Grains of Sand – June 2009
St. Andrew’s by the
Grains of Sand – June 2009
VICAR’S THOUGHTS
The advertisements for Memorial Day Weekend said it was the ‘first official weekend of summer’. Of course, we still have over 21 days of spring left before the ‘really official’ beginning of summer. Summer brings changes to our schedules – different routines. That is good, I think. I have already taken my first trip away – driving out West to see my brothers. I really enjoy that drive – about 4000 miles out and back. Some of the areas I go through are what I call my ‘spiritual geography’ – the red rock mountains and hills of
One evening I was sitting at our old family dining room table at my brother’s home. Sitting across from me were my brothers as we ate a pot roast supper together (one of our favorites from when we were kids). All of a sudden I realized – this is exactly how we used to sit at mealtimes all those years we were growing up together. The only people missing were my Mom (who would have been to my left) and Dad (to the right) – each of them at their ends of the table. Day after day, year after year, this is how we gathered in the evening to share our family dinner. Back then I did not have the eyes to see what a holy place and time that was. As I sat there with my brothers, I did have the eyes to see (at least for that moment) – what a holy and special time we were sharing. I could feel the Holy One profoundly present at that table with my brothers and me. And I was deeply grateful – that’s all – just grateful. And that’s enough.
I recommend a book to you for your summer reading. It’s An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor. She says the last place most people look for the hidden secrets of life are those places that are right under our feet. The key to the treasure box of the More is found in the everyday activities, accidents and encounters of our lives. What possible significance can one find in a trip to the grocery store? How can something as common as a toothache teach us about Divine Presence? How could something like an old dining room table be a door to greater life?
All of us are standing on “red Xs” – everywhere, all the time. We just need to have the eyes, ears and heart to see them. These ‘red Xs’ are God’s altars in the world. One of the reasons we gather at the altar each Sunday to be fed and nourished by Christ is to enable us to see all those other altars in our everyday lives – that bring the Christ presence so profoundly close to us. What gets really amazing in this journey is when we can get beyond the in/out, up/down, us/them divisions that keep us separated from one another. There is no such thing as ‘sacred/secular’ – all is sacred and pulsing with the vibrancy and energy of God’s life force. When we finally know this – it is this that will save our lives. This is what Jesus taught in his wisdom.
I hope this summer you can take time to look for the ‘red Xs’ under your feet – or standing in front of you – and recognize some of the altars in this world. Or, as Barbara Taylor Brown says, “ordinary-looking places where human beings have met and may continue to meet up with the divine More that they sometimes call God.”
May you have a summer filled with ‘red X’ blessings.
In Christ, Cindy
SENIOR GRADUATION CELEBRATION – Sunday, June 7
This year we have four graduates: Sarah Johnson (
CHILDREN’S EVENTS IN JUNE
Pentecost Treasure Hunt – For those children ages 4-11 who are present at worship on Pentecost Sunday, May 31st, there will be a treasure hunt following worship. Prizes for all! Come join the fun!
THE BIG DIG
A One-Day Vacation Bible Camp
Be an archaeologist for a day!
Dig for clues about Bible stories.
We will have: games, crafts, stories, lunch,
AND…a Pool Party!!
Tuesday, June 9th
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Cost: $5 per person
Sign up in the Mission Hall by June 7th or
call Liz Maeshima, 728-1107
YOUTH EVENTS IN JUNE
CnC (Confirm not Conform)- Wednesday, JUNE 10th - 6-8:30 p.m. (note change of date!)
This session is with MENTORS and includes dinner beginning at 6 p.m. Be sure to bring your
Bibles (if you took yours home after the last session)
Brat
Popcorn Stand: June 27 & 28, Saturday-Sunday, at the Park Point Art Fair.
These two events are MAJOR fund raisers for the Pilgrimage in 2010!
YOUTH EVENT IN JULY
Urban Adventure: July 12-14, Sunday-Tuesday. Cost: $135.00 (note the change). This covers transportation down/back and while there, food, lodging, most meals, and entry into
YOUNG ADULT NEWS
The group is starting to gather more frequently. We’ll be having brunch after church, Sunday, May 31st, at Sir Benedict’s. This summer should provide opportunities to worship together, to visit, to get involved in service, and maybe to visit friends near Lutsen and Grand Marais. We are starting to invite friends and other young adults beyond St. Andrew’s. If you know of anyone who is interested, please contact Katya Kaminova, Peter Wlosinski, or Sally Maxwell.
