St. Francis-in-the-Wood Summer 2011 Newsletter

St. FrancisSt. Francis--inin--thethe--WoodWood Anglican ChurchAnglican Church

Summer Newsletter, 2011Summer Newsletter, 2011Summer Newsletter, 2011

IN THIS EDITION • Fear is the Root of All Ill • Report on Diocesan Synod 2011 • In the Company of Godbearers • A.E.D. and Update on Associate Minister • Social Concerns Appeal Update • Special Events • The Colossus of Maroussi • Legacy Fund Update • Mothering Sunday • The Sacred Intelligence of our Bodies • Serving with the Lutheran Urban Mission Society • Upcoming at St. Francis: Salmon Barbeque Zawiyah Interfaith Event Youth Group Camping Trip Stewardship: It’s What We Do Here

• Vacation Bible Club

W elcome to the Summer 2011 edition of the St. Francis-in-the-Wood Newsletter!

Inside this issue you’ll find reports and pictures from our recent events; both at St. Francis and further afield including a report on this year’s Diocesan Synod and details of our upcoming Vacation Bible Club. You can also find out about what’s happening at St. Francis in the summer and the Fall. We’re always on the lookout for feedback and contributions. Contact

the St. Francis Office:

St. Francis-in-the-Wood 4773 South Piccadilly Road, West Vancouver,

V7W 1J8 604 922 3531; [email protected]

http://www.stfrancisinthewood.ca

St. Francis-in-the-Wood, Summer Newsletter Page 2

Summer pot luck at the Mid-Week Bible Study

FROM THE REGISTERS AT ST. FRANCIS

BBBBaptismsaptismsaptismsaptisms Brynne Annalise Storey

Zoe Maelle Kreis Oscar Peter Geer Langballe Ethan Geoffrey Ashclarke Oivia Ellen Jane Staveley Taves David Blake Wright Mitchell Morgan Sturdy

CCCConfirmationsonfirmationsonfirmationsonfirmations

Emma Catherine Berton Chelsea Jane Henry

Christopher Georg Schmid Kommerling

WeddingsWeddingsWeddingsWeddings

Elise Ruth Baverstock Robillard & Carlo Anthony DiDonato

Nancy Janet Cocking & Jerald William Powers

Christina Tiffany Kiperchuck & Blair Alan Mackie Johnston

Kelly Snow Forest & Keith Tyler Lange Karolina Maria Zablotney &

Trent Henri Orton Karen Kam Kuen Chung &

Kenneth Alan Savage Stefanie Erin Ward & Scott Reid

MacPherson

Funerals and MemorialsFunerals and MemorialsFunerals and MemorialsFunerals and Memorials

Nellie Louisa Green Olga Lang

Peter Adam Bonn Kathleen Fitzgerald

Rod Shand George Lee Jenny Nixon

Confirmations at Christ Church Cathedral, May 2011

FEAR IS THE ROOT OF ALL ILL

D o not fear. Easier said than done (or, in this case, not done), but it has to be said over and over again. Do not fear. Fear is the great sickness of our time and of our world, and is at the root of many other sicknesses; perhaps all sickness? It certainly doesn’t make any sickness better, and most likely makes it a whole lot worse. Do not fear. Easier said than (not) done; but it has to be said. Over and over again. When I was in the Arizona desert two years ago during my sabbatical, it was a time to reflect and think; it was while I was in the desert that I passed the age Jack Kerouac was when he died. I was now older than Jack, and it made me think about how I wanted to live the rest of my life, whatever time is left to me, be that long or short. In an instant the words formulated themselves in my mind: practice kindness and do not fear. Simple enough. Simple enough to remember. But both require practice, in other words setting an intention and following through. Practice kindness requires practice mainly because it goes against our habitual focus on ourselves at the expense of others. The kindness I mean stems from the view of others that is like God’s view of them: that they are wanted, significant, that they matter. Do not fear requires practice because fear is used as a great motivator (check out TV commercials or the articles you read in newspapers). It happens in our individual lives, and it seeks to intimidate us as a Church. One of the most memorable moments for me at the recent Diocesan Synod was when one of the speakers talked about the need to “rebuke scarcity” which she likened to stepping out into a four-lane highway, putting up your hand and yelling “STOP!” Scarcity is like fear, and is a form of fear, specifically the fear that there won’t be enough. Of course, this isn’t an invitation to be reckless (though stepping out into a four-lane highway could be construed as recklessness!), or to be irresponsible with our

resources, but it is about remembering who we are as a church or, more to the point, whose church it is, and whose mission we are on. Like the Blues Brothers, we’re on a “Mission from God.” The Church and its mission in the world is God’s mission; God has called us (you, me him, her, them, us, everybody!) together to live out the life of the Good News of Jesus in our lives; and where God calls, so God provides. Sometimes (often perhaps) that means recognizing that God has already given us what we need to complete the mission we are given; but that means coming to realize that everything comes from God. Fear is sometimes about the prospect of losing or relinquishing what we think belongs to us, not realizing that this is how we come to be possessed and enslaved by our possessions. Not fearing is a bit like not looking down when you are walking a tightrope across a canyon, not that I’ve ever

done any t ightrope walking. But you get the picture. The important thing about tightrope wa lk ing ( l i t e ra l o r metaphorical) is to keep your eye on the end point and to focus on the next step that is to be taken, and don’t look down! It’s about seeing the big picture (where we’re headed, what the goal is) but also paying attention to detail (the next step in

achieving the overall goal), and not being distracted by the what-ifs and the things that may never happen, and that we cannot do anything about even if they do (but which we might just bring about if we allow ourselves be distracted by them, like looking down!). This month I turn 50; hard to believe, I know, and to be honest, I feel a bit of a fraud as I don’t feel nearly old enough, nor sufficiently responsible or grown-up yet. Be that as it may, I turn 50 and once again, like my experience in the desert, there’s that question again: so you’ve made it this far, through the good, through the bad; what’s next? How do you plan to live out the rest, how ever long or short that is?

