Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, homilies at 8 and 10:15 services. (We go to one 9:15 service on July 5)

One of the probable scenarios emerging from our study of human evolution in east Africa going back 2-3 million years is a story of environmental challenge, change and "paleo-human" response. Some paleontologists would go so far as to suggest that we became homo sapiens because of how difficult it was to adapt to a drying, changing climate as well as the volcanic nature of that part of the world. It propelled humans to physically adjust, to gather and cooperate in new ways, to become smarter and faster. It sounds like it was a painful journey as well. 

Over and over we can read this story of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee (which is really just a big lake albeit one that can still be dangerous for a small boat) as a story of God's comfort in tough situations. Not a bad interpretation and has great truth. Yet our experience is often different. We pray, we ask, we despair and the situation does not change. We suffer. Come on God, get with it! Perhaps the better message-reality is that it's really us that needs to "change", to embrace encouragement and find guidance so we can choose more wisely, move ahead or wait. We keep looking "out there". Perhaps it's "in here, in the boat" that the changes need to happen.

PID trip to Guatemala is early January 2016. It costs about $1300 (includes airfare from Boston, etc.). We're thinking of $600 a person church subsidy from the Special Mission. Can you do $700? This is a medical and building project mission trip but you don't have to be an expert. Here is the website! Here is a PDF about the base price before airfare and some general instructions. You will need inoculations for Guatemala.

Dave's vacation starts on July 1st. No July Vestry meeting. August meeting date is now changed to August 19th at 7 p.m. after Dave is back from the Pilgrimage and Cotuit.