October 2016 Chronicles of Canterbury

Chronicles of Canterbury

the

Chronicles of Canterbury october 2016

From the Rector

God's House: Given To All for Our Investment

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t has been a long time since our family has rented a home. Not since graduate school have the Joneses paid rent to a landlord, and we thank God for the chance to own our own home. We are grateful not only to have our own space, but to have a home we can really invest in. Because of our sense of investment, our house has become our home. And though it’s older than we are, we feel like we built it.

Of course, it is a bummer to pay property taxes, make home repairs and deal with all the other headaches.

But owning a home is worth it to us. We know that if we were still renting, we’d have fewer daily worries, but we’d always be beholden to the landlord.

Moreover, our rent money would never do us any good again. We’d have a home to be sure, but it wouldn’t quite feel like ours.

I bring all of this up because Jesus talked about property ownership as a metaphor for the Kingdom of God. In the Parable of the Talents, three persons are

given money by their lord, and each is charged with stewarding that money. It is worth remembering that in the Bible a “talent” is a specific measure of cash money — in fact, it is a vast fortune. Two stewards do well with the boss’s money and one does not. The difference between the good stewards and the bad is simple: The good ones treat the boss’s money as if it is theirs, and the bad one treats the boss’s money like, well, the boss’s money. He doesn’t really care if it grows or not — as long as he doesn’t lose it, he’s fine.

Our home in Christ, St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, has neither been sold nor leased to us – it was given to us by God. And while it does not belong to us — it is still God’s house — He gave it to us to take care of as if it were ours. All around us we see in this place the fruit of invested talents by faithful stewards.What a beautiful campus we have here for God’s work to be done. The talents given by God to the founders of St. Michael’s 66 years ago were developed, invested,

See RECTOR on page 7

Annual Fund 2017

What God Can Do with Many Hands

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what’s inside

his year, our whole family of Walker men are chairing the 2017 Annual Fund. We have my Dad, Harry Jr., brothers Dan and Nat, and my son Lee, who are all involved in the campaign.

2 The Gospel for Me? 3 The Gathering 2017 4 Growing in Faith 6 Grace, Gratitude, Generosity 7 OWLS 8 For All the Saints 9 Summer at 1520 10 Gifts of Grace 12 Briefly 13 Lifelong Disciple 14 Oyster Roast

I am thankful to have grown up coming to St. Michael's since the 3rd grade, raised my family at St. Michael's, and now have grandchildren coming to St. Michael's. Through the years to have the opportunity to be an acolyte, chalice bearer, Sunday school teacher, and to be on a past Vestry has been a blessing. No difference from all of you here, really, with all the dedicated parishioners we have at St Michael’s and all you do.

From my early youth to today’s service, when I sit in

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the church and look up at our huge cross, I feel peace and an uplifting, knowing that my savior Jesus died on a cross for my sins — which are many — and rose from the dead to defeat death. His love is flowing down to us. Pledging to St Michael’s has become a part of worshiping for me for the Grace God pours down to us and all that our church does to spread the Gospel.

I served on a Youth Mission Trip about 10 years ago with Vaughn Wagoner and Phil Lambe, who have been incredible leaders of our mission work for many years. We drove vans to Kentucky and stayed at a school right on the border with Ohio. I was put with a group of youth from Charlotte and South Carolina.

Monday morning I drove the van with 10 youth, along with another adult who was a science teacher in See WHOLE LIFE page 11

Chronicles of Canterbury The People of St. Michael’s Church Phone: (919) 782-0731 All area codes are 919 unless otherwise noted.

The Rev. Samuel Gregory Jones, Rector ext. 117 • jones@holymichael.org (c) 559-2004 The Rev. Holly Gloff, Associate Rector ext. 127 • gloff@holymichael.org (c) 612-7228 The Rev. Robert Fruehwirth Associate Rector ext. 105 • fruehwirth@holymichael.org (c) 475-0082 The Rev. Meta Ellington, Deacon ellington@holymichael.org (c) 210-9123 The Rev. David Crabtree, Deacon (c) 614-2164 Marion B. “Chip” Chase, Verger (h) 851-9576 VESTRY Will Lingo, Senior Warden • 833-1358 Michael Painter, Jr. Warden • 821-0126 Jenny Haase, Clerk • 460-1966 Debbie Reed Treasurer • 783-8978 Class of 2016 Marilyn Budrow • 510-5080 Anthony Carlton • 395-4229 Class of 2017 LeeAnn Graham • 782-5919 | Jeff Hensley • 424-7951 Todd Kasper • 784-8112 | John Merritt • 783-8792 Dale Roane • 791-0168 Class of 2018 David Bull • 785-9860 | John Constance • 332-2258 Anna McLamb • 848- 9012 | Allen Marshall • 720-4236 Joe Warenda • 602-0839 Valerie Jackson, Recorder • 917-5164 STAFF Stella Attaway, Director of Christian Education attaway@holymichael.org • ext. 106 Ann Garey, Publications garey@holymichael.org • ext. 103 Charlotte Griffin, Director of Development griffin@holymichael.org • ext. 121 Lee Hayden, Director of Operations & Newcomer Ministry hayden@holymichael.org • ext.108 A bby Van Noppen, Director of Youth Ministry vannoppen@holymichael.org • ext. 115 Kevin Kerstetter, Director of Music kerstetter@holymichael.org • ext. 101 Susan Little, Financial Administrator little@holymichael.org • ext. 113 Carolyn L’Italien, Assitant to Children’s Ministres & Operations litalien@holymichael.org Jean Olson, Parish Secretary olson@holymichael.org • ext. 112 Susan Rountree, Director of Communications rountree@holymichael.org • ext.122 FACILITIES STAFF Jesús Epigmenio, Groundskeeper Marcela de la Cruz, Housekeeper PARISH DAY SCHOOL 782-6430 Mandy Annunziata, Director annunziata@holymichael.org • ext. 110 Cason Maddison, Assitant Director • ext.114

OFFICE HOURS Monday-Friday, 9 am.-5 p.m.

