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ST. TIMOTHY’S TIMES
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
Schedule of Service Each Sunday - 9:00 Holy Eucharist
Coffee Hour follows the service
Celebrant and Priest – The Rev. Robin Myers
Assisting Priest – The Rev. Kirsteen Wilkinson
Kirsteen’s Korner
The Rev. Kirsteen Wilkinson
Are we Rowers or Sailors?
I heard the following statement on a Christian radio station and it described to
me a place we sometimes find ourselves when we let the events, concerns,
anxieties, and pressures of our lives overwhelm us and control our lives.
The speaker said; “We need to take our oars out of the water, put them into the
boat and then put up the sails and catch the Spirit. Because
when we do all the rowing our arms get tired and we become exhausted.
We need to rest in God.”
I will also add that, if you row like I do, we can also go in circles or
not get very far.
We want to be in control of our lives, to decide for ourselves what it is we are
to do and when and how we are to do it. So, we
climb in the boat, set our sights on the opposite shore, and begin to row.
Yet, being in control does not always move us
towards our destination. Disappointment and
frustration set in because the plans we made aren’t coming to realization and
nothing is turning out as planned. Our rowing is
erratic and we find ourselves struggling to straighten ourselves out so we can
get back on course. How many of us have looked
up in exhaustion from rowing and have found the shoreline has disappeared and
that we’ve lost our direction?
And that is the problem. It is our direction,
our plan, our schedule, our will that we are following when it is God’s will
that we need obey. How do we obey God’s will?
By putting down our oars, raising the sails and
letting the winds blow us in the direction God desires us to go.
In her book, A Wing and a Prayer, the Presiding Bishop, Katherine Jefferts
Schori, shares some of her sermons that she wrote while flying her plane
throughout the Diocese of Nevada visiting parishes. She
reminds us that the in the Bible the word “spirit” translates as, wind, breath
and spirit.
She writes, “Sometime that wind is a headwind, slowing us down until we feel
like we are hardly moving. Sometimes it is a
glorious fast tailwind, speeding us on our way. Sometimes
it’s just downright bumpy. And sometimes, when
you’re downstream from one of these big mountain ranges on a good windy day,
it’s even like surfing.”
When we put our oars in the boat and let the breath of God take us where it may,
we may not recognize the direction we are heading, or understand how that wind
is guiding us. Sometimes the wind may be so
strong as to make choppy waters and cause the boat to be difficult to handle.
This is without a doubt frightening and makes us
uneasy yet the spirit comforts us in times trail, it brings us support and
strength. Sometimes there will be very little
wind or no wind at all and we will not travel very far. This
does not mean the spirit is absent but that it is allowing us to rest as its
life-giving breath brings us new life. And
sometimes the wind will fill the sails and we will sail smoothly along across
the waters feeling the wind in our faces, the breath in our lungs, and the
spirit of God flowing within us.
From the Presiding Bishops book, “Breathe deep, know the wind of God is always
beneath your wings, receive the Holy Spirit, and change the world.”
God’s Peace,
Kirsteen+
Honoring our Family Members Serving in the Military
Every week we pray for those members of our parish family who are on active duty
serving in our armed forces. To help put a face to the names we pray for each
week; Sheryl Otter is making a display of photographs of these brave men and
women with information on where they are stationed and how they are serving our
country. Did you know that one young man was just awarded the Purple Heart? This
display will be ready for our service on July 6th. If you have a family member
in the military we need to recognize, please contact Sheryl with their
information as soon as possible.
The 300 Bucket Project
On June 12th, Rev. Kirsteen sent an e-mail request to the Chris Large to see if
St. Timothy’s parishioners could help with a special project to provide
front-line disaster relief for the flood victims in Owen, Morgan, Brown and
Bartholomew counties. Named the 300 Bucket Project, members of our diocese
wanted to deliver clean-up buckets loaded with supplied to four county Emergency
Management Agencies by Thursday June 19th.
