1

C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 8

THE

S t . J o h n ’ s E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h N e w s l e t t e r L a t e P e n t e c o s t

It is truly amazing to contemplate that the Men’s Campout Group from our church is planning its 25th consecutive camping trip this October. Every year when the weather is gorgeous these guys have been making some type of adventurous, (well-fed) camping trip filled with festivities, fun, fellowship, and faith. (That’s the 4-F’s to you and me.) This October will be the 25th Anniversary Campout trip, and so please plan to attend this most special occasion. It would truly be great if this year is our most attended campout.

In case you have never been to one of these outings, please allow me to paint a picture for you. This group rotates among locations rang-ing from the Big Bend area, Davis Mountain State Park or Arkansas. This year’s campout will be at Garner State Park, located on the Frio River, in Concan, Texas in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Garner State Park is roughly 350 miles from Dallas and happens to be Texas’ most popular state park for overnight camping.

The Men’s Camping Group is nothing if not well organized. Headed up by Mark (steady as a rock) McCaffrey and David (don’t mention my hair) Reed, these guys and some of their experienced helpers make a plan that ensures everyone has a great time. Mark and David inherited their duties from the original holy trinity of camping, Tom Switser, Dennis Stuekerjuergen, and Bill Knowles, who were all latent boy scouts and started

By Jack Reed

Men’s Camping:Celebrating our

25thyear

2

IN BRIEF

BUZZ LATE PENTECOST 2018the

Fall CalendarSeptember 9 Launch – St. John’s Fall PreviewSeptember 16 Christian Education Classes BeginSeptember 16 St. John’s 411 ClassSeptember 16 St. John’s Concert SeriesSeptember 23 Faith Filled FamiliesSeptember 29 Tasty Wine & Ugly ArtOctober 6 Blessing of the AnimalsOctober 14 Episcopal School SundayOctober 20 St. John’s School CarnivalOctober 27 Annual Chili Cook-OffOctober 28 St. John’s Concert SeriesNovember 3 Diocesan ConventionNovember 4 EvensongDecember 9 Lessons and Carols

Cover graphic: Freepik.com

THE CLERGYThe Rev’d David Stangebye Houk Rector, x421The Rev’d Andy Johnson Curate, x422 The Rev’d John A. Thorpe School Chaplain, x110The Rev’d Herbert R. DeWees Assisting Priest, x419

THE PARISH STAFFMelissa Newsome Parish Administrator, x411Benjamin Kolodziej Organist, Choirmaster x416Jeneé Oxley-Echard Director of Children and Family Ministries, Communications Coordinator, x444 David Porcheddeu Faith@5:30 Music LeaderPaul Perrone CustodianPatty Boren Director of Child CareImelda Garcia Child Care AssistantDeneé Oxley Child Care AssistantBeatriz Martinez Child Care Assistant

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

848 HARTER ROAD, DALLAS, TEXAS 75218-2791T 214-321-6451 WWW.STJOHNSEPISCOPAL.ORG

Through January 2021Charles BadgettDebbie EuziereDavid ReedMitch Womble

Through January 2019Joe DolenChristopher TielensKristin TodoraCharlotte Wiles

Through January 2020Katherine Britt-PriceTiffany FleckensteinD.R. MarshallBen Thomas

THE VESTRY

St. John’s 411 Brunch St. John’s 411 brunch is an opportuni-ty for newcomers to get to know the parish, our people, and ways to get in-volved in worship, growth, and service. The next brunch is Sunday, September 16, at noon in the Parish Hall Confer-ence Room. To RSVP, please contact Fr. Johnson at ajohnson@stjd.org.

Theology on TapTheology on Tap is a discussion group for men, meeting on the second Thurs-day of the month at The Lot (Gas-ton Road), 7:30- to 9:00 PM, for beer and friendly discussion. Meetings will resume on September 13. For more information, contact Fr. David Houk at houk@stjd.org

Children’s ChapelChildren’s Chapel meets on the first Sunday of the month during the 10:30 AM

Choral Eucharist. The children meet in the Undercroft (basement of the church) next to the large cross at 10:15 AM and proceed to the Chapel. When Children’s Chapel concludes, the children rejoin their parents in the church before Communion. For more information, please contact Gwen McAllen at gnmcal@sbcglobal.net.

