The Sentinel 2014

All Saints’ Episcopal Church * 501 S. Phoenix Ave. Russ. AR. * 479-968-3622

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The Sentinel In these pages..

Welcome the Terry Family………… 03

Garden Shed………………... 04

Seeing God in other people……… 05

Close the Gap...……………………….. 06

Louisa Peterson………………………... 06

Details of Pentecost ………….…………… 07

What a Difference A Decade Makes ……… 08

Community Market & Neighbors Table…. 09

Rich Memories ……………………… 10

DOK…………………...………..….………. 12

The Success Of An Unsuccessful Life…… 14

Rectors Weekly Calendar…..……… 15

A Time for Rest and Reflection…………… 16

Welcome Paige Griffin ……………...…………. 17

A Test of Altar Guild Vocabulary…………….. 17

Sermon Schedule……………………... 18

The Curse of Babel………………………….. 19

Little Miracles……………..…………………… 21

The Relevance of Psalm 23……………… 22

DARE News……………………………………..… 22

Upcoming Events….……………………. 23

Upcoming Events........................... 24

The Trinity……...……………………………. 25

Spiritual Pyramid ...……………………. 27

Parish Picnic, 2014

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W e l c o m e The Terry Family

C heyenne Terry stated that she is “happily divorced”, allowing her to enjoy spending time with her 10 year-old daughter, Maddie. Cheyenne and Maddie, who live in Danville,

both enjoy sports. Maddie is a member of a softball team, playing the position of short stop. Cheyenne is a big fan of Manchester United, a premier soccer team in England. Cheyenne, a full-time student in her senior year at Arkansas Tech University (ATU), is studying English education. She plans to teach secondary/high school English, and hopes to teach English on the university level eventually. When asked for something unique or interesting about herself, her qualified response was that she is fluent in sign language, and a “dabbler” in multiple languages, which developed over time. She has learned “street slang” in Spanish, and has done for-mal education in Latin. Her desire is to continue the study of additional languages. Cheyenne’s story of how she came to be at All Saints’ starts with a conversation with Dr. David Eshelman, during a public speaking class at ATU. The conversa-tion included a debate over Proposition 8, the Califor-nia proposition over gay and lesbian marriage. Chey-enne offered a challenge, “Where are you going to find a gay-friendly church in this highly conservative area of the south?” In response, and to her surprise, Dr. Eshelman suggested All Saints’ Episcopal Church. So, Cheyenne came to All Saints’ to “find out for herself” if such acceptance could exist here. She found the church to be open and accepting of all peo-ple. She quot-ed something she had heard in a message to affirm the churches’ openness and love for all people. The statement by Fr. Jos was, “Life begins when you learn to love other people.”

When asked what makes her feel included at All Saints’, Cheyenne offered examples of friends and teachers from ATU, common sense applied by the congregation, a feeling of connection, behaviors that are open, understanding, and “nice” (not superficial). Also, Maddie feels included, and they are surrounded by people who are intellectual and enjoy constant learning. Cheyenne described her best experience at All Saints’, recounting her Confirmation ceremony. It showed her that, “God still loves her.” Cheyenne stated that the Holy Spirit has brought her “full circle in unexpected ways” and considers the Ho-ly Spirit to keep “popping up and reminding me that love is in everything.”

Cheyenne and Madison,

enjoying the parish picnic.

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Welcome, Garden Shed, An Invitation, and “Garden keeping”

Good Morning! Part of the fun of community garden-ing are those happenstance visits with other gardeners while weeding, inspecting neighbor’s plots, or just drop-ping by to see if recently planted seeds are showing up. Garden talk is also a part of learning to garden through our neighbor's successes, and through this gar-dener’s experience, including failures. Our beautiful garden shed is almost finished, thanks to the skill of our meticulous builder, Kendel Hern, and to the grant funds (Entergy and Arkansas Community Foundation/Grow Your Garden), which enabled the gar-den storage and gathering space sections to be built. Another portion of the cost of the shed came from a pa-rishioner's unexpected and timely donation to The Edi-ble Churchyard. Small donations and discounts by pa-rishioners, other friends of TEC, and local businesses have supplemented the garden grant funds and allowed this year’s vision for growing the garden and including our Middle School neighbors a reality. Coffee, Tea, The Edible Churchyard Garden Tour and Blessing will happen on a day when the sun is shining. You are invited for refreshments, a garden and shed tour, and the blessing by Father Jos. Garden Stump Stools will be provided for those who do not wish to stand! We’ll be gathering in the “dog trot” part of the shed.

Moving in, cleaning up and getting orga-nized at the garden shed and in the garden will be happening in the next few weeks. Trash bins, compost areas, and stor-age places will be getting labeled.

Free mulch! Help yourselves from the pile next to shed. If you wish to surround your garden plot with weed barrier, the bought version, or very thick overlap-ping layers of cardboard or newspaper, then layered with thick mulch, mowing around the garden plots will be reduced and, ideally, help keep things looking neat. Feel free to mulch all the way to the fence and between neighboring gardens. Timer turns off water to gardens at 9 PM and comes on at 5 AM. If those hours are a problem for anyone, say so. This schedule was set last year after a main wa-ter line leak, although, in the end, it was found that the leak was unrelated to garden water use. It still seems reasonable in reducing the chance of wasting water, should any of us have a lapse in turning off faucets. A garden library will be available for browsing or read-ing on site, or for borrowing. We'd like to have a used chalk board for messages, garden lessons, etc. Let us know if you know of any old-fashioned chalk boards stored and un-used and waiting to be adopted. Sharing of garden news, questions and problems is welcomed in a group e-mail, which will be blind copied from this end. If you do wish to commune via e-mail with other gardeners, I’ll see that it goes out. If you haven’t filled out a 2014 Garden Applica-tion, please do so ASAP. I’m Looking forward to hear-ing your garden stories, Su-zanne for TEC Garden Com-mittee My cell # 970-8058 and Car-olyn’s # 968-6286

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Seeing God In Other People

F or the most part, it is easy to see the good in people. Some have a nice smile, an easy going disposition; some are reliable and work hard-helping others on a daily basis, and others are loyal and can always be counted on. I bet you can think of five people off the top of your head who are just like that. Then, there are the others, the ones that, when I see them from across the room, I think to myself:. “Oh, no...what now?” They always seem to cause drama wherever they go; they can't be counted on to do what they say, but have an opinion about everything. They are always in need of something and, for goodness sakes, would it kill them to crack a smile once in a while! When I look at people, it never fails that my first thought is, “What do they need?” It is programed in my DNA. I was raised to be a people pleaser, a peacemaker, and, above all, never to rock the boat. In being this way, I often forget that all people have the spirit of God inside them, but that some people make it very difficult to see. It’s not that I don't know, it’s just that their actions make it easy to forget. I then try to “fix” what is wrong, thinking I can make a difference and that I could see them smile. The “I” is my mistake. “I” soon am disappointed when my efforts fail, or when the positive result doesn’t last. Then I remember, people are already children of God. They, themselves, have the power to choose happiness. It’s not my job to “fix” their problem, or to make them hap-py. It’s my job to seek the God in them! To spark a flame that already exists. Appealing to the spirit of God in them is far easier than trying to fix any problem they are going through, for the spirit of God is a healer, comforter, and provides freedom to all who seek him! Honoring the spirit of God within my brothers and sisters in Christ lifts them up and re-veals Jesus! Their problems should never be my focus, but the freedom that comes with the love of The Spirit. Instead, I need to just pray for them, listen to them, and be a presence that reflects Christ! Leave judgment and blame at the door, and honor the good in them. They will then see themselves through my eyes, and what they see will spark the Spirit of God in them, causing a healing from the inside out. 2 Corinthians 3: 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glo-ry, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