Angus Stuart Rector

St Francis-in-the-Wood, Summer Newsletter Page 3

REPORT ON DIOCESAN SYNOD 2011 MAY 27 & 28, CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL Attended by Penny Collett, Hilary Carpenter, Ian McBeath, Kathleen Glynn-Morris, Emily Galvani, Angus Stuart, Phil Colvin plus Graeme Watson from St. Monica’s

H aving been to Pre Synod with Penny held at St. Mary’s where we both came away so inspired and jazzed, I wondered how the Synod would be. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Moving from a large time commitment of two days to one, and from an expensive round tabled venue of Capilano University to the inexpens ive Cathedral space had its challenges: more of a sense of being spoken to rather than being heard, and a rushing through the motions being presented and the entire removal of the Committee Reports such as The Mission to Seafarers etc. where we are reminded of the extraordinary and wonderful work being done in the Diocese. These must have been difficult decisions to make. I notice that the Diocese must have had feedback on this as they have booked the Italian Cultural Centre for next year - at a cost, but less expensive than Capilano University. Having said that, what I participated in was interesting, the people that I met from other parishes were exciting and the sharing of this event with other members of St. Francis was quite wonderful. Friday night was essentially a church service to open the Synod. The music came from St. Alban’s Burnaby African

Voices Choir and Crofton House Choir with a haunting Iraqi peace song sung with a piano and cello accompaniment. The sermon was given by Lutheran Bishop Greg Mohr (Whose great (x5) uncle, Joseph Mohr, wrote Silent Night). The Regional Deans were reappointed, including Angus and the Street Outreach

Initiative which has been in existence for five years was given further funding. This is an impressive part of the Diocesan funding f o r compass iona te service, GEM (Going the Extra Mile). It places the Rev. Matthew Johnson on the streets of the Downtown Eastside to minister to marginalized persons struggling with m a n y c h a l l e n g e s : addiction, mental illness, poverty, homelessness, disability, isolation, or circumstantial disaster.

On Saturday, the Synod address was by Terry Parsons - amusing, inspirational and informative on

stewardship. She will be returning to the Diocese in September 24th and she is def initely worth hear ing. Although she spoke about stewardship, I was impressed with her comment on the importance of celebrating a Sabbath - a day that is set aside to not work and to acknowledge the gifts given to us. The hard work of the various committees of the Diocese was acknowledged. Several resolut ions were debated and voted on, including: • changing GEM to Care + Share (rebranding) • That the 2011 Diocesan Synod respectfully directs Bishop Michael to faithfully and earnestly negotiate a just and timely solution that will allow the


Commissioning of Regional Deans including Angus (centre)

Youth delegates including Emily Galvani at the Synod Sleepover

churches in dispute to continue ministry and worship in their existing facilities and to settle any other matters that need resolving. • exploring the possibility of creating a school which is identifiably Anglican and which has a relationship with the Diocese of New Westminster • programs to receive funding through “Going the Extra Mile GEM” for the period January 1, 2012 through to December 31, 2013: • Coming Home Society – Transition Worker • Garden to Table Ministry • Our House West Coast Society • Street Outreach Initiative (continuance) • West Point Grey Neighbourhood Ministry There was an interesting a presentation by the Communications Committee about useful church websites. However, the best presentation by far was by our very own Phil Colvin. He is a jewel in our midst. Phil works half time for the Diocese. In this half time Phil, as Youth Coordinator has responsibilities for Camp Artaban, Youth Pilgrims, Parish Youth Ministries (and parishes with no youth ministry), UBC/SFU Chaplains, BCYAYM, Sorrento, Confirmation candidates, national Initiatives, ecumenical partnerships… all in a half time

position. He is a r ema rkab le man mak ing a huge difference. Thank you Phil. There was one controversy that needs to be reported: In Robert’s Rules of Order, the most used rules of meeting procedure from School Pa ren t Adv i so r y Committees to the Houses of Parliament,

there is the provision to “Call the Question”. “Any member who wishes to force an end to debate must first obtain the floor by being duly recognized to speak by the chair, and must then move the Previous Question. Such a motion must be seconded, and then adopted by a two-thirds vote, or by unanimous consent.” While this can be a useful tool and was used several times as no new information was being presented, when the resolution about the churches in dispute reached the floor, the role of “Call the Question” gained particular notice due to being used very early in the discussion. It did give the appearance that free speech was being stifled. On the other hand the required 2/3 of the Synod delegates supported the closing of debate; especially after the seconder spoke as the final speaker. As Penny said: ‘He sucked the good energy right out of the room.’