BaptismsThe next opportunity for Holy Baptism Is All Saints Sunday, November 4. The dead-line for signing up is October 5. Please contact Melissa Newsome in the parish office to register for preparation. For more information about our preparation programs, please contact Jeneé Echard at jechard@stjd.org.

Cover photo: The Men’s Camping group visits Big Bend.

3 Cover graphic: Freepik.com

“I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.” I Cor. 14: 15

This exhortation by the Apostle Paul to the Christians at Corinth—to sing with their “spirits” and their “minds” in joyful, consonant harmony—exemplifies the challenge of church music the musicians at St. John’s have gladly undertaken. All liturgical music is meant to convey an emotion, whether it is the solemn anticipation of Advent, the penitential reflection of Lent, or the exuberant joy of Easter. However, it does so and is informed by its connection to scripture or to a text directly inspired by God’s Word. After a summer break with reduced schedules, St. John’s musicians are preparing for another year of learning and study, which will inform their performances of sacred music.

The Cantate Deo choir is looking forward to continuing tra-ditions started last season. Evensong represents a crown jewel in Anglican choral services, and they will sing two this coming season—one the evening of All Saints, the other at Pentecost. The choir presented Lessons and Carols last December and is pleased to do so again this coming December. The choir is a lively group who will always welcome new members. Social gath-ering is as important as music to them, and every rehearsal ends with a complete (and very sophisticated) party complete with wine and cheese. (They take this party seriously—no matter how late I personally stay, I have never been the last one to leave!) We are planning and working toward a choir tour to England next August, where we will sing evensongs at Bristol, St. Albans, Gloucester, and Chichester cathedrals. The English cathedrals are always looking for quality American choirs to sing during the English summer recess. Of course, we would invite anyone, singing or not, to join us in this historical/musical/theological trip that will involve much more than singing.

The Jubilate children’s choir is gearing up for another season with rehearsals resuming on Sunday, September 16th, at 9am. Open to all children from K-6th, this choir seeks to instill an

appreciation for sacred music while teaching children the fun-damentals of singing, hymnody, and liturgical life. This choir does not strive to be simply “cute,” but rather seeks tocontribute in a meaningful way to the worship life of the congre-gation. (Although, they are very cute most days.) This summer we had our first ever Vacation Choir School, in which 16 kids from St. John’s as well as the community gathered all week to learn about music, singing, the instruments of the orchestra, composers, and the church year as it reflects the life of Christ. Best of all, they learned it at a more relaxed pace and in a more thorough manner than we are able to do during the year. We always welcome new children into the Jubilate children’s choir.

We are also blessed to have a number of instrumentalists both in the congregation and the community who offer their servic-es to St. John’s. This autumn, in addition to hearing trumpet, saxophone, and other brass on occasion, listen for the timpani, as well as baroque flute. This summer, a group of eight church members has started an ensemble playing handchimes, re-hearsing every Sunday after church. They are looking forward to playing for the first time this fall, probably in October. Be on the lookout for them and consider whether this might be a ministry for you, too!

Concerts at St. John’s returns for its first full season in 2018-19. Last year, concerts had to be planned piecemeal, but this year events are formalized and planned to provide a breadth and scope of music that will edify as many people in the East Dallas community as possible. Catherine Allain and Karen Abraha-mson, both church members and professional musicians, will open the season with a lovely harp and violin concert, while Slideshow, an ensemble of a couple dozen trombones, will end the season. In between will be an organ concert, another silent movie, and a woodwind quintet performance.

More information about these ministries can always be found on the music ministry website, www.stjdmm.org.

