All Saints' Magazine: Advent-Christmas 2013

ADVENT – CHRISTMAS DECEMBER 1, 2013 – JANUARY 5, 2014

All Saints

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The

Wonder of God’s Love

All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Letter from the Rector Dearly Beloved:

We undertake a spiritual journey with the Magi over the coming weeks.

Our travels take us through the desert, with prophets crying in the wilderness. We follow the star of the candles on the Advent wreath. We stop by the oases of the St. Nicholas Celebration and the Santa Lucia (St. Lucy) party. We even figuratively pack our bags and saddle our camels by greening the church for Christmas. We hear the hosannas of angels in the anthems and carols for our several choirs, starting with Advent Lessons and Carols and moving to the Christmas liturgies. Like the Magi, we come bearing gifts, not only gifts for children, pledges, and end-of-year donations (all very important,) but especially the gift of our praise and adoration.

Throughout our spiritual travels we gaze at the night sky searching for the star called wonder. For the wonder of God’s love inspires us to leave the comfort of home. This divine love draws us toward the rustic cattle stall. It is also the wonder of God’s love that we discover in a manger at Bethlehem.

I pray for you a safe and adventurous journey. May your dreams be fulfilled, even as God’s dream was fulfilled in the Christ Child. As we pray for each other, let us remember that we gather in order to receive the shepherd and magi, and to welcome guest, foreigner, and outcast.

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Gospel Themes

in Advent and Christmas December 1 Advent one – The Wonder of God’s Love December 8 Advent two – The Wonder of God’s Love December 15 Advent three – The Wonder of God’s Love December 22 Advent four – The Wonder of God’s Love December 24 Christmas Eve 5:00 p.m. Nativity Pageant, Carols and Holy Communion 10:00 p.m. Candlelit Eucharist and choral anthems with Bishop Mary December 25 Christmas Day 10:30 a.m. Festal Eucharist December 29 Christmas Lessons and Carols with Holy Communion at all three services 8:00 a.m, 10:30 a.m, and 5:30 p.m.

January 5 Second Sunday after Christmas and The Epiphany 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services 5:30 p.m. The Eve of Epiphany Evensong

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Articles:

Life Application Series INTERIOR

Ministry Focus PAGE 16

The process of sanctification begins within our mind and our soul. This quadrant provides teaching to help us explore ways in which the Gospel can transform us from the inside out.

RELATIONSHIPS

PAGE 17

God desires that we live in harmony with each other and allow the grace we have received to be manifest in each relationship so that we respect the dignity of all humanity and support one another.

SOCIAL

PAGE 18

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead. In this quadrant we aim to challenge the way we engage and reach out to the greater community.

CHURCH

PAGE 20

The Church is the body of Christ, designed to work together to glorify Christ. In this quadrant we aim to explore ways to collaborate and allow each member to do what we can to build up the church and exercise stewardship of all our gifts.

LETTER FROM THE RECTOR

page 2

COMMUNION OF SAINTS

pages 4, 5

COVER ARTICLE

pages 6, 7

FIVE AREAS OF MINISTRY

pages 8-13

SANTA LUCIA MISSION AND CAMPGROUND

page 14

ALL SAINTS’ DAY SCHOOL

page 15

VESTRY NEWS

page 15

TOWN HALL SUMMARY

page 21 ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION: The All Saints’ Magazine is published seven times a year, corresponding with the liturgical seasons. The next edition will be available on January 12, 2014.

We welcome your submission of articles, and ministry event and opportunity ads if submitted by December 13, 2013. Use of all ads and articles will be determined by the staff and editorial team. All submissions should be sent via e-mail to Greg Troxell, parish administrator, at gtroxell@allsaintscarmel.org or to the office at information@allsaintscarmel.org.

LEADERSHIP LESSONS

pages 22, 23

SERVICE AND GRATITUDE

pages 24, 25

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

pages 26, 27

All Saints’ Episcopal Parish | P.O. Box 1296 Carmel, California 93921 | 831-624-3883 | www.allsaintscarmel.org Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. - noon

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Communion of Saints Brief stories of faith, and the faith-filled lives of our members. How is God working in your life? Share it here and give a bit of hope to others.

Wes Coby When I was growing up, my family attended church every Sunday together. It was our little ritual: wake up late, rush to get all six of us in and out of the bathroom within 45 minutes, and hurry to church. At the time, I didn’t take religion very seriously, and saw church just as something we did. The only time I was ever really excited to attend church was during the season of advent which always seemed to bring a magical atmosphere to the church.

When I started college I took a break from the Episcopal Church, attending only during the holidays. It was after returning from my first overseas deployment that things changed. I felt emptiness in my life and I went to an Episcopal church seeking comfort and guidance. That Sunday, I felt as though the sermon had been written especially for me. It spurred me to become active in the church, and helped me to see God’s hand in everyday life.

Finding a spiritual home has allowed me to become more whole. Although All Saints is not where I began my spiritual journey as an adult, the community here has embraced me and helped me to continue growing.

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Hans Lehmann It was fortuitous chance that Hans and his parents ended up at All Saints’. In fact, we can credit a friend of Hans’s father, the imminent theologian, Paul Tillich. When the Lehmanns came to the US in 1939 from Germany and a few years in Albania on the way, Tillich recommended the Episcopal Church to them. On advice from friends in Laguna Beach, they came here for a visit, liked it, stayed and joined All Saints’.

Over the years, Hans made many close friends in the parish, among them Carl Hansen, whom he feels embodied the concept of inclusivity, which ideal has been a hallmark of this parish and a reason for Hans’s devotion to it.

Hans has led and been a member of the Outreach Committee for countless years. The rummage sale, which was for decades the main parish fundraiser for outreach, was Hans’s pride and joy.

Once asked why he spent so much time helping people, Hans replied that he did it because it makes him feel good.

For a few years during the mid eighties, Hans branched out and was the junior high youth group leader. It was a large enthusiastic group that met regularly for fun and fellowship. He also served on the vestry for two and a half terms.

Hans retired a number of years ago from Macy’s and was reincarnated as Santa Claus, a role he will soon be donning once again for this year’s yuletide.

Now if you want to know more about that Albanian side trip you need to go down to the church library and check out Hans’s book, How to Lose Friends and Other Social Graces, located to the right of the fireplace under Parish Authors.

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Elizabeth Sebring A Christmas approaches I’m meditating again about my journey here from Polland, faith and how grateful I am to have my heart and senses open to God’s presence.

2010 was an extremely difficult year for me as my husband, Fred, was dying of cancer.

Fred fought hard for his life. I prayed at his bedside, sometimes to keep my own sanity and atother times to comfort Fred. The night after Thanksgiving, he lost his last big fight and embraced his destiny- on early morning on November 26, it was his time to let go. Fred was very spiritual in approaching every living soul on his path, respecting their differences and their beliefs, as God speaks through all religions.

I felt so very blessed to share my earthly path with such a kind and loving human being whose every step definitely was guided by the power of his faith. Although he rarely spoke of it, his actions were the proof of his good relationship with the God. Now, in the end, I was left alone to discover the strength of my faith. Difficulties can be catalysts to faith. Learning to trust that is the great thing. You realize that you do have to do your work, you have to provide what you can, but also you have to learn to believe that Providence is going to provide all that you really need. I feel very blessed that somehow my faith wasn’t lost through the various obstacles in my life, but somehow that it flourished!

There is not enough space here to express my joy and my faith in God. But I am certain of this, He saved me and illuminates my path still.

Thank you all welcoming me here, and for sharing this part of my life with me.