By: Kimby Tackett

Always The Cross

Crucifixion Always

The Cross Easter

Always The Cross Forever Alleluia

By Michael Gillum

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All Saints'

"Close the GAP"

Campaign What is the "Close the Gap" Campaign? It is a part of the 2014 All Saints' budget, approved by the Vestry in an effort to reduce the gap in the monies pledged, and the basic budgetary needs of the parish. In looking at the trends of giving and budgetary needs the past 3 years, the Vestry has dealt with a budget deficient each year that has been consistent with the $25,000 "Close the Gap" Campaign goal. What will be accomplished? In an attempt to meet the actual budget needs, the $25,000 "Close the Gap" Campaign will allow us to meet our obligations on time through the course of the year. In addition, it allows us to set aside a small amount to begin building a base for our facil-ity and maintenance needs, such as the recent need to replace the motor on the heating system. Is this above your pledge? Yes, this is an opportunity to give above your pledge. Based on the number of pledges and plate collections, the anticipated short fall in mon-ey needed to meet the basic obligations was built into the budget for the first time as a "Close the Gap" Campaign category for revenue. Can I give outside of the May campaign peri-od? Absolutely. Giving is an on-going opportunity we have at All Saints'. Thanks you for your giving. The Vestry

An Interview with Louisa Peterson by KaDee McCormick

L ouisa Peterson, a self-proclaimed “Cradle Born Epis-copalian”, is the child of an Episcopalian father who came from England to California. She will have been married for 63 years, in October, to her be-

loved husband, Harry. She describes the longevity of her marriage with words such as “Love Grows” and ”Passion First”. Her life is enriched by her offspring, including four children (two each, boys and girls), six wonderful grand-children (three each) and two great grandchildren (one each). Louisa considers her career to have been a Marine Corp wife and mother; she has also been a kindergarten teacher and flower shop owner in Vista, California.

When asked for something unique or interesting about her-self, her immediate response was, “I don’t meet a stranger.” After this interview, I totally agree, for the experi-ence was delightful for the both of us. She also stated, “When mom gives you eyes, don’t argue; no negotiation”, attesting to her strength of character and personal resolve.

After retirement, Louisa and Harry moved to Arkansas and came to settle in Russellville, where she started attending the only Episcopal Church in the city, All Saints’. But what kept her at All Saints’ was the friendship and caring she felt from others. She offered, as example, their friendship with the Holman’s and Fr. Shoemaker. An additional example she mentioned was the feeling she gets from the people, including the warm handshakes, the hugs, and the cards when she is sick. As a result, she can call on the church for help any time, and someone will help; this has lead to a faith in the church, and the people of All Saints’.

When asked to describe some of her best experiences at All Saints’, she responded with examples, “My Prayer shawl makes me feel cuddly.” She also related how, last Easter, she helped Kaye Staggs by cleaning flowers for her, and had eaten on the Saturday before at Neighbor’s Table. In aggregate, this made her feel included, needed, and a servant.

Louisa considers the Holy Spirit to be “Always with me.” She added, “If I hit a dark place, the Holy Spirit will come to my rescue. I can close my eyes and talk to the Lord, for I have angels on my shoulder.”

This interview was conducted on April 9th, 2014. Louisa died peacefully on May 1st, 2014. My life is rich-er for having gotten to know her.

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On The Details Of Pentecost Dr. Erin Clair

E xplaining to my smart kids the tenets of our faith, really illustrates to me how confusing our religion can be. "How did Jesus come back to life? Is he just walking around somewhere?," my five-year-old son, Moss, asks me. "Well, not exactly. He's in heav-

en. But he lives in our hearts," I tell him. He looks at me like I don't under-stand facts well. His face says, "Welp, I don't really get it. Sigh. My mom is confused." To tell a kid, "Jesus came back to life, some people saw him, and then he went away, but not in our memories, and so we think about him and try to be good like him," sounds right enough and is easy to say. But the details of that--which kids will ask ("Did he have bones? Where are his bones?" "Why didn't he stay and be with his mother, who must have been very sad?")--are not so easy to answer. The fact is, I don't have all the answers. I don't need to have them. But I do need to give this child tools for having a peaceful, noble, good life. I think Christianity can provide some of those tools. So I teach Moss about Jesus, even though the details are confusing, because the details don't matter as much as the overall story. I feel the same way about Pentecost. Every year, we hear the story in church: the Holy Spirit came and breathed on folks and they spoke in all sorts of languages, but somehow understood each other anyway. Hmm...how on earth am I going to explain that to Moss? Should I tell him that the Holy Spirit lives in him, but no, he can't automatically understand French because of that? So, I do away with the technicalities: "Moss, the Holy Spirit is when we're walking through the woods together and the birds are talking, the trees are making a beautiful bright green roof above our heads, and the breeze blows the leaves to make a shimmering sound. That feeling at that moment--that happiness, that wonder, that feeling that it's a miracle--is the Holy Spirit." That's how I understand things in a lived way when the details make little sense to me. I look for the magic of our world and place reason there. If Pentecost celebrates that feeling, then I understand it and celebrate it, too. I hope Moss learns to recognize that feeling within him, suspend car-ing about the details, and just feel the beauty of the Holy Spirit, the sim-plicity of the wisdom of Jesus, and believe despite--or even because of--confusion.

Summer and the

end of my second year of schooling through the IONA Initiative have ar-rived. This year has been filled with

learning many new things, and bond-ing with a wonderful group of people going through the process to be or-dained as priests and deacons in our diocese. There have been times of great joy in accomplishments and, of course, times of stress, as I have jour-neyed through the history of the Chris-tian Church from the beginning until now, learning the way in which the Episcopal Church has evolved into our church of today.

I have taken many different classes, including Scripture, homiletics, spiritu-ality, pastoral care, diversity, liturgy, rubrics, Constitution and Canons, church polity, and discipline. There have been classes on prayer and use of the Book of Common Prayer, theol-ogy, and constructing services, along with learning a deacon’s role in the liturgy, at the altar, in the church, and in the community. These are a few of the subjects I have been taught for the last two years. From what I under-stand, theology will be stressed, along with homiletics, next year. I will wait to see what other adventures are awaiting around the corner.

I have served Christ Church in Little Rock two times a month this last year, but I do not know where the bishop will place me for my fieldwork next year. I thank you all for your support these last two years, and ask you to continue to walk this journey with me in love and prayer as I go to the end.

Kaye Staggs

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What a Difference a Decade Makes! A Story From The Future By Dodie Lamb-Roberts

