Christian teaching has often divided humankind into two families: the children of Martha, who are by disposition too absorbed in the world's business to attend to the affairs of the spirit; and the children of Mary, who are called to the life of prayer. Needless to say, pious opinion has always harbored a bias in favor of Mary; she had her priorities straight.

Ultimately, however, the contrast is meaningless and illusory, by virtue of the nature of prayer itself. You can't have Mary without Martha, and vice-versa. Martha must prepare the house for the Lord's visit with Mary; their natures complement one another, and the spiritual life would not be whole without either of them.

Prayer is listening to God, yes; but above all prayer is response to God: through words and music, liturgy and leisure, or service and mindful activity of any kind. Contemplation and action are the systole and diastole of the spirit, and the deeply felt human need for moments of solitude and prayerful repose as well as for fulfilling pursuits belies a (useful) distinction to rigidly applied.

Yet there is something peculiar to our contemporary life situation that threatens to overwhelm that side of us requiring regular periods of peace and recollection. Workaday routine assails and stupefies our senses with a cacophony of sounds and a blur of images. From the beeping of the alarm clock in the morning and the chatter of the car CD player on the way to work, to the last billboard advertisement on the commute home and the last flutter of the tube before bedtime, we are mercilessly and ceaselessly seduced, cajoled, driven and distracted by the noise of civilization. We are handicapped at even beginning to introduce a minute of solitude into our day from the start. Without an opportunity to attend solely to the "Ground of our Being" (alias God), our lives can be reduced to a "tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing." Everything becomes "vanity and chasing of the wind." The second thing that the Christian poet Dante tells us about his vision of Hell is that it is filled with ear-rending noise. The first thing is that God's presence is not felt there.

For the sake of Mary we must work like Marthas; work, that is, at setting aside five minutes or so in a day to do "nothing" except attend to the presence of God. Silence, as well as privacy, is essential. God has always spoken in the "still, small voice," hard to hear above the din of traffic and TV or family responsibilities. Jesus said that we ought to pray in a closet, but the bedroom or den (even the bathroom) can be conducive to prayer also. And there is always the local church or chapel. Probably the most important thing of all, according to the experts, is consistency. Posture is less significant: what matters more is comfort. Sitting or lying down is fine, although kneeling has a certain psychological as well as traditional advantage.

After this comes the hard part: focusing the mind on one thought or image or sound only. There will be many opportunities for distraction, but patience and perseverance pay off.

Reflect on the image of ocean waves breaking on a rocky beach. Or simply empty your mind and passively attend to the sound and feel of your breath. Perhaps most potentially rewarding of all, meditate on some text from the Bible, letting nothing else disturb your concentration. I know someone who meditates on the Great Commandment in this way, every day. Whatever works best for you is what you should do; anything that can take you out of yourself and a hectic routine for a few minutes each day.

In this way we can prepare for God's visit to our house - his epiphany in our lives - when we may see his glory face to face. "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another..." (2 Corinthians 3:18a).

Peace,
Randy

Notes from the Sr. Warden…

I haven't made those new seat covers for the old dinning room chairs. I haven't organized my desk and/or prioritized the project list for the atriums and I haven't read nearly enough of the latest Harry Potter epic! I'm not discouraged; actually, I like the slower pace of summer. Sippin' lemonade in my wicker rocker under the big, old magnolia tree in my front yard has become a high priority activity for just about every afternoon. Are you like me and sort of look to fall as the real "New Year?" For some reason everything seems to get back to a more focused rhythm for me during the autumn of the year. All those projects I've been putting off, every chore that isn't quite finished (or even started) looks more and more possible when I begin to think of it as a "fall" project. A new energy overtakes me in the fall. I find more often than not, come September, I'm refocused, reenergized, recommitted and ready to jump back into a more "busy" pace.

As I shared with you in last month's Good Word, the upcoming program year at St. Paul's promises a wide variety of ministries, activities and formation opportunities. Something is sure to entice each one of us to more participation and involvement. From the newly forming Cell Groups, to Bible study and discussion groups, to formation classes for preschool through adult, there will be challenging, meaningful offerings for every age group and interest.

The choir will be reforming after the summer hiatus and our music director, Cindy Holland, welcomes your voices, instruments, ideas and enthusiasm to enhance our worship. A group from the Liturgy and Arts Committee is exploring how to enhance the nave with color and texture and would welcome participation of fellow fabric artists.