CANTERBURY SHOP HOURS Monday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Sunday 9-9:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.-noon

From the Associate Rector

The Gospel Is for Me?

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here is a man who walks on the roads near where I live with a backpack and a small bag to the side. He walks with a limp, uses a walking stick, and he has inflamed sores on his arms and legs.

One day I slowed down to say hello out of my car window. As he seemed friendly enough, we got to talking. I asked him what was in the small bag, as it looked like something special, something he had kept from much use or harm. He told me it contained some marvelous ointments and bandages for healing various many wounds and diseases. I couldn’t help myself; I asked if he had tried them on himself. He said that no, of course he had not done so. His wounds and sores were just his wounds and sores, and he was pretty sure he’d have them forever. And, he said, he got along fine, even though they hurt now and then. He told me though that he loved having the small kit of ointments and bandages, because it was great that there was all this potential for healing in the world. In fact, he’d given his life just to carrying around that healing and talking about it.

The story is fiction, but I am that man with the small healing kit. The kit of ointments and bandages is the Gospel. And I don’t think I’m alone in sometimes forgetting that what’s in that bag is actually for me, for my healing, my challenge, my growth. I am not alone in living and praying sometimes, like my job is to just get by as best I can and tell others about how good God is. I know I have been guilty of carrying the Gospel, at times, like something wonderful that I yet hold off to the side of my life.

By the time you read this, I will already be in England on a tour to promote the recent publication of my book, The Drawing of This Love: Growing in Faith with Julian of Norwich.

I wrote this book for many reasons, but the core experience that drove the writing was that of taking the heart of Julian’s writings, which are all about a God of compassion and love, and applying it anew to my areas of deepest need, hurt, hopelessness. I was like the fictional highway man in my story, but I had finally decided that maybe I could apply the medicine to myself. Medicine I’d been carrying around for years, and publicly extolling, could be of actual use, once again, to me.

The book came out of an encounter with a group of devout yet extremely challenging souls who wondered with me what it would be like if we listened to the truth of God’s love and allowed it to shape how we related to ourselves and others. What would happen if we brought the salve of the Gospel and the bandages of Paul’s Epistles into contact with what hurt, or felt empty or was just not right in our lives, whatever seemed wrong in our relationships with others? It was no good to talk about a God of love; we had to find a way to allow that love to actually make contact with us in our real need.

I don’t want to overuse the metaphor of sickness and medicine. But as we deepen our walk with Christ, we discover to our amazement that the Gospel of Christ can heal. What we do in church on Sunday — and when we Scripture and pray — can in fact also bring healing, inspiration, strength and wholeness to areas of our lives that we have deemed off limits — those things we don't bring to church or to prayer. These can be, for example, long past experiences of suffering that we have lost all hope of ever being healed. So we talk about the bag of medicines and extol its wonders, but we can’t imagine applying it to this experience in ourselves. It can be a feeling of being rudderless and empty that the Gospel is meant to transform into clarity and ministry and purpose.

If you want to explore what’s it’s like to bring the Gospel of the mercy and compassion of God into contact with our lives, to heal, transform and inspire them, you will not have to look far. Over four weeks, starting Oct. 16, I’ll lead a series of Adult Education classes exploring four classical, Christian ways of bringing our lives into contact with the Living Word of God. Such an opening of ourselves to God is something we need to re-discover, over and over again, all through the Christian life. Out of these classes we will build a new small groups program to provide the kind of accompaniment, discussion, learning and prayer that make a stronger, more loving walk with Christ and each other a long-term, sustainable reality.

— The Rev. Robert Fruehwirth

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Chronicles of Canterbury The Gathering 2017

Finding Comfort in the Sameness of Church

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eather Lende lay in the dark in a nursing home in Seattle, Washington, far from her home in Haines, Alaska, wondering how she got there. Weeks before, she’d been riding her bike around Haines, one of her first sojourns in early April, and was hit by a truck. Her pelvis crushed, she was medi-vaced to Seattle and sent to the nursing home for three weeks to rehab. A nursing home. Surrounded by old people in wheelchairs. Spending her days in a dark room filled with plastic plants and occupied by Nadine, her roommate who sang, constantly, about Johnny staying too long at the fair.

“The worst was a night in the nursing home,” Heather recalls. “I was in pain, it was noisy, people were screaming. I was afraid.” But she had access to a sung version of Compline, a service of prayer and psalm in the Book of Common Prayer that is used in the evenings.

“That would calm me,” she says, and she began thinking about the 24-hour world of care.

“Others (in the nursing home) were dying,” Heather says, but she thought of the Jane Kenyon poem, “Otherwise,” and knew her circumstances, however difficult, could be otherwise.

“God wouldn’t leave me comfortless,” she adds.

“I don’t know how anybody hit by a truck lives without faith,” Heather says. “You realize what you’re made of. It surprised me as much as anybody.”

Heather will bring her powerful story of faith and healing to St. Michael’s Feb. 24 & 25, 2017, to “The Gathering: Holding Moments Holy.”

She’ll talk about her life as a mother and grandmother in the small town of Haines (pop. 2,000), and share her experiences as an obituary writer chronicling the lives of everyday people.

A lifelong Episcopalian, Heather grew up on the east coast but found herself in Alaska when she and her new husband, new college graduates, took a road trip to the remote state. “We didn’t intend to end up in Alaska.