I am so excited, my heart is beating like a mar-athon runner on her last mile. The exit sign for All Saints' Episcopal Church is only 1 mile away. I’ve been away from the River Valley,

since my retirement, traveling around the United States as part of the Daughters of the King training program on a national level. My spiritual walk began in earnest back in 2013, when I undertook a new direction in my life by becom-ing a founding member of Saint Veronica’s Chapter of the DOK, right here in our Parish. Ten years ago, our Chapter was only six women strong, but we had BIG dreams. We could not do everything, but we could do something. Our first mission was to sup-port our Priest, Father Jos Tharakan. He had a vision for All Saints' that never dimmed over the last ten years. He prayed that our loving, all-inclusive Church family would discover God in all things, people of all kinds. You have read the story of Joseph and how his faith in his dreams saved the Egyptians from starvation. (Genesis Chapters 39-40) Well, Father Jos had visions that went beyond our deficit budget: a physical structure in need of major renovations and, more importantly, a Parish that be-lieved in the power of God to take us to the next level. It started with the “DARE 2017” Committee for plan-ning our Future. DARE = Deepest Aspirations with Realistic Expectations for 2017. The goals appeared insurmountable, due to the budget deficit that plagued our Parish for years. Some of the major components of the “Dream” were a renovated building with energy efficient innovations, a “green” parking lot, a building for youth and community events, and a kitchen that would supply meals for the needy 3-4 times a week. In short, we needed a miracle. Ten years later, the dream is a reality. The parking lot is occupied by a handicapped section filled with wheel chair accessible vans, spaces for visiting church buses, and a covered walkway connecting the

church to the Youth building. The Community Garden extends to the parking lot of the Middle School. The most incredible renovations await just inside Tharakan Hall (formerly Shoemaker Hall.) The greet-er’s station is staffed with two greeters, a coffee set-up, and coat and hat check area. The breath-taking step into the new nave is a vision come to life. The Altar is center stage in the front. The choir is behind the Altar and the pipes to the organ are carefully placed to direct sound acoustically and maintain aesthetic beauty. The pews are filled with people from every walk of life. The overflow for Rite Two is upstairs in the Audio Visual Center where the cameras and video cameras record the service for shut-ins, nursing homes and U Stream. The best has been saved for last. The procession at the beginning of the Service is led by a Crucifer, torch bearers, Deacon Kaye Staggs, the Bishop’s acolyte and the Right Rev. Bishop Jos Tharakan. Yes, this is just a dream, but when you put your hope in Christ,

dreams really do come true. See, I came home to celebrate the end of the Capital Cam-paign fund that began a dec-ade ago. Thanks be to God.

Pentecost and Neighbors Table Pentecost, the lengthy, green, growing season is up-on us; other “greening” is also going strong in the Edi-ble Churchyard’s Community Garden and in the home gardens of Parishioners and community friends of Neighbors Table. During the summer and fall of 2013, an abundance of delicious and nutritious vege-tables from these sources was served to hundreds of grateful guests at the free lunch hosted at our church each Saturday at noon. The children of All Saints’, with guidance from Tracy Cole and Loretta Cochran and their families, provided vine-ripe tomatoes, on-ions, sweet peppers, squash and sweet potatoes. Farmers with the Russellville Community Market and other area gardeners also offered the fruits of their labors for our hungry friends. The spontaneous distri-bution of such “green” abundance echoes the acts of Jesus as he responded to a hunger situation in the Feeding of the Five Thousand story. In it, Jesus asked the disciples to find the food that is already

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available and then he “took, broke, blessed and gave” the loaves and fishes to the crowd. In their book The Last Week, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan write that, in Mark’s account of the Last Supper, there is an echo of the Feeding of the Five Thousand in the New Passover Meal that began on Maundy Thursday and which we celebrate each week. To quote from Borg and Crossan, “Note that Jesus does not bring down manna from heaven or turn stones into food. He takes what is already there, the five loaves and two fishes, and, when it passes through Jesus’s hands, there is more than enough, much more than enough, for everyone present. The point of this story is not multiplication, but distribution. The food already there is enough for all when it pass-es through the hands of Jesus as the incarnation of divine justice. Mark’s emphasis on a just distribution of what does not belong to us in the incident of the loaves and fishes links, therefore, to the emphasis on the “loaf of bread” and the “cup of wine” that are shared among all at the New Passover Meal. Once again, Jesus distributes food already present to “all” who are there. A shared meal of what is already there among all those present becomes both the great sac-ramental symbol and the primary practical program of the kingdom movement. “ By Carolyn McLellan

Russellville Community Market helps Fund

Neighbors Table

Customers who order delicious, local food from the on-line Russellville Community Market (RCM) are also providing food and fellowship to the hungry area resi-dents who gather each Saturday at All Saints’ Neigh-bors Table (NT). Two percent of the funds received at the weekly Market (which distributes local produce, meat, eggs, cheeses, flowers and gardening supplies from Shoemaker Hall on Thursdays) are donated to the NT Project. So far, these donations are covering a sig-nificant portion of food purchases for the free weekly lunches. Donations from Parishioners at the monthly Rosie’s Table lunch (4th Sunday), and gifts from individ-uals and the three NT Partner churches also help. As the RCM grows, so does the funding for NT—new customers are always welcome at the Market, and, in this season of Pen-tecost, the spring, summer and fall harvests from our local small farmers are coming on—explore the RCM at russellville.locallygrown.net. By Carolyn McLellan

Celebration of 2014 Solemn Holy Communion:

(From Left to Right) Madison, Owen, Gabriel and Mackenzie

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Rich Memories Wetzel LaGrone

“Life is divided into two parts: anticipation and memories. If we

remember richly it means we have lived richly.” That is a quote from a character in Louis L’ Amour’s short story, “Off the Mangrove Coast.” When you have serious health problems, you tend to think about the things you have done and the things you anticipate doing. Colon can-cer surgery on December 27, 2013, forced me to cancel story telling sessions I had scheduled at the Wildflower assisted living center and Legacy Heights nursing home in January. For two years, I have been telling stories there based on my memories, but the real pleasure is reminding my audience of things in their past and then hearing their stories. This has created more rich memories. I have very rich memories. In May of 2013, I was inducted into the Arkansas Senior Hall of Fame and, at the recent annual meeting of the Dover Area Chamber of Commerce; I was named Dover citizen of the year for 2013. Both of these honors came about by doing things in the community and state that created some of those rich memories and it means I have lived richly. What got me started doing things that merit those honors? Perhaps one of the stories I told at the nursing home will explain. Early in my sophomore year in high school at Carthage, Texas, I received word that I was to report to the principal’s office after my plane geometry class. Our principal, Mr. Dillard, had a big gruff voice and I was a little afraid of him; so, to put it mildly, I was apprehensive as I approached his office. I wondered what in the world I had done to be called in. They say that sometimes, when you are in danger, your whole life flashes through your mind. That’s the way I was feeling. I had never been to a principal’s office before. To set the stage for the meeting with the principal, let me tell you a little about my background. The first seven years of my schooling had been in a four room country school. It was a twenty mile school bus ride to the city school where I was to start junior high school. In fact, I rode one bus for 3 miles then changed to another for the rest of the trip to school. I was probably one of the most naïve country boys who ever attended Carthage Junior high School. With some encouragement from friends, all one hundred and one pounds of me went out for junior high football. I didn’t know how to put on the pads and, when I was told to get a jockey strap, I didn’t know what they were talking about. The fact that I could run faster than most kids my age finally got the coach’s attention, and I got to suit up for a couple of games and sit on the bench toward the end of the season. I still just went to school, and went home, and did my homework, and didn’t get involved with anything. By the time I was in the ninth grade, I had gained twenty five pounds and became a starting halfback on the junior high football team. I played one game, then an appendix operation put me out for the rest of the season. I did play junior high basketball, ran on the junior high track team, and, that spring, played second base on the high school baseball team. My participation in sports is important, because it had a direct bearing on what was to come.

