|
Who Worship
Who. Not Whom. As in, “who will worship?”, rather than, “whom will we worship?” Whom is in the Objective Case, making it the object of the action seen in the verb. Who is in the Nominative Case, making it the subject committing the action seen in the verb. The verb is worship. The object of worship is God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Those committing the action of worship, those who worship, the worshippers – that’s us. The question, then, less existential than pragmatic, is: Who are We? On the one hand, this seems pretty simple. We know who we are. We are the people of St. Andrew’s: the few, the proud, the Episcopalians. We are the people who sit next to you every other Sunday (see last month’s article). We are the people who are here, the “members”, the ones whose names are in the Church Directory. On the other hand, it’s not simple at all. Now, stay with me on this. If “we” (the Church, the Body of Christ) are only “who we are” (those of us who make up St. Andrew’s) then “who we are” (St. Andrew’s) can never truly be “we” (the Church). Got it? If who we are is only the group of people who are already here, then we are not and can not be the Church. You see the Church, by its very definition, can never be static. We must be dynamic – moving and growing and changing – to be the Body of Christ. The only bodies which do not move and grow and change are dead ones. You see, Jesus didn’t come for some us; Jesus came for all of us. And unless and until we are about the business of making the some of us into the all of us, we are missing the point. So while the Church is the community of the faithful, a family, as we like to call ourselves, who knows and cares for and loves one another, that cannot be all we are, or we can not legitimately consider ourselves the Church. Those of us who have already found our place in the pew must not guard our seat jealously. We cannot say, “I have my spot, there’s no room for you.” We must not say, “I’m in. You’re on your own.” We have to scootch over to make room for someone else. The church is not Matador Stadium, with nine thousand seats. The Church is not the AT&T Center, with room for eighteen thousand. The Church is not even the Alamo Dome, which holds sixty-five plus. The Church is always one seat larger than it is right now. Soooo…. Who is going to sit in that seat? How will they know the seat is open and available, saved and waiting for them? When will they come? Who will bring them? Why, you will. On May 27th. At 10:30 am. Oh, you thought I was being rhetorical? At Diocesan Council, Bishop Lillibridge called the congregations to have two guest Sundays this year. Our first one is Sunday, May 27th. Not coincidentally, this is Pentecost (what better day in the church year to bring guests?), and the day that Bishop Lillibridge will be with us. We are calling it Surf’s Up Sunday because we’re inviting people to join us for an old fashioned beach blanket picnic here on the parish grounds. You can read more about it in this issue of The Call. And you will hear much more about it in the coming weeks. The key to Surf’s Up Sunday, however, is you. The Bishop and I are counting on you to bring someone with you to worship that day (someone not active in another congregation). I give you my solemn word it will be worth their while. I will guarantee they will have fun at church that day. Guarantee! We will even help you invite them. But that’s as far as we can go. Only you and God can do the rest. The seat is empty, ready, waiting. Let’s bring people to fill it. ~Father Jay
Speak Up Child abuse had always sort of been akin to world hunger to me. It would be filed away with the other sad statistics…along with how many people are murdered in Washington, D.C. or die of the flu each year. Those things collectively fall between the cracks of my mind into the category: “Too horrible to imagine. Too overwhelmingly insurmountable to even think about.” Sure child abuse is terrible, but to say I want to do something about it—that I can’t stand by and do nothing for one more second…would sound as phony in my own ears as a beauty pageant contestant talking about her dream of world peace. That was before I witnessed child abuse. One evening. In Seguin. One little girl. It’s been more than a year ago now, and I can still see her, still hear her mother’s hateful voice, and my heart still hurts that I couldn’t help her—that she had to be treated with such cruelty by someone she had no choice but to depend on. I still pray for her. I still look for her. If I could just do something... Anything. Every single day, children are betrayed by the people who are supposed to be taking care of them. To hear those children’s stories, to see their faces, to even for one second imagine what they go through every day…is heart-shattering. So here goes: I want to do something about child abuse. I can’t stand by for one more second and do nothing. But doing something about it will require me to travel far outside of my comfort zone. Yet somehow, my comfort seems trivial compared to the dream of comfort, the dream of a peaceful night’s sleep, the dream of serenity away from fear and shame for the children who endure the unthinkable. There are several actions God has put on my heart to take, and one of them involves you. On November 3rd and 4th, I am going to join the Walk to Action, benefiting Prevent Child Abuse Texas. This will entail walking 60,000 steps—35 miles—in the course of two days. One of the reasons I believe in Prevent Child Abuse Texas is that it is an organization that takes steps to prevent child abuse from happening in the first place, by training the people who work with children to watch for early warning signs, by supporting parents who need help, by monitoring legislation that works to protect the children of Texas. It is the only organization of its kind in this state. I am asking for your prayers—for me, for the amazing things that God will accomplish