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December 1: Marcie Sadler-Lowe December 4: Pat Sippel December 6: Tom Brown December 7: Mike Raggett December 9: Fr. Rick Matters December 10: Gillian Byrd December 15: Alan Hewer December 17: Joan Parkinson December 18: Christo Bardis December 19: Chandler Haack December 24: Alan McEwen December 28: Reed Cripe, Luciano Smith December 30: Jacquelyn Phillips January 1: Anthony Fletcher, Grace Heidtke, Mia Kotelec, Emily Larva, Jordan Willeford January 2: Sara Bardis January 3: Marie Henderson The list above comes from our parish database.

We don’t have everyone’s birthday on record but we would like to. Feel free to send an email, drop a note, or call the church office to provide us your birthday, or that of your child who worships here at All Saints’. We would also welcome the submission of wedding anniversary dates.

The current Wednesday Bible study class series follows a chronological harmony of the four Gospels. Read it like never before and enjoy the fellowship of other members over coffee. Come join us any Wednesday morning in Grant Hall from at 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

The Wonder of God’s Love by the Rev. Richard B. Matters

Painting: The Nativity, by Don Lonsbrough. The full image is shown on the cover. This selection highlights the path to the manger.

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The seasons of Advent and Christmas are laced with wonder. Advent brings us the sweet anticipation of God’s fulfillment of our deepest longings. Christmas sparkles with the wonder of God’s love in the simplicity and majesty of the infant Jesus lying in a manger.

Permission to Wonder One of the great gifts of these seasons is the permission we give ourselves to set aside striving for answers to the divine mystery that produces such wonder. For a brief time we tend to suspend our need to compress the wonder of God’s love into the limitations of our intellect. Despite the busyness of these weeks, we are invited to set aside questions, do less, and simply be in the presence of loved one.

Of course, there are deeply satisfying intellectual explanations of the Incarnation which might resonate with our experience and deepen our

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013 understanding. As people of faith, we are always seeking fresh language to convey the wonder of God’s love, because that love is always fresh and new, as fresh as a newborn babe.

Then again, there are occasions when the Church’s teaching might not be satisfying. At such times it is helpful to remember that God’s loves transcends our understanding. Our questions and doubts can be means of deepening our faith, rather than reasons to abandon it. It is always appropriate to return to the spirit of Advent and Christmas, and simply enjoy the wonder of this story.

Wonder at the Disappointments Advent in particular encourages us to wonder why there is so much suffering in the world. The Bible lessons we hear in Advent describe the darkness and injustice that has become the mainstay of our daily news. However, Advent also recognizes a light shining in that darkness, and affirms that the light is God’s promise to save and restore. Despite the suffering, we trust in God’s faithfulness and mercy.

These Advent themes heighten our compassion and intensify our hope for a better world. Our responses of compassion and hope align us with God’s perspective. Gabriel, Isaiah, and John the Baptist direct us to God’s own compassion, as well as our own hope for a better world. Mary’s Magnificat announces these themes, and the Christ Child brings forth God’s response.

Wonder translates into Relationships of Love Our human propensity to categorize causes us to place people in boxes by which we then relate to them. On the other hand, approaching people with wonder can strip away the box of our preconceived notions, or at least it can open the lid of that box.

Wonder helps us to perceive and appreciate the whole person, rather than to approach him or her through our limited categorizations. We can delight in people’s weaknesses, strengths, goodness, and faults that we had not previously seen. This helps us to acknowledge our own status as a sinning saint. In this way, wonder helps us to build relationships.

Wonder of Embodied Love The wonder of these seasons does not focus on interior spirituality or metaphysical truths. The wonder of Advent and Christmas is its physicality, its embodiment of love. God’s love is embodied in the infant Jesus, and our human response of love is embodied in Mary’s acceptance of God’s will in giving birth to the Christ Child.

Even though invisible and transcendent, God is very present in our lives. We have no idea how God became a human. Nor can we comprehend how a human being could also be divine. Our minds and experience are simply too limited. We cannot even understand the mystery of the life we receive, nor how it is that we love, but we do know through faith that life is real and that love is wonderful.

Conclusion The most unbelievable parts of the story of Advent and Christmas are the most significant. When we begin to apply our scientific method to these mysteries, we lose the gift of wonder. The same holds true for all relationships. Using psychology and sociology to analyze our most intimate relationships can almost squeeze the love out of them! Thankfully, God infuses our lives with meaning and love through the very gift of notknowing. We call this not-knowing faith, and faith is embodied in our day to day lives through wonder.

For the wonder of Advent and Christmas is God’s year-round gift. In a very real way, God’s faithfulness originates for Christians with prophets crying in the wilderness and then moves with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. We then respond with wonder to the mystery of God’s faithfulness in the mangers of our own lives. Because of God’s grace, we receive in advance of our understanding or accomplishments—and even in advance of our own birth—the meaning of our lives. For the faith we proclaim arrives as a gift, precedes our understanding, and fills us with wonder.

The mystery to which wonder leads brings us into relationship not only with other people, but simultaneously with God. At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus declares, “And, behold, I will be with you always.” God’s resurrection message is also the message of Christmas, Emmanuel, “I am with you.”

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Worship

by The Rev. Rick Matters

The wonder of God’s love is always manifested in the liturgy, and never more so than during Advent and Christmas. During Advent the prophets place us in the darkness of sin and suffering, and yet declare that the light of God’s promise shines in that darkness.

The Gospel of John similarly tells us that the light of Christ shines in the dark, and the darkness does not overcome it. The tension of dark and light awakens wonder. We wonder why is there so much suffering in the world, and we admit that our best efforts fall short. And yet we place all of our hope in God’s faithfulness.

While every store plays Christmas music from Thanksgiving to December 24, we wait, watch, and hope. Over the four Sundays of Advent we sing great and powerful hymns, but none of them announce the birth of Jesus Christ. If people wonder why we do not do so, tell them that we wait because the sweet anticipation heightens the joy that follows when Christmas arrives.

When Christmas comes at last, we are ready to sing all of those treasured hymns and carols. At the early Christmas Eve service the children will enact the nativity in a pageant that includes Christmas carols, and the youth are planning to sing a special anthem.

Our special youth music leaders, Anne and Pete Sibley, will lead, with Richard Wilson providing support on certain hymns.

At the later Christmas Eve service we will welcome Bishop Mary and join her in adoration of the Christ Child. The choir will sing several festive anthems and additional service music will be offered by soloists Peter Tuff, baritone; Claudia Ward, harp; Richard Wilson, organ; and Kathy Kirkwood, flute.

Together we will ask God to fill our hearts with wonder on this most wonderful night.

Christmas Day has become a favorite service for some parishioners. As on Christmas Eve, we will light all of the pew candles, adding a festive sparkle to the daytime service. This is a lovely liturgy that is simpler than the Christmas Eve services, while bringing great meaning to Christmas Day.

ample opportunity to continue lifting our hearts in song.

We will ask the Magi from the East to arrive on January 5. In the morning we will observe the transition from Christmas to the Epiphany, since the same Gospel lesson of the Magi is appointed for the Second Sunday of Christmas and Epiphany Day. The Evensong on January 5 will also celebrate the feast of the Epiphany.

The darkness in the world evokes a hunger to wonder, and the wonder of God’s love will bring us many occasions for rejoicing.

Nativity Pageant on Christmas Eve at All Saints’ Church Your child is most welcome to participate in the pageant at 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The script is written by renowned Christian educator Gretchen Wolff Pritchard. Anne and Pete Sibley, parents at ASDS, will be leading the music, along with Richard Wilson. Amy Buchanan, a church member who is experienced with drama, children, and youth groups, will direct the pageant. Children are asked to attend at least one rehearsal (11:45 a.m. on 12/15 or 12/22, with pizza!), and should plan to come early on Christmas Eve to prepare for the pageant.

