This week's E-pistle

Farnham & St. John's

Weekly E-pistle

Sunday is Queen Anne Sunday

Come join us at Farnham at 10:00 using the silver given by Queen Anne and the verbiage from the the Holy Communion service from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

Torrence's Message

Welcome at the Threshold

Our parish houses may be busy from time to time not just on Sundays, but during the week. They may house staff and clergy offices but also be the location of meetings and events: for church committees, AA groups, and other community gatherings. Our parish houses may have the usual door mats make of hemp, rubber or some composite material. These door mats, if any, may or may not say "Welcome!" Their primary function appears to offer us the opportunity to rid our feet of any dirt, grass or other "outside" debris before we enter the building.

All doormat pictures are courtesy of Pinterest.

(Winston chose this one .)

Our sanctuaries seem somehow different. I don't remember seeing the typical "doormats" at doorways into church sanctuaries. Is it because these holy, consecrated spaces welcome us in spite of any "outside" dirt or debris that may cling to us when we pass through their doors? The welcome is an unspoken but intuitively recognized invitation to cross a sacred threshold and enter a space set apart and waiting patiently to simply embrace and bless those who enter.

Someone recently shared the following prayer/blessing/poem with a group I was in. I immediately thought of it as a way to describe metaphorically and poetically how a church sanctuary waits for us with a holy heart open doorway beckoning us to enter and be welcomed.- whether we are ones who have crossed its threshold many times, only now and then, or never before. As I ponder some of the sanctuary times since I have been part of your life as parishes, I believe that as we all experience the blessing in these holy places we become the face of "welcome" at the threshold of these sanctuaries. We not only cross the threshold and walk into the blessings waiting for us, but over time we become "doorways" to blessing for those who enter as visitors for special events and sacramental liturgies in celebration of life's great passages (marriage, baptism, death). We become the welcome in these holy spaces because we have been welcomed, nourished and blessed here.

By God's amazing grace, may it be so.

Torrence

"Blessing the Threshold"

by Jan Richardson

This blessing

has been waiting for you

for a long time.

While you have been

making your way here

this blessing has been

gathering itself

making ready

biding its time

praying.

This blessing has been

polishing the door

oiling the hinges

sweeping the steps

lighting candles

in the windows.

This blessing has been

setting the table

as it hums a tune

from an old song

it knows,

something about

a spiraling road

and bread

and grace.

All this time

it has kept an eye

on the horizon,

watching,

keeping vigil,

hardly aware of how

it was leaning itself

in your direction.

And now that

you are here

this blessing

can hardly believe

its good fortune

that you have finally arrived,

that it can drop everything

at last

to fling its arms wide

to you, crying

welcome

welcome.

Announcements

Saturday is St. Stephen's, Heathsville's

Click here for pictures and to buy tickets

Our UTO* Spring

In-gathering is June 24th, a week from Sunday .

* United Thank Offering

This will be a joint service at St. Johns at 10:00 am. Be sure to bring your Blue Box or UTO envelope that Sunday. ** PLEASE NOTE: Write either “Farnham” or “St. Johns” on your box or envelope so that we know which church it is for.

Always and everywhere – give thanks! Use your Blue Box daily and remember the United Thank Offering!

Picture from the Episcopal Church Women-Diocese of Washington

Free Kayak Lessons & Family Paddles at Menokin!

The Menokin Foundation would like to share new information about water and paddling access at their site. Last Fall, they were awarded a grant from the Gwathmey Foundation to purchase a fleet of kayaks for educational purposes. Part of the new program includes FREE kayak lessons on Tuesday & Thursday mornings from 10 am to 12 pm. They have two trained and certified instructors. Space is limited, so you must register in advance. Call (804) 333-1776 or E-mail menokin@menokin.org. They're also offering free Family Kayak Paddles on the last Saturday of the month. You can launch your own paddle boat any time or rent a kayak Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm.

For more information - click here

Preservation of the Northern Neck and Middle Penninsula

Summer Speaker Series

Please note the myriad interesting speakers and topics being held by the Preservation of the Northern Neck and Middle Penninsula Summer Speaker Series in Wellford Hall at St. John's this summer. Next is Julia King's "Unearthing Rappahannock Indian History" being held tomorrow evening at 6:00 p.m. Future topics are listed on the "In the Parish Hall" section, below.