Reverend Joan Anthony, Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of Olympia, recently met with the Process Design Group consisting of Michael O’Neill, Jan Hanson, Mary Lyons, Greg Lapic, Diane Glase and me. Rev. Anthony serves as the Diocesan Deployment Officer, working with clergy in transition and oversees the clergy transition processes with congregations. In addition to other clergy human resource issues, she also provides resources for Letters of Mutual Ministry and ministry review. She reports directly to Bishop Rickel. She also attended the December Vestry meeting.

The Process Design Team has a three-pronged mission. Our tasks are to:

1. Draft the Letter of Mutual Ministry with Mother Kathleen defining our roles (Kathleen’s, of the Vestry and for the congregation). This letter of agreement hires her as Priest in Charge upon Father Richard’s resignation, for a maximum of three years.
2. Craft a road map – that is, design the process - for the Discernment/Call Process in which the entire congregation will engage after Father Richard’s resignation.
3. Assure that the congregation and Father Richard have the opportunity to wish one another a constructive farewell and to celebrate the many gifts of Richard’s nearly 10 years of ministry at St. Stephen’s.

The letter of agreement with Mother Kathleen will be relatively routine. Rev. Anthony is going to provide the Process Design Group with three proto-types and we will create a hybrid of the
three in conjunction with Kathleen. One of the beauties of the Priest in Charge process suggested by the Bishop (rather than an Interim) is that we have the great luxury of time. Usually a priest resigns and the congregation is thrust into an immediate Search and into huge transition. We will have the luxury of time: up to three years if we or Kathleen want to take that long. Our good fortune of having an Associate Rector who is willing to serve as Priest in Charge also provides continuity of leadership and no immediate upheaval.

The creative part of the Process Design Group’s work is crafting what I call the “road map” for the
congregation’s eventual Discernment Group. That group will be called by the Vestry after Richard’s resignation and after Kathleen is installed as our Priest in Charge.

Many of you have been through traditional “search” processes in the past. The Discernment Group will do much of the same work as a traditional “Search Committee”. However, because of the unusual circumstance of our long-term relationship with Mother Kathleen and due to her role as Priest in Charge, and further due to the fact the Vestry may ultimately choose to call Kathleen to serve as our Rector (if she is, in fact herself called to so serve), the Discernment Group will not be exactly like “Search Committees” you have watched or served upon in the past.

Be assured, however, that the charge of the Discernment Group (the road map we design to guide them) will be to develop some kind of “parish profile” document, to ask all the hard questions about where St. Stephen’s is, where it should be, what is the best way to get there, what do we do well, what do we do poorly, what do we need to do more of, what do we need to do less of, how can we best/better serve God?

The Discernment Team will be charged with exploring all this with the entire congregation. They will use different tools likely to include surveys, town meetings, world café events, and other formal listening strategies. Who isn’t sitting at this table? What needs are not being met? What is missing from our spiritual programs? Are we sufficiently addressing social justice? What qualities do we need in a Rector to help us achieve our stated mission and goals? Due in part to our unusual situation, we will likely have an outside facilitator help us have completely open and unfettered conversations and discernment. Ideally the process will be unfettered, open-minded, non-judgmental, and all will be heard, every opinion and need will go into “the mix”.

Rev. Anthony compared our situation to “walking on Jell-O” several times. To one degree or another, we all know what a traditional search process looks like. We are creating a new process to encompass our unique situation.

The Process Design Group is the first part of the listening process and we will engage you in some formal listening events after the holidays. We want to encourage each and every one of you to contact us and share your opinions, concerns, ideas, fears and excitement. You will be listened to. Your ideas will be incorporated as possible. How should we go about gathering your ideas? Tell us! All your comments will be collated and passed on to the Discernment Group when they are called by the Vestry.

The last prong of the Process Design Group’s call is to make sure Father Richard’s ministry at St. Stephen’s is celebrated and finding appropriate ways to say “good bye” to him. He may serve us again (although not sooner than 6 months, per Bishop Rickel’s requirement); he may not. We do not know what his or our call will be. We need to close his ministry appropriately.

So, we invite you all to enter this conversation and to venture into “Jell-O- walking” with us! Although a period of discernment is scary because of the unknown, it is exciting – like a wrapped Christmas present. Our walk together on this path will bear fruit that we presently cannot see or know. Our job is to discern God’s will for St. Stephen’s.

Yours in Christ, from the “PDG”: Michael O’Neill, Convener; Mary Lyons, Jan Hanson, Greg Lapic, Diane Glase and Ann Mottet.

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Advent images call us to rest in God in the midst of change
by Kathleen Patton, Associate Rector

Wilderness. Pregnancy. Journey. These are advent images – a wild man in the desert, an old woman and a virgin expecting babies, a young family on the road, three kings following a star.