Kathleen Glynn-Morris


Lindsay Patterson and her grade 2 class at the Vancouver Waldorf School; who visited St. Francis-in-the-Wood early in June to perform a play on the life of St. Francis

IN THE COMPANY OF GODBEARERS

W hen people ask me how long I’ve been involved in youth ministry I usually say eight years. That goes back to when I took my first professional job within the Church working with Angus at the University of Bristol Ecumenical Chaplaincy in the UK However, I realise that answer isn’t entirely correct. I’ve actually been involved in youth ministry for at least twelve years; because I spent several years as a participant in that ministry as a teenager and a young adult. And perhaps I’ve been involved even longer than that, because I went to Catholic school and had first confession and communion in the Catholic Church, both of which are forms of youth or children’s ministry. Thinking back to being a teenager in church, I remember being entertained through some of what happened there. We would go out to movies, eat plenty of pizza and go or on visits to London or try dry slope skiing (which, if you haven’t tried it, is much like real skiing but far less pleasant if you fall…) And those were great. But those aren’t the reason I now organize youth leader conferences, retreats or write and deliver sermons. I’m probably doing all those things because of a guy called Ray. Ray was my youth group leader for perhaps three years, during the time when I went back to church after a few years break following Catholic school. More importantly, though, Ray ran a group where forging connections was a cornerstone. There were, of course, more distinct churchy parts to it but participation in anything was never mandatory. Many of us would come to a weekly drop in night on Fridays and were always invited to come back on Sundays, but there was never any disappointment shown if we did not. Of course, many of us did start coming to everything. That’s often what happens when people are intentionally making a point of inviting their friends to absolutely everything!

I was doing that for a couple of years, and then went to college. I kept in touch with many of my youth group

friends; and over ten years later I still do. I also kept in touch with Ray. Ray was a busy guy and I joined the youth ministry he ran relatively late. I was sixteen at that point and he had been the youth minister in that church for several years already. By the time I arrived, there were already plenty of young people involved in that ministry who he knew a lot better than me. I wasn’t there for all the reasons youth ministers want youth to be in church. I wasn’t desperately interested in the Bible. Or prayer, or Sunday services. I just wanted somewhere to hang out. Ray spent time with me, as he did with everyone, and we often chatted. Later, when I went off to university, Ray was someone I enjoyed being in touch with and exchanged occasional e-mails with. Especially when I was becoming more involved in Christian leadership. Fast forward several years; it’s 2006

and I’d just been asked by the Rector and Wardens at St. Francis-in-the-Wood, West Vancouver to come over to Canada and interview for the job of youth worker. This is a job I’d never held anywhere else. I had some experience, having worked in chaplaincy and various summer camps and youth projects around the world, but everything from the role to the momentous move which it would entail was a big deal. There were a few people I thought of calling on for advice, and one of them was Ray. Ray had moved churches by this time. He was still on the south coast of England, still in full time youth ministry. I’d been travelling for quite some time and we hadn’t spoken in around four years. He remembered me, when I called. And he invited me over to meet him. He cleared out his entire afternoon for me and we talked for several hours. I asked him about youth ministry, and told him I wasn’t sure if I could do this job because I didn’t have formal training.

Youth ministry in 2011; Emma and Chelesa painting benches during a weekend

at the Sorrento Centre


He proceeded to list of half a dozen reasons why I could. They were reasons based on things we’d said and done over the y e a r s ; s o m e stretching back six or seven years. Many were things which I hadn’t linked to a future vocation, and there were several which I’d forgotten having happened entirely! But Ray h a d n ’ t . H e ’ d r e m e m b e r e d everything, he knew me better than I thought and he was able to identify the qualities in me which would dictate whether or not I might want to explore the opportunity I was being offered. That’s why I do what I do now. Not because I was entertained by my church as a teenager, but because I had been part of a community which was authentic and God centered. A community which invited me in and planted seeds, led by someone who took time to know me and maintained that relationship even when I was elsewhere. Ray’s skill wasn’t in being the youngest person working in church ministry; he was already well into his thirties when I met him. Nor was he phased by fluctuating levels of church attendance between youth group events. What he was more interested in was our formation. Kenda Dean, a member of the faculty at Pr inceton Seminary who researches and teaches on youth ministry, wrote a book all about people like Ray. It’s called The Godbearing Life; and I discovered it a few years ago at a youth conference. And when I read it, I remembered Ray. The term Dean uses is ‘Godbearers.’ These are people who don’t just want to bring Christ to others, they are like Christ to others. Dean points out that this doesn’t mean we try to seek to be Jesus; because even the thought of that is scary enough to drive away

anyone considering working in ministry! Instead, she reflects back on the birth of Christ and the role Mary played. Mary was not a woman of g reat educat ion, wealth or standing in society. However, she was the one chosen for the vital ministry of incarnation. Making the spirit of God become flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. It was a call she accepted with humility and gratitude.

