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Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
August 25, 2024
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Joshua 24:1-2a,14-18
Psalm 34:15-22
Ephesians 6:10-20
John 6:56-69
Preacher: The Reverend Jennifer Wagner Pavia
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Friday, August 30, 1:00 - 6:00 PM: Going-Away Party for Rabbi Michal at Palisades Park. Drop in. (see flyer below for details)
See Flyers Below:
Sat., October 5: Octoberfest Venue
Sat., October 19: A Community Gala
Sat., October 26: Party of Parties
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Bible and Breakfast
Tuesdays | 9:30 AM
Luther Hall & Zoom
Midweek Eucharist:
Wednesdays | 7:00 PM
Sanctuary
Adult Forum: Christian Nationalism
Wednesdays | 8:00 PM
Luther Hall & Zoom
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FAREWELL & MAZEL TOV to RABBI MICHAL | |
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St. Bede's parishioners are invited to the above festivities.
Dearest Michal, with love and prayers, Reverend Jennifer and the parishioners of St. Bede's wish you much success, happiness and fulfillment as you embark on your next endeavor. You are truly beloved by your Ahavat Torah congregation and they will miss you terribly. We love you and will sincerely miss you as well !!!
Below is an article about the next leg of Rabbi Michal's journey.
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Excerpted from the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent
By jsaffren@midatlanticmedia.com
Rabbi Michal Morris Kamil is moving to Broomall, Pennsylvania, from Los Angeles this summer. Marc Belitsky, the president of the Congregation Beth El - Ner Tamid (CBENT), said he was delighted to find a synagogue leader like Kamil, with her 30-plus years of educational experience along with her warm demeanor. The 61-year-old rabbi was ordained in 2022 by the Academy for Jewish Religion-California.
Kamil, for her part, said she only got to work with the older generation during her rabbinical school rabbinate at Ahavat Torah in LA. She wanted a chance to work with multiple Jewish generations. She also said she appreciated that CBENT, a Conservative synagogue, was trying to appeal to diverse groups of Jews. “She’s very interested in individuals, what their needs are, what their wants are, how to reach them spiritually,” Belitsky said of Kamil.
“I missed working with multi-generations, especially in those communities that have such a great awareness of wanting to respond to the challenge of being a religious and cultural community in the 21st century,” said Kamil of the synagogue. “CBENT is a wonderful community that is doing just that.”
“We’re growing. The energy’s awesome. People are involved. We’re fiscally stable. We see ourselves as the center of the Jewish community in Delaware County,” Belitsky said.
And into that future walked Kamil.
In the spring, she visited the synagogue for her weekend-long interview. She attended Shabbat services, stayed for lunch and talked with preschool and Hebrew school parents. “And there was an overwhelming excitement about her coming to our program. They just felt that they could really connect to her,” Belitsky said.
Ellen Glassman, the synagogue’s educational director, added that, “She really listened. She listened to what they said, and then she reflected back to them in a way that acknowledged what they said and questioned them further.” That connection was important, according to Glassman.
Kamil worked for more than 30 years in curriculum and development for educational organizations. She worked for schools, synagogues and even Yad Vashem, the Holocaust remembrance organization in Jerusalem.
But she became a rabbi to dig deeper into the spiritual.
“There is such a need today within our communities to provide both the personal and collective support needed in times of change, transition, threat, sorrow,” she said.
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PARISHIONER JOE SHARES CHRISTIAN EXPLORATION IN EUROPE | |
Below, parishioner Joe Aleshaiker shares his uplifting experience of Christian worship and pilgrimage in Europe. Thank you Joe for giving us a glimpse into both your story and your reflections, as you continue to explore and grow in your Christian journey. | |
Joe ordering food in Croatia | |
Inside a church in Greece | |
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Hi everyone! My name is Joe and I’m grateful to be here at St Bede’s. Over the past two weeks I went to a few different countries and thought I could share some of my experiences and thoughts. But first a little background about myself. I don’t come from a Christian background, but instead was raised as a Muslim in my adolescence. When I was in my early teens, I decided to stop following God, and declared myself an agnostic. I was agnostic for about 10 years until I had an encounter with God. I had searched through many religions, including Islam, and decided that Christ was who I wanted! The peace and beauty of Christ’s story continues to compel me. Since I was only baptized earlier this year (February, 2024), I feel like I kid learning about ALL that Christianity has to offer!
Okay, back to my trip! I was excited to go on this trip especially because I would be going to Greece, Croatia, and Lisbon, 3 predominantly Christian nations. I was excited to see how different countries worshipped Christ. And boy was I not disappointed! In Greece, I was excited to go inside an Orthodox Church during mass, and it was beautiful. What really stood out to me was the fact that almost everything was sung! Even though it was all in Greek, I could feel the presence of God in the building. I learned that everybody does the signs of the Cross whenever they enter the Church, which I LOVED! It inspired me to do it more often!
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Similarily, I was able to check out a Church in Croatia (see photo), and was surprised to find out that the majority of people were Catholic, not Orthodox. This was awesome since I got to go experience a new kind of Church. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to witness a mass in action, but just walking into the building was quite the experience. One thing I noticed though was that in the Orthodox Church, people did the signs of the Cross from right to left, while at the Catholic Church it was done left to right. I don’t know if this is intentional or just a matter of preference, but either way, I thought it was really interesting.
