FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE

Volume 62 Number 3 MARCH 2012

The Episcopal Church of Saint Michael

Pacific View Drive at Marguerite Corona del Mar California 92625 949.644.0463

& All Angels

www.stmikescdm.org

BELOVEDS IN CHRIST,

...From the Desk of the Rector

ttendance data was thoroughly detailed in our latest Annual Parish Reports and concern over declining attendance at Sunday morning worship services was a major concern at our Annual Parish Meeting on February 5, 2012. In response I said that I take little solace in similar reports throughout The Episcopal Church and other mainline denominations and, lately, non-denominational mega-churches and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mormons; I think that our Parish Church of Saint Michael & All Angels can do better. Then, I suggested questions for each of us to ask ourselves to help us wrap our minds around the dynamics of declining attendance: -- How important are figures/numbers/quantifiable data? Which ones? -- Are we being/doing who/what God calls us to be/do in our time and place? -- How does current attendance feel? -- Do we invite family friends neighbors? -- How helpful is our being an Episcopal church? -- When here, do I behave in ways that I think will encourage others to be here and participate fully? -- Are there people geographically proximate who want what we do and are in and from faith community? -- Do we truly welcome people who are different, and/or behave differently, than we increasingly-older adults do? -- Do we care about numbers as criteria enough to change substantially? -- Do we have the best possible leadership? I sincerely hope and pray that you will ask yourself these questions and share your responses with me, in person or at 949.644.0463, ext. 11, or phaynes@stmikescdm.org. There are timeless fables that trade on the ideas of fear and sensationalism. After an acorn dropped from a tree and plunked her on the head, Chicken Little exclaimed that The sky is falling! Aesops shepherd boy alleviated his boredom by crying Wolf!, creating alarmed responses from the nearby village, one too many times. And, of course, there is the rich and descriptive phrase in our English language that traces back to the great Roman thinker, Pliny the Elder: Someone hiding their head in the sand, like an ostrich is said to be foolishly ignoring their problem, while hoping it will magically vanish; but while an ostrich does many things, hiding its head in the sand is not one of them. Clearly we do not want to hide our heads in the sand nor cry Wolf! or The sky is falling! Those looking at the cultural horizons around the Mediterranean in New Testament times felt like the gospel was sinking out of sight. In Pauls letters, especially those to Corinthians (note especially 2 Corinthians 3:12-18), he fears the gospel is being hidden from those who would otherwise believe. The tension felt regarding the gospel then, as now, is already not yet. When a person knows God through Jesus, the light of the gospel is obvious, the glory of God has already been seen as plainly as our reflection in a mirror. For those whose eyes are still veiled the gospel is an issue of not yet. Already at work in some, not yet known to others; already spreading within the kingdom, not yet fully revealed in the world, the gospel is an issue of already not yet. Is this age-old dynamic helpful to understanding our 2012 life together in Corona del Mar?

Yours, in Christ -

FAITH: LO SERVING BUILDING OUR FAITH: LOVING CHRIST AND SERVING OUR COMMUNITY

FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE

MARCH 2012

PARISH NEWS AND NOTES

CONTRIBUTIONS WERE MADE TO THE RECTORS DISCRETIONARY FUND by Rusty Vail Delafkaran in

Anniversaries in March
Birthdays 1st - Ann Clawson 5th - Bill Brady Wilfred Jensen 9th - Patricia Zorn 24th - Bob Brookes, Jr Cynthia Ryan 28th - Norm Bianchi Baptisms 11th - Ann Clawson 13th - Ruth Poole 24th - Ann Morris 28th - Julie Jenkins Weddings 20th - Doug Little & Linda Moorman 21st - Jeff & DJ Hulet 31st - Bob & Peggy Montgomery

thanksgiving for ministries with music here. These funds extend our Parishs mission of outreach, providing for such needs as can be helped by financial assistance.

PHONE TREE MINISTRY: NEW MEMBERS NEEDED. Our goal is to contact every parishioner by phone once a month.This is a great opportunity to get to know others better and to share information, needs and suggestions about Saint Mike's. Please contact Ruth Poole at 949.644.9263.

