PASTOR’S PEN February 2008
Dear Holy Trinity Family and Friends,
“I’m on vacation and I’m schlepping somebody else’s luggage?”
One of the reasons Pastor Mark and I keep returning to Holden Village in Washington State is that it keeps providing new adventures! This time we arrived at the Lucerne dock, after traveling an hour and half by boat up Lake Chelan, to a wintry landscape buried under four, five, six feet of snow. It’s not like pulling into New York Harbor. No one awaits the new arrivals, except for Nancy, the friendly driver of the Holden school bus (“Honey”) that parks at the top of a steep, icy, snow-covered ramp. Her warm smile was the only thing above 20 degrees in a 12 mile radius!
As we stepped off the boat, we skirted a pile of luggage and a mountain of groceries in the bow. I figured we’d carry our own suitcases and that the food was headed to the boat’s next stop, a tiny town at the end of the line, called Stehekin. I was wrong on both counts.
“We’ll need to form a chain to get everything up to the bus,” Nancy cheerfully announced. I didn’t immediately get her drift. Then I saw debarking passengers obediently arrange themselves, side by side, up the snowy ramp. The boat crew started to heave suitcases, cross-country skis, gallons of milk, crates of fruit, bags of mail, over the gangplank up to waiting hands. I fell in line, too. I was cold and tired, but not for long! Amazing how lifting an overstuffed, overweight suitcase burns calories! Hand to hand, we passed knapsacks, wheels of cheese, snowshoes, and some pieces of luggage heavy enough to have contained bricks. (“That’ll teach me not to pack light!” I thought J.)
After we loaded the bus, we boarded it and drove miles through multiple switchbacks up the dirt road. Because the village snow plow had broken down and the road was deep with new-fallen snow, we then had to transfer to ancient track vehicles called bombardiers (aptly nicknamed “bombs”) in order to travel the last couple miles to the village. Guess what had to be transferred other than the passengers?! You got it: tons of luggage. We formed a chain again, but with fewer people because the distance was smaller. We quickly realized we’d taken too many people out of the picture; the smooth rhythm of hand-to-hand transfer was replaced with clumsy lurching through the snow and the grunts and groans that accompany inefficient lifting and lugging. We called for reinforcements from the bus, and the task was finally accomplished.
Parish life is similar, isn’t it? When we form a tight chain, standing close to one other, the work of ministry goes smoothly. At the end of the day we all feel a sense of accomplishment and holy pride. Unlike unloading luggage, though, ministry requires different gifts, given at different times. Except when we pray, we’re not holding hands or necessarily standing side by side. But we are all “shifting our weight,” offering the talents God has given us, serving as we are able, amazed that God entrusts us with the important tasks of ministry, hopeful that God is glorified by our efforts, and prayerful that the Body of Christ is strengthened and the children of God blessed by our “gift given.”
We tire when the brothers and sisters who compose the chain are standing too far apart or are simply too few. When one of us steps out of line or fails to show up, there’s a missing link in the chain of service. Those are the times when the smooth, satisfying rhythm of ministry becomes jerky and burdensome. That is the cue that we’ve neglected to invite people to join hands with us for the sake of the kingdom! That is the sign that we are relying too much on ourselves and too little on God. Remember: God empowers what God desires! In other words: if God wants it to happen through us, God will give us everything necessary to make it happen: people, talent, money, creativity, opportunity.
This Lamplighter will be on the “newsstand” the weekend of our annual congregational meeting. What a great time to remind each other that the faithful ministry of our Holy Trinity family is more than the sum of our individual efforts. Powered by the Holy Spirit, our efforts to be and tell Good News accomplish more than is humanly possible. This deeply held belief is essential to fulfilling our potential as the people of God.
Invite someone today to join hands with us and become part of our chain of ministry. Invite them to “step into line” for a real adventure! This particular suitcase may be “mine,” but the luggage as a whole is “ours” – and God’s.
Grateful to be home again with you,
Pastor Mary Virginia Farnham
— CHRISTIAN EDUCATION –
Library Book Reviews
Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller
by Sarah Miller
Publisher:
Altheneum Books for Young Readers
Date: 2007
Reviewed by:
Daniel Place, Holy Trinity Confirmand
I enjoyed this book because it made me realize how vital language, communication and discipline are to us. It made me feel so appreciative to have the ability to use these skills to do many things, including to express our emotions.
Anne Sullivan was the perfect teacher for Helen Keller because she had been blind most of her life and had lived in Tewksbury, a decrepit state hospital for orphans and terribly ill or mentally challenged homeless people. After four years at Tewksbury, she decided to make something of her life and went to Perkins Institute for the Blind. Upon graduation, she was sent to teach six-year-old Helen Keller. Helen was a very smart child, but at the age of two she had a serious illness and became deaf and blind. Helen's parents hire Anne to teach Helen how to communicate.