By my sophomore year, I had gained another twenty pounds, and was the most surprised kid on the team when the coach informed me that I would be the starting fullback. So, here I am a month into my sophomore school year, and the principal wants to see me. I still can’t think of anything I did wrong. I had broken my finger in football practice before school started and hadn’t told anyone before I went to the doctor. I wondered if it could be about that. I had

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seen Mr. Dillard in the hall, but I didn’t think he even knew who I was. I was more than willing to keep it that way. As I opened the door and walked into his office, the big gruff voice said, “Hi Wetzel, take a seat.” I was shaking in my shoes as I took a chair, still wondering what I had done. Mr. Dillard started off by telling me that, as prin-cipal, he is entitled to appoint one member of the stu-dent council. As he said this, I was thinking, "So what’s that got to do with me? I don’t even know what the stu-dent council does." But I was very thankful that he had-n’t started chewing me out about something. He contin-ued and said, “There is not an athlete on the council this year, and I want you to represent the athletes.” Naturally, I said OK without knowing what I was getting into, but I was not about to tell him no. Later, I found out that he was a sports fan, and had talked to the jun-ior high principal, as well as a couple of teachers, about me. The following week in my first council meeting, I didn’t have a clue about what was going on, but I listened and started to learn. I even noticed there were a couple of good looking senior girls in the meeting, but that is an-other story. Perhaps because I was a sophomore that no one had expected to be a starter on the football team, and was on the student council, I was somewhat of a novelty. So I was selected as the sophomore class favorite boy. By the end of the year, I was comfortable in the council meetings and had even made a few con-tributions to the discussions. My eyes had begun to open, and a crack was opened in the door of my future. Because of my ability in sports and participation on the student council, I became much more confident and aware of events, and began to participate in other activ-ities. My junior year, I was elected to the student coun-cil and was selected to go to the Texas boy’s state in Austin in the summer. My senior year, I was vice presi-dent of the student council, and was voted Mr. CHS. I had begun to take an active part in the Methodist Youth Fellowship in my church, and was elected president of the sub district. The scared introverted country kid that had started junior high in the city had become one of the school leaders. Mr. Dillard moved on to become superintendent of an-other school district after my sophomore year, but that trip by a scared 15 year old to his office opened the door to a whole new world for me. My involvement that year in the high school student council was the begin-ning of my participation in school, civic, and church ac-tivities that are still a vital part of my life. I never saw Mr. Dillard again after the end of that school year, and I doubt that he ever knew what an influence that one trip to his office had on the rest of my life.

You really don’t do things to earn recognition, and some of the best don’t come with a plaque and newspaper story. I have had a retired schoolteacher and Mayor of Dover tell me that the 4-H youth leadership program I taught has served them well over the years. A lady told me that her daughter, now in her forties, still remembers some of the poetry that I wrote and used in a program for the young people of the church. These are the really rich memories of a richly lived life.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will

not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 43:2

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DOK Province VII Reflections

Two weeks ago, several members from our newly-formed DOK Chapter in Russellville were able to attend the DOK Province VII Gathering in San Antonio, TX. When asked at the conclusion of the conference about our reflections, my mind first focused on the planning, organization, and hospitality components. I tend to look at these because I am usually assigned the task of fulfilling these components. Let me share my impres-sions of the “behind the scenes” aspects. First impression? Oh, my mama would have been so proud! She was a tiny, genteel Southern Belle who raised me in the Deep South. She always emphasized that a “lady” should be kind, courteous, and proper. The center of this lifestyle includes hospitality. A “lady’s” role is to make sure that everyone is well fed, provided comforts, and treated politely. You can only say “Bless your heart” if it is a true part of your rearing. I can honestly use the phrase…. This brings me to my reflections from our participation in the conference. The group attending consisted of women from all walks of life and from all parts of the country…gathered together because of the common thread of Daughters of the King. The planning, organization, and hospitality were obvi-ously positive as each event ran like a well-oiled ma-chine. In other words, “WOW!” We were met on time at the airport, shuttled to our hotel, greeted by all these women, and fed. We were able to participate in incredi-ble worship services, and provided with comfort food between and after events. We were even able to shop for DOK temptations! It was obvious that the ladies

from St. Thomas DOK had spent countless hours pre-paring for this. They worked tirelessly together for the entire weekend, making sure that our needs (both physical and spiritual) were met so that we could focus on the details of meetings, speakers’ messages, and networking with other DOK chapters. These women, along with willing spouses, were always pleasant, al-ways supportive, always interested… What a great introduction to DOK for our newly formed St. Veroni-ca’s chapter! If this is typical of DOK hospitality, we are going to enjoy the journey! May I please sum our appreciation with a sincere message to our sisters of Epiphany Chapter at St. Thomas: “Bless all your little hearts!” We are so fortunate to have been able to have this opportunity. And to all of you who have pa-tiently listened to me, “Bless your hearts”! By Kathy Westmoreland

O ur journey is just beginning, but we have faith that God will lead us. I would be sorely remiss if I did not publicly acknowledge the devotion of our Trainers: Ginny Ellison, Valerie Smith, Wanda Dunwoody and Dinah Reed. In teams of two, they traveled every other week for 3 and 1/2 months to guide us, nurture us, and, the most precious gift of all, showing the love of Christ. They were excited to be practic-ing their Rule of Service. The planning for our trip to San Antonio for the Province VII Assembly began shortly after our Installation. With two law-yers, one professor of business management, one altar guild captain, an acclaimed math teacher, and myself, a cold-storage facility inventory person, you can only imagine how quickly we got our ducks in a row. Dr. Loretta Cochran, co-ordinator extraordinaire, had the Itinerary, the flights, and the hotel reservations confirmed by Feb. 14

th.

Our initial glimpse into a Provincial Assembly began with entering the lobby of the Fairfield Inn, and seeing so many beautiful Daughters of the King wearing the blessed cross with the emblem and the FHS inscribed at the bottom. In that instant, we knew that our weekend would be filled with the same love, acceptance, and excitement that our trainers had demonstrated to us 5 months ago. I stood still, momen-tarily, to soak in the spiritual joy exhibited. We stayed at the hotel long enough to throw our bags in our rooms, then hurried over to Gosnell Hall, to “Meet and Greet” our fellow daughters. The air was abuzz with excite-ment and joy, as well as the Province VII Daughters’ sincere desire to share their walk with Christ. Brenda Amos, Presi-dent of Province VII, welcomed one and all with gracious-ness and sincere delight. I now jump forward to the next day, beginning with a deluxe continental breakfast and excellent hospitality by the Daugh-ters of the King of Saint Thomas. This chapter did every-thing to ensure that this Provincial Assembly did not lack for

13

Pentecost 2014

anything. Father Mike, the second term Chaplain for the Province VII Daughters of the King, spoke about our Liturgy, and how the Book of Common Prayer is a powerful tool for evangelism. When we go out into the world and live our Rule of Service, which comes from our Rule of Prayer, the Light of Christ is seen in each one of us. For His sake. I am but ONE, but I am one. What will God have you do? The next speaker was Samira Izadi, Executive Director of Gateway of Grace Ministries, which serves thousands in North Texas who have become victims of political oppression or religious persecution. Her faith journey is absolutely awe-inspiring, as she talks about her journey from political asylum status, to a Master’s of Divinity Degree, where she has committed her life to bring-ing the hope and love of Christ to those who have lost all sense of dignity and humanity, as they struggle to survive in a society where they have no official status. Her website is www.gatewayofgrace.org, and may be visited for more information. The next speaker, Father Clayton Elder, from St. Philip Episcopal in Beeville, Texas, spoke about the Triune God, and the fact that the Church IS the Family of God. Our ministries are missions for God. He offered some insight for our new chapter, which we have already begun to implement. 1) PRAY TO GOD FOR LEADERS. Help reduce the old adage that “80% of the work is done by 20% of the people.” 2.) Pray to God before each activity. My favorite example was to pray in your heart for the people you see in anguish on the streets, in a grocery store, even at your local Walmart. Pray for that cashier who is getting “blessed out” by an impatient customer. 3.) Pray over the empty pews in your sanctuary between services. Ask the Lord to bless the people who will soon fill that empty seat. And number 4) Follow up with people who asked you to pray for a certain situation in his or her life. Let them know that your commitment to the Rule of Prayer goes beyond that initial intercession. The Rule of Prayer is not a one- time instance of praying for a person in need of God’s Holy mercy. Ra-ther, the Rule of Prayer is our sacred vow to Jesus Christ. It is that sacred oath to PRAY and SERVE that has kept the Daughters of the King strong for 129 years. May we continue to Live for His Service, another 129 years. Thanks be to God! By Dodie Lamb-Roberts

