Thoughts on the season

As some of you know, I was gone the weekend of the 13th and 14th of this month for the graduations of two of my grandchildren, Randall lll (Master of Social Work at Appalachian State University), and Sarah Jane (Bachelor of Science in Nursing, cum laude,  at Western Carolina University). It was a bittersweet experience, remembering their mother,  Elissa, who received her MSW just months before she died in 2017, and their grandfather, the Rev. John K Earl, MD, who had died just two months prior, were examples and beloved mentors to them.

So, joy and sadness intermingled, and there were tears of both kinds in our large extended, blended families as we took up more than two rows in the places of celebration. I had a slide show running in my head as we waited for our children's names to be called....all of the milestones along the way in the past 26 years , the challenges,  the many celebrations leading up to this one, and the journey through loss and grief in their teenage years. Their own search for spiritual formation and support during that time, yielded a church more targeted toward young people, a place where they could grieve, a place where the other parishioners were not actively grieving their own loss of the same person, a place a bit less restrained and a bit more spontaneous (they had a band). While their roots are in the Episcopal Church, they have ventured into another tradition, and it has served them well on their journeys so far. God, who loves us, works everywhere, through all things for good.

As the young people we have reared and love line up to receive their just rewards from the work of preparing themselves for  work and a life beyond the one we have shared thus far, let us trust them to find their passion, and use it to respond to the needs of the world. Also, to find the community that feeds them best during this time of transition, let us clap as loudly for that as we do for the honors they have earned.

Sarah Jane will be welcoming new souls into this life as a Mother/Baby nurse, and Randall is giving very serious consideration to being a hospice social worker, among other choices before him.

Well done, my precious ones, well done. Thanks be to God.

--Kathy Gray

"I think he's realizing there's more than one way to spread the gospel."

On April 22 I had the pleasure of joining some friends to attend a concert downtown at the Downing Gross Cultural Arts center. Samara Joy, a two-time grammy award winning jazz singer, was the headlining artist for the Ella Fitzgerald Festival taking place that weekend. Samara has mind-blowing talent and skill, especially for someone who is only 24 years old. Her performance was compared to Ella herself, quite high praise!

The whole evening took on even greater importance for me a few days later when I heard Terry Gross’s interview with Samara Joy on NPR’s Fresh Air. Samara grew up in the church. That is where she learned to love music and where her church family encouraged her and her tremendous gifts. Of course, as someone who works in church music, I was eating this story up!
 
Samara’s parents and grandparents are gifted musicians as well. For her family, music is church, and church is music. In fact, especially for her grandparents, music only belonged in the church.
 
“I remember a story of my grandfather, who is 92,” Samara told Terry Gross. “I just talked to him the other day. He actually got… a recording contract to sing opera. And [my grandmother] threw it in the garbage because at that time it was church or nothing - sacred, no secular.”
 
Terry Gross (and I!) were both fascinated by this story. “Did that carry over to you,” Gross asked, “that they didn't want you to sing secular music?”
 
“Yeah, my grandfather was definitely hesitant about it at first. Even with me going to school, it's like, music doesn't belong in school. It belongs in the church,” Samara said. But, “I think now it's safe to say he's come around…. I think he's realizing there's more than one way to spread the gospel.”
 
I was cooking dinner as I listened to this interview, and I set down my spatula so I could “Amen!” that last quote. More than one way to spread the Gospel! I hope that is as encouraging for you to hear as it is for me. As you head out the doors from church each Sunday morning, I hope you are filled with all the love and encouragement you need for you to spread God’s love in everything you do, whether explicitly or implicitly. Let the church say Amen!
 
-Ginny Chilton

Serve in the Spirit's power

We have come through all the whirlwind of Holy Week, with Maundy Thursday’s foot washing, Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist, and stripping of the altar; the agony of Good Friday’s cross, and now finding ourselves in the throes of what is called the Great Fifty Days: the fifty days of the season of Easter, between Easter Sunday and the Day of Pentecost (meaning “fiftieth day”), which is on May 28^th this year.  You may recall that, based on the story from the Book of Acts that we hear that day (when “all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability”), some of our scripture is read in different languages.

The Holy Spirit is probably the least understood aspect of our Trinitarian understanding of the nature of God and, depending on your background, often either something to be feared or something that is a travesty that we do not embrace more fully.  To over-simplify it, the Holy Spirit is simply God’s continuing presence among us that makes us who we are as people of faith and empowers the faith community to serve in God’s name.

Wouldn’t it be great during this time of increasing division in our communities if, serving in the Holy Spirit’s power, we lived more deeply into our Baptismal Covenant promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons or, as we hear in Revelation (7:9), to serve those “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” who were counted as worthy to stand before God’s throne?  In these remaining Great Fifty Days, as we anticipate the day (and season) of Pentecost’s Holy Spirit, pray to embrace more fully God’s active presence among us as we seek to serve all people in the Spirit’s power.

-Marc

Bill Wilds preparing to retire... but not leave (phew!)

Dear friends,

After much thought and prayer, Bill Wilds has decided to retire from his paid position at St. Andrew’s on December 31 of this year—after 23 years and 3½ months on staff!  (But who’s counting?!  😊) The good news for us is that Bill is not leaving St. Andrew’s; he is simply stepping out of the role of parish employee while continuing on as an active and beloved parishioner.  I am so grateful for his long and faithful ministry as a staff member here—and particularly for his gift of foresight, which helps us move smoothly from one church season to the next.
 
We will honor Bill with a festive retirement celebration on December 17 after the 10:30 service.  Rachel Roby is the point person for that event, and she will let us know how we can help.  This fall we will collect a purse for Bill, along with personal notes of appreciation.  (Stay tuned for more information about the festivities and gifts.
 
Meanwhile, much is going on behind the scenes as we prepare for this big change in our staffing.  Technically, Bill’s position is “Liturgical Assistant,” but as you have undoubtedly observed, he is involved in many, many other ministries here.  Bill produced for me a two-page single-spaced list(!!) of duties he carries out that were not on his original job description.  He and I have been meeting for several months to discern how best to ensure that crucial ministries are carried forward
 
We will not be hiring a new staff member.  Now that Cary Kelly is serving as our Parish Business Manager, she has been able to remove from Ann Turner’s plate some finance and insurance duties that Ann graciously took on when our finance administrator retired last summer.  Upon Bill’s retirement, Ann will take on Bill’s paperwork duties (preparation of bulletins, newsletters, mailings, etc).
 
Since many of the tasks Bill is laying down are ministries that are more typically carried out by parishioners volunteering their time and talent, we are seeking such volunteers.  (Read more in the following article.)  Bill himself plans to transition to serving as our volunteer sacristan at the 10:30 service, helping to coordinate the flow of service.  
 
I am so grateful to Bill for his labors of love in this place, and I look forward to continuing to work alongside him in the months to come.  Please join me in holding Bill in your prayers as he prepares for retirement. 
 
Blessings.  -Anne

Big shoes (Bill’s) to fill:  How you can help…
As Bill and I continue to meet and talk about which ministries need volunteer leadership, I will pass along that information.  Here is one important ministry in need of leadership:
 
Acolytes:  Crucifers, torchbearers, gospel-bearers—the ministry of youth and adult acolytes is a special part of our liturgical tradition, adding reverence and beauty to our worship.  We are looking for someone to take on the leadership of this ministry, which includes recruiting, training, and scheduling acolytes; and preparing for the annual acolyte recognition.  Bill Wilds is standing by to help train the new leader.  (You??)  Please contact Bill if you can help.