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Episcopal Church News for and about St. Michael and All Angels St. Michael's Messenger April 2010 Dear Friends, “What’s in a new building?” That is a question the vestry has been asking itself repeatedly over the past three years. Certainly there would be plenty of bricks and boards, which called for a design process. Certainly there would be many dollars needed to pay for these materials, which called for a capital campaign. And certainly there will be lots of sweat equity so the dollars stretch to cover the construction costs. All of these practical responses to “What’s in a new building?” supply important pieces of the answer. Yet they miss something essential at the heart of this project. Our new building, more than anything else, will provide the spaces we need for Bringing faith to life in the heart of Issaquah. The physical building will serve as an outward and visible sign of the inward and spiritual grace that allows us to pursue our mission together. This vestry has its spiritual priorities straight. That is why they held off on designing the building and running a capital campaign until after the Vision groundwork had been laid. As a result each area in the new structure, from the Sunday School classrooms to the music center, from the meeting rooms to new signage on 2nd Avenue, will be crafted to play its unique part in helping us achieve our mission. That is why the vestry hosted the Growing into Our Space sessions on March 21. As a result, action teams are now forming around key ministries which are ramping up to make the most of our new building from the day it opens. Look inside this issue of the Messenger for an early report on the results of these sessions, compiled by Junior Warden Trish Rafa. Expect to hear more about them in coming weeks. Meanwhile, if you missed the March 21 sessions and want to get in on the Outreach action, call Dave Korpi at (425) 392-3215. If you want to get in on the Music action, contact Priscilla Kaufmann at (425) 392-3215. If you want to get in on the Properties action, get in touch with Dave Norris at (425)392-3215. And if you want to get in on the Teen action, call Brad Jarocki at (425) 392-3215. This vestry has its spiritual priorities straight. Not only do many hands
make for light work, but many faithful souls make for soulful work. Many
of us Christians offering ourselves to God by building up the life of God’s
church assure that when anyone asks, “What’s in this new building?” the
answer will surely be, “God’s people, doing God’s work.” Ann+ Eastertide Opportunity for Seeing Faith Afresh Phyllis Tickle, author of The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why, along with more than two dozen other books on contemporary faith, will be speaking at St. Andrew’s Seattle at 4:00 pm on Wednesday April 21. The panel of local respondents to her talk will include Bishop Greg Rickel and our own Mother Ann. Tickets are $15 adults, $10 seniors/students, and are available through thecenter@saintandrewsseattle.org by Jason Anderson, Associate for Liturgical Arts Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Great Vigil of Easter
Three holy days enfold us now Maundy Thursday, April 1 at 7:00 PM —Foot-washing and Last
Supper Re-Enactment; sing the thief’s words to Jesus’ as he died on the
cross: ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom’ Tenebrae, April 2 at 7:00 PM — A liturgy of deepening shadows, with readings
from Lamentations and music sung by the St. Michael’s Chamber Choir Jason Anderson, Associate for Youth Formation April 17: Parents Night Out — SAVE THE DATE! On Saturday, April 17, from 5-9 PM, St. Michael’s teens will provide dinner, nursery & child care, movies, games, and other activities to children so our parish parents, friends, and neighbors can have a fun night out on the town. Our teens created this unique Mission Trip fundraiser at the first mission trip planning pod! Reserve by April 15 for our “early bird” rates of $20/child, $40 max/family. Additional details will be forthcoming, so watch your bulletin for details. Teen Stream: Skagit Valley Mission Trip Events Teens held their first mission trip planning pod on March 14 and brainstormed fundraising ideas. One of the fruits of that meeting was Parents Night Out (see above). There are two planning pods remaining for the trip. It is up to our teens to ensure that trip is funded (they need to raise $1,500); it is up to our teens to plan four days of Vacation Bible School; and, it is up to our teens to decide how best to spend their free time on the trip. Our next pod is April 11. The full schedule of mission trip events... Planning Pods @ 12 Noon on: Sunday, April 11 (Vacation Bible School) • Sunday, April 25 (Activities
and crafts) April 2010 Family Calendar April 2010
* – See articles above in Just for Families! Eastertide Adult Formation Series: “A New Look at the New Testament” What happened after the Resurrection of Jesus? Who were the early Christians, and how did they engage the cultures into which they moved and ministered, and how did those encounters shape their faith and change their world? How were their challenges like ours, and how were they different? What can we learn from their experience? Brothers Harry and Paul Eberts, one a Presbyterian minister and one a sociologist, trace the beginnings of the church in their recent book The Early Jesus Movement and Its Parties: A New Way to Look at the New Testament. They tell a compelling story seldom heard of groups with beginnings, ethnic compositions, forms of worship, beliefs, and ethical practices that differed and diverged, and sometimes divided them deeply, even as their faith transformed their assemblies, communities, and their world. On three Wednesday evenings in Eastertide – April 21 & 28, and May 5 from 7:00-8:00 pm, Paul Eberts (introduced to us by John Rittenhouse) will be here to speak with us about this new study of community, diversity, and mission in the early church. We hope you'll join us for coffee and dessert and a fascinating glimpse into the lives of early Christians, and wonder with us about the challenges and possibilities their stories raise for Christians today. I am happy to report that we have exceeded our original capital campaign goal of $400,000 and total pledges now stand at $401,390! Also, thanks to your acceleration of payments we have collected over $100,000 of this amount through the end of February. Every dollar we receive early will save us interest expense on the project. We also met with the Board of Directors of the Diocese of Olympia on March 18th to formally apply for a $250,000 bridge loan from the Diocese's building fund. We received approval, and will now avoid having to seek a loan from a bank at a much higher rate. We estimate the bridge loan will save us $10,000 - $15,000 in interest and fees versus a bank loan and we are thankful that the Diocese has given us this show of support for St. Michael's and our building project. Brian Olsavsky During the Visioning process for St Michael’s we:
The new building is on the horizon. This past Sunday parishioners evaluated how these additional facilities will help us accomplish this Vision by focusing on four key areas: Teen programs, Music programs, Outreach and Properties.
