scroll dec 2013, news from advent episcopal church in st. louis

8/12/2019 Scroll Dec 2013, news from Advent Episcopal Church in St. Louis

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9373 Garber Road, Crestwood, MO 63126 314-843-0123 www.advent-episcopal.org [email protected]

December 2013

In this issue:

Advent by the Rev. Dan Handschy...................................1

Giving Tree, Tutoring Ministry..............................................2

November Vestry Report ....................................................3

Life of the Parish calendar..................................................4The Holiday Season by Bob Zimmer...............................5

Liturgical Ministries Calendar............................................6

City Mission Gift Wrapping Party.....................................7

Diverging Route by by Deb Goldfeder.............................8

City Mission Holiday Gift Ideas ........................................9

Editor: Marla Dell

The problem with a church namedChurch of the Advent is you dont have afestival day. If the church is named St. Jamesthe Lesser, you celebrate your name day on

the 3rd of May. For a Church called Advent,we celebrate our name during a season.

We always set aside the First Sunday

of Advent as a liturgy in which to remem-ber our name (it helps that it always fallson a Sunday), but we dont have a picnic ora party or any such thing, as those seem a

bit out of place in Advent. The readings onthe rst Sunday of Advent always concern

the nal return of Jesus and the full inau-guration of the Reign of God, the restora-tion of all things in Christ. As Advent movesalong, the Sunday readings slowly changetheir focus to the rst arrival of the Christ.

We seem to begin our church year

backwards: we begin with the end of history,

and only then shift our focus to the birth andGospel of Christ. Upon further reection, it

may make some sense to begin there. Afterall, we believe the birth and life and death

and resurrection of the Christ to be the in-auguration of the restoration, the beginningof the end. We are living in the meantime.The end has begun, but is not nished yet.

That means, we are (or at least can be)

part of the process of the ending, the goalof Gods creation. In Christ, God was in the

world, reconciling all things to the divine self.To the extent that we seek to live our livesin reference to God, we help the process ofbringing all things into relationship with God.

Thats why the story begins with such asmall event, the birth of a child on the mar-gins of Empire. Our efforts may seem small

and insignicant, but then again, so did that

birth. Yet that birth changed everything

From the rectors desk:Advent

continued next page

Tuesday 24 December 2013, 7:00 pm

Holy Eucharist with childrens sermon

Tuesday 24 December

2013, 11:00 pm Holy Eu-

charist (with incense)

Wednesday 25 December

2013, 10:00 am

Holy Eucharist

Christmas Services


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2

Advent continued

there was no longer any gap between Godand Gods creation. God had entered thatcreation and began the process of drawing

it into the divine self. Christs ministry, deathand resurrection show us what that resto-ration looks like and guarantee that in theend, it will happen. The gift of the Spirit to

the church makes us part of that Incarnation.

As we worship, we bring with us allof the creation that we touch, all of our en-tanglements, our work, our relationshipsin the world, and present them to God.We allow God to transform what we offer

into the vehicle of Gods transformation in

the world. In our daily round of prayer andworship, our work in the world, our lovesand hates, our lives, our joys and sorrows,

we gather up the bits of Gods creationand bring them into relationship with God.

We see the divine energies at work in theworld, and seek to make them manifest.

In a way, then, we participate withlittle advents of the divine work in theworld. We worship and offer ourselvesto the divine work, trusting that the endhas begun at Advent, and we are part of it.

Advent Church Women- Adopt-a-family Giving TreeThank you to everyone who has donated to the FMP Adopt A Family giving

tree and cleaner/personal care item drive. We are still in great need of laundry de-tergent, deodorant, bathroom cleaner, dish soap, feminine personal care products,

shampoo and toilet tissue. We will be delivering all of the presents and donationson Monday, December 9.

