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The
East Range Epistle
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From Cynthia A Duquette The contractor was sorry to see
his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house
as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy
to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship
and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his
career. What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well. So it is with us. We build our
lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to
put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the
job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we
have created and find that we are now living in the house we have
built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently. Think
of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you
hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is
the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one
day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity.
A plaque on my wall says, “Life is a do-it-yourself project.”
Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your
attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the
result of your attitudes and the choices you make today. Cynthia A. Duquette sent this article over the Internet in 1999. She resides in Alexandria, VA. Cynthia’s article was used in lieu of an article from St. John’s, which was not received. |
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On a Pilgrimage to the Holy
With crowds of millennial Pentecost pilgrims, I toured the Holy Lands – Bethlehem, Nazareth, Galilee, Jerusalem, and more. Tourists and pilgrims, more sightseeing and souvenirs than prayers. People trying to walk where Jesus walked and to buy trinkets that Jesus’ first disciples never imagined.
In a boat on the Sea of Galilee, wading in the Jordan River, or walking the streets of Jerusalem, I wonder why I made the journey. To find sermon examples? To buy books and icons? To find new understanding? To walk in Jesus’ footsteps?
I confess a faith not only in Jesus, a man who lived in particular place at a particular time long past, but also in the real presence of Christ in the lives of those who love him. I believe God’s presence is as real back home in the liturgy, the ladies guild, or the nursing home as it is in the Holy Lands. If I can’t meet Jesus on the Iron Range, I’m unlikely to find him in Jerusalem. So why not stay home?
Yet I visit the traditional places of pilgrimage. I go to both the Garden Tomb and the Holy Sepulchre, knowing that both can’t be the place where Jesus was buried and that possibly neither is, in actual historical fact, where the broken body of Jesus of Nazareth was laid. Yet both places are somehow overwhelmingly holy. I do the tourist thing with the cameras. I do the prayer thing, too, pausing to touch the cold stone. There are verses echoing in my heart, something memorized long ago. But it is not scripture.
If you came this way,
Taking any route, starting from anywhere,
At any time or at any season,
It would always be the same: you would have to put off
Sense and notion. You are not here to verify,
Instruct yourself, or inform curiosity
Or carry report. You are here to kneel
Where prayer has been valid ....
Touching the stone. Touching the prayers of the multitudes. The factual is
suddenly set aside whether Jesus’ body was laid here or there no
longer matters what matters is that in these places prayer has been valid.
In community – the community of faith and the communion of saints –
through prayer, this place is holy. At both the Holy Sepulchre and at the Garden
Tomb, the empty tomb of the resurrection is real and present in spirit and in
truth.
In pilgrimage one meets the Holy in spirit and in truth, whether in Bethlehem’s
Church of the Nativity or an Eveleth convenience store. I am profoundly blessed
to have been to the Holy Lands where I touched and was touched by the prayers
of so many faithful pilgrims. And I am profoundly blessed to return home again.
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Peace!
(Both quotations are from T.S. Eliot’s Little Gidding)
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East
Range Churches' News |
The Practice of the Presence of God:
August 30 - September 1 (Tuesday-Thursday) at Ginny McBride’s cabin
on Sand Lake
led by Pat Gillespie
Journeying with Saints in the Wilderness,
led by Pat Gillespie and Sue Spencer
September 20-23 (Tuesday-Friday)
in the Boundary Waters:
Save the dates and please let Pat know ASAP if you want to attend one of these
events. Space is limited.
Do you have a pilgrimage story or pictures you’d like to share in October? Let Pat know.
Remember those essays at the start of the school year? Do you have a story
you’d like to share with your church family? The Seekers group is having
a series of pilgrimages - travels to find your roots, travels to learn and grow,
not necessarily summer or this year. Ginny McBride and daughters Catherine and
Laura went to Italy last summer. Pat will dig out her slide show of the Holy
Lands at the turn of the millennium. Check the Seekers Schedule for dates. Call
Pat if you’d like your pilgrimage to be part of the series in October.
(See some photos elsewhere in the Epistle.)
Saturday, September 17 at Beaglewood Farm.
5:00 Gathering
5:30 St. Mary’s Holy Eucharist
6:00 Chuckwagon Dinner
7:00 Barn Dance with “Home on the Range”
Carol Draper and Linda Davis could use some help with the cooking on Friday
and Saturday. Please call Linda at 218-744-5484 any evening between 6 and 8
pm if you can help. Thanks!
Bill Shimmin entered the resurrection life on June 26.
Brian and Michele Smith were married at St. John’s on July 23.
Jon and Teresa Lanyk were married at St. Paul’s on July 30.