Lastly, I went to Portugal, which is mostly Catholic, and got to see the outside of a beautiful Catholic Church. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to go in, but was still amazing to see. One thing interesting was that there was a great history between Muslims and Christians in Portugal, and the effects were still seen to this day. When I went to a nearby city called Sintra, I saw a flag that was entirely in Arabic that read the word “Sintra”. Small things like this were so interesting to me, given that my family’s language is Arabic.
Overall, the trip was a lot of fun and I am so glad to have gotten to share with you all! I continue to want to learn and am always excited to share a conversation about church history.
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Outside a church in Portugal | |
Flag of city Sintra (in Arabic) flying in Portugal | |
3 Openings for OCTOBERFEST SoB VENUE | |
There are 3 openings available for the Sisters of Bede Octoberfest venue that will take place on October 5, starting at 6:30 P.M. If you are interested in attending, please contact Daphne Moote or Penny Jennings. | |
COMMUNITY GALA: Save the Date! | |
PARTY of PARTIES: Save the Date! | |
REDISCOVER THE ST. BEDE'S BOOK CART | |
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By Melora Sundt
Bring out your (gently) used books!
The St Bede’s Book Cart, located at the north end of Luther Hall, is alive and well! It’s attracting so many readers that we are in need of gently used fiction, particularly mysteries and thrillers.
How does it work? Donated books are lovingly curated by Kathy Russell and Melora Sundt, and rotated onto the shelves. Recently donated books receive a colored sticker, coded to the month in which we acquired the book. Any book remaining after 4 months is pulled off the shelves and donated elsewhere, making room for new books. We review and refresh the cart on the first Sunday of each month.
Mysteries and thrillers are particularly popular, so please check your own bookshelves, and bring your oldies-but-goodies to St. Bede’s. You can leave them on top of the cart or give them to Kathy or Melora when you see us. Please donate only books in good condition and perhaps route those outdated textbooks, old health books, and the dusty, battered volumes to other worthy charities.
As always, there are no prices on the books in the book cart, but we’d appreciate your leaving a donation in the baskets on the cart if you decide to claim something new to read. All proceeds go to the scholarships for NYA.
Thank you!
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PRAYER FOR PEACE IN THE HOLY LAND | |
ST. BEDE'S ONLINE GIVING PORTAL | |
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Visit the St. Bede's website and at the top of every page, look for the "Donate" button. When you click on the "Donate" button, you will be transported to St. Bede's Vanco eGiving and Payment Process Site.
Vanco is an industry leader in online payments. More than 40,000 churches, faith-based groups, nonprofits, schools, and educational organizations trust Vanco to securely complete transactions every day. Vanco complies with PCI Level 1 standards, the highest security standard in the payment processing industry.
You are invited to set up one-time or recurring gifts using credit, debit, or bank transfer on Vanco's secure payment processing platform. Giving online through the Vanco site saves time and the hassle of remembering to bring your offering. In addition, you decrease the expense incurred by St. Bede’s from handling and processing checks and cash.
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Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine’s Synod Hall was built in 1913 adjacent to the cathedral. Photo: Brian Kutnet
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New York gives $1.5 million to help Cathedral of St. John the Divine expand social service ministries | |
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By ENS Staff
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine announced Aug. 20 that it had received a $1.5 million grant from the city of New York to renovate a historic building on its Upper Manhattan campus and expand the social services it offers through the Cathedral Community Cares program.
The goal is to transform the cathedral’s Synod Hall into a “larger community hub” offering a range of services to combat poverty, with a particular focus on addressing health and hunger issues.
“At Cathedral Community Cares, we saw over 35,000 visitors last year, and we expect that number to only grow. New Yorkers from all walks of life are finding themselves in dire need of food, clothing, and access to social services,” said the Rev. Eva Suarez, the cathedral’s canon for community engagement, said in a cathedral news release.
Synod Hall, a French Gothic building designed by architects Ralph Adams Cram and Frank Ferguson, was built in 1913 by J.P. Morgan to serve as convention space for The Episcopal Church. The renovation project, while preserving the hall’s historical character, will equip the building to host the cathedral’s soup kitchen, food pantry, laundry facilities and other services and resources, with a particular focus on improving the building’s lower level. The project’s initial phase will include upgrades to improve access for people with disabilities.
READ MORE HERE
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FROM THE EPISCOPAL NEWS
A newsletter serving the Diocese of Los Angeles
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John Harvey Taylor, seventh bishop of Los Angeles | |
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Bishop Taylor announces election of a bishop coadjutor at 2025 convention
By ENS Staff
The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Los Angeles, mindful that the seventh bishop of Los Angeles, the Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor, will reach the church’s mandatory retirement age in 2026, has called for the election of a bishop coadjutor at the 2025 meeting of Diocesan Convention.
On August 13, Taylor issued a letter in English and Spanish announcing the coming election and outlining the search process, which began in June when the Standing Committee met with the Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley, bishop for pastoral development in Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s office. In early August the committee appointed Judy Stark of the Diocese of Southwest Florida as search consultant.
“In the days ahead, the Standing Committee will announce the names of the search committee,” Taylor wrote. “From that point forward, the search committee will take responsibility for reporting on its progress.”
The search committee’s first steps will be preparation of a diocesan profile, which will be published early in 2025 along with a call for nominations. The committee will review applications, conduct interviews, and announce a slate of candidates. “Members of the diocese will have a chance to meet the candidates at a series of town meetings,” Taylor notes in his letter. The timeline also will allow for nomination by petition. The election will take place at the 2025 meeting of Diocesan Convention.
READ MORE HERE
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