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A Healthy Congregation is a Congregation of Generous People From Rev. Mary Let's talk about money. From Haggai 2:8 we hear," The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord Almighty." In other words, you and I don't own money simply because God insists all things – including money – belong to him. But then we should all know that because every Sunday as the offertory is brought forward the priest says, "All things come from you Lord," to which the congregation replies, "And of our own have we given you." Wait a minute, you might think, didn't you just write that we respond, "And of our own we have given you?" I'm confused! Is the money I have God's or mine? Scripture makes it clear telling us God owns all things. God gives us material possessions, but they are not gifts to just use as we wish; God entrusts what is his to our care to use in God's service. We are not the owners, but the managers or stewards of God's property. (continued on page 2)		ORDINARY TIME IS REALLY EXTRAORDINARY By The Rev. Mary Phelps As the academic school year draws to a close many of us look forward to summer vacations and long lazy days to relax and catch up with family and friends. Our church program cycle tends to mimic the school year with many things such as Sunday school and other groups wrapping up their work in May as members anticipate a three month hiatus until the big start up again in September. Well friends, church doesn't close in the summer, and it is during this time we learn some our greatest lessons about how to live as Christian's as we walk with Jesus through his day to day life. As Lee Mitchell, Episcopal priest and professor of liturgics, said, "These Sundays, sometimes called 'Green Sundays,' are not simply filler or 'ordinary time.' They are an integral part of the year." (continued on page 3)
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A Healthy Congregation ...... (continued from page 1)
Church finance has to do with church budgets; stewardship is giving until it helps – until it helps God's purposes, until it helps other people, until it helps the church, until it helps the giver relate to God. Michael Durall says in his book, Creating Congregations of Generous People, "Charitable giving should make some difference in how we as religious people experience life day to day. If giving to your congregation is similar to writing a check at the end of the month to pay the phone bill or the electric bill, and then forgetting about it until the end of the next month, you are not giving enough. Similarly, if you take spare change or a dollar or two from your pocket for the weekly collection and never notice the difference, your giving has too little meaning either for you or for your church." Stewardship is the responsive practice of all of us tending to what has been placed in our care by God. It is a responsive practice in the sense that it is something we do because God has first done something to and for us. Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:21). Money has a theological basis, and Jesus talked a lot about money and possessions. Many of his parables deal directly with money. Take Luke 12:41-48, The Parable of the Talents. From it we learn two important things: first, the steward is not the owner, but an agent of the owner, and two, the owner and the steward are partners joined together for a common purpose. As partners with God we address issues of the society we live in be that education, human rights, the environment, and the care of the church and each other. We are called on to use the gifts and skills we have been given, and to take risks with the material possessions and money God entrusts us with working for something beyond ourselves. There is no doubt St. Mary's is full of people who are fabulous environmental stewards. We recycle; we watch our electrical use wisely, we wash our dishes instead of using disposable plates and cups. We are good stewards of our property caring for the grounds and the resting places of peoples loved ones. We could be even better building and land stewards if we had more resources to work with. We need to work on St. Mary's financial stewardship. Week after week we all can see in the Sunday bulletin that our needed budget income has been significantly short. Some budget items have been revised, some projects have had to be delayed, but other items must be covered week to week. The vestry will be discussing strategies to get St. Mary's on solid financial footing in the next few months as well as reviewing the giving campaign St. Mary's has in place. Right now, each of us can help and each of us can make a difference! Let's each of us consider giving a bit more than we do now. Pay the church first not last each month. Let us remember that what we each give makes "us" stronger.