We thought we’d come home someday. But we invested in a business and found we were happy here. My kids didn’t grow up around family, but now my grandchildren are surrounded by aunts and uncles and cousins, so we’ve created a large family here.”

Heather has seen much change in her life of faith from the time she was in college until today. “In college, I went to church about once a month when I was homesick,” she says. “I’d hear the same music and say the same prayers, and it was that sameness that held me to the Episcopal Church.”

When she was younger, the sameness spoke to her about rules: The 10 Commandments, about making herself into a better person.

“Now I hear the words about ‘the least of us.’ You can’t go to church and not hear that, so now I pray that I’ll be better at (helping the least of

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these.) There are fewer absolutes in this world now.”

A Hospice volunteer and former grief counselor, Heather sees her role as obituary writer as one of providing comfort to grieving families without judgments. “I’m just here looking at your heart, not your house,” she says. “I try to ask them questions to help them find something good to say, but I can’t do it on my own.”

She didn’t set out to be a writer at all, she says. She started when a woman who wrote a social column in the local newspaper retired after her husband died.

Heather took over and read it on the local radio station. That led to a commentary stint on Alaska Public Radio, which led to commentary on Monitor radio for the Christian Science Monitor.

Her newspaper columns have become the inspiration for a series of books, including Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs. Framed within the context of prayers from the Book of Common Prayer and hymns from the 1982 Hymnal, she calls it her “most Episcopal book.”

“I believe in these prayers, the psalms — things I’ve heard forever. This is old stuff, and I’m holding on tight to it. I can’t separate writing from my faith. I don’t write about it directly, but that’s who I am.”

Her latest book, Find the Good, was published last spring by Algonquin. In it, she tells the back story of the obits she writes, exploring the extraodinary in ordinary lives.

In addition to her keynotes on Friday evening and Saturday morning, we’ll have several breakout sessions. They include: •

Raleigh writer Settle Monroe

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Edenton writer and blogger Adrian Wood, (Tales of an Educated Debutante)

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Ayliffe Mumford, director of the School of Ministry, Greensboro

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Helen Moses on "Praying Out Loud"

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Lisa Yebuah, campus pastor for Edenton Street UMC’s Southeast Raleigh Table

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Wortley Whitehead, Healing Yoga

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Cristin DeRonja, executive director of SAFEchild

Watch for more on The Gathering in our November Chronicles of Canterbury. Registration begins in midNovember.

Chronicles of Canterbury

Growing Faith Through Community Our Youth-led Episcopal Youth Community draws in teens from 6th-12th grades, tackling the world with Jesus by their side.

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had been an emotional week for teens in Youth Ministry at St. Michael’s. Just days before the Youth Mission to Pennsylvania, the older brother of a teen planning to participate in the mission had died in a tragic accident. The day after the church learned of the accident, Abby Van Noppen, director of youth ministry, quickly organized an impromptu prayer service so teens could meet and support their friend. She expected a handful of youth, but more than 100 teens and college students attended to support the teen and his family.

create a place all the kids could be proud of and live by, something that would push them forward.

“This was the first time our community spirit was tangible,” says Abby.

“It was more than the mission trip, more than small group, more than a Sunday night EYC. They could actually see the love and support that this community was built for.”

The next week, at the close of the mission trip, the teens gathered for their traditional love feast. With tears and heartfelt words, they shared how much they mean to each other individually — and as a group. “It’s probably one of the coolest things for myself and my leaders, seeing the growth and their love for God pour out of their hearts.”

Since arriving at St. Michael’s almost three years ago, Abby and her team of youth leaders have been hard at work establishing that sense of community. “I can’t do this all by myself,” she says. “God has given me a great talent, but he has also put some amazing youth leaders and students in my life.”

Abby’s first EYC was the annual Super Bowl party, and she stood on the sidelines, observing.

“The room and mood were divided,” she recalls. “Middle schoolers sitting on one side, high school on the other, boys in one section, girls in the other. I thought: ‘Man, we have a lot of work to do.’ ” And so they set to work. “We needed to establish trust before any change would take place and I knew that would just take time.” Abby wanted to

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Her goal was to create a space where: •

students can be themselves

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they can explore relationships with God, themselves and others

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they can have fun

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they are a youth-led community

“I wanted to put the ownership of the program back on our students,” Abby says. “Creating a student-led youth ministry program is exactly what we needed.”

She and her team worked that first year to create a youth-led program. “The youth provide me with feedback on what games they want to play, programs they like and what they want to talk about.”

At its Kickoff Ice Cream Social last month, the change since that first meeting in February 2014 was palpable. “We have a warm, inviting and more trustworthy space. There’s a bigger sense of community where students can be themselves, and it shows. God is everywhere in the St. Michael’s youth community, and what an amazing sight it is to witness.”

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found in an ongoing study of teens and faith that participation in church affects how susceptible teens are to depression and even suicide.

continued on the next page

Chronicles of Canterbury “We found that higher religiosity (such as attending church or churchrelated youth activities more often) leads to decreased depression in adolescence,” says Jane Fruehwirth*, assistant professor of economics at UNC-Chapel Hill. “The effects seem to result from improved selfesteem and coping skills for dealing with stressful life events,” she adds. “A question I’m often asked is whether religiosity mostly matters through offering adolescents a sense of belonging to a group, a benefit which might also arise from sports or other types of club participation.

We find that this is not the case; religiosity is offering benefits not easily substituted by other types of social organizations.”

In youth ministry, says Abby, “we design our programming around meeting the needs of both middle and high school youth. It might seem like the age gap isn’t that different, but their life experiences and social pressures are. Yes, we still like to play dodgeball and gaga ball, but everything we do is very intentional.”

Is

your teen in

Y outh M inistry ?

