| Dragon Tales May 2008 Newsletter ofSt. George's Episcopal Church
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From the Rector: Give It 4 Good!
If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Economic stimulus checks?
We've been “hearing” about an economic downturn fueled by our habits of overconsumption in the U.S. Too much debt and high fuel prices leading to a bottoming-out of our economy—and this month, many of us who filed our taxes will receive "economic stimulus checks." We are told they are supposed to jump-start our
lagging economy by encouraging us to consume even more.
Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation (EGR) is the grassroots movement in the Episcopal Church helping to inform and resource the church (i.e., give the church the resources) for fighting extreme poverty by working toward the Millennium Development Goals. A number of our members at St. George's have been involved with EGR over the last two years, and the U2charist movement has found its larger church "home base" with EGR.
EGR is encouraging us to take the opportunity to pray carefully about how we spend these economic stimulus checks, the role of money in our lives, how our relationship with money and addiction to consumption impacts our spiritual well-being, through a campaign entitled Give It 4 Good. (See EGR article in this issue)
I hope you will consider participating in the Give It 4 Good campaign in some way. One way you can address the Millennium Development Goals locally is by supporting our local AIDS service organization, AIDS Response Seacoast (ARS)—perhaps by sponsoring the St. George's Team in the Seacoast AIDS Walk on May 4. You can make your pledge online or you can pledge in person at St. George’s. You can even register to walk, or register your favorite canine for the dog walk.
Give It 4 Good in this way will have a significant impact in the Seacoast and beyond. This year ARS has partnered with the Maine AIDS service organizations, and any money raised for the walk in Maine will be matched by the National AIDS Foundation for use in Maine!
The need is critical. The AIDS crisis is not over. There is still no cure, and there are still new infections all the time. ARS needs our support in caring for existing clients, and expanding prevention and education, so that we can reduce the number of new clients in the future.
This is just one way you might Give It 4 Good. I hope you will pray about it, and let me know where your prayer has led you.
In Christ,
Paige+
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Welcome To St. George's! by the Rev. Steve Godfrey
One of my favorite duties is welcoming and following up with individuals and families who are new to St. George’s. I love this work because this is perhaps the most important thing we do as a church—and it takes a whole community to invite and welcome others into fellowship. That’s why the vestry set up the Newcomer Integration Task Force last summer—to coordinate our efforts and to support the work of greeters, coffee hour coordination, and making newcomer packets. Pauline Cashman, Pat Kriensky, Eve Ray, Marcia Williams, Peter Blanchard and I form the task force.
When a new person, couple or family visits St. George’s, the first person they are likely to encounter, hopefully, is the greeter. Every Sunday for each of the three services we try to schedule greeters—parishioners who stand near the doors to greet everyone, with a special welcome to people they do not recognize as members. The greeters also take care of giving a newcomer packet (with all sorts of information about St. George’s and the Episcopal Church) and a loaf of banana bread to the visitor either before or after the service. Greeters stand near the doors after the service so Paige+ and I can refer newcomers to them to have some conversation. They perform one of the most important ministries in our church and we need more greeters! Often we have no one scheduled, especially at the 9:00 and 11:00 services. If you would like to be on the greeters rota, please contact Frank Jillson 384-5272 for the 7:45 service, Mark Ford 363-3454 for the 9:00 service or Pat Linscott 363-6021 for the 11:00 service.
Paige+ and I are intent on welcoming newcomers at the peace and after the service, and I encourage everyone to do the same. If you see someone near you in church whom you don’t know, introduce yourself with your name and a smile. After the service, say, “I don’t believe we’ve met.” They might be on vacation or visiting family in the area, or they might be shopping for a church and interested in your experience and love of St. George’s. (With that introduction line you won’t offend anyone who is already a member, and you might make a new friend.) We also encourage visitors to sign our guestbook with their name, address and phone number (next to the stairs in the parish hall). During the week I call and welcome them again and invite them to join me for coffee or offer to visit to talk more about St. George’s and what they are looking for. Feel free to encourage visitors to sign the book.
Another very important way that we welcome and integrate newcomers is through coffee hours. It’s always great when we can say, “Please join us for coffee.” It’s a critical opportunity for seekers to interact with us and get a sense of what an interesting, gracious and fun community we are. For coffee hour to work we need people to sign up to host, using the sign-up sheets on the kitchen doors. Individuals and families (or teams partnering up) bring treats and coordinate the weekly coffee hour after the 11:00 service and the monthly coffee hour after the 7:45 service on the first Sunday of each month. Please consider hosting a coffee hour from time to time.