through this event, for the people who work every day to protect children, and most of all, for the children themselves. (I am also raising money for the event to help PCAT do its work. If, after prayerful consideration, you would like to make a donation on my behalf, please see the “Among Our Family” section at the end of this newsletter.) I hope that one day, organizations like Prevent Child Abuse Texas will be unnecessary...that not one single child will ever have to endure abuse or neglect again. Some would say that’s too much to hope for. But I don’t think we should put limitations on hope. Hope moves us to action…and takes us at least one step further down the right road. And if one little boy or girl is saved from a life of pain, if one single life is spared…then 35 miles is nothing. Nothing. ~Tracy Aubin, Editor “Speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.” (Proverbs 30:8)
May 27th- Surf’s Up Sunday! Surf’s Up What?!? Yes, I said Surf’s Up Sunday! So get ready to Wipe Out!!! We have a huge day ahead of us. Not only are we going to wear our beach clothes to the 10:30 service, we’re also going to have a huge guest event and picnic right here at St. Andrew’s. Oh, and did I mention Bishop Lillibridge will be here?!!!! He’s going to wear Bermuda shorts under his robe! I think both he and Jay are on the dunking booth list too! This is going to be a fun event so be prepared to invite all your friends and family. Youth Island will feature a dunking booth, slip & slide, horseshoes, pool and ping pong. While Kid’s Kove will have moon bounces, wading pools and sandboxes. There will be a limbo contest, music, games and hamburgers and hot dogs with the fixin’s. Adults, prepare to lounge around and play some of your favorite games like cribbage, dominoes and bridge. There will be something for everyone. And the person who brings the most guests wins a secret surprise! Look for more information to come in the Life of the Church. Oh yeah, I also heard we may get a visit from Annette & Frankie! ~Leslie Herzog, Programs
Youth Corner Acolyte Festival in Kerrville, Texas Calling all St. Andrew’s Acolytes!! We are planning to take our acolyte team to this festival if I can find some help. Please register online at the Bishop Jones Center ASAP by going to the website: http://www.episcopal-dwtx.org/ Click on “ Acolyte Festival”. Once you’ve registered, let me know, so I can get an accurate count and set up transportation. We will leave the Church @ 8:00A.M. Saturday May 5th for this one day event with the Bishop. Acolyte Sponsors, let me know if you can help transport our group and spend the day with the youth, as I will be at the Men’s Retreat with Fr. Jay. ~Clark Niles, Youth St. Andrew’s/St. Mark’s Senior High Mission Trip When: Saturday July 7th – Saturday July 14th Where: New York, New York Lodging: St. Matthew’s & St. Timothy’s Episcopal (212)724-0360, 84th & Central Park West. (Upper west side) Transportation: Air travel. Contact: Carla at St. Matthew’s (Clark’s cell # (210)844-4834) Cost: $650.00 (with car wash in June we hope to cut that to $350.00) Activities: Light construction, soup kitchen, daycare for underprivileged kids, work with Head Start for kids, and The Seamen’s Church Institute. We will also do plenty of sightseeing. Deposit due April 25th: $40.00 (Call Clark if you need help with deposit.) Things to bring: Bed roll & pillow, towels, work cloths, clothes sightseeing and going to the theater; work gloves, snacks, and Bible. More details to come!
“Keep It Real” Special Program: Parents invited to join us Wednesday, May 9th Our own Randy Herzog& Larry Tayl, a Hays County Task Force Officer, will present a program about the problems that face our teens with alcohol and drugs. Parents are encouraged to attend. We’ll have a special meeting time: 6:30- 8:15 p.m.. Come join us in the Youth Building.
Among Our Family Welcome! There are some new faces at St. Andrew’s—be sure to look out for our newcomers and welcome them to our family. A few of the latest newcomers are: Ruth and Ray Burgess: Ray and Ruth come to us from St. Peter’s in Rockport. Ruth is just recovering from knee surgery. She and Ray are faithful attendants of the 10:30 service. Look for them on the Gospel side of the church. They’ve just welcomed their son, Dr. Bill Ricks, back from Iraq. Praise God! -Trey and Terry Herring: We’re so glad have this couple with us, who recently welcomed a little newcomer of their own: their first child, Brooke Elizabeth! Congrats to Trey and Terry! We got acquainted with them through the Alpha Course. They will be received at Bishop Lillibridge’s visit in May. -Betty and Jim Anderson: Betty and Jim come to Texas from Alabama. They transferred in from the Church of the Resurrection, San Antonio. Betty and Jim are avid motorcyclists! Glad you two are here! -Mildred Toness recently transferred to St. Andrew’s from St. Francis, San Antonio. Mildred moved to Seguin to be with her daughter, Sue McInnis, who is already part of our parish family. Mildred is already settling into our weekly Bible Study. Be sure to welcome her! -Walk to Action: Tracy Aubin, as a participant in the Walk to Action, has made it her goal to raise $1,800 to help Prevent Child Abuse Texas continue to do it’s work. If you would like to make a contribution on Tracy’s behalf, go to the website: www.firstgiving.com/tracyd, or give Tracy a call at 830-386-0172. Thank you!! -If you, as a member of St. Andrew’s, are participating in an upcoming charitable event and would like your parish family know about it, send the details to Tracy at tracydonaub@aol.com. We’d also love to hear about your travels, other churches you’ve visited recently, news about your family, and what’s happening with you!
Thought for the Month: “I believe in the sun even when it is not shining, I believe in love even when not feeling it, I believe in God, even when he is silent. ~Anonymous
Hey St. Andrew’s!! Don’t forget: Surf’s Up on May 27th! Bring a friend!
|