Sundays: 5 p.m. Jr. EYC • 6 p.m. dinner • 6:30 p.m. Sr. EYC Every other Wednesday: Middle School Bible Study, 5 p.m.

Dinner provided by Moe's Thursdays: High School Bible Study, 7 p.m.

Special events throught the year.

Most of the Senior EYC students have been a little more “life tested” than the Junior EYCers, she says.

“The older you are, typically the more you have experienced – the good and the bad. These experiences have my high schoolers asking different life questions and challenging their own thoughts on God and their faith.

“Even though we have two different age groups, the message is still the same: Go forth with God. How are we ‘going forth with God’ in our classrooms, with our friends, in our ministry, in our mission and in our relationship with ourselves? It may seem pretty simple but it can be a huge challenge for youth faced with peer pressure on many different levels, on a daily basis. And that’s why my volunteers and I do what we do. To show the love of God and how we live our daily lives going forth with God.” This summer EYCers decorated a mural of the EYC logo for the youth room. Constructed from magazine clippings glued to 11”x 17” pieces of paper, it proved to be tedious work. Each page was unique in color, size of clippings and direction of paper, and each teen brought a different skill to their work.

“As we put the pieces together, the mural took on a life of its own,” Abby says.

“It’s a direct reflection of the community the youth and volunteers have

created. We are all different in God’s eyes, and we were created that way for a reason. We celebrate those differences together in a fun and supportive community that I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of!”

Contact: Abby Van Noppen, vannoppen@holymichael.org * Jane Fruehwirth is the wife of associate Robert Fruehwirth.

St. Michael's teens gathered in September for their annual kickoff. Fun, games, prayer and Bible Study have created a caring youth-led community.

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Chronicles of Canterbury Grace, Gratitude, Generosity

Our St. Michael’s Home Depends on Each of Us

St.

Michael’s Episcopal is what is known in Episcopal Church parlance as a corporate church. This does not mean we are a corporation; it simply connotes the largest church size with 300-500+ active members.

One of the qualities of a corporate church is the following: “There is a sense of belonging to something awesome when the community gathers in worship; the head priest is seen as presiding over the massive family. Much of the pride and loyalty in the congregation come from being part of the majesty that is created by the large proportions of the church, the numbers, and the authority of the visible leadership.

Newcomers might be attracted by an impressive worship service, powerful preaching, or a grand building.” (Source episcopalchurch.org.)

easier than ever to set up your pledge and payment.

You need only schedule it once. (If you pledged online last year, you MUST do so again each year.)

We certainly fit that! The definition continues to note the corporate church is growing and NEEDS to continue to grow to sustain its current efforts and grow in service to the community. In the chart above, you can see our budget growth over the past five years. St. Michael’s needs every household to participate to help us sustain and expand that growth.

Pledge Sunday

St. Michael’s budget is approximately $1.6 million, an amount that may sound daunting, but is not for a church our size. Perhaps you are unsure how much to pledge and whether it would make a dent in helping us reach our goal. Or, maybe you’re being nudged to pledge more but are unsure how much. Regardless of how much you pledge, JUST PLEDGE. Every single pledge matters and helps fund our operating expenses for the coming year.

The chart below shows some annual income levels with accompanying giving percentages by year and by month. Also, we offer online giving to make it

In previous years, we have offered two pledge Sundays. This year we will have one Pledge Sunday on Oct. 16. If you haven’t submitted your pledge by that date, we ask you to bring your pledge card to church and place it in one of the baskets provided as you approach the altar for communion. For those who have made a pledge online, there will be “I Pledged Online” cards in the pews for you to place in the basket to represent your pledge. We approach the altar as one community to receive the gift of the Eucharist.

It is appropriate to submit our pledges in gratitude for the gifts God has given us, reflecting the responsibility to care for the gift of St. Michael’s.

During this Annual Fund campaign, please consider prayerfully your financial commitment to St. Michael’s.

Imagine the good works we could accomplish if each of our 800 or so households pledged!

Questions about pledging? Please contact Charlotte Griffin, griffin@ holymichael.org, 919-782-0731, ext.

121.

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Chronicles of Canterbury

Of Prison Ministry and Tuesdays with Morrie The OWLS lecturer for October will be our very own Jenny Haase! Jenny is well known to us as a “liturgical handyperson” on Wednesdays, and has served the Altar Guild for many years.

She is currently clerk to the Vestry, and is a regular in our Wednesday Bible Study.

Jenny has worked in women’s prison ministry for many years and has produced, with her husband, a very popular presentation. Please join us, and come and hear her touching and utterly compelling story about this most important ministry. We will meet in the Convocation Room at 2 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 13. Cookies, coffee and conversation to follow.

Many of you have read the exquisite memoir, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, which was published in 1997 about his friendship with his 78-year-old sociology professor Morrie Schwartz, who was dying from ALS. Albom saw Schwartz on "Nightline" one night, and the appearance inspired him to make contact with his former professor. Thus began their re-aquaintance. Every Tuesday, Albom would fly from Michigan to Massachusettes to visit

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Schwartz, for compelling conversation about happiness, love, communication and acceptance.

This heartwarming book was a best-seller, remaining on the New York Times Best Sellers list for over 200 weeks – that’s nearly four years!

The book has been turned into a stage play, and the St. Michael’s OWLS group will be taking a trip to Sanford’s Temple Theater on Thursday, Oct. 20 to see it. Tickets cost $14 and the show begins at 2: p.m.

Before the performance, we will have lunch at Miss Lacy’s Magnolia Tea House. This is probably our most popular program, so you will want to reserve your spot early! We have reserved 25 tickets, so please sign up at the front desk.

