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The Almanac

February 2016

Celebrating and Sharing God’s Love ~~~~~~~~~~

LENT

2

In exactly two weeks from today I am having a complete knee replace-ment. It was originally scheduled for last November, but rescheduled for February. Now I’m just thinking, I want this behind me. However, I’m thankful for the last three months. I have been walking more each day, with the help of a cumbersome knee brace and trying to lose weight. I’m not where I want to be yet, but down about 28 pounds since Thanksgiving. I decided that 300 was only a good score in bowling. I am really thankful for a wonderful spouse that cooks nutritious food that fits my diet.

About thirty years ago I had laser surgery on my knee following a basketball injury that rein-jured an already ailing knee. I asked the surgeon after the operation how my knee looked. He told me that I had the knee of a 75 year old man, and then walked away, (not so good at bed-side manners). Everyone one of us gets bruised up in this life. That’s just how it works, and the more years we put on our bodies the more we get bruised. One of my goals this year is to be more sensitive to the hurts and bruises of others.

I talked and prayed with a lady in Wells Park two days ago that was recently diagnosed with inoperable cancer. Her doctor told her to prepare for the end of her life. She and her husband live in their car. They are faithful attenders at the Welcome Church. I have other friends that are suffering with forms of cancer. Some of us suffer with severe aches and pains, and some-times we just learn to live with a new normal. We all have friends or loved ones that also suf-fer emotional and mental trauma. Yesterday I talked and prayed for a man that suffers from a mental illness.

Sometimes I get frustrated because I can’t fix things or come up with the right answers for people that are suffering. But, one thing we can do is to be present when others are suffering or going through difficult times. We can’t always fix what is broken, but we can walk beside our brothers and sisters in their time of need. That’s what pastoral care is all about, and that is what we are all called to do, to share the burdens of others, to care for one another.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is from 1 John. I memorized this passage years ago from the King James Version. so forgive me for the old English, “Beloved let us love one an-other. For love is of God, and everyone that loveth knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God for God is love. Beloved let us love one another.” (1 John 4:7-8)

I wish you all a meaningful Lenten season.

Father Dave

From the Rector’s Pen - Caring for One Another

11

Wardens & Vestry

Mike Park ~ Sr. Warden

Sandy Park ~ Jr. Warden

Victoria Mayor ~ Secretary

Sharon Laraene ~ Vestry Member

Mary Zori ~ Vestry Member

Brad Cook ~ Vestry Member

Marlo McVicker ~ Vestry Member

St Alban’s Leadership

Staff

Father Dave Madsen ~ Rector

619-444-8212, padredavid1@gmail.com

Office hours: T-F, 9am-1pm, afternoons by appt. only

Denise Cote~ Assistant to Rector/Office Manager; 619-444-8212 , dcote@stalbanschurch.info

Office hours: T-F, 9am-1pm

Renee Brown ~ Music Director/ Organist

Caroline Mahon-Hurd~ Sunday School Director Brad Cook ~ Communication Director

Victoria Mayor ~ Social Media Director

Penny Park~ Bookkeeper

Judy Brown—Treasurer

Joy Knight~ Refugee Ministry Coordina-tor

Worship & Learn With Us:

Sunday 9:30 am - Worship Service with Holy

Eucharist & Sunday School

Wednesday 5:15pm— Eucharist Service

10

~ cont. from pg. 9 ~ A dashiki-clad gospel choir from a Philadelphia Episcopal church sang its rocking rendition of Bill Gaither’s “He Touched Me.” Piscataway Indians drummed and chanted as 150 bish-ops processed into the cathedral and Scriptures were later read in Spanish and Lakota. Catho-lic, Jewish and Muslim faith leaders took turns offering prayers of blessing for Curry. In his sermon, in which he quoted Charles Dickens, Bobby McFerrin (“Don’t worry, be hap-py”), and Jesus, Curry gave a new interpretation of the Good Samaritan story. He noted that a Muslim might be the one to care for a person in need. “Or change it even more: A police of-ficer was beaten and wounded and it was an African-American young man or a Latino young man or woman who brought healing,” he said. At the same convention where Curry was elected, the Episcopal Church voted to make mar-riage liturgies available to same-sex couples across the church while protecting the con-science of clergy who oppose such ceremonies. A supporter of LGBT rights, Curry has said he nevertheless intends to keep his denomination open to those who may not share his perspective. “I really do believe that when Jesus said ‘go make disciples of all nations,’ ‘all’ really meant all,” he told Religion News Service in a recent interview. “That means traditionalists and pro-gressives.”

