Spiritual Adventures! - September 11, 2011

St. Thomas Episcopal Church

Spiritual Adventures, News, and Events

September 8, 2011

Please read below to learn all the news and events happening at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Please check your e-mail each week to read more!

St. Thomas, Temple Israel, Muslim Communities, and One Columbus to Join Hands in 9/11 Commemorative Service Hosted by Temple Israel

Temple Israel will host "The Children of Abraham Remember," an interfaith commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on Sunday evening, September 11, 2011, at 5:00 p.m. The commemoration will include representation and spiritual offerings from the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities of the greater Columbus area. The conveners are Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin, spiritual leader of Temple Israel; Rabbi Brian Glusman of Shearith Israel Synagogue; Reverend Douglas Hahn of St. Thomas Episcopal Church; Farhad AliFarhani and Imam Yahya Islam, representing the Muslim community of Masjid AnNur; and OneColumbus, under the leadership of Ken Crooks.

Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin, the spiritual leader of Temple Israel, remarked: "As we mark the tenth anniversary of these tumultuous events in the life of America, we re-dedicate ourselves to the promise of America and her security and integrity. So, too, we remain painfully aware of the threat of Islamophobia, and with this service we affirm our intent to keep the lines of communication and dialogue open. We are all Americans, and together we remain wounded by the events of 9/11."

Fr. Hahn reminds us that this is also a remembrance of the partnership that our communities forged in the months following 9/11. This partnership resulted in a joint Habitat for Humanity Project.

Temple Israel is located at 1617 Wildwood Avenue, Columbus. For further information, please contact Temple Israel at 706-323-1617. See also the announcement made in the Ledger-Enquirer

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/08/22/1702639/temple-israel-to-host-interfaith.html.

9/11 Children's Sunday School to Focus on Forgiveness and Diversity

Desmond Tutu

This Sunday is the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Most adults and teenagers can and will remember where they were, and will ponder where we are now as a result of the events of that day. But for children (unless a family member or friend died in the attacks), it is history. Children younger than 13 have no memories of the day. Indeed most of them were not alive then. They do not know what life was like before then. All they know is that it is dreadfully important to the adults. We serve them best when we address themes related to our response to the attacks even ten years later. Today's texts offer two key themes - forgiving others and diversity.

During Sunday School, the children will take part in the story, God's Dream, a children's picture book by Desmond Tutu. It's message is that God favors diversity, forgives us, and wants us to forgive each other. It is a great restatement of today's texts and is especially fitting on 9/11. We will turn to the rainbow on the last page and explain the term "rainbow nation", which Tutu coined to describe the new post-apartheid South Africa. The children will then create a rainbow of God's smile in a unique way to show that many people can connect to make one thing of beauty. It takes many hands to make a rainbow!

Submitted by Erin Redden, Director of Children's Christian Education.

TONIGHT! - St. Thomas Readers Book Discussion Group

Read!

TONIGHT! The St. Thomas Readers Book Group will begin its seventh season tonight, Thursday, September 8, at 6:00 p.m. in the St. Thomas Parlor. We will be discussing Dancing in Cadillac Light and Part of Me, both by Kimberly Willis Holt. Considered an outstanding author of books for children and young adults, her works are often found on school reading lists. Both of these books celebrate the joys of family, reading, faith, and the triumph of the human spirit. They are not available at the Columbus Public Library, but they may be purchased online and in local book stores. The convener of the group also has several copies that she purchased from Amazon.com. Anyone wishing to purchase one of these copies may contact Sonya Boyd at 706-563-6161 or janjulau@aol.com. The funds will be donated to the St. Thomas Youth.

There will be no meeting of the Readers Group in October so that everyone may participate in the Columbus Public Library's The Big Read, celebrating the works of Edgar Allen Poe. A variety of activities are planned for the month and we hope that all will support The Big Read. Contact the Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library for further information on The Big Read.

Announcements about the November meeting of the St. Thomas Readers will be forthcoming.

Adult Christian Education - Mark Your Calendar

+ Sunday, September 11 - Adult Christian Education will host a panel of local citizens providing personal insight on the discussion "Remembrances and Lessons from 9/11/2001" (9:15 a.m.). This panel will include Art France, a therapist who works with military families; Jennifer Gray, a local teacher, who will speak about how 9/11 has affected children and youth; and Julia Slater, district attorney, who will speak about how 9/11 has affected our civic life.

