ISSUE 04 The Messenger quarterly December 2016

Gathered by the Holy Spirit, we IN THIS ISSUE: worship God, and A Safe and Sacred Presence (p2) transformed by Growing Bigger (p3) Christ’s love, we Alms Ministry (p4-5) go forth into the Children and Youth News (p7) world to love and

serve with joy. Advent is Here: No Shame, No Fear Sunday Services by the Rev. Jonathan Weldon, Rector 7:45 a.m. Holy - Advent is almost here. Advent is the first season of the 9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Church Year, and the meaning of Advent is "coming." In this traditional and contemporary season we await the coming of Christ in his Nativity, and music because his Nativity brings into visible form the grace and - 9:15 a.m. Bible Study truth of God, we then are taught to wait upon God to renew in the Great Hall all things in Christ. - 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Advent is about waiting. Waiting is really hard to do. That's choir because we're so easily and thoroughly distracted in the midst “A lot of us of our busy modern lives. My wife tried a little exercise with Weekday Services me that she learned recently, the result of which was to Wednesdays, 6:30 a.m. really don't remind us both how difficult it is to remain in the moment Holy Eucharist get that God before our attention skitters off in a new direction. Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. regards us all Holy Eucharist with tender, I read a perceptive article recently that describes a new form of business enterprise which tracks our mouse-clicks online fierce love…” Thursdays, 10:00 a.m. and then markets our attention to other enterprises which then Holy Eucharist (Healing Prayer on the first market to us. Our attention is being bought and sold all the Thursday of the month) Pictured above are nine time, because we are so restless and distracted. I am talking Bible study follows of the eleven St. Paul’s about myself here. I recently realized that this distraction was Choir School students taking a toll on my peace of mind, so I radically limited my Thursdays, 5:30 p.m. with their director exposure to the internet. Contemplative Prayer Vanessa Katz. The students enjoyed their

first experience singing Advent invites us to step out of this marketplace; to wait, to St. Paul’s in worship when pay attention to our souls, to our yearnings, to our innate Episcopal Church Rickel visited St. Paul’s desire for the peace of mind that can only come in 2117 Walnut St. on October 30th. Bellingham, WA 98225 relationship to God, the ground of our being. How can we put (360) 733-2890 The new Choir School aside distraction to wait? [email protected] recently received an www.StPaulsBellingham.org $8,000 grant from the A major difficulty for us is the spiritual training - or rather Office: Mon-Thu, 9-2:30 Diocese for next year. lack of it - that has shaped us. (continued on page 6) Thank you! St. Paul’s Episcopal Church …training - or rather lack of it - that has shaped us. APage lot of 1 us really don't get yet that God regards us all with tender, fierce love. We've had too much shame. The last thing we

A Safe and Sacred Presence by The Rev. Marsha Vollkommer, Associate for Pastoral Care

Pastoral care is, in its essence and its intention, “fixed,” put words to the chaos in our hearts about the safe and sacred presence of listening. In without being compromised. We were there not to this Advent time, listening may be the last thing respond, but simply to listen to one another…with on our minds. respect and with Caught in the love. The gift of middle of the grace was felt paradox of the and shared with hushed all present, as anticipation of was the the season and realization that the flurry of we are called, holiday by the One who activity, loves us listening unconditionally, seems almost to share that a luxury we grace and can’t afford. goodness with And yet it is in others as well. listening, without agenda and without distraction, that we Pastoral care is found in many various and open up not only a place for God to speak within wonderful ministries. It is knitting shawls for us, but we open up a space in which those around those we want to surround in prayer. It is us can find safety and comfort. providing food in times of stress. It is parishioners, alone or in groups, praying for those It is interesting that I did not learn about listening in need of our intercessions and praying for the – really listening – in a seminary class. I learned work of the church. It is reaching out to the true meaning of listening, and practiced it, and newcomers in our midst with the hand of sometimes totally missed the mark, during my welcome. It is visitation, both clergy and lay, to Clinical Pastoral Education in a hospital. It was those who are ill or frail. And it is listening – there that I learned the notion of being fully simply listening – to our brothers and sisters who present to others…to sit with them in pain and seek us out when the burdens of their hearts and anxiety…to speak only rarely…to offer, through minds become too heavy to bear. It is radical and my silence, a brief space of trust where all that unconventional, because this safe and sacred they were holding close and trying to contain listening asks us to set aside our own agendas – might be put into words. And sometimes there especially the ones labeled “good advice” and were no words. But, even then, attentive silence – “good response” – and be wholly, and presence – could make room for the Holy Spirit to intentionally, and uncritically, and spiritually, and enter in and bring solace. (mostly) silently present to another. In that presence, one with another, the seeds of grace will In Father Chuck’s Wednesday sessions on The flourish, and trust will grow, and solace will come Cure, a group of folks who signed up for a class forth, and the Spirit will, indeed, enter in. received not only the enlightenment of the material provided in the book. We were also May we, the members of Christ’s Body at St. amazed to discover ourselves held fast in the Paul’s, share this precious gift with one another. grace-filled safe space that was birthed through May we offer our love and pastoral care up to listening. A sacred bond was formed in trust – God, whose care for each of us knows no bounds. trust in one another that we could share without May we practice the presence of the Spirit in each being judged, be vulnerable without being of us, as we care for one another.