Contact the church office for more information (information@allsaintscarmel.org or 624-3883).

Welcome Our Music Leaders – Please welcome the following music leaders who are helping us observe Advent and celebrate Christmas and Epiphany: • Kathy Kirkwood: conductor for Sunday mornings and Advent Lessons & Carols • Peter Tuff: conductor for Advent Lessons & Carols, Evensong, and Palestrina Singers • Anne Sibley: conductor of All Saints’ Singers (children’s choir) • Anne and Pete Sibley: conductors and instrumentalists for the early Christmas Eve service • Pamela Lawrence: pianist for Sunday evening Eucharists • Richard Wilson: organist for Sunday mornings, Lessons & Carols, and Evensong • Various instrumentalists and guest singers

Since we only began singing Christmas carols and hymns on December 24, observing Christmas Lessons and Carols the following Sunday gives us 8

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Community

by Greg Troxell

In an increasingly busy culture that wrestles with the ongoing economic and relational deficit, the church often plays a vital role as a safe haven for the weary. All Saints’ is a community where healthy friendships help tomend broken hearts and helps God work miracles.

All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Christmas Eve 10:00 p.m.

It happens in ordinary ways such as: a friendly greeting as you enter church, sharing stories while enjoying a snack after a service, greeting members downtown and while shopping, participating in dinner groups, cooking pancakes and fixing supper in the church kitchen.

We invite you to conenct with others, listen and share stories about life. As you wrap up the year, take time to participate and enjoy the company of a friend.

Upcoming events and opportunities: • St. Nicolas Celebration 10: a.m. – noon on December 7 in Coats Hall at All Saints’ Day School • Two Concerts Come enjoy the musical talent and evening with friends on Sunday December 8 and December 15. See page 23 for deatails.

• Orchestra in the Schools is proud to announce our upcoming concerts on Monday, December 9 at 5:30 p.m. at All Saints’. Ticket prices are $10 for adults; children enter for free. Tickets will be available at 4:45 p.m. at the front door of the church.

• Greening of the Church – Sure, it’s a work party, but it’s a party with friends. Come lend a hand at noon on December 22.

• The Children’s Nativity Pageant – December 24 at 5:00 p.m. This promisses to be a good time for children of all ages and tooffer a powerful message of hope and cheer.

• Save the Date for the church work party on Saturday, January 18. Raul, our sexton, will organize those with skills in light carpentry and exterior painting in a few projects.

Bishop Mary Celebrates, Candlelight, Beautiful Music, and Holy Communion

All Saints’ Episcopal Church

Epiphany Evensong

January 5 at 5:30 p.m.

All Saints’ Episcopal Church Ninth & Dolores, Carmel

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Discipleship

by The Rev. Rick Matters

We begin the new church year in Advent by focusing on the wonder of God’s love. Being lifelong learners and disciples of Jesus Christ, we begin again a process of learning and spiritual growth. At this new beginning, we invite you to offer to teach a class or facilitate a group discussion. In other words, we wonder what topic you are interested in sharing with others.

This does not mean that we are expecting you to be an expert, though your knowledge will be appreciated. Rather, we wonder whether you have a deep interest in a subject that you are willing to share. This might translate into teaching a class, but it might just as easily result in leading a book discussion, or inviting others to offer presentations around a topic.

We invite you to be creative, and imagine various ways you could help others understand and practice the faith. We invite you to be inspired with us by Bonhoeffer’s observation that “God is the beyond in the midst of our life.” You might be able to help others discover how to encounter that “beyond” in workplace relationships, or while helping others.

You might help others perceive God in history, in the lives of saints, or through poetry. Would you delight in helping to prepare people for baptism or confirmation? Do remember that teachers learn more than their students! So, what are you hungry to learn more about? Send us an email at information@allsaintscarmel.org.

Matthew in the Morning

If you would like to attend the Gospel of Matthew: Its Relevance for the 21st Century series offered by Fr. Rick but cannot attend Monday evenings, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., you are welcome to participate in a Sunday morning track from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. The material will be somewhat abbreviated due to the shorter time. If volunteers want to make pancakes, we will serve breakfast. Otherwise, the sustenance will be strictly spiritual. Mark your calendar now for either Sunday mornings (January 12 to February 9) or Monday evenings (January 6 to February 3).

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Congregational Transformation Project

By Robin Denney

Join the team! Are you interested in helping our parish move toward a member-led culture? Are you interested in how God calls both the powerful and the powerless to respond to Christ’s mission in the world? Are you interested in welcoming people from different cultures and backgrounds? As children of the resurrection, we are called to be transformed, and to transform the world.

Our diocese is sponsoring a training series with the Kaleidoscope Institute and congregational transformation expert Eric Law. All Saints’ is forming a team to be a part of this transformational experience.

Contact Robin Denney (redenney@gmail.com) or Greg Troxell for more information.

Its not too late to join Beth Lefebvre for Yoga at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays in Seccombe Hall.

The last two sessions are on December 4 and 11.

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Stewardship

by The Rev. Rick Matters

Anyone who has served on the vestry of a church will give several compelling reasons for turning in a pledge card, reasons that relate to vestry responsibilities. Those reasons are valid, but are not the true basis for giving. The true reason why we Christians pledge and donate is to thank God for the many gifts and graces in our lives. Thus, pledging our time and money to support the ministries of All Saints’ is a spiritual undertaking.

There exists a spiritual triangle between you, the person or people you are addressing, and God. This is why Jesus tells us that when we help anyone, even the least of the hungry or naked, we are doing the same for him (Matthew 25:31-46). This triangle of love gives meaning to all that we do, because God interacts on each occasion with a will of love.

Turning in a pledge card naming our financial support for 2014 helps us to thank God and to live for others, following the example of Jesus.

The other day I sat with an elderly couple at a nursing home. As we visited I heard about their struggles, and even their exhaustion over the ordeal of illness and displacement from their home. Yet during Holy Communion the only prayer that they voiced was to thank God for the many blessings in their lives. This prayer was filled with faith, and through it God reminded me of the spiritual basis of my own pledge to All Saints’.

All Saints’ Revenue and Expenses As of the end of October, 2013

YTD Budgeted Pledges & Donations $331,156 Other Revenue $82,016 Trust Revenue $146,098 Total Income $559,271 Total Expense $589,889

YTD Actual $254,597 $38,741 $220,886 $514,225 $568,298

Notes: • All Saints’ 2013 budgeted annual income in is $691,486.

• As of November 2013 we had 98 pledges for 2013 totaling $250,255 making our average pledge in 2013 $2,553.

• As of November 27,2013 we have 56 pledges for 2014 totaling $128,640 making our average pledge thus far $2,297.

2014 Pledge Card

Please fill out the pledge card below and return it to the office or place it in the offering plate on Sunday.

Name(s): ________________________________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________________________________ City: ____________________________ State: _______________________ ZIP: ___________________ Phone: ____________________________ Email: ______________________________________________ I/We Pledge:_____ $ per week / month / quarter (circle one) I/We plan to make our annual pledge in the month of _________________ ☐ Please contact me/us about planned giving ☐ I/We would like to donate with a credit card. ☐ I/We have named All Saints’ in our gifts to United Way. WWW.ALLSAINTSCARMEL.ORG

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Outreach

Our service to others emphasizes feeding the hungry.

