Centering Prayer

One of the themes that is emerging in our ongoing practice of Centering Prayer is the awareness that God just wants to spend time with us. In response to the enthusiasm growing around this feeling, our Centering Prayer gatherings are now offered Mondays at 6:30 p.m. and Fridays at noon. The former Tuesday evening gathering has been changed to Monday. We hope that you will join us and see how contemplation can enrich your own experience.

Stewardship Update           

by Pastor Liz

On Saturday, September 8 ^th we will kick off our Fall Stewardship season as we prepare for our 2019 budget. We base each year’s budget income on the financial pledges we will all be asked to make. We don’t have “deficit” budgets at St. Augustine or what some churches call “Holy Spirit budgets” that are based on a hopefulness that money will come in. 

Over the next weeks, the Vestry will be providing several kinds of information: facts and projections about our financial picture over the next several years, personal stories from people about giving to the Church, and stories from our faith tradition about giving and generosity.

I know people can begin to get nervous this time of year. I understand. We will be asking each of us to give money to the Church on Consecration Sunday, September 30 ^th . I have a specific income and a home budget just like most of us. In the middle of daily life, I work to keep the lens of abundance in focus instead of a lens of scarcity.

And I keep in the forefront of my mind that the mission of St. Augustine is the one God is calling us to and that Jesus showed us all about…to be a place of sacred worship of God and to be a place that works hard to serve and love our neighbor. Nothing is more important than those two things. Stay tuned…stewardship is upon us.

Our Haiti Partnership team has been working on creating new ways to invite other groups into our plans and fundraising, groups like Rotary and other secular foundations. To do this we knew we needed a separate organization to work in conjunction with St. Augustine’s Haiti Partnership.

The Haiti Education and Development Corporation (HEAD) was recently formed and filed with the State on January 30, 2018. We are a domestic non-profit entity in the State of California. Our vision is to develop partnerships here and in Haiti to help advance education and the development of local communities with sustainable economic programs.

Our first project is the development of a collaborative relationship with St. Luc Episcopal School in Thomassique, Haiti. This School currently serves an average of 100 students from Thomassique and the outlying countryside. At the end of the last school year, the adjoining property to the church where the school currently meets became available for purchase. This was totally unexpected, and HEAD has responded with the funds required to purchase the land ($6,000 USD).

This will allow St. Luc to build a new school building much sooner than anticipated, with less school disruption by not having to build on the existing Church structure. Our upcoming mission trip January of 2019 will be exciting as we plan and dream with our partners.

We are looking for people who want to visit St. Luc and participate directly with our partners in Haiti. Is that you or someone you know? Please talk to any member of the team if you have ideas or questions. We are excited to be moving forward in these new ways!

Haiti Partnership Team : Jim Quinney, Jerry Harner, Mary Layman, Rick Lovin, Ashley Booker, Lyn Fuson, Liz Armstrong

Adult Formation Classes

Coming Soon!

Short Stories by Jesus.  Everything you've wondered about the parables of Jesus but were too afraid to ask! Join us for a six-part class starting Tuesday, September 18 ^th . Time to be decided on September 9 ^th at a quick meeting for anyone interested.

Disciple Bible Study: Luke-Acts. Join us for a 12-week class as we explore Luke's narrative of the life of Jesus and the birth of the Church. Meets Wednesdays at 2 p.m., starting August 22 ^nd .

Braving the Wilderness Book Group.  Join us for a three-week study of Brené Brown's book, Braving the Wilderness , starting on Tuesday, August 28 ^th .

Episcopal 101. Join us every third Sunday for a quick discussion of all things Episcopal. We meet in the sanctuary after the 10 a.m. service. Do you have questions about the liturgy, our tradition, or why we do things a certain way? Sunday, August 19 ^th , our focus will be the Book of Common Prayer and how it influences our common life.