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Growing Bigger by The Rev. Josh Hosler, Associate for Adult Formation

Everything falls apart. If social media are to be believed, 2016 was a disastrous year for lots and lots of people. Sit with them. Pray with them. Don’t try to fix it. Are you one of these suffering people? We love you, and we are here for you. Through suffering, we grow not smaller, but bigger.

JUDGMENT. It’s such a harsh-sounding word, but can you imagine never being judged? Nothing about the world or about our souls can improve without accurate assessment. Without judgment, nothing changes. Prophets judge people and situations harshly in order to inspire change. And we have assurance that our God’s judgment is always for our benefit, never for our condemnation. God’s judgment helps us grow bigger.

INVITATION. God doesn’t typically steamroll through the world. God appears silently, whispering love into our ears, nudging us. 'Mary With Child' (oil on linen panel) kay eneim 2007 Thomas Keating tells us that “the only thing God

asks of us is our consent to be loved.” An angel In Prince Caspian, C. S. Lewis writes of an visits Mary and invites her to open her very exchange between the girl Lucy and the great lion, body to God’s presence. She says yes. The door Aslan: is open for God to appear to us in a new way. In “Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” we sing, “Cast out our sin and enter in/ Be born in us today.” Mary “That is because you are older, little one,” answered he. grew bigger. “Not because you are?” REVELATION. This is the noun form of “I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.” “revealing”—showing forth what already is. The Magi reveal the worldwide nature of God’s gift to Our lives are not made of mere data, but of us. Jesus’ baptism reveals to us the Holy Spirit stories. The Bible is the definitive collection of already at work in him. Like fire, the spirit of the stories of our faith. The church calendar is one Christ begins to spread, attracting some people to way of telling these stories again and again, its warmth, repelling others because it threatens to because they are never the same twice. The stories change them. During the season of , we may sound the same, but we have grown bigger. hear the stories of Jesus’ thirty years of work as a human being in flesh. And we play with these Look at the stories we’re telling at this time of stories. How are we called? Taught? Healed? Sent year. You can choose all sorts of ways to out with a mission? Our actions in the world in approach them. Today I’m going to tell the story God’s name help us grow bigger. briefly in this way: Every year, we tell the same stories, but they are DISASTER. Jesus told his disciples that all the never the same, because we ourselves have grown beauty of the temple would be destroyed. bigger.

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The Mission of the St. Paul's Alms Ministry is to provide personal, useful and faith-based support to people in need by offering individual conversation, available resources and effective, appropriate referral to other churches and community ALMS agencies....This ministry and its work will meet needs, communicate the caring of the

Church, and encourage and inspire others to respond to the poverty of the marginalized in the community. food, shelter, and ministry. Thank you to all who communication share in this ministry, CELEBRATING 14 YEARS persist. For almoners, the especially our Vestry, which 2016 marked the 14th year of Alms Ministry is one way of allocated $3000 to the program the Alms Ministry at St. Paul's God's people serving God's last year, and individual Episcopal Church in people. donors, who provided an distributing “alms” (small additional $16,200. So far this amounts of emergency HONORING OUR year, a total of $19,018. 35 funding) to those who come. BAPTISMAL VOWS was given to 951 Alms guests. Almoners are privileged to Weekly totals average $367. LOVE IN ACTION listen to individual stories of Each Tuesday morning, WORKING St. Paul's buzzes with WITH OUR activity. In the Old Parish COMMUNITY Hall, Maple Alley Café The SUPPORT (staffed by MAC staff, and NETWORK, which volunteers from St. Paul’s and includes the St. the larger community) serves Vincent de Paul solid, healthy, delicious Society (based at food and loving-kindness. Sacred Heart Catholic In the church foyer, Alms Church), Assumption guests are welcomed and Financial then comfortably wait Assistance (based at until interviewed by a 3- Hope House), person team. Each person Humanitas (based at may receive financial loss, of courage, of despair, of the Bellingham Unitarian assistance once every 12 hope. In serving those who Fellowship) and Hillcrest months. For most, it is a one- come, we honor our baptismal Chapel, part of the Love INC time request. For some, Alms vows to "seek and serve network, spent $31,000 has become part of their Christ in all persons, together, serving 244 persons. budgeting--car registration loving our neighbor as tabs in April or a February ourselves." WTA bus pass. All are "I marvel at clients like welcome. GIVING, PRAYING AND him: they have such SERVING TOGETHER difficult pasts and so