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Pentecost 2014

The Success of an Unsuccessful Life By: Fr. Jos Tharakan

O ne of the exciting things for us at All Saints’ is the ever-exploding ministries and passion for individual ministry. One of the members of a Presbyterian church in town told me a few months ago, “If anyone should be in a church that's alive, it should be All Saints'. Because you have life-giving programs, as I read of them in the newspaper every week." It is so wonderful and exciting to hear that, because we are not only alive and kicking, but making a difference in the lives of people. Our larger community is noticing it. Now, this does not come without a lot of hard work, pain, and lots of compromises. We have a fairly large space, but it is not sufficient to accommodate all that we want to do. We don’t have nearly all the things we need to make events and programs successful, but we work hard and, therefore, it pays off. Sometimes, in the midst of making things successful, we could be very stressed and anxious. We want our projects and pro-grams to succeed, as we have spent a lot of time figuring out and executing them. In the midst of successful programs we come up with, there is an absolutely spiritually powerful mindset we cannot ignore. And that is, what we are, primarily, is a community of people who are traveling together to the same goal, hoping to reach the same place one day, and live together as one large family ever after. Our des-tination is the same, and our lifestyle is going to be the same, and the standard of living will be no different from one to the other. There will be no programs to be invented and executed. We will live a happy and abun-dant life with one another for an eternity, and God will be always on our side, every step of our life eternal. Keeping that in mind is very key. Because everything up to that point of eternal life is simply fleeting and small. The big things we do, and continue to plan, are simply small stuff in the grand scheme of things. But, of course, these make our lives, and the lives of others we serve, worth living. Our focus and passion are not driven by life eternal, but, here and now, we cannot simply ignore the result of all of it, and pretend there is nothing for later. It will be a folly for a Christian to live life like there is no tomorrow, because there is. It is the knowledge that we are in it together that will help us to compromise and share. It is the knowledge that what we share is a common goal, and where we will end up is the same place. Heaven is full of people who cared to share and compromise, than people who had their way in things they thought were more important than others were. This applies to all walks of life, by the way. If a program in our church is more successful because we fought to make that happen at the cost of severe inconvenience and failure of those who travel along with us, then our pro-gram, project, event, ministry, or whatever it is that we are doing, is not quite that successful in the spiritual realm. Whatever it is that does not lead us ulti-mately to the spiritual transformation and compassionate care of the other, leading into the collective success of each other’s ministry, is not in the realm of a church. So, let us reflect deeply why we are doing what we are doing, who fails when we succeed, and whose ministry is greater than someone else’s is. When the Altar Guild succeeds, we all will have a beautiful church. When the Green Team succeeds in making our place look beautiful, we all have a church with curbside appeal, as Bishop Benfield would say it. When our cares and con-cerns ministry serves and makes a difference in the lives of people in suffer-ing and struggle, we, as a community, become real.

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Pentecost 2014

I want to invite everyone in our church to think of the other, and their point of view and spiritual nourishment, before we die hard for a project and a program that is dear to our heart. While it might give us great pleasure in doing what we like, it might be spiritually beneficial to ourselves if we empower and encourage others to suc-ceed in their ministry. In this way, the joy is shared and multiplied, while we strive for perfection in our own min-istry. In the end, no matter what we did and how we did it, and how fabulous we were, if love was lost among us because of what we did, it is time to think whether we did the right thing after all. Ministry is not a success story. It is a journey in which you walk along with those who cannot do it alone. Je-sus’ ministry was an utter failure, were it based on suc-cess. He succeeded only because his journey was with those who could not do it alone. It is quite unlikely that we will die a martyr in this day and age. However, the true believer will die a thousand martyrdoms for others before he or she attains the kingdom. Welcome to the World of Ministry. Welcome to the World of Christ, who only succeeded in losing to the very end of life here on earth, but won the "grand slam" of life eternal. By: Fr. Jos Tharakan

Rector’s Weekdays Calendar

Fr. Jos keeps office hours for pastoral counseling, spiritual

directions, pre-marital preparations, marital enrichment

sessions, individual crisis consultations, home visits, crisis

intervention in individuals, families and community, house

blessings, hospital visits and “paper work” after the regular-

ly scheduled events of the week. Here are his regularly

scheduled events in a week and the other calendar events

now on calendar for the next three months.

Sundays

Preparation for services

and events

Holy Eucharist Rite I

Sunday Schools / Ministry

meetings

Holy Eucharist Rite II

Other visits and meetings

07-08 am

08-09 am

09-10:15 am

10:30-12 pm

12-2 pm

Mondays Usually Rector’s Day Off All Day

Tuesdays Prayer Time 08-09 am

Staff Meeting 09-10:30 am

Office Hours / Visits 10:30-6:30pm

Wednes-

days

Prayer Time 08-09 am

Office Hours 09-10 am

Bible Study 10 – 11:30 am

Healing Services 02-03 pm

Ministry related meetings 05 – 06 pm

Holy Eucharist 06:30 pm

Thursdays Sermon Preparation, Study

and Prayer

08-01 pm

Visits / Pastoral counseling

time

01-04 pm

Fridays Prayer and Office Hours 08-03 pm

Saturdays Day Off All Day

Robert Brown Discernment Committee:

Robert Brown, Hugh Silkensen

Sherrie Cotton, Dodie Lamb-Roberts

Misti Evans, Tom Casner

Muriel Nickolich, and Bo Smith

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Pentecost 2014

A Time for Rest and Reflection

With the beginning of summer upon us, Octo-

ber seems far away. Time goes quickly. People will be traveling and enjoying vacation time during the summer months and, all to quickly, many will be pre-paring to return to school. As I think about school, I fondly look forward to fall, which brings the beauty of the changing colors of the trees. Fall traditionally marks change, and, for the family of All Saints', this October will bring a change for us. Father Jos, Angie, Asha and Amret will begin a sab-batical, a time specifically for personal rest, reflection, and renewal of the mind, soul, and body. A sabbatical is a promised time for us to honor and thank Father Jos for his service and dedication to us for the past seven years. Regardless of the time or day, Father Jos has been, and continues to be, available and on-call for parish members. He is committed to serving each of us - never complaining. Father Jos has been with All Saints' since 2007. The vestry members who issued the call to Father Jos made an agreement (promise) with him at the time of that call - At the conclusion of seven years of service to the parish, a three-month sabbatical would be granted. Father Jos has faithfully served us well for the past seven years, and is truly worthy of his upcoming planned sabbatical at the end of this year. Some may wonder, “What is a sabbatical?” Typically, a sabbatical is provided to individuals as part of their employment agreement or contract. A sabbatical is defined as a time period during which someone does not work at his or her regular job. A sabbatical is usu-ally an earned benefit. An individual granted a sabbat-ical is able to rest from the routine of their work. They may arrange for travel, do research or other activities that result in the individual returning to their work re-freshed and renewed. Sabbaticals are common in the fields of education, research, and with the clergy. The current members of the vestry reviewed the origi-nal agreement made with Father Jos, and are working with him to assure that all terms of the agreement are fulfilled. The time Father Jos will be on sabbatical from our

parish will be a time for All Saints' members to come together to continue the work of church. It will take each of us continuing with our gifts as we work to serve. Father Jos and members of the vestry are work-ing to assure all spiritual needs of the parish are met. During Father Jos’ absence, others will be with us on Sundays and other events during our Liturgical year. In the absence of the spiritual leader, we tend to think about the “what ifs”. I ask the same question you might ask, “What if something happens to me or to one of my family members while he is gone?” I hope my answer to that question is correct, “I will call on you to be there for me, and with me, as I will be there for you.” Father Jos has been a rock for me during some difficult times in my life. I will miss him greatly, as I know you will. Let us assure Father Jos that we are excited for him, support him in his upcoming sabbatical, and will eagerly await his re-turn!!

