2016 Annual Report of St. Alban's Parish

Rector’s Report for 2016Submitted by the Very Rev. Sara L. Potter

Dear People of St. Alban’s,

Last year as I sat down to write this I had recently returned from a three month family leave to spend time with our foster son baby Michael. Our priest associate, the Rev. Nancy Streufert, had served faithfully in my absence. As a still very new priest she took to the task with great enthusiasm. My first official responsibility as I returned was to preside at a very festive Epiphany celebration, our second as a parish.

On Tuesday, February 2 St. Alban’s hosted a celebration of the Feast of the Presentation (Candlemas) for the deanery. Candlemas is the traditional end of the Christmas season and commemorates the presentation of Mary and Jesus in the temple for the rites of purification 40 days after childbirth. It is there that Mary and Joseph encountered the elderly Simeon and Anna who spoke words of prophecy regarding their infant son. Nancy+ coordinated the worship and Cindy Woods organized the dinner that followed. We were joined by Anne Clarke, the Director of Life Long Formation for the Diocese, as she was completing a several day visit to the deanery.

Our Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday celebration included a performance by the Arcata Interfaith Gospel Choir and the traditional pancake supper. We raised over $500 towards the trip to Haiti. Thank you to Jenni Simpson for organizing this fun and spirited evening.

The following day the Missio Engage Team led us again in distributing Ashes on the Arcata plaza. Our Lenten observance also included Friday Morning Prayer with Zack Curtis and Pam Gossard alternating as the officiants. This was met with such a positive response (even at 7:30 a.m.!) that the practice has continued all year with an additional 5 people sharing the responsibility for leading.

In March we also had our biannual visitation from Bishop Beisner. Highlights of that visit included Hana Padilla’s testimony about a long awaited reunion with her daughter and the blessing of Michele Olsen’s hearing dog, Wes, complete with a demonstration of his abilities.

On Palm Sunday we again used the setting of the Passion narrative by Walter Wangerin, The Cry of the Whole Congregation. The setting

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includes narrators but also soloists, the children’s choir and a dancer as well as increased congregational participation. This year’s offering was even better.

The week after Easter Tim Doty traveled to Haiti to participate in the Haiti Connection Conference, visit a Haitian congregation and learn more about the work of the Episcopal Church in Haiti. For more details see Tim’s report on page 18.

In late April we said goodbye to the Rev. Deacon Fred and Barbara Moore. We sent them off to their new home in Medford, OR with a grand celebration on Sunday, April 24. We commissioned a painting of St. Alban’s by local artist Alan Sanborn as a going away gift. The painting was so beautiful that Cindy Woods undertook having prints made which were purchased by several members of the congregation. Fred and Barbara’s going away coincided with a craft fair and bake sale to raise funds for Chloe Robnett’s trip to South Africa and scholarships for Camp Living Waters. The congregation gave generously in honor of Fred and Barbara and in support our youth.

My letter of agreement specifies I am to take two weeks of continuing education and one week of retreat each year. In April I spent a week at Chapel Rock Camp and Conference Center in Prescott, AZ for CREDO. This is a one week event hosted by the Church Pension Fund for clergy to explore the many facets of well-being—physical, spiritual, mental/emotional, financial and vocational.

At the end of April Anne Clarke traveled again behind the Redwood Curtain to offer a Safe Church training for the deanery. The training was attended by 33 members of the deanery and included Sunday School teachers and Camp staff but also Vestry members and other key congregational leaders.

On Pentecost, May 15, Paul Gossard blessed us with his musical gifts playing both the guitar and banjo during the later service. We bid adieu to our field education student Pam Gossard (and Paul) on Sunday, May 29.

In early July Chloe Robnett traveled to South Africa with other young people from the Diocese of Northern California and the Diocese of North Carolina. This was the second stage of the Lift Every Voice: Freedom Ride that she and Rachel Curtis had participated in 2015. Despite some illness on the trip Chloe had a transforming experience and regaled us with tales of both adorable animals and powerful stories of forgiveness and reconciliation on her return.

Camp Living Waters had another great year. See the report, on page 13.

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The Pathways Pilgrimage in early August was modeled on the experience of Freedom Ride 2015 in North Carolina but addressed issues of reconciliation and justice in our own diocese. Four young people from St. Alban’s (Andrew Curtis, Ian Curtis, Rachel Curtis and Wyatt Wheetley) joined peers from around the Diocese for a week in northeastern California learning about the plight of Japanese Americans at Tule Lake Internment Camp and Captain Jack and the Modoc People in their final standoff with the US Cavalry at what is now Lava Beds National Monument.

In August six members of the congregation traveled to Trinity Cathedral in Sacramento for the ordination of 8 new deacons including Pam Gossard and former field education student Anne Pierson. It was with joy that they each served as deacons with us in worship in early November.

In August St. Alban’s was also host to the monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees of the diocese. My thanks to Cindy Woods for feeding and offering hospitality to the Board members during their day-long meeting. Several of them joined us for worship the next morning.

The Welcoming Church Team and members of the congregation marched in the annual Pride Parade and tabled at the Pride Festival on September 10 at Halvorsen Park in Eureka. November 20 is the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. This year, for the second time, transgender men and women who had been murdered in the previous year were remembered as part of the prayers of the people on Sunday, November 20.

The economic challenges of our remote location continue to be felt. In the late summer and early fall Suza Bowser, Tom Lewis and Patrick Brown each moved out of the area to pursue better opportunities and/or be closer to family.

At the end of September was the court hearing that set in motion adoption with us as the permanent plan for baby Michael. We then began work on an in-depth Home Study. That process has been completed and for now we wait for his case to work its way through the courts. We are not holding our breaths but we are also not anxious. While the adoption is not yet final it appears that Michael is stuck with us. Keep us in your prayers.

