April 2007, Volume 16, Issue 3
Contents:
Church Whys and Church Wise
Parish News and Events
The Wider Church
Lay Ministers
Contact Information
From the Vicar
Over the past couple of months although it seems like an eternity people everywhere have been obsessed with the saga of a sometime jeans model/entertainer who died suddenly and, it seems, unprepared. Simultaneously, a book and television documentary claimed that several ossuaries discovered in a Jerusalem tomb in 1980 might have contained the remains of Jesus and several family members.
Each of these media-hyped events generated much shouting and jostling. In the case of the dead entertainer, the commotion centered, at least initially, on disposition of the body. Conversely, the Jesus burial container film stirred passions over the absence of mortal remains. What interesting counterpoint.
In the first instance, the entertainer’s death ended a tumultuous, often sad existence. Although it precipitated genuine grief among a few, it also spawned an army of opportunists seeking at least fame, if not fortune. In this context, questions about what her life was all about were obscured by a what-can-I-get-out-of-this feeding frenzy of the hangers on.
The ossuary film and book project also generated much attention. After all, if the remains of Jesus have been found, would that not shoot down the high-flying Christian proclamation of the resurrection? With respect to the earnest efforts of the film’s producers, the whole matter is a non-starter. Traces of DNA and a web of related names might confirm the unbeliever’s unbelief. On the other hand, connecting names on burial boxes to the DNA of unknown persons, with a heavy dose of statistical analysis thrown in, takes nothing away from the believer. The believer knows the resurrection of Jesus is not empirically provable or disprovable.
The death of Jesus left his followers in despair and in hiding, not concerned about what they might gain by his death but, rather, how his life and teachings might give them comfort. When Jesus women friends approached his burial site on that first Easter day to fulfill their religious obligations how could they comprehend what they found an empty tomb? But how the experience changed them!
The gospel of Jesus the Christ is about life life as we know it and life as we will know it. May we affirm this truth by how we live and avoid being caught up in the spectacle of death or speculation of the unprovable.
George
History of the Episcopal Flag
by Don Palmer
It is 1918 and the Diocese of Long Island was going to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Bishop Frederick Burgess, the second Bishop of Long Island, asked William Baldwin, a lay member of the Cathedral Chapter, to head a committee planning the occasion. Baldwin planned a great procession, through the grounds of the cathedral (there’s that word again) and even arranged with heraldic experts to design colorful banners to be carried. What pomp! There was a diocesan banner, one for each of the three archdeaconries, 20 for diocesan societies, and one for each parish and mission. A total of 170 banners, described by an observer as fine and picturesque.
There was no banner, no flag, for the Episcopal Church. The national church had never made one, never conceived of a design. The Diocese of Long Island persuaded the next General Convention to establish a commission for the purpose and Mr. Baldwin was appointed its secretary.
Mr. Baldwin presented his proposed flag at the next General Convention, but it was too small to be exhibited. He was asked to (quickly) make a larger, full-size one. Story has it that he went shopping in Kansas City (convention site) and purchased some Turkey cotton, some pale blue material, a crib sheet, scissors, needles and thread. The Dean of the Kansas City Cathedral, the Very Rev. Hubert Wood, and Mr. Baldwin stayed up late that night in a hotel room and made a full size proposed Episcopal Church flag.
Mr. Baldwin declined a request from the National Cathedral that he give them the proposed flag that he had made, to be put in the church archives. Instead, he gave it to his own diocese. He made a flag from another crib sheet for the archives. When William Baldwin died, his flag fittingly draped his coffin.
Mr. Baldwin described the flag’s symbolism thus: The red cross is the oldest symbol, dating back to the third century. The white represents purity and the red, the blood of the martyrs. The blue is ecclesiastical blue, light in color and used in the clothing of the Blessed Virgin Mary and, on this flag, represents the human nature of our Lord which he got from his virgin mother. The nine cross crosslets or Jerusalem crosses represent the nine dioceses that convened in Philadelphia in 1789, when the Constitution of the Protestant Episcopal Church was adopted. . . The nine cross crosslets are set in the form of a St. Andrew’s cross in memory of the fact that, to avoid swearing allegiance to the British Crown, Bishop-elect Seabury of Connecticut (the first bishop of the Episcopal Church) had to go to Scotland to be consecrated by Scottish bishops. The large red vertical-horizontal cross, St. George’s cross, is in recognition of St. George, the patron saint of England, as Andrew is of Scotland.