The next ACW meeting will be TUESDAY, December 17 at 7:00 p.m. in theparish hall. It will be our annual Christmas party when we play white elephant

Bingo. All ladies are welcome.Clare Kujath

The Rev. Dr. Daniel Handschy is Rector of Advent Church

St. Francis Tutoring Ministry For the past three school years, St. Francis Episcopal Church in Eurekahas provided a free tutoring service for elementary through high school stu-

dents in our area. Our program is run by Jackie Selle, a Missouri certied teach-er with nearly three decades of classroom experience. All tutors are volunteerswith various areas of expertise. Jackie maintains a database of volunteer tutors

and then schedules sessions based on the students requests and tutors skillsand availability. The tutoring sessions are at the Masonic Lodge in Eureka everyWednesday night during the school year from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. This much-needed ministry has grown to the point that we need additional volunteertutors. We are asking for your help. If you enjoy helping your children or grand-

children with their homework and are willing to share that skill, please considerhelping a student in need. For more information, please contact Jackie Selle at314-799-9715 or via email at [email protected]

The Rev. Sally S. Weaver, Vicar, St. Francis' Episcopal Church


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3

November Vestry Report

Our November Vestry meeting was aVestry Not As Usual. It was held between

the 1st and 2nd services on Sunday, Novem-

ber 10. The subject explored was the natureof our two Sunday services and the wisdomof having a single service year-round insteadof just in the summer. Fr. Dan explained how wecame to have a single service in thesummer. He also asked that we havea discussion of what Advent mem-

bers like about each of the services.Between 40 & 50 Advent

members attended and a wide range

of opinions and subjects were covered. It was suggested that the sin-gle service in the summer allowedfor 8:00 and 10:15 people to get toknow each other. One person sug-

gested a single service each quarterto promote this community fellow-ship. Others suggested that membersfrom both services attended lun-cheons, the knitting fellowship, workdays and other church functions andthat this allowed for socialization of the earlyand late people. It was also mentioned thatwe currently had two services with only half

the pews lled in each and a single service

would have a more of a full church feeling.

There were also a wide variety ofopinions expressed about the nature of ourtwo services. One person articulated that

one or two services was not the issue, it iswhat we do at these services that was whatis important. Some preferred the solemn

nature of the 8:00 service while

others preferred the more con-temporary structure of the 10:15service. Some members enjoyedthe music at 10:15 and oth-ers preferred a worship servicewithout music. Some members suggest-

ed that free time was an is-sue. They preferred the ear-

lier service to free up their dayand that even a 9:00 servicetakes up the whole morning.

Fr. Dan emphasized that mov-ing to a single service was notimminent and that this meet-ing was just exploring ideas.He also assured us that there

would be no vote on the issue.As rector, this decision rests in his hands.

Vic KremarVestry secretary


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4 The Scroll - December 2013

DEC

EMBER

Adopt-a-familyThank you to everyone who has donated to the FMP Adopt A Family giving tree

and cleaner/personal care item drive. We are still in great need of laundry deter-gent, deodorant, bathroom cleaner, dish soap, feminine personal care products,shampoo and toilet tissue. We will be delivering all of the presents and dona-tions on Monday, December 9.

Prayer Shawl GroupOur Prayer Shawl group will meet on Wednesday, December 11th . Members

will bring snacks and nger foods for a Christmas mini party. We had a Shawl

blessing on the altar of Advent Church on Sunday, November 17th so thereare many shawls ready to be sent out. Please request a shawl by contacting MaryPeck at 894-5460 or requesting a shawl by any prayer shawl group member. We

welcome new members.

Peace MealAdvent will cook and serve the Peace Meal at St. Johns, Tower Grove on Satur-

day 14 December 2013. We arrive at 2:00 pm, and are usually out the door by6:15 pm. Speak to Fr. Dan or Bill Witte if you would like to participate.

Advent Church WomenThe next ACW meeting will be TUESDAY, December 17 at 7:00 p.m. in the

parish hall. It will be our annual Christmas party when we play white elephantBingo. All ladies are welcome.

Christmas ServicesTuesday 24 December 2013, 7:00 pm - Holy Eucharist with childrens sermon.

Tuesday 24 December 2013, 11:00 pm Holy Eucharist (with incense)

Wednesday 25 December 2013, 10:00 am Holy Eucharist.

The Celebration & Blessing of the Marriage ofJim Rode & Jan TagueOn Sunday, December 29th, we will celebrate the marriage of Jim Rode and Jan

Tague at the 10:15 am service. All are invited. A reception will follow in theparish hall.

Tuesday Lunch BunchThe Tuesday Lunch Bunch not meet in December - watch this space for time and

place in the January edition of the Scroll.

Mens Club Dine OutSince the regular meeting night is so close to Christmas the Mens Dine Outmeeting will not be held in December. The next Dining Out Night will be Thurs-day, January 16th at Mike Duffys in Kirkwood. The address is 124 W Jefferson

Ave #104, Kirkwood, MO 63122. We will meet at 6:00 PM.