In October eight members of the congregation shared a time of retreat at Redwoods Monastery in Whitethorn, CA. Using the story of the Ascension as our starting point we explored the experiences of both God’s presence and seeming absence in our lives. This weekend was the first real rain of the season and at times Noah’s Ark seemed like it would have been the more appropriate biblical text! Despite the rain, those present seemed to delight

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in the discovery of this real treasure in southern Humboldt. I returned the following weekend for some personal retreat.

On my return we began to work in earnest on an Advent Devotional written by and for members of the congregation. Each contributor studied the biblical texts from the lectionary for their assigned day and wrote a short reflection on one scripture of their choosing. The devotional was a huge hit with 21 contributions ranging from poetry to an original cartoon to short prose pieces.

One of my commitments when I came back from sabbatical was just to have some plain ol’ fun together. In early November we had the first ever St. Alban’s Got Talent Show. Acts featured adults and youth alike and ranged from a classic enactment of “Casey at the bat” to an original dance performance and Julie Davy’s famous hula hoop act. I am already planning my act for next year. The funds raised covered the $1,000 cost of repairing the church’s dishwasher. Thank you to Miriam Hohl for the initial suggestion for the Talent Show.

We had another astounding Christmas Pageant this year written by Tim Doty and directed by Connie Webb. At my request Tim wrote an original script that focused on the nativity according to Matthew. We are currently in Year A of the three year lectionary cycle which focuses on Matthew’s gospel. Matthew’s telling of the birth of Christ is usually overlooked in favor of the more familiar narrative according to Luke. Tim provided us with a pageant at times poignant and at times humorous with the accent on the experience of Joseph. The Pageant again featured the talents of both adult and youth members of the congregation and a couple of solos and duets.

Christmas Eve again featured a half an hour of carols and special music before the service of festive Holy Eucharist. I overheard Zack Curtis thanking our organist Susan Twomey for supporting him in preparing the solo he sang that evening. Susan’s response was that Christmas Eve was truly an offering of the whole community the sharing their gifts to create something beautiful—liturgia—the work of the people. May it continue to be so--that we come together to create something beautiful for God and the world.

OutreachBill Strider continues to oversee our Street Meals ministry. Please see his report on page 21. We have for many years cooked for the Arcata Night Shelter and offered our facility to house people as part of the Extreme Weather Shelter during times of extended rain or below freezing temperatures. This year cooks from the congregation provided meals for 12 individuals on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Mondays of each month beginning again in

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June after a brief hiatus from late 2015 and the first half of 2016. We opened our facility to serve as an Extreme Weather Shelter site three times in 2016.

It has been my pleasure to share in the work of the regional community organizing effort True North, especially with the Elders’ Caucus made up of elders’ from the local tribes and leaders in faith communities. It has taken time to discern the concrete steps this group wants to undertake but some important relationships are beginning to emerge between Anglo & Native leaders.

***Rector’s Discretionary FundThis fund is primarily intended to meet the needs of the poor. Traditionally, the loose offering the first Sunday of each month was given to this fund in addition to contributions from individuals. This changed in 2011 when the RDF was supported by contributions from individual members of the congregation alone. In 2016 the RDF was again supported contributions by individual members of the congregation. A total of $1105 was contributed to the RDF in 2016. As of the December 31, 2016, the Rector had disbursed the following:

$460.95 Assistance with Lodging/housing$300 Assistance with food $279.58 Assistance with gas/travel$170 Assistance to parishioners

Senior Warden’s Report for 2016Submitted by Robert L. Webb2016 was the first year in operating with a Vestry that was in transition from nine to seven members per the amended “By-Laws of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church,” Article IV, Section 2 which were approved at the 2016 annual meeting. We began with eight members. The transition was accelerated over the course of the year, and we soon went below seven Vestry members. In April, Barbara Moore moved to Oregon with Fred, and our members were reduced to seven members. In July, George Inotowok chose to take a “sabbatical” from the Vestry and St. Alban’s from which he did not return. Our numbers were reduced to six. Additional impacts occurred due expected long term travel by Michele and Leah. Nevertheless, both participated in our meeting and assumed responsibility for program tasks via telephone conferencing, SKYPE, and e-mail. Additionally, Jenni’s, Robin’s, and Wally’s participation was adversely affected, to varying degrees, by health issues. With fewer members, the loss or reduced participation of any member has a larger impact than with a

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Vestry having more members. It remains for the Vestry to learn to manage these challenges. One approach will be for the Vestry to rely on congregational members to assist in short term projects.

Though the Vestry’s faced unexpected challenges due to fewer members, remote participation, and reduced performance due to health challenges, the Vestry persevered and, amazingly, accomplished a lot this year. We conducted personnel evaluations with our Rector and for each of the staff.

In addition to regular monthly meetings on the third Wednesday of each month, the Vestry met for the following:

February 27th: Vestry Retreat May 14th: Work Day June 15th: Mutual Ministry Review July 16th: Goal Development January 15th: Budget Development

At our goal development meeting, we built a St. Alban’s Financial Action Plan. We developed the goal with objectives, tasks, responsibilities, and a time line. This action plan was centered on developing within the Vestry our ability to meet a major aspect of our reason for being as specified by our Canons and By-Laws. We completed most of the action plan, with but one objective yet to be completed.

The Vestry have worked on another goal having to do with developing leadership at St. Alban’s. Specifically, we have researched the prospect of St. Alban’s participating in a program developed by our Diocese, the College for Congregational Development.

In October, Robin Hodson advised she would complete her Vestry commitment only through January 2017. She resigned from the second year of her appointment.