Godbearers are like Mary, and Ray. They are people who we look at and see so transparently through that what we really see is the person of Christ shining through them. Godbearers incarnate Christ’s total love to transparently that people don’t seek to follow the person, they seek to follow Christ. The Godbearing Life points out how significant these people are in youth ministry. Over the past century, we’ve seen a gradual shift which has drawn adults further and further out of the lives of young people. What if we were all Godbearers? What if we all carried our relationship with Christ in every part of our lives, and into the lives of the young people around us whether they be our children, grandchildren, those inside or outside of a church?

That shouldn’t scare us; because to be a Godbearer simply means coming alongside a young person we know in everything we would normally do. Listening to them, praying for them and interacting without fear or judgment. That’s what Ray did for me; and I have no doubt that there are many others in the world around us waiting for us to do the same for them.

Adapted from a sermon given at

St. Francis-in-the-Wood on June 26th, 2011

Phil Colvin

(Above and below) Youth groups at St. Francis during summer 2011


AED (Automated External Defibrillator)

S t. Francis has purchased, through the Heritage Fund, a lifesaving defibrillator which anyone with or without First Aid training can use. Although, First Aid training obviously is useful. In the event that someone collapses and is unresponsive - not breathing or only gasping, providing CPR quickly helps, but the definitive treatment for sudden cardiac arrest is early defibrillation. Survival rates with CPR are only 3 to 5 percent, but with early defibrillation they jump to 50 percent or more. Easy steps: Anybody, trained or untrained can potentially be a life saving rescuer

1. Person collapses, & is

unresponsive – not breathing or only gasping.

2. Take charge & send somebody to call 911 with address & and state there has been a cardiac arrest.

3. Fetch the AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) by the Elevator

4.Turn AED on 5. Follow voice instructions given by the AED. Carry on till Fire department or Ambulance take over! Special thanks, To Jan Volker for demonstrating how easily the AED works at the picnic on the green To Kathleen and Rodney Glynn-Morris for researching and purchasing the best AED for the money, and to Rodney for being our ‘victim’ during the demonstration! To Hilary Carpenter for knowing

what the AED should be stored in a visible case by the elevator To Jack Neuman for making the case

Jan Volker demonstrating the AED

UPDATE ON THE NEW PRIEST…

T he plans to appoint a new full-time priest to work at both St. Francis-in-the-Wood and St. Monica, Horseshoe Bay are moving ahead. The position was a d v e r t i s e d n a t i o n a l l y a n d internationally in May, and the Bishop’s Advisory Committee on A p p o i n t m e n t s ( i n c l u d i n g representatives from St. Monica and St. Francis) met recently to draw up a short-list of candidates. Interviews will take place at both churches later this month, July 2011. It is hoped tha t a recommendat ion f or appointment will then be made to Bishop Michael Ingham, and the person appointed may be in post as early as September. Please pray for those at St. Francis and St. Monica’s who are involved in the selection

process; please pray that they will have wisdom and

insight to discern who it is that God wants appointed here. Please also pray for the candidates themselves; that they may proceed knowing that God has their lives in his hands and that he has plans and purposes for each of them. This is a very exciting development for both our churches and represents a significant opportunity for growth. May God grant us vision to see his plans unfolding and the will to lend our energies to the accomplishment of his purposes.

Angus Stuart Rector


SOCIAL CONCERNS APPEAL UPDATE You may remember reading in our Spring issue about our Lenten Appeal in aid of H.O.D.I. With the appeal now over, Jan Volker and Rosalinda Voth report on what was an incredibly successful project!

W ow! That is our first comment on how well our Lenten Appeal went this year. We chose H.O.D.I. (Hands on Development Initiatives ) as the most appropriate project. The Vo lke rs and t he Moonens had both been to the village of Muhanda to see first hand the dire need for funds to enable the villagers to get out of p o v e r t y . M o s t households consist of nine people living in a mud hut with, on average, four family members who had died. With only subsistence farming to support them the children would have tea for breakfast, corn gruel for lunch and rice for diner. Sometimes they would eat t h e b a nan a s o r avocadoes if they were not sold. The children preferred the corn porridge since it filled their stomachs. We raised in total $21,894.85 with one f am i l y generous l y matching that amount. Thank you to all who so generously contributed. Thanks to the youth group for their cupcake sales and to Penny Collett for organizing the book sale.

The monies will go first to finishing the Community Resource Centre that is already up and running. It will enable sewing machines to be used (thanks to those

who donated theirs) as well as some to be purchased. A class has already been established to teach some women how to make school uniforms (a must in order to attend classes). The other funds will provide for two teachers to be hired to look after a now 100 pe r son orphanage school. The Resource Centre has already become too small and an addition is contemplated so that students in their three months off school (those

fortunate enough to have sponsors) will teach those less fortunate. The medical center (Maternity hospital) is underway and with these funds will be able to be completed.

We are thrilled with your response and caring. We will keep you posted with any deve lopmen ts forthcoming. Thank you one and all. St. Francis parishioners have a big heart.

Jan Volker Rosalinda Voth


Cupcakes baked by the junior youth group for the H.O.D.I. appeal

Preparing signage for the cupcake sale!

STRAWBERRY TEA

A wonderful success thanks to Christine and Angus who again opened their home to us all. Delicious and dainty sandwiches (Angus specials) were served, together with home made scones topped with strawberry jam and whipped cream (thanks to Sharon Quan), champagne cupcakes, bite size meringues and bowls of strawberries and cream.

