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THE M E S S E N G E R

Newsletter

St. Martin’s Anglican Church

Spring ~ Fall Issue 2014

www.stmartinsottawa.ca

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Pondering parables is the theme for this edition of The Messenger. There are reportedly 46 parables in the New Testament. Parables have figured in artistic depictions from the earliest days of Christianity. Some have been inserted to accompany articles and reflections on favourite parables submitted to the newsletter.

Front cover: The parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46) 6

th century mosaic from the Byzantine school located at the

Museum Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy

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CONTENTS

REFLECTIONS ON A FAVOURITE PARABLE .......................................... 1

WELCOME TO NEW NEIGHBOURS & LONGTIME FRIENDS .................. 2

NEXT UP IN THE CHAPEL SERIES ......................................................... 3

ALWAYS LOOKING FOR LOST COINS .................................................. 4

ON THE SUBJECT OF LOST COINS ...................................................... 5

A LESSON IN BELL RINGING ................................................................ 5

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER ............................................................ 7

A PARABLE IN PROGRESS ................................................................... 9

...Hannah and her travels ................................................................. 9

MESSY CHURCH ............................................................................... 10

A Bit more Background ................................................................... 11

A FAVOURITE GRACE FROM A FORMER WARDEN ........................... 11

OUTREACH & SUMMER SUPPORT ................................................... 12

PARABLE OF THE LAMP STAND UPDATED ........................................ 13

SOME REFLECTIONS ON RENDERING ............................................... 14

Further Renderings .......................................................................... 15

THE GOOD SHEPHERD...................................................................... 16

MORE PARABLES PONDERED ........................................................... 17

The Parable of the Good Samaritan* ............................................. 17

The Parable of the Talents .............................................................. 17

From the Editor’s Desk .................................................................... 18

CATCHUP WITH DEAK ...................................................................... 18

UPCOMING EVENTS & KEY DATES ................................................... 19

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REFLECTIONS ON A FAVOURITE PARABLE

By St. Martin’s Rector The Reverend Richard Vroom "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." This quote and the spirit behind it is often attributed to Edmund Burke, a noted British parliamentarian, especially following its inclusion in a speech by John F Kennedy to the Canadian parliament in 1961.The underlying message of the quote, however, has its roots in writings from our Jewish heritage. Verse 8 from Psalm 12: "the wicked strut freely about when what is vile is honoured among men." From the Talmud, and Midrashic commentaries: “to save one life is to save the entire world, and therefore to do nothing in the aid of your neighbour is to bring on destruction…” The opportunity to live this message can often be found when and where we least expect it: right in front of our eyes. A colleague of mine tells the story, perhaps a modern parable, of something that happened over thirty years ago. A mutual friend was walking along the Sparks Street Mall during his lunch break when he saw a man poking his head into a garbage can rummaging through the contents looking for something. My friend stopped and watched for a few minutes thinking that the man had perhaps dropped his keys or a book by mistake. As he continued to watch, he was astonished to see the man retrieve several discarded boxes from the nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet and proceed to eat the meat off the leftover chicken bones and french fries. To ease his obvious hunger, the man was scrounging for the remains of food that others had chucked into the garbage can. My friend was shocked by the sight. It was his first visceral exposure to the dire straits that many of the homeless, lonely and disadvantaged can find themselves in. It would have been very easy for my friend to walk away and simply ignore what he had seen. Instead, he allowed God's spirit to work through him and taking action he told his church what he had witnessed. The church immediately began inviting parishioners to bring non-perishable food items as part of their weekly offering. The children of the church participated in the offering by

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following the collection plates with large baskets for the food. Each Monday my friend took the food offering to Centre 454, which at the time was in the basement of St Alban's on King Edward. This was one of the first parishes in Ottawa to take up a tangible weekly offering and have an immediate impact on those in our city with the greatest need! Our model for such action can be found in the parable of the Sheep and the Goats: "I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’" Matthew 25: 31-46

WELCOME TO NEW NEIGHBOURS & LONGTIME FRIENDS

The latest addition

to the is the

neighbourhood is

the 154 unit

Carlingwood

Retirement

Residence that went

up on Lockhart

Avenue right across

from St. Martin’s

front steps. Among

those who have recently taken up residence in this spanking new

facility are some very dear friends of St. Martin’s. At last count, to

name a few, they included Elizabeth Frisby, Muriel Jeffry, Diana

Bannatyne, Muriel Grimsy, Edith MacLean and Marjorie Turner St.