Mr. Baldwin delivered the striking Episcopal flag to the General Convention about 1923. This remarkable church of ours adopted it 17 years later, in 1940.
Parish News and Events
News from around the Chapel
Thunder and Lightning didn’t stop the Flea-tique!
Despite great fears for inclement and tumultuous weather, the Flea-Tique was a great success on Saturday, April 14. Due to the sad occasion of her grandfather’s death, Jennifer Haffner was unable to be with us and run the bakery but Lisa and Jim May capably stepped up to the plate and handled things beautifully. The Men of the Church sold hot dogs and sausages and handled their own Table, raffle tickets were sold for ten pounds of shrimp and a case of wine, and 16 vendors had brisk business, including Kathy Damico and her helpers at the Church Table.
Sue Dees, chair of the event, was everywhere working hard as always. She to thanks all of you who participated those who put the event together and those of you who came and purchased. St. Paul’s people were out in force.
The event garnered around $2,000 despite the drastic prognostications of the local weathermen! The rain held off until it was all over we must be living right!
Again, many thanks to all who worked so hard to make the day a success.
Note: We have some great pictures that will be published in the May newsletter.
Get to know your Church Family. . . meet the Hicks
When an Episcopal girl and a Baptist soloist met at a wedding in 1958, little did they know they would be spending the rest of their lives together! Herb’s beautiful voice probably got some use when he would ride a the cotton wagon going to Eutaw, Alabama, to the gin where his family’s crop would be processed. At the same time, not too far away, Jane and her sister Elaine (Elaine Palmer) were growing up together. By the time of the fated wedding, Jane was completing her MS in Clothing, Textiles and Related Arts and met Herb, who was at the University of Alabama finishing one of his many degrees. Herb had already earned his BCE (Civil Engineering) at Georgia Tech and had served his country during the Korean War as a Second Lieutenant, spending his service years in the wilds of Alaska.
With marriage, becoming an Episcopalian and the completion of a PhD program in management, Herb began his 20-year career as a professor at LSU in Baton Rouge. After his retirement, he was then honored with the first Eminent Professor endowed chair at the University of Baltimore’s School of Business. The purpose of the chair was to allow the University to attract outstanding scholars and educators to its faculty; a great honor for Dr. Hicks! Also spending time at Loyola, Herb authored a number of college textbooks, translated in several languages, and continues today to consult with businesses such as Texaco and IBM.
Jane’s lifelong interest and talents in art may be seen today in her work exhibited at the Eastern Shore Arts Center and the Foley Center for the Arts. A son and daughter have produced five grandchildren for the Hicks. Both Herb and Jane were involved in Stephen Ministries (beginning the first such ministry at Holy Spirit in Baton Rouge) and continue their devotion to the Episcopal Church here at St. Paul’s. Herb sings in our small but select choir and Jane is on the Altar Guild and serves as UTO chairman.
Men of St. Paul’s
The Men of St. Paul’s met for lunch March 29 at Wintzels in Fairhope. The food was good and the conversation was lively. Everyone was encouraged to bring guy stuff to sell at the Men’s table at the Flea-Tique on April 14.
The next luncheon will be a Julwyn’s (411 Fairhope Avenue) in Fairhope on Thursday, April 19 at 1:00 p.m.
Come join us and bring a friend!
Boiling over with Great Food!
Saturday, March 31, St. Paul’s Parish Hall turned into a Low Country haven with delicious boiled shrimp and all the fixin’s! Led by Buster Slay and Harry Dwyer, a great team of individuals served up dozens of dinners, and every diner left the Hall immensely satisfied and content. Proceeds from the event are earmarked for the tornado victims in Enterprise, Alabama.
Vestry Meeting
This month’s Vestry Meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 23 at 5:30 p.m.