- In nomine Jesu,Benjamin Kolodziej, Organist and Choirmaster

Choir Education

4

christian Education

BUZZ LATE PENTECOST 2018 the

Weekday Classes

For additional weekday adult offerings such as Small Groups, Theology on Tap, Daughters of the King, and the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, please see the church web site or call the office.

For more information or to RSVP for christian education classes listed here, contact Jeneé Echard (x444) or Father Andy Johnson (x422) at 214-321-6451 or jechard@stjd.org; ajohnson@stjd.org.

CHILD

REN

Christian Education Begins Sunday, September 16

With offerings for all ages, St. John’s strives to provide educational opportunities for each of us to further embrace our faith and accomplish the mission of our

church to nurture faith, inspire hope, and grow in love.

Following breakfast in the Parish Hall (8:45-9:15 a.m.), the following classes are available for children, youth, and adults

YOUT

H

Godly Play Children age 3 - Kindergarten

Godly play takes children on a journey through the stories of God’s people as told in Scripture. This Mon-tessori style program provides them with the language of our faith while encouraging them to interact and engage with these stories at their own level of understanding.

The Gospel Project Nursery, 1st - 3rd grade, 4th - 5th grade

The Gospel Project takes children on a Christ-centered, chronological journey through Scripture. Going slowly through the text, they will discover how the gospel unfolds from Genesis through Revelation. 

One Faith, My Faith Youth grades 6-12

Fr. Andy and J.T. Young

With the goal of preparing youth for confirmation and strengthening the faith of those already confirmed, students will be led through teaching and discussion to come to a personal understanding of the core elements of the Christian faith. 30 weeks, Location TBD

ADUL

TS Experiencing Prayer Fr. Thorpe

As Christians have walked with God over the centuries, we have developed a huge variety of prayer traditions and techniques that are helpful to our spiritual lives. This class will explore some of these methods of prayer both academically and experientially as we take class time to try out the various techniques. 10 weeks, Location TBD

Gospel Foundations

From cover to cover, the Bible is the story of God’s plan to redeem sinners through Jesus. Beginning this fall and continuing through May, Gospel Foundations covers key stories from Genesis through Revelation. The class will engage in discussion to get a clear understanding of how each text fits into the storyline of Scripture.30 weeks, Parish Hall Library, Team taught

Nine Paths for Spiritual Growth Fr. Houk

Central to the Christian spiritual journey are Jesus’ words about “losing” and “finding” our lives. In recent years, Christians from a variety of traditions have found the Enneagram a framework for this losing and finding. The Enneagram is an ancient personality matrix that outlines nine ways people are wired for coping with life (Ennea means nine in Greek). Fr. Houk will explore how this tool for spiritual growth promotes self-awareness and can uncover the traps that keep us from living fully and freely as disciples of Jesus. 9 weeks, Parish Hall Classroom

Women’s Bible Study

Lea France and the ladies group are continuing their study of 1 Corinthians this fall as they continue a word by word look at Scripture with the help of the “For Everyone” series by N.T. Wright. 30 weeks, Bride’s Room

5 LATE PENTECOST 2018 BUZZthe

christian Education

Vacation Bible SchoolA huge success

This year’s Vacation Bible School delivered the promised thrills and spills!

To set the mood, our volunteers magi-cally transformed the parish hall into a pretty convincing waterpark/camp site. (Thanks, Charity, for lending us your vintage camping equipment.)

On Monday morning 40 kids showed up. They were excited to learn new songs, hear water-themed Bible stories (there are more of these stories than you might think), create some amazing artwork and enjoy a tasty snack--nothing like the cherry Kool-Aid and off-brand cookies they served at VBS when I was a kid.

On Friday, after practicing their songs all week, our camp-ers performed for their proud parents, received their very own VBS backpack and devoured what most declared to be the best snack of all time: s’mores and watermelon.