We distribute daily food bags and twice-a-year food boxes, and provide a hot meal at a monthly I-HELP dinner. We support the food pantry and other outreach of our sister congregation of Epiphany Lutheran & Episcopal in Marina. We also distribute food and warm clothing in Big Sur through our mission of Santa Lucia.

The people of All Saints’ serve others in many ways, including contributing salaries for the teachers of St. Patrick’s school in Haiti, helping individuals through a discretionary fund, making grants to local agencies, collecting clothing on White Socks Sunday, and distributing Christmas gifts.

As founding members of Interfaith Outreach of Carmel (IOC), several members serve at the Joining Hands Benefit Shop. We also provide leadership for the ongoing work of IOC. The people of All Saints’ make special offerings to national and international emergency relief and ongoing development through a national Episcopal agency, Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD).

Works of compassion are supported by our annual United Thank Offering. We support youth in undertaking acts of charity in locations of poverty, and our youth themselves support a missionary in his work in Africa.

Outreach funds are generated through a major annual fundraiser, Small Bites for Big Hunger (save the date of May 2, 2014), the annual Fine Arts and Crafts Faire, the operating budget of the church, and through many individual donations. Members donate food at the door of the church, and this year we are coordinating with Church of the Wayfarer and Comerica Bank to collect food for distribution to the hungry.

Our many outreach projects are coordinated by the faithful work of the Outreach Commission. If you are interested in finding out more, or would like to join this leadership team, please contact the church.

Christmas Gifts for Children

By Judy Kirk

Once again, the Outreach Commission is gathering Christmas gifts for the children at Epiphany in Marina (recently adopted as a diocesan mission).

Last year they served 130 children and their families during Yuletide, and again this year there is great need for help.

Fr. Jon at Epiphany suggests that warm clothing (jackets, heavy sweatshirts, etc.), art supplies, books and toys for children ages infant to twelve years are appropriate. Please leave the gifts unwrapped. If you don’t have the time or inclination to shop, gift cards (not to exceed $25), cash, or checks are also most welcome. When giving cash or check, please write “Christmas gifts” on the envelope or memo line. During the week, all items and checks should be brought to the church office. Gifts may be placed in the green and red boxes during Sunday services and checks/cash may be placed in the offering plate in a designated envelop or with a memo.

Fr. Jon and his staff will use these contributions to buy more gifts which will all be distributed on Christmas Eve. In the past, All Saints’ parishioners have been very generous, and we hope that many of you will participate again. All donations should be at the church by noon on Tuesday, December 17.

Thank you from the Outreach Commission, and we wish you all a wonderful and blessed Christmas. Questions: Judy Kirk (620-0820) or other Outreach member.

Helping the hungry

by Hans Lehmann

We really did collect a mountain of food. Now there’s more work to be done. On Thursday morning, December 5 at 10:00 a.m.. we will sort boxes of food and then, at 5:00 p.m. that evening, the boy scouts will fill boxes that will 12

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

be distributed the following three days. Five boxes will be given to local families in need, ten will be delivered to Santa Lucia Mission, thirty-five will go to Nancy’s Costello’s foundation, and the forty-six will go to Epiphany in Marina.

I would also like to mention that Jana Gill, Dave McClendon and Rosemary Smith would welcome another member to join the food bagging team. This is an important ministry, no meetings required.

Please see Rosemary Smith for a job description 6257622.

Saint Nicholas Celebration

PREPARE FOR ADVENT

Crafts for all ages Refreshments Music Fellowship Storytelling Quality time together .

Saturday, December 7, 2013 10:00 a.m. to Noon Coats Hall at All Saints’ Day School All Saints’ Church and School Celebrating Together

Fine Arts & Crafts Faire

by Jim Shillinglaw (Elaine Stanton, Izzi Shillinglaw, Elizabeth Barratt and Jim Shillinglaw, Committee Members) The Craft Faire on Saturday, November 23, enjoyed some beautiful weather (two years ago it rained) and a lot of happy customers and vendors. This year was the seventeenth presentation of this preThanksgiving & Christmas event, having been started in 1996. It looks like the tradition will continue on into the future, provided the leadership can maintain their good health and uplifted spirits.

As you may know, the Faire is actually for the benefit of our parish’s organizations, in particular Outreach and, to a lesser extent, the Rector’s Discretionary Fund. The vendors pay a fee for the use of space, and any income they derive from sales of their handmade goods is for them to keep.

Our Outreach Commission donated sandwiches which were offered for sale to all attending. The Faire would not be possible were it not for the many unnamed volunteers who pitch in to make it run smoothly. You know who you are – so, here in writing, many thanks again!

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December 24, 2014 at 5:00 p.m.

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Santa Lucia Mission and Campgrounds

by The Rev. Cynthia M Spencer

Retreats in 2014

Santa Lucia Mission hopes to enhance the ethos of Big Sur, that for decades has been a sanctuary for the creative mind and a spiritual oasis for the residents of fast paced cities. We want to add to and offer a look through the lens of Christianity.

Santa Lucia Retreat Ministry is one of the sacred spaces that teaches the world that our holy place is within, that it is there where God lives, within each human soul. This truth is one of Santa Lucia’s most treasured values. As with many moments of enlightenment, often a person must be away in a set aside place to find what lives within.

emotions, mind, body, spirit, relationships, finances, re-creation and contribution. The second is a week of “Experiencing Integrated Living”, including cooking demos from chefs and shopping at the Peninsula’s farmer’s markets, spiritual exercises and practices along with physical ones like yoga and tai chi, hiking, fireside chats to discuss things like transitions, relationships and living out what you value. For this retreat a communal outreach effort will be required. We hope to have people from all over the country and be able to meet them at the airport shuttle, transport them to Big Sur and provide them with camping gear.

We plan to increase the number and quality of retreats offered through our church here in Big Sur. In 2012 we held a one-day women’s retreat with 23 women attending. This year in 2013 we held another women’s retreat as well as a two-day offering from the Center for Christian Transformation called “Living Water”. In 2014 we plan to repeat the one-day retreat and reserve the week so that the women enjoy a whole week at the rivers edge in the presence of God’s renewing spirit.

We also have a three-day men’s retreat planned for 2014 for study and hiking.

Striking out to something we think is unique are two other retreats that are linked to the idea of living a whole and integrated life. They are both slated to be one-week camping retreats.

The first, “Building a Balanced Life,” allows for a self-inventory in eight areas that are interlinked: 14

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All Saints’ Day School Holiday Cheer throughout the School Thank you so much to the Upper Grade and ECU families for bringing in an abundance of food for our Boys & Girls Club Families. The food boxes were blessed at Grandparents Day and were delivered on Tuesday afternoon in time for Thanksgiving celebrations.

Shakespeare DVD Order – If you missed the fabulous production of AS YOU LIKE IT or would like a keepsake of the Friday or Saturday evening performances you may purchase a DVD for $21.

Order your copy online: http://goo.gl/I54tca.

The deadline for ordering DVDs of this year’s production is Wednesday, December 11, 2013.

Apples – What better way to take advantage of the school’s own apple trees than teaching students how

All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

to crush and press the fruit into fresh juice?

Thanks to a wonderful gift from faculty members, Peter Hiller, Celeste Williams, and Jan White, All Saints’ Day School is now the proud owner of a new apple crusher and press. The 5th grade was the first class to get a chance to us it, making fresh juice from our own apples in the newly refurbished and expanded oncampus organic garden.

They picked, crushed, pressed, and enjoyed!