Departure from St Michael’s will be promptly at 10:15 a.m., so please arrive at 10 a.m. so we can leave on time. We will return to church at approximately 5 p.m.

— The Rev. Holly M. Gloff

Spooky Spaghetti Supports Scholarships

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and built upon. Thanks to those who came before — and to the many who have come and invested since then — what we have here has grown wonderfully.

The builders and re-builders of this parish took God’s gifts —­channeled by many faithful servants — ­ and created something grand. And they did this because they weren’t just passively holding on to God’s gifts of time, talent and treasure. In recent years, dedicated stewards have truly transformed this space for the glory of God. Careful stewardship of God’s Kingdom requires a sense of ownership, sharing both the headaches and the comforts. Here in the Kingdom, we don’t own it, but we aren’t renters either. Living as we do in the house Jesus built, our vocation is to be more than caretakers. We are called to invest, becoming builders of the Kingdom of God. We have entered into a new chapter together here in the Kingdom at St. Michael’s – one filled with great hope and expectation. Please invest in this home of yours, make a pledge to do so, and become a Kingdom Builder with your brothers and sisters at this church.

— The Rev. Samuel Gregory Jones

Please plan to attend the Parish Day School’s Spooky Spaghetti Supper on Thursday, Oct. 20 from 5:30 p.m. 7 p.m. in the Parish Hall. All are welcome—your child does not need to be a Day School student to attend. Proceeds will benefit the Day School’s Hortense Wishon Scholarship Fund.

This candy-free event will feature yummy spaghetti, games, prizes and a raffle. Children are encouraged to wear a costume (adults, too!). Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children ages 2 to 12, with a $30 maximum per family.

This year’s event offers an amazing raffle with several opportunities to win great prizes. The raffle tickets will be available for purchase prior to the event or upon arrival. You do not have to be present to win. The raffle tickets are $5 per ticket or 5 tickets for $20.

The Spooky Spaghetti event raises money to support our scholarship fund. The scholarship allows several children to attend St. Michael’s Day School who would not otherwise have this opportunity. Each year, the Day School provides a limited number of partial scholarships to assist families who are experiencing financial difficulties and for scholarships for children to attend our school when their families need assistance with tuition payments.

If you are unable to attend the Spooky Spaghetti Supper, you can contribute to our scholarship fund by purchasing raffle tickets. We hope to see you there!

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Chronicles of Canterbury For All the Saints: Saint Frances of Assisi

Preach the Gospel: Use Words if You Must I've been trying to walk when it isn’t too hot out.

Lately the walks have been short since I can’t abide this humidity. While walking, I have been indulging my love for books — this time audio books. I’m on a Richard Rohr binge right now. Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest who challenges me on many levels.

His narratives fascinate me and I think: “Oh, I'll just go this bit further.”

servants. In 1224, he received the stigmata, which are the miraculous wounds exactly like what Jesus received from the nails in his hands and feet at his crucifixion. This allowed him to more totally identify with Jesus and his suffering.

Francis is probably the most popular of all the saints. He is the most admired, but probably the least imitated. He is often depicted as wearing sackcloth and a rope – not a belt. A belt would have been used to hold money, and he would not allow his fellow friars to own anything, so a rope would do in its place. He is shown with the stigmata.

The book I am listening to now is “The Art of Letting Go; Living the Wisdom of St Francis.” I am always struggling with purging and trying to simplify my life, to rid my house of clutter, so this book is timely for me. But of course, St Francis takes it further than that. He talks about the extraneous things that we do or collect that add nothing to our lives.

One thing that he mentioned was how some people love to collect “degrees” – or letters after their names. It somehow makes them feel just a bit superior to those around them. Does it make them kinder? More generous? Closer to God? Ouch! While these words came from Richard Rohr, they reflect the theology of Francis beautifully. It’s all about getting rid of the stuff that encumbers us and holds us back from serving God. Francis was canonized in 1182. He was the son of a wealthy merchant in Assisi, Italy, and spent his youth in revelry and failed attempts at military fame. He began to notice the local beggars and his conscience was hugely bothered. So he renounced all of his worldly goods, stripping himself of his lavish clothing and placing them on the church altar. He then dedicated himself to serving the poor, preaching penitence, and he founded an order called the “Order of Friars Minor,” which emphasized his desire to be numbered among the poorest and the “least” of God’s

Outreach & Mission Reorganized

Members of our Outreach & Mission committees under the direction of parishioner Mary Currin and the Rev. Robert Fruehwirth, have reorganized the structure of this important St. Michael’s ministry. Each ministry has its own lead person, with volunteers coming under the lead’s direction.

All our outreach and mission ministries are represented.

We hope this structure will help everyone understand how many parish ministries are involved in making our world a better place.

Thank you for all who participate in Outreach & Mission at St. Michael’s!

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One of Francis’ most famous phrases is, “Preach the Gospel; use words if you must.” And his famous prayer (at least attributed to him) is found in our prayer book on page 62.

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen — The Rev Holly M. Gloff

Chronicles of Canterbury

Sumertime at 1520 Canterbury Road Was Busy!

When summer comes, St. Michael’s Director of Operations Lee Hayden has a long “to do” list.

All during the program year as she takes her daily walks around our campus, she makes note of what’s worn out, what needs fixing and what needs a little freshening up.

While much of the work, like air conditioning repair, water leaks and electrical issues are on the “ongoing” list, some of the work has to be saved until summer, when the Parish Day School is closed and when fewer people visit the campus on a daily basis.

The St. Michael’s kitchen will be getting a longoverdue makeover in the next few months to modernize the space for health, safety and efficiency.

To organize the project, Lee called on parishioners Scott Murphy, who works in the restaurant supply industry, Dave Crawford, with restaurant management expertise, and Christine Laco, who works frequently in the kitchen with large and small groups.