Our many active teams, committees and guilds, all listed on the back of the weekly bulletin with a contact person, invite your participation in a wide variety of ministries and responsibilities. A brand new vehicle for strengthening the fabric of our worship family, just beginning to be explored by the vestry, is something called a "Mutual Ministry Review". You'll be hearing more about this exciting work as the vestry determines how it will unfold at St. Paul's. I encourage you to talk with someone about a formation offering that interests you, volunteer your time and talent in a ministry that draws you and/or blend your skills into a team that can benefit from your wisdom and experience. There's so much on the horizon, St. Paul's is at an exciting juncture, the Jubilee Ministries we host are flourishing, the population in our Atriums is poised on the brink of amazing growth, and our greater community continues to be drawn to all that the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program offers their children.

The Communication Committee is focused on sharing, in every possible way, within our family and in our greater community, what a unique and forward looking faith family we are. The Congregational Growth and Development Committee is helping us embrace our mission by working with the vestry to develop a Strategic and Spiritual Plan, carrying us purposefully into the future.

It's plain to me that we'll have to pace ourselves so we can explore all that calls us and still have time to finish Harry Potter and sip lemonade!

Myra Battin

From the Junior Warden

This month we are in the process of having the final touches put on the Olympic College Early Headstart facility which was damaged by a combination of a leaking seal on the toilet in the nursery and a pipe joint which failed above their kitchen area all in the same week.

Additionally, I have asked the Finance Committee and the Vestry to authorize a contract with Balfor Construction to clean out the Youth Room. The contract calls for the replacement of the walls damaged by mold and remove the carpet, and the installation of a waterproof barrier behind the kitchen dishwasher which shares a common wall with the Youth Room and which has contributed to the damage to that room. The wall was not waterproof and now has several holes in it through which the spray can enter the interior wall.

There are still several small jobs that need to be done to achieve the progress that we need to make, but I have confidence that some of our parishioners will help us to accomplish this in short order. Lest I leave you with the impression that the building occupies all of my time and attention, I assure you that I am concerned with other matters that affect our community.

I will be away for two weeks commencing on the 13th of July, but I am (usually) reachable by cell phone in case of emergency. I promise to turn to the East (from a great distance) and pray for the growth and increased health of St. Paul's.

Yours in Faith and Peace,
Don Vanlue

May and June Vestry Notes

Ann Horn reported that St. Paul's received a plaque from Catholic Community Services for participating in the H.O.S.T. Program and helping provide meals for the homeless men staying nights at Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Church last April.

The clerk read aloud a letter from Jean Kaio, Legal Assistant, at Gerard, Jones, and Short, P.S. She was writing in regards to a gift of $1000 from the Klieves Family Trust in memory of Gertrude Klieves, a former parishioner. The check was enclosed with the letter. The clerk is to write a thank you note to the Klieves family on behalf of the Rector, Vestry, and Parish.

The clerk also read aloud a thank you note from Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. They were writing to thank all those from St. Paul's who participated in the H.O.S.T. program in conjunction with them and Beth Hatikvah. They also wanted to invite us to join them in the project again next April.

Stanley Hess was invited as a guest to report on the recent Jubilee Conference he had attended in Newark, New Jersey. The Rev. Canon Carmen Guerrero, head of the National Church Jubilee Commission, led the conference. Stanley reported that there were 43 named participants, including two from the Diocese of Olympia. All participants received bags with lots of useful materials, pamphlets, etc. Stanley stated that most centers have programs that were started internally while St. Paul's, although not unusual, has invited programs in to the facility. There were many informative workshops offered including ones on grant writing, racism and prejudice, and Micah 6:8. Stanley said they even took a fieldtrip into Hoboken. All churches that are Jubilee Centers are encouraged to use the Jubilee Ministry logo on signage and letterhead. Stanley ended by saying that we need to be more vocal about who we are and what we represent. Ann asked him to write a piece about the conference for the newsletter.

It was reported that Dave Kidd, Dave Cochran, Dave Stomberg, Sharon Rios, and the Rector attended the last Finance Committee meeting. Randy reported that there were two "reserve" funds, one of which was misnamed as well as redundant and was really the General Fund. To prevent further confusion the name of one of them was changed to 'General Fund'. He also stated that we were overdrawn the week before and it turned out that nearly ten thousand dollars of checks were in the office undeposited.

John Winesdorfer talked about the Treasurer's Report that had been distributed. There were individual reports showing income and expenses for January through April as well as one for the year-to-date. He stated that reconciling the accounts has been tough and that at this point only January and February are done.

Sharon Rios has been having problems with the payroll module in the new software. Some checks that get written don't record in the system for no known reason. Also, some transactions aren't completing.