Vestry News

The Wonder of God’s Love in Simplifying Last year the vestry clarified the extent of our responsibilities beyond the congregation. It was a journey of discovery that extended from the young children at the school, to college students at CSUMB, to people at Epiphany in Marina, Santa Lucia in Big Sur, and the Center for Christian Transformation (CCT). The extent of responsibility was breathtaking, but the possibilities of creatively sharing ministries was equally invigorating.

When the picture came into view we were looking at a six-part parish. Last summer I began to see that our own five areas of ministry plus five missions was too demanding for our congregation, especially because of the amount of business responsibilities.

The vestry agreed that we are called to ministry, so we began conversations with Fr. Jon Perez, CCT leaders, Canon Jesus Reyes, and Bishop Mary.

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These discussion culminated last month with the vestry releasing Epiphany and the Canterbury college ministry from their status as parochial missions. The ministries of CCT are incorporated into our discipleship ministries.

Fr Jon Perez is pleased with this move, which brings Epiphany into a new status as a diocesan mission. We pray that more people will participate in the ministries at Epiphany, CSUMB, and the Discipleship Commission. We retain as active missions All Saints’ Day School and Santa Lucia.

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Interior

by The Rev. Rick Matters

There is often a mystical quality about a pregnant woman. Oh, her back might hurt, she may be tired from tossing and turning at night, she might be holding back tears, ready to scream at a toddler in tow. All the same, she is participating in the miracle of new life, and we can wonder at God’s gift of life.

Mary, in all the fullness of her pregnancy, fills our imaginations. The wonder of her expectation is intensified because of the message of Gabriel and the dream of Joseph. Mary not only participates in the miracle of life, she is also caught up in the wonder of God’s love. For she carries her own baby—flesh of her flesh and bone of her bone—but she also bears the divine child, light from light, very God of very God. At his birth all the cosmos trumpets forth “wonder of wonders!”

The image of the newborn baby lying in a manger epitomizes life as a gift. The wonder is the degree to which God loves us. Taking on our human nature with all of its weaknesses and suffering is an extraordinary act of love. The miracle of Christmas is as powerful as the sacrifice on the cross, and as uplifting as Easter.

others offer, and not by dwelling on disappointed expectations or mistakes.

Wonder is a habit, just as much as negativity is a habit. Practicing wonder and exercising gratitude increases our propensity to appreciate and praise.

Renowned author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel wrote, “Right after the war, I went around telling people, ‘Thank you just for living, for being human.’ And to this day, the words that come most frequently from my lips are ‘thank you.’ When a person doesn’t have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude.”

The final image of Christmas is the shepherds.

However tired, disappointed, or needy they were, their silent night was broken by the angel’s message.

Yet they knew the joy of Christmas not so much because of the message, but because of the chorus of angels praising God. Filled with awe, they turned their faces toward Bethlehem, knelt with gratitude before Christ Child, and told their wonder-filled story.

At this time of year God invites us to wonder. We can accept this invitation because God surrounds us with love and infuses our existence with meaning.

Wonder affects our spiritual and emotional lives.

When oriented toward the wonder of God’s love we look at each circumstance through the lens of God’s generosity and respond with gratitude. It is no surprise that some scientists say that grateful people live longer, for they are connected to God’s gift of life.

We cultivate the wonder of God’s love by acknowledging disappointments while intentionally focusing on the positive. A few years ago at All Saints’ I greeted a member at the end of a glorious special liturgy; she responded to my happy greeting by complaining that we had sung none of her favorite hymns, which she had marked in her mother’s old hymnal. Sadly, it seemed that she spent that entire joyful liturgy waiting to complain.

Cultivating wonder requires exercising gratitude in the particular circumstances of our lives.

Experiencing God’s love does not happen when we are looking for things to criticize; rather, we experience God’s love by appreciating what 16

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Relationships

All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

by Greg Troxell

This time of year is magical to most children as well as to some adults. It can, however, be a difficult season for those less fortunate and those who have suffered loss.

When raising my three children, this season was a month-long celebration.

We would begin with the first Sunday of Advent when I would set out our Advent calendar filled with miniature toys and candies. Later that evening we would begin to position and move the the wisemen day by day nearer to the crèche as Christmas Epiphany approached. The children would put out their wooden shoes on St. Nicolaas Day (a Dutch celebration in memory of Bishop Nicolaas, known also as Sinterklaas, the patron saint of children). The children heard over and over the message of hope, cheer and charity. On Christmas Eve we would celebrate with their German grandfather, then Christmas morning we would open three presents.

Finally, on Epiphany Sunday, my five siblings and my parents together with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren would all get together for the Troxell Christmas. Each celebration was modest, focused on giving and our relationships with each other.

Roman times. It also finds its place in the Bible not by the name of lavender but by the name used then, spikenard. The most famous of such accounts is in the Gospels of John and Mark (Jn 12:3, Mk 14:3) where the writers report that Mary Magdalene anointed Jesus’ feet and hair with the oil and that it filled the room with the fragrance.

Sometimes the simplest of gifts create the fondest memories and arethe most profound and meaningful. It is human interaction, the best of it at least, that we relish so much. When our need for love, acceptance, and favor with others is satisfied, it is soothing – like the spikenard used by Mary.

The fragrance of human love sweeps us away and comforts our souls.

Likewise, in those moments of sweet worship, when we feel the grace, favor, and acceptance of God, we find our souls put at rest. The Wonder of God’s love is beautifully sweet. The mystery of God’s grace overwhelms the quandries of life and human interactions gone wrong.

Photo: Lavendula angustiofolia by Nicole Assekborn, MD. a member of Les Salon des Artistes

Pictured above is the plant we know today as lavender (Lavendula angustiofolia). It has been a favorite herb for centuries. The historic use of lavender is almost as old the history of man – going back over 2,500 years. It was used for kings in Parthia, mummification in Egypt, and baths in

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Social

The Advent Conspiracy

by Robin Denny

Last year during Advent, the youth group watched a short concept video from an organization called the Advent Conspiracy. This brilliant two minute and thirty-nine second video has no spoken words, just animated text and background music. Its simple message is profound, and even paradigm shifting! You can find the video at: http://www. adventconspiracy.org. The text that follows is an excerpt from the film: Everyone wants Christmas to be meaningful. But instead it becomes shop, shop, shop. Did you know, Americans spend $450 billion on Christmas every year? Every Year. So we ask? How did Jesus celebrate?

Jesus gave of himself: relationally, incarnationally, with time, space, and presence.

What if you bought fewer gifts? And instead give something valuable. Like your time: talk, eat, bake, sled, bike, read, play, create, TOGETHER! Make gifts (like when you were a kid). And remember that money you didn’t spend? What if you gave some of it away to the poor, the hurting, the lonely, the hungry, the sick, the thirsty, the oppressed?

Consumerism does not equal, happiness, memories, meaning. Spend less on gifts, give more presence, and love, like Jesus.

So this year, the youth group is committed to make the shift to buying fewer gifts, giving homemade gifts, and giving the gift of time. We invite the parish to join us! And what can we do with that money we didn’t spend on gifts? We are choosing to remember our friend Maurice Dyer, who is our missionary in South Africa, and raise money to support his work with children in Grahamstown South Africa.

Maurice is a member of the Episcopal Young Adult Service Corps, which is the missionary program I was a part of when I served as your missionary in Liberia (2006-07). He works at Holy Cross monastery in Grahamstown. He lives in community with the monks, and he teaches at the Holy Cross school, helps lead retreats, and does other work in and around the community. He posts lively and vibrant photos and stories on his blog: “How it’s going,” http://mauricedyer.blogspot.com/ Maurice is almost 18

halfway through his year in South Africa!