Environmental Stewardship Commission
The Environmental Stewardship Commission
will be meeting at St. Edward the Confessor Episcopal Church, Duluth, on Sept
30 and Oct 1. The meeting will cover the Mary Catherine Brown House and
preparations for Diocesan Convention. If you are interested in attending, talk
with Chuck Morello. Additional details are on their website:
www.env-steward.com
Deadline for input to the October 2005 issue of The East Range Epistle is Wednesday, September 14, 2005 to your congregational contact. Processing is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, September 21.
Epistle Contribution Schedule
The schedule for the lead article
for the next three issues of The
East Range Epistle is:
Please keep the article to 400 to 500 words
and send it to the lead article to Carol
or Chuck Morello. Deadline is the
same as for the regular Epistle
production.
Getting Input to the Epistle
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Preparation of the Epistle
is time-consuming.
The following guidelines will ease the work burden on those involved:
1. All
submissions must be in electronic
format
(RTF, MS-Word, WordPerfect, Wordpad, Notepad, or as text inside an
e-mail).
Non electronic format materials must go through your congregation’s
EpistleContact: |
2.
Deadlines have been established to
make it possible
for you to receive the Epistle
before the new month
starts. The
Epistle goes to the
printer on the
Monday before the “folders, spindlers, and
mutilators”
process it. Input received late may not be printed. 3. If you wish to help with the production of the Epistle, please contact Pat (218-638-1206). 4. If you wish to help with the editing of the Epistle, please contact Carol or Chuck Morello (218-744-1615) |
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St. John's
News (Submitted by Jane Kingston) |
Special Blessing and Challenge at St. John’s!
Prayers have been answered! An anonymous angel has stepped forward and offered a $2,000 contribution, if matching funds over and above pre-existing pledges are received before the year’s end – what a golden, inspiring opportunity and how blessed we are! Please don’t let one penny of this extraordinary gift slip past us – any little bit you can offer will help us reach this goal. Please designate your donation “Special 2005 Matching Gift” in order to qualify. We really can do it, with God’s help!!
Reminders and Notices
+ Brief recap of the Crisis Survey: Out of eight future direction options,
the three most popular were: Reduce Expenses, Increase Income, and Revert to
Supply Clergy. The other five options included: Continue as is while spending
down savings, Drop out of 3-point, Be declared a distressed parish, Merge with
Saint Paul’s, and Go to Total Ministry. Therefore, a lot of creative thinking
and work lies ahead. The complete recap and summary will be posted on the church
bulletin board. Congregants are reminded that while they are always welcome
at all Vestry meetings, they are particularly invited to the September 6 meeting
when the results of the Crisis Survey will be analyzed and action taken. The
Vestry will be relying heavily on survey responses in determining Saint John’s
future direction.
+ We are in need of a Lay Reader on Sunday, October 30, which is also the Diocesan
Convention weekend. A volunteer would be appreciated so very much!
+ A member is desperately needed to serve as our annual Diocesan Convention
delegate during the last weekend in October. Please consider volunteering for
this critical opening!
St. John’s Thank You’s
+ We thank Ginny McBride, John McIntosh, and Chuck Morello of Saint Paul’s
and to Linda Davis for their generous talents in lay reading and delivering
sermons at our church this year – you are great!
+ Many thanks to Megan Hagberg, our summer organist, and to Lauren DePaulis,
our groundskeeper – we value your efforts!
+ From Linda Davis to the “White Blouse Angel:” Thank you very much
– you know who you are!
+ Saint John’s thanks everyone in our community who has offered help, ideas,
constructive criticism, concern, and prayers towards helping us come to grips
with our critical situation. It has made a difference and we are deeply fortunate
and grateful to all our friends!!
St. Vestry Notes
July 19, 2005:
+ The Treasurer’s report for June ‘05 was approved as presented. Expenditures
were $2,409.45 and receipts were $1669.73, resulting in a $739.72 monthly deficit.
YTD actual disbursements are $16,782 while YTD receipts are $11,428. Checking
account balance is $8,617.16.
+ Thanks to Dick Harvey, Erickson Fund documentation has been located and will
be distributed appropriately.
+ Congregational Crisis Meeting summary/recap has been completed and was distributed.
Vestry members will digest and come prepared to thoroughly analyze and act upon
it at next meeting.
+ If not applied towards a baptismal pitcher or heavy-duty snow shovel, Joanne
Nichols prefers the balance of Art’s memorial be applied towards operating
expenditures.
+ Tom will set up the 2003 and 2004 financial audits with Rae Lynne Koivu and
Dick Borgstrom.
+ Vestry approved use of basement for small IRR Partners’ Advisory Committee
meeting if needed.
+ A wonderful challenge has been issued to St. John’s: an anonymous donor
will contribute $2000 if matching funds are raised over and above current pledges
between now and the year’s end!! Thank you, thank you!! Let’s all
make every effort not to let this windfall go to waste!!