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LOAVES AND FISHES: This March we are collecting bags of individually wrapped Easter candy for the soup kitchens Easter celebration. Please turn donations into the red wagon by March 25th. Monetary donations are always welcome, too, and checks should be made payable to Saint Michael & All Angels, with Loaves and Fishes on the memo line. (Tax ID #95-2123746) DO WE HAVE YOUR MOST RECENT EMAIL ADDRESS? Please contact Susan Beechner at sbeechner@stmikescdm.org with changes or additions.

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FORWARD MOVEMENT PUBLICATIONS: Please check the display rack on the wall in Michael's room. Pick up a pamphlet or two to share with family and friends. A donation box is provided. "Tips for Worshipers" is a must read, especially if you missed a discussion during a Sundays at 9 gathering. A few suggestions "Come to church with an open mind and a glad heart." "Come with expectations. Expect to be changed." "Come with reverence and respect. Respect the quiet solitude of the worship space."

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PARISH DIRECTORY UPDATE Robin McDowell will be taking pictures for the directory after the 8 am and 10am services on two Sundays, March 11th and 18th. Please have your picture taken if you do not have one in the directory, or if you would like a replacement picture. You may also email your own picture to newquay@roadrunner.com, or leave a photograph with Susan Beechner in the office. Peter Coppen

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LEST WE FORGET: There have been 4436 American military casualties in Iraq and 1473 in Afghanistan. "Lord hear our prayers for those who are dead and for those who mourn." St. Mikes NEW Facebook Page

WEB SITE OF THE MONTH Episcopal News Winter Edition episcopalnews.ladiocese.org/ issues/winter2012.html

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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS THROUGH JANUARY 31: Our total income was $67,717. Total expenses were $39,773. Net income was $27,944. Our cash balance at the end of January before designated gifts was $275,221. FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE
is a publication of Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church, Corona del Mar, CA. Copy deadline is the second Wednesday of the month. We welcome letters and articles. Editor: Susan Beechner 949.644.0463

facebook.com/SMAACDM
Like us Read us every day CAN WE REACH 50?
Senior Warden................................Lynn Headley [pirrung@earthlink.net] 714.963.5932 Junior Warden...............................Paul Multari [paul.multari@sce.com 949.760-1454 Christian Education.................... Anne Conover [anabananacaddie@aol.com] 949.721.1050 Clerk of the Vestry..........................Gail Haghjoo [gail@hallresearch.com] 714.966.0314 Building and Grounds.......................Mike Ortt seagate@socal.rr.com 714.323.8189

VESTRY MEMBERS 2012

Communications..........................,Clyde Dodge [clydedodge@cox.net ,949.375.1530 Evangelism.............................Deborah Newquist [debnewquist@gmnail.com] 949.854.2675 Fellowship......................................Teri Corbet [hbangel49@msn.com] 714..964.5505

Finance......................................... Jim Palda [paldajim@yahoo.com] 626.533.8037 Mission..................................Michele Duncan [theduncanfour@cox.net] 949.888.1314 Stewardship...................................Joan Short [joanshort@earthlink.net] 949.644.0719 Worship.The Very Revd Canon Peter D. Haynes [phaynes@stmikescdm.org] 949.644.0463

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MARCH 2012

time, especially the emergence of common law and the role of equity. His business career has been with high tech companies. He sings in Saint Michaels choir and regularly attends Tuesdays Peace Mass and Thursdays Readers and Seekers. Soup supper provided by the Evangelism Commission. 3/14/2012 Are Business and Religion Compatible? Dwight Ryan explores the compatibility of business with the Christian message. Can one successfully manage to lead a good Christian life and still be a good business leader? Dwight spent almost 30 years with Xerox Corporation. In addition to his senior executive background at Xerox, Dwight played an instrumental role in four high tech start-ups as CEO. He regularly attends Tuesdays Peace Mass and Thursdays Readers and Seekers. Soup supper provided by the Altar Guild.