The Senior Warden sent an e-mail blast to as many parishioners as possible
alerting them of this project. On Sunday June 15th, we collected $576.00 which
Rev Kirsteen delivered to the organizers of the project.
300 five-gallon buckets were donated by Christ Church Cathedral. In each of the
buckets, the following items were placed:
Five scouring pads
Seven sponges, assorted sizes
One scrub brush
Eighteen cleaning towels (reusable,
like Easy Wipes)
One 50-78 oz box of dry laundry
detergent
One 12 oz bottle of liquid
concentrated household cleaner (like Lysol)
One 25 oz bottle liquid
disinfectant dish soap (like Dawn)
Fifty clothespins
Clothesline, two 50 ft or one 100
ft
Five dust masks
Two pair latex gloves
One pair work gloves
One 22-27 count box heavy-duty
trash bags (33-45 gallon)
One 6-14 oz bottle of insect
repellant (drops or lotion, not aerosol)
Thanks again to all who graciously donated to those who are in such need
following the disastrous flooding. Contributions
may still be sent to the American Greater Indianapolis Red Cross or the
Salvation Army Indiana Division.
It's Time for a Pitch-in!
To help celebrate the glorious 4th we will have a pitch-in weenie roast
following the service on July 6th. St. Tim’s will provide the hot dogs & buns
and you can provide all the other wonderful food that we are famous for! We will
even have games, some strenuous some not.
Pastoral Care
Even though Rev. Kirsteen is keeping regular office hours, she still only works
part time at St. Timothy’s and works the rest of her week at her other parish,
St. Albans. If you have a pastoral care issue
and need either Rev. Kirsteen or Fr. Robin, please call
Senior Warden Chris Large at 888-8719 (home)
or 531-3674 (cell) She
can get a hold of either clergy quickly with your message. If
you leave a voice mail at church, it could be a couple of days before someone
hears the message.
St. Timothy’s Memorial
Trees
As part of our year-long anniversary celebration, we have been collecting funds
to purchase two or three trees to replace those that had to be removed along the
driveway. We call this collection The St. Timothy's Memorial Trees fund. You can
donate any amount of money you wish and then this Fall, we will purchase two or
three good-sized trees with the funds we have collected. We
will have a special memorial service on the day they that they are planted and
publish the names of the former parishioners, family and friends of ours we
wished to have memorialized. Please find the
memorial forms and envelopes on the center table in the main hallway.
The deadline to receive contributions is
September 7th. Again, your generosity continues
to overwhelm us. Thank you! Carolyn
and Marty
Pilgrimage to Global Mission
By Steve Polston
With the parish's generosity in support of my travel, I was blessed with the
opportunity to travel to the Episcopal Church's missionary conference in
Baltimore in early June. Called
"Everyone/Everywhere," the conference brought together more than 325
Episcopalians to share, study and learn about the missionary work of the Church
throughout the world.
Speaker after speaker reminded us that Episcopalians are rightly called by their
lesser-known name as members of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society.
I was able to attend a great session lead by a priest serving in Sudan, who
reminded us that theology, like politics, is local, as well as global.
She spoke about sharing communion in a Christian
community that welcomes people from an older culture that allows plural
marriage. "Salvation is God's business," she
said, noting that conversations and decisions about who may take part in a
celebration of Holy Eucharist are difficult and often take place at the
communion rail.
Another priest spoke about the work of the Church in northwest Pakistan near the
Afghanistan border, where the Anglican hospitals and schools serve a population
that is 98 percent not-Christian and where the armed conflict of nations at war
with terrorism provides more than enough opportunity to heal sick and injured
people. Do you remember that Paul's handkerchief
would be taken to soothe the brows of feverish patients, who were healed? Faith,
works and Christian charity mark our service in the world, and the Gospel
lessons in early June remind us that we are to heal the sick, raise the dead and
cast out demons.