“We took an afternoon in the kitchen to see where we were falling short,” says Lee. What had been a state-of-the-art facility when it was built in the 1960s was now outdated and needing reimagining.

“Overall we have nice equipment and the beginnings of a working layout,” she says. The serving line was Painters spent several days over the summer stripping and restaining the front doors to first priority, and in mid-September, a new stainless restore them to their original beauty. steel serving line fabricated for our specific needs was The Parish Day School and Sunday School space also installed. had a facelift, with old cabinetry removed and new The second phase will be to increase our prep area. Old wooden cabinets cabinets installed. Parishioner Lee Walker, who serves will be removed and replaced with a pot and pan sink, with left and right on the Day School board, led the project, which was prep areas nearby. The dish cleaning area will be separate from the prep funded by the Day School. area, to bring it up to OSHA standards.

Eight classrooms were painted. Floors in 15 A third area will be added with counters and shelving for cleaners and classrooms were stripped and waxed, which meant supplies, which should be out of sight at all times. Some electrical and that every room had to be emptied of all items and plumbing modifications are required, and parishioners Anthony Carlton reset. The floor work is an annual maintenance and Vaughn Wagoner will make those, she says. project.

Perhaps most noticeably, the front steps, landing and woodwork refurbishing in the front of the church is now complete.

The adhesive on the front step tiles began to disintegrate, Lee says, allowing water to seep in behind the tiles.

“The foundation itself began to wash away. The steps were done 11 years ago, and there have been great advancements in tile and adhesive. We had repaired them three times and continued to have the same problem, so we knew we had to change the materials. Now they are cement block and should last for many years. It’s the same block that is on the patio of the north transept.”

Removal of mold and mildew from the front doors and wood surrounding them was a three-week project to maintain the original look of the church.

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In addition, there were multiple lighting and electrical repairs, including replacing light bulbs in the chapel and nave with new LED lighting that last for years.

As late summer approached, carpets in the lower level and in the Nave were cleaned, and nine closets, including the kitchen pantry, were emptied, materials assessed, stored or discarded as needed.

“We have a hard-working team committed to a healthy and safe environment,” says Lee. Thanks goes to Carolyn L’Italien, Jesus, Marcela and Jon Rivenbark, for their hard work in cleaning and organizing our facility for the new year.

Chronicles of Canterbury

St. Savior’s Center Serves Important, Diverse Need Saint Saviour's Center is on the move! For several years, Saint Saviour's Center has been experiencing growing pains associated with the ever-increasing needs of lowincome individuals and families.

“Saint Saviour's Center is on the verge of a new phase of life in its ministry,” states Sharon Hayes, executive director of the Center. Its history is one of evolution, having incorporated in 2001 and moving into its present building, at 616 Tucker Street, in 2003. According to Ms. Hayes, Saint Saviour's hopes to expand in the next three to five years. Its focus is largely on meeting the unmet needs of the working poor in our community. These are people who are working one or more jobs, but who are falling through the cracks because what they earn is over the limit to receive government assistance but is really not Catherine Dunn George of St. Michael's delivers some of the close to 5,000 diapers donated by our enough on which to live. parish in September to the Diaper Train, housed at Saint. Saviour's Center. Saint Saviour's houses several relief organizations including Wake Relief and the Diaper Train.

Saint Saviour's Center is currently in the middle of a capacity building fund, with Gifts of Grace a goal of raising $90,000, half of which Sunday, Nov. 13 has been raised. These funds will fund two part-time positions, a program director 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and a development director. The program in the Parish Hall director will strengthen the existing programs at Saint Saviour's and support its Continental Breakfast hundreds of volunteers.

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A diverse group of organizations is housed at Saint Saviour's, including the Center’s two signature programs, Healthy Living for Seniors and The Diaper Train, and several “resident” programs, which are housed at the Tucker Street location. Healthy Living for Seniors includes assistance for two low-income senior apartment communities, Glenwood Towers and the Carriage House. Resident programs include a congregate site for Meals on Wheels, which allows seniors to have lunch and socialize at the Center. Other resident programs are the emergency food pantry, Wake Relief, and The Community Music School. The Community Music School provides private music instruction for children of low-income families for $1.00 per weekly lesson. If you have participated in Gifts of Grace in the past, you may have been treated to music provided by some of the students at Community Music School! Wake Relief is an emergency food pantry that provides one week’s worth of groceries to families who are referred by Wake County Human Services. About 9,000 people are served by Wake Relief each year. Numerous St. Michael’s parishioners volunteer each month at Wake Relief.

Ms. Hayes reports that The Diaper Train serves about 15 agencies who help families in need. On site, they serve over 100 families on each of the two days a week they are open. Within the first five years The Diaper Train was open, they distributed 2 million diapers. This year alone, they will distribute 750,000 diapers. And they have, in short, outgrown their space. Surplus diapers are currently stored in a warehouse and must be transported from that warehouse to either Saint Saviour's or to one of the

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15agencies to which they provide diapers. If you do a little math, you can see how difficult it can be for the working poor about whom Sharon Hayes is talking to keep their heads above water. At a minimum wage of $7.25/hr., in a month’s time (20 working days, 8 hours/day), you would earn $1,160 before taxes and insurance, if any, are taken out. Imagine being a single parent trying to pay for housing, utilities, gas, food, etc. Then add diapers to that. (I recently purchased a large box of Costco diapers for $39; the name brand was $43.) Our working poor brothers and sisters need our help.

Saint Saviour's is thrilled to be part of our Gifts of Grace and to be involved with St. Michael’s parishioners and their willingness to help. So, on Sunday, Nov. 13 at our 13th annual Gifts of Grace, as you walk around our Parish Hall looking at all of the organizations who are doing what they can to help our brothers and sisters here and around the world, won’t you please consider a donation to Saint Saviour's Center and any of the organizations supported or housed by it? You’ll be glad you did!