Every second Wednesday of the month, we host 70-plus homeless men, women and children, guests of The Gathering Inn, for a delicious barrel chicken dinner and a place to sleep at our Church.Three teams support this ministry: food preparation, room set-up, serving and clean-up.

Please look carefully at the new and improved sign-up sheet for the team hosting the dinner for The Gathering Inn. We are trying to have slots available for serving and cleaning up starting at 6:20 p.m. which hopefully will make this more accessible to many members who work and commute. Consider volunteering for one of the teams. It is very rewarding.

The Gathering Inn continues to have exceptional results with placing people in housing and assistance finding employment. They also offer an array of medical services designed to help reduce the amount of emergency care in our local hospitals. None of this would be possible without the core component of a place to stay every night and a good hot meal. Thanks to all who support this ministry with your time and treasure.

Sign-up sheets are at the Welcome Center in Canterbury Hall. The next hosting event is Wednesday, August 8 ^th. For more information, please contact Jim Quinney at:

[email protected]

The Gathering Inn Donations

Thank you for the awesome response over the past two months. Most of the important missing pieces have been donated for the Auburn Shelter. We are now back in the regular ongoing needs of liquid detergent, small toiletry items, adult jeans and new socks.

S ummer is here, and The Gathering Inn guests are in need of cooler clothing and shoes for men and women.

The Inn is also in need of liquid detergent for the mountains of laundry they do daily in the laundry room. All donations can be left in the grocery cart in the entrance way . Every item is greatly appreciated.

As always, unused travel-sized toiletry items are needed. Please place your donations in the grocery cart at the entrance to Canterbury Hall.

 

Jim Quinney will be delivering the items to The Gathering Inn each Sunday after Church.

St. James Grocery Cart Ministry

Protein – canned chicken and tuna are always in need as well as pop-top type pouch servings for those who do not have access to a kitchen. Rice and pinto beans, cereal and fruit cups (especially low-sugar content) are also in need. In addition, there is a need for flour and corn tortillas. The community garden is producing fresh produce which is also used to help supplement the food shortages in Lincoln. 

If you can, please add a can or two of tuna or chicken or maybe a bag of rice or a box of cereal or a package of tortillas, into your cart then into ours. The grocery cart is located at the entrance to Canterbury Hall. Thank you for your generosity.

Camp Noel Porter

For decades, Camp Noel Porter has been a sacred place for families, young adults, youth and children. As camping programs have changed, the Camp Noel Porter Board and the Board of Trustees have prayerfully decided that it is time to say goodbye to this summer camp ministry, remembering the spirit-filled gifts that we have received here. The time has come to "pass it on" as our camp-song reminds us.

To honor this beloved ministry, Bishop Barry Beisner invites you to a day of memory, celebration, prayer and song. This event is free, and dinner will be provided. Camp Noel Porter attire is welcome!

Agenda

St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room

A St. Augustine group of volunteers serves meals at the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room the third Thursday of each month. They volunteer from approximately 9:15 a.m. until 1:45 p.m., helping prepare, cook and serve a warm meal for those in need.

Approximately two to three hours of standing are involved. All food is provided, and no cooking experience is needed.

 

Volunteers include Jack Dillon, John Redmond, Rob and Deidre Shonk, Catherine Beckman, Jim and Stephanie Tilton, Jim and Carla Dolislager, Rick and Janice Stenzel, Lyn Fuson, Linda Peterson, Steve Broce and Kathyrn Jordan.

 

  Please contact Rob Shonk if you are interested in working in this important ministry:

[email protected]

 

FRIENDS IN SERVING HIM

FISH is Back!

Youth in 6 ^th through 12 ^th grades will meet Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. for dinner, activities and worship. Our regular FISH schedule resumes Sunday, August 12 ^th. All are welcome to join us for youth-led worship at 7:30 p.m.

Parent Lunch

Parents are invited to a special lunch meeting on Sunday, September 23 ^rd , to connect, talk about FISH, upcoming events and goals for how we can support what our youth are doing.