Throughout Advent, the youth will be selling greeting cards, which indicate a donation has been given, during coffee hour. Cards are also available by special order if you call the All Saints’ Church office.

For the last few years, my family has been moving in the direction of the Advent Conspiracy. We began with an all-home-made Christmas three years ago.

While that was a big time commitment, the gifts we gave each other are some of the most treasured ever, not because of their quality, but because of the intention and time behind them. This year, we have all been busier than usual with no time to make gifts, so we are focusing Christmas around the time we spend together rather than the gifts.

This is a radical departure from the mountainof-presentsChristmas I remember as a child. And I must say, I am excited! We’ve identified the number-one cause of stress during our holiday time spent together: food preparation and clean up (present-buying and wrapping already being mostly eliminated). And we are proactively putting our pre-Christmas energy toward organizing a stressfree Christmas hang-out together.

The youth encourage you to join them this Christmas in giving more of ourselves. Let’s take back Christmas! Let’s give of our love, of our time, and of our money in meaningful ways. It is Jesus’s birthday after all!

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Christmas Flowers at All Saints’

If you would like to donate any number of poinsetias as a memorial or thank offering during the Advent and Christmas season, please complete this form and place it in the offering plate with your cash/check donation of $25 per flower. Please include “Christmas flowers” in the memo line.

In memory/thanksgiving for:

By:

A Five-Week Series Mondays, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

January 6 to February 3 Contact All Saints’ Episcopal Church information@allsaintscarmel.org 831-624-3883

The Rev. Rick Matters

All Saints’ Church Ninth & Dolores Carmel, California

The Gospel of Matthew

Its Relevance for the 21st Century

Join us on December 29 for a joyous liturgy of Christmas Lessons and Carols with Holy Communion at all three services 8:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m., and 5:30 p.m.

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Church

by Maurice Dyer

Mholweni (“Hello” in Xhosa) and Advent greetings, This will be my first Advent season and Christmas holiday spent away from home in a completely new context. Christmas here in South Africa falls right in the middle of summer. I am reminded of a lyric from Jingle Bells, Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh…well there won’t be any of that here!

it. We celebrate adoration, not self-gratification. So even if I am not physically present with family and friends back home, I am still breathing, and I am a part of new communities here, so, as I am present with people here, I will be present with you all in the spirit, singing praises of adoration. I encourage you to join in with me!

The reason I am making so many references to Christmas carols is that I am currently listening to the children at the Holy Cross school prepare for their Christmas musical this Friday. They all send their Christmas wishes and we have said a very special prayer for all of you at All Saints. Hopefully you’ve felt it!

So as we approach this Advent season, let us do it together, in adoration of Christ.

So then, I am left wondering, if there won’t be any chestnuts roasting on an open fire, what is there to do, how will I ever get into the Christmas spirit?

Then I am reminded of another lyric from O Come All Ye Faithful. “O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.

Come and behold him, born the King of Angels.

O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.” And then I’m like, well, alright then. I don’t necessarily need all my traditional things to feel the Christmas spirit, or to celebrate the birth of Jesus. The song says it perfectly: “O come let us adore him.” And that’s 20

Take the Season of Waiting wherever you go.

This new daily devotional app is suitable for all ages and features the artwork of renowned cartoonist, Jay Sidebotham. Scripture readings and the Sermon on the Mount bring the anticipation of Advent to life. Email the daily messages to friends and family, or post to your favorite social media feeds. A handy built-in journaling feature allows you to collect your thoughts throughout the season of Advent.

“It's Advent!” is compatible with all iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices running iOS 7.0 or greater.

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Town Hall Summary Presented by the Vestry

Canon Brian Nordwick placed the thirty-plus participants in God’s grace, and observed that we are all grieving Todd’s departure. He identified the goals of this meeting: 1) to listen to the others, and 2) for the vestry and rector to answer as many questions as the law permits. Brian asked Weston Coby (Jr. Warden and chair of Human Relations Committee) and Bill Matmiller (vestry) to report on the steps that were taken with Todd.

They reported that we went above and beyond our own employee manual, slowing down the process to give more opportunity for reconciliation and correction. Wes provided a chart that included a timeline of almost four full weeks of meetings and interventions. Bill spoke of how we consulted with Bishop Mary, Canon Nordwick, and an outside professional consultant. He characterized our process as very Christian. Fr. Rick reported on the three parttime interim conductors and one pianist whom we have hired to carry forward our music ministries.

The meeting included many questions, as well as a number of opinions. The questions helped clarify that our financial obligation for Todd is complete and is within the 2013 operating budget. The costs of the interim musicians whom we will likely need goes slightly over-budget for music salaries for the year, but other line items in the budget will be underspent.

Todd was supported by the vestry and rector, as well as by church members of his own choosing. We also took into account his artistic temperament. He had his health insurance benefits extended, including a generous employee assistance benefit plan. Topics of discussion extended beyond music to questions of how we might attract more families, the quality of our Sunday school classes, and how to grow the congregation in the coming year.

Opinions included our universal respect for Todd as a musician and our love for him as a person. Fr. Rick worked hard during Todd’s tenure to support him, and to resolve issues as they came up. An opinion was expressed after the meeting that the vestry and rector don’t trust members with the truth of why Todd is no longer employed at All Saints’. However, during the meeting another person asserted that it is against various employment laws to disclose the details about such personnel issues. One person said that Todd is doing well, and that Todd knows he is loved. Many agreed that he would continue to succeed. A couple of people thought that hiring a local musician would increase the chances of longevity. One person said WWW.ALLSAINTSCARMEL.ORG

she thought the church should forgive and not fire people. Another person said it was unfair to crucify Todd while he was not present to defend himself.

Yet another person said that he had seen Jesus more present in the process before and after Todd’s departure than in any other church he has been in.

Before adjourning, the vestry committed to the following: • Publish a summary of this meeting.

• Hold follow-up meeting(s) in order to hear from more members.

• Report further on the financial impact of Todd’s departure.

• Continue the conversations about Sunday school.

• Continue the conversations about our ministry to the families of All Saints’ Day School.

• Provide copies of the employee manual to any interested persons.

• Post copies of the monthly financial reports in the office workroom or copy room.

Five Areas of Ministry

By Greg Troxell

The five areas of ministry: Worship, Community, Discipleship, Stewardship and Outreach, emerged from our reflection on the historical record of All Saints’ over the first one hundred years of our ministry. It was appearant that the church had a reputation in one era or another for one or more areas. They are now are part of our strategic plan, helping us to remember the importance of each.

Indeed many of our members have become members because of our outreach. Yet others come to All Saints’ in search of loving friendships, the opportunity to grow in faith with classes, and others because of the lovely church, our liturgy and the music in our services. This section of the magazine highlights the most recent and upcoming events in each of the five areas of ministry. Please see page 24 to see how you can get involved in ministry and lend a hand.

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Integrity in Leadership

LIES, LOVE, POWER and the CHURCH

by Donald Williamson Is leadership a crucial issue FOR the Church today?

I respond with a resounding yes. Is it a crucial issue IN the Church? Hmmm. I offer two compelling reasons for my “yes” vote.

First, the future of everything human depends upon the quality of leadership available. That is both a challenging and a frightening thought. Leadership is no longer simply about prosperity and happiness, not that that is simple. But today the survival of the species is in question. Anywhere and everywhere we look, the leadership stakes are very high.

My punchline is this: the core issue in human well-being is integrity. That means integrity first in living, and consequently in leadership. Leadership is the future. This surely includes and concerns the Church.

