Independence and White Noise
My first day as Priest-in-Charge at St. Bede’s was 1 July 2014. That made Independence Day
weekend the first time we gathered at the High Altar of this parish church. It was an interesting start. It
is a unique experience to jump into the flow of parochial life without any prior knowledge of relational
dynamics, uncertain of available resources and a sense of urgency (supplied by various sources)
regarding the future direction of the St. Bede’s parish community.
Dynamics shift quickly. If one is “tucked in” to the working of the Holy Spirit, shift can be almost
instantaneous. It begs the first important point: Life without intentional, ongoing and sincere prayer will
secularize and distort the mission and ministry of a congregation. There is no doubt that St. Bede’s is
a place where such prayer happens.
There is a cautionary tone in what I just said. Where is prayer coming from? Is it generated out of
personal will; or is it being allowed to emerge, so that a deep Truth becomes apparent? This deep
truth often presents a bigger picture…one that can be embraced by the larger community (even if it is
uncomfortable in the early stages).
This begs the second important point: The Truth will set you free. While freedom is often seen as
being able to do what one wants, actual freedom is a state of being (rather than doing).
As I began to experience freedom as a way of being more complete, I found that what emerged in my
consciousness from the place of True Self (the part of each of us created in God’s Image) was an easy
“yoke.” This sounds convoluted, but it is actually straight forward. Jesus told us that his “yoke is easy
and the burden is light.” Paul spoke of being a “bond slave for Christ Jesus.” Yokes? Bond slaves?
The things that emerge, in my experience, may seem hard….or even well nigh impossible. BUT, when
I set to them, I experience a kind of freedom that is energizing and dynamic. I still have to do the daily
tasks to make what has emerged an external reality, but the words, actions and resources seem to
assemble themselves in ways not considered possible, as I contemplated them prior to the experience
of Grace.
True freedom can be costly. Speaking one’s Truth…if done in love and integrity brings a kind of
peace…even if the external environment is seemingly hostile. If I am experiencing fear, anger, deep
anxiety or other mental/emotional pain, it is quite possible that I am working out of the willful or
controlled desires of my mind. Sometimes, the political and ideological elements of life (largely
conjured from a desire to engage personal power or create our own definitions of reality), are confused
as our Truth. This, for instance, was what was behind the desire of Israel to have a human king in
place of trusting Yahweh.
This brings forth the third, and final point: If we become complacent, we may well be living with “white
Episcopal Church of St. Bede
...continued from page one
noise” rather than the more relevant reality. This is a tough one…and it is probably the hardest truth to
speak. Look around. Look around at St. Bede’s…the buildings, the grounds, the Sanctuary, the Holy
Vessels, the way community gathers, our conversations and conduct….all of it. Look around and listen.
Listen and look…NOT with the usual senses employed as we come and go from this place. Listen and
look with fresh ears and eyes. How do things REALLY look? What are we REALLY saying to one
another? Are we simply passing through, or do we REALLY see what the Holy Spirit is trying to
accomplish among us? Are we caught up in our own, individual agenda; or do we REALLY hear the
voice of Christ’s Love in what is spoken and shared…from ourselves and others?
What I see and hear at St. Bede’s may be very different than what the congregation sees and hears. I
come from a fair distance three times a week. I have an opportunity to have “distance perspective.” Not
being the Rector, I have the advantage of looking with eyes that are not narrowly focused; and listening
with ears that are fresh each time I come on campus. In other words, I am not “enmeshed” in the
intricacies of daily life…and this is a good thing for all of us.
I experience a fair amount of “white noise” in my moving among our congregation. It could be a way of
avoiding what might otherwise be obvious or discomfiting. I won’t point to what is obvious from the
outside…only to say that is creates a statement of identity and speaks to the depth of spiritual health. I
will say that, if one really listens to the flow of conversation or the way the community comes together for
worship, or how we gather in fellowship, you might get some ideas of where the focus and intention
really lives among us.
Holy Time. Holy Space. Holy People. If we set an intention that comes from the inner space of Truth,
and that gets shared, the True St. Bede’s might emerge. Time is certainly more of the essence in
grasping this; and I am here to help and guide as the Holy Spirit
Birthdays
continues to weave and shape us.
Love and Blessings!
Helen Bohman
Jul 4
Fr. Fred+
Elaine Tyler
Jul 5
Jon Peterson
Jul 9
Fr. Ray Kress proudly shows off his big catch during his trip to South Carolina.