Randy reported that the Schwindt Fund might have to be drawn from again (only $5000 is left) to cover expenses. Geof Hosea moved to go ahead and close out the account and Don Vanlue seconded. The motion passed.

It was suggested by Randy to deposit the $1000 Klieves family gift into the General Fund. Geof moved to do so and Sue Ahrens seconded. The motion passed.

Don reported that the lowest bid to repair the toilets is for $1739 from Robison Plumbing. The work will be paid out of the Outreach Fund. Don moved to accept the bid from Robison Plumbing and Sue seconded. The motion passed.

Pacific Electric came out to take a look at the lighting in the Narthex and said that it needs to get replaced because it is not up to code. Don is to get estimates for the work.

Deborah Grice would like to get paid $150 a month for doing security checks starting in June. She comes in a minimum of three times a week to check the building. Don moved and Myra seconded to approve the security fee. The motion passed.

Deborah would also like to get paid a fixed amount each month for her duties as Sexton. She would then get paid extra for "big projects". Sue suggests putting in writing what constitutes as being extra from her regular duties. Don moved to pay her for 65 hours per month and pay her extra when it is written down and agreed to and Sue seconded. The motion passed with two votes opposed.

Don originally gave Deborah the money to purchase supplies and was reimbursed. It was agreed that when she needs to purchase supplies in the future she needs to leave a note to have a check cut for her in advance in order to do so.

Randy would like to continue the Saturday morning yoga class at the church from about 8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. It will be open to the public and the class will be free (donations accepted, of course). Questions were posed concerning whether this was how we want our Rector to spend his time and how the class fit into the parish Vision.

Geof moved to allow the yoga classes to continue and Ingrid seconded. The motion passed.

Ingrid McGinley reported that the Congregational Growth and Development Committee met about a week and a half ago and they listed groups, committees, and organizations involved within the church as well as those using the facilities. They are going to categorize and eventually evaluate these groups. Dave Stomberg has joined this committee bringing in the stewardship piece. They would like to put together information to hand out to newcomers so they could see where to plug in. The committee is still deciding the group's mission. Ingrid will email minutes from the first and second meetings.

It was decided that Dave Kidd will facilitate the first "Town Hall Meeting" and Myra will do the second. Dave Kidd then went over what the focus group had found to be strengths or opportunities for growth/improvement in the categories of pastoral care, leadership, and communication. They had also named current committees and the heads of each group.

Myra reported that former Senior Wardens Henry Morris, John Winesdorfer, John Battin, and Larry Dugan met with her and Sam Magill. She said that it was a very constructive meeting and they came up with two ideas. The first idea was to offer leadership coaching opportunities for Randy. Sam is willing to coach him if it is something that he wants to do. Randy said that he is willing to do this and that the Shepherds, Sam, and he will get together and decide what areas to focus on and then to create learning objectives which will be shared with the Vestry on a regular basis.

The "Shepherds" are group Randy pulled together to offer him pastoral and leadership support. The first Shepherds meeting will be May 31st. This group is made up of the current wardens, Dave Kidd, and Sandy Stutey. They will have a "charter" for the June meeting.

The second idea is to become a prototype for a new Mutual Ministry Review that Sam has developed for the National Episcopal Church. Don moved to pursue the Mutual Ministry Review idea and Sue seconded. The motion passed. Myra will contact Betsy Greenman to initiate the review process.

The June meeting took place on the 19th and began at 7:10 PM.

It was reported that the Episcopal Churchwomen Fund has been closed.

There has been water damage in the Olympic College day care area. The insurance company is sending a check to St. Paul's for about $5572 toward repairs. The church will have to pick up the $500 deductible. The insurance will not pay for the water damage to the Youth Room caused by the kitchen dishwasher because it had been leaking for too long unnoticed.

John Winesdorfer reported that our accounts have been reconciled through April, but that they are still encountering problems with Church Windows. It was brought up that perhaps we should see who else in the Diocese is using this program and seek advice from them. Randy asked Dave Stomberg and Sharon if it was still worth it to use Church Windows and they both said yes, because it is a powerful program and they are close to getting a handle on it.

After much discussion, the group came to the consensus that the Treasurer's Report is not understandable, especially the way the expenses are reported. The report does not clearly show what bills have come in, what has been paid, and what has not. Sharon will work on a more user-friendly report. Rusty Holland asked that the report include copies of the check register so that we could better see where the money is going.