2012 Lenten Series

Faith | Facts | Discourse

aint Michael & All Angels 2012 Lenten Series wrestles with questions about faith, belief, truth and fact. The series runs every Wednesday throughout Lent with a soup supper at 6pm and our weekly talk beginning at 7pm. Come together and bear witness with members of our parish family scientists, engineers, physicians, economists, and historians whose professional lives force them to grapple with questions of truth on a daily basis but who have, as persons of faith, developed intriguing views and strong opinions on the interaction between religion and contemporary empiricism. All programs will conclude by 8pm. 2/29/2012 The Historian Confronts the Truth of Events Keith Nelson describes how an historian relates the searches for secular truth and religious truth. Can we call the historian a scientist? Should we want to? Now Emeritus Professor of History at UCI, Keith has served the UCI campus in a number of capacities since 1965. He is current Director of UCIs Program in Religious Studies. Soup supper provided by the Adult Christian Education Commission. 3/07/2012 The Struggle for Truth in Justice Michael Strong asks can we comply with our baptismal covenant without a commitment to find the truth? Can there be justice without the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Of particular relevance is the role of witnesses and juries in determining truth. Michael earned an MA in law at Cambridge University and was a fellow member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Accountants. Medieval law has interested him for some

3/21/2012 Evolution from a Christian Perspective; Christianity from an Evolutionary Perspective Cal McLaughlin notes that both Darwin and Wallace independently arrived at the theory of evolution by natural selection in the first half of the 19th century. Their discovery is one of the great scientific adventure stories. How then did evolution become the poster child for religion versus science in our time? What is gained and lost by Christians accepting the scientific view of evolution? Cal is Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry at UCI. He studied theology at Yale Divinity School. At UCI he studied cell division in a project with Lee Hartwell that was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 2001. Soup supper provided by the Choir. 3/28/2012 Faith and Science: An Uneasy Alliance? Richard Schubert examines possible reasons for the continuing controversy between faith and science, invoking singular examples from the past as well as current knowledge to elucidate the human condition and to discover what role, if any, faith can have in the challenge toward our true understanding of the universe. Richard is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at UCLA. He also serves as the President and Executive Director of the Institute for Fundamental Sciences, a California nonprofit corporation for scientific research in the public interest. Soup supper provided by the Vestry.

LABYRINTH: If you are interested in helping with Saint Michaels Labyrinth Project, please contact Lynn Headley, 714.963.5932, or Peggy Montgomery, 949.644.2239. NURSERY CARE for infants through 2 years of age is available in the Parish Center beginning at 9:30am. and Sunday School is available for children from 3 to 13 years.

FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE SAINT MICHAEL & ALL ANGELS EPISCOPAL CHURCH
A CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY OF THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION

FEBRUARY 2012

DIOCESAN MINISTRY FAIR

ur Diocesan Ministry Fair returns to Campbell Hall in North Hollywood/Studio City on Saturday, March 24, 8:30am 3pm, under the theme Whats Next for You. Participants will have opportunities to participate in practical plenary and workshop sessions. Various topics of change and new avenues of collaboration in mission, liturgical expression, and sharing of resources will be explored. Eucharist will be celebrated by our bishops. Please let our rector know that you will be joining our team of participants; he will gladly arrange for your lunch and coordinate transportation. Among workshop topics are : Treasurers' & Administrators' Workshop: Workplace Safety & Workers' Compensation Insurance. Presenters: HUB International representatives and diocesan staff members Anilin Collado & Ted Forbath. Fresh Start for Leadership in Transition. Presenters: Jennifer Pavia and The Revd Canon Joanna Satorius. Vestry/Bishop's Committee 101. Presenter: The Rt. Rev. Mary D. Glasspool. Missional Ministry in the Grace Margin. Presenter: The Rev. Michael Cunningham. "Dear Gail, Can you help me with...? Dear Janet, How do I...?" Presenters: Abigail Urquidi, Bishop Bruno's executive secretary and assistant to the chief operations officer, and Canon Janet Wylie, diocesan program coordinator and secretary of convention. Disaster Preparedness 101. Presenter: The Very Rev. Canon Michael Bamberger, diocesan disaster coordinator for Episcopal Relief and Development. Black Ministries Session. Presenter: The Rev.d Deacon Margaret McCauley. Communication for Today: Text, Tweet, and Maximize the Digital . Faith Community. Presenters: Canon Robert Williams and Digital Faith founder Patrick Herold. Two People With Jesus: Spiritual Direction (1 p.m. workshop session only). Presenters: Mary Bruno & The Rev. Canon Malcolm Boyd. Diocesan Youth and Pilgrimage. Presenter: Chris Tumilty.