The Vestry ended the year in deciding not to have a separate nominating committee. All of us acted as nominating committee. Because of term completions, a relocation, resignations, health issues, and family challenges we end the year in search of five, possibly six, new Vestry members. We ask that you continue to pray for your Vestry. Vestry is a ministry to you who are the church of St. Alban’s and a service to our Lord through you.

Special notes of thanks are due to those persons who provided great support for the Vestry. First, Cynthia Woods facilitated our Mutual Ministry Review. Thankyou Cindy!! Second, Elizabeth Finney served as church Clerk this past year. In doing so, she enabled productive involvement of each member of the Vestry. Thankyou Liz!! Finally, a special thanks is due to the designated counters who guided and sometimes endured the Vestry

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members assisting them: Diana Cooper, Shirley Curtis, Becky Price-Hall, Mary Wheetley, and Cindy Woods.

Junior Warden's Report for 2016Submitted by Wally CooperDuring my final year on the Vestry I was given the opportunity to serve as Junior Warden.  This I have done and thankfully St. Alban's is still standing!  It has been an active year for both repairs and improvements to the building and equipment appurtenant to it.  First, the long awaited and debated repair to the deck has been accomplished-staining the deck with a clear, weatherproofing resin still to come.  Barry Smith Construction won the bid and was a pleasure to deal with and accomplished the repair within a window of clear weather during this otherwise inclement period. Other activity over the past year included repair to the dishwasher and two repairs to the stove-all accomplished by Allen's Appliance of Arcata.  Thankfully the repairs were relatively cheap.  We should still see a lot of good life in these two pieces of equipment which are very, very expensive to replace.  Repair was made to the lawnmower and we purchased a leafblower for John to help streamline his yard maintenance duties. Our Senior Warden, Bob Webb, has undertaken to reinforce the railing to the organ loft making it safe for everyone to reach the ethereal heights.  There was replacement of  the venting screens within the foundation of the building to keep rascally varmints from vacationing underneath the building.  I must not forget to acknowledge those in our community who came out for the workday.  We thank you!  A substantial amount of vegetation was removed from the south and west areas of the building and the area near the memorial garden was cleaned up very nicely.  If anyone has any questions or concerns about dollar amounts pertinent to the projects mentioned above please feel free to call me and we can discuss them.  Suffice it to say all were carried out without any deficit creating impact to our budget.  Consider it all well spent to the safety and happiness of our church community.The Peace of Christ to you all.  

Priest Associate’s report for 2016Submitted by The Rev. Nancy S. StreufertIn my second year as a priest, I continued to serve three Episcopal congregations in the Semper Virens deanery at Sunday services: St. Alban’s in Arcata on the first and third Sundays, Christ Church on the fourth

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Sunday, and Saints Martha & Mary in Trinidad (Christ Church’s parochial mission) on the second and fifth Sundays of the month. At St. Alban’s, I continued to support Mother Sara with preaching and celebrating Eucharist at Sunday services and special services like Candlemas and Friday Morning Prayer services. On Ash Wednesday, I joined the Missio-Engage team in “Ashes to Go” on the Arcata Plaza. This year I took on the leadership of the Sunday forum, coordination of Friday Morning Prayer, coordination of the Eucharistic Visitors, and continued with the Health Ministries team.Listening Tour on Faith Formation. Early in the year, Mother Sara and I conducted a “listening tour” on faith formation and discipleship. We wanted to hear about the devotional practices parishioners were engaging in or wished to if they could only find the time and energy. We wanted to know how the current faith formation offerings at St. Alban’s were helping them (or not) grow as Christians. We wanted to hear about what would work better for them both in content and scheduling to enhance their devotional life and be more present to the Holy Spirit to become more faithful Christians. Together, Mother Sara and I have been developing an adult formation ministry based on what we learned from you that we hope will reach more parishioners where they are in their Christian journeys and help them grow in discipleship. Sunday Adult Forum. In April, I took over the leadership of the Sunday forum from Bob Webb, our faithful leader and facilitator over several years. Through March of last year, Bob facilitated through its completion an excellent video/discussion series on “The History of Christian Theology” with Professor Philip Cary of Eastern University. Through the rest of the year, we offered fora on a variety of topics, including an introduction to the Anglican Communion; a multi-week program on Haiti including a presentation from Tim Doty on his mission trip there last spring; a Cathedral Pilgrimage with Emily Arents; presentations from the Pathways Youth on their adventures in South Africa (Chloe Robnett) and northern California (the Curtis children and Wyatt Wheetley); a Skype discussion on the new marriage liturgies with Brian Baker, Dean of Trinity Cathedral; a program on transgender “The ‘T’ in ‘LGBT’” with HSU Professor Loren Cannon; and, last but not least, Bible studies on the Gospel lessons. Thank you, Bob, for your dedication, and I am looking forward to our continued collaboration in helping to raise up disciples among our parishioners! And thank you all who participated the fora and who presented programs on special topics!Daily Office – Morning Prayer. As a Lenten discipline last year, Morning Prayer services were held at the church every Friday in Lent at 7:30 am led by Pam Gossard and Zack Curtis. Mother Sara decided to continue the practice and Friday Morning Prayer is now a regular weekday service followed by discussion over coffee in the kitchen. I schedule the rota for