The Diocesan Investment Fund is made up of the Shannon Fund and the Endowment Fund. The Shannon Fund is restricted and we are allowed to use the appreciation of the Endowment Fund. The Finance Committee recommends that we transfer $25,000 from the Endowment Fund to help offset many unforeseen expenses and to help us get back on track financially. We would be drawing interest off the fund, which John Winesdorfer reports is worth around $67,000 at this time. About $38,000 is principal and the rest is appreciation. There is a deadline to have our vote to the Diocese by June 30th and then a committee will make the decision on July 24th. Dave Kidd moved to request the withdrawal of $25,000 from the Endowment Fund and Geof Hosea seconded. The motion passed with one opposed.

Rusty moved that we use the remaining "Grant for Growth" money to pay for the leadership coaching for Randy with Sam Magill. Dave Kidd seconded the motion and it passed.

The Vestry check-in with Sam Magill will be on Saturday, July 12, at the church starting at 9:30 a.m.

Myra noted that reaffirmation of the parish Vision by the Vestry is a precursor to developing a new Strategic and Spiritual Plan. Dave Kidd moved and Sue Ahrens seconded reaffirming the parish Vision as written. The motion passed.

Rusty reports that we still plan to have Vacation Bible School this year. There are no specifics for planning or execution as of yet.

Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Dueñas
Clerk of the Vestry

Another Day. Another Dollar. What We All Need To Know…

If you are wondering why the Finance Committee has been so quiet, it is because of this enormous task of getting our hands around this new accounting software and making it accurate and productive for St. Paul's. Sharon and Dave have been very hard at work not only at entering information and understanding the new application, but also at providing accurate reporting mechanisms for the Finance Committee and Vestry. This has not been achieved yet, but Dave feels that we should have this accomplished by the end of August. Until then, the committee and Vestry agreed on an acceptable reporting format in the form of an Excel spreadsheet that will cover: deposits made, checks issued, outstanding expenses, fund balances, and the check ledger.

In the interim, on behalf of the Finance Committee, I purchased a similar, but more familiar financial tool (QuickBooks Premier) that will allow us to revise our existing financial plan and budget, review the financial analysis for 2003, and create forecasting and financial modeling for 2004; Sharon Rios is organizing our 2003 financials-to-date for me to export into QuickBooks.

The Finance Committee also met with interested parishioners who offered some suggestions. As a result of this meeting, Larry Dugan will be preparing policies and procedures for managing church expenditures and will present to the committee for review. We have targeted August 1 to have each of these (revised '03 financial plan, revised '03 budget, '03 analysis, '04 forecasts, and new policies and procedures) ready for review by the committee. After any necessary edits or additions, we will provide everything for approval by the Vestry and presentation to the parish at the next Town Hall Meeting this quarter.

With all of this said and done, the true issue facing St. Paul's is what all congregations and not-for-profits are facing this year: a one-third reduction in financial contributions, but sustained expenses. Additionally, we have taken on the unexpected expenses and repairs of plumbing, wiring, and a water leak that caused much damage to the youth room and more.

As a result of all of these factors, the Finance Committee approved and presented to the Vestry a proposal to utilize $25,000 from interest earned on the Endowment Fund. The Vestry approved the use of these funds to help cover shortfalls in parish contributions and unexpected expenses.

Meanwhile, the Finance Committee is communicating with the Congregational Development and the Communications Committees that are working hard to formalize a plan to develop and grow our parish and loving community and share our vision with Kitsap County.

Growing and improving our wonderful community and family… we all seem to be focused on accomplishing this. As the saying goes, 'It takes a village'... All forward looking and constructive solutions are welcomed through this process. It's in times like these that we all need to reach deeper into our abilities to give time, talents, and donations, and to open up our own checkbooks for giving.

God's Peace! Dave Cochran,
for the Finance Committee

Growing Pleasures

We have formed a great team that is united and focused on growing the parishioner, the entire parish, and attracting new members. As a result, we have formed three subcommittees in order to better focus on the tasks at hand. They are as follows:

· Strategic & Spiritual Planning
· Growth & Development
· Stewardship-Parish & Parishioner Development

Carol Angel, Myra Battin, Dave Cochran, and Rusty Holland currently make up the Strategic & Spiritual Planning sub; Dave Cochran, Ann Horn, Dave Kidd, Ingrid McGinley, and Randy Lord-Wilkinson make up the Growth & Development sub; and Dave Stomberg heads up the Stewardship sub. Our committee will continue to meet as a total group once a month and as individual subs once a month or more.