PRAYERS
HEALING

Our mission is to seek and share Jesus Christ as spiritual food for lifes journey.

3233 Pacific View Drive Corona del Mar, CA 92625 949.644.0463 949.644.9247 FAX www.stmikescdm.org The Very Revd Canon

Peter D. Haynes, Rector

[phaynes@stmikescdm.org] Stephen M Black, Minister of Music [stephenmblack@gmail.com] The Ven. Canon Terry Lynberg Assisting Priest The Revd Ronald C. Bauer Assisting Priest The Revd Canon Ray Flemming Assisting Priest The Revd Jefferson Hulet Assisting Priest The Revd Fennie Chang, Ph.D., Canterbury Irvine Susan Beechner, Parish Secretary [sbeechner@stmikescdm.org] Donnie Lewis, Bookkeeper [dlewis@stmikescdm.org]

Michele Leasa Olive Bryant La Juan Sally Sam Pat Peggy Susie Jack Mary Betty Jan Carole

GUIDANCE Scott John, Jack Victor Elizabeth, Evans Sam

REPOSE Bill Wasner Bill Ashby Katherine Baird Darmer THANKSGIVING -for Julianne W. Powells birthday

WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Sunday Holy Eucharist 8am Choral Eucharist 10am Adult Education 9am Sunday School 10am Nursery Care provided from 9:30am Tuesday Matins 7am Peace Mass 7:30am Thursday Eucharist with Healing - Noon
ABOUT SAINT MICHAEL & ALL ANGELS CORONA DEL MAR

We are a Christian Community of the Anglican Communion who come to hear Gods word and receive and share the Lord Jesus Christ. Our purpose is to have Christ live in us in order that in Christ we may live faithful and productive Christian lives. Our commitment to the Gospel is evangelical; our liturgical tradition, catholic; our theology orthodox but open to thought, reflection, and spiritual endeavor. We care about the world and strive to serve Christ in it.

Call Esther McNamee for prayer requests at 949.640.1749

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MARCH 2012

SHARPS AND FLATS

STEPHEN BLACK

n Wednesday, March 1, I will be leading a session at the American Choral Conductors Association Regional Conference in Reno, NV. The title of the session is Music in Worship, and the session consists of the participants singing through twelve sacred music selections composed for the accomplished church choir. In choosing the anthems, I tried to select from a wide variety of styles. Because of this, participants will find in their reading packets a nineteenthcentury mission song from the Mission of Santa Barbara; two choral pieces with Hebrew text; a jazzy, a cappella version of the 23rd psalm; a motet in Latin; and a spiritual arrangement, among other pieces. There is such a wonderful variety of sacred music, and my hope is that the participants (many of them choral conductors themselves) will come away from the session with new repertoire ideas for their church choirs and congregations. Here at Saint Michaels we have heard quite a variety of music in the last three months. At the Christmas Gift of Music program there were arrangements of Appalachian carols, accompanied by hammer dulcimer. For Bishop Glasspools visit to our parish the combined choirs performed a Ghanaian song with percussion accompaniment. The adult choir sang a wonderful arrangement of the spiritual, Hush, hush, somebodys callin my name a few weeks ago, and at the Lessons and Carols program in December 2011, the attendees were treated to a spectacular arrangement of a medieval carol, scored for choir, percussion and handbells. Of course, there has been a healthy dose of more traditional Anglican fare, such as the anthem A Song to the Lamb by Gerre Hancock (longtime organist-choirmaster of St. Thomas Church Fifth Ave. NYC, who passed away January 21 of this year).

