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The Ambassador

The Newsletter of 
St. Matthias' 
Episcopal Church 

Minocqua, Wisconsin


Whoever you are, wherever you find yourself on the journey
of faith, we welcome you.
 
AUGUST
2015
 

Mark Your
Calendars


 

August 16

Bishop's Visitation during the 

8:00 & 10:00 Eucharists,

with discussions following 

 

August 20 - 6:00 pm

3rd Thursday Evensong
& Potluck

 

Serving?

 

Please remember to check the server list on the bulletin board at church (or click here to see the latest monthly schedule online).

 

Also, if you are going to switch dates with someone, please inform both Bill Kane and Michael Tautges at the church office.  Thank you!

 

Trig's Receipts



As of May 1st, 2015, Trig's has discontinued their program which donated 1% of marked receipts to a local charity of your choice.  While we are greatly disappointed by their choice to eliminate this wonderful service, we sincerely thank both Trig's, and you for your years of dedicated support.
 

Ambassador Archives

 

Want to read a recent issue of the Ambassador?  Just click on the links below.  (older archives can be found on our website)
May Ambassador
June Ambassador
July Ambassador
 

The Clarion

 

Curious to see what else is going on in the Diocese of Fond du Lac?  Click the logo below to view the most recent Diocesan newsletter.

 

From the Interim



Saying Thank You and Looking Ahead
 
The last Sunday morning coffee hour in July was a wonderful surprise. Thank you all for your presence and for the fantastic cake and cards. What a great way to spend the Sunday before my 70th birthday. I have now crossed the threshold and am on my way into my 8th decade. What a thought!
 
July 29th was our 6th and last inquirer's class. Part of me wishes we could just go on, but I know the summer calls all of us to other activities and adventures. I want to thank everyone who attended any of the sessions. During the 6 sessions we had as many as 30 of us and as "few" as 17. I was amazed and grateful that so many of you chose to join me in what I know is the busiest and most action packed part of life here in the Northwoods. By my count at least 40 people were present at some time during the classes. I much enjoyed being with you, getting to know many of you better, and exploring a wide variety of questions during the classes and the afterwards dinners. Thanks to Gordon for arranging our private dining room at Perkins.
 
As we head into August I want to encourage you all to attend the two opportunities we will have to worship and meet with our bishop Matthew Gunter. On Sunday August 16th Bishop Matt will be present for both our 8:00 and 10:00 services, followed by coffee hour and an open question session. This is your chance to let him know what is of concern to you, whether at St. Matthias', the diocese, or the national church. Both the Transition Team and the Vestry will also spend some time with Bishop Matt during his visit.
 
On Thursday, August 20th, we will meet as usual for Evensong and the Bishop will be with us for a discussion regarding same sex marriage and blessings. Please bring any questions and concerns that you may have and help us explore these topics in more depth.
 
As always, if you have any questions or concerns you wish to discuss privately please let me know by e mail or phone and we can schedule an appointment.
General Convention:  Bishop Michael Curry Elected as Next Presiding Bishop
 

The 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church was held in Salt Lake City June 25- July 3. On June 27, Bishop Michael B. Curry of the Diocese of North Carolina was elected as the 27th Presiding Bishop.

Presiding Bishop-elect Michael Curry, 62, was elected by the House of Bishops from a slate of four nominees on the first ballot. He received 121 votes of a total 174 cast. The election was confirmed an hour later by the House of Deputies, as outlined in the church's canons, by a vote of 800 to 12.

He will serve a nine-year term that officially begins Nov. 1. On that date, Presiding Bishop-elect Michael Curry will succeed current Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and he will become the first person of color to hold that position. The election also made history by being the first time a presiding bishop was chosen on the first ballot.

A liturgy marking the beginning of Presiding Bishop-elect Michael Curry's ministry as presiding bishop and primate will be celebrated Nov. 1, All Saints Day at Washington National Cathedral.

