The Messenger
The quarterly publication by
and for the members of
Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 2750 E. Cardinal Drive, Sierra Vista,
AZ 85635
(520) 458-4432 Office@StStephensAz.org www.StStephensAz.org
Issue 5 Oct - Dec 2008
Services: Saturday, 5:00 p.m.; Sunday 7:30 a.m. and
10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist (Communion)
served at every service.
Any baptized
Christian may receive Communion at our Altar.
The
Rev. Victor J. Sarrazin, Rector
A CONTEMPLATIVE EUCHARIST FOR ST. STEPHEN’S
One of the priorities that grew out of our mission
statement is "expanding and enriching our worship experience." As a step toward this goal, several people
who are involved with our Wednesday Morning Prayer and Bible Study Group
approached me about starting a "Contemplative Eucharist." I was very happy to hear this. It can greatly deepen our experience of God
in our community and our selves. We are
planning to offer this experience on the first Sunday evening of each month,
beginning in November.
Contemplative prayer could be the best kept secret of
Christianity. In North America, we
often run across references to meditation as a part of the spiritual traditions
of Buddhists and Hindus. However, this
kind of prayer runs just as deeply throughout our Christian tradition. Some schools of spirituality prefer the term
meditation, others contemplation.
Without my going into the technical difference, let me simply say that
both schools seek a deep experience of God's presence in our human existence.
This of-course begs the question: "so, what is a
contemplative Eucharist?"
Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.
(http://www.centeringprayer.com/) Offers this
definition of Contemplative Prayer:
“The opening of mind and heart - our whole being - to God,
the Ultimate Mystery, beyond thoughts, words and emotions, whom we know by
faith is within us, closer than breathing, thinking, feeling and choosing; even
closer than consciousness itself. The root of all prayer is interior silence.”
This kind of prayer is based on the experience that God
dwells within each of us on a level deeper than we can express. In contemplative prayer we seek the kind of
quiet that allows us to experience God within us.
A contemplative Eucharist is about combining liturgical
prayer (like our Sunday Worship) with this kind of quiet listening prayer. We are probably much more familiar with the
idea of encountering God in the words of Sacred Scripture and in the Sacrament
of the Eucharist. Nevertheless, God is
also powerfully present, within each of us.
In a contemplative Eucharist we seek to bring these three different
experiences of God into a harmonious whole. In this way, we nourish our
spiritual lives from many sides at once.
The service will be streamlined in various ways to allow
for the quiet listening that I have been describing. For example, we will have a period of silence after each reading
so that participants will have time to reflect on the lesson. Similarly, we will follow the Communion with
silence, allowing time for all to absorb that great gift from God.
If this stirs your curiosity, keep an eye open, we will
publish more details as our plans develop.
Please do not hesitate to send me an email if you have any
questions. I am happy to respond.
***************************************************************************************
MEET THE ACOLYTES!
Alaina and Holden Smith
You have seen Alaina sing with our choir but did you
know-----She is 14 years old and a Freshman at Buena High School. Alaina spent
part of her summer at Chapel Rock Camp doing Physical Education. Besides
hanging out with her friends at the mall, and eating pizza, she enjoys
baseball. Holden , 10 years old, is now
in 6th grade at the Smith Middle School. Holden also went to Chapel
Rock this summer. He likes video games, fishing and flying. Baseball is his
favorite also and his baseball team is the league champion. Holden prefers
lasagna and hanging out with his friends too. Both Holden and Alaina are hoping
to attend college and pursue careers associated with music. Alaina wants to be
a music teacher and with her lovely singing voice we are sure she will be a
good one!
We sure could use some more acolytes. If anyone is
interested in assisting the worship team in this way, please contact Dottie
Gutwein, 515-0679. This ministry is not
just for the children of the parish. We currently have one adult acolyte and
will certainly be glad to have more.
***************************************************************************************
GRETCHEN LAMBERTH
Gretchen and Greg Lamberth attend the Sunday morning 10:30
service, but Gretchen hasn’t been there this past year. She has been serving as
a United States Naval Reservist (called to active duty) in Landstuhl, Germany.