News from the Nursery

The nursery is available for children ages six months to three years. Emma Andres is our new Nursery Attendant. She has a volunteer helping her each Sunday. If you would like to volunteer to help in the nursery, please contact Shelby Larkey: [email protected].

Vacation Bible School 2018

Shipwrecked

Wow! What an amazing time we had at VBS 2018! We learned that although sometimes life makes us feel shipwrecked, Jesus is always there to rescue us!

So many powerful lessons and insights were seen this week, and the participants had a blast! A special thank you to Catherine Beckman who made the Shipwrecked theme really come to life. Her creativity and faith shone in her work this week.

Thank you also to all of those who volunteered, donated and prayed for our week. We would not have been this successful without every one of you! 

VBS 2017 Staff

Director Shelby Larkey

Assistant Staff Isabel White

Crew Leaders

Children's Choir

The St. Augustine Children's Choir will resume rehearsals Sunday, August 19 ^th following the 10 a.m. service. We will continue our rehearsals on the l ^st and 3 ^rd Sundays of each month. All children in kindergarten through fifth grade are welcome. For more information, please contact Amy Quinney:

1-916-257-2343

or

[email protected]

Daughters of the King

The St. Augustine Chapter of Daughters of the King meets on the second Sunday of each month following the 10 a.m. service.

The previously schedule August 24 ^th meeting (meditative painting retreat) has been postponed until a later date.

DOK will meet at the Church Sunday, August 12 ^th following the 10 a.m. service.

If you are interested in becoming a Daughter or would like more information, please contact our Chapter President, Joanne McCormack:

[email protected]

Brotherhood of St. Andrew

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew holds its regular monthly meetings at 9 a.m. in Canterbury Hall on the second Saturday of each month. Coffee and breakfast are served. All men are welcome and encouraged to attend a meeting. If you are interested in the Brotherhood, feel free to join the group for a Saturday meeting and breakfast. If you would like to learn more about the Brotherhood, please contact Director Rob Shonk or Secretary John Redmond.

Gerald Harner was our guest speaker at the July 14 ^th meeting. He shared his Christian endeavors with the group.

The Brotherhood hosted a BBQ following the July 29 ^th 10 a.m. service. Nearly 100 Church members enjoyed hot dogs, hamburgers, salads and dessert. The Brotherhood raised over $500 in donations. After expenses, approximately $300 will be dedicated to outreach projects.

The group will not meet in August. Our next meeting will be Saturday morning September 8 ^th at 9 a.m. in the Sunday School room. All men are welcome to join us.

If you have further questions, please contact Director Rob Shonk: [email protected].

The St. Augustine Prayer Shawl ministry began in 2011 and to-date has given away almost 250 shawls. The recipients are those who are in need of a visible sign of caring and comfort to face life's more difficult challenges. Members of the ministry either knit or crochet the shawls with very soft, washable yarn that can be easily cared for and is very comfortable.

We currently have 11 active members, most of whom gather every second Monday of the month at the Church at 1:30 p.m. Members work on their own projects and enjoy each other's company.

If you wish to request a shawl for someone, notify Pastor Liz, Pastor Maryellen or Greer Nave. Please speak with Greer if you are interested in joining the ministry.

Companion's Corner

Bread

“Give us this day our daily bread.” How often we say those words! Karen Beattie elaborates on “bread” in the Daily Lesson Book I use (2018, A Book Of Grace-Filled Days , Loyola Press)

“There’s something about bread that is sustaining, life-giving, comforting, and filling. I still remember the smell of the bread my mother used to make. Not surprisingly, over and over again, Christ is described as “bread." And just like bread, Jesus sustains us, comforts us, gives us life and is our home.”

I would close with this verse from John 6:51: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven, whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.”

Amen, dear friends,

Carole Peterson

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

John 6:35

August Birthdays

August Anniversaries