LOAVES & FISH
News from St. Andrew’s byby-thethe-Lake Episcopal Church
July 2015
From Somberness to Playfulness
This month, we continue our examination of “The Ten
Cultural Adaptations for the Church” from the book, Adapt
to Thrive. The third adaptation described by Flowers and
Vannoy is the transition from somberness to playfulness.
The authors contend that a rigid expectation of “how
things should be” that excludes any spontaneity in worship
is unhealthy for the church. Reverence is not the same as
somberness, which might be best described as perfectionism. A church culture that elevates “going by the book”
over the occasional need for flexibility and playfulness can
be very dreary indeed. Anyone who has attended a church
Street address:
for any significant length of time knows that interruptions
1007 Moore Road
and mistakes happen. Consequently, the ability to go with
Michigan City, IN
the flow is really important. The authors write, “Somber is
the ally of perfection. Playful is the pathway to abundant
Mailing address:
life.” Playfulness is an attitude that can be cultivated
P.O. Box 8766
among individuals and a congregation.
Michigan City, IN 46361
As I thought about this adaptation, I think St. Andrew’s
has historically been pretty good at this. Since before I
came here, there has always been a table in the back of the
Phone:
sanctuary with books and puzzles for children. As a con219-872-6984
gregation, St. Andrew’s has been very tolerant of the noise
that invariably comes with having children attend our worEmail:
[email protected] ship services. I commend you for valuing the presence of
children over the attitude of “noisy children keep me from
worshiping God!” Many congregations are not nearly so
Website:
Website:
gracious.
www.standrews-bythelake.org
However, I think cultivating playfulness goes deeper
than just being tolerant of children in the worship service.
Sunday Worship Schedule
I believe that Christians are called to take God VERY seri9:30 AM
ously, but we are called to take ourselves much less seriHoly Communion: Rite II
ously. Cultivating a playful spirit is easier when we don’t
take ourselves so seriously, when we can acknowledge our
10:45 AM
own imperfections and yet rejoice in God’s love for us deCoffee Hour
spite these things. I think the ideal to which we are called
is a deep joy that is expressed in playfulness, which is
rooted in knowing just how deeply God loves us! This love
11:00 AM
cannot be earned, but only received and then shared in an
Adult Inspiration
‘attitude of gratitude’ that permeates our whole life, and
We invite you to worship, grow & even our worship at church! Thanks be to God, the source
serve with us!
of real joy! See you Sunday!
In Christ, Father Rob
2015 Vestry Members
July Lectionary
Readings
July 5—
5—6th Sunday after Pentecost
2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
Psalm 48
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Mark 6:1-13
July 12—
12—7th Sunday after Pentecost
2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19
Psalm 24
Ephesians 1:3-14
Mark 6:14-29
July 19—
19—8th Sunday after Pentecost
2 Samuel 7:1-14a
Psalm 89:20-37
Ephesians 2:11-22
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
July 26th—9th Sunday after Pentecost
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Psalm 14
Ephesians 3:14-21
John 6:1-21
Fr. Rob’s Vacation
Fr. Rob will be away from Wednesday, July
8 through Saturday, July 11. I will also be
away on Sunday, July 19. My colleague
from Harbor Light Hospice and fellow Episcopal Priest, The Rev. Peter Irvine, will celebrate and preach in my absence on July 19.
VBS Fundraiser a Success
Thanks to everyone who prepared baked
goods for or volunteered to work at the St.
John’s UCC booth at the farmer’s market
on July 4th! Because of your efforts, $410
was raised for the Michigan City Wide VBS!
Great job, team!
Please feel free to contact the leaders of
our congregation with ideas, offers to
help, and concerns. Anyone is welcome
to attend vestry meetings. Our next
vestry meeting will be Saturday, August
8 at 9 am.