+ A delegate is still needed to represent St. John’s at the Annual Diocesan
Convention the last weekend in October. Gail Hallstrom will contact Liz Lenich
about it.
Rector’s Report:
+ Mother Pat again commended the vestry for its proactive work in taking a realistic
view of our current situation and thoughtfully preparing options. She is proud
of us!
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St. Mary's
News (Submitted by Mary Groeninger) |
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St. Paul's News |
I hope you are all doing well at selling your raffle tickets. If you have full books sold, please give the money and ticket stubs to me. Thanks for your support and if anyone needs additional books please see me for more tickets.
Peace, Cheryl Killien
Unofficial Minutes of the Vestry Meeting of July 12:
Planning Committee:
Calendar events:
Potluck to honor Larry & Joanne LaPatka — August 9
Next 3-point vestry meeting — September 13
Annual picnic and barn dance — September 17
3-point budget meeting — November 22
Outreach:
Magic Penny, ECW, and an outside donor had supplied a cancer patient with
funds to pay her electric bill and another woman with enough to prevent
the shutting off of her water.
Building and Grounds:
A misunderstanding about who was to contact Sand Lake Excavating has delayed
action on the basement leak. David said he would contact Gail Coon about
it.
Restoration:
Marlene reported that at long last the new stained glass windows are in.
The possibility of having the designer and craftsman discuss their creation
with the congregation was discussed.
Finance:
1) A date for mutual church audits still has not been set.
2) Tickets for the 2005 Ham Dinnerwill be $8.00 and $4.00.
Rector’s Report:
1) Pat announced upcoming ordinations at Hermantown
2) She said after the current adult education program on spiritual paths,
she would like to have one featuring current trips and learning adventures
by members, and then, perhaps, a program on teaching World Religion courses
for which she has some VCR tapes.
3) She announced that on September 14 there will be an event at Mesabi
Range College at which various churches can present their messages to students.
Treasurers’ Reports:
1) JoAnne presented the 3-point treasurer’s report.
2) Rae Lynne had supplied copies of the treasurer’s report for St.
Paul’s for the members to consider.
Old Business:
1) Pat asked who was responsible for “thank you’s” for memorial
gifts. It was suggested she ask Pam McIntosh.
2) It was decided to post the spread sheet on who was doing various church
jobs that Cheryl had prepared.
New Business:
Tom Walton had called with concerns about our columbarium.
1) It presently has only a loose piece of stone over the opening.
2) It lacks any indicator of whose cremains are within it.
3) The church has no clear record of whose cremain are interred there.
4) Some re-grouting needs to be done.
The vestry showed concern over these problems. Joanne offered to consult
with Larry (who supplied the materials and built the columbarium) about
these matters. At present the vestry favors a bronze plaque which can be
removed for additional names to be attached to the monument. There will
be further discussion.
Announcements:
Cheryl reported on the diocesan budget conference she attended. She said
the budget picture is rather bleak largely because a significant number
of churches are not paying their fair share.
Unofficial Minutes of the Vestry Meeting of Aug 9:
Planning Committee:
Calendar events:
Next 3-point vestry meeting — September 13
Annual chuckwagon dinner and barn dance — September 17
Blessing of animals — October 2
Region II meeting at St. Paul’s — October 8
T.E.C. at St. Paul’s (tentative) — October 20-23
3-point budget meeting — November 22
Outreach:
1) Bev’s Magic Penny is low on funds. $300 of Outreach Funds were allocated
to Magic Penny.
2) David mentioned that the Anysoldier.com organization to provide for soldiers’
needs was being supported locally with a fundraiser on September 10. He
said St. Paul’s might support the effort with an outreach allocation
to the fundraiser and by individual contributions of items soldiers need.
St. Paul’s will provide $250 to help with postage costs and collect
needed items each Sunday through September 4.
Building and Grounds:
Will and Gail are still looking into remedies for the rain leaking into
the basement.
Restoration:
Marlene reported that the inside windows for the back of the church are
about done. She said we need doorknobs and about 20 folding chairs for the
downstairs work and grab bars for the upstairs bathroom. She shared with
the vestry models for memorial plaques for restoration contributors.
Finance:
1) Mutual church audits are to be conducted on August 13.
2) David announced that Carol Draper had agreed to be Ham Dinner chair again
this year.
Rector’s Report:
1) Pat suggested that she, Ginny McBride, ECW members, and anyone else interested
go through church possessions and make a preliminary decision about what
may be discarded. A one month notice to all members of the items marked
to be discarded will give everyone a chance to save items before they are
actually removed. The vestry agreed to the idea.