July 2015
Pat Jaquith
Jul 13
Vickie Ashmead
Jul 16
Joyce Stein
Jul 16
Clayton Painter
Jul 23
Waveney Ann Moore
Jul 24
Caroline Bosbyshell
Jul 24
Nancy Morgan
Jul 24
Jeannette McCullough
Jul 29
May Mungen
Aug 1
Chad Arbeen
Aug 8
Jean Baylies
Aug 25
Chris Ateek
Sep 3
Lorraine Painter
Sep 9
George Morgan
Sep 25
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Episcopal Church of St. Bede
Junior Warden’s Report
The big news, of course, is the air conditioning of the
church. In the interest of transparency, I'll explain what's
been done to this point.
We cool the church with two 15-ton units and the one on
the south side, just behind the choir area, has gone kaput.
An initial service call in late May from Acme determined
that the unit was old (installed in 1997) and too rusted to
repair. The technician said we could put thousands of
dollars into attempting to repair it but there was no
guarantee on how long it would last. Thus, they were
recommending it be replaced. He determined it was
running hot and thus not cooling as it should. He said that
if we ran a sprinkler on it that it might buy us a little time.
It did -- for a couple of weeks. Then on Sunday, June 14th, it
started tripping the breaker and going out completely.
That week, we had an electrician come out and check the
breaker. He determined the short was in the unit. So
Friday, June 19th, Acme came back out and determined two
of the three compressors were bad and the one that was
still good kept tripping the breaker within a minute of
getting it up and running again. Acme is coming up with an
estimate, but says it's taking longer than normal because
the ductwork makes it a more complicated job. We got one
other estimate the week of June 21 from Richard Dahm
Mechanical Inc. and hoping the week of June 28th to get
another. We need three estimates. Once those are in
hand, I will meet with Joel and Sandy to determine where
we go from here.
In the meantime, we had a pleasant service in the parish
hall June 28th and will be there again for at least one more
week and maybe more. Thank you good people for your
patience as we work to get this problem resolved.
Respectfully submitted,
Steve Morse
July 2015
St. Anne’s Guild
St Anne's guild is meeting every month in
each other's homes and having a sewing bee.
As our project for this year, we are in the process of making pillow cases for children who
have suffered trauma. Our August meeting is
at Sandye Lightfoot's house on Wednesday,
August 5th at 1:00pm.
Since May 25, 2014 (St. Bede’s Day), we
have collected $42,293 of our goal of
$50,000 to “raise the roof.” This includes
generous donations from church members,
and from outside donors, as well as
fundraising events. This also includes
pledges totaling $3,840 from nine
members this year, of which we have
received $1,737 thus far, leaving $2,130 on
the way.
We still need $5,577 to meet
our goal. Please contact Don
Walker
for
further
information.
3
Episcopal Church of St. Bede
Schedule of Events
July 6
2:00 Outreach Committee meeting
July 7
2:00 Formation Commission meeting
July 9
6:30—8:30 Talent Show Tryouts
July 14
2:00 Pastoral Care Committee meeting
July 26
12:00 Covered Dish Lunch
July 28
2:00 Formation Commission meeting
August 15
9:00 — 3:00 Stewardship Training Workshop @ DaySpring
August 15
6:30—9:00 Community Talent Show
August 23
12:00 Covered Dish Lunch
September 5
10:00 ECW meeting
September 12
Vestry Workshop
September 19
10:00—2:00 Fresh Start @ DaySpring
Financial Report
January 1 to June 30
Jan - Jun 15
Budgeted
Annual Budget
Income
41000 · REGULAR INCOME
43000 · DESIGNATED INCOME
45000 · ROOF INCOME
Total Income
54,755.65
1,108.00
13,051.00
68,914.65
56,614.00
3,593.00
123,918.00
6,747.00
60,207.00
130,665.00
Expense
61000 · PERSONNEL
17,462.48
19,015.00
43,020.00
62000 · BUILDINGS &
63000 · OUTREACH
64000 · WORSHIP
65000 · OFFICE
66000 · OTHER EXPENSES
67000 · RESERVE
Total Expense
23,300.04
1,431.34
2,645.55
711.93
7,173.67
0.00
52,725.01
21,737.00
1,060.00
2,245.00
1,950.00
8,718.00
3,386.00
58,111.00
49,121.00
2,800.00
4,640.00
3,600.00
17,685.00
7,283.00
128,149.00
16,189.64
2,096.00
2,516.00
Net Income
July 2015
4
Episcopal Church of St. Bede
Formation Commission
The following meetings are scheduled:
Christian Education Commission
July 7th, 2015 @ 2:00 PM in the Library (Includes walk-through of potential classrooms).
