Mission Tidings Newsletter

                               April 2013  


In This Issue
Green Grant at Work
Reverend's Reflections
Christian Ed Calendar
Disciples & Women
Baptism
30 Hour Famine
Art Installation
Congratulations
Sisters of St. Margaret
ServSafe Training

St. Luke's Links

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Say Good Bye To Winter
Good bye winter
Grant, Russ & Chris clear the roof after Nemo! Quite a welcome for our new Junior Warden.
Reverend's Reflections
St. Luke's Mariner's Cross
Dear People of God at St. Luke's, 

Within Christianity you can find a wide variety of views about how to regard the material world. Some-monks/nuns (of at least certain eras), Puritans, Amish-regard the stuff of the world a distraction. The physical world isn't necessarily evil, but certainly not to be pursued; desires for the things of the world are wrong. On the other end of the spectrum are people like Joel Osteen and other mega-church leaders who preach a 'Gospel of Prosperity,' that if you are faithful to God, then God will reward you with wealth...cars, houses and so forth.

 

Jesus (confusingly?) seems to have sayings to support both extremes: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust consume and thieves break in and steal. But build up treasures for yourself in heaven..." But Jesus uses parables-a woman sweeps her floor until she finds a lost coin and then throws a party to celebrate, a man buys a field because it contains a pearl of great price-that affirm value of the material world.

 

At Christmas we celebrate God made flesh, the Incarnation of the Word as Jesus. If the physical world is evil then God would have nothing to do with it, at least in not such a manner. Instead, we believe that in the Incarnation we understand that the flesh, the world, is made holy.

 

Now in Eastertide we affirm again the gift of creation in our faith that Jesus rose again from the dead physically. The world has been raised up in the Incarnation and redeemed by the cross and resurrection.

 

So we use our senses-taste and smell at communion, seeing God taught and glorified in our church building and in nature, hearing and speech as we sing and pray, our bodies as we sit, stand and kneel.

 

At the back of the church is a temporary art exhibit by religious artist Alexander (Sasha) Gassel, originally from Russia but now in the US for 33 years along with his family. He is educated in the tradition of religious icons and is conservator/restorationist for the Icon Museum in Clinton, MA. His icons are in the traditional manner. His other works take the use of egg tempura along with the colors and images of icons and make the contemporary. Artists do spiritual work: they take the material world and reflect reality beyond the thing in front of us. I hope you enjoy Sasha's works as much as I do. See the accompanying article for more information.

 

In the Risen Christ,

Grant

Christian Ed Calendar
April 5-6
Pre-confirmation Retreat at Camp

April 7

Regular Classes

April 14
School vacation week
No Classes

April 21
Regular Classes

April 27
Confirmation at Cathedral

April 28
Regular Classes
Confirmation Celebration
Disciples & Women of the Bible
Palm Sunday procession
Two of the eleven third and fourth graders who processed with palms. Each child learned about the life and symbols of the selected person. Shown are children dressed as Matthew and Mary Magdalene.
Baptism- Sunday, April 7th, 10 AM
holy spirit dove image
Join us in welcoming Fiona Nicole Pollard   & Riley Grace Pollard to our St. Luke's family. The twins are the daughters of Erica & Keith Pollard, granddaughters of Tracy & Jay Dieselman, great granddaughters of      Bobbi Hall!
30 Hr. Famine- May 10th & 11th, 6 pm - 6 pm
 We are doing World Vision's 30 Hour Famine...going hungry so others don't have to.

 Will you join us? Contact Rev. Joyce for more information. 
Art Exhibit at St. Luke's

Six large contemporary paintings and four traditional icons are on display at the back of the church from now through April 22nd.

The icons include Virgin and Child; St. Luke, shown in his legendary role as first Christian painter/iconographer in his painting the Virgin; the San Damiano Cross that spoke to St. Francis to 'restore my church;' and on the side wall, St. George, patron of England and the Anglican Church, slaying the dragon.

 

ALEXANDER (SASHA) GASSEL-

Alexander Gassel was born in Moscow, USSR in 1947. He graduated from Moscow Institute of Arts and Graphics in 1970 with an MA in Fine Arts. From 1970 to 1980, he worked at the Grabar Center for the Restoration and Preservation of Art in Moscow, restoring and copying medieval tempera paintings. Influenced by this experience, the artist began to create his own original paintings - for the most part personal interpretations of Biblical events. At that time, it was absolutely forbidden in the Soviet Union to exhibit contemporary religious paintings. In 1980, Alexander Gassel left the USSR to start a new life in the USA.