Martin’s extends a very warm welcome to all and looks forward to

seeing them along with the many new friends they’ll no doubt be

making in this lovely new home of theirs.

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NEXT UP IN THE CHAPEL SERIES

The third installment in this impressive series is scheduled to take place Tuesday, June 10

th from 7 to 9 pm here at St. Martin’s. It will

feature a presentation by Dr. Ian Manion on youth and children’s mental health. Dr Manion is a clinical psychologist, researcher and executive director of the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and

Youth Mental Health. He is the inaugural chairman of the National Infant, Child and Youth Mental Health Consortium, a group of dozens of organizations from across the country working together to champion the development and implementation of a national action plan for child and youth mental health.

As a psychologist, Dr. Manion has helped numerous children, youth and families address debilitating social, emotional and behavioural problems. As a leader and advocate, he is supporting provincial, national and international efforts to build a child and youth mental health system that is effective, responsive, accessible and accountable.

The aim of the Chapel series is to deepen awareness and understanding of vital health-related issues that impact us at a personal, family and community level. The first two installments in the series readily met this aim. Dr. Manion’s presentation promises to be no exception. He speaks about mental health from both a professional and a personal perspective and does so with sensitivity and humour.

The series was launched January 22nd

by Dr. Jeffrey Turnbull who gave an in depth look at current measures and innovative ways to address and alleviate homelessness. On April 1

st Dr. Robert Milin

shared latest findings and treatment approaches for dealing with young people verging on destruction from substance abuse.

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Given the top-notch expertise of speakers, St. Martin’s is counting on members of the congregation to spread the word and encourage as full a turnout as possible. Representatives from neighbourhood churches, Woodroffe United and Our Lady of Fatima among them readily agree that the focus of the series is extremely worthwhile and informative.

ALWAYS LOOKING FOR LOST COINS

Our Treasurer Merdon Hosking recommends a direct approach is the

best approach. Like the women in the parable of the lost coin, I am looking for ways to find money no matter how small. Some say I am a bit too obsessed at times. I have been looking for ways to try to reduce the yearly service charges at the bank. Last year they exceeded $1,300.00. You would think that banks prefer that you not send them money when you see the fees charged for the inconvenience of having to count the money you deposit. I am asking parishioners who have not taken advantage of the Parish's monthly direct deposit system to give it some consideration. It is very convenient. Just think, you will not have to worry anymore about forgetting your collection envelope on the dining room table. I speak from experience. More people using direct deposit will not only lighten the task of our faithful counters every Sunday but also lower our service charges at the bank too. The monthly direct deposit system is administered in house by Pat Bethel, our Envelope Secretary. The hard copy information necessary to start the direct deposit never leaves the build and is stored securely in the vault. On the second last working day of each month the Envelope Secretary creates an electronic file by securely logging on to our bank's website. This file deducts from the bank accounts the amount authorized by each parishioner. Should you wish to stop or change your monthly deduction just contact the Envelope Secretary before the second last working day. It is that easy. If you are interested in starting or wish further information, please do not hesitate to contact Pat or myself

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ON THE SUBJECT OF LOST COINS

At least one counting team who chose to remain anonymous manages to depict the parable of the lost coin pretty much every time it is their

turn to count the offerings. Oh, it starts out optimistically enough. The envelopes opened, the contents verified, the monetary denominations sorted. Everything seems ticketyboo, until the final tabulating gets underway. For some bizarre reason known only to certified chartered accountants, the column of figures fails to jibe with actual monetary items at hand. Then the hunt is on to find that miniscule missing amount that is marring efforts to reconcile everything. Diligent searching,

perseverance and good humour succeed in righting the error. Then it is high fives all around. That same team also appreciates the arrival of a new calculator whose tape can be read.

