Don't forget the Victorian Tea on Saturday in Wellford Hall.
This Sunday, Nov. 11th will be a special Veterans' Day at Farnham & St. John's.
We will celebrate our veterans and join with other churches in the ringing of bells for Armistice Day.
Please see details in the announcement, below.
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Torrence's Weekly Message
Let there be
LIGHT!
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Priscilla Wellford, the Junior Warden at St. John’s, contacted me last week about an idea that had come up at a recent vestry meeting. About adding another door to the outside doorway of the “Bishop Beverly Tucker Rector’s Study” more commonly known as my office. Thanks to Ford Becker’s beautiful paint work (a creamy, mellow happy kind of yellow) just as I was entering Farnham and St. John’s as Priest-in-charge the darker aura of the lower level of the Parish Hall lightened up a lot. And the addition of a couple of mirrors to reflect the light coming in from two windows in the office helps. But, “What’s the possibility of adding a glass “storm” door (that’s what we called them in the houses in which I grew up) at the back door of my office – the one that goes out to the little patio?” I asked the vestry last month.
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Priscilla wouldn’t let the idea simply linger and fade away and so we met up at Lowe’s in Tappahannock last week and it’s going to happen. I am very excited imagining my opening the old panel door when I am in my office and light pouring through the new clear glass outside door. Light bouncing back into the room off the mirrors. Light gently scattering any darkness in the room and perhaps in me, too. I’m even imagining Winston, our office canine companion, serenely resting on the rug in front of it, seeking the warmth of sunlight coming through. Hopefully, not whining to go outside, of course. Probably wishful thinking on my part as Lucy looks at me with eyes saying, “Sure, Torrence, dream on!”
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It’s that time of year when our window of light shrinks. Now with daylight savings time over, darkness falls about 6 p.m. and in my usual wake up time of about 6 a.m. it is still dark. And the time of day-light will continue to shrink, reaching its shortest duration in late December, just before Christmas when we celebrate the light of Christ coming into the world. It’s that time of year when don’t all of us yearn to experience more light.
Soon we will celebrate Thanksgiving – giving thanks for “all good things around us” such as family, friends, loved ones wherever they are and the bounty of whatever is spread out for us as a Thanksgiving feast. If it’s an evening event there’ll probably be candlelight, but don’t we seek and feel warmed by the light of simply being with loved ones. Light, whether the light in creation around us or the light of love with those around us, is essential to life.
There’s something about light. I have always been drawn to it. I believe most people are. When I seek and experience sunlight, starlight, moonlight, it’s as if it enters my inner being and is reflected throughout. I wonder if it’s because we have Divinely placed mirrors inside of us for the express purpose of receiving and then reflecting the light and we don’t feel complete until that happens. Just a thought!
These days and the times we are facing seem to be cast in deepening shadows as dark times swirl around us. In times like these, as something seems to be trying to crowd out the light, don’t we yearn for more – light, that is? We need to seek, find and open up to ways to spread more light in and around us. I have a gut sense that this is part of our purpose in life, Divinely planted and Spirit nurtured, to receive and reflect light.
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For me this new door offers a metaphor, a simple symbol about ways forward. About a way to let more light in and a way to help me see and connect more clearly with the outside world. Doorways are “thresh holds” holding promise for when we have the courage to cross over – back and forth, coming and going between two worlds. Light bridges the inner and outer worlds in which we live and move and have being.
As winter darkness draws around us, what are ways that all of us, individually and together, can open to, absorb and then reflect the light that’s waiting to enter and make more of its light, through us, to piece any darkness. It’s stewardship time. How can we be stewards of Christ’s light? Ponder this; then share your thoughts.
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Closing prayer: O Lord of light and life, let there be Light. Your light in our hearts and minds and souls. Then guide us, use us, to serve as stewards of your light in the world. Amen
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Torrence
(a fellow seeker of the Light)
images from Pinterest: no copywrite infringement intended
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Sunday, November 11th.
A special Sunday at Farnham and St. John's. Don't miss it!
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We will celebrate Veterans' Day and offer a special time of remembrance of Armistice Day, the day dubbed the War to End All Wars (WWI) ended. We will join with all other churches participating in the ringing of a bell 21 times in memory of that event. It will also be a time for us to honor the veterans in our midst who have served in any of the branches of the Armed Forces of the United States. Please invite other family members and friends who served to join us for this special time of thanksgiving and blessing for their service.
Since the bell ringing is to take place at 11 a.m. we will begin our service at St. John's outside the church doors (weather permitting) for the ringing of this bell 21 times, then proceed into the church. At 11 a.m. at Farnham, Jim Crowley has volunteered to return to ring Farnham's bell 21 times since Farnham's service will have taken place at 9 a.m.
On this Sunday, we honor those who served as stewards of our nation's security and the cause of freedom around the world. It will also serve as our "Stewardship" Sunday as we are called to consider our stewardship of these historic, sustaining places of worship we call our church "home" where we gather as church "family" and then go forth into the world around us to "love and serve the Lord."
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The next class in our JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE series is tonight ~Tuesday, November 6
th
and we'll
be discussing Joshua & Judges. Supper is provided, but we ask for a $5 donation to defray the cost.
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NEWS FLASH! BL&C
(
Bag
Lunch &
Conversation) 12 noon to 1 p.m.
this Thursday, Nov. 8th will focus on News about the Diocese of Virginia Annual Convention that just happened. Your delegates and I will give you a snappy synopsis and answer your questions. Things like:
Just who is our Bishop now that Bishop Shannon resigned? What is the "Way of Love Rule of Life" we're being asked to follow by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and a new Diocesan Resolution? Etc., etc.
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is sponsoring a
Building Conservation Workshop:
Keeping the Water Out
November 17, 9AM-3PM at Holley Graded School, Lottsburg
(with an afternoon session at nearby Wheatland and a post-workshop visit to Sabine Hall, Warsaw)
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Sign up for LIFELINE meal
packing for
Haiti
on January 19th at 10:00 at Rappahannock High School.
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Farnham & St. John's have committed to supply 12 volunteers to help assemble bags of nutritional grains to be shipped to Haiti. The cost is $35/person. Contact Courtney Sisson to sign up or for more information.
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Mark your calendars: November 18 is the date of our UTO Fall In-gathering.
God gave you 86,000 seconds today.
Have you used one of them to say “Thank you?”
Put a coin in your Blue Box and
say a prayer of Thanksgiving, every day.
You can pick up a Blue Box or UTO envelope from the parish house or see your UTO Coordinator – Dougie Lawton or Susan Crowley. Thank you!
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Don't forget to bring your weekly food donation for Richmond County Social Services
as a mindful spiritual practice.
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Please note that St. John's ECW meeting on November 13th is at 10:30 instead of 11:00
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Sunday November
11
th
Veterans' & Remembrance
Day Celebrations
9:00 a.m. at Farnham
Morning Prayer
11:00 a.m
.
at St. John's
Holy Eucharist
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Sunday November
18
th
Fall UTO Ingathering
Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. at Farnham
11:00 a.m.
at
St. John's
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Sunday November
25
th
Christ the King Sunday
Holy Eucharist
9:00 a.m. at Farnham
11:00 a.m.
at
St. John's
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Sunday December
2
nd
Celebration Sunday
Holy Eucharist
1st Sunday in Advent
9:00 a.m. at Farnham
11:00 a.m.
at St. John
's
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Come Worship With Us
Sunday Service this week
9:00 a.m. Farnham Church Farnham
11:00 a.m. St. John's Church
Warsaw
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