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officiating among a group of enthusiastic parishioners: Zack Curtis, Casper Earle, Evaonne Hendricks, Bill Strider, Cindy Woods, and myself. Please consider joining us for this meaningful time of worship and fellowship!Eucharistic Visitors. With Deacon Fred Moore’s move to Oregon, I took over the coordination/scheduling of the Eucharistic Visitors, a faithful group of parishioners who take communion to the homebound of our congregation. Thank you for your dedication and service, Emily Arents, Zack Curtis, Julie Davy, Jack Moore, Tina Rousselot, and Cindy Woods!Stations of the Cross. It had long been Mother Sara’s intention to acquire original art representations for the Stations of the Cross and you will soon see the results of our accomplishment! After some interesting challenges and delays (including Hurricane Matthew), St. Alban’s is now the proud owner of a beautiful collection of original metal artwork by Haitian artist Jean Sylvestre made from steel oil drums depicting the Stations of the Cross. The artist fee of $50/panel ($800 total including a $50 “love gift” for the artist) and all shipping/framing/mounting costs for the set of 15 panels were donated by two parishioners (Jan Ramsey and myself). I researched and facilitated the order and purchase through retired chaplain, Sally Bates, of Duke Divinity School in North Carolina. Sally, a regular missioner in Haiti, served as our commissioning agent for the purchase transaction. In gratitude for Sally’s faithful efforts in shepherding our project, St. Alban’s contributed $500 (also covered by the aforementioned gift) to her mission group – the Youth Ministries Work Area of Edenton Street UMC in Raleigh – that Sally toured with when she was in Haiti last fall to pick up our Stations.Christ Church. As an associate priest at Christ Church, I supported the priest-in-charge and interim rector and the worship committee with planning services, preaching, and presiding/assisting at the Eucharist on Sundays and at other special services. I continued to coordinate the volunteers for the “Hunger Ministry Team,” Betty Chinn’s St. Joe’s food ministry and to co-coordinate and participate in the foster family respite events in support of The Forgotten Initiative. I continued to support the music ministries and the pastoral care team at Christ Church.Sts. Martha and Mary. Fr. Doug Thompson and I shared celebrant and preaching on Sundays at the mission until his retirement in September. I am now celebrating Eucharist and preaching every second and fifth Sundays there.Diocese/Deanery. As a clergy member in the Diocese of Northern California, I participated in the Clergy Conference in March at the Bishop’s Ranch, Healdsburg, and the annual diocesan convention in November in Sacramento. I continued my participation in the deanery clergy working group and the deanery clericus social gatherings for clergy, clergy-to-be, and our families. I continued my support to Camp Living Waters by presiding at Eucharist and preaching for one of the daily services at this

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year’s camp in July. I continued my participation in the Eureka Interfaith Fellowship that meets monthly.Education for Ministry. After a six-year hiatus, I initiated and recruited participants from our deanery – including Zack Curtis, Evaonne Hendricks, Sara Potter, and Cindy Woods from St. Alban’s – for a new Education for Ministry (EfM) small group seminar that began in September. I am mentor/facilitator for the group. We meet weekly in the Christ Church chapel (see my EfM report for more details).Continuing Education. My continuing education this year included a symposium featuring Benedictine scholar Esther De Waal and a week-long “Church Musicians Workshop,” both held in June at Nashotah House, my seminary in Wisconsin. I also attended mentor training for EfM in August at Mercy Center in Auburn, and Safe Church training in April at St. Alban’s, led by Anne Clarke, the diocesan Lifelong Christian Formation Coordinator. Priest Associate Discretionary Fund Report: St. Alban’s2016 Beginning Balance: $860.74Distributions: Individual (Education) $100; Jerusalem Fund $1252016 Ending Balance: $595.74

St. Alban’s Angels Ministry Report for 2016Submitted by Cindy WoodsOver the many years at St. Albans’s the Angels Ministry has provided meals for people in our parish during illness, family member death or other events of concern where assistance with meals would be helpful.

The Angel group had a quiet year with their ministry of food purchase, preparing and delivery. Since January of 2016 we delivered food to parish families and/or individual members accounting for five people. With the help of this ministry, families and individuals received food for a total of thirteen meals.

Many thanks to our Angels for answering their phones and emails when a request goes out to the group. Their help has been and will continue to be greatly appreciated by our St. Alban family. Thank you Emily Arents, Wally and Diana Cooper, Nancy Dye-Leer, Jane Foster, Alice Hackett, Aaron Hohl, Carolyn Hunt, Maureen Johannsen, Cathy Larripa, Laura Miller, Betsy Neal, Tina Rousselot, Bill Strider, Shawn Thompson, and Brenda Wood.

Please contact me if you would like to be an Angel volunteer in 2017.Cindy Woods

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Altar Guild Report for 2016Submitted by Brenda WoodAltar Guild prepared & cleaned up for the two, weekly, Sunday communion services; this also included ensuring that fresh flower arrangements were in place on the altar, re-filling all candles with oil, and washing & ironing linens. The Guild also prepared & cleaned up for mid-week services during Advent and Lent, special services during Holy week, and four memorial services during the year. The four memorial services celebrated the lives of Meghan Doty (June 4), Phyllis Broyles (July 7), Dallas and Betty Burgess (July 23) and Lilyan Haigh (December 3).

The Guild was responsible for changing the color of the hangings and vestments as dictated by the season/occasion. And at Christmas and Easter, they dusted, vacuumed, polished brass & silver, and decorated.

The Altar Guild members, who so lovingly performed all these duties, are Evaonne Hendricks, Marlene Hover, Carolyn Hunt, Ann McClary, Michele Olsen, Linda Ruonavaara, Robert Webb, and Brenda Wood. Casper Earle was an active member until June 2016.

A new Paschal Candle was anonymously donated to St. Alban’s in time for Easter services. It replaced a very old wax Paschal Candle. Now, all the candles used during worship services throughout the year are oil candles (altar, torch, candelabra, Advent Wreath, and Paschal).

Many other members of the congregation contributed to the work of the Altar Guild last year:

Thank you, thank you, and thank you!