A LESSON IN BELL RINGING

Colorful, bright and musical, these fun and engaging hand bells, played by the children of

the Church School, have contributed some very delightful musical moments during our worship. A vote of thanks goes out to Heather Chisholm and Lori Marsh for providing the handbell sets and envisioning a fun way to make music together. For their part, Nancy MacGregor and Kristin Hull have been instrumental in directing an older group of children to play hymn tunes and Christmas songs. And this past winter the Kindergarten children joined the group for the first time.

So, now, for the child in each of us here’s an explanation of how the bells work so that even very young children can play them. As you have noticed, each of these bells has a different color and a different tone. The plastic handles provide safe fun as they help hand-eye coordination. They are ideally suited for children as the bells are

DOMENICO FETI 1618

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small and lightweight. Following a colour coded system of egg-shaped discs, which correspond to a colour of a bell; the children can follow along a chart of colours and make a joyful piece of music. For those with musical training, this handbell method is based on the C major scale.

Each player is responsible for ringing at least one bell that plays a

distinct note. Together, a choir of bell ringers play a song note by

note, producing a chord. The chord

method is easy since the chords do not

change as quickly as the melody notes.

For the chord method, the level of

difficulty is determined by the number

of chords used and the speed at which they change. The bell is held

upright, close to the chest. When played, the bell is moved forward so

the clapper strikes the bell. The bell is brought back to the chest to be

stilled until the next time it is played. Each piece of music is

accompanied by a fully orchestrated song arrangement recorded on a

compact disc. Needless to say, the next concert is eagerly awaited

come the fall!

And, hats off to our Church School Co-ordinator, Brenda Dawson, and the marvelous members of her team! The teaching team for The church school class includes: Fraser Anderson, Patricia Boyd, Kristin Hull, Nancy MacGregor, Anthony West With Assistants Margie Brouse, Michelle Langlois, Tony Myres, Sara Ryan, Carrie Stotts, Barbara Stotts, Jennifer Wharram and Marion Xhignesse The Kindergarten class includes Brenda Dawson, Kathryn Wimmer, With Assistants Genevieve Anderson, Mary Grace Cameron, Judith Hull, Diane Isaac, Scott Millar, Enid Xhignesse

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THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER Matthew 13:3-8, 18-23, Mark4:3-8, 14-20, Luke 8:5-8,11-15

This parable figures in all three synoptic gospels. It took on a new meaning for Dave Dawson an avid gardener and St Martin’s esteemed Choir Director and Organist At this time of the year when we plant things and grow seedlings, the parable of the seed and the sower comes readily to mind. Father Richard’s sermon on Easter Sunday triggered a connection and put a new light on this parable for me. His observations on the Easter morning scene at the tomb focused on the conversation between Jesus and Mary and the use of Mary's name to address her. In his homily Father Richard said that “ It’s not about the empty tomb". We make a great deal out of the symbol of the empty tomb. The Easter story is about the very personal connection Jesus made to Mary by first calling her by her name. Just as the Easter story is not about the empty tomb, the parable of the sower and the seed is not about the ground. We focus on the wrong things. We have been taught to think of the importance of good ground when throwing seed. It is so obvious that rocky ground

or poor soil will not produce good results from even copious amounts of seed. The quality of the ground is not the important element in this parable. It is the wisdom, care and responsibility of the sower that should merit our thought. What kind of a sower or gardener would throw good seed where it was

doomed to fail? In this fertile spring season and the April 27th

Earth Sunday homily by Anthony West on caring for the earth, isn’t it better to tune our own awareness of the earth so that we may better care for it. To be sure, there is good seed and poor seed, good ground and poor ground. However, as the stewards of the earth and gardeners in the place we inhabit, it seems to me that the gardener is charged with the discretion to plant where the seed will grow. Only a poor gardener would plant on rocky ground. It's not about the seed. It's not about the ground. It's about the gardener.

SOWER WITH SETTING SUN VAN

GOGH 1886

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A PARABLE IN PROGRESS

...HANNAH AND HER TRAVELS

Late last year the entire congregation had an opportunity to give Hannah Marsh a special blessing as she embarked on a two-year stint as a substitute teacher in England. Hannah is the daughter of Ian and Lori Marsh and has been part of St Martin’s church family for over 10 years. During that time, she has been a server, a volunteer with Messy Church and attended Synod as a youth delegate for St Martin's. She’s also occasionally been seen helping the Altar Guild on Saturday morning! Hannah is a graduate of Nipissing University in North Bay earning degrees in History and Education and graduating in May of 2013 with a passion for teaching and travelling! She is currently living in Walthamstow and working in schools in Northeast London, but has the option to work in different areas of the country. Hannah celebrated her 24

th birthday in March and sent along the following update and

some “selfies” of her time thus far in this exciting chapter of her life.