When Anne arrives at the Keller's house she is eager to meet her pupil, but her enthusiasm suffers a great blow when she sees how Helen acts. Helen does whatever she wants, crawling around the table, picking and eating pieces of food from the other plates. Anne is amazed that the family lets her do these and other more disruptive things, and does not do anything about it.
Anne decides her first plan of action is to try to teach Helen that there is such a thing as language by putting an object in her hand and spelling it out in Helen's palm and telling Helen to spell it back to her. This doesn't work because all Helen is doing is responding to the objects. And Helen will not do what Anne wants! Helen throws terrible fits and when Anne tries to discipline her Helen runs to her parents. Anne finally decides that in order to make any progress Helen must be separated from the other Kellers. The Kellers allow Helen and Anne to move into a small house on the Keller property. It is there that Helen has her breakthrough and starts to learn how to communicate. But to find out how, you will have to read the book for yourself.
Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller
By Sarah Miller
Reviewed by:
Lisa Place, Holy Trinity Library Volunteer
and Daniel’s mother ☺
In the story Miss Spitfire, we meet Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller’s “teacher.” Annie comes to live with Helen, who is six years old, blind and deaf. Annie is no stranger to blindness having only recently gained her own sight after years of operations and struggle. In Helen, Annie relives so many of her own life’s torments. A little girl who is fighting everybody, Helen is constantly riddled with anger, frustration and the struggle to be understood. Annie has had all that, coupled with loss. Her brother Jimmie died when they were children. Now it seems all this has come back to Annie. Helen’s emotions as well as Annie’s desire for affection and belonging, emerge, grow and are fulfilled as we get to know each of them over the course of that first month of what will become a lifelong relationship. More than how Annie teaches Helen, in Miss Spitfire we see how Helen and Annie reach out to each other and give of themselves to each other to fill the void that each has been living with.
Most of us are familiar with Helen Keller. I know I read a book or two about her when I was a little girl. I think we all have heard stories about her amazing learning capabilities. She achieved more than anyone ever thought was possible for a girl who was both deaf and blind. As an adult her accomplishments are world-renowned college graduate, author, lecturer and performer. We hear much less about Helen’s teacher. Annie Sullivan’s is a great story itself. What I liked about this book was that the perspective you got about Helen was from Annie. You learned about why Annie used the techniques (though she didn’t see them as such) that she did with Helen. She chose them not because they were familiar, tried and true educational tools – but because Annie felt in her heart that this would be best for Helen. And when something did not work, Annie simply tried something else, though no one would ever presume to say that what Annie Sullivan did with Helen Keller was simple.
Read Any Good Books Lately?
Sunday School Librarian Ellin Greene suggests that if you enjoy reading the Sunday School library book reviews published in the Lamplighter you may enjoy writing one! All reviewers will be entered in a contest and eligible to win a Barnes and Noble gift certificate.
Please contact Ms. Greene for details.
— EVANGELISM & STEWARDSHIP –
Subscribe to Lenten Devotions
During Lent, Holy Trinity will be sending subscribers a daily e-mail message with a Scripture passage, followed by a brief meditation and prayer.
If you would like to receive or help to write the daily devotions, please sign up on the sheet posted on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall or contact Susan Ardito at
A Seasonal Option
The Manasquan Area Ministerium invites you to join them for their annual Soup and Scripture series.
This year, reflections will be offered by Ministerium leaders based on themes
suggested in Father Henri Nouwen’s book
Reaching Out.
The series schedule is below. ’hope to see you there!
Date Presenter Topic
2/6 Pr. Davis 3 Movements
1st Presbyterian of the
Spiritual Life
2/13 Pr. Mary Moving
Holy Trinity Beyond Loneliness
2/20 Pr. Reggie Moving
Manasquan Toward
United Methodist Solitude
2/27 Fr. Stash Moving
St. Denis Church Beyond
Hostility
3/5 Pr. Graetzel Moving
First Baptist Toward Hospitality
3/12 The Rev. K. Schmidt Moving
Beyond
Illusion
3/19 Fr. Thomas Myers Moving
St. Uriel Toward
Prayer
— STEPHEN MINISTRY –
What Stephen Ministry Means to Me
“Blessed is He
who comes in the name of the Lord!" Luke 19:38
Another way to interpret this verse is to say "Blessed is the one who enters your heart today to bring you closer to peace in heaven and on earth."
As a former teacher, I feel fortunate to have created change in the lives of many children. As a Stephen Minister, I believe that I can help bring about change in my care receiver’s life by using the gifts of compassion and kindness. I want to help enrich other peoples’ lives; I want to be a caregiver who trusts Christ to work through me to help ease someone’s pain in this journey we call life. I want people to trust that no matter what they tell me, I will keep their secrets close to my heart. I will listen to them, and together we will work toward the goal of wholeness: their wholeness of mind, body and spirit.
