Looking Forward to Visiting Guatemala, part 2

Ava Moseley

Editor's Note: The Rector's Note this week has once again been turned over to another of the seven youth and young adults heading on pilgrimage to Guatemala in July. 

I am looking forward to going on the pilgrimage to Guatemala this summer mainly because I don’t know exactly what to expect. I cannot predict everything that will happen, and so the excitement of the trip is traveling into an unknown culture, a life-style so different than mine, that I'll be immersed in for two weeks. This is an amazing opportunity because not only will I be learning about the history and culture of Guatemala, but by traveling there and meeting new people in Guatemala, I will learn firsthand from their daily lives. I am also looking forward to strengthening my friendships with the other kids going on this trip. By experiencing this trip together, I believe we will grow as individuals and a community. [Rev.] Jarrett has devoted so much time to our youth group, teaching us what we can accomplish together, and helping our growth overall. With his guidance, I know we will go on this journey with open minds and hearts to strengthen our values for ourselves and others. And I have no doubt that this trip will create lasting friendships and memories for life.

Blessings,
Ava Moseley

PLEASE NOTE THE UPDATED DATE AND TIME OF THE Beach Vacation Party and Auction fundraiser, this SUNDAY, June 16, immediately following worship. Bidding on the silent auction items will end at 12:15 p.m. Be sure to support the summer youth pilgrimage to Guatemala by attending and bidding on items.

Looking Forward to Visiting Guatemala

Clare Robinson

Editor's Note: This week the Rector's Note has been turned over to one of the seven youth and young adults heading on pilgrimage to Guatemala in July. 


I have been looking forward to going on this trip for years. From wandering around the craft sale to seeing the pictures of the rich culture and wonderful people, I have wanted to be a part of this experience. I am excited about the gorgeous places we will go, from the small mountain villages to the scenic van drives. Growing and developing relationships with the other students I am traveling with is something that I am really looking forward to; this trip will bring us together in a very unique way. 

The aspect of this trip that I value the most is that it truly is an experience, it allows for relationships to be built, people to meet, and most importantly for us to learn. It matters a lot to me that this trip was designed for us Americans to learn about the culture, to fully immerse ourselves and learn from the people we meet. It is not a time for us to bring our ideas, societal norms, or perceptions to them, but rather a time to learn and help where we can with an emphasis on respect and valuing everyone. I hope to bring back to St. Martin's community and my own life a better understanding of the rest of the world, specifically the importance of the church in different places.

Blessings,
Clare Robinson

Update 6.13.19:
DATE CHANGE: Sunday, June 16 following 10:30 a.m. Bluegrass Mass worship

Due to poor ticket sales we are moving the Guatemala Youth Trip Fundraiser to after church on Sunday. Folks can bid after each service and we will have delicious homemade pulled pork BBQ after the Bluegrass Mass at 10:30. Come support our high school youth! The auction will close at 12:15 p.m.

With You Every Step of the Way

“You are always there when I need you.” That is the highest praise. 

When I was a Youth Minister in Chicago, the young people at our retreats would repeat this phrase over and over when they described people who loved them. When someone is “always there for us” we feel  remembered, valued, assured, and safe in our overwhelming and confusing world. 

One day last week, I sat beside the bedside of a member who was in the hospital. His phone rang and when he answered it was a member of St. Martin's on the phone checking up on him. Recognizing her voice, I smiled and then remembered that the day before two Eucharistic Visitors had come from St. Martin's to bring Holy Communion to this same man. He was literally surrounded by caregivers from our church. 

I could say to him, “The church will be with you every step of the way,” and I would be telling truth.

Our second Core Value as a church community is: “In giving and receiving care we encounter Christ.” One reason we know this is an authentic value of the church is illustrated by my bedside pastoral visit described above. At St. Martin's we have a deep and virtuous habit of caregiving. Because of this strength in our ministry it makes me so happy to say that our pastoral care commitment at St. Martin's is to be with our members every step of the way.

