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January 2002
From Nolan
A Cycle of Life
Dear Family in Christ,
The fragile, fleeting beauty of flowers easily draws my attention these
days. I feel invited, even drawn, to look closely at the unique individual
detail and color that each produce, and marvel at the wonder of their
creation. When winter is upon us and blooms are scarce I'm given pause to
reflect on my life and relationship with God by observing their life
cycle.
This past Christmas Ann and I received several Amaryllis bulbs (a long
stemmed plant with a large flower), and at this writing they are still
producing exquisitely beautiful blooms. I haven't always appreciated
flowers, but now I can spend hours in a botanical garden and never tire of
photographing them and meditating.
As I prepare for Lent, which arrives on February 13th, the Amaryllis
has given me more than beauty. The life cycle of this amazing plant is
helping me get ready for a season of self-examination, and prayer.
This plant begins its' blooming cycle from a bulb buried in the soil.
Over time and under the right conditions it starts to develop green shoots
that grow into a long stem and eventually produce several huge yet
delicate, colorful flowers. After a period of time (far too short for me)
they begin to die. While the flowers die the plant doesn't, it can and
will produce again given the right conditions. If the leaves are cut back,
the bulb is removed from the soil, cleaned and stored in a cool place for
some weeks it will bloom again.
Our spiritual life is much like this. The Church year begins with a
season of preparation for the birth of the Christ Child and then the
extravagant, enthusiastic season of Christmas bursts forth. Epiphany
brings us a time to see the fruit of this event in the manifestation of
Christ to the world, a wonder we love to behold. Lent comes bringing
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Search Committee
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An Update
No news at this point is probably good news. My last three articles
have made it to a place far, far away, and I'll be dipped if I know where
they landed. Someone was trying to tell me something, so I won't even try
to re-hash what I had written. Just to let you know, I had made some
comment about Dennis Moran taking pictures during the late service a few
Sundays ago. Dennis looked like a war correspondent going for the best
shots while Father Nolan was trying to conduct a service. The choir is
singing, Father Nolan is doing his best to stay on key, and Dennis is
rummaging around for the Pulitzer Prize winning shot to put in our church
Profile. Needless to say, being the consummate artisan that Dennis is,
unfazed and unflappable, (you should have been there) Dennis is
photographing and SINGING along with the choir during the service. Dennis
seemed like he was singing along with the hymns, but I think I caught him
singing his own tunes a couple of times.
So, since I didn't get my last few articles in, I will leave the part
about Dennis out of this article as well. If you missed the annual
meeting, you missed my state of the committee speech as well. Actually,
you probably heard I was going to give a speech and decided not to make
it. Good for you, but you missed out on a couple of other fine speeches as
well. Father Nolan said some very nice things, and it will be hard to see
him and the venerable ANN heading down the road come July. Let's make the
best of it while we can, ok?
I told a joke, that I won't repeat here in print. The next thing I
spoke about was that the committee is like painting a house. I actually
used that analogy. The prep work is the pits and the actual painting is a
whole lot easier. This, of course, coming from someone who thinks that
painting is telling the professional how you want it done.
We have completed the work on the profile and have submitted our stuff
to the Church Deployment Office (remember the CDO?). That is the place
that keeps everyone's stuff, especially if they are interested in
venturing out from their present calling. As I write this ( January 21,
2002 ) we have not received squat from the CDO office, however, once we
do, we are ready to take on the next phase of the search.
SOOO - That is the state of the Search Committee. Comments, questions,
opinions, delegations, whatever, if it makes you feel better to grab one
of us after church, before church (but not during, please), or any other
time, please do so.
On behalf of Drew, Ed, Winnie, Kelli, Mary, Robin, Doug, Harold, Pat
and Dennis, we all hope you had a great Holiday and are preparing for a
wonderous New Year.
Sincerely,
David Byers,
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I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever
remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me
you can do nothing.
John 15:5
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Christian Education
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Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to
my path.
Psalms 119:105
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Sunday School Schedule
February 3 _ March 17:
Sunday school
March 24: Palm Sunday.
Walk Through Holy Week. No regular Sunday school. Please encourage
your children to attend. Adults are welcome too. (We will be asking for
adult participation.)
March 31: Easter Sunday. No
Sunday school. There will be an Egg Hunt at 10:10 am
April 6 _ May 19: Sunday school
May 26: Memorial Day weekend.
No Sunday school
June 2: Last
day of Sunday school
June 9: Sunday school celebration.