- To all members of the congregation who made weekly donations for the Sanctuary Candle and/or the Altar Flowers. Your donations kept the candle burning all year and ensured that there were fresh flowers each week (except Lent when we do not have flowers), with extra vases at Christmas and Easter.

- To all those who made donations for poinsettias at Christmas and/or lilies at Easter.

- To Tina Rousselot who organized the art piece hanging in the narthex, ensuring that it coordinated with the seasonal color. Tina also oversaw the preparation of the two beautiful wreaths that hung in the church during the Christmas season.

- To Jane Foster, Kate Lehre, Becky & Stefan Price-Hall, and anyone I may have forgotten (!) who helped polish silver or prepare wreaths for Christmas.

- And last, but not least, to the “Unofficial Junior Altar Guild Members,” Miriam Hohl, Jonah Hohl, Elizabeth Curtis, and Sarah Curtis. Bob trained them, and many Sundays, after the 10:30 a.m. service, they

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helped with clean up duties. Their help was always very much appreciated and their company always enjoyed!

At the beginning of December, I notified Mother Sara that, while I would be happy to continue to serve until the end of May 2017, it is time for me to step down from the directorship role. I have enjoyed serving under Mother Sara for the last six years, and plan to continue as a regular member of Altar Guild.

Serving on Altar Guild is a quiet, meditative way to serve God and our church. If you feel called to this ministry, or have questions, please speak with Mother Sara or any member of the Altar Guild.

Bible Study Report for 2016Submitted by Robert L. WebbAfter three fruitful years of study, in November the Bible study group completed our study of Matthew. Meeting the second and fourth Monday evenings of each month, our methodology has remained as it has been from the beginning. We have no “teacher” as such and we rotate the duty of facilitator among the participants. We use N.T. Wright’s discussion guide, Matthew, which consist of discussion questions, along with some commentary, relating to the text. Some of the participants read commentaries to provide further input, and the discussions are consistently lively, thoughtful, and respectful.

Our goal in these studies has been to wrestle with the text in gaining a better understanding about what Matthew has written. We believe the Spirit of God has been working in our midst, and this has been the occasion for improved understanding, thoughtful introspection, and a call to action.

In November, we began a study of the Luke/Acts gospel. We are following the same format as we did with Matthew but with the addition of watching a 30-minute lecture by Professor Timothy Luke Johnson from the Great Courses Jesus and the Gospels. These are proving to be of great benefit in gaining some educated understanding about what we are reading.

Book Group Report for 2016Submitted by Cathy Larripa St. Alban’s book group is a very casual group that meets once a month and discusses a reading selection over a shared potluck meal. Although our reading selections represent a wide range of genre, they each deal, in one way or another, with spirituality. Among other selections in 2016, we’ve read a memoir by a neurosurgeon, leading one to ponder what makes a life worth living, and an insightful argument by an Episcopal priest presenting a strong case for why the word “sin” should reclaimed as part of

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our vocabulary. We’ve discussed an entomologist’s passionate call for cooperation between religious and scientific communities in an effort to save creation, and a crime novel by a Shamus Award-winning author, replete with themes of community, family and redemption.

The group is currently small enough that we have moved monthly meetings from the Parish Hall to Maureen Johannsen’s home, and are grateful for her warm hospitality. We welcome new members with fresh ideas, and we look forward to 2017’s readings and companionable discussions. We hope that you might consider joining us. (Coming Soon: Gutenberg’s Apprentice, by Alix Christie (February 6) and Just Mercy, A Story of Justice and Redemption, by Bryan Stevenson (March 6).)

Camp Living Waters Report for 2016Submitted by the Very Rev. Sara L. Potter

Camp Living Waters is a weeklong Camp (usually in late July) for youth ages 9-15 hosted by the congregations of the Semper Virens deanery at Cookson Ranch in Humboldt County. Youth ages 16-18 serve as counselors. This is an entirely volunteer ministry on the part of the counselors and adult staff. Clergy and lay leaders from the congregations of the deanery serve as an ad hoc Task Force to develop the program each year, make the necessary preparations and participate in a late summer review of that year’s Camp.

This year the theme for Camp was Reconciliation: Making Peace. The daily schedule includes Eucharist, Bible Study, large group games, swimming in Redwood Creek, free time and Campfire. Other highlights of the week include star gazing, the polar bear swim, the boat race and Camp dance on Friday. And of course, the food is not to be missed. The unofficial motto at camp is, “Come for the food, stay for Jesus.” Speaking of which, thanks to the following members of St. Alban’s served as staff: Cindy Woods, Mary Wheetley, Garrett Purchio, Diana Cooper, Sara Potter, Evaonne Hendricks and Chloe Robnett.

This year we served 25 campers—nine of them brand new to camp. The campers (and often the counselors) include young people for whom this has been a first or primary experience of Christian community. To that end we are seeking ways to better engage those young people with congregations in their home communities.

As about one third to one half of our campers & counselors need a full or partial scholarship, camper fees typically cover just over half the cost of Camp. We are thankful that the funding for Camp Living Waters from the Diocese has been restored to a higher level after a significant drop in the last two years.

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Please visit Camp’s website for online registration next spring at www.camplivingwatershumboldt.org or call St. Alban’s at (707) 822-4102.

Chapel Report for 2016Submitted by Connie WebbOur chapel service which was conducted during the sermon time of the 10:30 service was provided for children ages 4 to 17 each Sunday in 2016. The chapel sermon was usually presented in the form of a flannelgraph story reflecting that day’s gospel reading. It is an orderly lesson engaging the listeners. This past year the number of students ranged from 1 to 8; fewer this year as many have elected to stay in the sanctuary with their parents for the sermon.Respectfully submitted,Connie Webb-teacher

Choir Director’s Report for 2016Submitted by Nanette VossThe choir accomplished a lot this past year.  We grew in numbers, adding to our members some of the younger members of the congregation.  Musically, we have taken on some new challenges and more difficult music.  We have been working on sounding more like a unit as well as improving our overall tone as a group.  