The Rev. Todd R. Dill, rector of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Waxhaw, N.C., was among the theologically conservative Episcopalians who attested to Curry’s inclusive nature. Though he and Curry differ on the issue of marriage, he said they agree on feeding the hungry, caring for the marginalized and preaching the gospel.

“I believe that Bishop Curry’s fervor for the Lord has shaped his faith and his leadership and has uniquely positioned him as a unifying and reconciling voice during these deeply divided times,” said Dill. “He has done that in North Carolina and it is my prayer that he can help bring this sense of unity to our national church and our international communion.

3

From the treasurer’s Vault

Betty Johnsen Featured Artist!

St Alban’s own Betty Johnsen will be the featured artist at Foothills Gallery on the following dates:

February 13, 16, 20, and 27

From 11am to 4:30pm

You are invited! Please come and show your support of Betty’s delightful works on any of the dates mentioned at:

Porter Hall Gallery 4910 Memorial Dr

La Mesa, CA

4

Februar y 2016

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 MASS

8:30am

Refugee Food

Distribution

Ministry10am

3 English Tu-

toring 3:45-

5pm

Eucharist

5:15pm

4

Sewing Sisters

10 am

5 6

7 Worship 9:30

Stewardship Sun

Planned Giving

forum at coffee

hour

8 9

SHROVE TUES

PANCAKE

DINNER 5PM-

7PM

10

ASH WEDNES-

DAY Noon &

6PM Service

11

Sewing Sisters

10 am

12

13

14

Worship 9:30

15

Presidents Day

16 MASS

8:30am

Refugee Food

Distribution

Ministry10am

17 English

Tutoring 3:45-

5pm

Eucharist

5:15pm

18

Sewing Sisters

10 am

19

20

21

Worship 9:30

22 23

24 English

Tutoring 3:45-

5pm

Eucharist

5:15pm

25

Sewing Sisters

10 am

26

27

28

Worship 9:30

Welcome Church

& Meal 3pm

29

9

News About Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

WASHINGTON (RNS) After knocking loudly three times on the door of the Washington National Cathedral, Bishop Michael Curry was installed as the new presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church Sunday (Nov. 1), the first African-American to lead the 2.5 million-member denomination.

Curry preached on how his father was moved to become an Episcopalian after watching a church welcome his then-fiancee to drink from the common Communion cup in the often-segregated 1940s.

“The Holy Spirit has done evangelism and racial reconciliation before in the Episcopal Church,” he told a congregation of almost 2,500. But he added: “God is not finished with this church. God has work for us to do. Jesus has shown us the way and we are the Jesus move-ment, so my brothers and sisters, walk together, children, don’t you get weary.”

The service of almost three hours encompassed the traditions of the church and the diversity Curry, 62, is encouraging it to embrace. He was elected during an unprecedented first ballot at the church’s General Convention this summer after serving 15 years as bishop of the Epis-copal Diocese of North Carolina.

When church leaders, including his predecessor, Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, welcomed him into the door of the cathedral, Curry declared himself a “child of God, baptized in St. Si-mon of Cyrene Church,” the Maywood, Ill., congregation where his father served as a priest. He then used boxwood fronds to sprinkle the worshippers with holy water to remind them of their baptism. Instrumentalists later played Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man.”

~cont. on pg. 10 ~

Bishop Michael Bruce Curry stands with Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori after his Installation cere-mony, at the Washington National Cathedral, in Washington, November 1, 2015. Curry becomes the first African-American Episcopal presiding bishop, after previously serving as Bishop of North Caro-lina. Photo courtesy REUTERS/Mike Theiler

8

Rev. Sharon’s Thoughts Upon Wrestling

with the Word of God

As reported in “From Stone to Living Water”,

by Debbie Blue

From James Alison, British Theologian,, and Catholic priest,

“Faith is belief in an Other coming towards us and

transforming us. It depends upon the reliability of the Other.