July 28th 2015 @ 2:00 PM in the Library
Pastoral Care Commission
July 14th, 2015 @ 2:00 PM in the Library with Guest Speaker, Carole McLeod.
Carole will be sharing ideas for helpful conversation when visiting parishioners, family, and neighbors in the hospital, nursing homes, funeral homes and shut-ins at home. The meeting is open to
anyone interested in the topic. Feel free to join us.
Lessons from the Geese
As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an "uplift"
for the birds that follow. By flying in a "V" formation,
the whole flock adds 71% greater range than if each
bird flew alone.
sharing leadership. As with geese, people are
interdependent on each other's skills, capabilities
and unique arrangements of gifts, talents or resources.
People who share a common direction and sense
of community can get where they are going
quicker and easier because they are traveling on
the thrust of one another.
The geese flying in formation honk to encourage
those up front to keep up their speed.
When a goose falls out of formation,
it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly
moves back into formation to take
advantage of the lifting power of the
bird immediately in front of it.
We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much
greater. The power of encouragement
(to stand by one's heart or core values
and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.
If we have as much sense as geese, we stay in
formation with those headed where we want to
go. We are willing to accept their help and give
help to others.
When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two
geese drop out of formation and follow it down to
help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is
able to fly again. Then they launch out with another
formation or catch up with the flock.
When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the
formation, and another goose flies to the point position.
If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand
by each other in difficult times as well as when we
are strong.
It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and
Submitted by Cathy Giesey
July 2015
5
Episcopal Church of St. Bede
Drainage Plan
A drainage remediation plan was prepared by our engineer, Gary Boucher, as a contribution to St. Bede’s.
The plan calls for taking advantage of the existing drainage system by re-grading the areas just north and
east of the sanctuary. The re-grading of those areas requires the removal and replacement of the sidewalks
in that area, as well as the patio. Obviously, addressing our drainage problems will give us an opportunity to
make the concrete work around the sanctuary safer, more attractive, and easier to maintain.
Submitted by Joel Giles
Episcopal Church Elects First Black Presiding Bishop
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Episcopal Church elected its first African-American presiding bishop,
choosing Bishop Michael Curry of North Carolina
during the denomination's national assembly Saturday.
woman to lead an Anglican national church. The
Episcopal Church is the U.S. body of the Anglican
Communion, an 80-million member worldwide
fellowship of churches with roots in the Church of
England.
Curry was elected by a landslide in a vote at the
Episcopal General Convention, the top legislative
body of the church. Curry earned 121 of 174 votes
from bishops on the first ballot. The other three
candidates had 21 votes each or less. The decision
was affirmed on an 800-12 vote
by the House of Deputies, the
voting body of clergy and lay participants at the meeting.
At a news conference, Curry said his selection as
the first black leader of the denomination was "a
sign of our church growing more deeply in the
spirit of God and in the movement of God's spirit
in our world." He will be installed Nov. 1 in a service at the Washington National Cathedral, the
day Jefferts Schori completes her nine-year term.
Curry's election is the second
consecutive historic choice for
the New York-based church of
nearly 1.9 million members. He will succeed Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who was
the first female presiding bishop and the first
"We've got a society where there are challenges
before us. We know that. And there are crises all
around us. And the church has challenges before
us," Curry told the assembly, when he was introduced as presiding bishop-elect. "We are part of
the Jesus movement, and nothing can stop the
movement of God's love in this world."
Adapted from Associated Press, June 27, 2015
A
friend was in front of me coming out of church one day, and the preacher was standing at the door as he always is to shake
hands. He grabbed my friend by the hand and pulled him aside. The Pastor said to him, "You need to join the Army of the Lord!"
My friend replied, "I'm already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor." Pastor questioned, "How come I don't see you except at Christmas and Easter?" My friend whispered back, "I'm in the secret service."
July 2015
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Episcopal Church of St. Bede
Bangor Episcopal Church is a steady presence in Lancaster history.
By JEN KOPF | Staff Writer
The most moving religious structures give a sense of the people who have
gone before — their worship, their lives, their livelihoods, the ties between the materials that were used, the designs that influenced workmen, and the places where those materials were found.
Bangor Episcopal Church stands as an example of all of these attributes —
appropriately enough, in Churchtown.
The village itself numbered fewer than 500 residents in the 2010 U.S.