This is truly a dynamic group of people that are totally committed to growing and improving our family. As we continue forward with our mission, we will keep the parish updated on a monthly basis and/or as we reach significant events, milestones, and decisions. We'll continue working hand-in-hand with the Communications and Finance Committees, seeking approval from the Vestry and input from our entire family.

If you have any simple or visionary ideas about growth and improvement for St. Paul's, I invite you to get up off the pews and become a part of the solution. If you feel inspired to join one of our subcommittees, please visit a future meeting; just contact me or any other member to discuss upcoming gatherings. Our next full committee meeting will be held at my house on August 15th @ 7:00 pm. You are welcome to join us for food, fellowship, and forward thinking thoughts.
Thank you and God's Peace!
Dave Cochran,
for the Congregational Development Committee

Prayers Please:

New Cell Groups Forming

Arvelle Carey arvelle@mailstation.com: Play Reading: A group for people who would enjoy reading plays, discussing them, and reflecting theologically on the content, characters, themes. I would like to begin with a little-known Thornton Wilder play, The Alcestiad. After that, I hope the group will have input as to our next work. There is a nice resource called "Friends of the Groom," original short plays for churches, very good stuff. Some of these could easily be produced for the parish. The group might also choose to read a book, some of it aloud, some as homework, and share discussion.

We would meet weekly at first, to get acquainted, and to get warmed up, then likely every other week. I am open as to days and hours, but would rather do daytimes than evenings. Whatever works for the majority!

Barbara Moerler barmoe@msn.com: Meeting Your Spirit: A women's group that will focus on those issues that affect women's spirituality. After an opening prayer and check-in, we will spend the rest of the session focusing on one issue (i.e. trust, anger, fear, shame, being in transition, being a stay-at-home mom, etc). Spiritual practices may include readings, journaling, meditation, and creating our own prayers. At the first meeting, we will decide on dates and times. For right now I would suggest either the first and third Tuesday mornings from 10 to 11:15a.m. or the second and fourth Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Henry Morris hmm1941@comcast.net: The group will be composed of people who consider themselves to be middle-of-the-road Episcopalians or are compatible with that thinking. In addition to mutual support and bible study, the group will look at the possible roles of the church in the community using the book Reweaving the Fabric: How Congregations and Communities Can Come Together to Build their Neighborhoods by Ron Nored. The initial meeting time(s) will be announced after consultation with interested participants.

More information on these groups and how to join them will be in forthcoming issues of the Good Word and Sunday service announcements.

Summer Choir

All ages are welcome and families can sit together.

This is a low-commitment approach without a hot choir robe to wear.

Practice one hour before the service for that Sunday.

Summer Choir happens every Sunday with practice promptly at 9:15 a.m.

Church Quiz - August, 2003

a. A Lay Leader
b. A Bishop
c. A Seminarian

2. Which are the three greatest feasts of the Church?

a. Advent
b. Christmas
c. Easter
d. Epiphany
e. Pentecost

3. Which are not movable feasts?

a. The Circumcision
b. Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary
c. Ascension Day
d. Trinity Sunday
e. Transfiguration of Christ

4. What are the Rubrics?

a. The Book of Common Prayer
b. Directions for the conduct of services
c. The official collection of Church Canons

5. What are the Church daily offices?

a. Evening Prayer
b. Compline
c. Morning Prayer

Summer Recess for…

Also, Randy will be off Monday, August 4 through Tuesday August 12. He'll be back in the harness on Wednesday the 13th.

On call for people needing to speak with a member of the clergy will be Cece Morris, 792-1589, and Dick Scott, 698-0555.

Junior Warden Don Vanlue, will be available to handle other parish concerns.

Opportunities for Community Service at St. Paul's Church The Lord's Neighborhood Diner is always looking for people to serve hot meals with a generous portion of respect every Saturday and Sunday afternoon from 3:00-5:00 p.m. in our Parish Hall. Contact Delsie Peebles if you are interested at 349-1455 or delsiep@aol.com.

Liturgy and Arts

An Update from the Altar Guild

I am very sorry that Margaret Brown is unable to work with the Altar Guild any longer. Bob is working with us and we sure are glad we have him.

By the way, men on the Altar Guild are much appreciated and I surely hope that no one holds back because of their gender. We need men to help out with many things that we ladies find difficult to do.

I have been attempting to simplify the Altar Guild handbook that we use. If I had been a little smarter I never would have thought that I could do it as it has turned out to be quite a task for me. I seldom give up on anything I start, though, so I will see it through.

We will have our granddaughter Amber visiting us for about seven weeks in August and September. She is twelve years old and we are looking forward to her visit.