Mary B. Gunter

Senior Warden

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Pentecost 2014

Welcome, Paige N. Griffin The members of the Vestry are pleased to an-nounce that All Saints' will host an ATU intern during the summer months of June, July, and August. We welcome Paige N. Griffin, who is majoring in Recreation Admin-istration. Paige is a graduate of Russellville High School and currently works for Felt-ner’s Athlete’s Corner. She has been on the Dean’s List at TECH, served as Assistant Director at Camp Stormy, and has been a nursery attendant at Central Presbyterian Church. She is CPR certified and first aid certified. Paige’s long-range goal is to work as a youth director for a church. The All Saints' -ATU partnership fulfills two goals: Paige’s degree internship requirement, and assis-tance with the All Saints’ play ground and youth program. According to Dr. Theresa Herrick, Paige will be the program’s first intern to complete internship requirements at a church. Dr. Herrick will be Paige’s ATU faculty supervisor during the internship. Paige will focus on church growth, and will be available to work with our summer youth programs. Her internship requirement is 40 hours per week. A portion of her time will be dedicated to research and planning, while the remainder of her time will be on-site at the church. On a personal note, Paige will be getting married during the month of May, before beginning her internship with All Saints'. Please join me in welcoming Paige to the All Saints' family! Dr. Mary B. Gunter, Senior Warden

What do these mean?! A Test of Altar Guild Vocabulary

W e all encounter vocabulary designated specifically for a topic or situation that involves our participation. Some-times we are not sure of the meanings of some of the

terms, but don’t always question what they are. Altar Guild mem-bers are challenged by a lot of special labels and names, and some of us refer to the manual frequently. This is an opportunity to test your skills at some often used and rarely used terms. See how many of these you can define. Ablutions Gradine Predella Burse Mensa Sedilia Fair Linen Piscina Thurible Just in case you need the answers, here they are. Ablutions- Cleaning of the chalice and paten by the celebrant after communion. Burse- A case place on top of the veiled communion vessels to hold the corporal and extra purificators. It matches the chalice veil. Fair Linen- The linen on top of the altar, covering the entire top of the altar and may hang down over the ends to any length, even to the footspace, symbolic of the linen in which the body of Christ was wrapped. Gradine- A narrow shelf behind the altar against the wall. Originally part of the reredos, it can hold the tabernacle, office lights, and sometimes flowers. Mensa- Located at the top of the altar and is often marked with the five crosses, one in each corner and one in the center, symbolizing the five wounds in the body of our Lord. Piscina- Today, it is a stainless-steel sink in the sacristy with a drain directly to the ground. It is used to clean the vessels and linen that have held consecrated elements. Predella- The raised area on which the Altar stands (also called the footspace). The word predella is an Italian word meaning “footstool” or “kneeling stool”. Sedilia- The seat for the clergy and acolytes in the sanctuary. Thurible- A vessel in which incense is burned. It may be carried in processions, used to cense the altar, used to cense the Gospel book at the time of the reading of the Gospel, and even during the conse-cration. It is also called a censer. Kathy Westmoreland Altar Guild Mistress

18

Pentecost 2014

Peace Love Joy

Sermon Schedule for The Next Three Months

Ms. Scott’s Middle School Class A rainy day visit to Ms. Scott’s Middle School class making a lasagna style recipe for composting. Photo by retired school principal and home gardener, Georgeanne Rollans THE RECIPE adapted from Composting for Dummies 1. Two parts carbon ingredients: natural inedible ingredients like straw, leaves, shredded newspaper, cardboard, wood chips, natural but not edible ingredients 2. One part nitrogen ingredients: natural ingredients like coffee grounds, glass clippings, crushed eggshells, non-animal food waste like fruits and veggies We used cardboard for the “pasta layers” and layered other ingredi-ents on hand, leaves, peanut shells, old cilantro, and compost with worm castings, wood chips, coffee grounds, egg shells and banana peels. It’s time to improve our compost methods in The Edible Churchyard! Learning gardening as we go, Suzanne Hodges

Date Celebrant Preacher Special Day

06/01/2014 Fr. Jos Jos Sunday School Teacher’s Recognition Day

06/08/2014 Fr. Jos Jos Pentecost Sunday / Baptism Sunday

06/15/2014 Fr. Jos Br. Louis Trinity Sunday / Spiritual and Religious Commitment

06/22/2014 Fr. Jos Jos

06/29/2014 Fr. Jos Jos Recognition of Graduates / Rosy’s Table

07/06/2014 Fr. Jos Jos Independence Day Weekend

07/13/2014 Fr. Jos Jos

07/20/2014 Fr. Jos Jos Invite a friend today

07/27/2014 Fr. Jos Jos Rosy’s Table 08/03/2014 Fr. Jos Jos Sunday of the Creed

08/10/2014 Fr. Jos Jos

08/17/2014 Fr. Jos Charlie Tyrone Peace and Justice Sunday

08/24/2014 Fr. Jos Jos

08/31/2014 Fr. Jos Jos Labor Day Weekend / Rosy’s Table

09/07/2014 Fr. Jos Jos Rally Day / Potluck breakfast

09/14/2014 Fr. Jos Jos Invite a friend Sunday / Feast of the Holy Cross

09/21/2014 Fr. Jos Jos

09/28/2014 Fr. Jos Jos Rosy’s Table

19

Pentecost 2014

And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. . . . And they said, “Go to, let us build a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men [had] builded. And the lord said, “Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their lan-guage, that they may not understand one an-other’s speech.” So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth; and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth; and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. Genesis 11:1–9 (KJV)

As so often happens in the New Testament, an event or action during Christ’s ministry reversed a similar, but opposite, event in the Old Testament: as Sin was brought into the world by an act of disobedience by the Second Woman, Eve, Salvation was brought into the world by the obedience of the New Eve, Mary. And just as Adam’s doting disobedience confirmed the invasion of Sin into God’s New Creation, Jesus’ selfless obedi-ence and self-sacrifice brought Redemption. Each of the Evangelists – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – in his own way, reminds us that Christ’s birth, public minis-try, death, and resurrection were all the culmination of Old-Testament prophecies -- “that the Scriptures might be fulfilled.” Hence, it should come as small surprise to us that the visitation of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost offered a counterpoint to, and reversal of, the incident of the Tower of Babel. The image of YWHW presented in the Genesis narra-tive seems at first to be a rather petty one: He appears threatened by the humans’ ability to cooperate in build-ing a great city – often associated with Babylon, albeit

on scant evidence -- and history’s first skyscraper. Clearly, He attributes their success in this venture to their common language, and, as any linguist or psy-chologist can attest, language and thought are inextrica-bly interwoven. Hence, to muddle the Tower Builders’ language is to muddle their thoughts, making such a unified purpose as building a Heaven-scraping ziggurat impossible. A united-world space program would be right out. Hence, I Am is in His Heaven, and all’s right with the concentric spheres of the Cosmos, both inside and out.