By far, though, the sweetest part of VBS was watching kids of various ages, backgrounds and levels of Bible knowledge grow in their faith and receive the assurance that, when the waters of life turn choppy, Jesus is always by their side. - by RuthAnn Funderburk

The first Vacation Choir School at St. John’s was a delightful musical adventure for all involved. “I am glad to report we had a good choir school week!” said Benjamin Kolodziej, choirmaster. “sixteen kids learned a lot about composers, music, the church year, and the instruments of an orches-tra.” Nine of the children sang August 12 at the 10:30 a.m. service. 

Participants studied four composers over the week and learned about the seasons of the church year. Crafts and games focused on the composers and the instruments. “I liked doing the composer craft,” Adam said, identifying Bach as his favorite.

Experienced musicians taught the children about their instruments, including history, construction, technique, and what it takes to be a musician. Harp, bassoon, oboe, recorder, trumpet, saxophone, violin, viola, pipe organ, and clarinet were introduced and the children learned to play the recorder.

Grace commented “The recorder was my favorite.” Lelia, Vivienne and Sydney also identified playing the recorder as one of the best parts of the week.

Besides fun motion songs like “Father Abraham” the group learned hymns in English and Latin, and practiced two hymns to sing in church on August 12: “Children of the Heavenly Father” and “Feed Thy Children God Most Holy.” 

“I loved singing ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’ at the opening,” said Jacqueline. So did Liv, who said, “My favor-ite was ‘Jesus, Prince of Peace’,” referring to the second verse of the song. The children learned to sing the song as a round, but they also had fun singing it faster and faster while Mr. Benjamin played faster and faster on the piano.

Celia identified her favorite part of choir school as the “part where people play instruments like viola and violin.” “I liked learning about instruments that normally I wouldn’t see when they are used, like the pipe organ,” Adam said. Emma loved learning about the instruments, too. “My favorite was the harp.” Lydia said that her favorite activity was “When we got to play the timpani.” After learning about the timpani, the children took turns playing it.  

Obviously Vacation Choir School 2018 was a great success, and promises to be even better next year.  - By Carrie Sanford

Vacation Choir School

6 BUZZ LATE PENTECOST 2018the

During the 2018-19 year, we will be guiding our youth through a newly designed curriculum. For many this will serve as a preparation for confirmation, while providing an opportunity for others to deepen their existing faith. In preparing for this class, I started thinking a lot more about the Confirmation service in our Book of Common Prayer. Specifically, I found myself asking exactly what is confirma-tion and how does one prepare someone for this rite.

Thankfully, the catechism of the BCP provides some of the high-level answers. It indicates that this rite provides the opportunity to express a mature commitment to Christ, and through it receive strength from the Holy Spirit. Those being confirmed should already be baptized, instructed in the Christian faith, penitent, and desire to affirm their confession regarding Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Those two statements clarify the goal of our new curriculum: how

do we help our youth not only to understand their faith, but also to want to express a personal commitment to Jesus.

Something that quickly became clear as we began to design the course is that we cannot simply lecture to our youth. While lectures may help them to be “instructed in the Christian faith” they will do little or nothing to challenge them to understand and develop their own faith Therefore, we are embarking on a new venture. While still using the Apostle’s Creed and the Lord’s Prayer as our foundation stones, we will engage our youth with their own thoughts and questions about God, Jesus, and themselves. Called One Faith, My Faith, this class seeks to produce “mature” Christians who are coming to know and understand Christianity for themselves and who desire to express a personal commitment to Christ and his Church. Adults

Confirmation

By Fr. Andy Johnson

One Faith, My Faith: Thoughts about Confirmation

7 LATE PENTECOST 2018 BUZZ the

MISSION UGANDA

After a calendar year of monthly meetings, planning, and fundraising events, the time had finally arrived to begin our journey to Africa. Fr. Johnson led us in a quick prayer at the church, then we piled into our cars and departed on the trip of our lifetimes. Apart from the Waits, no one truly understood what the next two weeks had in store for us. Two days and many long flights later, we arrived in Kigali, Rwanda. After meeting our drivers, John and Kizito, we left paved roads and traffic lights behind and discovered the “African dust.” I, Paisley, met a teacher and her daughter when we visited the Bishop’s school. While the rest of the team played volleyball and soccer with the students, I met the adorable 8-month-old Uma and chatted with her mother. She asked me how I liked Uganda, and it was surreal to have a conversation with a person from such a different culture, yet find simple similarities. We both strongly disliked avocados and the sprawling hills of Uganda fascinated us. We both enjoyed teaching little children and gorillas enthralled us, though

she had three viewings of the creatures in her lifetime and it would take a miracle for me to glimpse one in the wild.