Which leads to the second point. Today leadership is in a crisis of integrity nationwide. Key leadership figures and teams are being perceived as frequently untruthful, often unfair, and at some critical moments, simply incompetent. This story is presently highlighted in politics and governance, business and finance, even within the domain of religion worldwide.

Ideology and polarization, fundamentalism and violence, seduction and other lies, all these have a way of finding each other and pairing up. A few loaded words like Vietnam, Watergate, Iraq, enhanced interrogation, clergy as pedophiles, housing bubble–big banks–financial crisis, healthcare programs, will all serve as instant illustration and reminder. Thinking about these things, we wince and we hunger. We yearn for integrity, both in ourselves and in our leaders.

It is no surprise then that integrity is the number one desired trait in leaders worldwide. Nor that violation of integrity is the number one reason for leadership failure. So today’s leadership crisis is a crisis in integrity, leading to an enormous loss of trust. Trust is readily lost, slow to regain. Since everything within the human community depends upon trust in relationships, this is bad news. So how are we to understand “integrity in leadership”?

The root meaning of integrity is “wholeness”. This begins with the wholeness of the individual self. Not 22

easily done. For it is our nature as human beings to be split, divided and self-contradictory. We are a mix of good and evil, light and shadow, love and hate, constructive and destructive impulses.

Modern psychology affirms Christian teaching in this regard. The problem is not mysterious. Human beings lie. Leaders are human beings. So leaders lie.

Once upon a time, deception was “normal” because it was experienced as essential for survival. Guile, cunning, camouflage and other deceptions, were the route to a fuller stomach and a longer life. So lying is no new thing.

Today, however, lying has become a subtle and sophisticated art, as language has been debased.

We “doctor the truth” and we “lawyer it”. We use language to frame and reframe the meanings of things, for personal political purposes. Getting a competitive advantage is still the mission.

Among the torrent of noise and story telling, it is increasingly difficult to discern “the truth of things”.

Language itself becomes untrustworthy. This puts everything else at risk.

Most of our lying is hidden in self-deception. We lie first to ourselves. Then we deceive ourselves about deceiving ourselves. So the core challenge in life and therefore in leadership, is truth-telling. Against this background, wholeness or integration of the self is our primary spiritual calling. And it is a lifetime career.

All leadership begins with a commitment to integrating the self, which implies “leading” the self.

Leading the self is the root of all leadership. Leading the self with integrity is the foundation for leading others. Leading the self is a call to self-awareness, which is to say honesty with the self about the self.

For this reason, self awareness, the only antidote for self-deception, is the pure essence of leader development.

In summary, integrity and leadership are almost synonymous, interdependent and inseparable.

Neither one survives for long in the absence of the other. Character and competence are the two key elements in both integrity and leadership.

Competence is about skills, getting it right.

Character is about values, doing it the right way.

Competence is having the matrix of skills necessary to do the job effectively. Character is embodying the values that guide the vision and monitor the strategy. The success and sustainability of any community or organizational endeavor, require the braiding of character and competence.

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013 Character and competence are braided and bonded for human wellbeing, because values that remain separated from empowering skills, are no more than idealistic sounds which in time will come to mock us.

On the other hand, skills without guiding values are inherently dangerous, since they will become selfserving in the extreme. This brings us to the crux of the matter.

Today leadership and integrity have been separated.

Values have been split off from skills. We have effectively “put asunder what God hath joined together”. This includes the growing separation between rich and poor, a matter we know from Jesus to be close to the heart of God. Perhaps never before have the leadership stakes been so high. The nature of our human nature is in question. We are tempted to lose trust in ourselves.

For these reasons, the Church has a vital interest and an urgent mandate in this matter of leadership.

It is time to focus. Are we embodying and modeling integrity in the governance of our local spirit communities? Can we influence others in the

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direction of truth telling and fairness? Truthfulness about fairness is a highly controversial ambition. It is also an essential if elusive goal.

Can we exercise influence towards national political goodwill, in the interests of the common good? How do we address the corruption of the democratic process and therefore our humanity, by the power of money? Will we create community within which to grow a new generation of leaders who embody integrity?

Integrity represents the integration of values with skills and therefore love with power. Love integrated with power is transformative. We can learn these skills. We can learn together to lead with an empowered love, not lies. Being such an open learner is an enlightened spiritual stance in life. It is also a learning within community. The spirit is calling and promises to empower.

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All Saints’ Ministry Team Leaders Worship Bill Mattmiller, Mila Murphy, Robin Denney, Susan Britton, Robin Reyes, Nancy Bernherd, Mike Raggett Community The Rev. Cynthia Spencer, The Rev. Gwen Buehrens, The Rev. Rick Matters, Susan Stanton, Kathy Nielsen, Elaine Stanton, Robin Reyes, Gwyn Romano, Judy Kirk Discipleship The Rev. Rick Matters, Bill Reed, Maria Medina, Claudia Ward, Greg Troxell, Frank Graham, Donald Williamson Stewardship Nan Walker, Greg Troxell, Grace Nola, Allan Groves, Bill Mattmiller Outreach Rosemary Smith, Hans Lehmann, Nancy Jones, Aliceon Jones, Jana Gill, Grace Nola Parish Clergy The Rev. Rick Matters, The Rev. Cynthia Spencer, The Rev. Jon Perez, The Rev. Gwen Buehrens, The Rev. John Burke, The Rev. Holly Hudson-Louis Staff Pedro Cabrera, Robin Denney, Raul Garcia, Maria Medina, Greg Troxell, Richard Wilson Vestry Dave McClendon, Wes Coby, Nan Walker, Mike Carter, Bill Mattmiller, Ed Fincke, Harrison Shields, Grace Nola, Wanda Green Office Volunteers Dave McClendon, Jenny Nobis, Marcia Owen-Jeiroudi, Jim and Izzi Shillinglaw

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Ways to Help in Ministry

There are so many ways to help the church.

We have space to mention only a few. Find the entire list and send in a response using the web form: http://www.allsaintscarmel.org/2013/11/ volunteer-form/

• Packing Bags for the Food Pantry – 10-20 food bags need to be packed each week and cases of food need to be organized on the shelves.

To help, contact Rosemary Smith or Dave McClendon by calling the church office.

• Crèche Sets from Around the World – You’re invited to bring interesting crèche sets to display in the baptistry for all to enjoy during Advent and Christmas. Please find a way to label your set so that we can make sure it gets safely returned to you.

• Serve on the Vestry – We will have five open seats for the vestry in 2014. You may nominate yourself or someone else. Please submit your name and 200 word biographical summary before January 5, 2014, to be included in the 2014 nomination handout.

• Donate Christmas gifts – We are gathering Christmas gifts for the children at Epiphany Church again this year. See the article on page 12.

• Greening the church – During this annual work party, volunteers decorate the church for Christmas services and enjoy a light lunch with soup and sandwiches.

Contact Susan Britton or a member of the Altar Guild to volunteer.

• Children’s Nativity Pageant – Your child is most welcome to participate in the pageant at 5:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve. See the article on page 8.

• Bishop Nicolas Celebration – Join us at ASDS’s Coats Hall on Saturday, December 7, from 10:00 a.m. to noon for a time of crafts, storytelling, singing, treats, and fellowship for all ages.

• Church Work day – January 18 there will be a Church work day with Raul. Workers needed with skills in light carpentry & painting. Please contact Greg or Raul to volunteer.

• Office Volunteers – We still need an office volunteer on Wednesday and Thursday mornings. To volunteer please call the church office.

• Photographers – Use your skills to capture the church at work, in worship and fellowship. To volunteer call the church office.