We are here to be a resource to you from birth to death and everything in between. We will celebrate the birth of your children, baptize, teach them in church school, confirm, and then marry them. We will be with you when you are sick, troubled, guilty, depressed, angry, struggling financially, or going through a divorce. We will be with you by your bedside for surgeries and medical appointments – celebrating your healing and recovery and mourning the losses and struggles. Finally, we will be with you in your final hours with the soothing comfort of prayer and anointing to see you through that last transition into our ultimate healing. 

My first Rector taught me never to leave the graveside until the casket was safely lowered and everyone else had left. This simple action symbolizes our commitment to be a faithful pastor every step of the way whether people are there to notice or not. 

Every step of the way includes – indeed is mostly practiced by – our amazing lay ministers at St. Martin's. Stephen Ministers, Lay Eucharistic Visitors, the women of Women Connecting, the leaders of Wellspring, the tables of learners at Biblical Studies, the Parenting in Faith circle, and just from friend to friend and neighbor to neighbor throughout the church community. 

I am so proud of our community and our caregiving. We will be looking for ways to advance this work in the parish in the next years. 

- Jarrett Kerbel

Values: Roots and Branches

Our 125^th Anniversary Questions have been these:

1.     What did our founders set in place 125 years ago that we still value today?

2.     What will we establish that will cause gratitude 125 years from now?

During Lent, we offered a Parish Values Clarification process to explore these questions. The staff and the Vestry also set aside time to reflect on the values of the parish using the same model that examines accidental values, aspirational values, and core values. The work was previously recorded on this blog. An ad hoc committee worked during May and June to analyze the data and prepare our findings. 

The results of this exercise will guide the Vestry, lay-leadership, and staff as we seek to build on the strengths of our church community and grow into the community we aspire to be.

The Core Values of the parish are those values that set St. Martin's apart from other worshipping communities. They are long-standing attributes and ones that we are willing to pay a price to preserve and perpetuate. Without these values, St. Martin's would not be recognizable as the church we know and love.

The core values we identified are below. They form a Trinitarian pattern thanks to an insight by Pam Prell during the vestry discussion that produced the final result:

1.     Learning leads to God.

2.     We encounter Christ in caring for others and in receiving care.

3.     We strive for beauty in worship, physical spaces, and life together. Creativity is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

St. Martin's is a community of life-long learners who find education enhances our insights about God and does not detract from faith, as is commonly believed. Our parish avidly cares for each other, lending the support of listening ears through Stephen Ministry, hand-holding, warm embraces, meals during crisis, Wednesday SUPPER, and so much more. Finally, St. Martin's is deeply grounded in the Episcopal belief that life in God’s presence is beautiful. Whether God’s presence is celebrated in liturgy, music, nature, architecture, food, art, or community engagement – the result is inspired, transcendent beauty restored to God’s creation. Contrary to common belief, the Anglo-Catholic or the “high church” movement celebrated beauty in music and liturgy as part and parcel of a belief in the goodness of God’s creation and the potential goodness of a just social order. Oxford Movement clergy were as adamant about social justice as they were about liturgy. Both equally reflect the glory of God.

The aspirational values we identified were extremely clear across the groups that participated in the process. The Vestry will take up these aspirational values and surround them with goals and objectives so that we can track our progress toward their realization. The aspirational values:

1.     Community Engagement and Social Justice

2.     Unconditional Welcome and Inclusion

3.     A community that calls forth the gifts of all its people

4.     Becoming a Racism-Free and Diverse Community that reflects the City where we worship

During Annual Meeting (Sunday, June 15 after 10:00 a.m. service), we will have table discussions that invite the parish community to discuss our Core Values and our Aspirational Values by asking the questions: Where will these values lead us? Who will we become as we grow into these values? As a community we will use our imagination and grow our vision of our future together in Christ.

- The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

Naming our Values: Discussion Part 3

For the next few weeks, we will use this blog as an extension of our Values Clarification work being done in Parish Forum at 10 a.m. and over lunch after our 11:15 a.m. service. You are welcome to come to the blog and see where the work is taking us each week. This will also serve as a way for people who were unable to attend one session to "catch up" and feel welcome at subsequent sessions. This week was our final session on Core Values, having already gone through Aspirational Values and Accidental Values.

CORE VALUES

From the Two Sunday Forum Sessions on March 23

Below you will find summaries of the “Accidental Values” discussion from the weekend of March 23.  