In Memoriam, we share with the world the loss of Wendy Klopfenstein
St. Paul’s Chapel has been very fortunate in recent months to experience the talents of Wendy Klopfenstein, a fine organist, a concert violinist with both the Mobile and Pensacola Symphony orchestras, and choir director. Celia Mann Baehr, president of the Mobile Symphony, stated that Wendy was the heart and soul of the Symphony and took it upon herself to welcome all new musicians to the orchestra.
Wendy played the organ here at St. Paul’s several times over the past months and added immeasurably to the service by performing a stirring violin solo during the offertory. Born in Canada, she began studying music at the age of four; then the violin, and then, at the age of ten the organ. She graduated cum laude from Auburn, was a finalist in the Miss Alabama Pageant, appeared nationwide with symphony orchestras as late as March 1 when she performed with Itzhak Perlman.
Wendy’s good humor, intelligence, spirituality, and talent will be sorely missed. We wish her Godspeed.
Transitions:
Change of e-mail address for Lyle’ Reed: lyle.reed@gulftel.com
The things that kids say. . .
A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5 and Ryan 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait. Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, Ryan, you be Jesus!
The title Reverend
The Reverend John Smith. Or The Rt. Reverend Philip Duncan. The title reverend is worth a few comments. It’s widely misused grammatically, that is and it sometimes seems that the Episcopal Church is being a bit picky, all by ourselves. Reverend is an adjective, not a noun, and derives from the word meaning to revere. Thus All the reverends were playing poker is quite wrong, at least grammatically, as is Good evening, Reverend. Don’t you look sharp!
The status of the word is quite comparable to Honorable for a judge. My favorite judge is (the) Honorable Jerry Fielding, not Honorable Fielding. Thus Reverend Riggall isn’t quite kosher (how’d that slip in here?) but (the) Reverend George Riggall, or (the) Reverend Mr. Riggall is best. The use of the article the as noted is somewhat optional.
Now these little niceties of the language are not tacky. It’s been said that Episcopalians would rather be wicked than tacky. Heaven forbid!
Question: Is a seminary student The Somewhat Reverend or The Soon to be Reverend?
Our vicar is so easy to get along with that I didn’t consult him about this column. It’s all mine.
Don Palmer
The Wider Church
News from the Diocese and beyond
A message to God’s People. . . from the Bishops of the Episcopal Church
As we prepare for Easter and the joyous celebration of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we send you greetings from Navasota, Texas where we gathered for the spring meeting of the House of Bishops. We represent 15 sovereign nations, the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, and Micronesia, bearing witness to the Gospel of Our Lord and the wonders of Christ’s redeeming work in the world. We were reminded of the health and vitality of our Church as our new Presiding Bishop recounted her travels. We have experienced a sense of identity, clarity, and purpose in fulfilling our vocation as bishops. We were blessed by the presence of the Primate and the House of Bishops of the Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico. Together we discovered a growing unity as we seek the mind of Christ. Our meeting was marked by a spirit of thanksgiving and respect, lived in a rich rhythm of worship, work, study, and rest.
That spirit moved us deeper into our focus on mission for Christ. In that context we discussed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Primates’ Communique, the draft Anglican Communion Covenant, as well as a number of other mission opportunities.
We had an extended and thoughtful discussion of the Communique from the Primates Meeting in Dar es Salaam, which represents the beginning of a longer process of response that will continue through the coming months.
It is our strong desire to remain within the fellowship of the Anglican Communion. The Primates Communique, however, raises significant concerns. First among these is what is arguably an unprecedented shift of power toward the Primates, represented, in part, by the proposed Pastoral Scheme. This proposed plan calls for the appointment of a Primatial Vicar and Pastoral Council for The Episcopal Church whose membership would consist of up to five members; two nominated by the Primates, two by the Presiding Bishop, and Primate of a Province of the Anglican Communion nominated by the Archbishop of Canterbury to chair the Council. We believe this proposal contravenes the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church. Moreover, because it is proposed that this scheme take immediate effect, we were compelled, at this March meeting, to request that the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church decline to participate in this aspect of the Communique’s requests. Nonetheless, we pledge to continue working to find a way of meeting the pastoral concerns raised by the Primates that are compatible with our own Church’s polity and canons. We should not that our recommendation to Executive Council not to participate in the Pastoral Scheme, though not unanimously endorsed by this House, came at the conclusion of long and gracious conversation.
