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In This Issue
Next Sunday’s Readings
This final installment from the Sermon on the Mount continues to challenge and inspire. In Isaiah and in Matthew we are called to trust in God. Just as we are challenged by the commandment that we be perfect, we are challenged to trust in God. What keeps us from trusting in God? Is it foolish to trust in God when we live in such a material world? This is where the rubber meets the road. Trust in God is more than a platitude. Trust in God is a meaningful way of living in a complex and challenging world.
Read Next Sunday’s Lessons here.
Last Sunday’s Sermon: Be Perfect
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. This sermon looked at the meaning of perfection in this context. The underlying Greek word that we translate as “perfect” is not really “perfect” so much as “complete” or “be what you were intended to be.” We all face obstacles to realizing perfection. This sermon invites us to give those obstacles to God in prayer. We wrote our obstacles on small scraps of paper and then, as we came forward for Communion, we placed them in a bowl. These scraps of paper with our obstacles will be burned along with the palm crosses from last Easter. The ashes will then be used in the Ash Wednesday service.
Listen to Last Sunday's Sermon Here.
The Power of Prayer
I would like to start this week’s message with a “Thank you,” to all of you who remembered my husband, Chuck, with cards, phone calls, books, and most importantly your prayers. I am pleased to report that he is resting at home now and eagerly waiting to return to St. Dunstan’s, minus his limp and his old hip. Thank you so much.
This past Sunday we started the ministry of Prayer Shawls. This is another way in which we can take care of our people and let them know that they are in our prayers. Prayer is a powerful thing and I was deeply touched as I watched people come up to the communion rail and touch the shawls for a brief moment. Father David has also blessed the shawls and they will hold all those blessings. We gave one of the shawls to a parishioner after the service and said prayers with him and his daughter. If you know of someone who would benefit from receiving a prayer shawl, please let Diana Rall, Father David, or me know. We are a community who loves and cares for one another and that is such a blessing.
When we weave the habit of prayer into the fabric of our lives, we invite God to become a partner with us every day. We receive His wisdom, His love, His grace and His strength. Pray constantly about all things great and small. He is listening.
Blessings,
Mary E. Pacher
Vestry Corner: February 24, 2011
Some time ago, a $25,000.00 memorial donation was made to St. Dunstan’s Church in memory of our former Deacon, John Shiveley. This was a generous gift and we are grateful to have received it. We have spoken with John’s widow, Dorothy, and asked her permission to use this gift to invest in the future growth of St. Dunstan’s. We have also spoken with her son, Richard. We are pleased to report that Dorothy and Richard have enthusiastically given us their permission to use the funds to invest in the growth of St. Dunstan’s Church.
The funds would be used in two ways: first, in communication to non-members ( and members) to let them know what we have to offer via the website, mailings, banners, advertising, and other means. Secondly, to support the staff time necessary to do the added outreach communications that will enable us to build the congregation.
We believe that there may have been other contributors to the John Shiveley memorial fund. If you were a contributor to the John Shiveley memorial fund, and have an objection to what our plans are, we ask that you notify the Sr. Warden, Mary E. Pacher, or any member of the Vestry, in writing by February 28, 2010. You will be asked for proof of your donation at that time.
We are very grateful to Dorothy and her son Richard for their generosity. Both felt that John would have whole heartedly approved of our plans. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Hello from Camp Huston!
Online Registration is now available for Summer 2011 @www. huston.org! Brochures are on the table in the Narthex. Resident Camp, Horse and Buckaroo camps, Mini-camp, Theater Camp, and Family Camp are all available. Scholarships are also available through our parish and through the Bishop Curtis Scholarship Fund.
Save the date for the Open House BBQ on May 21, 2011. Join us for free BBQ and the opportunity to see the cabins, walk the trails, try out arts and crafts, and meet some of this summer's staff! This is a great way to get acquainted with Camp Huston if you have never been before or to show a friend.
Other upcoming events include Work Weekend April 29-May 1, when we will be preparing the cabins for the summer season adn working on projects around the camp. We will close each evening with a service and an opportunity to share successes of the day around a campfire. Cost is only $10/person, including lodging and meals! Visit the website above for more information and a registration form.