~~ by Claire Morrish
Holy Trinity Stephen Ministry
— W. E. L. C. A. –
Consider Joining WELCA This Year
Happy New Year to all from WELCA! The New Year is a good time to consider joining a Circle and getting involved. Circles meeting schedules are listed below. Please consider calling a leader and joining.
CIRCLE OF HOPE will meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2 at church. The Circle is having a Valentine’s Day celebration. Please bring a special recipe and a treat. Call Kathy Nicholas for details. Kathy’s telephone number is (732) 988-5355.
ELISABETH CIRCLE will meet on at 11 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 11 at church. Call Louise Moenke for details. Louise’s telephone number is (732) 528-7695.
LOUISE CIRCLE usually meets at 7:30 p.m. on the third Monday of each month. Call Ruth Walsh for details. Ruth’s telephone number is (732) 528-7695.
The WELCA EXECUTIVE BOARD will meet in early March to plan the spring Communion Breakfast. Call a Circle Leader for the date and time.
Never Too Early to Think “Christmas”
Many people expressed their disappointment when WELCA did not have its Christmas Shoppe in 2007. Many of you helped immensely in the past and we could not have accomplished the Shoppe with only our circle members. We are trying to decide how we can resume having this wonderful experience again. We project that it will be in November.
Therefore, we would like you to read the list on the following page and determine if you would be willing, in some way, to help us. Listed below are areas in which you might serve. We may even revamp the bazaar and make it easier to accomplish. Your help and commitment will help us make the decision to go forward.
Please write your name and phone number on the line provided and check the item or items you would like to help us with. Return the form promptly – either in the offering plate or to Ruth Walsh – so we can determine in what direction we should go.
Please address any questions you may have about the Christmas Shoppe to Ruth Walsh. We are grateful to all for the support we have received in the past ♥ .
Name: _________________________________
Telephone Number _____________________
I would be willing to serve and commit to one or more of the following:
___ Make crafts or sew either at church or at home
___ Make up a sign-up poster for Fellowship Hall
___ Contribute to the bake table
___ Shop and replenish decorating items when needed. Form a committee to decorate two days before the event and be available to remove the decorations on Sunday morning (after coffee hour) and place them in the church closet.
___ Arrange for publicity (newspaper and radio)
___ Design and reproduce a flyer
___ Make soup with a group in the church kitchen
___ Wash or wash and iron table cloths
___ Sort and artfully arrange jewelry
___ Prepare and serve a luncheon (Circle of Hope usually does this)
___ Work ‘behind the scenes’ unpacking boxes, pricing items and cleaning up at closing time. (This is a HUGE task!)
___ Serve at all tables and clean up each table on Sunday morning (after coffee hour)
___ Stock raffle table with items attractive enough to entice people to participate.
Remember:
Our decision to have the Christmas Shoppe in 2008 will depend on your response!
Your Generosity Is Music to Our Ears
The response to this year’s Church Family Christmas Card was wonderful as always. We hope you read the Christmas messages from your friends at Holy Trinity that were posted on the WELCA bulletin board in Fellowship Hall! The musical notes kept growing and your generous donations amounted to $909. Holy Trinity’s music ministry, under Ned Perwo’s wonderful direction, is the beneficiary of your generosity.
WELCA thanks you for your participation, and our church family thanks WELCA!
Blanket Sundays Bring Comfort to Needy
Each year, in the month of February, we reach out to those in need. The winter weather reminds us how vulnerable we are. A warm, cozy blanket can be such a comfort when one is faced with a disaster. The tools to rebuild can give hope in times of loss.
Holy Trinity WELCA will be sponsoring the “Tools of Hope and Blanket Program” for Church World Services on two weekends in February. WELCA members will distribute flyers and envelopes at all services on Feb. 9, 10, 16, 17. Please make your check payable to Holy Trinity WELCA and note which of the two projects you wish to support.
Thank you for caring!
Holy Trinity Women Among Those Who Took a Spiritual Approach to Christmas
We would like to thank all of the women of Holy Trinity who helped in so many ways to make this year’s “Women’s Spiritual Approach to Christmas” the great success it was.
So many women of Manasquan, Brielle, Sea Girt, Spring Lake and Wall look forward to this spiritual service and luncheon with the 12 churches of the Ministerium.
Approximately 160 women attended this year. Our host was St. Andrew Church, Spring Lake.
Thanks to all!
Jeanne Schwarz and Gail Rizzo
Louise Circle
— Children of God –
Since mid-December, Holy Trinity welcomed the following children into the Body of Christ through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism:
Name: Laila Faith Pedersen
Date of Baptism: Jan. 20
Laila’s parents are Chris and Susan Pedersen. She has two sisters: Emily, 10, and Paula, 8. Tracey Kacandes and Tom Berg are Laila’s sponsors.