Many biblical scholars hypothesize that the Babel narra-tive was not intended to be historical, but rather teleo-logical – that is, to explain how things got to be the way they were. Hence, the parable of the Tower of Babel offers an allegorical explanation of the baffling multiplici-ty of languages and cultures among the human race. In this story, we encounter a God who seems more like Zeus or Odin than the benevolent, merciful YHWH of David’s psalms: indeed, his action is decidedly like an Aristotelian punishment for the sin of Hubris. He walks among mortals, notes their impressive accomplish-ments with a decidedly ungodlike paranoia, and reacts out of fear, to forestall any further – perhaps even more ambitious – undertakings, such as a space station or an Enterprise-class starship. Like a powerful wind scatter-ing dry leaves (an appropriately Dantesque simile), YHWH imposes this first Diaspora upon the formerly unified human race, spreading Homo sapiens across the globe and confounding human tongues with a seemingly infinite diversity of languages. So there.

However, as with so many other Old Testament epi-sodes, the confounding of the human race is not the end of the story. During the life of Jesus, when centu-ries of prophecies had been fulfilled by the birth of the Messiah, YHWH revealed His plan for the reconciliation of all human languages and cultures: as all things are reconciled in Christ, all languages are reconciled through the Pentecost manifestation Holy Spirit.

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared

The Curse of Babel

Reversed: How the Holy Spirit

Restored Mankind’s Universal Language

By Dr. Stanley Lombardo

20

Pentecost 2014

unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multi-tude came together and were confounded because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, “Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia. . . . Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” And they were all amazed and were in doubt, saying to one another, “What meaneth this?” Acts of the Apostles 2:1-31 (KJV)

Although at first reading this event may seem to have been restricted to the specific area of Jerusalem, and exclusively to those people in the crowd, the progression of the phenomenon makes it clear that such is not the case. While the manifestation of the Holy Spirit was at first restricted to the Apos-tles in their “safe house,” their gift of tongues was quickly “noised about,” spreading the visitation to a much wider audience. In language that is almost exactly the opposite of that used in the story of Babel, Luke described that the effect of the Holy Spirit’s appearance was to re-unify the divided human race, in the Trinity: “Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together and were confounded because that every man heard them speak in his own language.”

Of course, we know that human languages remain exceed-ingly diverse, even after that cataclysmic act of reconciliation two millennia ago. However, a glance into virtually any edi-tion of the Bible will disclose a listing of the myriad lan-guages into which the scriptures have been translated. So indeed, every man and woman, in every nation across the face of the earth, “doth hear them speak in [their own] tongues the wonderful works of God.”

As for the Prime Directive, it is easily enough

translated into every language of Mankind: “Ama il Signore Dio tuo con tutto il tuo cuore, e con tutta la tua anima, e con tutta la tua forza, e con tutta la tua mente, ed il prossimo tuo come te stesso.” [“Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.”] Selah.

You may purchase, Dr. Lombardo’s

book, Paxton at Bosworth Field, at

Amazon com.

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Pentecost 2014

Little Miracles By KaDee McCormick

F ather Jos calls it “Spiritual Conspiracy.” Being

a scientist who is expected to give things un-

necessarily long names, I called it, “Convergence of

Improbable Circumstances Which Supernaturally Tar-

geted Me as the Beneficiary”. In the wisdom of my

preschool granddaughter, she simply calls it, “Little

Miracles”. Now, I realize this is not very scientific for

me to have such beliefs, a belief in miracles and the

supernatural day-to-day intervention of God. But, I

feel it the height of Hubris (pride) to think I know, com-

prehend, and control everything. Since even the lack

of a belief is a belief, I choose to believe in a benevo-

lent God who loves and cares for me as a father does

for his little children.

So my first question becomes, “Can I, a scientist, al-

low for the belief that there is an intervening supernat-

ural being (God,) who cares enough about the small

aspects of my day-to-day life, to send little miracles

that are designed and executed to benefit me?” Even

though I cannot prove it, I like to think there is; it gives

me hope, a positive outlook, and build’s my faith.

There are times I need a honed set of beliefs, such as

when things are truly insurmountable, beyond my

comprehension, or beyond my power. And, I can’t im-

agine facing my own mortality, or that of a loved-one,

with only statics and chance as my sole (or perhaps -

soul) comforters.

My second question is, “Why do these little miracles

favor me?” At first, I’d hope that the reason was that I

had done something to please God. But that goes

against my core belief in the pure, unconditional grace

(favor) of God. My core belief is that I cannot earn

grace; so I cannot earn God’s favor. So perhaps, it

goes deeper than all adult logic, and I should once

again seek the wisdom and unclouded judgment of a

preschool child to unlock the mysteries of the uni-

verse. Thus, I asked one; and she felt, “God loves me

because he just loves me. Ok!” In her simple, but im-

patient, perspective, I found a nugget of truth. Per-

haps God loves the relationship with us like that of

parents for their child. For a child does not have to do

anything for that love (and favor) to perpetuate within

the parent. Still, the parent loves to see the child

acknowledge their love, and the parent still intervenes

on the child’s behalf even when they do not do what

the parent wants them to do. It does., however, build a

relationship for the child to interact with a parent, ac-

knowledging and appreciating the gifts and love of that

parent. Just perhaps, it is the same with God; that this

“favor”, while not earned, as it is a gift of the base rela-

tionship, becomes deeper when we acknowledge and

appreciate what God has done and is doing for us on a

daily basis. So then, it becomes a choice; I choose to

acknowledge and appreciate these little miracles.

“How do I better recognize those little miracles to im-

prove my relationship with God?” I do so through con-

sistent acknowledgement of as many of these little mir-

acles as I can recognize, which made me more hum-

ble, and brought me still closer to God. I found the

second level of beauty in such miracles when I started

to recognize them at decreasingly smaller levels, and

to credit them as a form of divine blessing. In the past,

I had to be fish-slapped by their beneficial consequenc-

es before I’d recognize and acknowledge even the

dump truck-sized obvious miracles. Sadly, I totally ig-

nored, dismissed and failed to properly credit, the

smaller miracles that benefited me. Worse still, I offset

and discounted even the mega-miracles by some sin-

gle petty example I perceived to have been devised

and executed against me.

Now, I adore that moment when I recognize these little

miracles, for they cause me to raise my face toward

heaven and simply provide a cheeky little smile to the

one who sent them. As a humble and loving child, this

one physical expression is intended to thank God.

And, it also acknowledges the giver as Lord and mas-

ter of all aspects of this world, including the complex

intervention necessary to pull off little miracles.

This concept, expressed in Jeremiah 29:11, includes a

goodly number of unlikely details and near impossible

situations. They have been aligned by a higher power

to present an elegantly overlapping situation that was

designed and executed to benefit me. I choose to rec-

ognize and credit these little miracles to bring me clos-

er to the one I believe sends them, so I become more

humble and appreciative of the relationship with the

God of my current belief and limited understanding.