This is a JV service in honor of our Sunday school youth, teachers,
Celebration Choir and their leaders. Please come whether you have children
in the programs or not. This is a celebration you shouldn't miss! A BBQ
will follow the 10:00 service.
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Vestry
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Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved
children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave
Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
Ephesians 5:1-2
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Musing On My Vestry Experience
My first thought? Three years has gone by?! Whew! I remember when I
first walked up to Winnie Jackman in the Fellowship Hall three years ago
to ask how I could be on the vestry. Her eyebrows went up and she had this
wide eyed look of surprise about her as if she was wondering if this guy
was for real.
A few things come to mind. First of all, it has been quite an
experience in government. We were the Senate, the Congress, the City
council. What an honor to be an elected official! What a responsibility.
What a balancing act. I sit on the Redman's couch thinking, oh man. I only
get one vote? Wait a minute, two people are absent. I claim dibbs on their
votes! I have to what? Compromise? Aagh. Not quite the same as when I sit
on the couch at home, with control of the remote.
And then there is this "Consensus" thing. So now we all have
to agree, or agree to disagree? Where is a dictator, when we need him!?
(Just be sure to run things my way, Okay?) Alright maybe I did learn
something from Nolan.
Did you know that the majority of U.S. Presidents come from the
Episcopal faith? Shows you what a tough training ground the vestry is.
Thank goodness for Robert's Rules. We'd have had to move out the coffee
table to make room for wrestling otherwise. Yea, you all never figured on
Susie standing up waving her fists would you?? We were good on keeping
secrets. Just kidding Susie.
Fortunately, through it all, it was clear what our purpose was. When
things got real muddled, I could always ask myself, "What would Jesus
do?" I came to understand what it means to listen to another idea, to
accept that there are different viewpoints than mine. I've had some
successes. And I've had to accept some failures of my own. It's easy to
come up with grand ideas. Finding the time to carry them out is another
thing.
The FISH was the best. Take the quietest person around (Warren) and ask
him to color a fish. Suddenly he is an orator without match. The
spirituality of people really came out in that simple act of coloring a
fish and using it to describe their relationship with ECA. Thanks Ginger.
You can tell good parents by their kids.
Did you know the Episcopal Church had it founding in the American
Revolution? That always made me feel good. I'm getting a say in running my
church. Maybe we were not hashing out the text of the Declaration of
Independence, but all the same it's just as important. With God as our
co-pilot, we are determining our future.
I couldn't have asked for a more spirit-filled group of people to share
this experience with. Thanks.
- Russ Petruzzelli
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Letter
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I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all...
Philippians 1: 3-5
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Here is a letter, just arrived, from Bishnu Khadka who lives in J
House (orphanage) in Kathmandu, Nepal. (Bishnu lived with us for six
months while he underwent and recuperated from major surgery at Stanford
Hospital in 1995. He was 12 then and neither spoke nor wrote English.)
Since his return to Nepal he has started school and made friends and even
plays basketball. He has two more years of schooling to go before he takes
the exams for university.
"Dear Sandie and Ed, Namaste!
Hope you are fine and doing well up there. As for me I am fine and
doing well in my studies.
Now days I'm on a holidays. My second terminal examination is over and
the result has come out. I passed the examination with good marks except
in science. I find difficulties in science though I'm giving priority it.
I am busy doing my winter vacation homework. The teachers have given lots
of homework. And we are having some extra classes during the afternoon. Do
you know we have a basketball court? In the afternoon we play for some
time. In the evening we have Tuition classes for one and a half hours. The
interesting thing that is happening during my holidays is that we have a
project work to visit different temples and write information about the
temple and the place. I find very interesting doing that.
As you know I am having kidney stones. I drink lots of water and I am
very careful about my health. I still have got the stones in the kidney.
The doctor who looks me examine my 24 hours urine and found out nothing.
That's why I am worry about it.
At last I would like to wish you marry Christmas and happy New Year
2002, though it is late. Reply me very soon.
I love, Bishnu
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Joint Venture
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Meet the Church Secretary
Hi! I'm the Church Secretary, Shirley Harned-Kelley. I attend ECA,
singing in the choir with my husband of 2+ years, Roger Kelley, a
psychologist with Kaiser. I'm a retired opera/concert singer and before I
set out to seek my musical fortune (I got to do a great deal of singing
but the fortune part eluded me!), was a graphic artist and photographer in
production of publications and visual aids for the Federal Government for
the Occupational Health Research and Training Facility in Cincinnati (2
years) and the Canal Zone Government Administration Division in the Panama
Canal Zone (3.5 years) where I grew up. In those days, the government-ese
for my job was "Visual Information Specialist"! Also, during my
25 plus years as a professional singer, I produced my own PR materials and
those of several of my colleagues as a way to stretch my income. I still
do free lance graphic design on occasion for long-time clients.