Gretchen graduated from Colorado State University (CSU) in 1974 and entered the
Navy on a scholarship spending 4 years on active duty. She has been a Navy
Reservist ever since and has had many exciting jobs in the reserves. These jobs
were usually her yearly 2 week-commitment, but in October 2007, she was
activated and sent to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl,
Germany.
Landstuhl
Regional Medical Center receives all injured military, civilians, and many foreign
military from "downrange". Landstuhl is an Army hospital staffed by
Army, Navy and Air Force personnel. The Navy support is mostly Navy Reserve, as
the Active Navy medicine staff is busy staffing Navy medical installations. The Navy Reserve called Gretchen because the
hospital needed an Occupational Therapist to support the active duty Army
Occupational Therapists.
Gretchen has been the Occupational Therapist (OT) in
charge of all in-patient evaluations and treatments. She has had the honor of meeting the most amazing young people
who have been injured while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) (Afghanistan) and other lesser known areas of
conflict. She also sees, as
outpatients, many soldiers who have sustained mild traumatic brain injuries and
have trouble transitioning back into the demands of their lives, and she works
with those members who have had significant problems with substance abuse. (The
American Occupational Therapy (OT) Association defines OT as follows “OT helps
people live life to its fullest. It
does this by helping people of all ages who have suffered an illness, injury or
some form of debilitation relearn the skills of daily living. By focusing on the physical, psychological
and social needs of its patients, OT helps people function at the highest
possible level, concentrating on what's important to them to rebuild their
health, independence and self-esteem.”)
When asked about how she feels about her job Gretchen
responded, “I have had so many rewards while here. I can tell you so many stories of people I’ve helped. That is the most rewarding part of the job,
helping others. I’ve personally
sharpened my skills in wound care (no need for that in the school system). We’ve had a patient here who lost both of
his legs and one of his arms, and he is independent in all his self care,
thanks to OT. He has stayed with us for
4 months because he is from a foreign country, so we were able to spend more time
with him. A man blown up and badly burned
lost his eyesight but his burns have healed and he is independent in taking
care of himself in part due to the OT he has received. Most of the injured don't stay with us long,
they arrive from downrange and are air-evacuated back to the USA in 3-7 days. We do what we can for each patient in that
time, and it makes a big difference in their lives. I also have been working with the mirror therapy to alleviate
phantom pain in the amputated limbs and have had tremendous success.”
Gretchen’s civilian job is as an Occupational Therapist
for the Sierra Vista School District. Some of her student clients are part of
the CANTER program and Gretchen has spent some time walking alongside the
horses helping those students.
On August 20, 1977 Gretchen married Greg (she says, “He
was handsome in his Marine Corps Dress White Uniform”). Gretchen was born and
raised an Episcopalian. Greg was Roman Catholic and they both took instruction
in the other’s religion and then chose Episcopalian. They have a daughter,
Sarah and a son, Geoffrey.
While Gretchen has been deployed, Greg has visited four
times, once by himself, once with the kids, and twice with Gretchen’s cousin,
Cheryl. They were able to take some trips around the area during those visits.
Gretchen says the German, French, Austrian, and Swiss people have been very
kind to them.
Gretchen expects to receive orders to return home soon.
*****************************************
ST. STEPHEN’S YOUTH ACTIVITIES
“We Welcome
Back our Sunday School”
Our
Sunday School is back from summer break!!!
We welcome back our Sunday School Students and Teachers. We are happy to announce that Debra Summers
is back with us to lead the High School Sunday School again this year. The “Angels in Training” class is being lead
by Tim Ash. We are excited about our
opportunity to share the “Good News” with our young people. We also look forward to helping our young
people periodically participate in our worship services. Our Sunday School Teachers are always happy
to have volunteers willing to share a story, a craft, a lesson or a
prayer. Anyone willing to share these
talents with our young folks, please contact Debra Summers or Tim Ash.