Census, but the church itself plays a key role in the history of Lancaster
County’s northeastern corner. It may be the first — and it’s certainly one
of the oldest — inland Episcopal churches in the country.
Welsh immigrants who came to work in the area’s iron industry founded Bangor Episcopal in 1722, naming it
for Bangor Cathedral in Caernarvonshire, Wales. The original log church was constructed in 1734 and replaced by a stone structure in 1756. The current building dates to 1830, and its ornate belfry was added
about half a century later.
What style is this church? It’s Gothic Revival, reflecting a style popular in 1830s Europe. You can identify it
by its tall, narrow windows and steeply pitched gables
What role did this church play in the Revolutionary War? It
was one of three Anglican churches in Colonial-era Lancaster
County. The Rev. Thomas Barton of St. James Church in Lancaster city was rector of all three until 1776. He would not
swear allegiance to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and
left Lancaster in 1778. All three churches then closed for the
remainder of the war.
What are the carvings on the exterior stone walls? Many indicate the names or initials of donors to the 1756 building fund,
and the stones were reused when the present church was
built. Other inscribed stones are more recent in origin.
How is this church tied to Churchtown history? It originally owned the land that now is the town — originally, the area was known as Bangor Church-town. Today, it sits at 2099 Main St., Narvon.
If you have any comments, ideas, or suggestions for
the newsletter, please contact Alex at 823-7649.
This article appeared in the Lancaster Newspaper on April 16.
Submitted by George and Nancy Morgan
If you need to update your email address or add it to
our mailing list, or do not wish to receive the
newsletter by email, please send your request to
[email protected].
July 2015
7
Episcopal Church of St. Bede
Ideas: St. Bede Library Focuses on Anglican Legacy
ST. PETERSBURG - Ask Helen Bohman and
she’ll tell you she isn’t a librarian. She likes finding books but not lending them out. She’s too
much of a mother hen.
“There are two
types of librarians, one who
likes to collect
books and give
them out. The
other
thinks
the
books
should
be
chained,” she
laughed.
The former St.
Petersburg
College English professor
loves
books
and that love
has led her to help establish one of the best libraries in the Southwest Diocese, at St. Bede’s Episcopal Church in St. Petersburg.
The library, started in the 1950s shortly after the
church was formed, has grown from a collection
of devotional and Sunday School material donated
by parishioners to a solid research library.
Highly regarded volumes like the Anchor Bible
Dictionary and commentaries on the individual
books of the Bible line the shelves of the one-room
library.
"This is going to be an Anglican library,” she said
with a determined tone. “I want to make sure the
bones are good and then I’ll begin to move in the
essential furniture.”
Ironically, her love for book collecting started
when she was in sixth grade and was sent to the
school library as punishment.
“I pulled a three-volume series on Scotland out
and saw a picture of Sir Walter Scott’s library,”
Bohman said. “I decided I wanted one just like it
July 2015
so I skipped lunch and saved that and my trolley
fare and bought books.”
After a Tuesday spent in the library, the 86-yearold cradle Episcopalian goes home to her personal
library which she had built years ago as a 40-foot
addition with a spiral staircase and 8-foot high
stacks housing thousands of volumes.
Bohman took over St. Bede’s library after her sister, Caroline Whitman Everett, the former librarian, died in 2005. Former rector The Rev. Boyd
Carson, knowing Bohman’s passion for books, immediately began hinting that she should continue
in her sister’s footsteps.
“He nagged at me for two years before I gave in,”
she said. She started by weeding out less important material to make room for serious Christian theologians like C.S. Lewis and Frederick
Buechner.
“If I don’t like something, it develops feet,” said
Bohman with a twinkle in her eye and a characteristic chuckle. “Everything I put in are the classics.”
The result, according to Priest-in-Charge Frederick
Mann, is “one of the most comprehensive church
libraries I’ve seen except for a cathedral library.”
Mann, who is the former dean of St. James Cathedral, South Bend, IN and once had a 900-volume
personal library of his own, thinks St. Bede’s library is unusual given the size of the church and
its resources.
“Most church libraries have books on a variety of
subjects, but this is more of a research library,” he
said. “It would be a great resource for someone
doing a project and needing Biblical research.”
Bohman is still cataloguing and her wit is often
reflected in the process. “When I got to the section
on saints I marked it BS for biographies of saints,”
she said with a smile. “Nobody has ever said a
word.”
By Jennifer Rich, St. Bede's (adapted from http://
www.dioswfl.org/dfc/newsdetail_2/3172428 June 9,
8