Spirit of the Eagle – July 2013

Rector’s Reflections
We all need a break now and then from the daily grind of responsibilities and obligations that can wear on us so heavily. St. John’s is blessed to have a whole group of people who voluntarily dedicate much of their time and talent to furthering the Kingdom of God in our humble little parish. Many work very hard in maintaining the interior and exterior of our Church, of filling it with song, and with decorating our Altar. Now I can’t give everyone a break because, obviously we must continue our Sunday services, but with putting our Wednesday services on hiatus we are allowing the Choir, the Altar Guild, and our Clergy an opportunity to rest, relax, and recharge their batteries. However, we all know that vacation is a time to rejuvenate ourselves, but it is also temporary and our responsibilities await our return. So I say to the Choir and to the Altar Guild….. Enjoy your time off on Wednesdays and come back in mid-August with renewed spirit toward your ministries. Have a great and Happy Summer!
+Yours-In-Christ, Fr. Bryan Newman+

Vestry Meeting
Our Vestry Meeting for July will be on Wednesday, July 17th, at 7:00 PM. If you are a member of the Vestry please make plans to be present. All are welcome.

The Flight of the Eagle
In honor of Fr. Stork’s original newsletter ‘The Spirit of the Eagle’ and the monthly section he ran in it called the ‘Flight of the Eagle’, the following is a list of my activities as your pastor over the month just past. Below are the visits and other events, I made in the month of June. I prayed with those I visited and gave them Holy Communion and Anointed them when needed. +Fr. Bryan Newman+

6/2 No sick visits
6/9 visited Jim and Toy Hall @ their home.
6/16 visited Helen Lenz @ Baptist Convalescent Home
6/16 visited Helen Foster @ Baptist Towers
6/23 visited Kay Matthews @ University Hospital.
6/23 visited Brenda Strong @ St. E’s-Edgewood.
6/30 visited Helen Lenz @ Baptist Convalescent Home.
6/30 visited Brenda Strong & Ethel Fahlbush at Villa Springs.

Wednesday Night Service Hiatus
The Choir will begin its summer break from practice beginning the first week of July and returning the 3rd week of August. Thanks to all those who have been making the effort to attend Wednesday services as attendance has been good and please join me on Wednesday, August 21st @ 6 pm as we celebrate the Feast of St. Bartholomew.

St. John’s 140th Anniversary
St. John’s 140th Anniversary was Monday, May 27th! During the 1870’s Anglicans in Dayton/Bellevue had to walk or travel by horse to St. Paul’s in Newport. In those days it was arduous trip on dirt roads. A mission was established first and finally on May 27th, 1873 St. John the Evangelist was granted Parish status. An empty lot was purchased by the end of that year on Mckinney Street for construction our first Church building. Fr. Newman and the Vestry will decide the day we celebrate our 140th Anniversary @ July’s Vestry meeting. We will make sure that it is an event worthy of the occasion.

Spiritual Tidbits for July from Father Tim
Saint Apollinaris (died 79 AD Feast Day 23rd of July) was one of the first great martyrs of the church. He was made Bishop of Ravenna by St. Peter himself. The miracles he wrought there soon attracted official attention, for they and his preaching won many converts to the Faith, while at the same time bringing upon him the fury of the idolaters, who beat him cruelly and drove him from the city. He was found half dead on the seashore, and kept in concealment by the Christians, but was captured again and compelled to walk on burning coals and a second time expelled. But he remained in the vicinity, and continued his work of evangelization. We find him then journeying in the province of Aemilia. A third time he returned to Ravenna. Again he was captured, hacked with knives, had scalding water poured over his wounds, was beaten in the mouth with stones because he persisted in preaching, and then, loaded with chains, was flung into a horrible dungeon to starve to death; but after four days he was put on board ship and sent to Greece. There the same course of preaching’s, and miracles, and sufferings continued; and when his very presence caused the oracles to be silent, he was, after a cruel beating, sent back to Italy. All this continued for three years, and a fourth time he returned to Ravenna. By this time Vespasian was Emperor, and he, in answer to the complaints of the pagans, issued a decree of banishment against the Christians. Apollinaris was kept concealed for some time, but as he was passing out of the gates of the city, was set upon and savagely beaten, probably at Classis, a suburb, but he lived for seven days, foretelling meantime that the persecutions would increase, but that the Church would ultimately triumph. His native residence is uncertain, though it was probably Antioch. Nor is it sure that he was one of the seventy-two disciples of Christ, as has been suggested. The precise date of his consecration cannot be ascertained, but he was Bishop of Ravenna for twenty-six years.

Summer has arrived! That wonderful time of year for outdoor events, with friends and family, cook outs and camp outs, hamburgers and hot dogs, melons and you guessed it; mosquitoes. This summer will in most cases be like many a previous summer. To paraphrase Dickens’s it will be “the best of times and the worst of times.” In the best of times this summer let’s never forget to give glory to God. In the worst of times this summer let’s never forget, like Saint Apollinaris, to give glory to God. I pray that your family, work, and evangelization will be blessed this glorious summer. ~ Father Tim

July Spirituality Class
Please join us on the 28th of July when we continue our discussion of the Lord’s Prayer using the book Abba and the seven phrases of our Lord’s Prayer as a means to propel the self toward union with God. This class we will cover “The Kingdom” and “The Will”.