Our High
School and the Middle School Youth Groups are back in action
We welcome back two Youth Leaders who have blessed us in
past years as leaders…welcome back Allison Tigert and Joan Jurik who will be
leading the High School Youth Group. We
also welcome back Christy Smith and Tim Ash who will be leading the Middle
School Youth. We have already had
several planning meetings and we are all excited about the upcoming year. We will be participating in upcoming One in
the Park event in September and we are planning outreach events for the
Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays. Stay
Tuned!!!
St. Stephen’s
Youth attend Chapel Rock Camp
Our ECW and Congregation provided scholarships for 14
youth to attend Chapel Rock Camp this past summer. Our youth had a blast and experienced God’s love in a beautiful
setting removed from your day-to-day schedule, routine, and distractions. Chapel Rock’s program is designed in a way
that causes our youth to engage. This
is a great place for our youth to have questions- and a great place to ask
them. The questions, discussion,
feedback, and participation in worship are what make the Chapel Rock experience
so powerful. This is the most we’ve
ever had attend Chapel Rock in one year.
We thank you
all!!
Dear E.C.W and St. Stephen’s Congregation,
Thank you for funding my trip to Chapel Rock this year, I had a great
time. Some activities I took part in include talking about Jesus and why he was
special. The activity I enjoyed the most was camper choice which is when we
play games, sports, and make crafts. Some religious things we did include
walking the labyrinth and our own little church service. Thanks for helping me
take part in these unforgettable experiences at Chapel Rock.
Sincerely,
Joey Ash
One in the
Park (OITP)
St. Stephen’s Youth and Youth Leaders will be
participating in the annual OITP event scheduled for September 21st
and 22nd. For the past
several months, representatives from St. Stephens have been meeting to plan an
event called One in the Park. One In
The Park (OITP) is a two-day youth event in Sierra Vista sponsored by numerous
churches and youth workers all over Cochise County. The mission of OITP is to build unity, accountability and
encouragement among Christian students and provide a place to bring friends to
hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. It
is expected that over 500 youth will attend this year’s event. Come Join Us!!!
******************************************
JUDY
AND BERT WILKINS TRIP TO RUSSIA
This June, Judy and I took a river cruise between St.
Petersburg and Moscow. Here are a few observations on Orthodox
Christianity.
The Eastern and Western Churches split in 1052, dividing
Christianity between Rome and Constantinople. In about 1450, the Russian
Patriarch split the Russian Orthodox Church away from the Greek Orthodox.
The antiquity of the Orthodox faith becomes quickly apparent.
The first thing one notices is the Orthodox Cross, which
differs from the Latin Cross by an angular bar, about 2/3 down the cross.
According to a retired Lutheran Pastor traveling with us, the Western Church
believes Christ was placed on the cross with His feet side by side. The
Orthodox believe one of Christ’s knees was bent, thus one leg was straight and
the other bent. This is the reasoning behind the angular crossbar.
Orthodox Christianity seems to be enjoying a renaissance
in the new Russia. Because of the language barrier, we were unable to
have any in-depth discussions on the status of the Church. One will see
Orthodox Priests on the street. At one point, we saw them soliciting
donations from cars stopped for a traffic light, but this is not common.
In the airport, the Church had a large box for people wanting to get rid of
their rubles before leaving the country.
Again, the language barrier was huge, but we had the
feeling Orthodox Christianity tended to emphasize private devotions rather than
communal worship. Weekly services were not part of their upbringing
during the Soviet era, when religion was banned. We observed this in Our
Lady of Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. People lined up about 30 deep
to kiss the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan. After kissing the icon, some of
these women would go down on their knees for a prayer. The line was
mainly women wearing scarves, but some men were present. Prior to lining
up to kiss the Icon, a candle would be lit and placed in a candelabrum.
We were told that Orthodox Masses go on for over two hours. Communal
worship does exist, but the present generation grew up in or after the Soviet
era. Communal worship was not practiced and the present generation does
not know the liturgy. The practice of communal worship seems to have been
put aside.
