This issue includes Search Committee update, June Vestry minutes, August Mission & Outreach news ...and more

Shrine Mont
Save the Date  
for Shrine Mont!

Stay tuned for news of our fast approaching parish weekend at Shrine Mont, Sept. 15-17.

From the Interim Rector

Dear Friends,

We are having a wonderful summer at St. Michael's. Our "Super Heroes Chorus" delighted us with their song asking God to give us heroes hearts. Our preacher from Food for the Poor, the Rev. Holly Ostlund, inspired us with her personal experience of the intense need encountered in the region served by Food for the Poor and the response of this organization. The Rebecca Guild joined the women from Lomax AME Zion Church and went to see the inspiring exhibit titled "Sacred Threads." We saw amazing work with deeply inspiring descriptions.
 
Next Sunday we will hear the parable of the mustard seed. "It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree so that the birds come to make nests in its branches." In a way each of our experiences in our community are seeds that grow. We become a place where many discover they can build a "spiritual nest" in the branches of our life together.
 
On Aug. 6, Feast of the Transfiguration, we will celebrate Holy Baptism with the Del Carlo family. Baptism is always an opportunity for us to renew our own commitment to Christ. I invite you to join us as we welcome this child into the household of faith. It is the moment of planting yet another seed in our hearts and in the life of our parish.
 
Blessings,
Rosemari
XYZ Lunch: Symbols of Post-War Reconciliation

Join us, Thu., Aug. 3, for a potluck lun ch and program. Anne James Harman, former manager of Visitor Programs at the Washington National Cathedral, will discuss Cathedral art commemorating people and events of the American Civil War. Her discussion focuses on how these symbols show efforts by the nation's regions, North and South, to reconcile after the war. Pretzels and punch at noon. Lunch at 12:30.

Note: We will gather and eat upstairs on the South Porch and have no access to the kitchen. Please bring your own table service. All are welcome, especially seniors. Contact: Evelyn Bence or Jane Cook.
Looking Ahead...

We will only have one issue of The Guardian in August -- a vacation of sorts as the dog days of summer are upon us! However, Mission and Outreach doesn't take a vacation! Our August outreach envelope collection will be for Episcopal Relief and Development. And for our August basket collection, St. Michael's will be donating backpacks and school supplies for youth living at Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) properties. We have signed up to provide 12 backpacks filled with age appropriate school supplies for students in various grades. Sign up on the poster at the back of the church for a backpack and/or supplies. Copies of the supply list will be with the poster. Please deliver all contributions to St. Michael's by Wed., Aug. 9.

Also, mark your calendars for our A-SPAN walk for the homeless on Sun., Sep. 24. More info to follow in the August issue of The Guardian.
Communication Deadlines
 
Please submit short announcements of a timely nature to Wil Harkins, parish administrator, by noon on Thursday prior to the Sunday that you'd like it included in the service bulletin. 
 
Longer articles and items that are not time sensitive should be submitted to The Guardian newsletter staff by the 1st or 15th of the month. The newsletter is published on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. All submissions are subject to edit and approval.
 
 
Support St. Michael's

 

You can make single gifts and recurring donations (pledges) through our online service  Network for Good.
Search Committee News

Greetings St. Michael's! 
 
Now that we're in the thick of discernment, I'll happily be providing you with regular updates on behalf of the Search Committee. The application period for our next rector officially closed on Sat., Jul. 15, and I'm pleased to report that we received a very healthy response -- not just from within the Diocese or the Mid-Atlantic area, but from far and wide. Our call was heard from the Gulf of Mexico up to just short of the Canadian border and as far west at Nebraska. We received applications from 15 states in all.
 
Of course, quantity isn't what's important. Quality is. And, personally, I've been both humbled and buoyed by the clergy that are feeling called to St. Michael's. Unlike my experiences hiring in the corporate world where it's more about finding that needle in a haystack, here the opposite is true. During the early stages of discernment, ruling candidates out has been what's particularly difficult. There are tremendous gifts being offered to us at this moment. Credit goes to the Profile Committee and all your work as a congregation that went into our parish profile, because our small church is being received with joy and enthusiasm.
 