— Karen Wagoner, Gifts of Grace Committee

Chronicles of Canterbury

WHOLE LIFE Continued from page 1

Charlotte. He came from a family of builders. We drove up to the house where we were to put a new roof and met a contractor who had driven down from Michigan to help us.

We then met the sweet grandmother who lived in the home. Her roof was leaking badly, and we were to build a complete wood frame over the current singles and install a tin roof on top of the frame. I am thinking in my mind, “there is no way we can do this, with 10 youth and myself, who are not skilled at all in construction with only two men who are.”

I wasn’t thinking how God can work through a few and accomplish much.

But astonishingly, with the two skilled leaders showing us step-by-step what to do, we hammered, sawed, measured, sweated and built a wood framework, then laid the tin roof and sealed it over the entire house in five days. We ate lunch every day with the grandmother in her kitchen, and we noticed she had a coffee cup collection hanging on her wall. So on our afternoon off when we went to the Walmart, I bought a plain ceramic mug and we all signed it and gave it to her to hang on her wall to remember us. That last afternoon after we finished, I drove the youth back to the school, leaving the Science teacher to finish up a few last items. When I drove back to pick him up as I rounded the corner and drove toward the house, the sun came out and lit up the tin roof as it reflected the sun’s rays. I stopped in the middle of the road and was emotionally struck by all that had gone on that week and how God’s kingdom had spread by our little hands. From Greg’s weekly epistle and talk two weekends ago about whole life he listed the following verses: “From a small mustard seed comes a great tree.”

“All things are possible with God.” “All things are possible for one who believes.”

From our pledges — each one of them important — year after year, over the last 50 years, and we hope the next 50 years, with new generations to come, we can continue to grow the kingdom of God here at St. Michael's and in the world around us.

Lee Walker as a young acolyte

We are called to embrace all the components of a Christian life. Our annual fund logo reflects St Michael’s Trinity window. Grace, Gratitude, and Generosity which fill its arcs, center our focus on three of the components of a whole life in Christ. From these three comes a fourth G — Giving — and an important part of giving we believe is pledging each year during the Annual Fund Campaign.

Four generations of Walkers call St Michael’s our church home. We grew up here, worshiping and raising our families here, as many of you have. We feel blessed to be a part of the body of Christ here.

We believe that pledging each year continues to help our church grow and spread the Gospel. Our vibrant programs, outreach, mission work, operating expenses, building maintenance and salaries of our clergy and staff are supported by all our pledges. Our goal this year is $1.6 million, the same as last year, which we came close to reaching.

Last year 525 households pledged to support the work of this parish. We hope to exceed the goal for 2017.

Pledge cards are already in the mail. We hope you will prayerfully consider your pledge this year. We are all members of the family of St. Michael’s, whether you have been a member for one month or 50 years.

Whether you are single or married, in your 20s on in your 80s. Each member’s pledge is important, and we all can impact the life of the Church by pledging.

Many thanks to all of you who have been pledging your whole lives, and thanks also to those who will make their first pledge for 2017. Again, during the coming month, St. Michael’s invites you to contemplate what a whole life in Christ means. We ask you to join our family in making a pledge to our parish for 2017.

Father Harry, III, and son Lee as chalice bearers when Lee was in high school.

Harry and Lee, along with the elder Harry Jr., and brothers Dan and Nate are Team Walker, Annual Fund chairs for 2017.

— Harry Walker III

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Chronicles of Canterbury

Men’s Prayer Breakfast Tuesday Oct. 11 7 a.m.

Wednesday Words & Wisdom 7 p.m.

Oct. 12 Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft

by Paul Boyer & Stephen Nissbaum Hosts Anne and Dave Crawford

Volunteer for the Appalachia Service Project Long after the headlines have disappeared, the devastation remains. In the small town of Rainelle, W.Va, several people were killed, and most of the homes destroyed, in the June, 2016 flooding. Adult Missions is teaming with Appalachia Service Project (ASP) to provide assistance to flood victims as they rebuild their lives.

We are planning a long weekend, November 17 thru 20, to work on houses and provide other assistance. No experience required. Cost is $40/person for meals and lodging. Please do three things: pray for the success of the trip; consider going; make a contribution to the relief effort. Contact: Vaughn Wagoner – fixit4you@bellsouth or 919.601.2880.

Men’s Ministry In October Our Men’s Ministry team will gather this month for several events. Come to our Men’s Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 7 a.m. Enjoy fellowship, breakfast a prayer time and leave well fed in many ways.

Band of Brothers lunch gathering meets each month at noon at the Sawmill Taproom on Lead Mine Road. Join us on Oct. 17, for lunch and fellowship.

Our Brothers On Tap will meet on Thursdsay, Oct. 13, at the Pointe at Five Points. We’ll gather at the bar at 5:30 p.m. and spend a fun social hour.

And don’t forget our inaugural Oyster Roast, Friday, Nov. 4, featuring the music of Damascus Ridge. Tickets are $35 each and will be sold on Sundays in October. (see invitation on p 14) Contact: Tim Berry, tberry56@ gmail.com.

School Supplies for Loaves & Fishes The Outreach Committee collection for the month of October is Loaves and Fishes Ministry. Loaves and Fishes (LAF) provides social and emotional learning in a positive environment with a focus on lifelong success for the Kindergarten through 12th grade youth they serve in Southeast Raleigh. For 35 years, LAF has provided academic, enrichment, and family-strengthening opportunities.