“Having recognized and worshiped ‘The Name’, we pray next for its triumph: Thy Kingdom Come. Here man’s most sacred birthright, his deep longing for perfection, and with it his bitter consciousness of imperfection, break out with power.”

“None can guess beforehand with what anguish, what tearing of old hard tissues and habits, ‘The Kingdom’ will force a path into the soul, and confront self-love in its last fortress with the penetrating demand of God.” Evelyn Underhill, Abba.

I hope to see you in the Spirituality Class this June! Bring a neighbor! ~Father Tim

Women’s Retreat in July
Please continue to prepare for the Women’s Retreat on the 20th of July at the home of Judy Hulsey. We will spend approximately 5 hours praying, reading, and contemplating the subjects of Love, Joy, and Peace. Devotional material will be provided. Please let Judy or myself know if you are planning to attend so preparations can be made. And don’t forget, bring a friend! This is the perfect opportunity to introduce a friend (who may be intimidated by a formal church service) to our church family and bring them into a closer relationship with God. ~Father Tim

Asbury University Church Match
Another year has passed and the Butler family would like to host a coffee hour meal after Mass on the 14th of July. All meal contributions go toward the Asbury University Church Match. Asbury matches dollar for dollar up to $1000 for the 2013-14 school year for our daughter Brittany. Please join us in the Parish Hall for food and fellowship!

We never keep to the present. We recall the past; we anticipate the future as if we found it too slow in coming and were trying to hurry it up, or we recall the past as if to stay its too rapid flight. We are so unwise that we wander about in times that do not belong to us, and do not think of the only one that does; so vain that we dream of times that are not and blindly flee the only one that is. The fact is that the present usually hurts. We thrust it out of sight because it distresses us, and if we find it enjoyable we are sorry to see it slip away. We try to give it the support of the future, and think how we are going to arrange things over which we have no control for a time we can never be sure of reaching.

Let each of us examine his thoughts; he will find them wholly concerned with the past or the future. We almost never think of the present, and if we do think of it, it is only to see what light it throws on our plans for the future. The present is never our end. The past and the present are our means, the future alone our end. Thus we never actually live, but hope to live, and since we are always planning how to be happy, it is inevitable that we should never be so. (Blaise Pascal 1623-1662, Pensées, 47)

Think of the present summer and live! ~ Father Tim

A message from our Senior Warden
As Senior Warden and as a member of the Vestry, I believe it is important to stay connected with all of you. St. John’s must be doing something right, as it has now been in existence as a parish for 140 years! Starting in July, I would like to talk with as many of you as possible just to ask a few questions on how we are doing as a parish — and I would like to discuss your likes and dislikes. Your input will remain confidential.
Rich Seyberth
rseyberth@gmail.com

Anglican Church Women
A retreat for the women of the parish will be held on Saturday, July 20th from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Judy Hulsey’s home. We would like to thank Judy for sharing her beautiful home with us. Father Butler and Janet have graciously offered to prepare devotionals and readings for the day to assist us on our spiritual journey. All women are urged to attend and they may also invite some special women in their life to join in on this day of prayer, reflection and companionship.

July Birthdays & Anniversaries
Fr. Al Hougham – Birthday – July 7
Trudie Bauer – Birthday – July 14
Alex Longshore – Birthday – July 16
Ethel Fahlbush – Anniversary – July 17
Judie Boughner – Birthday – July 21
Wilma Herklotz – Anniversary – July 30
Tom Hulsey – Birthday – July 30
Juanita Marvin – Birthday – July 30
Fr. Bryan and Kim Newman – Anniversary – July 31
Mike Lenz – Birthday – July 31

End of Month Club
For the next few months, EOM will meet in the evening for dinner. This will allow our interested parishioners to join in our fellowship. On July 25 we will be dining at Bonefish Grill at 6:30 p.m. It is located at 588 Buttermilk Pike in Crescent Springs, KY. So please mark your calendars for Thursday, July 25 at 6:30 p.m. Also, do call 859-331-2951 if you need a ride or better directions. We look forward to a good turnout for this fellowship.

Jr. Warden’s Report
Thanks to the hard work of Judie Boughner, a much neglected area (in years past) of our church garden is looking beautiful again. Beginning last year, continuing through this spring and up until now, Judie has been splitting perennials from her home garden and sharing them with us. While it can take up to three years after being transplanted to reach their full maturity, I can only imagine what it will look like next year. Thanks Judie!

Just a reminder…the Dayton City Wide Yard Sale will take place on Saturday, August 10 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Please make an effort to drop off a few items in the open area just in front of the ACW shelf in the church basement.

“The good Lord didn’t create anything without a purpose, but the fly comes close.” -Mark Twain

Until next month,
Mike