When one looks for the altar in an Orthodox Church, one
does not see it. Instead, one sees the iconostasis. This is a
series of religious paintings, done on wood and placed in a hierarchy, with
Jesus Christ and His Mother at the top. The altar is unseen, behind the
Holy Doors at the center of the iconostasis. One does not see the
Priest prepare the elements of the Eucharist. There are neither chairs
nor pews. According to the Orthodox, one does not sit in the presence of
God. One of our guides told the story of her son’s baptism. Women
are forbidden in the area of the altar. For the baptism, she handed her
son to a man, who then carried the infant to the Priest for baptism. The
American women asked how she could maintain her faith with such discrimination
present. Our guide answered that Russia has been a very unstable
country. People have needed an element of stability in their lives and
the Church has provided this. She was very aware that the Lutherans had
women as clergy. Another guide made a sarcastic remark about how the
Church considers women to be sinful.
We were exposed to the music of the Orthodox Church,
although in a show for tourists. The music is done by professional male
singers without accompaniment. This was their summer job away from the
conservatory. Needless to say, it was excellent with perfect
harmonies. On another occasion, we heard a non-professional mixed church
choir, two women and four men and they also did a very good performance.
The physical condition of Orthodox Churches varies
greatly. The large churches of the cities are in excellent
condition. In smaller towns, the churches seem to be in inadequate
repair. The Churches have a large foundation, yet the interior area of
the church is small. Those churches in the countryside appear to be
crumbling. The Soviet regime was hostile to the church and one can see
the result. Some of the small churches had colorful histories.
Royal wives could be placed in convents when they became “inconvenient”.
The Orthodox Church and the Czars had a most compatible
relationship. Recently, the Church canonized Czar Nicholas II and his
family. While Nicholas was not a despot, neither was he an enlightened
leader. We asked how the last of the Romanovs qualified for
sainthood. The answer was because of their martyrdom.
Russia was an enlightening and informative trip. It
was far different than any of us expected.
****************************************
And where have the rest of you travelled???
****************************************
ECW SCHEDULE
The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) have planned a busy fall
schedule. Our regular monthly meetings
are held on the third Wednesday of each month starting at Noon. We bring sack lunches and enjoy a social
time while eating. The meeting begins
with a meditation and prayer by Rosemary Snapp, our Chaplain. This is followed by a business meeting, We
welcome all ladies of the Parish.
The Annual Bazaar will be held on the last Saturday in
October, the 25th. Setup
will be on the 24th. We
welcome all kinds of handmade crafts – knitted, sewn, woodworking, etc. There will be a large baked goods table to
include homemade jellies, jams, candy, cookies, pies, bread, mince pies, salsa,
etc. Granny’s Attic features gently
used figurines, silver, and other decorative items. Lunch will be offered from 11:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. St. Stephen’s is well known for delicious
home made soups and pies. A signup
sheet will be on the movable notice board in the porch for you to choose the
time you are available.
The Anne P. Wright Memorial Bake Sale is named after a
deceased founder of the event. Anne was
a staunch member of ECW, a long time member of St. Stephen’s and the wife of
the Reverend “Wid” Wright, Vicar of St. Stephen’s from 1976 to 1988. For fifteen years, or thereabouts, the sale
was held at Safeway until we came to our senses (December at its best is cold
and windy) and moved it into the Parish Hall.
St. Stephen’s Café was well received and will return for one day,
Saturday the 13th of December.
Setup will be on the 12th of December in the afternoon. It is our custom to bake lots of cookies and
then combine them into yummy variety plates ready to be taken to a party or
given as gifts. Table will be set up
for people to meet their friends and hot drinks will also be sold. In addition to the cookies, we will offer
breads, candy and pies. St. Stephen’s
is known for its English mince pies, and wonderful cooks meet together starting
in October to make them.
The money from all three endeavors go to camperships to
help our young people go to Episcopal Summer Camp at Chapel Rock in Prescott,
local charities (VICAP, Good Neighbor Alliance, Forgach House, Angel Tree),
Diocesan works (St. Andrew’s, Nogales children’s clinic), and world wide
charities as needed.
For more information please call Dinah McCreery, ECW
President, at 378-1138
