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Sisters and brothers:
If you've tuned into the news lately, no doubt you have heard reports about the action President Trump has taken - eliminating the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) Program. We need to be very clear: those who fit into this category are
not the same as illegal aliens. This action will have wide-ranging repercussions. Political pundits are hopeful that this will force Congress to act swiftly to create some sort of official legal status for these children and young adults. Frankly, I'm concerned that this Congress is more dysfunctional than "normal" and will be unable to reach any kind of agreement in time.
I realize that when it comes to illegal immigrants and immigration in general, some of our folks may not be be on the same page. But I think it is important to remind everyone that folks come here for a variety of reasons, and each one of those reasons is urgently important. (Perhaps even a matter of life or death!
) Otherwise, why take the risk? Why suffer the indecency of having to live in fear. Many are just one police stop away from deportation. There are many legal hoops that folks must jump through even when they are trying to follow all the regulations. It is both daunting and mind-boggling. (Not to mention expensive!)
Whether one realizes it or not, our parish has quite a few immigrants: KD, Victor, Theo, Alexis, Pedro, Sam, and Jose, just to name a few. They are not all in the same category. But they are each struggling to work through the slow and tedious system. We also need to be aware that we have parishes within our denomination that are predominantly Hispanic. In fact, their numbers now outweigh Caucasians. So this is an issue
that affects many in our denomination.
Immigration is complex. It is one of those issues with no clear-cut answers. I urge each of us to consider various factors that come into play. Safety is of course a concern, but consider what scripture has to say about the alien in our land and our "Christian" response to those in need. Consider also our own "family" and their struggles in this uncertain time.
Blessings!
Fr. Dewayne
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Friday
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Daytimers
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11:00 a.m.
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Sunday
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Sunday Worship
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11:00 a.m.
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Tuesday
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Midweek Fellowship Group
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6:00 p.m.
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| Wednesday |
Choir rehearsal |
7:00 p.m.
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Looking Ahead
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September 16
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3-Parish Potluck & Workshop
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6:00 p.m.
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September 24
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Feast of Title
Worship &
Celebration
BBQ to follow!
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11:00 a.m.
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October 1
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Pet Blessing Sunday
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11:00 a.m
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October 14
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Bizarre Bazaar
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noon-7:00 p.m.
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If you have updates about any of the names on the list below, please contact the church office at:
(918) 582-3088
or
You can also indicate changes on the the Prayer Request List (notebook on the table in the corner) in the narthex of the church.
Thanks so much for your help!
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Those who are ill or recovering
Sarah Vizza
Fr. Mark Sutton
Dale Gillman (Francie's husband)
Andy William (Tim Williams' brother)
Derrick Longacre
Wendy Wheaton (friend of Susan Schlesinger)
David Hedges ( " )
Sandy Chambers (niece of Paul Gossett)
Debbie Wilson (friend of Virginia Cohlmia)
Lisa Chaney ( " )
Myrna Campbell ( " )
Ray Voils
Penny Walker (friend of Lori Stem)
Gary Alexander - recovering from surgery
Herb & Ada Allison (Kelly Austin's in-laws)
Janice West (friend of Eric Sanchez)
Jonathan Cantrell
Roseann O'Brien
Those who are (or will be) traveling
Paul Gossett
Susan Schlesinger & Terri Miller
Virginia Cohlmia
Danny Mackey
Those who have died
Bruce Hagler
Harbor Leigh Vining
Shirley Cotham (friend of T. Geasland & C. Cherry-Jones)
Those in need of comfort or support
Everyone affected by Hurricane Irma
Everyone affected by Hurricane Harvey
Family of Bruce Hagler
Family of Harbor Vining
Jason Miller
Rachel Sutton
Elvis Mukombo
Theo Simatupang
Rod & Casey Conrad
The family of Jeanne Miles
Marie Welden
Marlon & Alexis
Celesta Birk, Steph Cantrell, Jonathan, Derrick, and Eden
In thanksgiving for birthdays and anniversaries
Bishop Rick Hollingsworth & John Voegele (September 1)
Larry Curtis (September 3)
Scott Goodpaster (September 3)
Ralph Krause (September 10)
Lori Stem (September 13)
Marcia Burrus & Mariellen Montgomery (September 14)
Armando Rodriguez (
September 22)
George Fadaol (
September 30)
John Voegele (September 30)
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Everyone has been struck by the severity of the recent hurricanes and their effects on so many people. Please consider donating through Episcopal Relief and Development. Click here to go to their page:
Please indicate that you are donating as a member of St. Jerome's Parish - Ecumenical Catholic Communion - as a way to help link the ECC and the Episcopal Church in partnership.
And bless you for your compassion and generosity.