Ministry groups (e.g. pastoral care, Eucharistic visitors, youth groups, Church School) coordinate the monthly All Parish Coffee Hour the first Sunday of each month at 10:00 and everyone is invited to bring treats to share. This is an especially powerful opportunity for new and continuing parishioners to connect and to learn about a ministry they might like to become involved with, which is important for integrating into the parish.
If you meet someone new to the parish, please be generous with your time and share your enthusiasm for the faith and St. George’s, and your phone number if you want. Invite newcomers to join you for coffee or lunch or play time for the kids. When we all reach out to welcome people, our congregation grows and grows and that is truly exciting to see.
In Christ,
Steve+
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Reaching For Understanding
by the Rev. Sudie Blanchard
Over the past decade or so, it’s become my practice to use the five promises in the Baptismal Covenant (BCP p. 304-5) as a kind of “examen of conscience”—a measure of how I am doing in my attempt to follow Jesus faithfully. For me, the final two commitments of the five we make at baptism—and renew every time we welcome another person into the Christian family—are the hardest to follow. Here they are:
• Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
• Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
Note the words “all persons”… “all people”…. “every human being.” There’s absolutely no wiggle room there. In the current climate of fear in this post-September 11 nation, it is all too easy to refuse to engage with those who seem different from us in looks, lifestyle and/or belief, but Christ calls us to respond in hope and expectation, rather than with fear.
If we look at ourselves with unflinching honesty, I suspect most of us will detect some prejudice lurking under the surface. I’m not proud of my own gut reaction when I first saw Muslim women working at Maine Medical Center in their burqas. I knew next to nothing about Islam, the faith that unites about 20 percent of the world’s population. I just knew that those women were different…and that I didn’t want to get to know them.
There is an organization here in York whose mission is to lessen this kind of reaction and celebrate the diversity in our community by increasing understanding and acceptance of people of different races, cultures, sexual orientation, religions, ages, and abilities.
This May at the York Public Library, the York Diversity Forum and the York High School Civil Rights Team will offer Understanding Islam, a five-part series designed to explore the rich cultural heritage offered by this faith tradition, and to make us conscious of the challenges our Muslim brothers and sisters face in this country and beyond. Be sure to save these dates:
Saturday, May 3, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. What is Islam? Bates anthropologist Heather Lindkvist will give a presentation on the basic tenants of Islam and the Koran. Since 2001, she has conducted ethnographic fieldwork among the Muslim community in Lewiston. She is also a member of an interdisciplinary research group conducting a comparative study of Islam in the United States. Discussion will follow.
Saturday, May 10, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Islam, Al Qaeda and the West. A showing of the PBS film Jihad: The Men and Ideas behind Al Qaeda. This documentary explores the ideas and beliefs that are driving modern, radical Islamic groups, and examines the challenges they pose for the Middle East and for the West. The film tells the inside story of Al Qaeda's leaders and their evolving ideology. Panel discussion will follow.
Thursday, May 15, 12 to 1:30 p.m. Global Islam: Promoting Dialogue. A filmed interview with anthropologist, writer, and film maker Prof. Akbar Ahmed, currently Chairman of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington, D.C., discussing global Islam and its impact on contemporary society. Discussion will follow.
Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Muslim Experience in America. The film Muslims in America addresses some of the common stereotypes about Islam and reveals the great diversity that is the Islamic faith. The film will be followed by a talk given by Yasmin Alani, an Iraqi Muslim who lives in New England.
Thursday, May 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Islam in Literature. York writer Sandell Morse will lead a discussion of Leila Ahmed’s memoir, A Border Passage: from Cairo to America – a Woman’s Journey. Attendance at this final program will be limited to 30 people. Register for the program and purchase the book for $12 at the Office of the Superintendant of York Schools on Route 1.
Samples of foods from Islamic culture and tradition will be available at all programs. All five sessions in the series will be held at the York Public Library and admission is free. See you there!
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Congratulations, Tristan Haugh!
St. George's acolyte Tristan Haugh has been chosen to be an acolyte at the May 3 consecration of Bishop-Elect Stephen Lane as the Ninth Bishop of Maine. Tristan's parents, Nancy & Bud Haugh, will be able to attend.