I mention all of this as a prelude to stating what my philosophy is in regards to choosing music for the choir and the congregation to sing. For me, the most important criteria are that the hymn or anthem is musically well crafted and textually meaningful. The complexity of the artifice does not concern me nearly as much; a simple piece can pack as much punch as an intellectually rigorous work if it is not trite or sentimental. I am also not too terribly concerned about the worship tradition a piece of music comes from. One of the arguments I often hear either for or against the performance of a particular genre of music is the authenticity argument. This has to do with the notion that, in order to perform a piece the way the composer or arranger intended, one must somehow create the exact ethos of the music. It is a particularly prominent idea in the discussion of how to perform African-American spirituals. I think the secret to performing any of this music well is to really get inside the text, and understand how the words inform the choices the composer or arranger makes in crafting a piece of music. If we can get to the meaning of the words, then there is really no music out there that is off-limits for consideration. Personally, I like a mild mish-mash of styles and genres in a single worship service. Having said that, I do try to be careful and not get too carried away, because there does have to be some semblance of structural integrity in the selection of music as a whole! Its a tricky balance to achieve for sure. So the next time you hear something that doesnt agree with your sensibilities, just wait a little bit and ride it out. Chances are your feelings of distaste will be shortlived. And remember, taste in music is one of the most individual characteristics of humans anywhere on the planet!

nited Thank Offering (UTO) is a ministry of the Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Through United Thank Offering, men, women, and children nurture the habit of giving daily thanks to God. These prayers of thanksgiving start when we recognize and name our many daily blessings. Those who participate in UTO discover that thankfulness leads to generosity. United Thank Offering is entrusted to promote thank offerings, to receive the offerings, and to distribute the UTO monies to support mission and ministry throughout the Episcopal Church and in Provinces of the Anglican Communion in the developing world.

2011 UTO GRANTS (List continued monthly as space permits.)

-- $15,000 to the Diocese of Alaska toward the cost of restoration of St. Stephens Church in Fort Yukon, which was affected by flooding. -- $12,000.00 to the Diocese of Albany toward the cost of new counseling services at Hope, Help, Healing: Reaching Those in Need of Counseling, a project of The Episcopal Counseling Service of Albany. The grant covers clinician salaries, promotion and furniture. --$85,000 to the Church of Bangladesh for construction of church building at Karpasdanga Parish in the Diocese of Kushtia, Bangladesh. --$54,000 to the Diocese of Cuba to construct a new church building, Trinity Church, in the town of La Gloria in the northern part of the Province of Camaguey. -- $50,000 to the Diocese of Puerto Rico for construction of St. Peters Church (San Pedro Apostol) in Guayama. -- $35,000 to the Anglican Church of Central America Region for reconstruction of the Diocese of El Salvador Pastoral Center and Retreat Center.

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HOLY Norm Ewers WOMEN HOLY MEN CHARLES HENRY BRENT (1862-1929) Missionary Bishop

harles Henry Brent was born in Canada in 1862 and educated at Trinity College, University of Toronto. Ordained in Canada, he emigrated to the United States in 1901. For a short time he served as priest in charge of an Episcopal parish in the slums of Boston. In 1902 he was elected by the House of Bishops as Missionary Bishop of the Philippines, the United States recently acquired possession. He arrived on the same ship with the American Governor, William Howard Taft, and carried with him the unofficial but very real prestige of the American establishment. Brent was determined not to confine himself to being a kind of ecclesiastical home away from home for American officials and others stationed in the Islands; or to woo Roman Catholics of Spanish and Filipino ancestry; instead, he directed his efforts toward the nonChristians of his diocese, the pagan Igorots of the mountains of Luzon, the Muslims of the southern islands and the Chinese settlements in Manila. In all these areas he made considerable inroads and established thriving Christian communities. He also began a campaign against the opium traffic and served on several commissions devoted to stamping out the international traffic in drugs. His experience in the Philippines also aroused in him a strong concern for the cause of visible Christian unity. He wrote, The unity of Christendom is not a luxury, but a necessity. The world will go limping until Christs prayer that all may be one is answered. During World War I Bishop Brent served as Senior Chaplain of the America Expeditionary Forces. In 1918, after declining three previous elections in order to remain at his post in the Philippines, he accepted election as Bishop of Western New York. Brent was the outstanding figure of the Episcopal Church on the world scene for two decades. After attending the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh in 1910, he led the Episcopal Church in the movement that culminated in the first World Conference on Faith and Order which was held in