17th

14th

11th

24th

29th

9th

25th


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The Episcopal Church of the Advent welcomes you 5

The Holiday Season

Time keeps moving on.Time never speeds up or slowsdown, but seems to pass soquickly. Already Halloween is inthe past, and we have just n-ished Thanksgiving. The aromaof the Thanksgiving dinners maystill be lingering in our homesand maybe some forgotten left-overs are buried deep back in

the refrigerators. The Christmas and NewYear holiday season is just beginning. Christs birthday is about here. Wewill be soon celebrating his birth at ourchurch services and in our homes.. Ourchurch and homes will be brightly decoratedwith the spirit of Christmas. To help withthe excitement of the holiday season, busi-

ness establishments are decorated with allthe glitter, lights, music and greenery to helpus get us pumped up.

Like Advents display of Baby Jesusin the Manger, so will our homes and estab-lishments have such displays to remind us ofthe birth of Christ and reason for Christ-mas. Baby Jesus birth was shared by Godscreatures, quietly standing by, giving warmth

to the baby with their warm breath. Visitorscame from afar bearing gifts. While look-ing at these displays we should take a littletime out of our lives to quietly stand by andreect on this wondrous event. If we think

hard enough maybe on Christmas Eve, whenwe retire, our dreams might take us back intime to be part of his birth.

The spirit of Christmas is the timefor sharing. We share with our adopted fami-lies by providing them with items which theyhave difculty in obtaining, or cannot obtain

themselves. We share meals with our familiesand friends. We take time to share a togeth-erness, and to reacquaint ourselves with rel-atives and friends who live in faraway places.

The spirit of Christmas is also thetime for gift giving. Gift giving may have

began with Christs birth when the visitorscame with gifts for Baby Jesus. In celebratinghis birth we give gifts to family, relatives andfriends. Some gifts may have been purchased,while some gifts have been personally made.

It is the thought behind the gift that means somuch. There are families with very meagermeans who cannot afford purchasing gifts,

but knowing Christmas is Christs birthdayand is for gift giving, will make great effort tomake gifts from whatever material they haveavailable. For children this could be a home-made doll or a simple handmade wooden toy.Gifts are given truly from the heart.

Happy Holidays, Bob Zimmer


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The Scroll - December 20136

Liturgical Ministries: December 2013

Can't make it - plans changed? - Please call the church ofce 314-843-0123

December1

De

cember8

December15

December22

December29

WorshipLeade

r

8:00am

DebraSueBailey

Do

nHopkins

PhyllisPowers

DebGoldfeder

AlexanderKroes

WorshipLeade

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10:15amam

DebGoldfeder

Jasm

ineWisdom

ElizabethKroes

ChrisVogel

Deb

Goldfeder

Lector

BillSanders

Jo

hnKroes

GinaWisdom

NancyKroes

Rob

Gyngard

Intercessor

RalphPeck

ReneSanders

DebGoldfeder

KevinWilliams

ReneSanders

Crucifer

JocelynSanders

Au

stinHenry

AdamWitte

JasmineWisdom

JocelynSanders

TorchBearers

Ushers

GregDell

JimRode

JaniceEvans

HarryDengler

BillBottoms

MarkNaes

BillWitte

DaleIffrig

GregDell

JimRode

Oblationers

8:00am

EllaLancaster

GwenBrown

Phy

llisPowers

Sh

aronKnox

Bailey

Hovious

MaryAn

nTombridge

GwenBrown

Oblationers

10:15am

GyngardFamily

Kroes

Perez

Sanders

Jan

andJim

CoffeeHourHost(s)

JohnandNancyKroes

open

Difani

Gyngard

Re

ception

Counters

GregDell

JimRode

BillSanders

BillBottoms

GregDell

MarkNaes

NancyKroes

BillWitte

GregDell

JimRode

VestryPrayer

Cycle

CarolynBailey

VicKremar

JimRode

JessicaGerth

Do

nHopkins

B

illieHall

LarryBrown

PhyllisPowers

BruceStotler

LoyHovious

ClaudiaSvoboda

BillWitte

Caro

lynBailey

Vic

Kremar

JimRode

Propers.