AIDS Walk 2008 by Abbie Duquette
Please join us on Sunday, May 4, for the 12th Annual Seacoast AIDS Walk. The walk will start and end at City Hall, 1 Junkins Ave, Portsmouth. Registration will start at 1:00 and the walk will start at 2:00. The 5K walk will go on through rain or shine. Bring comfortable shoes and attire. Refreshments will follow the walk. Dogs are encouraged to come, and even have a separate pledge form. Every dog participating will receive a free doggie gift bag. There will be T-shirts available—free if you raise $100 or more.
This year the fundraising goal is $50,000. Groups from different organizations will be competing to r
aise the most money. The winner will receive an ice cream social. You can also compete against other individuals.
Even if you are unable to walk, you can still take a pledge sheet and collect donations from family and friends. Donations of any amount are appreciated; everything will help get us to our goal. We will be entering as a St. George’s team, and would love to have as many people as possible. Encourage others to come, walk and fight AIDS!
If you have any questions or would like to register, contact Abbie Duquette at 363-2556 or Lauren Segalla at 363-8642. Abbie will be at church the next couple of Sundays to answer any question or concerns you might have related to the walk. You can also go online and fill in the needed information.
Hope to see you there!
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Mother's Day Roses: Honor Thy Mother! by Cindy Perkins
This year we are again giving everyone the opportunity to “remember Mom” on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11. You can purchase a rose in memory of or in thanksgiving for your Mom, Grandmother, or a special someone who has been like a Mom in your life.
Please fill out the form that is available in the Sunday bulletin or in this issue of Dragon Tales. Return the form to the church office, or place in the Sunday offering plate, with a donation of $5 for each rose you would like to dedicate. Requests need to be in by Sunday, May 4. On Sunday, May 11, we will have special bouquets of roses in the sanctuary honoring all the “Moms” in our lives. After the 11:00 service on Mother’s Day, you are welcome to take the rose(s) that you dedicated to enjoy. Your dedications will appear in Dragon News on May 11. Happy Mother’s Day!
Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation launches Give It 4 Good campaign.
Initiative encourages 'choosing compassion over consumption'
April 15, 2008 [Episcopal News Service] Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation (EGR) is suggesting that Americans who will receive economic stimulus checks from the U.S. government beginning in May should give all or part of the money to organizations working to alleviate global poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
The checks are being given in the hope that people will spend the money to bolster a stagnant U.S. economy. "With a $9 trillion national debt, and a record and growing trade deficit undergirding a society that consumes goods far beyond its need, the call to consume more isn't just indefensible economically, but also environmentally and morally indefensible," EGR said in a news release.
The group's Give It 4 Good Campaign is not primarily a fund-raising campaign, the group's release said, though raising money for ministries and organizations working to end extreme poverty is an intended consequence. The purpose of Give It 4 Good is to foster a conversation about how to follow Christ in a culture of over-consumption—"and to give people a chance to put their treasure where their heart is," the EGR release said.
"We have an economy that is based on over-consumption, one that puts our consumer desires above all other values," says the Rev. Mike Kinman, EGR executive director. "It has caused us to cripple the creation with which God has entrusted us. It has led us into war. It has led us to look at our sisters and brothers around the world not as children of God but as objects in supply chains. "And every step of the way, it is eating away at our nation's soul." Kinman said the campaign suggests "choosing compassion over consumption."
"It's recognizing the link between our everyday consumer decisions and the economic systems that produce and sustain extreme poverty," he said in the release. "Like everything else, it's about wrestling with the question, 'What would Jesus do?'"
EGR is encouraging people to make a Give It 4 Good pledge which takes about two minutes to make online.
People whose income is either too high or too low to receive checks are asked to determine what their check would be if they qualified (based on marital status and number of dependent children) and give all or part of that amount.
Several levels of giving are offered—from 100% to 10% (a tithe) to as little as 0.7%.
The campaign's website has a running tally of who has given, how much has been pledged and the organizations that are benefitting. There are also related advocacy actions as well as materials for personal and congregational study. Sunday bulletin inserts linking the campaign to lectionary readings are also available.
As of late April 14, 161 people had taken the pledge, donating nearly $43,000 to MDG-related causes. The most common destination for gifts was Episcopal Relief and Development and the MDG Inspiration Fund, but people are also using their gifts to support diocesan MDG projects and the work of Episcopal missionaries in Africa, the release said.
A list of those who have made the pledge, including quotable comments many have made when making the pledge, is available here.
Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Southern Maine Chapter
An exploratory meeting of the new southern branch of Maine EPF Chapter will take place on Saturday, May 17, at St. Davids, Kennebunk, 10:00-11:00 a.m. Please come, and invite others who may be interested. A map and directions may be found here.