Lausanne, Switzerland in 1927. James Thayer Addison, the historian, described Brent as a saint of disciplined mental vigor, one whom soldiers were proud to salute and whom children were happy to play with. He could dominate a parliament and minister to an invalidHe was everywhere an ambassador of Christ. Charles Henry Brent died in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1929, 12 days short of his 67th birthday. His Feast Day is March 27.

FAITH GROUPS PARTICIPATE IN PEACE INITIATIVE FOR LONDON OLYMPICS

[Ecumenical News International, London] Faith leaders and community groups in London are promoting One Hundred Days of Peace an initiative to develop a peace legacy for the London Olympic Games this summer. Churches, schools and colleges, together with a coalition called London Citizens that includes more than 300 faith and community groups are organizing ecumenical programs of prayer and a range of activities linked to the Olympics to promote peace. These include a campaign called City Safe, which aims to build a network between shops and businesses across London to fight crime. Other activities involve street vigils, talks, discussions and the creation of several peace gardens. Organizers noted that London has experienced violence and trauma in recent years. The Olympic bid was won in July 2005 amidst great rejoicing across London. The following day the [terrorist] London bombings took place. Last summer, London experienced dramatic outbreaks of rioting and looting. The need for peace in our city has never been greater, said Barbara Kentish, Justice and Peace fieldworker with the Catholic Diocese of Westminster. In the 2005 bombings on the London Underground and buses, 52 people were killed and 700 injured. In the Athletes Village at Olympics Park, a six-room multifaith space has been created to serve Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Bah, Jain, Buddhist and Zoroastrian athletes and their supporters. During

the Games more than 200 volunteer chaplains will be on duty. Volunteers from all faiths will also be assisting as guides and first aiders, supplying refreshments and counseling. The tradition of an Olympics truce was established in 9th century BC to enable competitors and spectators to travel safely to and from the games through ancient Greeces warring city-states. The International Olympic Committee decided to revive the ancient concept of the Olympic truce with the view to protecting the interests of the athletes and sport in general, and to encourage the search for peaceful and diplomatic solutions to conflicts around the world.

EPISCOPAL CHURCH LAUNCHES NEW IPAD APP, WAYFARER

First Issue Features the Story of Kivalina, Alaska [Office of Public Affairs] The Episcopal Church Office of Communication has launched its first iPad app, Wayfarer. Available as a free, quarterly iPad app downloadable at iTunes. Wayfarer features compelling stories told through video, photographs and words, said Lynette Wilson, Wayfarer producer. Wilson, who is also an editor/reporter for Episcopal News Service, addressed the appropriateness of the name. We chose to name the app Wayfarer because we intend to tell a wide spectrum of stories about people, possibilities and action across a broad landscape, she said. This is an exciting moment it represents our entry into mobile content, appealing both to Episcopal and broader audiences, noted Anne Rudig, Director of Episcopal Church Office of Communication. As the title suggests, each issue of Wayfarer has been shot in a different far-flung location. The first issue is Kivalina, which chronicles the story of Indigenous Alaskans faced with having to move their entire village to higher ground because of rising sea temperatures. Wilson and two cinematographers, Cristina Valdivieso and Jon Connor, spent a week in Kivalina, AK, an island village some 80 miles above the Arctic Circle, reporting on and documenting the impact of climate change on this indigenous community.