Advent1(A)

Advent2(A)

Advent3(A)

Advent4(A)

FirstS

undayafter

Ch

ristmas

Isaiah2:1-5

Isaiah11:1-10

Isaiah35:1-10

Isaiah7:10-16

Isaiah61:10-62:3

Psalm122

Psalm

72:1-7,18-19

Psalm146:4-9

Psalm80:1-7,16-18

Psalm

147:13-21

Romans13:11-14

Rom

ans15:4-13

James5:7-10

Romans1:1-7

Galatia

ns3:23-23;

4:4-7

Matthew24:36-44

Matthew3:1-12

Matthew11:2-11

Matthew1:18-25

Joh

n1:1-18

AltarGuild

AlexanderKroes

DonHopkins

Alex

anderKroes

Do

nHopkins

AlexanderKroes

DonHopkins

AlexanderKroes

DonHopkins

AlexanderKroes

Don

Hopkins


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Gift Wrapping Party

Please join the ECM chaplains and staff in a

rewarding holiday tradition. ECM makes sure that

every child who spends the holidays in detention

will have a gift to open. We need volunteers to help

us wrap all of the donated items.

Monday, December 16, 201311 am 1 pm

Emmanuel Episcopal ChurchDining Hall

9 South Bompart

Webster Groves, MO

A light luncheon will be served. It would be

appreciated if you can bring scissors!

Please call or email the ECM office to volunteer.

314-436-3545

[email protected]

The Episcopal Church of the Advent welcomes you 7


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8

I scared someone yesterday. I

wasnt trying to. She was standing in thelobby of our building waiting, I suppose,for her ride home. She was standing withher back to me glancing at the headlinesof the newspapers that had been piledup for the subscribers in our building. Ithappened that it was the anniversary ofthe assassination of John Kennedy and I

can imagine she found the images com-pelling. I had walked out to get our paper

and she jumped as if she had been doingsomething wrong. She said, Oh! I waslookinglet me catch the door for you [itlocks behind us]! I told her it wasnt nec-essary as I had my key. Then she said, Iwork here. Im not trying to do anything.I belong here! I work for [neighbor] and

Im not trying to do anything! I lookedat her and said, Oh, no, Im not worriedabout you! How is [our neighbor] doing?I havent seen her lately. We chatted for

a moment and then I went back to ourapartment but I have been a little unset-tled since then and it caused me to reect

more on the power I have to make others

fear me simply because of my appearance.I can look pretty scary in the

morning, I admit, but this morning I wasdressed for work and my hair combed soI didnt look any scarier than I usually do.No, in that moment, I recognized that she

perceived me as a threat because of thedifferences in our skin colors. I dont livemy life aware of my advantage by virtue of

genetic accidents but I have been thinkingmore about it for the past couple of days.

The Moru people are very darkpeople (they will tell you they are theblackest people in Africa) so I was very

Diverging Route by Deborah Goldfeder

conscious of my pale skin for a long time.

After several months, I forgot that I wasso pale. All the people around me wereblack and I stopped seeing black andbegan to see peoplenot black peoplebut just people. What made me knowthis was when I saw my rst white peo-ple and how startled I was to see them!Who were these kawajas? What were

they doing in Lui? I found myself not quitetrusting them and their motives! It was

very strange.Children, of course, saw our differ-

ences and were sometimes frightened bykawajas [white people]. Little patients atthe hospital sometimes screamed when Igot close to them because they had neverseen anyone so pale. Many times they

were curious about whether or not thecolor of my skin would rub off on themso they would shake my hand and thenlook at theirs to see if it had. Most of

the time they were simply curious aboutme and would sit near where I was sew-ing and chatter to me not caring if I un-derstood them or not. Sometimes they

would bring something they had found toshow me. Mostly they were just kids likeany others.

There was one girl at the hospitalnamed Dawa who made me acutely awareof our differences because, although

Dawa liked me, she was afraid of my hair!I dont know what it was about my hairthat scared her particularly. I wondered

if it reminded her of spider webs or othercreatures nests or if it was simply too dif-ferent. Dawa [her name means medicine]was someone who touched my heart andsomeone I think of frequently.


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Victor KremarFrank Leta Acura11777 Tesson Ferry Road(314) 849-4444, ext. 5073 office(314) 539-1364 cell

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Call (314) 520-7027For Appointment or Information

Episcopal Church of the Advent

9373 Garber RoadCrestwood, MO 63126-0123

Phone: 314-843-0123Email: [email protected]: www.advent-episcopal.orgDec. 2013 edition of the Scroll

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Certifed Lymphatic Therapist

8660 Grant Road, St. Louis MO 63123636-346-4882 [email protected]

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