GOD’S PEOPLE SERVING Working together to serve much tilted against them GOD’S PEOPLE strangers, almoners become in the present...yet they Needs increase as rents and spiritual and social friends. As press on, seeking hope utility costs rise. Jobs part of the church community, and a different life." disappear due to medical St. Paul's Alms Ministry uses St. Paul’s Alms Ministry Volunteer/Almoner issues or due to companies or your contributions to support boats or logging fields closing. those in need. Contributions of Individuals and families have prayer, of money, of shared With Support Network no place to live, no job to do, concern for those who live collaboration, each guest was and still the daily needs of nearby make the Alms helped up to a limit of $200. Ministry a vibrant and useful Such joint help includes

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MINISTRY

Greyhound bus tickets back to became part home and potential job, a PSE of his plan. bill, a tent, sleeping bag and After he gets tarp for camping, work boots his ID, he'll ($125 and up for steel-toed), be able to and other items too large for access the our average check of $32 for free YMCA each person given assistance. showers. George Sanders, Carrie Then, he can go to Schwarz, Kathy Rudell, Luci Almoners have also spread out Goodwill or WorkSource to Shaw, Rob Vollkommer, Bea into the community via AA, get help finding a job. A Walton, Lawrence Walton, Homeless Coalition, One-Day bus pass provides Sue Warren, Peter White. Veterans Associations, Hope transportation. Accepting House, Project Homeless that he has a lot of work ALMS (LOVE IN) ACTION Connect, Community to do, he smiled and said First, he came for gas for Resource Network "thanks for listening and the car, his current home. (Opportunity Council), NAMI knowing I can do it." The next week, he and his (National Association for the young child came to Mentally Ill). Community ST PAUL’S ALMONERS partners include Holly St. church. Baptism followed a THANK YOU FOR YOUR few months later. In spite Chevron Station, Whatcom SERVICE IN 2016! Erik of continuing personal Transportation Association, Axelson, Doug Bulthuis, Pam health and employment Lakeway 7Eleven, Bulthuis, Colin Christie, Ann difficulties, they regularly Greyhound, Laundry Love Edmonds, Pug Edmonds, Rod come to worship and to be (at Bellingham Laundry-Lakeway), Elin, Jon Fedele, Linda in community at St. Paul's. Goodwill, Value Village, and Grabill, Ed Gulliksen, George "Here, you are all my Salvation Army stores. The Haynes, John Hoyte, Ann family," said the small community stretches and McCartney, Kathy Mintz, John child. Amen. serves. Muder, Dorothy Murphy, Ian

O'Callaghan, Sid O'Connell, ALMS (LOVE IN) ACTION Confused, dirty, fatigued and frustrated, he finished Maple Alley's breakfast and wandered over to Alms. He didn't have any ID, so the Alms team got him started on that process. He didn't have anywhere to sleep, so we sent him to the Drop-In Center, now also serving as an overnight shelter. He didn't have any clean clothes, so Laundry Love, a free laundry service,

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some spiritual warmth and The practice of stillness and Advent is Here… some practical help. silence before the mystery of (continued from page 1) God is commended to us by Advent is for waiting. What do Jesus himself, who taught us to A lot of us really don't get that you need to do to wait? Do go into our room and close the God regards us all with you need the medicine God's door and pray to our Father tender, fierce love. We've had love for your harried soul? Do who is in secret (Matthew too much shame. The last you need to get encouragement 6:6). A child can do this thing we may want is to be from the clergy or a trusted naturally, and the World before God, because we don't spiritual friend? Do you need Community for Christian trust God with our lives. We to set aside a daily time to say Meditation facilitates the may think of God as one more the "Our Father," to do a short teaching of Christian being "out there" who is going form of prayer from the Book meditation to children. Their to shame us and tell us we're of Common Prayer or newsletter reports the "not doing it right." "Forward Day by Day?" observation of one child, who said that "after meditation we This is sad, because the truth is Are you ready to try silent look out for each other quite the opposite. God is our contemplative prayer? There is more."* And there's the fruit constant lover. We are invited a group that meets at 5:30 pm of meditation: being able to to be in the presence of God on Thursdays in Room B22 at demonstrate love more daily so that we can come to St. Paul's. It helps to try this fully. And doesn't the world realize the truth discovered by for the first time with others. need that? generations of spiritual seekers and teachers, which is - What do you need to do as Fr. Thomas Keating ANNOUNCEMENT to help yourself wait, so has put it - that "the only that you might find out thing God is asking of us We have seen the studies, sepia sketches for yourself the truth of is our consent to be the Proper for loved." across yellowed parchment, the fine detail of hand and breast and the fall of cloth— Advent that you will Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Fra Angelico, hear at the Eucharist This truth has been Titian—each complex Madonna plotted at last each Sunday of Advent, explored and celebrated on canvas, layered with pigment, like the final which is that "we may in Fr. Chuck's class draft of a poem after thirty-nine roughs. without shame or fear called The Cure, for rejoice to behold Christ's which I give But Mary, Virgin, had no sittings, no chance appearing?" thanks. This truth is to pose her piety, no novitiate for body or practiced daily by many for heart. The moment was on her, unaware: Yours for a blessed of your brothers and the Angel in the room, the impossible demand, Advent: sisters at St. Paul's in the response without hesitation. Only one their daily prayers and word of curiosity, echoing Zechariah’s How? Jonathan+ ministry activities, and yet innocently voiced, without request for proof. weekly at the The teen head tilted in light, the hand Contemplative Prayer trembling a little at the throat, the candid eyes, *"Hope for the Future: Group. This truth is wide with acquiescence to shame and glory— Meditation in Schools," in Meditatio: Newsletter of the acted upon as our Alms “Be it unto me as you have said.” World Community for Ministers meet, without Christian Meditation. Vol 40, judgment, the many Luci Shaw No. 3; Oct. ‘16. people who come through our doors seeking