To participate in realizing these Action Plans, see the contacts below. The Teen Action Plan Brad Jaarocki (425) 392-3215
Properties and New Construction Action Plan David Norris (425) 392-3215
Music Program Action Plan Priscilla Kaufmann (425) 392-3215
Outreach Action Plan David Korpi (425) 392-3215
Once again, the Issaquah community and volunteers from St. Michaels have been recognized for their generosity and support for our neighbors in the Tent City community. The welcoming spirit of these volunteers has been noted in articles in the Issaquah newspaper and the Tent City website. Please contact Eli Maupin if you would like more information about volunteer opportunities at Tent City. Right now there is a need for drivers (to dentist and doctor appointments, etc.) and specific needs will be posted on the Tent City website as they come up. Please see http://tentcity4.info/ for more information. St. Michael's will be hosting another Tent City dinner on Saturday April 10. A sign up sheet for items needed for the dinner and volunteers to cook and serve will be posted downstairs at church. Volunteers can drop off items at church anytime and will meet to cook around 4 pm and leave St. Michael's to deliver and serve dinner at 5:30 pm. Young people are welcome. Please contact Deborah Bellam at email@stmichaels-issaquah.org or (425) 392-3215 if you have questions or would like to help. This is a good opportunity to converse with and support the struggling but hopeful and diverse group of people that are our neighbors in Tent City. I would also like to deliver a load of books to Tent City. If you have books you would like to donate, you can deliver them to me or leave them downstairs with the Tent City sign up sheets. St. Michael's Sunday School children put together 100 care packages to be delivered to Tent City! The children were led by Katie Breuel and assisted by St. Michael's teens. Thank you to everyone who donated everything from soap , washcloths, shampoo, toothbrushes and other personal hygiene items to snacks, and sewing kits! Thank you for your support! Debby Bellam Return to topLadies Tea April 11, 2010 (Family Connections) Attention all Ladies of St. Michael and All Angels, you are invited to a multi-generational Tea on April 11th from 2:00 pm to approximately 4:00 pm. This will be a wonderful time for young ladies to hear stories of when our elders were growing up and to get to know one another better on a social level. You will receive an invitation and we ask that you RSVP so that we can plan for the appropriate amount of refreshments. We are looking for forward to seeing you all there. If you would like to assist in any way, please contact: Lorrie LaBranche; Kayleen Norris; Susan Olsavsky; or Lori Birrell at (425) 392-3215. Already ushering at 10:30? Interested in ushering? There will be a 10 minute refresher right after the 10:30 Eucharist on Sunday April 18. Come get your skills tuned up for a great spring welcoming and guiding people through worship. Remember, be on time...if you're 10 minutes late you'll miss it! Questions? Contact Carolyn Lukens at (425) 392-3215. 3rd Annual Mother’s Day Brunch at St. Michael’s Men of St. Michael’s it’s time again to honor the beloved Mothers of St. Michael’s. We will be having a special Mother’s Day Brunch on May 9th. There will be a Continental style brunch following the 8:00 am service, and a full brunch after the 10:30 am service. This has become a great tradition, and we hope to make it even better for 2010. Help is needed. Please reach out to Dave Korpi to let him know you can help. You can reach him at (425) 392-3215 or email@stmichaels-issaquah.org. Future Friends is back by popular demand! This is a great way to get to know folks at St. Michael's in a social setting. Small groups of people are formed based on similar ages or interest. Then you are free to schedule get-togethers that suit your schedule. You decide - kids or no kids? Games or strictly fellowship? Dinner out, or hor d'ouvres in? Contact the Fellowship committee if you haven't received an email and you want to get in on the fun! For April our lunch bunch will meet at Macky’s Dim Sum (where Sweet Additions used to be located in Gilman Village). It will be at noon on Tuesday, April 6th. Come enjoy a new experience with really great food and a lovely, friendly gathering of good friends. Call Taffy at (425) 392-3215 for reservations or information. Return to top4 Easter 11 Andy & Sabrina Brunke for Sarah’s first Birthday 18 Open – Altar Guild 25 Pauline Harris - for the anniversary of David & Pauline Harris Return to top
On going items:
Sunday Eucharist ~ 8 am and 10:30 am Wednesday 10:0 0 am ~ Holy Eucharist 10:45 am ~ Bible Study Thursday 7:30 pm ~ Choir Practice Saturday 9:30 am ~ Altar Guild
1st 7:00 pm ~ The Last Supper
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