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Every week--usually on Tuesday--the "church mouse" (aka the administrative assistant) records the contributions from Sunday's offerings, and every week, some folks use the offering envelopes for cash contributions. (That's a good thing!)
Our church mouse has asked
me to ask
you for a big favor: Would those of you who use the envelopes be willing to put first AND last names on the envelopes, please? Or, if all you want to write is
two names, just put last names. For example,
instead of being Elizabeth and Richard, put Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton--or just Taylor and Burton. Seems our mouse doesn't know everyone's last name by looking at the first name, and guessing/looking for names slows her way down, God bless 'er.
She made the request so politely and meekly, I agreed to include it in this edition of the ATP.
She said to tell you, "Thanks most kindly!"
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Our humble church mouse noticed right away that several of you had read the note last week and had helped her out by giving your last names.
Again, she said to tell you, "Thanks most kindly--a whole lot!"
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Georgia State University is looking for your help with an important LGBT survey being conducted by the LGBT Institute. According to their website:
"The goal of this research is to amplify the voices of LGBTQ  Southerners and highlight the issues affecting our lives. The survey touches on a broad range of topics, including education and employment, health and wellness, criminal justice and safety, sexual and gender identity, and discrimination."
To explore this for yourself,
click here to read more about it.
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By now most of you know that I am ready to step down as Pantry Director at year's end.
We are in need of a person (or persons) with organizational skills to help coordinate the operation of our pantry. There is already a great team of volunteers involved in the day-to-day tasks of helping clients shop; we just need a Food Pantry Director or, perhaps, leaders of teams, e.g. an ordering team, a team to monitor inventory, a person to maintain organized records, etc.
Here are some of the activities that keep the pantry up and running:
- Visit the Food Bank order website every week or so to see if they have items that we might need or want. If so, place an order and coordinate a time with volunteers to pick up the order and get it stocked in our pantry.
- Go to the Food Bank for shopping as needed-about every 2-3 weeks. This does not require an appointment, and on these trips we can shop for meat, dairy, produce, bread, and other items.
- Make sure all shifts are covered when the pantry is open. (This is usually taken care of, as there is a good crew in place covering most time slots.)
- Keep on top of paperwork for the Food Bank; prepare a monthly report (Raul takes care of that one); prepare an annual self-review; prepare for an onsite inspection every 3 years; make sure proper records are kept on file for orders. I can train you to do these pantry-related tasks; what you would bring would be the skills and temperament to be organized, to attend to details, and to plan ahead in order to meet deadlines.
- Maintain the Toiletry Pantry: Do a monthly inventory, place an order with Dollar Tree, then pick up the order with a few helpers when it's ready. For now Raul has these Toiletry Pantry duties covered.
- Oversee weekly upkeep of the pantry: stocking the shelves, keeping the room clean, keeping clients' paperwork updated (every 3-6 months) etc.
If any of these items sound like something you would like to try your hand at, contact me, Fr. Dewayne, or Raul.
Thank you.
Karl Villadsen, Pantry Director
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Have you been attending church here for a while and are now interested in becoming a member? Do you have questions about who we are as a parish, what we believe as Christians, and how we function as a community? Then membership classes might just be for you!
If you want more information about upcoming classes, please contact Fr. Dewayne ([email protected]). Once a list of participants is finalized, we'll work on getting the classes scheduled - hopefully at a time that will fit most people's schedules.
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Do you sometimes pray the Rosary? If not, do you have any interest in learning how? We'd like to consider the possibility of offering the  Rosary on a regular basis in the St. Mary Chapel on Sundays between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m. It would be a great opportunity to start worship off in a good frame of mind. We'll begin this offering on Sunday, September the 17th. Rosaries are available for you to borrow.
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Calling all children! This Sunday we'll begin offering a time for our children to learn about Jesus in their own unique way. Our Seminarian, Theo Simatupang along with Dee Meeks and Marie Welden, will head up this program. We'll continue to offer our Children's Program on a fairly consistent second and fourth Sunday basis. See the church calendar for specifics.
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A Reflection on the Gospel
A Glimpse of Sunday's Gospel....
Brothers and sisters, as I went through this Sunday's reading, I came across the very core of what Jesus really talks about in his Gospel. Jesus is talking about fraternal correction among Christians. He says,
"If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone." What does it mean? Jesus is teaching Christians to correct our brothers, sisters and neighbors individually and with charity. By doing this correction individually, Jesus asks Christians to avoid gossip and hate among them.
According to St. Thomas Aquinas, a fraternal correction is an act of charity. It means we are correcting our brother's and sister's faults out of charity in order to help them away from grave sin. As Christians, it is our responsibility to help others to be better Christians. According to St. Josemar
í
a Escriv
á
, fraternal correction is an admonishment given by a Christian to his or her neighbor to help them along the path to holiness. It is a means of spiritual progress that helps us to know our defects, since otherwise these may often be hidden from us by our own limitations, or disguised by our self-love.