We participated in several services where we provided special music, especially the Tenebrae Service on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas Eve.  Throughout the spring and fall, we sang about once a month.  More recently, individual members of the choir have sung solos or duets, adding some lovely diversity and talent to our performance repertoire.  

Over the coming year, we hope to continue to grow and to improve our musical skills, contributing another level to our usual worship services.

Church School Report for 2016Submitted by Connie Webb

Three Sunday school class were maintained throughout the year: Pre-school through grade 1, grades 2-5, and grades 6-12. Living the Good News for Episcopalians was used for the lesson material. The teachers, Jan Ramsey, Shirley Curtis and Connie Webb, were faithful and two new teachers were recruited: Jessica Harris and Kate Lehre. The children and youth are wonderful to teach and seem to have grown in knowledge and Christian values.

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Respectfully submitted,Connie Webb – superintendent

Craft Group Report for 2016Submitted by Betty Price

The craft group meets the third Monday of each month from 3:00 -5:00 PM, unless notified otherwise.Our group consists of knitters and quilters and we are all talkers so it is a really good ministry for getting to know each other.  Alice makes warm hats for the homeless in enormous numbers and Ann McClary makes dear little newborn hats for Mad River Hospital. Others make personal items. Evaonne has made an amazing crocheted hat and finished a sweater.The group has some quilts ahead right now but we will be gearing up to do some new ones. We have always used donated fabric, (so we do not have a budget) and Evaonne has been incredibly generous with her sister Chris's fabric stash so at this time the craft group has an incredible amount of material to work with. We all comment and choose which colors and patterns to use.  Brenda does most of cutting, Brenda and Betty do the sewing and Ann is the official ironer. We always welcome all new crafters.

Education for Ministry (EfM)From Priest Associate The Rev. Nancy StreufertAs baptized Christians, we are all called to ministry. A wonderful way for followers of Jesus to go deeper into Christian formation and discipleship is through Education for Ministry (EfM), a four-year small group seminar distance certificate program from The University of the South School of Theology (Sewanee, TN). The program is especially designed for lay ministers, but as in my case, EfM can lead to ordained ministry as well! The program culminates with graduation and Holy Eucharist with the Bishop at Trinity Cathedral in Sacramento with others around the diocese (usually in June) and a lovely certificate. The goal of the program, however, is not a piece of paper at the end, but the journey itself through small group formation and the transformation of disciples into more devoted followers of Christ. Each year has 36 sessions over the school year, a commitment of one group meeting a week for a little over 2 hours, and reading assignments (several hours a week). The Old and New Testaments are studied the first and second years respectively; church history the third year; and theology, ethics, and interfaith encounters the fourth. The heart of the program is theological reflection on topics designed to deepen one’s relationship with the living God. Group disciples take turns providing opening/closing worship and snacks for the break time. No tests or papers to write! We also have two Saturday retreats with Eucharist. Meeting day/time and place

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depends on the schedules of group disciples and where they reside in the deanery. The tuition is $340 per year, which includes all materials. Partial scholarships may be available depending on need. For more information, go to the EfM website: http://efm.sewanee.edu/As a graduate of EfM myself (2007), I went on to co-mentor EfM with Emily Arents of St. Alban’s for the last group that graduated six years ago in 2010. Since then, it has been my interest to start up EfM again in Semper Virens deanery, and the timing for Fall 2016 seemed right! Our first year group includes members from both Christ Church and St. Alban’s: Zack Curtis, Paul Gossard, John Hammond, Evaonne Hendricks, Merry Phillips, Sara Potter, Nancy Streufert (Mentor), and Cindy Woods. We meet on Thursday evenings from 6 pm – 8:30 pm in the Chapel of Our Merciful Savior at Christ Church for worship, study, and theological reflection. Next fall I will be recruiting new participants who will begin Year One of the curriculum as this year’s group moves on to Year Two.EfM changed my life, and I am passionate about its potential to transform Christian disciples in a diverse and trusting small group community.

Eucharistic Visitors Report for 2016Submitted by the Rev. Nancy S. Streufert See Report on page 9.

A note ♪ from your organist: Annual Report for 2016 Submitted by Susan TwomeyIt is my privilege to be going into my third year now playing organ and piano in support of St. Alban’s community worship...for Sundays and Holy Days, for funerals and weddings, for various prayer services, and as accompanist for the adult choir in collaboration with Nan Voss Herlihy, choir director.

I also assist in planning with Worship committee members: Mother Sara, Nan Voss Herlihy, Evaonne Hendricks, and others as needed for the season. Thanks to Carolyn Willis who faithfully prepares the bulletins for worship and helps me “get it all together”!

In September the organ was fully tuned by Phil Browning who flies up to this area with his wife Dotty in their little airplane from Turlock to tune the pipe organs at a number of churches in our “neck of the woods” and in Crescent City. He visits St. Alban’s organ once every 2 years to keep it all in good shape! Next visit will be 2018.

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In November Bob Webb took out the old squeaky and problematic handrail going up to the choir loft, and replaced it with a beautifully carved and very sturdy oak wood handrail. Bob’s artistic hand created a work of art which is both beautiful and functional - and it feels so good to touch!

In December Bill Ryder came to tune the church piano and also installed a “damp-chaser” heating element inside the piano that will help keep a constant humidity and as a result keep the piano in better condition and tune.