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Ordinary Time ....(continued from page 1)
Most of the seasons of the Church Year revolve around Christmas and Easter. The Christmas Season includes Advent, the time of preparation, the celebration of the twelve Days of Christmas and Epiphany in early January. The Easter season encompasses Lent, Holy Week, and it is linked to the day of Pentecost fifty days later. The rest of the year, which includes major feast days such as Trinity Sunday and All Saints Day, is known as Ordinary Time. However, this does not mean "common" or "filler time." The term Ordinary comes from the word "ordinal" meaning counted time, which is a better way of thinking of this time of year. The liturgical color for this season is green signifying new life and growth. It also symbolizes the hope of new life after the resurrection. Therefore, the focus of the season following Pentecost is the evangelical mission of the church and its responsibility to proclaim and carry out that mission in the world. The emphasis of this season is on social justice and action. Ordinary time is anything but ordinary, and is not meant to mean that we get a break from the liturgical year. During this time we symbolically live out what Jesus and his disciples did in reality. It is a time of living out our faith and the meaning of the resurrection in our everyday lives. I encourage all of you to make Sunday worship a priority this summer. Let us come together to learn from Jesus what the disciples learned about caring for others and all of God's creation. Then let us give thanks to God as we go out into the world serving in his name!		St. Mary's Prayer Chain From Rev. Mary   For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Isaiah 56:7 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them. Matthew 18:20   As followers of Jesus each of us are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we are all called to pray. Prayer is not a gift only some people possess; prayer is a vital part of the church and crucial to our communion with God. We each prayer for our own lives, and St. Paul tells us to pray for all people, lifting our brothers and sisters to the Lord. To that end, St. Mary's has formed a prayer chain; I and seven of your fellow congregants have faithfully gathered to pray for you, your family, and your friends during times of illness, hardship, or joy in your or their lives. Knowing others care and are praying for each of us during stressful times in our lives can help us find the peace and strength we need to get us through whatever is to come. Should you like to have us pray for you or others please contact me. Together we will discern what you would like to have prayed. I will then inform the prayer chain team, and each of us will immediately pray for you. We want to assure you that each member is totally committed to confidentiality. We will not discuss you or your needs with anyone else, nor will we discuss anything between ourselves. Often, to protect a person's privacy, first names only are used. Shortly after the chain is running, we will be adding the prayers – first names only – into the Prayers of the People on Sunday's. That way the whole congregation will be lifting our prayers to God. You, of course, will have the choice of having your name included in the Sunday prayers. Prayers will stay on the chain for a month, but if you would like them on longer than that please let me know. Please call me with your prayer needs; we are committed to caring for you and praying with you.
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Access the current Church Calendar via our Google church page.

SAFE CHURCH TRAINING IS FOR EVERYONE From Rev. Mary
On Saturday August 6, Bronwyn Skov, one of the four nationally trained facilitators in the Episcopal Church in Minnesota on Safe Church, will be at St. Mary's. Every parishioner should receive this training, but some parishioners are required to. Those people are: all hired personal, everyone who has a key to the church, anyone work serves on the vestry or other committee, and all people who teach or work with children. The training they will receive is called, Safeguarding Our Children. Added to that training all people who work with adults, all pastoral care givers, and anyone planning to be trained as a Lay Eucharistic Visitor (LEV) must receive the adult portion of Safe Church Training. Everyone trained will receive a certificate issued by the diocese, and a copy will be kept in the church office. Those trained are required to recertify their training every five years. The diocese has developed a Code of Conduct for Protection of Children, Youth, and Vulnerable Adults. It reads in part, "Relationships among people are the		foundation of Christian ministry and as such are central to the life of the church. Defining healthy and safe relationships through policies and codes of conduct is not meant, in any way, to undermine the strength and importance of personal interactions in our ministries. Rather, it is to assist in more clearly defining behaviors and practices that allow the church to more fully demonstrate its love and compassion for children and youth in sincere and genuine relationships." Each person will be given a code of conduct and asked to carefully consider each statement in the code and in Safe Church Policy hopefully agreeing to adhere to the statements so as to continue service in the church. So mark your calendars now! Saturday, August 6, 9 AM to noon, Safe Church Training for Children and Youth; lunch break, 1 PM to 3 PM, Adult Safe Church Training.
Your Input Matters! Education of all people at St. Mary's From Rev. Mary
In June many people joined in the two Sundays we devoted to understanding what Christian Education is; how the type of education offered needed to reflect the needs of the parish taking into account the different learning styles of all people and reflecting who we are as people of God. During the rest of the summer those interested in defining the direction education will take next year and into the future are working in teams planning next years curriculum. One team is working on children's ministry, and they have so eagerly jumped into their work that they have accomplished much in the short time they have gathered. Those interested in adult education have also met, and by the end of summer, I am sure, they will have developed a diverse and exciting program for St. Mary's. If you missed those weeks, it's not too late to add you voice and join a team. The more people we hear from, the more we are assured of providing a program that has something of interest for all parishioners. The summer scheduled will look like this: 1st Sunday brunch, 2nd and 4th Sundays task team meetings, and 3rd Sunday a forum. Last week Wayne Boyd offered a fascinating forum on the history of churches in the area, part I, and hopefully soon we can have part II. In July, Cindy Schultz, our diocesan transition team coordinator, will speak and answer questions about the work of your transition team, and in August, Maureen Otwell will give us a walking history tour of the cemetery and memorial garden.
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Volunteer List July - August 2011					(Please note: Due to only the 9:30 service for summer, persons assigned should contact their counterpart to decide who will be designated for the 9:30 service.)