Not to trivialize it, but it feels a bit like coffee hour after a special event like a baptism when we have one of those amazing spreads in the parish hall. When my kids were smaller, they would come up to Kim and me with their plates STACKED with food. "Pick one," we'd say, and their faces would drop. Yes, they'd have to choose the one thing that was exactly right for them. But, looking at the table, we also knew it would be very difficult for them to go wrong. Thankfully, it would appear God is giving us a similar exercise over the next month or two.
 
Please keep us in your prayers and know that you all are in ours. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me, Cindy, Beth, Helen or Rick. And, as always, thank you for the privilege to serve in such an important capacity.
 
Mick Sutter
Search Committee Chair
A "super" VBS thank-you!

I would like to give a huge shout-out to our "super" volunteers who made this year's "Hero Central" VBS a resounding success! Many hands make light work, and this year was fabulous -- I couldn't ask for a greater group of people! I get wary of naming individuals because I fear I will miss someone. But, I'll take my chances...(Names are listed alphabetically, no preference indicated.)

Hands-on help during VBS week: Evelyn Bence, Jared Clark, Libby Harkins, Annabelle Monahan, Suzanna Monahan, Diane Rickey, Adam Ruff, Isabel Ruff, Karen Ruff, Hillary Sheldon, Tom Sheldon, Rosemari Sullivan, Genevieve White, Josie White, Molly White. (We also had a few volunteers from outside our parish: Greg Ettelt, Jason Hsu, Cassie Metcalfe, Vian Nguyen.)

Decorators: Jared Clark, Carole French, Molly French, Helen Hines, Lisa Hines, Annabelle Monahan, Suzanna Monahan, Sandra Phaup, Diane Rickey

Ideas & behind-the-scenes help: Beth Addington, Kay-Margaret Cronk, Barbara Menoche

Dinners: Julia Carter, Jane Cook, Lisa Harkins, Cindy Matlack, Lalitha Samuel

Snacks: Sandra Phaup, Lois Scott, Roberta Thibodaux

Ice-cream social: Libby Harkins, Lisa Harkins, Dan Ruff, Karen Ruff
 
Many thanks,
Melanie Monahan
June Vestry Meeting Highlights

Finance Committee
During its review of finances, the Vestry emphasized its desire for funds to be seeded for stained glass repair and roof replacement as reflected in the February 2017 minutes. It was the sense of the Vestry that these projects are in need of attention and that estimates should be obtained so work can proceed.
 
Building and Grounds
Junior Warden Mary Cushing addressed the following issues:
  • Alarm Companies. Mary explained that the call list for the elevator and fire alarm systems needs to be updated. She also noted that when electricity goes out in the building, it triggers a call to one of the alarm companies, requiring someone to confirm that it is a false alarm. She will work with Wil Harkins to update the lists and discuss options for addressing false alarms.
  • Photo Policy: Mary called attention to the need to obtain permission when posting someone's photo on St. Michael's website or in its publications. She recommended adoption of the Diocesan guidelines on this topic. The Vestry concurred. Mary will follow up.
Harris Teeter Bag Advertisement
Vestry reviewed a proposal from Harris Teeter to advertise St. Michael's on its prescription bags. In the absence of a plan guiding decisions on how and where to advertise, Vestry decided not to act on this individual proposal. Members noted the need for guidelines that specify how resources should be allocated to achieve a specified result and that take into consideration social and other media.  

Read the full report.
St. Michael's Episcopal Church
 1132 N. Ivanhoe Street  | Arlington, VA 22205-2445

Our mission is to provide a nurturing spiritual community in Christ Jesus as the foundation 

from which we strive to go forth and serve God by the power of the Holy Spirit.