All these images speak of a state of waiting. Not the helpless waiting of a person at a bus stop, but a more purposeful waiting, moving from one state to another.

The Baptist calls people to step out of their everyday lives for cleansing and preparation. Elizabeth and Mary prepare for their sons. The Holy Family leaves the comfort of home to find a humble stable in the City of David. The magi set out for parts unknown to worship an unknown king.

Most of us prefer to be on either side of a transition – either in the comfort of the familiar, or in the excitement of the new. Yet we have this wonderful purple season of Advent each year – four weeks that celebrate the place in between, a place of renewal, mystery, and struggle. A place out of step with the glitter of cultural Christmas. A place that proclaims hope in the darkness, and values the dream time.

It was in dreams that the angel spoke to Joseph and to the Magi, by night that angels appeared to the shepherds. The kings followed the fragile light of a star.

At the darkest moment of the year, these images invite us to welcome the unknown, to rest in God in the midst of change, and wait with expectant and open hearts for the next step – to the work of trusting God when we do not know the way. There is a joy that comes with embracing this adventure, with letting go and following the star, saying yes to the angels, heading for Bethlehem.

This is not the happiness of security. They say “transition” is the most painful stage of giving birth. But there is a the pure joy in trusting in God to make a way for us, though it may be difficult, and lead to something new that could not have been imagined.

I feel we are in such a place now – we as a family at St. Stephen’s, and we as the Patton-Green family. We are entering an Advent time in our lives when the future shape of leadership is not known, but we are invited to wait with expectation and open hearts for God’s guidance. And for now, that guidance comes through the darkness like a star, or a flickering candle. Just enough light to illumine the next step.

What we can clearly do in this moment is to give thanks for all that has been and now is. Not clinging to the past in nostalgia, but referencing the ways that God has cared for us and led us before, knowing that we will be led and cared for in the future. In the midst of thanksgiving we can also keep on preparing prayerful hearts that beat to the rhythm of God’s call.

What a wonderful time for our whole community to take a step deeper into prayer!

Welcome to the journey. Let us go forth in peace, to love and serve the Lord!for in the future. In the midst of thanksgiving we can also keep on preparing prayerful hearts that beat to the rhythm of God’s call.

What a wonderful time for our whole community to take a step deeper into prayer!

Welcome to the journey. Let us go forth in peace, to love and serve the Lord!

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The Work is not done!

by Greg Lapic

I was able to spend another week in New Orleans in October helping to rehab a Katrina damaged home.

This particular home in the upper 9th ward had been occupied through several generations of the same family.

Ms. Shannon was quite anxious to get moved back in after four years of waiting. Our crew was able to complete a lot of the finishing touches like doors, floors, tile, trim, and baseboards. We hope to hear any day now that she has been able to move back in.

Our crew boss insisted on top quality work so Ms. Shannon will be living in very nice accommodations.

There are still many homes in that area that have had no work done other than to rip out wet insulation and wall board after the flooding. Some of these homes will never be re-occupied, but others could be if there was sufficient volunteer labor to do the work.

Please keep these volunteers and the survivors in your prayers.

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December/January 09-10 Letter from Father Richard L. Green, Rector

Dear Ones,

Over this last decade we have been through much together in this long journey: the pleasant, the painful, the playful, and the profound. It has all been part of our path of transformation to awake us from the trance that clouds our understanding of who we really are. We are the Beloved of God who have been deceived to believe we are rather pathetic broken little things. We tend to wallow in anger, fear, and self-pity due to the deception. But that is not our true nature any more than a plant is defined by the blight which attacks it.

That old Advent hymn Sleepers, Awake (Hymnal 1982, p. 61 and 62) could be our rallying cry. The darkening of the days, the dying of the light, is such a powerful metaphor for our human condition. Maybe we are living in near perpetual Advent. Our journey is like an ongoing preparation for the coming of Christ. John Scotus Eriugena (9th c. Celtic teacher) talked of Jesus as our “memory” – our reminder of who we truly are. So, as we prepare ourselves to welcome the Christ, we prepare to discover our nature, our true face, as well as the face of God.

It is with Christmas that we celebrate that wondrous gift of knowledge – the knowledge of who we really are. That beautiful baby whose birth we commemorate is a sign of the incredible potential of every human birth. When we truly realize that each of us is born with the image of God in our hearts, when we see the Christ in every human person, when we understand that all of Creation is an image of Emmanuel (God with us), then Jesus’ mission will be complete. The Reign of God will be at hand.

As I begin my preparation to take leave of you as your rector, I pray that the openings we have experienced together may take root and grow. I pray also that the distractions and closings we have experienced may not.

Let the Christ be ever our companion on the Way.