Huston Quilters will also be happening from April 27-May 1. You are welcome to join this fun-filled group of women quiting all day and night with nothing but meals in between. Costs vary but information is included on the website above. |
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You Are the Salt of the Earth
The mission of St. Dunstan’s Church is strongly expressed in our care for others. We walk in Christ’s love and forgiveness through service to the community. Community includes our friends, families, our church community, our neighbors, and people in need all over the world. We have received so much love and blessing ourselves that we feel compelled to care and to help.
Too often in this world people suffer alone. We want to know when someone needs help. We want you, if you need help, to have a way to make your needs known. We don’t want you or anyone to suffer alone. That is one of the greatest values of being a church community. We can care for one another. We can even care for people beyond our walls.
In the past, St. Dunstan’s Church had the classic phone tree to let members know of specific pastoral needs. If someone was in the hospital, or someone had a baby, or someone died, a single call to the head of the phone tree would get the news to everyone on the phone tree and people would respond as the Spirit moved them. Modern technology allows us to take the phone tree to a whole new level. We are implementing the phone tree for the Internet age and we call it Care Teams.
Here’s how Care Teams work. Rica O’Connor, Karen Tynes and I are putting this program together. Karen has volunteered to be be the Care Team Coordinator and she will maintain a list called the Care Team List. The Care Team List includes people who are dealing with cancer, people who have had new babies, people recovering from surgery, people who have lost a loved one, people looking for work, and truly any situation that calls for prayer and care. Anyone can get onto the Care Team List by simply calling the office or the Care Team Coordinator directly. We will also have a way on Sunday mornings to put yourself or anyone else on the list. The list may include people from our congregation, and people outside our congregation that we care about.
Every week the clergy and staff will review the list and add any new needs. On Wednesday each week the entire list will be emailed to everyone who has signed up to be on a Care Team. There will be somewhere between three and six teams, depending on our participation. Each team has a color: green, white, red, purple, blue and gold. The gold team is special, so I’ll explain how it works in a moment.
Each Care Team will be “on” for one week at a time, from Wednesday morning until Tuesday night. When the Care Team List comes out, the team that is on will read through the list and, if they feel moved, respond to a need. It’s as simple as that. You might send a card, arrange to visit, deliver a meal, give a ride, send an encouraging email, or just make a phone call. You don’t have to tell anyone what you did or do any formal reporting at all. If you feel moved to help, you do so.
The idea of the Care Teams is that we hear about needs, we have the ability to express needs, and we have the opportunity to care for one another. If your team is on for the week but you can’t help, then you don’t. Someone else will. Since all the teams get the Care Team List every week, you have the opportunity to respond even when your team is not on, and even if you don’t respond, you will know what’s going on.
The Gold team is a special case. If you sign up to be on a Care Team and you do not have email, you will be assigned to the Gold Team. This team will care for members who are home bound or in long term care situations. Once a month, the Gold team will receive the Care Team List in the mail. The Gold List won’t tend to change as much. The Gold Team will care for these people, helping them to feel a part of our congregation, known, and loved.
It is easy to join a Care Team. There will be one training session of about an hour on a Saturday morning and then there are no meetings to attend! Care Teams will be forming in Lent. We will have signups to join the program before and after services at both the chapel and the church. This is a wonderful expression of our mission to walk in Christ’s love and forgiveness through service to the community.
Your brother in Christ,
The Rev. David Marshall
Click here to respond to this posting in my blog.
Community Engagement
The Heifer Project Update: Heifer's mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth. Since 1944, Heifer has provided food and income producing animals and training in their care to 13.6 million resource poor families in more than 125 countries. Be sure and watch the Youth Group poster that tells how much money we have raised to date for the Heifer project. You may also contribute to the Heifer project by check to St. Dunstan's Church with a memo "Heifer".