+ Wednesday, September 14 - Adult Christian Education will begin a multi-week program on "Seven Sins and Seven Virtues" (6:30 p.m. weekly).

+ Preview of Future Topics - "When Cancer Comes Calling", led by Fr. Hahn, Travis Wade, and Alice Gammage; "The Book of Philippians: In All Things Rejoice", led by Fr. Hahn and Rev. Erixson.

Continuing This Week - Valley Interfaith Promise (VIP)

VIP

St. Thomas is hosting VIP from September 4 through September 11. If you are able to volunteer, we need volunteers to serve dinner and spend the night on Friday 9/9, and to serve lunch on Sunday 9/11. If you are interested in volunteering or finding out more about VIP, please contact Malinda Shamburger at 706-761-5716 or mshamburger1@yahoo.com.

Music Notes

The Exon Singers (UK), conducted by Matthew Owen, has just released their new cd "Heaven in Ordinaire." Included in this cd, recorded in Wells Cathedral, is "A Prayer for Saint Thomas," composed by Philip Wilby and dedicated to Rick and the Choir. The text is the collect for St Thomas.

Our second commission from Phil, "Vox Christi" (text is Great Commandment), will be premiered during the Episcopal visit October 9. "Vox Christi" is published by the Royal School of Church Music and is already in its second printing. What a thrill for our choir and parish!

Submitted by Rick McKnight, Organist and Choirmaster.

Foyers Groups Offer Additional Fellowship Opportunities

Fellowship

Foyers Groups are small, parish dinner clubs (8-10 people) that will gather five to six times over the next several months. These are great opportunities to get to know more people at St. Thomas! Participants are randomly grouped, giving you a great chance to meet new people. For more information or to sign up for Foyers, please contact the church office between now and mid-September: office@stthomascolumbus.org or 706-324-4264.

Integrity Discussion and Dinner Out

LGBT Integrity

The Chattahoochee Valley Chapter of Integrity - the leading grassroots voice for the full inclusion of LGBT persons in the Episcopal Church - will host a Discussion Night at St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Friday, September 16, at 6:30 p.m. in All Saints' Hall. Beverages and snacks will be provided. After the discussion, the group will reconvene at a restaurant of the group's choice. The subject for the discussion will be "Same-Sex Complementarity: A Theology of Marriage", from the Winter 2011 issue of the "Anglican Theological Review". Copies of the article will be available the night of the discussion or can be emailed to interested individuals by providing an email address to DKirkland110@aol.com. This is an open event to anyone interested in attending. For questions or inquiries, please contact David Kirkland and Todd Griffin at 706-464-1621.

Please note that the date stated above is a correction to the St. Thomas September Calendar, which you may have received by e-mail or postal mail. Integrity's regular, monthly meeting will be the third Friday of each month, at 6:30 p.m., in All Saints' Hall.

Re-"arrangement" of the Flower Guild

Flowers

Although you may not have known much about the St. Thomas Flower Guild in the past, we have undergone some recent changes. Going forward, the Flower Guild will be composed of a small number of volunteers who will donate as much of their time as their personal and professional lives allow. Together, these volunteers will be able to cover about 20 Sundays per year, on which they will select and arrange the altar flowers. For the remaining Sundays, St. Thomas will patronize Ann's Porch, a professional floral shop. This will enable us to provide a more beautiful, higher-quality product, and will help to compensate for our small number of volunteers and the demands on their time.

We are also accepting new volunteers to the Flower Guild to occasionally arrange flowers for the Sunday service, but prior experience in selecting, purchasing, and arranging flowers is preferred.

All parishioners are invited to support the Flower Guild by dedicating flowers in memory of or in honor of a friend or loved one on any Sunday. The cost for making a dedication is $75 for the Nave or $50 for the Chapel. (Our flower costs have recently increased.) To make a dedication, or to volunteer your time, please contact the church office at office@stthomascolumbus.org or 706-324-4264.

Thank You, Donors!

Thank you!