This encounter stuck with me throughout the remainder of the trip and reminded me how similar we are to the people we help. During our week-long stay in Bwindi, we also built a Banda, a community and worship area. Well, “built” may be an overstatement. We hiked a mountain for about twenty minutes until we arrived at Ratungula, and sat under the current community meeting place, the avocado tree. As we listened to the many speeches, we began to understand the depth of their gratitude. One man stated, “If I could open my heart and show it to you, you would see love.” Overall, this phenomenal journey ex-posed to us how deeply our work affected the Ratungula community and how similar people with such different backgrounds can be.

- By Paisley Brown

More photos on page 10

8

Men’s camping: 25 Years

this whole thing 25 years ago. Now Mark and David help orga-nize ride-sharing, meal-planning, beverages and arrange for a multitude of activities in and out of the park; basically they do the heavy lifting so the rest of us can enjoy. We simply pay the fee and show up.

A typical trip has the organizers heading out to the chosen destination on a Tuesday to set up the campsite on Wednesday for everyone else’s arrival on Wednesday through Friday. This year the dates are October 16 – 22. (I have an event on Thurs-day, Oct. 18 so I will be traveling to the campsite on Friday, Oct. 19; let me know if you want to share a ride.) Garner State Park has a permanent meeting house in our campsite, complete with a full kitchen and multiple tables. It also offers bunkhouses with mulitple beds. Some of the guys still pitch a tent to camp old school, but everyone has a choice and most will sleep in the bunkhouse. Please bring sheets, blankets, and pillow. There are bathroom and shower facilities on the grounds as well.

A hearty breakfast is provided every day along with appetizers, lunchmeats, fruits, nuts, and candy set out for general grazing. Every evening brings a different meal that is 2 die 4.

All water, soft drinks, cold beer, and wines are provided. Campers also may bring beverages of their choice to enjoy around the campfire, or during breakfast if that’s your thing.

During the campout, there is no set agenda and so everyone is open to do whatever they feel like doing. As I mentioned,

there are several excursions such as golfing, range shooting, horse riding, biking, fishing, motorcycling, art lessons, and general life discussions. Every morning there is morning prayer before breakfast and on Sunday we have a camp mass.

We have one day that is devoted to serious competition with an “organized” tournament featuring washers, horseshoes, monkey balls, and cornhole. Absolutely NO TRASH TALK-ING is allowed. (Absolutely NO ONE follows that rule!)

Some guys depart on Sunday, and the rest spend another night, help with the packing, and head back to Dallas the following Monday. We always have a fun group breakfast in a nearby town, that is part of your price of admission.

What can I say? In our 21st century hectic, urban lifestyle, there is nothing better for your spirit than a get back-to-nature campout. It’s a respite from “normal life” and is a recharging experience for your soul.

Do yourself a favor and make arrangements to attend this short getaway to a beautiful part of Texas to be a guy with the guys. Invite your friends and come make some new ones within our church. For information about signing up, please contact Mark McCaffrey.

PS: We need some of you younger guys to get involved with this group so that I can be wheeled out to the 50th Anniversary Campout. Thanks in advance.

9 LATE PENTECOST 2018 BUZZ the

What are you waiting for – join us!

10 BUZZ LATE PENTECOST 2018

Mission Uganda

the

Calling all creatures great and small for the annual St. Francis Day celebration. A Blessing of the Animals witnesses to God’s and the Church’s love, care and concern for all creation. This year we will again be at St. John’s for our celebration. If it’s difficult for your pet to attend, bring a photo to be blessed.