With you in His love,

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Book Blurb

What Jesus Meant and What Paul Meant by Gary Wills

(this blurb is brought to you by Keith Husmann)

Gary Wills, the Pulitzer Prize winning historian, has provided two excellent contributions to the literature on Jesus and Paul with What Jesus Meant and What Paul Meant. Wills is in many respects uniquely qualified to the task; he studied for the Roman Catholic priesthood, earned a doctorate in the classics, and taught Greek for many years. These accessible volumes, while addressed to a lay audience, benefit from current scholarship and are chock full of interesting and provocative information.

In What Paul Meant, Wills reads deeply into the evidence and smashes many of the common misconceptions regarding Paul. Having suffered through numerous books portraying Paul as a misogynist (or worse) by authors who completely misread Paul, it was a decided pleasure to read a concise, well-reasoned, and penetrating look into the frequently-maligned St. Paul.

In What Jesus Meant, Wills blends the latest in historical Jesus scholarship with a deft but insightful restatement of the message that changed the world. Wills makes clear that he understands the Gospel to be broadly inclusive. Garry Wills, like Marcus Borg, brings the latest research and a fresh perspective to deepen our own understanding.

These books are both small volumes, but don’t think these are (necessarily) quick reads. There is much to be gained from meditative and repeated readings.
What Paul Meant can be found at 225.92;
What Jesus Meant is at 232 on the library’s shelves.

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Share Checks; healthy money habits for families

At the recent Diocesan Convention, Nathan Dungan, president of Share, Save, Spend gave a presentation on healthy money habits for families. The general idea was that, as parents and grandparents, we, in the faith community, have a great opportunity to teach our families how to share, save and spend, countering the message of spend…spend…spend that we hear 5,000 times a day via the media.

Nathan suggested starting a family tradition of “share checks” for the children on our Christmas gifting list. This is a simple concept where a gift is separated into two parts. One part is a check given to the recipient to “share” and the other is a gift or a monetary amount to save and/or spend. The “pay to” part of the check for sharing is left blank so the child or young person can decide which charitable cause they care about. The gift recipient fills in the “pay to” line, sends the check and lets you know where the gift went.

The share check might be given to FISH or “Save the Pandas” or to pay for a gift of an animal through Episcopal Relief and Development. There are scores of agencies and charities one could pick. Part of the joy of the gift is exploring different charitable causes.

This new tradition can help to turn “gimme…gimme…gimme” into giving to others. It also gives us a great opportunity to have meaningful discussions about who we share with and why. “Share checks” can be part of the gift or in addition to normal gift giving. This an easy way to share our abundance, teach others the joy of giving, and have meaningful things to talk about with our kids, grandkids and family.
We will be hearing more about Nathan Dungan’s “Share, Save, Spend” program in the coming months. The Diocese of Olympia has promised to bring Nathan to Western Washington to train and inspire individuals from interested parishes. St. Stephen’s will pursue this opportunity in June.

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Calling all women!

Camp Huston’s annual event, Women’s Getaway Retreat, is just around the corner! January 15-18, 2010, spend your weekend away in a serene setting with friends and good food, that you don’t have to cook!

This weekend event provides you with the time and space to read your favorite book, finish a project, sit by the fire, or take a walk to nearby Wallace Falls. The time is yours to enjoy!

Rev. George Anne Boyle will be the chaplain available to provide both service and conversation throughout the weekend. Cost ranges from $157 for a shared room to $223 for a single room. Two and three night options are available. Registration forms can be found at www.huston.org or by contacting the Huston office at 360-793-0441 and info@huston.org.

We look forward to providing you with a relaxing and rejuvenating weekend!

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Just how did you hear about St. Stephen’s?

Christy and Carl Gerhart have been coming to St. Stephen’s for more than a year. They discovered us by looking through church websites. Christy said it was particularly helpful that she “could read the sermons and get an idea of what kind of a church you were.”

She and Karl met in the Northwest and have been married for six years. Karl is from an Episcopal family in Pennsylvania; Christy came from California. They did most of the work themselves on the house they built in Kalama and have lived there for five years.

She owns “A Barbershop: Style for Men” at 56th and Ocean Beach Hwy. Karl is an equipment technician and is employed at Wafer Tech in Camas. They are already involved in ministry:

Karl helps with property maintenance at work parties; Christy is working with the Communications Team keeping multiple bulletin boards updated.

Barbara Byker came to St. Stephen’s about a year ago after reading an article in the paper about our children’s choir. She sings in the choir, helps with FISH, and hosts at coffee hour with her daughter. Her granddaughter, Kelby Sandvick, is in the children’s choir and has sung solos on a couple of occasions. Barbara and her husband have both been involved in music most of their lives – and their granddaughter seems to be following suit. Even though a Congregationalist, Barbara has always found herself attracted to music in Episcopal churches.