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Pentecost 2014

The Sentinel Publication Data

Editor Br. Louis Welcher, OP

Design Mrs. Kimby Tackett

Editorial Asst. KaDee McCormick

Submission & Publication Dates

Lent-Easter February 5th

Published on February 25th

Pentecost May 5th

Published on May 25th

Rally Day Sentinel August 5th

Published on August 25th

Advent-Epiphany November 5th

Published on November 25th

Submit your articles, reports and news to:

sentinel@allsaintsrussellville.net

The Relevance of Psalm 23 in my Journey of Faith

Vs 1: The Lord is my sanc-tuary, my safe haven

from the disgruntled world and is my beacon of hope. He guides

my steps with eternal truth and wisdom. He knows my every need and fulfills my life with his amazing grace and Holy Spirit. Vs 2: He asks me to honor him and to have no graven images before him. He commands me to spread his Word to the global Church; he lifts burdens and cares from my weary shoulders and sends the night to nestle me in comfort and respite. There is no fear in the still-ness and quiet of the calm before the storm. Vs 3: The Lord rejuvenates me with the power of his Holy Spirit. His abounding power and strength give me the impetus required to go forth in this age of confusion, doubt, and total angst amongst mankind. The path to Heaven is straight and narrow, but our Heavenly Father is the illuminating lamp of this earth and desires only for his children to love others as we love ourselves. Vs 4: I know that there are valleys filled with confusion, despair, loneliness, poverty, moral decay and evil that goes beyond human understanding. Yea, as I traverse this wilderness of hopelessness, my compass is the Lord. He is the one and true God whose word endures, whose Son died for me and who carries me when sor-rows appear like mountains. His Strength is never end-ing. Even In turmoil, I KNOW that I have Jesus as my shield. Vs 5: His Son, through death on a cross, gave his life that we, the human race would be spared from God’s wrath on a sinful world. The Holy food and drink of Je-sus Christ, the Son of God, is our remembrance to al-ways accept all kinds of people from all walk of life. We do not have to like the “bad” in humanity but we should always strive to bring the unloved and the non-believers to God’s Holy Table. His grace is our salvation. Our works, deeds, or public acclamations will not give us a free pass into the Kingdom of God. God’s inevitable love is like a soothing balm on an open sore. The peace that passes all understanding is reason to celebrate each day. We, as Christian believers, have every rea-son to see the glass as not only “half-full” but overflow-ing with blessings.

Vs 6: I may not always have everything in this world that I hope for and yes, pray for, but I know beyond any shadow of doubt, that the Lord, my God, will provide every necessity and keep me on the path for His Name’s sake. At the end of my days on earth, when God calls me Home, I’m going there to see my Father and sing with the Heavenly Choir in that Mansion in the Sky. AMEN… By: Dodie Lamb-Roberts

News from the DARE Commission The DARE Commission, after careful review of the Ap-preciative Inquiry meetings results, is now in the pro-cess of drafting their recommendations for the next 3 years at All Saints’. The DARE Commission has spent considerable time in study and prayer, in conversations with our clergy and vestry, and in listening to you, the members of All Saints’. Consistently, we have heard your common de-sires for the continued growth of All Saints’, for caring stewardship of our facilities, and for All Saints’ to be a place to grow in the love of Christ and love for all peo-ple. Our recommendations will reflect those wishes. Our next step is to finalize the wording of our recom-mendations, and provide an estimate of the cost to ac-complish this work. Our goal is to have this ready for the July Vestry meeting. Please continue to pray for the work of this committee. Sherrie Cotton

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Pentecost 2014

Yoga is taking a break for the summer! The sessions will re-sume in the fall. Have a great

vacation!

ATTENTION!

If you are interested in joining the Altar min-istry as an Usher, Greeter, Crucifer or Torchbearer, please contact Kaye Staggs at 970-9316. You will be welcome. We are in need of people to serve in these ministries. There will be Acolyte training on June 28, 2014, at 10:00 AM in the Nave. This training session is for young people, ages 10-16. If you are interested in serving at the Altar as an acolyte, please contact me and plan to be there. Adult training will be held a little later in the summer. Thanks! Kaye 970-9316

Weird Animal VBS June 22-25 2014

5-7:30pm In Sutherland Hall!

Ages K-5th Welcome Call Kimby Tackett 479-747-6868

Family Movie Night July 5th, 6-8:30pm

Day Camp August 2nd 10am-12pm

K-5th grade welcome

The Senior Moments Society Meetings are every month on the 3

rd Friday

at 6:00 PM in Sutherland Hall. Game Night! Come for fun, fellowship, and

a chance to make new friends. For more information, contact Kaye

Staggs, Joyce Desiderio, or Sherrie Cotton. We look forward to seeing you there!

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Pentecost 2014

Special Music

Kristin and Tim Smith, All Saints Music Directors,

are organizing special music during the summer

when the Adult Choir is on hiatus. Anyone who is

interested in sharing their musical talent for the

10:30 am service in June, July and August is invited

to contact Kristin or Tim Smith at

(479) 264-1351 or (479) 264-1320 or

by e-mail: pianocello@suddenlink.net.

Rally Day Potluck Breakfast Day

September 7th

Sunday School Teachers

Recognition—June 1

Sunday School Will Resume On August 14, 2014

Invite a Friend Sunday July 20th

Recognition of

Graduates June 29th

Fans

Summer is fast approaching. High tem-peratures will soon take over. There are people in our community who live without air conditioning, which can be dangerous, and sometimes fatal, especially to the very young and the elderly. You could possibly save a life by donating a fan. Walmart carries box fans for usually $15-$20. I will be collecting donations of fans or funds the months of June and July to be distributed by Help Network. Please help if you can. We have been involved with this fan drive for the last few years and you all have been wonderful to help your community in this way.

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Pentecost 2014

The Trinity F

rom the beginning, God is mysteriously relational as revealed by the word “us” in Gene-sis1:26. The Doctrine of the Trinity proclaims that the Father’s ever-present companion and Son became the incarnate Jesus. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, “like a dove”, are together at Jesus’ baptism. “The Spirit of God” first appears in the second verse of the Bible, and infiltrates the Old

Testament text. Jesus exemplifies the divine relationship with his heavenly Father, and promises the Ho-ly Spirit (the comforter) will be with the disciples after his crucifixion. These three persons became the basis of the Doctrine of the Trinity. The first of the early church fathers recorded as using the word, “Trinity”, was Theophilus of Antioch, writing in the late second century. He defines the Trinity as “God, His Word (Logos) and His Wisdom (Sophia)”, in the context of a discussion of the first three days of creation. The creeds followed the doctrine of the Trinity, as the early church sought to explain the Trinity better, and move toward uniformity. The magnitude of this task is evident in what may be perceived as the complexities within the creed, such as the need to embellish “God from God” with the phrase, “true God from true God”. Almost 2000 years later, we still seek to understand the Trinity better. We understand that it is relational and clearly generational; that is, the parent and child relationship is continuity from one generation to the next. Within the Trinity is our hope for peaceful family relations, and our prayers for generational transi-tions from the Greatest Generation to their Baby Boomer offspring and eventually to the Boomer children. It is the relational spark of divinity within, that connects us to the Church. We present our truth, our Logos, so that it may be judged fairly and justly without undue harshness. Logos in Holy Spirit is truth in love, and that truth we present to our fellow church members for acceptance or correction. In this Trinitarian dynamic, individu-als, churches, and societies grow in wisdom, through relationship. Divinity seeks and preserves dialogue, even with those who are not easily available. The acknowl-edgment of the importance of relationship is the gift the church has provided from generation to generation. By: Joy Pohl

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Pentecost 2014

Clergy and Lay Leadership for

2014

The Rt. Rev. Larry Benfield

Bishop of Arkansas

Fr. Jos Tharakan, Rector

The Rev. Angi Tharakan, Priest Associate

Kaye Staggs,

Postulant to the Sacred Order of Deacons

Br. Louis Welcher, OP

Novice in the Anglican Order Of Preachers

The Vestry 2014

Senior Warden Mary Gunter

Junior Warden Hugh Silkensen

Richard Kersh

Children & Youth Stan Lombardo

Adult Christian Edu. Mary Gunter

Deborah Wilson

Finances Loretta Cochran

Dodie Lamb-Roberts

Outreach & Altar Kaye Staggs

Communication Deborah Wilson

Fellowship Catherine Crews

Music Directors Dr. Timothy Smith

Kristin Smith

Child Care Diane Tollison

Admin. Assistant Kimby Tackett

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Pentecost 2014

Reserve for Spiritual Pyramid

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Pentecost 2014

All Saints’ Episcopal Church

501 S. Phoenix Ave.

Russellville, AR 72801