Christine poured dozens of cups of tea and, as always, made us all feel so welcome. Thanks to Penny & Neil, Fiona & Emily and those of you who helped with the dishes later. What a great team we made.

PARISH PICNIC

D amp and long grass on the green did not curb the enthusiasm of everyone who came to the picnic this year.

The weather cleared, the BBQ came out, lots of delicious food was eaten, games were played, jokes were told and lots of laughter could be heard. There was even time for a demonstration of the church’s new Automatic Defibrillator courtesy of Jan Volker a n d g r e a t ‘unconscious’ acting from Rodney Glynn-Morris!!

“Angus” burgers again were a great hit and I must say “There is nothing quite like the aromas coming from a BBQ”. Same time next year, folks!


BIBLE STUDY POT LUCK

T he Wednesday morning study group which follows the 10 a.m. service comprises of about 16 - 20 people who, together with Angus, have a very deep and meaningful conversation, usually (but not always) connected with the readings of the week.

We have finished now for this year and celebrated the beginning of summer with a pot luck lunch. We restart in September, so please come and join us for stimulating conversation, great company and tasty snacks with coffee.

Louise Selby

ELLEN’S 95TH BIRTHDAY

O ne of our senior members of St. Francis celebrated a very special birthday recently. Ellen Westcott turned 95 and we celebrated with cake and cards made by members of the Sunday School.

All her friends at St. Francis wish her a wonderful year and we all look forward to celebrating her 100th in a few years. Her support and consistent help to us all has been, and continues to be, very much appreciated.



COLOSSUS - A TREMENDOUS AND IMPORTANT BOOK Our Rector Angus Stuart recently presented a paper on Thomas Merton and Henry Miller at the International Thomas Merton Conference in Chicago. Here he reflects on one of the books by Henry Miller that Thomas Merton had read and traces some of the reason why it may have appealed to him.

I n his first letter to Henry Miller dated July 9, 1962, replying to a letter from Miller, Thomas Merton says that he has read two of Miller’s books: Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch and The Colossus of Maroussi which he regards as "a tremendous and important book." Colossus is Miller's account of his time in Greece in 1939 where he had gone at the invitation of Lawrence Durrell who was living on Corfu. Miller promised himself to do no writing for a year to give himself opportunity to reflect on his ten years in France. In Colossus, Miller contrasts the ancient world - perhaps more accurately, timeless world - of Greece with both old world Europe and new world America, both of which he sees as in decline. With an impending war we see much of the same ambivalence towards it that we find in Merton's Seven Storey Mountain of the same period, though perhaps Merton identifies himself more as part of the problem than does Miller. Both writers see the deteriorating world situation as not simply to do with specific powerful individuals like Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin, but rather emanating from "civilization" itself. Both Miller and Merton at this time of the late-1930s were disenchanted with America, with western-civilization, with the conventional mores, values, aspirations and appetites of the world. Merton's response was to turn to Catholicism and ultimately to enter the monastery as a way of rejecting the "world" in order to find an alternative path. Miller's rejection of "civilization" is equally robust and goes back much further to his quitting a regular job with Western Union back in the early 1920s to become a writer,

and is evident in his move to France later that decade and his life and writings there. Like Merton, Miller articulates and even embodies a radical rejection of conventional life with its values and expectations. Reading The Colossus of Maroussi one can see many places where Merton would be applauding with a loud "Amen!" In Miller we find the same distrust and disdain for

technology that that we often find in Merton: "One should not race along the Sacred Way in a motor car - it is sacrilege. One should walk, walk as men of old walked, and allow one's whole being to become f looded with l ight." (p.45) But unlike Merton there is an explicit rejection of Christianity which describes at one point as "blight." The passage above continues: "This is not a Christian highway: it was made by feet of devout pagans on their way to initiation at Eleusis. There is no suffering, no martyrdom, no flagellation of the f lesh connected wi th th is processional artery. Everything here speaks now, as it did

centuries ago, of illumination, of blinding, joyous illumination." (p.45) Yet Miller is clearly familiar with the teachings of Jesus and with the Old and New Testaments, and often seems to speak approvingly of Jesus, and even seems to have a profoundly Christian voice as well as a deep spiritual consciousness. There seems to be more of a rejection of the structures of authority and institutional religion than there is of Jesus himself, and in this he would no doubt find sympathy in Merton. As part of Miller's rejection of conventional society (and with it Christianity too, in as much as it has become identified with that society), there is a profound disdain for money and wealth:

"I have seen Greeks walking about in the most ludicrous and abominable garb imaginable - straw hat from the year 1900, billiard cloth vest with pearl buttons, discarded British ulster, pale dungarees, busted umbrella, hair shirt, bare feet, hair matted and twisted - a make-up which even a Kaffir would disdain, and yet, I say it sincerely and deliberately, I would a thousand times rather be that poor G r e e k t h a n a n Ame r i c a n millionaire." (pp.49-50) There is something reminiscent of St. Francis of Assisi in these words, another figure that Miller is often found referring to with approval. An example of Miller's use of powerful Christian imagery is found in his experience of the light he found in Greece. Light is a recurring theme throughout the book, and there is clearly a parallel between the light that Miller describes outwardly and what is going on inwardly in his heart during these months. He writes: "The light is no longer solar or lunar; it is the starry light of the planet to which man has given life. The earth is alive to its innermost depths; at the center it is a sun in the form of a man crucified. The sun bleeds on its cross in the hidden depths. The sun is man struggling to emerge towards another light. From light to light, from calvary to calvary. The earth song. . . ." (p.57) For Miller, the "man crucified" is an emblem for all humanity, as it is in Christianity too, rightly understood; but the "man struggling to emerge towards another light" is not only humanity in general but Miller himself as he struggles to be born anew. Along with light, peace (and, in some places, the lack of peace) is another powerful motif, particularly in face of the gathering storm clouds over Europe and the early weeks and the War. On the day he went to Epidaurus he writes: "It is the morning of the first day of the great peace, the peace of the heart, which comes with surrender. I never knew the meaning of peace until I arrived at Epidaurus. Like everybody I had used the word all my life, without once realizing I was using a counterfeit. Peace is not the opposite of war any more than death

is the opposite of life. The poverty of language, which is to say the poverty of man's imagination or the poverty of his inner life, has created an ambivalence which is absolutely false. I am talking of course of the p e a c e wh i c h p a s s e t h a l l understanding. There is no other kind. The peace which most of us know is merely a cessation of hostilities, a truce, an interregnum, a lull, a respite, which is negative. The peace of the heart is positive and invincible, demanding no conditions, requiring no protection. It just is. If it is a victory it is a peculiar one because it is based entirely on surrender, a voluntary surrender, to be sure." (p.76)

Miller journeys from one illumination to another. When he passes through the Straits of Poros he describes it as passing through a womb; his inner experience of re-birth is reflected in his outer journey. The peace he experiences at Epidaurus reflects the advent of a deep inner peace within himself, where he is prepared to let go of the struggling and striving with the world and with himself: "all conquest is vain, even the conquest of self, which is the last act of egotism." (p.80). "Epidaurus," he says, "is merely a place symbol: the real place is in the heart, in every man's heart, if he will but stop and search it." The Colossus of Maroussi tells how Miller, as an artist, discovers a greater self. Towards the end of the book (pp.205-206) Miller writes, "I shall pass from art to life, to exemplify whatever I have mastered through art by my living." He speaks of feeling "a growing liberation, supplemented more and more by a desire to serve the world in the highest possible way." Here we see, in the same way that Merton's turning away from the world by becoming a monk was followed by a turning towards the world in the late-1950s and 1960s - most clearly manifested in his famous epiphany on the corner of Fourth and Walnut in Louisville, so also we see Miller turning towards the world in his desire to find fulfillment not so much in art but more importantly in life. "To live creatively," he writes, "...means to live more and more unselfishly, to live more and more into the world, identifying oneself with it and thus influencing it at the core, so to speak." He then goes on to compare the role of art to


Thomas Merton


that of religion in relation to the more important business of life: "Art, like religion, it now seems to me, is only a preparation, an initiation into the way of life. The goal is liberation, freedom, which means assuming greater responsibility." Miller's journey has been about his own liberation, becoming free from the demands and expectations of the world, ultimately in order to assume a growing responsibility towards the world. It is striking that at a time of Merton's growing openness to the world he should be exposed to such material from Miller as The Colossus of Maroussi, detailing such a transformational and regenerative experience in Miller's life journey, and the books that followed, Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch, The Wisdom of the Heart and, later, Stand Still Like the Hummingbird, all of which are both prophetic and profoundly religious in the best sense of the word. Merton clearly had an appetite for and enjoyed such writing, finding aspects of his own way of thinking affirmed and reflected in it, which likely contributed further to his broadening vision. Miller concludes his Colossus with a kind of benediction: "The Greek earth opens before me like the Book of Revelation. I never

knew that the earth contains so much; I had walked blindfolded, with faltering, hesitant steps; I was proud and arrogant, content to live the false, restricted life of the city man. The light of Greece opened my eyes, penetrated my pores, expanded my whole being. I came home to the world, having found the true center and the real meaning of revolution. No warring conflicts between the nations of the earth can disturb this equilibrium. Greece herself may become embroiled, as we ourselves are now becoming embroiled, but I refuse categorically to become anything less than the citizen of the world which I silently declared myself to be when I stood in Agamemnon's tomb. From that day forth my life was

dedicated to the recovery of the divinity of man. Peace to all men, I say, and life more abundant." Sources: Merton, Thomas. The Courage for Truth: Letters to Writers (ed. Christine M. Bochen). New York: Harcourt Brace (Harvest edition), 1994. Miller, Henry. The Colossus of Maroussi. New York: New Directions, 1941.

Angus Stuart

Henry Miller

LEGACY FUND UPDATE

Y oung People in crisis on the North Shore are able to access a Safe House for short-term support. For those unable to return home two new Transition Homes are in the process of completion, which will enable qualifying young people to go on to comp le t e a L i f e T r ans i t i on Programme. The aim is to enable them to eventually move out in their own accommodat ion, become employable and be independent. However, those in the programme who wish to progress to training courses find that funding for this further education in their

circumstances can often be a very significant challenge. Therefore the Trustees of the Legacy Fund are pleased to be able to announce a potential ‘life-chang ing’ in i t iat ive in the establishment of an Education Bursary for this purpose.