I was really touched at the conference to listen to a priest from Cairo who
spoke about his study of Muslim followers of Christ, who find themselves not
able to entirely fit into their own cultures anymore as they studiously attempt
to follow Christ as disciples. This reminded me
that Christ did not intend to form a religion or a church and that the apostles
were acting out their new faith in their old culture. This
underscores for me more than anything that we followers of Jesus Christ may
fervently believe in Him yet walk humbly and quietly in a world and society that
culturally is Christian, but which still is unacquainted with the Love of
Christ.
Christ's love is very apparent at St. Timothy's and we are on a missionary
pilgrimage to heal the world. You know a lot
about the Millennium Development Goals, the eight guidelines that churches and
governments signed in commitment to eradicating poverty and dedicated to, among
other things, mother and child education and health.
At the Altar of Roses on Mother's Day, the excess profit after costs was
dedicated to be part of the parish's gift for MDGs. About
$175 will go to the Diocesan Global and National Missions budget for work in our
companion dioceses in Sudan and Brasilia, in support of after-school tutoring
and water-well drilling. And when Bishop Cate Waynick presided at confirmations
at the parish on Ascension Day, $238 was raised for MDGs from the people
attending. That gift also will be forwarded by
the parish in our name to the Global and National Missions budget.
The standard for giving for MDGs is .7 percent
(seven-tenths of one percent of wealth); St. Timothy's is well on the way toward
its annual pledge.
Locally, flooding in central Indiana has been a heartache for many people.
With little notice, St. Timothains raised more than $500 for the
flood buckets, which are being filled with cleaning supplies that will be
delivered to people in affected areas of the state. This
gift was phenomenal, literally, as it came on the same day of our monthly
in-gathering of coins for the Loaves and Fishes food pantry, which collected
more than $300. Two days later, 24 new families
came to the food pantry and we served almost 250 individual persons.
Let us give thanks to God for all the ways in which He allows us to give and
serve!
Happy Birthday
Michael Prey July 1
Michelle Prey July 1
Courtney Walters July 2
Jessie Delores July 3
Keisa Sparrow July 4
Rachel Wilkinson July 5
Charles Park July 7
Kristen Randolph July 10
Cameron Russelburg July 11
Steven Randolph July 13
Stephanie Smith July 13
Bob Hunt July 14
Sara Jackson July 17
Nicholas Caine July 17 Andrea Robinson July 18
Teri Goldfarb July 20
Kirsteen Wilkinson July 21
Jason Moore July 22
Ruth Whetsel July 24
Keira Sparrow July 24
Johanna Herre July 24
Wesley Sparks July 24
Matt Herndon July 24
Helen Schulz July 28
Rick Seifert July 29
William Bick July 29
Judy Bick July 31
Happy Anniversary
William and Judy Bick July 1
Gerald and Elaine Braverman July 11
Larry and Jennifer Windle July 29
Have we missed your celebration? Please contact the parish office 784-6925 or
leave a note in Sandee’s mail slot to be sure we have the correct information on
file for your entire family.
Ten Quick Ways to Pray
Do you struggle to find time to pray during your hectic daily life? These 10
suggestions for quick ways to pray will help you catch a few moments to talk to
God in the most unlikely of places, from the shower to the elevator. Get started
on your new daily prayer routine now.
1. Give an Alarm Clock Alleluia
When your alarm goes off in the morning, open your eyes and repeat this line
from the Psalms: "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be
glad."
Commit to living in gratitude for the day, and you'll soon notice how much
happier your days can become.
2. Practice Shower Power
Water is a powerful spiritual symbol. As you soap and rinse in the
shower, pray to be cleansed of any feelings of anger, bitterness, resentment, or
regret.
Recall the words of Isaiah (58:11): "The Lord will guide you continually… You
shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never
fail."
3. Practice Driveway Meditation
This one is especially for those who commute to work. Turn your time behind the
wheel into time for prayer. Before starting the car engine, place your hands
lightly on the steering wheel and breathe deeply several times. Ask the Holy
Spirit to steer you through your day. Back out of your driveway slowly, and
remain aware of the slowness.
As you drive, think about your 'to-be' list. Let words like compassionate,
serene and diligent percolate through your mind. Let grace-filled thoughts carry
you in a loving manner through the day.