Presiding Bishop-elect Michael Curry defines his priorities as formation, evangelism, and witnessing in the public square. In an interview with Episcopal News Service after his election, Curry said: "There's a lot of suffering in this world. There's a lot of heartache, there's a lot of nightmare. We are people who believe that God has a dream and a vision for this world, and that Jesus has shown us how to follow him in the direction of that and how to help this world live into God's dream and vision for us now."

At the General Convention's closing Eucharist, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori read a letter of congratulations from President Barack Obama written to Presiding Bishop-elect Michael Curry. In part, it reads "Your leadership over the years has reflected your powerful vision for a more inclusive tomorrow."

(Click here to watch Bishop Curry's sermon from the closing Eucharist.)
Parish Updates  
  
Foyer Groups
St. Matthias' offers more than just Sunday Communion as a way to break bread together!  Of course we have Coffee Hour, but we realize that not everyone has an equal level of freedom in their schedules.  Foyer Groups are a more intimate setting, where 8-10 folks join together once a month, either in homes or restaurants, to share a meal.  (You don't need to be part of a couple to participate.)  Inviting someone to join a Foyer Group is an excellent opportunity to get to know them better!  Usually groups will meet 3 times, but some have so much fun they continue to meet throughout the Fall and Winter.  Groups will be starting to form as early as August.  There's a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board.
 
(Won't be here in the Winter? Sign up anyway! You'll still be able to join in the fun for August, September, and October.) 
 
Education for Ministry (EFM)
Applications for the 2015-2016 EFM year will be accepted through August 23, 2015.  Meetings will begin in September.  If you would like to study, discuss, and discern within a group setting, EFM may be for you.  You can find more information at efm.sewanee.edu.  For more information or an enrollment form, contact Kathy Knobel, (715) 891-2898, or at kmdknobel@gmail.com.

Rest In Peace 
On July 10, we lost a long time member of St. Matthias', Audie Mellenthin ~ Audie and Jack have been part of St. Matthias' since the early 80's.  Those of us who were privileged to know them have witnessed a wonderful marriage and their deep, profound love for each other.  A memorial service was held on July 20 - Audie now rests in our Memorial Garden.

Deanery Vestry Day 
The Diocese will be sponsoring a Vestry Day for our Deanery (11 Episcopal churches in our area).  It will be held in Wausau on Saturday, September 12, from 10-Noon.  All current Vestry members, as well as those interested in perhaps serving on Vestry, and anyone wanting to know more about the Church and how it is governed, are encouraged to attend.  Discussion topics are welcome.  Please talk with Carol Amadio or Chris Clark if you are interested.
Know Your Vestry:  Mike Sabin
 
Mike Sabin was elected to the Vestry in May of 2015. He will serve until May 2018. He is a great addition and Mike is well equipped to be a Vestry member. During his career he worked as an accountant handling tasks in general accounting, auditing, cost accounting, and was also a division controller for various companies. He became proficient as a troubleshooter "efficiency expert" since he could identify and solve problems. He eventually began training others in the techniques of problem-solving, ultimately training new facilitators in various companies.
 
Mike and his wife Leslie moved to the Northwoods to take care of Leslie's ailing parents. They first lived in Woodruff near the hospital and began attending St. Matthias' during that time. When Leslie's mom died, they moved to Eagle River so as to take care of her ailing father. During this time they attended St. Mary of the Snows and finally returned to St. Matthias'.
 
Mike's main hobby is supporting the medical profession in the Northwoods. He and Leslie also enjoy silent sports: hiking, canoeing, biking, camping, and snowshoeing as often as health and schedules permit. Mike also plays duplicate bridge and participates in tournaments around the state. He and his wife enjoy their pets, which currently include one dog and two cats.
 