Greenwood Food Bank Volunteer Night planned for March 11th from 6-8 pm. Please join us as members of the congregation meet together with other community volunteers to sort the food donations. Next time you go to the grocery store, please consider picking up some healthy food items for our less fortunate neighbors. Soups, canned fruits and vegetables, as well as basic staples can really help our hungry neighbors. Bring your donations and place them in the food box in the narthex. Cash donations are also welcome. Make your checks payable to St. Dunstan's with a notation for the Food Bank. Thank you for your support!
Upcoming Events in our Congregational Life
Sunday School Volunteers Meeting Sunday February 27 at 11:00 am after coffee hour in Room 3. We have not met for awhile and we thought it would be a good idea to touch base and see how things are going. We will be trying to complete the sign-up list for volunteers for the remainder of the school year. With our attendance as it is, we have decided, with Fr. David's permission, to only ask for one volunteer to work with Ann-Patrice in Sunday School. It just makes more sense, and does not overwhelm the children. With that being said, we will have a calendar with us to fill out the months of April, May and June. The month of March is filled in with Don Riccardo for 2 Sundays and Tina Bunes for 2 Sundays. Welcome Tina as a new volunteer! As a volunteer, you can do various Sundays and do not have to do a full month, such as the in March above.
Mary E. Pacher will also be speaking aobut the upcoming 2011 Vacation Bible Camp.
Ann Patrice and Sandy
St Agnes Guild News and Updates: At our February meeting, Josef Hinkofer presented possibilities for replacing our old and broken ovens. We decided upon two freestanding electric convection ovens which will be smaller in size but offer more baking space and flexibility then the old ones. Then Alice Marshall demonstrated making hats in preparation for the “Mad Hatters Tea” which will be held May 14. I am sure you can expect a variety of imaginative hats! Afterward, we enjoyed a potluck lunch and dessert served by our hostesses, Dixie Buol and Joan Baker.
Our next meeting will be on March 4. Joe Hester will talk to us about the stained glass window project. We have also invited Tom Keefer to celebrate his birthday with us and to honor him for all that he has done for the guild. Lunch has been changed to a potluck.
The Guild’s one hour business meeting starts at 10:00 am and at approximately 11:00 am the program is presented. For more information call Lu Gardiner (206) 362-6024 or barryluii@msn.com or Joan Baker (425)776-9059) or joanruth3@frontier.com
Tickets continue on sale for the Shrove Tuesday Italian Dinner on Tuesday, March 8 starting at 5:30 pm put on by St. Agnes Guild. All sales will go toward the purchase of new kitchen equipment. Italo Carosiello will be our featured chef and the Ain't No Heaven Seven band will be providing musical entertainment.
Lent Mini-Retreat from the Community of the Lamb: 
Time: Saturday, March 12, 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: St. Dunstan Episcopal Church, 722 North 145th Street, Shoreline
St. Dunstan offers a peaceful setting surrounded by towering evergreens, a meditative space full of the beauty of holiness. Suggested donation for this half-day retreat: $25.
Please register by calling 206-713-5321 or email PrayeroftheLamb@mac.com. Information flyers are available in the Narthex.
Parish Work Day is scheduled on Saturday March 12 starting at 2 pm to work with Junior Warden Lyn Donivan and the Building and Grounds Vestry Team on the list from the fire inspection. Please mark your calendar to come join fellow Christians 'working shoulder to shoulder'.
Special Evensong Service will be the Second Sunday in Lent, March 20 at 4 pm in the Henry Chapel of the Highlands. Please mark your calendars to attend this beautiful service.
Prayer Shawl Ministry continues: If you would like to receive one of these shawls for yourself or on behalf of someone else, or if you are interested in making shawls or donating funds for supplies, please contact Diana Rall at dtoshiba@comcast.net, or you may call the church office at 206-363-4319.
More copies of the current Rosters are available in the Narthex on the table by the Vestry Corner.
Weekly Highlights mailing notice: If you normally receive the Highlights by mail and have an e-mail address that could be used, please call the church office @206-363-4319 with your e-mail address to start receiving the Weekly Highlights electronically. We would like to keep our mailing costs down as much as possible, and still provide the news of St. Dunstan's to you in a timely manner. Thank you for your help and cooperation.
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