• Writers Wanted – We need biographers and writers for columns in each magazine and Weekly. To volunteer call the church office.

• Diocesan Delegates – We need two individuals to serve as delegates to convention and in the deanery during 2014.

If interested, please submit your name and 200 word biographical summary before January 5, 2014 so that it can be included in the 2014 nomination handout.

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

We are Grateful for your help

This is a very active church with members who lend a hand, teach classes, lead ministry teams, serve on committees and use their gifts and talents in service of others. Space below doesn’t allow us to list everyone. We are so grateful for how we see God at work through this church. Please do your part and say thank you to those who are a blessing to you and your friends.

• Thanksgiving Dinner – Thank you Bill Mattmiller and Patti Johannsen for organizing and inviting people to the All Saints’ Thanksgiving Day Supper.

• Gifts in Kind – Thank you Chip Eady for your generous donation of a TV, refrigerator, DVD-R and washer/dryer set.

• Edith Williams Trust – This fund allowed us to relandscape the hillside. We also thank Raul and Pedro who provided all the labor.

• Christmas gifts for the children – To all of you who have given gifts and gift cards for the children of Epiphany.

• Craft Faire volunteers and bakers – For all those who helped make this a successful Faire and for those who baked items.

• Food Packers – Pictured (L-R): Hans, Sherry, Rosemary, Alex, Nikolas, Larry, Dave, and Charlie.

• Raul Garcia – For 15.5 years of service as our sexton.

• Vestry Members – Thank you.

Your leadership and faith has made our congregation and church healthier both financially and spiritually.

• Office Volunteers – You make such a difference in the lives of those who call and visit the office. Thank you.

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All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013

Upcoming Events Mark your calendars

December 1

Youth Group Youth (grades 6–12) gather each Sunday afternoon in the youth room from noon – 2:00 p.m.

To learn more contact Robin Denney at 805-835-8538.

Evensong Evensong at 5:30 p.m., with choir rehearsal at 4:00 p.m.

December 2

Outreach Commission Meeting Join this team in the library from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

December 3

All Saints’ Singers Rehearsal Children gather in the church choir room at 3:45 p.m. each week for rehearsals.

December 4

This is a just a partial listing of events for you, your neighbors, and your family.

Visit www.allsaintscarmel.org for a complete listing of meetings, services, events, and community events at All Saints’, plus more news, details, photos, links, and registration forms.

Foundation Trust Fund Strategic Review Meeting St. Nicolas Celebration Bring your family or simply come to All Saints’ Day School to enjoy a morning making Christmas crafts. 10:00 a.m. to noon in Coats Hall.

Altar Guild Meeting Men and women are invited to join this team that takes responsibility to prepare the altar and attend to the linens, brass and candles. Meeting starts at 1:30 p.m. in the church.

December 8

Youth Group Youth (grades 6–12) gather each Sunday afternoon in the youth room from noon – 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday Morning Bible Study The current Wednesday Bible study class series follows a chronological harmony of the four Gospels. Come join us any Wednesday morning in Grant Hall from at 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.

Concert: Ensemble Galilei and Neal Conan: A Winter’s Night A night filled with soulful and captivating music and poetry narrated by special guest, NPR’s Neal Conan. Tickets sold at the door. Doors open at 6:45 p.m.

See ad on page 23 for details.

Mothers of Young Children Covenant Group Contact Wanda Green if you are interested in joining this new Covenant Group for mothers of young children. The group will gather monthly, study the bible, and support one another through life.

December 9

Yoga for All Ages Come to Seccombe Hall at 6:30 p.m. to exercise your body and soul.

December 10

December 5

All Saints’ Singers Rehearsal Children gather in the church choir room at 3:45 p.m. each week for rehearsals.

Packing Food Boxes Join the boy scouts at 5:00 p.m. to fill food boxes for the hungry in time for Christmas.

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December 7

Orchestra in the Schools Presents: A Winter’s Concert Come to support these students at 5:30 p.m. in the church.

Le Salon des Artistes Meeting at 5:00 p.m. at Miramar Buildings and Grounds The committee gathers at 10:00 a.m. in the library.

WWW.ALLSAINTSCARMEL.ORG

All Saints’ • Advent – Christmas 2013 All Saints’ Book Club Gather in the library from 6:007:00 p.m. Email Kathy Nielsen for more information at knielsen@redshift.com.

December 11

Wednesday Morning Bible Study Meeting in Grant Hall from at 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.

Yoga for All Ages Come to Seccombe Hall at 6:30 p.m. to exercise your body and soul.

December 13

Santa Lucia Mission Celebration Come celebrate the Feast of Santa Lucia. This celebration honors the parish’s legacy of ministry at Santa Lucia, the commission and Jim and Izzi Shillinglaw. Details on page 14.

December 14

Worship Commission Meeting Gathering in the Rector’s study at 10:30 a.m.

December 15

Monterey Peninsula Voices Come enjoy this one-hundred voice choir singing ‘Simple Gifts’ at All Saints’ from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Doors open at 1:45 p.m. Details on page 23.

December 16 Vestry Meeting

December 17

All Saints’ Singers Rehearsal Children gather in the church choir room at 3:45 p.m. each week for rehearsals.

Finance Committee Meeting at 5:00 p.m. in the Rector’s study.

December 18

December 25

Friends of St. Benedict Convene in the Chapel for Evening Prayer & Lectio and then proceed to the Library for Study. 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Contact Bill Reed at 831-625-3387.

December 26–27

Wednesday Morning Bible Study Meeting in Grant Hall from at 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.

December 19

All Saints’ Day School Lessons and Carols The 7:00 p.m. service will include: liturgical dance and congregational songs led by Lucy Faridany and Michele Galindo.

December 22

Greening the Church Come enjoy an afternoon of labor, love, and lunch with Susan Britton and the Altar guild as you decorate the church for Christmas. Gather in the church at noon.

December 23

Strategic Planning Meeting Gathering in the Rector’s study at 4:00 p.m.

December 24

Christmas Eve The Nativity Pageant will begin at 5:00 p.m. in the church. The candlelight service will include: drama, congregational, singing and Holy Communion.

Chirstmas Day Festal Service Come enjoy the sound and Spirit of Christmas at 10:30 a.m.

Church Office Closed

December 27

I-Help Dinner Come have dinner and visit with the men in I-HELP. Food and beverages are provided by a team of volunteers. To learn more, contact Hans Lehmann at 831-624-0540.

December 29

Youth Group Youth (grades 6–12) gather each Sunday afternoon in the youth room from noon – 2:00 p.m.

January 1

Church Office Closed

January 5

Sunday Morning Services Gather for The Second Sunday of Chirstmas at the morning services.

Evensong on the Eve of Epiphany Come again for Evensong at 5:30 p.m. for a special service celebrating the eve of Epiphany.

Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves will celebrate the Eucharist at our 10:00 p.m. service. The candlelight service will be joyous, filled with special music, congregational hymns and Holy Communion.

WWW.ALLSAINTSCARMEL.ORG

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All Saints’ Parish Disciples Glorifying Christ and Serving Others

All Saints’ Episcopal Church

Ninth and Dolores PO Box 1296 Carmel, CA 93921 Phone: 831-624-3883 Fax: 831-624-1459 www.allsaintscarmel.org

All Saints’ Episcopal Day School 8060 Carmel Valley Road Carmel, CA 93923 Phone: 831-624-9171 www.asds.org

Santa Lucia Mission & Campground

46896 Highway One Big Sur, CA. 93920 Reservations: 831-667-2310 www.allsaintscarmel.org