Here at Joint Venture Churches, I have been putting my publication
experience to good use in the production of MANY MANY bulletins!! A week
with only two bulletins is a rarity! On February 20, I will mark the
completion of one year working as the secretary for JV. I have gotten to
know a lot of people's names and have made some progress in attaching
faces to those names. Please come by and introduce yourselves so I can put
your face to your name. I am here to serve you all. It gives me great
satisfaction and pleasure to use my various proficiencies and proclivities
in service to the Lord by serving His Church—and that's you!
Love in Christ,
Shirley
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Shine
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For all who are being led by the Spirit of
God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery
leading to fear again but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons
by which we cry out, "Abba, Father!"
Romans 8:14-15
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Can you help?
Dear Episcopal Church in Almaden,
Would you partnership with Help One Child in 2002 to help in finding
and supporting Christian homes for children in foster care? Our network
currently has about 85 homes supporting about 165 children as the enclosed
year-end report details. (Our year end report is available on request. It
can also be viewed at the helponechild.org website.)
In 2001 there were about 1000 children taken in by our county that
needed placement out of their biological parents home because of abuse or
serious neglect. About half are placed with relatives. The number needing
foster homes continues to grow while the number of available foster homes
is declining. The need for 500 foster homes in the next 12 months can be
met by the 700 Christian Churches in the county each sheltering one child.
Help One Child partners with Churches like yours to find homes and
helpers for these children. Since a babysitter for a foster child must be
over 18 and cleared, it is helpful to find people in the same Church
community that will be cleared helpers to Church families that are able to
do fostering.
Helping a child through this traumatic experience and showing them what
a loving family can be like is a tremendous witness of the love of God. It
is often a life changing experience for all involved. Having the Church
involved to become an extended family for children is valuable. Children
are in foster care because they are family-less.
Please consider having a Help One Child foster parent came and give a
brief or extended talk at your Church in the future to encourage
volunteers.
Sincerely,
Mary Johnson
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Diocesan News
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Diocesan Convention from where I sit
The 22 Annual Diocesan Convention is meeting at the Embassy Suites
Hotel in Seaside, Friday and Saturday in late January. Bishop Shimpfky
opens the Convention meeting stating that we must be aware of the
"newness of God, He is with us." The Bishop states that we are
gathered here with "dedication and priorities, rallying around the
Gospel." We are in a "place where dreams and Godly aspirations
find fulfillment to make a difference in the world."
Having gathered our packets, badges and voting cards, twelve of us from
ECA sit at our round table in the grand ballroom filled with round tables.
Dori Torry (one of our twelve) is with us even though she is now at a
church of her own in our next door Diocese of Northern California. Because
she was a seminarian in our El Camino Real Diocese we can claim her for a
few more days and our Bishop will help ordain her in mid-February.
I love Convention: the gathering of representatives from all the
forty-nine churches in our Diocese. I love the resounding sound we all
make standing and heartily singing together. I love the news that gets
shared. I love the formal rememberance at convention of everyone who has
died in the past year. We remembered Bill Mac Donald and Jodie Moore. I
love the orderly system provided by the Parliamentarian relying on the
Constitution and Cannons and Robert's Rules of Order for the business of
the convention. At Convention, no matter how passionate the argument, no
matter how opposed the debaters, everyone gets to be heard, and all sides
of the issue are explored before we delegates vote.
The Diocesan DIEM (Department of Intercultural Evangelism and Ministry)
has been struggling for years to be a strong support for building
inclusive new churches reflecting the variety of cultures around us. There
are currently three Asian ministries: (1) Filipino, Holy Child in east San
Jose; (2) Chinese, Holy Light in Campbell; and (3) and a Vietnamese
ministry in development. We have Spanish ministry both in the northern and
central parts of our Diocese. You will find a fine Asian Ministry Report
on the ECA bulletin board. Please read it and other Convention material to
get a better hold on the statistics and details.
We elected representatives to all the Diocesan organizations including
an overwhelming vote for Ginger Redman on Standing Committee. People in
our Diocese know and have great respect for Ginger. So congratulate her
when you see her (ask her what Standing Committee does, it's a very
important committee), and ask questions about Convention 2002 of our
attendees: Amy and Peter Jacobs, Todd and Kimberly Axtell, Ken Wratten,
Pat Fox, Sandie and Ed Mueller, Ginger Redman, and Ann and Nolan.
- Reporting:
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