Senior Warden/Treasurer - David Jocelyn
Junior Warden - Tim Vail
Tay Klare, Bill Hazelgrove &
Fred Miller
Wednesday Noon Eucharist
We meet weekly in the chapel at noon
on Wednesday for Holy Eucharist. Join
us for a mid-week spiritual boost!
We will not have a noon service on July 8
(Father Rob will be away) or on July 29
(VBS week).
On the first Wednesday of each month,
our service is held at Rittenhouse Senior
Living in Michigan City at 10 am. We will
meet at Rittenhouse on Wednesday,
July 1.
1 All members of St. Andrew’s are
welcome to join us for worship and connecting with the residents!
Office Hours for Father Rob
My normal office hours are:
Wednesdays from 10 am—4 pm,
and by appointment.
PLEASE feel free to contact me for any
reason on my cell phone: 219-299-6772.
Lay Ministries Schedule
July 5, Proper 9—
9—Altar Color Green
Greeter
Lisa Emshwiller
Music
Fred Miller
Reader
David Jocelyn
Altar Guild
Lu Cox
Tellers
Vail/Miller
July 12, Proper 10—
10—Altar Color Green
Greeter
Bob & Marilyn McKay
Music
Cheryl Ostermeier
Reader
Cheryl Ostermeier
Altar Guild
Carol Hazelgrove
Tellers
Vail/Miller
July 19, Proper 11—
11—Altar Color Green
Greeter
Dick & Tay Klare
Music
Tim Vail
Reader
Sue Vail
Altar Guild
Jocelyn/Ostermeier
Tellers
Vail/Miller
July 26, Proper 12—
12—Altar Color Green
Greeter
Hazelgroves
Music
Sue Vail
Reader
Tay Klare
Altar Guild
Tay Klare
Tellers
Vail/Miller
Happy July Birthday!
July 6 — Tay Klare
July 14 — Fred Miller
July 16 — Sue Zahn
July 16 — Joe Walker
July 17— Riley Emschwiller-Sowards
July 23 — Irene Bonstadt
July 24 — Carol Hazelgrove
July 24 — Midge Wade
July 26 — Mary Fleming
Thank you, Dick & Tay!
Thank to the Klares for hosting the annual parish picnic at their home on
Sunday, June 28. We had a beautiful
day to gather and feast! I can’t wait to
do it again next year!
Summer Adult Inspirations
Schedule
The Adult Inspirations class will take some
time off over the summer, except for a single
session on Sunday, July 12, focusing upon the
issue of vaccinations. We’ll use a recent article from Christianity Today about this debate
regarding immunizations to guide our conversation. Dr. Matthew Loftus, the author of
“Why Christians of All People Should Get Vaccines” contends that receiving immunizations
is a concrete way to care for our neighbors.
Hopefully, this topic will be an interesting
one for us to discuss, especially as it relates to
our faith as Christians.
Adult Inspiration will reconvene in September. Thanks for your support of our Adult
Inspirations program!
Michigan City Wide VBS:
July 27—
27—31
July 27-31 is the date for the Michigan City
Wide Vacation Bible School hosted by St.
John’s UCC and shared by many area
churches. The program will run from 5:45
through 8:15 pm. The greatest need is for
volunteers who can shepherd a small
group of students between the various
learning stations. YOU DON’T NEED TO
TEACH ANYTHING!
Please go to
www.mcvbs.com to register as a volunteer,
asap!
Volunteers are required to participate in
one of two training workshops at St.
John’s. Training workshops are scheduled
for Tuesday, July 14 from 6:15-7:15 pm and
Sunday, July 19 from 4:30--5:30 pm. These
workshops will be essential in helping volunteers get familiar with their role in the
VBS program, as well as the layout of the
facility of St. John’s.
Children who are planning to attend VBS
should be registered at www.mcvbs.com as
well. DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS EVENT!
St. Andrew’s byby-thethe-lake Episcopal Church
P.O. Box 8766
Michigan City, IN 4636146361-8766
Return Service Requested
July 2015