The move to London has been great! The people are wonderful, the schools nice (the students aren’t bad either now that I can understand their accents most of the time), and the travel so far is amazing!

I’m writing this sitting on the train heading for my flight to Hamburg, Germany*. We get a two-week break from school at Easter so I’m taking advantage of it! I had a week off as well in February and I spent that in Rome, which was incredible.

There were lots of things to see (and eat!) while we were there, although the 500+ stair climb to the top of St Peter’s Basilica was a little

ambitious! We also got great seats for the Pope’s address (less than 2 metres away)! For my first month and a half in London, I was supply teaching in a number of different schools. However, for the past 7 weeks I’ve been working in a Year 5 class at a Catholic Primary school. Nice students but they could be challenging at times. I’m looking forward to working in different schools again next term.

WESTMINSTER AND

HANNAH

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I also lucked out when it came to finding a church to go to. I’m currently attending St Barnabas Walthamstow, which is a 5-minute walk from my house. Everyone is really nice but they use incense, which probably isn’t ideal for my asthma. Other than that, everything is going great over here!

* Reliable sources report that Hannah had an outstanding time playing tourist in Germany, celebrated a glorious Easter at Saint Barnabas Walthamstow and looking forward to visiting the Canary Islands over the school break in May. Here’s a link to Hannah’s church away from home: www.saintbarnabaswalthamstow.co.uk

MESSY CHURCH

This season’s final session takes place Tuesday, June 3rd

from 5 to 7 pm in the Parish Hall. Our Lay Reader, Rebecca Veale, serves as main convener for this quarterly celebration of church and bible traditions especially geared for families

and open to all to attend. Rebecca sees it as a fun way to meet people of all ages. She suggests it works better if you bring along a child or two and cautions that the program is not a drop off zone. There is no cost to attend and good will contributions are fine too. Admittedly the name “Messy Church” can raise eyebrows striking some among us as ummmmm undignified, nevertheless, the format of crafts and acting out a bible story topped by a delicious kid friendly supper menu has proven a winning combination for appealing to folks who can’t make it to church on Sunday. Rebecca suggests that even if you don’t happen to have a child to bring along she always welcomes

HANNAH AT THE COLISEUM IN ROME

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an extra set of eyes and ears and hands to be part of the proceedings. Right now, she has a team of some 8 to 12 volunteers that includes a great meal preparation team lead by Judy Hull. More is always better. The program can always use donations of craft supplies and bible based narrative ideas for plays. Don’t be shy. Step up and let Rebecca know you’d like to help and be part of this ingloriously named program.

A BIT MORE BACKGROUND

Lucy Moore started Messy Church in the UK in 2004. The first Canadian Messy Churches were begun

in 2007. St Nancy Rowe started MC at St. George's in April 2007 in Georgetown, Ontario and Sam Rose started MC in St. John's NL in September 2007. Since that time, Messy Churches have sprung up in almost every province across Canada. St. Martin’s was launched December 20

th, 2010.In response to the question what is Messy

Church? Reverend Nancy Rowe of Georgetown United Church offers the following: Messy Church is one of the Fresh Expressions of Worship. It is not a program but an innovative worship that is focused on families and particularly the vast numbers of people who are third and fourth generation away from having any church experience (apart from the odd wedding). Church is just not something that comes up on the radar for many. Messy Church is Christ centered and offers an opportunity for families to explore their faith, coming together in a lively worship that does not presuppose any familiarity with churchiness, and finally interacting as a community to share a meal.

A FAVOURITE GRACE FROM A FORMER WARDEN Robert Dixon is a longtime friend of St Martin’s whose contribution to this parish is known to many parishioners both in his role as a former people’s warden and as one among the ranks who spearheaded the fund drive and stewardship that ensured St. Maritn’s new home here on Prince Charles Road in the early 1960’s. As an avid golfer, Robert is often called upon to say grace at golf tournament banquets. The ecumenical spirit of the following grace makes it his favourite.