St. Andrew’s Stitchers
The June meeting will be at Fern Penick’s home at
Beachcomber Softball Team
Hope you are signed up to play! First game is Tuesday, June 9th (time to be announced). All games are played at the UMD softball fields and they last one hour. You must be 10 years old (or older) to play. Speak to Mark Berger or John Hunn if you would like to join the team. It’s great fun!
Time Away
One of our Deacons, Sue Deetz, has asked to have some time away to examine her life vocations. Her last Sunday will be June 28th and potentially she will return the first Sunday of Advent. We wish her well during this time of reflection.
Other Events of Interest in the Area
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Vacation Bible Camp – Camp EDGE
Explore & Discover God Everywhere
July 13-17, Monday-Friday
9:00-12:00 each day
Ages 4-12, Cost: $15 per child,
$25 for two, $35 for three.
Phone Sue Van Oss – 724-3535
Region II Art Days – Summer Sunday Afternoons in the Arts
Part I: Sunday, July 12, 2:00-5:00 p.m.
Choose one: Sandblasting on Field Stone
or Banner and Stole Design
Part II: Sunday, August 9, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Choose one: Calligraphy
or Fabric Design with resists
See flyer & registration on table in Mission Hall.
O Holy Spirit, giving life to all life, moving all creatures,
O root of all things, washing them clean, wiping out their mistakes, healing their wounds…
You are our true life, luminous, wonderful,
awakening the heart from its ancient sleep.
Hildegard of Bingen
City Safari Adventures
(St. Louis County 4-H Program offering)
This event will be held at eight different city sites – one of which will be St. Andrew’s by the Lake – July 27,29,30,31. This is for youth, 4th thru 8th grade. Cost: $10.00.
The focus of the program will be to strengthen youths’ connections with their local environment and foster positive relationships with caring adults and peer role models. The camp will utilize research-based 4-H curriculum which focuses on forest ecology, outdoor recreation, interconnectedness between society and the environment. These concepts will be taught in an interactive, fun, dynamic way with games, crafts, and teamwork activities incorporated into each day. They will provide a safe environment with opportunities for learning, field trips, rewards, and new experiences.
Contact: Idelle Erickson (733-2872) or eric1098@d.umn.edu.
OCTOBER ART EXHIBIT AT ST. ANDREW’S
The Art and Spirituality Committee met in May to make final plans for the October Art Exhibit at St. Andrew’s. At last count, 25 members of the congregation have signed up to share their work. Somewhere it is written, “All people are special artists,” and that indeed seems to be the case at St. Andrew’s. We will be showing works by painters, knitters, quilters, woodworkers, potters, jewelers, and much more.
It’s not too late to sign up in the Mission Hall. Guidelines and entry labels will be available soon. Ellie Alspach and Stacy Nagel are exhibit co-chairs.
Check out these three examples of art on the table in the Mission Hall: a painting by Ellie Alspach, glass jewelry by Margaret Handley, and photography by Stacy Nagel. With each piece is a written statement which explains how the art (or producing it) was spiritually transforming for the artist. Do the examples help you to see deeper meanings in your own work? One purpose of our exhibit is to help reveal the sacred that is manifest and nurtured in our art, and to share that with the viewers. Arlene Renken
The Roving Reporter – Traci Reynolds
The Easter Season is full of joy. I interviewed 15 people at church and these are the responses to the question: “What are some of the ways you practice your religion out of the church building itself?”
• …love all people…
• Kindness and respect toward my friends and neighbors.
• Volunteering to help children, and being polite to all.
• I live in the moment and think beyond myself.
• I do my best work.
• I ask for and give forgiveness.
• Helping one another.
• Every day I say, “This is the day the Lord hath made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
• Recognizing God in nature each day and saying prayers for those in need. Also, praying as each ambulance and fire truck passes by.
• Thanking God for family and the many blessings I’ve been given.
• I ask for God to forgive me for all of my transgressions.
• I thank God for all of his help.
• I try to help a good friend who lost her husband.
• I say a daily gratitude prayer when I wake up.
• I try not to swear as much at work.
St. Anselm’s Call to Meditation
(1033-1109)
Come now, all of us, let us turn aside for awhile
from our daily employment,
escape for a moment from the tumult of our thoughts.
Put aside our weighty cares.
Let our burdensome distractions wait,
free ourselves awhile for God and rest.
Let us enter the inner chambers of our souls,
shut out everything except God
and that which can help us in seeking God.
And when we have shut the door, say:
“I seek your face.”
God, it is your face we seek.
