ways, this is an odd age group. Some of us are in college, some work fulltime, some are married, some are not, some have kids, and some don't. I hope that we'll all gather in our different circumstances and support and learn from one another as we grow in relationship and faith. When we gather we'll do different things. We'll worship, participate in service opportunities, do Bible study, have conversation, eat together, and more. Hopefully we'll also have the chance to get together with some other Episcopal young adults in the area as well. More to come on that later. If you’re 18 through 40, this ministry exists for you, and I'm eager to hear your needs and desires as we build this together. Below you can find our dates for meetings for the next few months. Gatherings will happen either at my house in Ypsilanti or at church. Please contact me if you’d like to know more (jessie@saintclareschurch.org).

Saturday, October 15, at 4 p.m.

Wednesday, October 26, at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, November 11, at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, November 30, at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, December 10, at 6:30 p.m.

HIGHLIGHTS OF WHAT THE VESTRY HAS BEEN UP TO IN 2016

This year the vestry began February still very involved with the third round of interviews over seven months in our search for an Assistant Rector. At our leadership retreat, we considered the following questions:

In light of what we’ve learned from Requiem or Renaissance and New Facts on Growth and Decline, where do you feel that God is challenging us to grow, empower others, and attract new members?
Where are our green shoots, and where are the challenges we can address to improve our overall functioning?
Where do we imagine that new investments of leadership and resources may contribute to thriving? That is, where can we put our energy that will encourage people to grow in faith, include members in new ways, and reach people we have not reached before?
We have retiring baby-boomers who have emerging new needs in life and many members in their 30s and 40s who lead very busy lives. How can we better serve these groups?
How can we extend our reach to 18-30 year old young adults?

Discussion led to goals that have evolved in the following months. At our March meeting the vestry was happy to concur in the hiring of The Rev. Jessie Gutgsell. In the process of hiring, we also learned that new diocesan policies about housing make having a second clergyperson somewhat more expensive than previously. We believed, and already see, that “hiring Jessie” was a significant move to achieve better ministry to 18-30 year olds.

A major theme of involvement of the vestry this year has been outreach and social justice. The Haiti Outreach Mission was the focus of a number of meetings. We extensively discussed how to deepen our investment in leadership and planning in this regional group, how to achieve greater results and ways to build on past success in Haiti. This vestry goal has taken more time and energy than we originally realized. It is on-going, and one manifestation of this involvement will be the “Fall Fundraiser Festival” to support our Outreach Ministries in Haiti and locally. This event will be broader in scope, and will happen a bit earlier in the day to facilitate broader participation by our congregation. In addition, the desire of the vestry for a new social justice outreach project that would raise our visibility and partner with others became a cooperative refugee resettlement ministry effort of the three congregations in our building that continues to bear fruit. Furthermore, in the early spring a number of people on vestry worked for a few months to bring about another successful SOS Sunday in early May in cooperation with the Blue Ocean congregation.

Another task group of the vestry has worked at the vestry goal:

Develop the most effective digital communication strategies in order to reach our current members, and potential new members.

As part of this effort, the newsletter is being assembled and delivered differently now. Did you notice? Your input and help is welcome!

In August the vestry focused on the goal of increasing our community building and care for one another. We heard a report from Matt Pinsky and discussed various aspects of community building and care for our members, including our successful Tasty Tuesday Together monthly meal, and a new monthly luncheon on Thursdays, Food for the Soul (which expanded to twice a month in September). We also discussed efforts to strengthen our welcome of Newcomers. Joanne Heaton has agreed to serve as our “Welcome Coordinator” with current newcomers.

Another continuing topic this year has been pending capital needs of our building for the fixing and repair of durable aspects of the building that wear out over time, and possible improvements in its function and appearance. Finally, the continuing topic and project of the work on a “round two” of a bridge building process across cultural and religious gaps to enhance relationships among leaders in the two congregations demanded some heavy-lifting by St. Clare's and temple leaders, and more discussion than we originally realized would be necessary. This finally came to a wonderful conclusion and plan for bridge-building adopted in September, described elsewhere in this newsletter. It seems likely that in several years we will be having joint meetings with temple members to discuss how to make our building the best asset it can be for ministry in the twenty-first century.

GENESIS

BRIDGE BUILDING PLAN: The third leg of the Genesis Partnership Renewal Discussions has concluded with a jointly approved Bridge Building Plan! You may remember that, after the series of meetings between the boards of Temple Beth Emeth, St Clare’s, and Genesis in the spring of 2015, three follow-up groups were convened to work on aspects of the partnership that could use clarification and positive investments. The first to conclude was the Genesis Purpose and Principles group, producing what is now called the Genesis Renewal Covenant. The second took longer, but produced a new Equity and Space Sharing Agreement with important new methods to work together to share the space and its costs. The third covered how we might build relationships among congregational leaders and Genesis Board leaders so that learning, trust, and a greater capacity to understand and help face challenges would result. This became known as the “Bridge Building Proposal,” which has now been adopted by both congregation’s boards. This is great news! You may read the document itself at www.saintclareschurch.org/BridgeBuilding.