For food and friends and all God sends, we give Him grateful thanks.

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OUTREACH & SUMMER SUPPORT

An important reminder from our Outreach Co-ordinator Margaret Bloodworth

Despite weather evidence to the contrary, summer is coming! And with it time at the cottage, with family and friends or just relaxing around the pool. Summer is often one of our favourite time of the year for the great times and memories associated with it. However, for many charities summer is a challenging time. Their clients and expenses continue even as many of their regular donors are on holiday. As you make your summer plans please take a moment to consider what you can donate to help make the summer a better time for one of your favourite charities and the clients they serve. St Martin parishioners support a wide variety of outreach activities over the course of the year - the Well, Cornerstone, Centre 454, the Ottawa West End Chaplaincy, the food bank among others. Please make spring one of the times in the year when you prayerfully consider what you are able to contribute. Over the next few weeks, envelopes will be available at the back of the church to enable us to include those less fortunate in summer plans. Please give as generously as you can. The needs continue regardless of the time of year.

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PARABLE OF THE LAMP STAND UPDATED

St. Martin’s is in need of someone capable of serving as our Audio Visual Media Co-ordinator. This point person would be responsible for our presentation equipment that includes:

The LCD projector permanently installed with the screen in the church

A portable LCD projector

Flat screen TV monitor

DVD players

Radio-CD players and even an

Old-fashioned overhead projector for transparencies

Somewhat outdated Public Address system microphones that are slated for updating

A basic knowledge of PowerPoint used for making the slides that are screened during the main Sunday service is among the skills that would be needed. Speak with David Jeanes or Father Richard even if at first blush you’re not entirely clear what it would entail. Consider it an opportunity to be the light of our world here at St Martin’s because as we all well need to know: No man, when he hath lighted a lamp, covereth it with a vessel, or

putteth it under a bed; but putteth it on a stand, that they that enter in

may see the light. For nothing is hid, that shall not be made

manifest; nor anything secret, that shall not be known and come to

light. (Matthew 5: 14-16)

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SOME REFLECTIONS ON RENDERING

Ian Nunn, St. Martin’s newly appointed People’s Warden, was struck by some current day comparisons and some time tested truth from a well known gospel story. In Matthew 22:20-21 the Pharisees, looking to bait Jesus on the question of allegiance, sent a band of their disciples and some Herodians to ask whether or not it was right to pay taxes to Caesar. The new international version of the study bible notes that historically the Pharisees were ardent nationalists opposed to Roman rule but enlisted the help of the hated Herodians who favoured Roman Rule. Jesus took the denarius, the common Roman coin of that day and asked the obsequious lot before him: “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription? Caesar’s came the reply to which Jesus said:

“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s Though it is not a parable as such, this answer to the question posed to entrap Jesus is an allegory that distills the essence of his teachings. The distinction is that between the dominions of the world with their requirements and the dominion of the Spirit of God. The former consists of the laws of the land. And in today’s modern world, you have not only the enormous volume of laws and regulations of three levels of government but as well the rules and regulations of your workplace, your condominium, your church, the organizations that you belong to, and so on. Moreover, beyond the letter of the laws is the spirit of the laws, a distinction that Jesus repeatedly made to the Pharisees.

THE TRIBUTE MONEY BY MASACCIO C.1426

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Where humanity’s laws require tens of thousands of pages, God manages his 10 commandments on two stone tablets that may be summarized in a single word: love. When we set ourselves against the letter or the spirit of any law, we expose ourselves to reprisal and emotional turmoil. We cannot enter God's presence while mental and emotional battles rage within. Rendering unto Caesar - the dominions of the world - what they demand, forestalls the consequences that would plunge us into a state from which we could not meet God. When the requirements of the law and of the world are met with love, we are truly in Christ's Spirit and one with God at that moment.