2) She stated the members’ directory was still in progress but nearing
completion.
3) She clarified as policy that no one is to be asked to officiate at any
service for St. Paul’s except by her.
Treasurers’ Reports:
1) Joanne presented the 3-point treasurer’s report.
2) Rae Lynne presented the treasurer’s report for St. Paul’s for
the members to consider.
Old Business:
1) The vestry agreed to the estimates for anticipated expenses for our delegate
at the Diocesan Convention.
2) In anticipation of St. John’s decisions about their future directions,
Pat wished to make clear her wish to stay with the East Range churches until
retirement. She cannot accept a reduction in time if she continues to serve
all three churches as at present. If St. John’s decides to use supply
clergy, she may consider a 2/3 appointment.
New Business: .
1) Will is looking into possible needed repairs on the Columbarium. The
vestry asked for estimates from Tom Walton on an opening device and on a
plaque to indicate whose cremains are contained.
2) Gail moved that the vestry approve Barbara Strickland as St. Paul’s
treasurer if after working with Rae Lynne she decides to take the position.
MS-TRAM Report
It was a great ride, thanks to everyone that supported me. This is my
first long ride, well I’ve ridden the MS 150 for 12 years but that’s
only 2 days and 150 miles, but this was 5 days and almost 300 miles. I actually
found it easier, maybe it was the extra training miles, but I think it was
mainly due to great support from my family and friends and a really comfortable
bike. Below is my description of the MS TRAM Ride:
July 25: Monday, early morning weather a cool 49, mixed sun and clouds,
high 77 degrees, 63 and raining by 7pm. Up at 4 a.m., driving to the start
by 5:20 a.m. pedaling at 6:46 a.m., off the bike at Hibbing at 11:25 am.
Route: Grand Rapids to Hibbing (Chisholm and home for us) 65.9 miles. ½
of route on Mesabi Trail, quite hilly.
July 26 Tuesday, 46 degrees and cloudy at the start, 10-20 mph NW
winds, warmed to low 70’s partly cloudy by early afternoon. Up at 5:30
a.m., on the bike at 7:17 a.m. off the bike at 11:15 a.m. Route: Chisholm
to Biwabik, 47.9 miles. ½ of route on Mesabi Trail, hilly.
July 27, Wednesday, 41 degrees and thick fog at the start, high 78
degrees, sunny, strong winds after 11 am. 90% road riding. Long and steep
continental divides to cross, not once but twice, really rough back roads
for a few miles. Up at 5:05 am on the bike at 6:05 a.m. off the bike at
1:12 p.m. Route: Biwabik (Giants Ridge) to Tower /Soudan/Lake Vermilion
and back, 63.9 miles.
July 28, Thursday, 53 degrees at the start, bright overcast day,
high 86 degrees, light cross winds until we head south when it switched
to a head wind, temp drops from 78 –69 degrees in about 10 minutes,
the breeze is off of Lake Superior. Up at 5:45 a.m. on the bike at 6:50
a.m. off the bikes at 12:48 p.m. Route: Biwabik to Two Harbors 73.7 miles,
Steady rolling hills most of the way, all road riding.
July 29, Friday, Clear, wonderful morning, crisp air, clear skies,
no wind. High 75 degrees. Riding along Lake Superior with 1300 other bikers
is great!! Up at 5:50 a.m. on the bike 7:20 a.m. off the bike at 8:59 a.m.
in Duluth, off the bike again after breakfast and a break at 10:12 am Route:
Two Harbors to Duluth, 28.9 miles. We ride back to meet our support crew,
total 40.1 miles.
Total ride is 291.5 miles in 5 days. I really enjoyed the ride, the support
and helping to fund the MS Society, its support of folks with MS and to
fund new important research.
Thanks to all who helped and supported me. So far I have pledges in the
amount of $2,150. I still have some outstanding amounts to collect
Larry Killien
p.s. if you’d like to see the full multipage story let me know.
Region II Meeting
The next Region II Meeting will be held at St. Paul’s on Saturday, October 8. Details will be in the next Epistle. This is an opportunity to obseve your Diocese at work
AnySoldier.com Benefit
On Saturday, Sept 10, the Laurentian Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring
an “AnySoldier.com Benefit” to collect supplies to create and
send 500 “care packages” for “Any Soldier”. All packages
will be sent to troops overseas and distributed to soldiers who do not normally
receive mail or care packages. Look for notices in the Mesabi Daily News
about activities on the day.
If you would like to help pack and mail all the items collected, please
contact Pam Pilney at the Laurentian Chamber of Commerce (218-741-2717)
for time and place.
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Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad, and the civilians who work with them. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be;through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Prayed each Sunday at St. Paul’s |
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Address comments on typographical errors to Chuck.