July 3 - (3 Pentecost)					August 7 - (8 Pentecost)
Asst. Minister Readers Ushers Acolytes Treats	Donna Hanson Fred Stenborg Jim Cran Holly Heimann BRUNCH	or  or or	George Weed Kathy Weed Julia Donath		Asst. Minister Readers Ushers Acolytes Treats	Nancy Rotramel Suzanne Reichert Reicherts Holly Heimann BRUNCH	or  or or	George Weed Kathy Weed Julia Donath
July 10 - (4 Pentecost)					August 14 - (9 Pentecost)
Asst. Minister Readers Ushers Acolytes Treats	Linda Wallace Suzanne Reichert Joyers Sammi Reichert Suzanne Reichert	or  or or	Donna Hanson Maureen Otwell Julia Donath		Asst. Minister Readers Ushers Acolytes Treats	Lauren Cran Sam Reichert Jim Cran Sammi Reichert Nadine Brix	or  or or	Linda Wallace Pat Johnson-Keller Julia Donath
July 17 - (5 Pentecost)					August 21 - (10 Pentecost)
Asst. Minister Readers Ushers Acolytes Treats	Lauren Cran Linda Wallace Reicherts Holly Heimann Dar Cran	or  or or	Nancy Rotramel Ron Stancer Patrick Boyd		Asst. Minister Readers Ushers Acolytes Treats	Linda Wallace Maureen Otwell Joyers Sammi Reichert Barb Harmon	or  or or	Donna Hanson Nancy Rotramel Patrick Boyd
July 24 - (6 Pentecost)					August 28 - (11 Pentecost)
Asst. Minister Readers Ushers Acolytes Treats	Linda Wallace Jim Wallace Jim Cran Sammi Reichert Karon Joyer	or  or or	Donna Hanson Nancy Rotramel Julia Donath		Asst. Minister Readers Ushers Acolytes Treats	Lauren Cran Karon Joyer Reicherts Sammi Reichert Suzanne Reichert	or  or or	Nancy Rotramel Naomi Karstad Patrick Boyd
					Tips for Volunteers
July 31 - (7 Pentecost)
Asst. Minister Readers Ushers Acolytes Treats	Donna Hanson Karon Joyer Joyers Sammi Reichert Nadine Brix	or  or or	Linda Wallace Linda Stancer Patrick Boyd		Assisting Ministers & Acolytes - Please arrive 15 minutes early to service time. See Rev. Mary or Rev. Lisa with questions. Acolytes - More acolytes are needed to lighten the burden for our current acolytes. Please talk to Rev. Mary or Rev. Lisa about training.
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Acolytes - More acolytes are needed to lighten the burden for our current acolytes. Please talk to Rev. Mary or Rev. Lisa about training.
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Readers - Check the bulletin to find out if the Psalm for the day will be spoken or sung. The new RCL lectern lesson book has arrived, so please read from the book. Please do not give a commentary on the lesson before you read it. Simply walk up, say "A reading from ___, read the lesson, and close. After the First Lesson, and after the Second Lesson, you should say either "The Word of the Lord" (to which the congregation has a response) or "Here ends the Reading" (which has no verbal response). The Gospel is read by the priest or deacon. If you wish to practice the readings in advance, you can find a copy of the appropriate Lesson Sheet in the wooden cabinet in the narthex.
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Treat-bringers - Please bring your goodies to the kitchen (about 40 servings) by 9:30. Your clean-up help would be appreciated (put cups in dishwasher, etc.).
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Ushers - Plan to arrive at least 10 minutes early so you can distribute bulletins and Lesson Sheets. After the service has begun, please close the back doors and watch for anyone arriving late who will need a bulletin, etc. Come forward at offering time for the collection plates, collect the offering, and wait to bring it to the altar till the end of the offertory music.
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Join Us for St. Mary's Annual
	Sweet Corn & Pig Roast
	& Silent Auction!
	Saturday, August 20, 2011
	4:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Interim Priest:	Rev. Mary Phelps, 952.929.1679	Recorder:	Nancy Rotramel, 651.458.9513
Assoc. Priest:	Rev. Lisa Cressman, 651. 430-3566	Sr. Warden:	Maureen Otwell, 715.262.2144
Youth Minister:	(open)	Jr. Warden:	Karon Joyer, 651.274.5058
Choir Director:	Naomi Karstad, 651.647.9762	Vestry:	Lauren Cran; Rod Joyer;
Organist:	Dean Cran		Sue McMahon; Linda Wallace
Sexton:	Noah Wallace, 651.480.8535
Finance Manager:	Donna Hanson, 651.436.7660
St. Mary's Episcopal Church
(Basswood Grove)
8435 St. Croix Trail South
Hastings, MN 55033
651.436.1872
www.stmaryschurch.us
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