FURTHER RENDERINGS . . . Envelope Secretary Patricia Bethel, she of the lovely choir voice and tea maker for the Nearly New Shop team sent along some historic insight on the widely quoted line from Matthew 22: 19-22 “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s The authenticity of the few words themselves has generated all sorts of opinions. The Jesus Seminar voted it out of the Gospels - all three of them - as a later addition designed to accommodate obedience to the Roman Empire: a sort of separation of Church and State; It was also considered a coded contemporary reference to all things being God’s and therefore decreeing that nothing be rendered to Caesar. Recently, a powerful case has been made for echoes of the original Aramaic in the Greek in which the Gospels were written. In any event, at the time that rendering unto Caesar was being contemplated, Roman governors typically fleeced the province over which they were set for their three-year term. The first year’s takings recouped the bribes necessary to get the position; the second year’s enabled the governor a lavish life after leaving. The third went into legal fees to offset later court cases by indignant locals before the depredations began again with the next governor. Pilate served an unusually long term in contrast to the plum posts in Greece. The job of getting the money was set out in an Imperial-Private Partnership whereby the tax collector was able to keep amounts collected surplus to the governor’s own requirements. Judging from the sour reputation tax collectors had, they seemed to have kept a lot. No doubt, a coin with an Imperial representation would have had all sorts of contemporary emotional meanings that escape us.

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It comes almost as a shock that the Caesar of Caesarea died more than two thousand years ago come August. In all likelihood, the head on the coin would have been that of Augustus or his successor Tiberius. Tiberius, in whose reign Christ preached and was crucified, spent most of his reign in retirement on Rhodes. He left administration of the Empire to yet another extremely corrupt coterie in Rome. Nevertheless, the garrison at Caesarea Maritima, the capital of the north and possibly also the ordinary residence of the governor, Pontius would have been a daily reminder of the presence of the Emperor through Pilate. Even the name of this relatively large centre given by Herod the Great in honour of Augustus must have been potentially inflammatory as a whole city belonging to Caesar. Whatever resonates in their immediate or wider historical context, the simple verses speak to us directly and powerfully across the ages, especially when yearly income tax season comes upon us.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Accompanying this item is a portion of the window at St Martin’s dedicated to the memory of Stephen Turner. For lay reader Rebecca Veale all parables are teaching tools. In considering the parable of the lost sheep (Matthew 18:12-14) Rebecca put the matter this way:

I hope there would be someone to watch the rest of my sheep while I searched for the one lost one, but I am certainly grateful that God loves us so much that He would find us, rescue us and bring us back to safety. When I was young, our minister often quoted Paul Tillich who referred to God as “The ground of all being”. He preferred to use the idea of electricity to explain God. However, we were a farming community, so the idea of the Lord as our shepherd was not as foreign or out of date to us as it seemed to be to our minister. I still like to cling to the Lord as my shepherd.

The Israeli shepherd goes in front of the sheep, talking and singing, hence the reference: “My sheep know my voice”. Our shepherd goes behind the sheep. I like the idea of God, leading, following and going through things beside me as well as rescuing me all at the same time. That assurance has helped me cope.

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MORE PARABLES PONDERED As a recently retired physiotherapist Lori Marsh has seen human suffering closeup

THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN*

has always spoken to me. I worked at The Ottawa Hospital for over 25 years and provided care to thousands of individuals from diverse cultural, social and economic backgrounds. During those years, I unfortunately witnessed a number of co-workers 'cross the road' to avoid treating patients who they considered unclean, all while

describing themselves as 'religious' like the priest in the parable. Even though some individuals were a challenge to treat, I tried to keep in mind that each one was my neighbour and as such, deserved all the skill and care I could provide at an often difficult and frightening time of their life. * Luke 10:30-37

THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS For a Man of many talents, it is fitting

somehow that the our Rector’s Warden, Ian Marsh, finds this one especially noteworthy. I considered Matthew 25:14-30, the parable of the Talents. Three servants are given care of a portion of their master's fortune while he

is on a journey. Two of them increase their charge through trade, while the third hoards his and returns it without increase. The master rewards the two for being good stewards, but berates and punishes the unenterprising servant as "lazy and worthless". While

the text has a definite Old Testament feel, it remains attractive to me, not least because of the direct and simple message. When fortunate enough to receive gifts from God, we are expected - commanded - to use them for good, to employ them to further the Kingdom, to share

Van Gogh 1890

John Morgan c.1860 Parable of the Talents

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them with others, and to ensure that they multiply. The lesson applies to work, to home, to Church and to Life!

