Red Bags

Our present Outreach Red Bag endeavor is to support

Galena's Women and Friends Making a Difference (WFMAD) in their drive to provide feminine products for the women in our community in need. On Sunday, May 5th, the bags were distributed at church. A suggestion list of what items are wanted are in each bag. Please return the filled bags on June 2nd. Members of WFMAD have been invited to worship to share in the blessing of these gifts. Thank you for your generosity.

Movie Night

Our first 1 st Sunday Movie Night last month was very well attended. The feature was "Doubt". (Thanks to Mary Foltz for recommending the movie and providing the DVD.) It was an excellent story about the confrontation between the principal (Sister Aloysius played by Meryl Streep) of a Roman Catholic School in 1964, and a priest (Father Flynn played Phillip Seymour Hoffman), whom she suspected of sexually victimizing a black 12 year old eighth grade boy. (His mother portrayed by Viola Davis.) The complexities boggled the mind. Just when you thought you had it all figured out and she had prevailed (sort of) Sister Aloysius breaks down at the end and expresses doubt.

 

Our next feature (6 p.m. on Sunday June 2nd) will be "Paradise Road". (Thanks to Phil Jackman for recommending the movie and providing the DVD). This 1997 movie is about a group of women imprisoned on the island of Sumatra by the Japanese duringWorld War II. Among others, it stars Glenn Close, Frances McDormand and a young Cate Blanchett. It's excellent! No trailer is attached; because they give away too much. Just come and enjoy it more thoroughly.

 

Bring your own snack if you wish to (quietly) dine during the movie. Coffee and hot water (for tea) will be provided.

 

Prayer Bead Workshop

On Tuesday, June 4th we are offering a protestant prayer bead workshop at the Parish House from 10 - noon.  We will make prayer beads and also share some prayers for using the prayer beads.  The use of prayer beads helps to bring us into contemplative or meditative prayer.  This is a continuation of our "Way of Love" practices.  Please RSVP to Karen Steinke 920-495-2133 [email protected] or Carmen Ferguson 815 777 2309 [email protected] so we will bring enough materials for everyone.  There is no fee, but donations will be gladly accepted and feel free to bring snacks to share.

Reverence--Part 2

I received six responses to last week's interactive Ramblings, asking for thoughts about reverence, specifically in terms of Sunday morning worship at Grace. The question was prompted by a Worship Committee discussion about the differences in the ways that people present themselves for worship. There are those who wish to have some quiet time to pray and prepare themselves. There are others who desire greeting friends and visitors. And both of these in a relatively small and acoustically live space!

Here are the six responses (unedited):

1) I think reverence is many things! For me, it is the swelling music of the choir. It is the noise the darling baby makes during service. It is repeating the sacred words while delivering the chalice for communicants. It is the bell calling us to worship...I notice as I list these, surprising I am sure, reverence is the joyous sound of a community of faith...
2) When I began attending services at Grace I was unfamiliar with the practices of when and how to bow or genuflect during worship. I spent the first few months watching intently at when my fellow parishioners would bow and what words were said. I naturally picked it up and now it is ingrained in my movement during worship. Once trained as an Acolyte, Richard advises me on why things are done...lighting the candles in a specific order...reverencing the altar...etc. I have therefore been able to teach others why it is done, even some who have been attending a long time!
     When I do not have a "job" on Sunday morning I like to arrive early and be in the space...my sanctuary. I find it puts me in the mindset I prefer when worshiping. For me, I like it quiet when I go from the Narthex, through the glass doors to sit in my pew. I often kneel and use that time to center myself and get ready to worship. That, to me, is being reverent. Yes I enjoy greeting, hugs, and laughter, but when in the sanctuary, I prefer reverence, quiet, and the ability to be introspective.
3) I prefer quiet, not necessarily silence, before the prelude. The altar preps by servers & committee are always efficient & pious, as are the Ministers of the Service when they assemble & prepare. This overall quiet allows me time to go over the readings & pray privately from BCP, before communal worship.
4) I guess I fall on the side of being joyful upon seeing the people I love at Grace, the living body of Christ. There is plenty of time to be reverent, e.g., during the liturgy, especially during the Eucharist.
     That said, I think it polite to make an effort to great others briefly and quietly. Regretfully, the volume control of some of our congregants has a very narrow range which tends to be on the high side.
     Of course, there are plenty of other opportunities to be reverent in church. The absolute worst time is when the congregation is gathering for the Eucharist. (During choir practice or piano tuning are not very good times either.)
5)  Read the question an hour ago and just read it again. Read it in the context of a congregation that comes from such a wide variety of paths to Grace. Read with the question on my mind as to what I as an individual hope to experience on a Sunday. Read it with my mind thinking about the natural beauty of Spring and the physical beauty of our church. These intertwined comparisons are endless, I suspect.
     Going into church always has a bit of a wow attached as the light coming through the alter window illuminates both the space and hopefully, the focus. Going into church has a smile attached to it. The interactions just seem to be a part of a happy congregation gathering on a Sunday. I suspect this is on balance a good thing. Maybe of even more importance is whether or not the lessons and sermon connect with the congregation so the experience is not a one and done but rather a teaching one can adapt to their life.
6) Messy topic and I am way too grey to have the answer.  Reminds of the the ongoing school debate about field trips.  It swung back and forth every few years as the policies changed - how much they offered or interfered with the curriculum.  I guess I see a component of reverence as having respect for other' needs.  At the very least we should offer quiet when the prelude begins.

So, not surprisingly, even with this small sample, there is diversity of opinion. Please do not think the discussion is over. Additional responses are always welcome. This is a conversation that is always important!

 

See you in church for the rest of the 50 days of Easter,

  Acts 16:9-15: In response to Paul's vision, he and his companions

Hospitality is the essential challenge of the Gospel. Hospitality is, essentially, the offer of safety, comfort, nourishment and friendship to both friend and stranger. The Scriptures show that this is a high ideal in God's purposes. What this means for us is, initially, an opening of our hearts to welcome the stranger and friend, offering safety, comfort and love. Then, this must overflow into practical hospitality, opening our 'homes' - our communities, our churches, our neighbourhoods and, yes, even our literal homes, to those who need shelter, safety, nourishment, acceptance and friendship. A vision of a hospitable world is a vision of hope, and also a challenge to the ways in which we fall short of this ideal. In so many ways, our world has developed a culture of suspicion and inhospitality. But, arguably the primary characteristic of Jesus' first followers as they sought to live out the Gospel was hospitality, reflected in feeding the hungry (current equivalent: global debt relief and removal of unjust trade restrictions?), inviting strangers into their homes (current equivalent: humane and just immigration laws?), and serving and praying for the sick, the widow and the orphan (current equivalent: equitable health care and social care and upliftment systems?). For those of us who seek to follow Christ, our vote, and our voice in public dialogue, on these key issues are a significant influence in creating a more hospitable world.

The thumbnails and reflections excerpted from sacredise.com