Where: On the Grounds (in case of rain, under the Parish Hall overhang)

When: Saturday, October 6 at 12:00 Noon.

Treats for all!

BLESSING of the ANIMALS

Clockwise from top left: Mary Kate Houk, Robert Burns, Fr. Houk, Avin Todora, Cindy Waits and Heather McNeill.

11

Vestry Voices

My name is Tiffany Fleckenstein, and I am honored to serve on the Vestry for a second time. I am married to Claus (yes, he is German) and we are a “blended family” with three beautiful and amazing daughters (if I do say so myself!): Julia, who is a college freshman at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts; Stella who is a freshman at Episcopal School of Dallas; and Charity, who is in 6th grade at St. John’s Episcopal School. I am a huge animal lover and we also have five fur babies – three dogs and two cats. I work as an attorney for a health care company in north Dallas, a job which is challenging and often stressful. My faith helps me to keep the perspective that God is in control and it is futile to worry about anything too much! I first visited St. John’s in 2001, and have been here since, drawn by the beautiful wor-ship services and warm environment.

I am in my second year on the Vestry and serve as the parish liaison for the school, a position which earns me a seat on the St. John School’s Board of Trustees. In this role, I try to advocate for the mission and best interests of the church parish and also, I hope, hopefully to bear a positive image of a parishioner who cares about both institutions. I also serve on

the Vestry’s Outreach Com-mittee, and I look forward to assisting D.R. Marshall and others as we think about how to expand the way we respond to the needs of our local and global communities.

I am thankful for the consis-tent leadership and faithful-ness of Fr. Houk and the exciting energy St. John’s

has as we face new challenges and continuing change. I am particularly thankful and thrilled about our growing youth program, under the leadership of the fabulous Fr. Andy. My 15-year old, Stella, is among the group of missionaries who traveled to Uganda this summer. What a blessing to have a church that offers this type of experience to its youth! I look forward to continuing to serve the parish and grow in my faith and knowledge of our Savior. - By Tiffany Fleckenstein

LATE PENTECOST 2018 BUZZ the

Charitable Gifts Made EasyA Message from the Planned Giving Chairman

Let’s say you have a will but haven’t taken the leap to change it to include St. John’s. While you contemplate that possibility, you might be interested in easy ways to benefit your parish that don’t involve hiring a lawyer. Here are two simple techniques:

First, you can name St. John’s as a beneficiary of a life in-surance policy. For example, maybe your employer provides you with $50,000 in group term life coverage. And maybe you named your spouse and children as the beneficiaries, as most of us would do. But if you also named St. John’s as a mere 5% beneficiary, you would create a potential $2,500 gift to your parish. That’s a lot of choir sheet music or funds for White Rock Center of Hope.

Second, and equally simple, is naming St. John’s as a beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k) account, or other

retirement account. Many of us have those assets but for-get that we can use them in our planned giving.

It’s instant estate planning at zero cost. Changing beneficia-ries is as easy as calling your insurance agent or retirement plan custodian or clicking on your employer’s benefits web site. And you can change the beneficiaries again just as eas-ily if your circumstances change.

If you do name St. John’s as a beneficiary, letting the parish administrator know about it is a good idea, as is providing contact information for the insurance company or retire-ment account custodian.

As always, thank you for your support of our parish.

Ann WardSt. John’s Planned Giving Chairman

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH848 HARTER ROADDALLAS, TEXAS 75218-2791

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

REFLECT IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE UPDATE

Our REFLECT capital campaign draws to a close at the end of 2018. Because of your generous giving we have been able to replace the church’s HVAC system; renovate the Parish Hall bathrooms, the kitchen, and put in a new wheelchair lift; payoff the loan on the Undercroft, install new campus signage, and improve the church’s lighting. Next in line are the expansion of our columbarium, a new roof for the church, and a visitor center in the narthex. If you have not made a REFLECT gift, don’t! That’s right: don’t pledge. Just give! Make a one-time gift by year’s end and be a part of thissuccess in renovating our church and our mission.