Below is a condensation of the responses from the general gatherings of members based on vote totals.  This is followed by the Pastor's Observations and then raw results from the Forum gatherings arranged according to the tables where people sat.  We are posting these results to stimulate discussion and reflection between our gatherings so we enter each forum prepared for a deep and enriching discussion.

Core Values Summary

Spiritual Formation in everything we do                                  31

                  Equipping the Saints for life in Christ

                  Spiritual growth and development

                  Spiritual nurture

                  Calling the best from each of us

Stewardship                                                                               18

Worship through Music                                                             13

The Baptismal Covenant                                                           11

Core Values Full List from Tables

·       An appreciation of who people are and what they offer

·       Spirit-filled worship and gathering/ spiritual formation imbues everything [8]

o   Spirituality as food in worship and offered in program

§  Spiritual growth and development

·       We take care of each other. [2]

·       Respect of tradition with innovation. [5]

·      

Deferred Maintenance [4]

	1.     Stewardship  [10] – inreach outreach 2.     “3 Legged Stool” [9] a.     Tradition b.     Reason c.     Scripture 3.     Baptismal Covenant [11] a.     By action b.     Proactive

(10% of Budged)

(Education) from cradle to grave.

o   Christian formation as path to God.

·       Outreach [2] – genuine interest in community and wellbeing.

o   Building relationship [1] – “Partnering and developing – tenacious partnership

Dirty Outreach


***

·       Safety (emotional, spiritual) and acceptance (with a place) on all levels

o   Questionable backgrounds?

o   Undocumented aliens

o   “Sanctuary”

·       Rigor and worship

o   Prayer Book (BCP), Hymnal, Bible (examples)

·       Episcopal based on Scripture? (justified war)

o   Baptism covenant

o   3 Legged Stool

§  Scripture [1]

§  Tradition [1]

§  Reason

o   Outreach

§  Social teachings

o   Commitment to stewardship  and a ministry intentionally individual

***

·       WORSHIP THROUGH MUSIC [6]

·       Being open to growth and change [1]

·       Honor diverse forms of worship (within Episcopal tradition) [2]

·       Inreach [9]

o   Spiritual Formation

o   Value Reflection

o   Seeking

o   Engagement

·       Outreach [3]

o   Hospitality

§  Newcomers

§  Community

o    Volunteer Opportunities

§  Variety

·       Parishioners supporting each other [1]

·       Stewardship of our facilities [2]

***

Place of Christian Episcopal worship [2]

·       Welcoming

o   All are welcome at the table [8]

·       Outstanding Music Program [6]

·       Christian Formation for all ages [5]

·       Church Family as Community/Community as Family/Church as Extended Family

o   Active Pastoral Care [2]

·       Outreach

·       Stewardship and Assets—Building and Grounds [1]

·       EVANGELISM [7]

***

·       DEVOTION (Christian Belief) [1]

·       EQUIPPING THE SAINTS FOR LIFE IN CHRIST [3]

·       WELCOMING [5]

·       FULL INCLUSION FOR CHILDREN [6]

·       ACCEPTANCE OF DIVERSE MEMBERS OF BODY OF CHRIST [4]

·       GEROSITY [1]

·       ENGAGEMENT WITH THE WORLD [2]

·       WORSHIP IS CENTRAL TO LIFE OF THE CHURCH [5]

***

·       Focus on the Trinity [4]

·       Focus on Spirituality [6]

·       Committed to social justice [4]

·       Community outreach [3]

·       Welcoming [2]

·       Embrace Diversity [1]

·       Music –the whole program [1]

·       Focus on children [2]

·       Generosity of time, talent, and treasure

·       Civility

·       Focus on spiritual grown [4]

o   Calling the best from each of us

·       Proactive

·       Willingness to be vulnerable [6]

o   More willing to be increasingly transparent

·       Providing a place of trust

·       Open

·       Stewardship [2] –how to do the most good for the most people

·       Compassion and support of each other as well as the greater community

·       HUMOR! [3]

***

1.    Community Inclusivity/Welcoming [4]

2.    Worship Connects Us on our Aspirational Journey [6]

3.    Outreach [2]

4.    Support of the Diocese [2]