I am currently working on finding some tasteful window coverings for the choir loft windows to keep the afternoon/evening sun off the wooden organ pipes that bathe in sunlight everyday – when it is shining! I am thinking about something that can fit on an expandable/removable curtain rod and easily be open or closed...something simple with a backing that will prevent sun damage to both curtain and organ pipes.

Thanks to you who worked with me to share your gift of instrumental music in 2016 – most recently during Advent and Christmas! Thanks Nan for playing the piano when I am not there, and to Doug Moorehead who is called in when needed to sub as organist. Thanks to Evaonne Hendricks, Janet Finney-Krull, and Rev. Nancy Streufert for playing flute / thanks to Caitlin Wheetley and Liz Finney for playing violin / thanks to Jack Burger for playing piano... for worship at various times during this past year. Jack also had his “debut” as organist in December when he played the organ for Offertory music the day of the Pageant. He will begin to do a little more of this more often in 2017.

I am grateful to all at St. Alban’s for your continued support and encouragement. Know that I appreciate suggestions and feedback anytime regarding things I could do that you think might add to the beauty and communal prayer of your faith community. (Submitted 4 January 2017)"The most valuable thing the Psalms do for me is to express the same delight in God which made David dance."~ C.S. Lewis

1Haiti Trip Report for 2016 April 3-12, 2016Submitted by Tim DotyMy trip had three primary goals:

1. I was supposed to contact a Haitian artist to commission some art on the fourteen Stations of the Cross. This was a bust. (However, Nancy Streufert later worked with an American contact, the Rev. Sally Bates, to successfully purchase a set of Stations by Haitian artist Jean Silvestre.)

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2. I was to learn more about the Episcopalian work in Haiti. I learned a lot. A main point to remember is the number 1/12 (Jan 12, 2010). It is the same as 9/11 to us but so much more devastating, national, and long lasting in Haiti. We lost about $3,000 and they lost about $320,000. We visited Holy Trinity Cathedral: Haiti Episcopal University, the Diocesan Seminary, St. Vincent’s Center for Handicapped Children, College St. Pierre, the vocational school, and their elementary school. Every one of them have not had their buildings rebuilt.

“Haiti Connection” had about 70 Americans and 50 Haitians in attendance. I learned dozens of ways Americans are partners with Haitian projects. The theme was sustain-ability. The Haitians must be able to continue the projects we support because our support will always vary.

3. Forming an ongoing connection with a “sister Church” church was quite successful. I met with Rev. Pere Amirold Lazaur of the church at Fond de Parisien. I visited his parish and spent two days with him. This connection can be as much as we want it to be but will only bear fruit if we continue it for many years.

Several important notes: The whole conference was run by American volunteers. The Diocese of Haiti has been the recipient of our partnership and, over the years have created a great structure and process to facilitate these partnerships. All of our connections are run through the Diocese so that we give what they feel they need. They also create transparency and accountability in the process.

I now have a greater understanding of how to do mission work in Haiti and plan to go back. I want to further our connection with the Diocese and the parish at Fond de Parisien. I want to visit a medical facility, an agricultural project and the University to find ways to connect with them. I really want to learn more about how the Diocese connects with the larger society in Haiti.

Nursery Report for 2016Submitted by Connie WebbThroughout the 2016 year nursery service was provided every Sunday by our faithful and effective attendant, Layla Richardson. When the need for a substitute was required, Rachel Curtis or Chloe Robnett met that need. Currently we have 3 toddlers attending regularly and expect that number to

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grow to 5 in 2017. The nursery has remained well cared for and fill with many wonderful toys.

Parish Nurse and Health Ministries Annual Report for 2016Submitted by Emily Arents, RNThis busy year of 2016 was little different from most years and yet there were some changes in how we do things. Towards the end of 2015, the Parish Nurse started meeting monthly with the Rector and the Senior Warden, and monthly with the Health Ministry team consisting of the Rector, the Associate Priest, and the Head of the Angels. We now have a full year of doing things this way and more than ever, this truly connects our ministering to the health needs of the parish, greatly improves our communications and keeps us all on track. I’m so very grateful for everyone’s commitment.As always, most of my time is spent visiting and keeping in touch with those experiencing health crises personally or within their families whether in hospital or recovering in SNFs or back at home. Whenever possible, I provide rides to MD appointments or to procedures, or find another parishioner to help. Usually, I spend about 25 hours a month doing this, plus writing 11 health-related articles for the Tidings, taking off a month in the summer when the Tidings does as well.

The project that Health Ministries took on in 2016 was a presentation by the Red Cross on March 12, 2016 to educate 6 of our neighbors along with 5 parishioners in CPR/AED techniques. This was accomplished in great part by the excellent grant writing done by Diana Cooper, raising the money needed to bring the Red Cross in. Diana also worked on advertising and promoting the event at church, in publications and in the neighborhood. Cindy Woods also provided wonderful food to sustain us during the day-long event. All of us were certified for 2 years!

Thank you to all of you for your prayers and kindnesses for one another. You are a beautiful example of a healing community and demonstrate God’s love whenever you help look after one another. I offer special thanks to Mtr. Sara for her encouragement and pastoral wisdom. It’s a privilege to participate in God’s plan for us.

Sanctuary Report for 2016Submitted by Connie WebbWe held nine Sanctuary services once a month at 4 pm Sunday afternoons in 2016; no services were held in June, July or August. In May we evaluated the service and decided that we should continue through 2017 with a few changes. We decided to include a few services that would reach out more directly to the community. There were to be the Blessing of the Animals in

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October, Neighborhood Caroling in December, Ashes on the Plaza in March and the Blessing of the Bicycles in May. Our attendance numbers ranged from 12 to 40 (Blessing of the Animals). We believe this services to be a worthwhile endeavor to reach new people and help new guests to St. Alban’s to begin to connect with one another through meaningful Christian discussions.