They need school supplies! Please refer to the list below, as some of their needs might be different from the typical school supply list. The LAF staff needs help providing supplies for students for school projects, which often require items their families cannot provide. Thanks for supporting this special ministry with generous donations! For more information, please contact Kay Walker at 919-215-1329 or klwalker115@gmail.com.

Loaves and Fishes Back-to-School Supplies List Book bags – K- 12 grades (Middle/ High school students need sturdy book bags) Flash Drive Copier Paper Calculators TI 83 or Ti 84 AA and AAA batteries Mechanical Pencils Ear Buds/Hheadphones Dry Erase Markers Erasers Project Display Board 1 ½ inch –3-inch binders Hand sanitizers

Tissues Sanitizing wipes Pocket folders Glue Sticks Sticky Notes Masking Tape Velcro Tape Plastic food container bags 5-subject notebooks Subject dividers Markers Sharpie (Fine tip and regular)

Are You Using Your Blue Box? St. Michael’s next United Thank Offering is Nov 6! The United Thank Offering has two goals: (1) to teach the practice of using thank offerings to deepen our individual awareness of the blessings that God bestows on us each day and (2) to fund innovative ministries throughout the Church.

As I mentioned in May, the amount of money given on UTO Sunday is not as important as the practice of thankfulness.

How have you used your Blue Box? I love hearing that many families, including ours, set coins at the dinner table so each family member can share their blessing during the meal. (We made a rule of “no repeats” and have had the best time hearing the creative things a 3- and 6-year-old boy can be thankful for, such as dogs to eat scraps from the floor.)

I have also heard that the Blue Box has been used as a cuss jar and stoplight jar (putting a coin in for catching a green light!). Count your blessings and bring a check on Sunday, Nov 6. While you may bring your coin-filled Blue Box on UTO Sunday, we would love for you to count your blessings/coins and bring a check! Then you can re-use your Blue Box and your coins!

We will have envelopes in the bulletin for the checks. Contact: Ashleigh Black – ashleigh.e.black@gmail.com.

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Chronicles of Canterbury

October Sundays

October 23 Use your Camel: Allowing God to Carry your Burden with the Rev. Robert Fruehwirth God wants to carry our burdens for us.

As Saint Paul says: "Cast all your burdens on God because God cares for you." Yet we go through much of life believing we have to carry all the weight ourselves.

The very simple practices of petition and intercession allow the Christian to live lightly yet truthfully, and with more power to love, through the stresses of ordinary life.

lifelong disciple

October 2 & 9 Evil and the Christian Life with Jeff Hensley In praying the Lord’s prayer, we ask God to “deliver us from evil,” for encountering evil, resisting it, and unfortunately at times succumbing to it are all parts of the struggle of the Christian life. But how can we believe in a good, all-powerful God who has (presumably) defeated evil when horrendous acts continue to be perpetrated on the innocent?

Critics charge that either God is able to prevent evil but will not, or God is willing to prevent it but cannot. If the former is true, then God seemingly is not good or merciful. If the latter is true, then God seemingly is not all powerful. Moreover, how can we resist evil—to renounce “the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God,” as our Baptismal vows state, when evil seems so pervasive, so powerful, so horrific?

And is there any final defeat of evil or are we faced with an eternal struggle between good and evil? Finally, what is the basis of our hope as Christians if we believe that we and all creation will be ultimately delivered from its grasp?

October 16 Eat this Scroll: Christian Meditation with Sacred Texts with the Rev. Robert Fruehwirth We will explore the ancient practice of lectio divina (sacred reading) as a way of slowing ourselves down, opening our hearts and minds before God’s Word, and allowing our lives and God’s grace to meet in unexpected ways.

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October 30 God in Disguise: The Power of Now and The Sacrament of the Present Moment with the Rev. Robert Fruehwirth A 17th century French priest, Jean Pierre de Caussade once wrote about God coming to us always under the disguise of the Present Moment. He taught a profound way of prayer that he called the Sacrament of the Present Moment. This practice resonates with current interest in mindfulness and the popular spirituality of Eckhart Tolle, yet is deeply Christian, and allows us to live our faith creatively.

November 6 Silent Center: Contemplation &Yielding to God with the Rev. Robert Fruehwirth Silence and contemplation are not reserved for a few pious souls. A habit of silence is in fact a basic spiritual hygiene that allows us to hear God’s word and share in Jesus’ own obedience and love for God. It sustains active ministry and life by clearing away our anxieties and grounding us in God’s presence.

Writing Your Faith Story Continues through November 6 with Susan Rountree & Melanie Jones

St. Michael’s Episcopal Church 1520 Canterbury Rd. Raleigh NC 27608-1106 Phone: 919-782-0731 Fax: 919-782-5085 www.holymichael.org

NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID Raleigh, NC PERMIT NO. 696

Chronicles of Canterbury is a monthly publication of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church Editor: Susan B. Rountree Phone: 919-782-0731, ext. 122 Email: rountree@holymichael.org

YAM Jam Oct. 22 Gather the family and join our annual sweet potato gleaning family event in Johnston County on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 8:30 a.m.-11a.m.

Sign-up here: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C044CAEAF2FA02-yamjam

Contact: David Bull 919-696-6293, david@sterlingtitlenc.com.

Questions? Story Ideas?

Susan Rountree, Director of Communications rountree@holymichael.org • 919-782-0731, ext. 122

www.holymichael.org, Chronicles of Canterbury, ThisWeek@St. Michael’s & Rector’s Weekly Epistle: Susan Rountree, Editor rountree@holymichael.org Canterbury Tales/brochures/bulletins:

Ann Garey, Publications Coordinator garey@holymichael.org

Deadlines: • Canterbury Tales: noon Wednesday before Sunday publication • Chronicles of Canterbury: Wednesday, October 12