Barbara and her husband live on an 87-acre family homestead in Kelso where they raise Highland cattle (and llamas) and also have a horse and some cats. Kelby and her Mother, Bryn Byker, live in a different home on the same acreage. Bryn teaches developmental math at Lower Columbia College.

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Altar flowers calendar for 2010 is now ready; please sign up

The altar flower sign-up calendar for 2010 is ready to be filled. It’s located across from Deacon John’s office. For those wishing to contribute a floral tribute for a birthday, anniversary, memorial, any other special occasion, or to the Glory of God, please sign up while your date is available. If the Altar Guild purchases and arranges flowers, the cost is around $30.00. If ordered from the florist, it’s about $70.00 and up. Also, if you have garden flowers in the summer, those are welcomed. Please make checks to St. Stephen’s and indicate on the check that it’s for altar flowers.

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Suggestions for talking with someone who has lost a loved one; simplicity and judicious honesty is best
by Deacon John Ackermann

Have you ever wondered what is good to say at a funeral to someone who has lost a loved one. The focus of the funeral or memorial service is on the promise of resurrection, rarely are those bereaved quite ready to hear that from anyone. Simplicity and judicious honesty is best. As found in the Episcopal Handbook. Deacon John

Some things to say:
I am sorry for your loss.
________ was a good person, he/she will be missed.
Would you like a hug?
I have never been through something like this and can only imagine what you feel, but please know that I am praying for you.
What do you need right now?
I am here to listen whenever you are ready.
Please accept my deepest sympathy to you and your family.

Do not say:
Only the good die young.
God must have needed another angel
God must have needed him more than we do.
You’ll find someone else
Don’t worry you will see him/ her again.
At least he/she didn’t suffer long.
He/she is in a better place.
Be thankful he/she doesn’t have to suffer pain and heartache any more.
Doesn’t he/she look natural?

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In-Gathering Date

By Wayne Amondson and the Stewardship Team

The Stewardship In-gathering for 2010 has been very rewarding. As we near the 90% level of the 2009 participation, our current pledge total is $220,000. You as a congregation are most generous.

Thank you so much for your generosity. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your faithfulness, and thank you for your vision to make St. Stephens Church an even greater support to those in need in our Community.

These are exciting times for St.Stephens!

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St Stephen’s Youth Group

Jesus loves me this I know....for the Bible tells me so. Many remember this refrain from childhood Sunday School Programs. Children are such a delight and they easily learn songs that speak to their heart. They get excited about creative learning, e.g. Godly Play. They enjoy the basics of the Christmas Story and love playing out the role of a Shepherd or King. And gradually they grow older and enter a transition stage - the very important time between being child and becoming an adult. Youth sometimes begin to feel invisible in a congregation at this age. And for this reason, we have YOUTH GROUPS.

St Stephen’s Youth meet twice a month in the upstairs room, formerly known as Blue Heaven. Here, in this room, the young members are able to have a voice. As these young people grow more confident, they begin to take ownership of the space.

This Youth Group (2009-2010) is still quite small. Many of the older kids have moved on but the tradition of honoring youth and creating a sacred space for them lives on.

This fall the youth have decided to transform the Blue Heaven Room into a space that speaks more directly about what is meaningful to them. Parents came on board with this project and got the first coat of paint on the walls. Others came in and covered up the cartoon figures that were bleeding through. And finally the last coat went on.

The walls are now ready for the youth art designs. Mary Lewis, our artist in residence, visited the Youth Group recently and shared how she prepares for her own art projects. The youth were all ears and began to expand their vision of what might unfold on the walls of the Youth Room.

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ecwwgift.org is a wealth of information!

Parishioners are encouraged to use the Diocesan planned giving website: ecwwgift.org. It is an incredible resource for a variety of reasons.

· Of particular interest may be the “Personal Planner.” It allows you to have a virtual experiment with various gift strategies to determine how they fit with your needs and wishes.

· You can read about changes that may dramatically impact your current will.

· Even if you don’t want to think about such things, there may be a reason that this is the very time you MUST update your will. You could even make a New Year’s Resolution to do so!

· There are articles about worldwide financial issues of interest.

· Information is also included about tax changes that may impact you.

· You can read about parishioners all over the Diocese who share their stories of faith.

· The “purple book” that is such a helpful tool for everyone, regardless of financial standing, is also available online through the Diocesan website.

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Teach Me to Pray

by Henri Nouwen

Every day I see again that only you can teach me to pray, only you can set my
heart at rest.Only you can let me dwell in your presence. No book, no concept or
theory will ever bring me close to you unless you yourself are the one who lets
them become the doors to you. But Lord, let me at least remain open to your initiative. Let me wait patiently and attentively for the hour when you will come and break through the walls I have erected. Create new doors. Teach me, O Lord, to pray.