Rector's Notes- June 26, 2014

The Hebrew Bible in one verse commands, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' but in no fewer than 36 places commands us to 'love the stranger.' (Barbara Brown Taylor)

Dear Members and Friends of St. Matthew's,  

If you are traveling this summer I invite you to attend worship in that place. Put yourself in the role of the stranger and see how it feels, how you are approached, if you are appreciated or ignored or merely tolerated. How we treat the stranger among us speaks volumes about our spirituality. I'm sure that is why the scriptures and our Lord urged us to practice extending love and care for those we know the least well in the room, not just to our pals.

Jane and I begin our vacation next week at the start of July. We always look for the nearest Episcopal Church when we are away, slip in for worship and stick our toe in if there is a coffee hour. We tend to remember and be grateful for those parishes where we feel truly welcomed as strangers.  While I am on vacation please do your best to reach out and welcome the stranger who may visit St. Matthew's this summer. It is uplifting to start your week with being accepted by people with accepting hearts. In a world and culture with so many divided loyalties the witness of love for the stranger is a powerful corrective both in our church and on the road. God bless you this warm summer week and in the month ahead.

Faithfully, Rev. Wm. E. Exner+ Rector

P.S. Details for the Burial Rite of our good friend and Senior Warden Emeritus Jean Leduc will be forthcoming once final arrangements have been made. God bless that good man's soul.

Noteworthy - 

+ On July 24 The Episcopal Church (and much of the world) will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first women ordained to the Priesthood!  Here at St. Matt's I am thinking especially of Ann Webb, Ann Stanley, Nancy Packard, Nancy Vogel, Carolyn Stevenson and Kathleen Cullen, each of whom served St. Matthew's in some capacity since the 1980's and went on to serve God's people beyond to the present. Special Prayers will be offered here on Sunday July 20 at the 9 am Service.

+ The Sunday Morning Prayer list is starting fresh. If you have a particular prayer request you may contact the office office@stmattsepiscopal.org for inclusion on a particular Sunday. You may also use the daily prayer list sheet at the entrance of the church. 

+     A very nice bureau /chest of drawers was recently donated to St. Matthew's. If you need one it is yours. Just go the CCC any day it is open or call the office 497-2003 to make arrangements.

+     A Garrison wood stove in great shape was also donated to St. Matthew's. Make us an offer that will be matched by our 'Future Fund' donor. 497-2003

+Please remember St. Matt's in your Summer Giving. Your faithful offering keeps us going strong through the summer months.

TEAM CARBONNEAU SWINGS TO VICTORY AT THE SUNDAY GOLFER'S CHALLENGE

It was a record crowd and a perfect day for golf last Sunday at Country Side Golf Club in Dunbarton, New Hampshire and 20 golfers from St. Matthew's took full advantage of it. When the divots were filled and the smoke cleared (Steve Fry had an aromatic stogie going during his round with runner up Team Exner), it was Captain Jack Carbonneau's foursome that won the day. An added bonus was that the mulligan fees were matched by two benefactors from our parish totaling over $800 for our ongoing 2014 Capital improvement Matching Grant Drive. (We are at about $17,000 committed thus far toward a goal of $25,000.)  Anyone wishing to contribute to this matching fund to care for St. Matthew's buildings for future generations is encouraged to do so. Checks to St. Matthew's Church, earmarked Matching Fund.  

Got 2 hours a month to spare?

  The Community Clothing Center could use you! We currently have openings for Floor People on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month from 6 - 8 pm and on the 4th Saturday of each month from 10 - noon.

What does a Floor Person do? Check clothes to make sure they are good enough to sell, put them on hangers and place them on the racks in the appropriate section, help shoppers find what they want and direct them to the counter to pay.

It's fun to work with others and to interact with the public and, best of all, you might find something you want! 

Please contact Joan Alayne Stevens if you can help - at

joanalaynestevens@gmail.com

"Why should we learn about Jesus?" The question comes from a middle schooler.   I've been pondering how to answer. Here is my attempt.

Almost 1500 years ago, the western world changed the way we numbered our years. No longer would we base our calendar on who the current ruler was, but would instead count forward (or backward) from the birth of Jesus. For Western Civilization, and by extension the rest of the world, Jesus is a pivotal person. His words and concepts have colored the actions of rulers and decision makers. They have also shaped the actions of millions of more ordinary people, directly and indirectly. Calls for universal education came from a desire to read the Bible.  William Wilberforce looked at the teachings of Jesus and found a call to fight slavery in England. Mahatma Gandhi read the gospels and found a call to peaceful change. Clara Barton and Jane Addams heard Jesus call to care for the sick and the poor and did just that.  The list can go on and on, in small ways and large. Who Jesus was, what he did and said, continues to reverberate all around us.

A caution for parents:  Reading the words of Jesus, learning about him, is important, but dangerous. When we take the step of teaching our children about Jesus, we do so knowing that those words may have an effect. Following the call of Jesus may take them into dangerous places. The daughter of a friend of mine is now in Thailand, caring for children who have been rescued from slavery. It is not a safe place, but she is following the call of Jesus. We don't know what path Jesus will call our children to follow, only that Jesus will be with them.