Not so much about what we do, but what the Other is doing in us. Undergoing

something at the hands of the Other that enables us to live differently. “

Like some of the following:

Knowing who our neighbor is.

Loving our neighbor.

Loving our God—the Other—in a fuller way.

Listening with more openness.

What do you think?

5

The Round Up …. A note from Father

Build With Care

Last week we had our annual church meeting. There is not enough time to go into details at annual meetings, but there are some exciting things that have happened this year at St. Al-ban’s; things that have to do with structure. There are many different pictures of the church in the letters of the New Testament, but there are two pictures I’d like to draw your attention to. The first is the church pictured as an organic body, “the multi-membered Body of Christ”. (Ephesians 4:12; 1 Corinthians 12:27)

The second is a picture of a structure, an organic building. “God is building a house. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home”. (Ephesians 2:19-22, Message)

When I see structural growth in the church I am encouraged. Structure means you’re getting things ready for healthy growth. It is something that may not be visible to the naked eye, just as the organic Body of Christ is not always visible, but in this building we are compared to stones being built into the structure where we fit best, and it’s a moving structure of “lively stones”. (1Peter 2:5)

In the time of Christ and the early church, the foundation stone used in masonry was the most important stone. All the other stones were put into place using the foundation stone as the measure to work out from. Builders know that the foundation of a house or building is essen-tial. Everything must be level, and then you build on that. Without a solid foundation there will be problems with the structure. This symbol for the church calls for wise development. We want to be wise builders.

We know at the end of the day we can turn our responsibilities over to God, because the church does not belong to us, but we are entrusted as stewards, and we are told to be careful about how we build. The Apostle Paul says each builder should build with care, and use the right building materials. (1 Cor. 3:10-13).

We are called to use our resources, time and talent to build so that we can minister more ef-fectively. The church is not just intended to do mission, but we are a mission of God located in El Cajon. If we have the right structure we can be equipped for new growth in our in-creased ministry to the homeless, marginalized and to the newly arrived refugees. We also want to be a witness to our neighbors in the houses and apartments around this neighbor-hood. Adding good structure will facilitate future growth.

I believe this is what we are being led to do, and my prayer is that at the end of 2016, just as in 2015, we can again say, “this was a good year for St. Alban’s Church in El Cajon”.

Blessings, Father Dave

6

Dear Ones, We live in a complex world with great divisions. Religion, race, culture and disparity in wealth are sources of fear, contention, and violence. Within this context primates of the worldwide Anglican Communion gather this week. It is a blessing that these leaders have affirmed relationship, that they "would walk together in the grace and love of Christ. [The statement] acknowledges the significant distance that remains but confirms their unanimous commitment to walk together." The statement then focuses on the Episcopal Church and our recent decisions pertaining to same-sex marriage. The Primates ask that "the Episcopal Church no longer represent us on ecumenical and interfaith bodies, should not be appointed or elected to an internal standing committee and that while participating in the internal bodies of the Anglican Communion, they will not take part in decision making on any issues pertaining to doctrine or polity." I struggle to understand how this helps us to "walk together." In this Sunday's epistle, the apostle Paul writes, "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." I firmly believe that all parts of the communion have much to teach each other. The Episcopal Church is making an important and painful witness to the Anglican Communion about human sexuality. I pray that in the end walking together will prevail over the forces of division. In that spirit, we will strive to stay in relationship. We will also authentically follow Jesus in fearless love that trans-cends boundaries and borders. Faithfully,

7

Sunday School News By Caroline Mahon-Hurd

Our Sunday school will be preparing the children for Lent. The children will be receiving a

Lenten devotional titled, Upon this Tree and during holy week the children will be making

Resurrection Eggs devotionals. Once Lent begins we will be asking for donations of plastic

Easter eggs, wrapped candy, and small toys for our annual Easter Egg Hunt. We will be

partnering with the First Presbyterian Church for this wonderful event. The Easter Egg

Hunt will be on Easter Sunday following the Sunday church service.

I like to thank Duncan Richart for his great video that he took for our Christmas Pageant. If

you haven’t had a chance to see this video you can watch it on either the St-Albans-

church.org or St. Alban’s Episcopal Church facebook page. Below are a couple pictures

from our Epiphany Sunday school celebration that was held on January 10, 2016.