It will shortly be established with $10,000 for 2011/12, with a further $10,000 contribution promised for 2012/13, subject to review. The Bursary will make up the shortfall of funding that cannot be found from


MOTHERING SUNDAY...

I think we find out peoples stories too late or even not at all, and we all have such interesting stories. Here is one love ly one about Al ice Hutchison. Alice gave her mother, Olga Peynado, Mother’s Day to do whatever her mom wanted in the garden. So Mother’s Day was something they always shared whether it was dividing plants, making up pots, planting new plants .... whatever it was that her mom wanted. First in Jamaica then in Canada including West Vancouver. It was always something they did together, then as she got older she would sit in her chair and and tell Alice, “My love whatever you do would be just fine with me”. Now when Alice is dividing her plants and potting them up in the fall and again in the spring, she is thinking of her mom and all the lovely memories that go with it. So, in memory of Olga, Alice decided to sell the pots of her divided plants

and have the proceeds go the Emi ly ’s Peace House in Guatemala. And that is how the St. Francis in the Wood Mothers’ Day Plant Sale was born. For the past two years, plant sales each May have supported gardening projects at the Peace House including planters and a worm composter which were built by members of the Youth Gutaemala Mission team during their visit in August 2010. Since then, the planters have successfully produced many vegetables for the Peace House community, and they are awaiting their first harvest of strawberries. The worm composter has also become something of a talking point among gardeners in Santa Cruz del Quiche!

When I spoke with Alice she was back in her garden complete with a brand new six week old knee. So for those of you who may wish to contribute plants to the sale next year, they can easily be potted up in pots that the nurseries are discarding. They can easily be picked up. Kathleen Glynn-Morris

other government or private sources. These Transition Programme young people will be able to apply to the Fund to make up the full amount of Course costs. It will enable them to achieve qualifications for employment and reach the goal of self-sustainability. The Bursary will be named after the St. Francis-in-the-Wood Legacy Fund. September 25th - Legacy Sunday Legacy Sunday will be on September 25th. The recipients of the Education Bursary will be joining us.

With your support the Legacy Fund can continue to ‘make a difference’ in people’s lives. Please join us on the 25th September to learn more about the North Shore Transition Programme and find out more about how you can contribute to the Legacy Fund so that it can continue to ‘make a difference’ in the lives of other people who find themselves in need. Meanwhile please feel free to contact the Trustees if you would like to know more.

Marilyn McBeath On behalf of the Legacy Fund trustees

Gardening projects at the Peace House in Guatemala, funded by Mother’s Day plant sales at

St. Francis-in-the-Wood!

THE SACRED INTELLIGENCE OF OUR BODIES

U nion is the relationship of Body and Spirit, something that our small egos get a glimpse of from time to time. Avoidance of pain and chasing after our desires are a couple of distractions that get in our way of experiencing our wholeness. If we release our intellect from having to “figure it all out and make it right” we can sink into our body and let ourselves feel our experience. Great singers talk about how their whole body resonates each note they sing. In the same way our experiences, our emotions all resonate in us. We usually get lost in the pleasure or pain of resonance or we avoid both by shutting down our senses; shutting down the way our body gathers and communicates information. With practice we can learn to rest in ourselves, Body and Spirit, each with their place, in mutuality, in union, in communion. We can learn to feel and see at the same time and then the deeper language of the body that is wisdom emerges. Wisdom cannot be forced; we can only make room for it to reveal itself in our body.

After we experience wisdom we may find words to describe it. The words will only be the tip of the iceberg. To build the capacity to feel our lives takes courage, patience, forgiveness and above all compassion. Body and Spirit work together in the process of transformation, a part of an evolving world.

Mary Millerd

Mary Millerd


About fifty years ago, Thomas Merton wrote: If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I think I am living for, in detail, and ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully the thing I want to live for. Between these two answers you can determine the identity of any person. The better answer he has, the more of a person he is. M Basil Pennington, Thomas Merton: Brother Monk (Harper & Row, 1987).

ST. FRANCIS SERVING WITH THE LUTHERAN URBAN MISSION SOCIETY

T his has marked the fourth year of a partnership between youth from St. Francis and the Lutheran Urban Missions Society (LUMs) An outreach ministry of the Lutheran Church based on the downtown eastside. Each month, LUMs hosts a meal at a Catholic agency, The Door is Open on Cordova Street, who generously donate their space.

Those meals are sponsored by a L u t h e r a n o r A n g l i c a n congregation and the emphasis is on hospitality. The meal is prepared, offered and served in a restaurant style. Guests do not have to line up, and they do not have to leave until they have finished eating. The meal is the focal point of LUMs mission to “serve God by being a prophetic, Eucharistic community that connects the church at large with the urban poor.” Eucharist celebrating LUMs 15th Anniversary