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Children & Youth News by Lindsay Knight, Director of Children & Family Ministries, and Linda Tiffany, Director of the Children & Youth Library

colors. It was a lot of fun! A HUGE shout out to all of our volunteer and nursery staff for all of the hard work they did to COMING SOON TO ST. make this such a PAUL’S successful event! TinyCat, an online library FUTURE SPYS catalog tailored to fit the needs (St.Paul’sYouth) of small collections, is coming to St. Paul’s! Library Over the course of the fall volunteers have been busy season, our Wednesday adding our current holdings to tween group made 75 the website. Soon parishioners scarves and hats for Hope will be able to access the House, cookies and catalog from the comfort of a cinnamon rolls for Maple home computer or mobile FANTASTIC FALL Alley Cafe, and candles to device, searching for books

remember loved ones for All and placing holds just as you St. Paul’s had an amazing Fall Souls Day. They also played can with the public library. Festival Event this year! With SO many games, watched Eventually, we’ll be able to over 150 kids and their movies, and made their own check out books online too. families, and over 50 advent calendars! It was a fun Keep watching for further volunteers, our building was and eventful fall and we all developments. bursting at its seams. The look forward to winter! children played carnivals games galore, wore their amazing Halloween costumes, made caramel apples, got their faces painted and hair sprayed in different

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Advent & Services and Events at St. Paul’s by Lindsay Knight, Director of Children & Family Ministries, and Linda Tiffany, Director of the Children & Youth Library Advent 2: Sunday, December 4

+ Holy Eucharist (7:45, 9:00 & 10:30) Advent 4: Sunday, December 18 + All 3 Services: Alms Sunday + Holy Eucharist (7:45, 9:00 & 10:30) + St. Nicholas Visit (10:30 service) + Advent Pageant (10:30 service) + Holiday Faire Continues + Angel Tree Christmas Eve, Saturday, December 24 + Children’s Pageant Sign Ups & Costume + Church Office Closed Fittings (during Coffee Hours) + Children’s Liturgy with Eucharist (4:00pm) Advent 3: Sunday, December 11 + Holy Eucharist (6:30pm) + Holy Eucharist (7:45, 9:00 & 10:30) + Christmas Carols (10:30pm) + Children’s Pageant Sign Ups & Costume + Choral Candlelight Eucharist (11:00pm) Fittings (during Coffee Hours) + Final Sunday of Angel Tree Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25 + Advent Lessons & Carols (5:00pm) + Holy Eucharist (One Service 10:00am)

Saturday, December 17 + Pageant Rehearsal (9:45am) New Year’s Day, Sunday, January 1 The Holy Name of our Lord Jesus Christ + Holy Eucharist (One Service 10:00am)

Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ, Friday, January 6 PARISH STAFF + Epiphany Liturgy (6:30pm) The Rev. Jonathan Weldon, Rector Nicole Pridachuk, Director of Youth Ministries The Rev. Charles W. Whitmore, Assistant Rector Lindsay Knight, Director of Children and Family Ministries The Rev. Josh Hosler, Associate for Adult Formation Rocky Champagne, Facilities Manager The Rev. Marsha Vollkommer, Associate for Pastoral Care Diane Bergquist, Bookkeeper Wade Dingman, Music Director Svetlana Polishchuk, Housekeeping Vanessa Katz, Choir School Director Elysia Gemora, Maddie McKercher, Myra Ryneheart Corcorran, Communications/Operations Manager Amanda Singh, Olivia Slama, Childcare

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