Now, the message of this gospel passage is that Jesus is asking us here at St. Jerome to correct our brother's, sister's, and neighbor's faults individually and with charity. Charity comes from love. If you love your brothers and sisters thus, you should correct their faults with charity. At the same time, as Christians, we are called to avoid any kind of gossip in our relationships with others--at home, work, church and society. Correct other's faults with love and charity instead of with hate.
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Our parish will soon be 22 years old and we're celebrating with a Parish BBQ. On this special occasion, the Vestry invites you to consider offering a special $22 donation on September 24th, when we celebrate our patron, St. Jerome on our Feast of Title. The funds gathered from this fundraiser will be earmarked to help support Theo Simatupang, our Seminarian.
Theo is here in the US on an R-1 (Missionary) Visa. According to these immigration regulations, all of Theo's support (income) must come from his sponsoring church - that is St. Jerome's. Legally he cannot work outside the church. His food and housing are already being underwritten, but his "salary" (a small stipend) and legal expenses are not completely covered and thus could use your assistance. If you can help in any way (whether that be more or less than the suggested $22), please consider making a special donation on the 24th.
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We are now planning for our next fundraiser-A Fabulous Fall Fundraiser- which will be held here at the church on
Saturday, October 14, from
noon to 7:00 p.m. We need all hands on deck to get ready for this fundraiser, as there are a lot of areas to cover and a lot of jobs to fill. There is something for everyone!
Here is our list of "revenue generators."
Book Sale - Bring in your gently-used (or new) unwanted books and let's pass them along to someone else. We are ready for donations to be placed in the "library" at the church. We will sort them there.
Arts and Crafts - Paintings, sculptures, ceramics, pottery, needlework of all kinds, paper crafts, your
homemade soaps, lip balms, and lotions,etc. Anything you can create or round up and donate will be sold!! We want
good items--
charming and desirable items*--that can be purchased as Christmas decorations, gifts for Christmas, or just because someone loves them.
Bake Sale -
Homemade--repeat:
homemade--items
only.
Cookies, cakes, pies, brownies, fudge or other candy, snack items (e.g. Chex Party Mix), cheese balls, etc. Be certain your items are packaged to sell--container and all. All items that contain nuts should be clearly marked!
Casserole/Frozen Food - From single-serving size to family size. We will keep an inventory of what is brought in--be sure to label your donation!--and will keep everything frozen until the day of the sale. We can also take orders from folks-either now or closer to the date the customer will need the dish. (This will save our freezer space.) We can get creative on this! For example, you might bring a dish that can be pulled out of the freezer, thawed, and baked or reheated for a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Select a favorite recipe that is always a hit at your table and that you think would be a big seller here! Again,
be certain your items are packaged to sell--container and all.
Silent Auction
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If we can get enough donated items, we would also like to do a silent auction. We are considering starting the auction a night or two before the Bazaar. Remember, we need charming and desirable donations of all kinds. If you have something charming and desirable that you are willing to part with, this is the perfect time to help the church with a donation of your time, talent and charming and desirable treasures.
To summarize, the Bizarre Bazaar will be Saturday, October 14, beginning at noon and going thru 7:00 p.m. (or later if we still have people shopping). We may continue it on Sunday afternoon if there are still items left to sell and people who are willing to stay and help.
So show your support for St. Jerome Church. Block out some time now to come help; start looking for
charming and desirable items to contribute. Let's make this Bizarre Bazaar successful!
If you have questions, call (479-524-5825) or get with Joyce Lynch, our Fall Fundraiser Chairperson.
* This is a fund-raiser bazaar, not a garage or yard sale. You know the difference! : )
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God, you are the source of life and growth. Pour out your Spirit upon us that we may grow together in wisdom, love, devotion, and faithfulness. Stir up within us a desire to draw closer as one family. Give us a yearning for outreach, that we may serve a hurting world; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
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Here is the schedule of those providing refreshments for the weeks ahead:
Week 2 - September 10 E-K
Week 3 - September 17 L-R
Week 4 - September 24 S-Z - Parish BBQ
Week 1 - October 1 A-D
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 To download our church app, go to your Play Store and search for Churchlinkapp. Select the app and download. (The app is free.) Once downloaded, open the app. Allow it to know your location. In the search field, type in "the parish church of st. Jerome." Select our parish, and you should be connected.
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Parish Church of St. Jerome
Thank you for being part of our parish family!
See you Sunday at 11:00 for Mass.
205 W. King Street
Tulsa, OK 74106
918-582-3088
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