Over the past four years, youth from St. Francis have attended almost every meal. There has been a large group which has served at one or two meals; but a smaller core group has gone almost every month and, in doing so, has built up a relationship with LUMs and social justice which has gone beyond simply serving meals. For many of our youth, serving with LUMs has been how t he y ’ v e c ome t o understand living out the Gospel. The ministry of LUMs, though, goes beyond just the community meals. For most of the month Rev. Brian Henrich, LUMs’ street priest, works out of a drop in centre just a block away from Oppenheimer Park. LUMs recently celebrated their 15th anniversary and Pastor Brian has been there for all that time. The ministry has been through several evolutions; for many years it operated out of a small office within First United Church at Hastings and Gore. After First United changed their own mission and asked their partner organizations to leave, LUMs found itself homeless for many months. Office space was offered by Christ Church Cathedral; and eventually LUMs found its own space. Each and every day LUMS encounters and assists people in need in the downtown eastside of Vancouver from giving food bags to the hungry who come into the office, to providing counseling. Pastor Brian may spend a day in court advocating for a resident facing charges, or providing communion to those living in palliative care. After years of ministry in C a n a d a ’ s p o o r e s t neighbourhood, LUMS has an earned credibility of serving in a Eucharistic

context without judgment. Nobody else fills these gaps. Although LUMs’ financial needs are small the organization is, sadly, currently facing severe financial difficulties. The o r g a n i z a t i o n h a s traditionally relied on con t r ibu t ions f r om Lutheran congregations in the Lower Mainland and in recent years many of those churches have r e d u c e d t h e i r commitments to outreach.

Currently, LUMs is operating using the remainder of a bequest left a few years ago as well as donations from outside sources. If new donors cannot be found, LUMs will need to close its doors this year. It’s clear that LUMs serves the marginalized but I also believe that LUMs serves us. Back at its inception, one of the other goals identified for the ministry was to “provide opportunities for education and training in ministry” and at St. Francis, we have been beneficiaries of that aim. By providing a means for us to enter and become a part of the community it serves, LUMs has changed the way youth and adults at St. Francis alike have experienced the poorest area of our own city. I’ve been told of more than one encounter our young people have had on the streets of Vancouver, where people they have served month after month at LUMs have recognized and greeted them.

Through the work of our S o c i a l C o n c e r n s committee, we have been supporters of LUMs for many years. My hope is that that through all the ways we work and serve together, we’ll continue to travel together for much longer. If you would also like to help this remarkable ministry; visit the LUMs website at: www.lums.ca

Phil Colvin


LUMs work in advocacy (above) and Eucharistic hospitality (below)

ZAWIYAH FOUNDATION

2011 Annual Interfaith Event

“Science and Faith in Light of the Scripture”

Speakers:

Imam Fode Drame

Rev. Dr. Angus Stuart

plus others…

Sunday, July 17, 2011

From 3pm

Alice MacKay Room

Vancouver Public Library

COMING UP AT, AND AROUND, ST. FRANCIS-IN-THE-WOOD

Salmon Barbecue

September 4th,

after 10am service

Join us for our annual welcome back

after the summer! Featuring delicious

salmon, salads and desserts!

Legacy Sunday September 25th services

Come celebrate the work

of the St. Francis-in-the-

Wood Legacy Fund! Hear

from this year’s beneficiaries

and find out how you can

contribute to making a

lasting difference to those in

need in BC


Youth Group Camping Trip

September 9 - 11th

For those in grade 8

and above; our end

of summer camping

trip to Alice Lake.

Join us for worship,

play and more along

with youth from St.

John’s, Squamish

and St. Mary’s,

Kerrisdale!

[email protected] Online at the diocesan website or by calling:

Registration Form

Child’s details Name of child(ren):_________________________________ Date(s) of Birth: ____________________________ _____________________ Address: _______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Parent / contact phone number: _________________ E-mail address: ________________________________

Health details Health Number(s): ____________________________________________________________________________

Medical / Dietary Concerns: _____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Primary contact(s) in case of emergency:

Name(s): ____________________________________________________________________________________

Relationship: _________________________________________________________________________________

Contact phone(s): _____________________________________________________________________________

To register please send: (1) This registration form (2) The registration fee of $30 (cheques can be made payable to “St. Francis-in-the-Wood” with “VBS” on the memo line) by August 1st 2011 to: St. Francis-in-the-Wood, 4773 South Piccadilly Road, West Vancouver, V7W 1J8

Release of Liability and Photo Release All measures foreseeable have been taken to make the Vacation Bible Club a fun and safe event, but by registering and by signing below, you accept that the organizers and St. Francis-in-the-Wood are not liable in the event of any personal injury (including mental trauma), death and property damages including expenses or loss sustained by the participant as the result their participation in Vacation Bible Club. St. Francis-in-the-Wood will be taking photos of this event for use in church publications and other publicity materials. By signing this release, you permit St. Francis-in-the-Wood to use photos including your child in this way.

Parent / guardian signature: Date:

J oin us during the last week of summer at St. Francis-in-the-Wood for our fantastic Vacation Bible Club! We will be turning ourselves inside out and upside down by exploring Jesus’ parables - the stories he told which took what people thought they knew and turned their knowledge inside out and upside down! Each day will feature story telling, singing and acting, activities based on the day’s parable as well as crafts and activities based on the

day’s parable as well as crafts and service projects to put all those lessons into action. The three weekdays will also include practicing for a special performance during the 10am service on September 4th - before we all enjoy the Salmon Barbecue together! Register your child, grandchild and friends right now! Just cut out the form overleaf, fill it in and send it in to the office at St. Francis!

St. Francis-in-the-Wood Summer 2011 Newsletter

Documents