Mike has volunteered for the Lakeland Pantry in various positions for eleven years, the last three as chairman of the board. He also volunteers at the St. Matthias' Furniture Annex. He has been a member of the American Legion of Disabled Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans (President/Treasurer), men's groups, Treasurer, and Vestry member at various Episcopal churches around Wisconsin before returning to St. Matthias'. These include: Christ Church, Whitefish Bay; Trinity Church, Wauwatosa; St. Mark's Church, Beaver Dam; St. Mary of the Snows, Eagle River; and here at St. Matthias' during the building expansion.
 
Mike's passion is tolerance. He works on this constantly because he has little tolerance for those who repeatedly show intolerance toward others. He reminds himself that God is the judge, not him. He likes the diversity of St. Matthias'. He believes this diversity provides great depth of experience and varied points of view which are useful when approaching problems and developing quality solutions.
 
He likes working with people who care about St. Matthias' and its future. He believes his previous experience will help during the transition and he hopes to see St. Matthias' continue to grow in order to help out the community.
Music Ministry Team News  
 
Our Music Ministry at St. Matthias' offers events for our community, both in service and participation. These special events at our church enable the broader community to experience the beauty of different musical genres, both sacred and secular.
 
In 2016 we offer three events:
  1. Providence St. Mel High School Choir from inner city Chicago (3rd time)
  2. A sing-along of the Messiah for area singers and interested listeners (3rd time)
  3. Our annual organ concert featuring a nationally/internationally recognized organist (5th time)
The Providence St. Mel HS Choir concert is set for February 4, 2016. St. Matthias' seasonal member Dr. David Baar directs this amazing group of inner city high school students. If you haven't yet heard this remarkable group of about 50 voices with backup instrumentalists, you're in for a treat. Our church solicits individuals across the community to house the group for 2 nights, and volunteers prepare a feast at the church before the concert. We also sponsor a day trip to Minocqua Winter Park - a rare treat for most of these young men and women.
 
The Sing-Along Messiah  is set for June 26, 2016. Singers from surrounding communities come together the day before for a short rehearsal of this famous Handel oratorio. Dr. David Baar brings in four paid singers - soprano, alto, tenor, and bass - for solo parts and to guide singers through the music. Beverly Baar plays the orchestral parts on our organ. Listeners are amazed at the quality of sound from a group of amateur singers, most of whom just love this special piece of music.
 
The Music Ministry Team is in the process of commissioning a guest organist for our 2016 organ concert, with a date yet to be determined. These concerts particularly attract individuals who enjoy and appreciate the amazing potential of the pipe organ.
 
The Music Ministry Team appreciates the support of the Vestry in approving a restricted concert budget ($2000 for 2016). Costs for the events are well over the allotted $2000; however, we cover additional expenses through collection plate offerings and individual donors.
Touchstones:  In the Middle
Written by Diane Diederich

It's almost 17 years since we were first captivated, appalled, saddened and overwhelmed by the events in Littleton, Colorado. However, as in the aftermath of many of the bombings and shootings of the past years, life seems to go on. The question that remains for me is, "What have we learned from this carnage?"
 
It seems so easy to see each case an isolated event: I looked the 2015 statistics in various states - Seen together says it all. In 204 days there have been 204 mass shootings and it's only August! It is so common that it captures our attention for a while but then is moved to another corner of our awareness as other more pressing and immediate concerns take over. Once again the saying: "If we learn nothing from our history we're doomed to repeat it" shouts to me. My hope is that many of us are discovering what might be important for all of us to learn.
 
I think many grandparents, caregivers, moms and dads feel "caught in the middle". As parents, we want to believe that we would "know" if our children were involved in something as violent as the situations seem to be. However, most parents of teens and above witness to the times in their relationships when there was silence, alienation or worse. We walk a fine line between attempting to model, mold and guide on the one hand and trying to encourage independent behavior. I think that is why we cannot "parent" in a vacuum. It was so important for my generation to depend on the shared wisdom of the parents of our children's friends and to somehow co-parent with them. We truly were "other mothers", being someone whom the friends could talk to when they couldn't talk to their own parents. And other parents filled that role for our kids.

("In the Middle" will continue next month.)


TTFN, Diane
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