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

As a one-time amateur thespian and erstwhile public relations practitioner, being prepared is the main lesson for me from two parables: the wise and foolish virgins and servants remaining watchful. Yes indeed, be prepared— always. This need for preparedness was embedded early into my nervous system thanks to Girl Guide days and the influence of Lord and Lady Baden Powell. For me the proverbial lamp left unfilled or the house not in order is akin to not knowing my lines and the curtain is rising or ad deadlines looming with no copy nailed down. This need for being prepared just might help explain why no story input to this venerable newsletter is an editor’s lamp out of oil. Next time an invitation goes out for newsletter stories be prepared and willing to contribute yours. We all have stories to share especially stories from our faith journey. Whether written or spoken aloud they all bring meaning and understanding to our own journey

Sharron Hanna

Matthew 24: 42-51 and 25:1-13,Mark 13: 34-37,Luke 12:35-40

Peter Corneilius C: 1813

Wise and Foolish Virgins Peter von

Cornelius c: 1813

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CATCHUP WITH DEAK

No issue of The Messenger is complete without an interview with Deak, St. Martin’s official mascot. Why a stuffed groundhog you ask? Because that is the gift that Reverend Vroom’s dear wife Neilda gave him to mark the day of his ordination which happened to fall on groundhog day in 2005.

Rep: Yo! Deak how’s it going? Uuuhhh….You look a little miffed! Deak: Oh it’s nothing really. It’s just that your interview with me didn’t make it into the last edition. sighhhhhh Rep: Gosh Deak, I’m really sorry. Apparently, the editor’s numerically challenged and didn’t figure out the right number of pages for that edition. However, it was in the edition that Fraser posted on St. Martin’s website. Deak: Oh..okay. Well, truth is right now I’ve got some important things I’ll be mulling over come this summer. Rep: Care to share what’s on your mind then? Deak: I like to be prepared well in advance and I’m thinking ahead to two significant dates coming this fall. One of them is Sunday, September 14. It’ll mark the 5

th anniversary

of my being the official mascot of St. Martin’s because that was the Rev’s first Sunday St. Martin’s don’t you know. Rep. Wow! Imagine ! A whole five years will have flown by! Do you think the Rev, I mean Father Richard, still can’t wait to get to work here like he said when he first arrived? Deak: O good golly yes! More than ever. Believe me! Rep: You said there were two dates Deak: The other really important date is November 11

th, the patron

saint day for St. Martin’s and the 100th

anniversary since the onset of World War one. Rep: Thanks for flagging all these dates to us Deak. They’ll be important ones to share our thoughts on in the next issue of The Messenger.

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St. Martin’s schedule of regular worship service times will

resume Sunday, September 14th with spoken Eucharist at

08:30 and Choral Eucharist at 10:00

UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES

Messy Church Tuesday, June 3, 5 to 7 pm with sessions slated for October, December Come Celebrate Summer Solstice Eucharist, Lunch and Entertainment June 24 with the series underway to celebrate Thanksgiving come October and Advent in December Chapel Series Tuesday, June 10 7 to 9 pm address by Dr. Ian Manion. This will be of special interest to parents, teachers, health care workers and pastoral care visitors. Series continues this fall so stay tuned for dates. Faith-Based Study Sessions Will be convening Wednesdays at 12:30 commencing early this fall. Blessing of the Animals one fine Sunday in September TBA Annual Snowflake Bazaar usually in November date TBA Patron Saint Sunday and Remembrance Day Sunday, November 9

th

► If your group or club is looking for space to hold your meeting or stage a special event be sure to check out St. Martin’s website for space availability and rates.

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Our Church School takes place

Every Sunday through to June 1st and

Resumes this fall on Sunday September 14th

Summer Service Every Sunday

with 9:00 am Eucharist

June 29th through to and including September 7th

St. Martin’s Anglican Church 2120 Prince Charles Road

at Lockhart Avenue Ottawa, Ontario

K2A 3L3

(613) 722-6077

Email: stmartins@rogers.com