To summarize, the purpose of this plan is “to build positive relationships among lay leaders and address issues that affect relationships between the congregations or among the three boards.” This will make addressing challenges or gaps in understanding much easier in the future, and to help us learn and gain valuable bridge-building skills as leaders and congregations, the joint Bridge Building Committee of lay leaders “may provide opportunities to learn about community building, mediation skills, conflict resolution, and other related areas.”

Discussing why we might benefit from this plan, and designing it, was new territory in some ways. The plan is full of promise for a deep and positive relationship between the congregations and their leadership. St Clare’s leadership is grateful and excited to have come to this plan together with Temple leadership. Much thanks should be given to Temple Presidents Susan Gitterman (past) and Ketl Freedman-Doan (current), and St. Clare’s Senior Wardens Dana Nichols (past), Christine Modey (past), and Rachid Hatem (current) for their hard work over a significant period of time, and two iterations of a joint committee to come to a proposal that shines with the effort of prolonged refinement and discussion.

The Genesis Board concurred with the action of the congregational boards at its September 28 meeting. At St. Clare’s next Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 29, we will ask our congregation to endorse this bridge building plan.

ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR THE GENESIS HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Background: The Genesis Humanitarian Award is generally presented every two years at the Erev Thanksgiving Service. “The Genesis Humanitarian Award promotes recognition of people and organizations whose actions exemplify the Genesis Vision, that by embracing mutual trust, respect, and appreciation of all people, and living the ideals of faith and inclusiveness, together we work to heal a broken world.” Usually, the giving of Genesis Humanitarian Award alternates back and forth between both congregations – one time given to a St. Clare congregant the next time to a Temple Beth Emeth congregant. This year, the call is for nominations for two awards--one from each congregation. We know during the past few years many congregants have stood out sinking heart and soul into developing the improved Genesis relationship with which we are now blessed. Then there are those among us who throw heart and soul into social action activities as well as volunteer at several community organizations which exemplify our combined outreach into our community, like the Back Door Food Pantry, Food Gatherers, or the Interfaith Hospitality Network. Among all these worthy individuals and groups, we seek to recognize two who inspire all of us for the future which lies ahead.

Nominating Instructions: A nomination for the Genesis Humanitarian Award shall consist of the following documentation:

A letter of nomination proposing the candidate with biographical and professional background and documentation supporting the presence of a Genesis Spirit.
Supporting nominations of a given candidate are also accepted/encouraged.

Nominations will be accepted until Tuesday, November 1, and should be submitted to:

Mike Wolf, Genesis Facility Coordinator
Genesis of Ann Arbor
2309 Packard Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

FELLOWSHIP AND GROWTH

FOOD FOR THE SOUL LUNCH: October brings two opportunities on Thursdays (October 6 & 20) to join us for our mid-day worship in the sanctuary at noon, followed by a catered lunch at 12:45 p.m. in rooms 9/10. The long-standing Bible Study, which is open to all, continues to meet from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Adult Lounge. RSVP to www.saintclareschurch.org/foodforthesoul by the Tuesday prior. Suggested donation is $7/person to cover the cost of the food.

PRAYER PARTNER MINISTRY: The Prayer Partner ministry is intended to make sure every youth in 6th to 12th grade, whether or not they are actively involved in youth group activities, knows that they have at least one non-parent/youth-leader adult at church who cares about them and who will communicate that the church cares about them and is a place for them, at whatever level or time they are ready to think about that message. Prayer Partners are asked to commit to the following.

Once a Day: Pray for their partnered youth. This could be about specific needs or situations occurring in the youth’s life, to hold those before God and ask for wholeness. Alternately they pray for the needs we all have--for health, safety, a sense of being loved, etc.
Once a Month: Check in with their youth, either by phone or in person. Sometimes this is as simple as a casual lunch, trip to get ice cream, or just hanging out together.

There are also few opportunities for youth and prayer partners to gather as a group. In past years we have had tailgates, pool parties, and game nights. If you are interested in helping to support the spiritual life of youth in our church, please contact Erin Ranville (ejranville@gmail.com) about possible partner opportunities.

DAILY PRAYER: The services of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer for today, yesterday, and the next four weeks are available on this site to help you find time for God during your day. Church House Publishing have produced a new, free Daily Prayer app to make it even easier to access Daily Prayer wherever you are. Thanks to Gabe Villasurda for directing us to this resource.

A SEASON OF PRAYER: FOR AN ELECTION. This election season has been among the most contentious in recent memory. But whatever our politics, as Christians we always have something we can do. We can pray. For the 30 days leading up to the election, Forward Movement is calling Episcopalians and all others to join us in a time of prayer. Read more here. Thanks to Erin Ranville for directing us to this resource.