— WORSHIP AND MUSIC –
NOTES FROM THE DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
Thank you all for helping to make Christmas Eve such a wonderful worship experience for the 600-plus people in attendance! They truly experienced the best that Holy Trinity has to offer.
“Wow! That choir looked big!”
It was! I counted about 18 choir members at the 9 p.m. service and we were missing at least four members due to sickness or because they were out of town. “The numbers were great for Christmas, but there’s no way we could have that many people in the choir every week.”
Not True!
The reality is that we could have a choir that size all the time. The work of the music director is only half of the equation when it comes to ensemble growth. The other half of the equation is you, the person who actively participates in the Holy Trinity Music Ministries. The quality, dedication, and positive outlook that you put into the program can be felt by the congregation. You are our best recruitment tool! Wherever you are, whatever church or community function you’re at, make sure to put in a good word for Holy Trinity and our Music Ministries Program. There’s also you, the individual in the pew J.
Give one of the ensembles a try. Sing in the Adult Choir, sing or play an instrument in Joyful Noise, bring your children to Children’s Choir, spread the word about the concert series.
Previous experience is not necessary.
The British Are Coming!
Mark your calendars! The Holy Trinity Choir & Choristers will be joining forces with the Trinity Choir and Choristers of Asbury Park to present a Festival Evensong at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 17.
All will take place at Trinity Episcopal Church at the corner of Asbury & Grand avenues, Asbury Park.
The guest conductor will be Katherine Dienes-Williams. Katherine joined Guildford Cathedral as Organist and Master of the Choristers in January 2008. She is the first woman to hold the most senior post in a Church of England cathedral. Katherine moved to the UK in 1991 from her native New Zealand. She worked at Winchester Cathedral, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and Norwich Cathedral before becoming Director of Music at the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick in 2001. She has worked extensively with children’s and adult choirs and as an accompanist and organ recitalist.
This joint evensong is more than just making great music together. By participating in this event we will be making new friends, showing others that we are active in the community, promoting and exposing people to quality sacred music, and giving the children of our churches the musical and spiritual experience of a lifetime.
Please invite everyone you know to attend! Let them know we need to support our children. Let them know that we’re flying in a conductor from England! Let them know that food will probably be served after the concert. J
~~ Ned Perwo,
Director of Music
— MAIL BAG –
Dear Holy Trinity Family,
“Of all people, I am most richly blessed!”
Thank you for your beautiful Christmas remembrances, including the more-than-generous pastor’s purse. I am grateful for your gifts of all kinds, both material and spiritual. When I was installed as your pastor almost 12 years ago, we promised to pray for each other. Those mutual prayers are among the most precious gifts we give each other! Your prayers are both spoken and acted out in daily, humble gestures of faith-active-in-love. Thank you!
I have returned a tithe of your monetary gift to our congregation, to create two additional scholarships for our annual women’s retreat (scheduled for the last weekend in September 2008). “Thank heaven!” for the opportunities God gives us to pass heaven-sent blessings along …
In Christ, the Father’s Gift to us,
Pastor Mary
Dear Pastor Mary and the entire congregation of Holy Trinity,
Thank you for your kind words, gracious hearts and warm friendship.
As you know, Joyce Newman passed away on October 24th after a strong, courageous and stubborn battle against lymphoma and other chronic issues. What you may not know is just how special Holy Trinity was to her.
She communed for 60-plus years at Holy Trinity and the friendships she made were invaluable to her (and to us, as it turns out). She was proud to be a part of Care Corps and WELCA; she enjoyed attending soup suppers and women’s retreats, just to name a few. Counting money was always a good time to catch up with old friends or meet new ones.
Over the past 6 months our family has learned more about her from all of you and we appreciate you sharing your memories with us. She sat in the same pew for those 60 plus years and our family jokes about how we just might make a cardboard cut out of Joyce and place it in the pew for memory’s sake.
Thank you for the get well cards, the meals, hospital visits and especially the prayers. They meant a lot to her and to us.
Pastor Mary – thanks to you for your time and love for Joyce and for your unwavering support of our family. Your eulogy at the funeral service was filled with love, memories and friendship. Many people remarked about how although they may have met Joyce on only one or two occasions, they left feeling as though they knew her all her life. You have a special place in our hearts.
Care Corps – Joyce was proud to be a part of your committee. She loved to bake and help out when she could. I know it was difficult for all of you to plan this particular repast and we are grateful for all of the hard work and time put in to planning it. Everything was delicious and plentiful! She would have been proud all over again!
Joyce loved life, her family and her church. She will be missed but will live in our hearts and memories forever. Thank you all for helping her to create such wonderful memories.
With love,
The Newman Family
Mark, Karren, Lindsay, Courtnay, Ian
Rob, Allison, Madison, Calista