Finally, we believe that the leaders of the Church must always hold basic human rights and the dignity of every human being as fundamental concerns in our witness for Christ. We were, therefore, concerned that while the Communique focuses on homosexuality, it ignores the pressing issues of Finally, we believe that the leaders of the Church must always hold basic human rights and the dignity of every human being as fundamental concerns in our witness for Christ. We were, therefore, concerned that while the Communique focuses on homosexuality, it ignores the pressing issues of violence against gay and lesbian people around the world, and the criminalization of homosexual behavior in many nations of the world.
The Theology Committee of the House of Bishops was charged with the responsibility of developing a teaching guide for consideration of both the Primates Communique and the proposed draft Covenant for the Anglican Communion. We anticipate this guide will be available by late May for use by bishops and dioceses in preparation for the September meeting of the House of Bishops.
The Bishops unanimously affirmed a Mind of the House Resolution inviting the Archbishop of Canterbury and the members of the Primates Standing Committee to meet, at a time of their choosing, with the House of Bishops.
Lay Ministers
Notes:
(1) Please notify D. Palmer if you cannot serve on the date(s) shown.
(2) If you are the Lector, please call the alternate listed if you cannot serve.
(3) Ushers are requested to ring the church bell (10-15 times) about 15 minutes before the service begins.
Altar Guild Jurkiewicz and Dykes
Sunday, April 1
8 AM
LEM Dees
Lector Antoine
Alt Drexmit
10 AM
LEM Reed
Lector Norris
Alt Reed
(3)Ushers J. & M. Godwin
Wednesday, April 4
LEM Dees
Sunday, April 8
8 AM
LEM Persons
Lector Drexmit
Alt Jeffers
10 AM
LEM Spradling
Lector Reed
Alt Skiba
(3)Ushers C. & L. Morris
Wednesday, April 11
LEM Damico
Sunday, April 15
8 AM
LEM Slay
Lector Jeffers
Alt Nobles
10 AM
LEM Palmer
Lector Skiba
Alt Zeanah
(3)Ushers D. & S. Dees
Wednesday, April 18
LEM Dees
Sunday, April 22
8 AM
LEM Dees
Lector Nobles
Alt Olson
10 AM
LEM Houser
Lector Zeanah
Alt D. Groebe
(3)Ushers Mitchell & Palmer
Wednesday, April 25
LEM Damico
Sunday, April 29
8 AM
LEM Persons
Lector Olson
Alt Harwell
10 AM
LEM Damico
Lector D. Groebe
Alt Godwin
(3)Ushers Houser & May
St. Paul’s Episcopal Chapel
Post Office Box 2 (mailing)
14755 Oak Avenue (street)
Magnolia Springs, AL 36555
Office Telephone:
(251) 965-7452
Website Address:
http://stpaulsms.org
Service Schedule
Sunday
8 and 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist
9 a.m. Church School
Wednesday
10 a.m. Holy Eucharist & Bible Study
Saturday
5 p.m. Holy Eucharist
The Rev. George G. Riggall, Vicar
(251) 923-6310 (cell phone)
stpauls at gulftel dot com (e-mail)
Donna Esslinger, Administration
Bill Spradling, Treasurer
Vestry
Dick Dees, Sr. Warden
Janie Houser, Jr. Warden
Dennis Groebe
Joni Loock
Guy Rankin
Bud Stallworth
Ann West
Lyle’ Reed
Bill Spradling
Kathy Damico, Clerk of the Vestry
The Springs’ Spiritual Newsletter
The official newsletter of St. Paul’s Episcopal Chapel. The newsletter is published on a monthly basis; please forward your articles and items no later than the 3rd Sunday of the month – thanks!
Publishers
Donna Esslinger, donna at stpaulsms dot org (e-mail)
Sarrah Rankin, sarrah at stpauls dot org ((e-mail)
Editor
Don Palmer, dande99 at gulftel dot com (e-mail)
Technical Support
Chuck Persons, chuck at stpaulsms dot org (e-mail)
