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Little Portion |
January 2013 |
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St. Francis Episcopal Church
70 Highland Street, Holden, Massachusetts
The Rev. Dr. Richard M. Simpson, Rector
The Official Call to Annual Meeting
Notice is hereby given for the Call to Annual Meeting of St. Francis Episcopal Church, Holden, Massachusetts, to be held on Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.
5:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
6:00 p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. Annual Meeting in the Church where we will meet to:
- Receive reports from the Rector, Wardens, Treasurer, and Parish Ministries
- Elect Vestry Members and Delegates to the Annual Diocesan Convention
- Transact such other business as may legally come before Annual Meeting
Dawn Rooke, Clerk of the Vestry
For more information on Vestry Candidates and Vestry Responsibilities please click here. |
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A Message from the Rector
"Faith is a journey, not a guilt trip." So says one of the many bumper stickers on a friend's truck.
Normally I am not a big fan of bumper-sticker theologies or political philosophies; to say that they tend to be reductionistic is an understatement. Even so, I like this one. It is succinct, and yet speaks volumes.
First of all, guilt comes in at least as many flavors as Baskin-Robbins ice-cream: there is Jewish guilt, Catholic guilt, mother guilt, guilty pleasures, guilt by association and many more. While Episcopalians try to avoid guilt as a general rule, there is no way to avoid it totally. But guilt doesn't motivate or inspire: almost always it stalls us, shames us, diminishes us. We may do the "right thing," but if guilt is the primary motivator then we almost certainly have done it for the wrong reasons.
Because the spiritual life goes to the heart of what it means to be a forgiven people, it is easy to think guilt is a stage along the way. But in fact it is a place where we can get stalled. The path to forgiveness is not by way of guilt but by way of repentance. The former is passive; the latter, active. Repentance literally means "to turn around" by making deliberate choices toward healing and reconciliation and love. Faith is a journey toward life. There will be surprising twists and turns and detours; and it is rarely a straight line path. But that is what makes it so interesting.
Faith is like a labyrinth, or a yellow-brick road, or a pathway to Narnia. In the Bible it is hard to even begin to list all of the places where faith is seen as a journey. There is the journey from slavery to freedom in the Book of Exodus, and the ways that metaphor is repeated in the stories of the prophets and especially of Elijah and Jesus. There is the journey of the Magi, whom we imagine even as I write these words as setting out from the East, and following a star to Bethlehem. There are the journeys of St. Paul around the Mediterranean; spirit-led journeys to the ends of the earth.
 Wherever you are in your faith journey, that is where you are and the only place you can be. Wherever you are, there is a community of pilgrims at St. Francis who are also on that journey. As we turn the calendar to 2013, may we recommit ourselves to this vision for faith, and try to enjoy the ride together-with God's help.
Rich |
Financial Update
The draft budget for our 2013 mission plan presented to the vestry at our December 12, 2012 meeting includes anticipated pledge income of $352,000. This amount is slightly below our pledge income for 2012. The combination of lower income and normal increases in expenses leaves us with an anticipated deficit of approximately $7,000 for 2013. While we are hopeful that a few last minute pledges may still arrive and help us to close this gap a bit, the vestry expects to vote for a deficit budget for 2013 at our next meeting on Wednesday, January 9th.
While the vestry would rather not pass deficit budgets, the sense of the vestry is that we have had several years of surpluses in a row and therefore have very good cash reserves. Of course, we will keep an eye on expenses and do our utmost to improve stewardship education in 2013, but we do feel that at this juncture it is not appropriate to be reducing expenses by cutting out ministries.
On Sunday, December 30, there will be an open parish meeting after the 10:00 AM service to review the draft budget. We strive for complete transparency at St. Francis, and all are welcome to attend this meeting to ask questions and provide input.
Craig Stanovich, Senior Warden
Bev Giarruso, Junior Warden |
Adult Confirmation/Reception
Each year, in addition to the youth in our parish who are confirmed at the Bishop's Visit, there are adults who can be either confirmed or received by the Bishop into the Episcopal Church. The details of which group a person falls into have to do with which part of the Body of Christ one is coming from: those who come from denominations such as the Roman Catholic Church, who were confirmed by a Bishop get "received." Those who come from Protestant denominations where confirmation is celebrated by the local pastor are "confirmed." Either way, the preparation is the same. There is sometimes a third group as well, and this includes people who were confirmed at a young age in The Episcopal Church who feel they would like to re-commit as adults: these persons can re-affirm their commitment to Christ publicly after a time of preparation. (See pages 418-419 in The Book of Common Prayer)
Our bishop, The Rt. Rev. Douglas Fisher, will be coming to St. Francis next on Sunday, April 28th to the 10:00 a.m. service. During the Season of Lent, classes will be meeting for any and all adults who wish to prepare for Confirmation, Reception, or Reaffirmation. There will be an informational meeting of all interested persons on Ash Wednesday, February 13th at 8:00 p.m. in the narthex. At this meeting, the rector will outline the program. Please sign-up on the sheet in the narthex and plan to attend this meeting if you have any questions about becoming a member of St. Francis. If you are interested but cannot make this meeting, please speak with the rector beforehand.
Classes will meet Sunday afternoons, February 17, 24, March 3, 17, and April 14 at 4:00 p.m. at St. Clare House. |
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Prayer Shawl Ministry
Wishing all my readers a very happy and joyous Christmas and sincere good wishes for the New Year.
I've noticed that in December knit and crochet types divide naturally into two camps.
1. Those who have finished their gift making.
2. Those who have not.
If you're in camp one, congratulations! You might want to keep quiet....
If you're in camps two, what are doing reading this? Have you looked at the calendar?
We knitters and crocheters do good work, with our needles and our hooks. We have a long history of helping out. We keep the cold at bay for those dear to us and for the many we have yet to meet who are in need. We cloak our community through hard times. We aid souls stranded in harms way and battle weary suffering beyond our doors. We heed the call of disasters, personal and global. We spread our help near and far. And sometimes, in service of art, we celebrate our creative joy and spread a different kind of handmade warmth.
Thank you for all your support.
Beryl Turner |
In 2012 we had the following:
5 Baptisms
8 Confirmations
3 Receptions
3 Reaffirmed
3 Marriages
7 Funerals
7 Transfers in
4 Transfer out
To view the details click here. |
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2013 Educational Grants
Bement-Waterfield Educational Grants help young people who are active in the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts to pursue their educational goals after secondary school.
Grants may be used at accredited training and technical institutions as well as for undergraduate study at 2 and 4 year accredited colleges. The deadline for completed applications is February 15, 2013.
Click here to obtain the necessary application forms. |
Holy Baptism
The next scheduled date for Holy Baptism is the weekend of January 12/13, 2013.
If you are interested in Baptism please call the office or speak to the Rector. |
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Monthly Lectionary
January 5/6 - Epiphany of the Lord
Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12
January 12/13 - Baptism of Our Lord
Isaiah 43:1-7
Psalm 29
Acts 8:4-17
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
January 19/20 - 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 36:5-10
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
John 2:1-11
January 26/27 - 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Psalm 19
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Luke 4:14-21 |
Seniors Birthdays ~ January
10 - Sudy Asaiante
10 - Carolyn Ricardi
16 - Judith Morrissette
16 - Bev Giarusso
23 - Ted Harris
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