4. Climb Stairs
If you work on an upper floor in a multi-story building, skip the elevator and
climb the stairs. Make your climb work for your body and your soul.
Climb thoughtfully, breathing slowly. Use the time alone to experience a
connection with God. Pause at each landing. Catch your breath, and focus for a
moment on the blessings in your life. Say thanks before continuing your climb.
5. Elevator Blessings
No stairs? Next time you share an elevator with someone, say a silent prayer.
Ask God to meet the other person's unique needs. Add a smile of your own.
6. Try Prayerful Single-Tasking
We all feel too busy. It has become a workplace axiom that multi-tasking is a
good thing, but a growing body of research shows that it actually erodes
productivity.
Instead of dividing our concentration among many tasks, do one thing at a
time-prayerfully. Offer your work as a prayerful gift to God. Ask for the grace
to do it meaningfully, and without anxiety.
7. Fast for One Minute
In times of stress, we are often tempted to reach for foods that aren't healthy
for us.
Before you reach for the fried foods, sugar or chips- try this. Wait one minute.
Offer the minute to God and ask for the grace you need to control your appetite.
Chances are you'll no longer be tempted until the minute is up. If you do give
in-just remember, God forgives you. Forgive yourself.
8. Touch the Earth
Native Americans have this saying: "Never let a day go by without touching the
earth with your foot." If only a couple of times each week, take a five or ten
minute break to walk in a meditative way. Give up your usual energized stride to
pay attention to the movement of lifting your leg, bending your knee, and
placing your foot. Observe your breathing and your body. Look around. Notice the
squirrels, the trees, and the sounds of nature. Nature tunes us into God's
presence.
9. Cook up a Memory
Next time you cook, pay attention to the memories that are sparked by the dishes
you make. Perhaps you have old recipes lying around that you have forgotten
about. Bless all those who sweeten your recollections, thanking God for the
spiritual nourishment these people have brought to your life.
10. Pray a Peanut Butter Minute
This is a good one for moms of school kids. When making your child's lunch,
whisper a prayer as though you are sending the prayer right into your child's
meal. You might even tuck in a blessing on a post-it note.
Upcoming Lectionary Readings
July 6 - Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67; Psalm 45:10-17
Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
July 13 - Genesis 25:19-34; Psalm 119:105-112;
Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
July 20 - Genesis 28:10-19a; Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24;
Romans 8:12-25; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
July 27 - Genesis 29:15-28; Psalm 105:1-11, 45b;
Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
101 Reasons to be an Episcopalian
compiled by Louie Crew
The seasons are color coded.
Bungee Bynum, Diocese of Lexington
Episcopalians see reality as existing in the tensions of paradox, ambiguity, and
diversity.
Richard C. Milhon, Diocese of Kansas
Asking questions about our faith is expected. In the Episcopal Church, God
doesn’t get upset if I wonder why some things are as they are. And God doesn’t
get upset if I Suggest that some things should not continue as they are.
La Reverenda, Martha Sylvia Ovalle Vasquez, Diocese of Delaware.
St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church
2601 E. Thompson Road
Indianapolis, IN 46227
www.sttimothy.indydio.org
Office phone: (317) 784 - 6925
Email: sainttimothy2601@msn.com
“St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church is celebrating
God’s love in a caring community of faith, ministry,
and worship. God is calling us to welcome warmly
and serve all people.”
Sunday Service Time
Holy Eucharist 9:00 A.M.
Coffee hour follows the service
St. Timothy’s Church Staff
The Rev. Robin Myers, Celebrant
The Rev. Kirsteen Wilkinson, Assistant Priest
The Rev. Donna Olsen, Deacon
Mr. Jim Herre, Organist/Choir Director
Mrs. Sandee Norcross, Church Secretary
Mr. Chuck Nemeth, Treasurer
Mr. And Mrs. Bill Hess, Custodians
Mrs. Chris Large, Sr. Warden
Mrs. Sheryl Otter, Jr. Warden
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