Alexander Gassel has been using an ancient technique: egg yolk tempera. He makes his own color pigments by grinding natural stones and minerals, such as malachite, cinnabar, or lapis into powder, which he then mixes with egg yolk. The artist often applies gold or silver leaf on the paintings. Based on traditional Russian artistic values, his new art works often employ a surrealistic combination of details from different civilizations. Old symbols are joined with contemporary subjects, reflecting more and more his new experience of life in America.

PAINTINGS IN MUSEUMS AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS:

  • VATICAN COLLECTION Vatican City, Vatican
  • SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER Los Angeles, CA
  • RYAZAN ART MUSEUM Ryazan, Russia
  • KIRILLOV ART MUSEUM Kirillov, Russia
  • JEWISH FEDERATION Marblehead, MA
  • EPISCOPAL DIVINITY SCHOOL Cambridge, MA
  • ST. LEO PARISH Stamford, CT
  • ST. ANDREW CHURCH Marblehead, MA

A large number of paintings, prints and drawings are in private collections in the USA, Germany, France, Netherlands, Russia, Israel and other countries.

Congratulations to Sarah Tyrcha!
We are so proud to share that one of our parishioners was nominated as Scituate's Ambassador to Governor Patrick's Project 351!  Project 351 "celebrates the power of young people as a force for positive change in their communities and our Commonwealth. Through service and leadership development, Ambassadors build skills and confidence, explore issues, embrace leadership, and motivate a lifetime of service."  Every Massachusetts middle school nominates one 8th grade student with "exceptional compassion, commitment, humility, kindness, and generosity of spirit." Parishioner Sarah Tyrcha, age 13, is Scituate's representative to Project 351.  Sarah completed the inaugural service project, and has been given the green light to host her Spring Greening Project here at St. Luke's!  Sarah is organizing a collection drive for Cradles to Crayons, a Boston-based non-profit that collects new and nearly new children's clothing items for newborns through children's size 12, as well as books, and toys. Want to help?  Sarah's immediate needs are volunteers who can help her organize the drive, design flyers, decorate donation boxes, help with communications/PR, and sort and package donations. Want to donate? From April 1st through April 10th, we will gratefully accept donations of gently used (nearly new) or new children's clothing, toys and books (ages newborn through age 12).  To reach Sarah, 781-545-2191 (home), 781-470-0233 (mobile), or e-mail: [email protected]
Sisters of St. Margaret Invite You
The Great Paschal Vespers- Sunday, April 7th
An ancient evening service of processions, prayers, hymns, and psalmody is an offering of praise to God for the glorious resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. The Sisters of St. Margaret welcome all to join them in this celebration at 4:00 pm in the Chapel on Harden Hill Road in Duxbury. Reception following.

A Conversation About Haiti- Friday, April 26th & Saturday April 27th

Friday, April 26

5:00 pm - 5:30 pm      Evening Prayer in the Chapel  

5:30 pm - 6:15 pm      Haitian Art Tour with Sr. Marjorie Raphael  

6:15 pm - 7:15 pm     Supper in the Refectory

7:15 pm - 8:30 pm      A Conversation About Haiti*

 

Saturday, April 27

9:00 am - 10:00 pm  Coffee and Haitian Art Tour  

10:00 am - 11:15 am A Conversation About Haiti*

11:30 pm - 12:00        Noonday Prayer in the Chapel  

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm    Lunch in the Refectory

 

*Please note, the program will be the same on both days. While there is no fee for this program, donations for our mission in Haiti will be gratefully accepted. SPACE IS LIMITED. RSVP required by April 23 to [email protected] or 781-934-9477 x501.

 

The Society of St. Margaret

50 Harden Hill Road

Duxbury, MA 02332

ServSafe Training- May 18th at St. Luke's

ServSafe is the training given to certify people to work in food prep for public event. For us that would mean the cafe of our Harvest Fair as well as community dinners. We need at least two people from the parish certified, one of whom must be onsite during the food prep and serving per Health Department. A previous announcement and sign up showed some significant interest in this training.  

 

Here are the particulars for the training: 

May 18, a Saturday, from 9 to 3,  at St. Luke's, although other churches and institutions will participate with us.

Pre-registration needed so each participant can receive study materials in advance. At the conclusion of the course on that day a qualifying exam will be given. Cost is $130 per person, and certification is good for five years.

 

For St. Luke's members who will express willingness and availability to be scheduled for Harvest Fair (first Saturday in November) and Community Dinners (fourth Sunday of each month), and any other events that might arise, the church will subsidize the $130 fee for this training.

 

Please indicate your interest in attending by an email sent to both [email protected] and [email protected].