Sexton’s Report for 2016Submitted by John Hendricks, SextonCAUTIONS AND ALERTS: Last year we replaced the furnace thermostat in the parish hall. It took a whole year for all the leaders of the several parish-hall groups to figure out the new thermostat controls, and cease disrupting the scheduled heat program. This year the old thermostat in the nave went bad, and the furnace repairman replaced it. The new nave (sanctuary) thermostat controls work differently than all the previous thermostats. It can be programmed separately for Saturday and Sunday, but Monday-Friday programs can only be set up as a block of five days. Only if you set up the same program for all the weekdays can you set a program temperature for a weekday

During the week of January 9-13th, Carolyn Willis is typing up clear instructions for the furnace in the sanctuary and nave. For events that only occur once a year or month, we need to employ the “hold” button, but the hold buttons on the two new thermostats work completely differently, so read the posted instructions carefully when you set up these irregular event heatings. Watch the LCD display. If you don’t follow the instructions carefully, then the weekly programmed heating events will fail to initiate (e. g. Heat early Sunday morning).

Some stranger stole church water to wash their car. When Connie Webb caught him the act, she invited him to church. Robin Hodson donated one of the two faucet locks we need, but its brand of barrel key cannot be duplicated through normal locksmiths. We hope to remedy the situation when budget and hours allow. If you need to run the locked outside faucet, ask the office staff or Sexton for the office faucet key.

After a long respite, the Brazilian ants are back in mass. Please be particularly careful in cleaning up sugar and sweets, and if you bring an animal into the church be wary of ant poison bait in places like behind the stove.

PROJECT UPDATE: The superior technology of new LED lights had the potential to reduce our PG&E bills. Introductory sales have encouraged us to start the switchover to LED lighting. Budget restraints, and labor restraints, necessitate that we switch over gradually. As ballasts of old

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fluorescent bulbs fail, we will replace old fixtures. So far we have converted six fluorescent light fixtures.

The old rickety safety railing on the back (south) causeway was replaced. Our recycle project to help Michelle Bucher with her medical insurance is going well. Steve picks up the old recycle material at or a bit after the end of the month. If all the three containers are full, then please leave them in plastic bags, next to the three containers.

An anonymous parish member has greatly improved the safety railing up to the choir loft. We still hope to fix the second railing as God wills.

Street Meals Annual Report for 2016Prepared by Bill Strider, Street Meals CoordinatorOur program continued to flourish in 2016. There was a shock in late spring when the Food For People food pantry shut down their Saturday distribution at the Campbell Connexion Church of the Nazarene. The Food For People management team determined that one weekly distribution in Arcata was sufficient to take care of people’s needs. The effect on our program was that we consolidated as well, combining our Wednesday and Friday crews into one large Wednesday crew which continued to make over a hundred lunches a week all at one crack. It turned out to be a more efficient use of time and space for both Food For People and ourselves.

We continued the Wednesday distribution at the Trinity Baptist Church and added hot coffee to the mix, an idea that germinated in the brain, or rather the heart, of Cindy Woods. Alice Hackett continued to turn out her ever-popular hats at a prodigious pace that always seemed to keep a step ahead of the need. A regular attendee at the Wednesday distribution, after remarking how one of Alice’s hats kept his head blissfully warm at night, suggested making a card for her; so we got a big piece of posterboard, had our Sunday school kids illustrate it, and gathered somewhere between fifty and a hundred signatures over a period of about a month from grateful recipients of Alice’s hats.

Regulars on our lunch prep crew included old timers Alice Hackett, Marlene and Beth Hover, John and Evaonne Hendricks, Kroy Rubin (John and Evaonne’s housemate) and myself. New to Arcata, Sally Moore replaced her sister-in-law, Barbara Moore, who moved to Oregon. Betty Price and Carroll Baker stepped down and were replaced by Fanny Erickson, a St. Alban’s neighbor, and Tanya Pettit (my housemate). The “bullpen” consists of Tanya’s daughter, Taylor, and Leah Lu, both of whom are on call when a regular is sick, out of town, or otherwise engaged. Nancy Dye-Leer shifted her focus from lunch prep to picking up the goods at St. Alban’s, taking them to Trinity Baptist, setting up and overseeing the operation until being relieved part way through the shift.

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The Street Meals ministry continues to welcome budgetary support from St. Alban’s but does not depend on it due to the support of an anonymous donor.

Treasurer’s Report for 2016Submitted by Dan ScofieldThe budget for 2017 includes a summary of the operating funds for 2016. Please refer to the other side of this report to this summary and budget. In 2016, we anticipated a deficit of slightly more than $2,500. By looking at our actual income and expenses for 2016, you can see that we came pretty close to this prediction. We had a significant increase to our pledges for 2017. This increase allows us to meet our obligations, keep the building in good shape, and save money for the future. We anticipate a balanced budget for 2017.

Accounts as of December 31, 2016

Account Name Type Balance

General Fund Checking $12,385.53General Savings Savings $31,250.46Memorial Savings Savings $3,155.67Temporarily Restricted Funds Savings $7,584.72Endowment Fund Endowment $40,847.78

Fund Balances Held in Temporarily Restricted Funds:Fund BalanceSabbatical Savings 4,139.62ECS Grant 1,500.00Sanctuary 1,000.00Stations of the Cross 857.83Capital Savings 55.00Interest 32.27

Total $7,584.72

With special collections and designated offerings during 2016, St. Alban’s parishioners also gave more than $9,000 to help organizations outside the church. These causes included Haiti Support, the Pathways Youth

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Pilgrimage, Camp Living Waters, Street Meals, Food for the Poor, the Bishop’s Discretionary Fund, Arcata House Partnership and Episcopal Community Services.

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