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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
Dear Friends,

Betsy Starbuck

Here are some of my thoughts and plans for St. Mikes in response to interview questions from our beloved Norris Battin. What brought you to St. Mikes? In September 2011, I started working on a Ph.D. in Mythological Studies and Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. Through the Diocese of LA website I noticed that Saint Michael & All Angels in Corona del Mar was looking for a Director of Christian Education. During the interview(s) I discovered a delightful group of people, the Saint Michael & All Angels Church Christian Education Commission. I was deeply impressed with how serious they were about doing the work it will take to help grow the parish. The thing that made me want to come here was the vision, enthusiasm, love, and commitment for Christian ministry that we shared in our meetings. More importantly, I realized that I had found a group of people who wanted to have as much fun as possible in the process. What were you doing before you got here? In recent years, I served as a vicar of a small parish in Bantam, CT and Chaplain Resident at Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT. I also cocreated a Bed & Breakfast with my family in Kent, CT that is currently in its 9th year of operation. What have you enjoyed most in your ministry to date? Starting new ministries especially those that center on children, youth, and adults & Christian Education. My personal favorite is Godly Play for children. What is Godly Play? Godly Play is an extraordinary curriculum for children based on the Montessori approach to Christian Education. In March, six members of the parish will spend a weekend at St. Matthew Episcopal Church in Pacific Palisades to train as leaders Godly Play teaches children the art of using Christian language - parable, sacred story, silence and liturgical action - helping them become more fully aware of the mystery of Gods presence in their lives.

When Christian language is learned by the Godly Play approach, it is learned as a means to know God and to make meaning of our lives. This approach is quite different from the traditional model in which the teacher tells the children what they need to know. Godly Play is not about things that are that simple. It is not just about learning lessons or keeping children entertained. It is about locating each lesson in the whole system of Christian language and involving the creative process to discover the depths of meaning in them. Its about understanding how each of the stories of Gods people connects with the childs own experience and relationship with God. Godly Play respects the innate spirituality of children and encourages curiosity and imagination in experiencing the mystery and joy of God. The goal of Godly Play is to show how to be open to the Holy Spirit, The Creator, and the Redeemer all at once and all the time in every place. To achieve this goal is to help children become deeply rooted as Christians and yet at the same time use this powerful language and community to be open and creative. What is the Educational Theory of Godly Play? The educational theory of Godly Play is rooted in the pre-history of our species with respect to the use of ritual, story, and the creative process. Unfortunately, postmodern children are losing their ability to be active participants in narrative and ritual, which impairs their use of their own natural creativity (imago dei). The use of Montessoris approach to education has been adapted to Godly Play in order to stimulate childrens active participation in story and ritual and to awaken their creativity for the learning of the language, sacred stories, parables, liturgical action and silence of the Christian tradition. This is the most appropriate kind of language to cope with the existential limits to our being and knowing. What kind of support would you like to have from the parish? I would like the parish to shower the ministries of Saint Michaels in daily prayer. It is the single most important thing that centers and energizes a parish ministry. It is the very thing that brought me here to do ministry. And, it will be the source of what makes our journey and ministry together thrive.

What are your favorite leisure time activities? My favorite leisure time activities are walking on the beach, watching movies with popcorn, quilting, and listening to all kinds of music from Asian Fusion, Buddy Holly, Rock n Roll, Country, and childrens music. Who are your favorite writers? My favorite writers are: Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth, Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises, Dr. Seuss, Oh The Places You Will Go, Julian of Norwich, Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love, and last, but not least Melvilles, Moby Dick. Stay tuned for the April issue of For the Love of Mike: Part II: What is your approach to Christian Education for adults at Saint Michael & All Angels ? In Christian love,

Betsy EPISCOPAL CHURCHES TO TAKE ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICES INTO THE STREETS

[Canticle Communications] More than 40 Episcopal parishes in 11 states will take to the streets on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, marking the beginning of the holy season of Lent by giving Ashes to Go. In cities and suburbs around the country, priests and lay people will visit train stations, subway stops, coffee shops, and street corners to mark the forehead of interested passers-by with the sign of the cross, and invite them to repent of their past wrongdoing and seek forgiveness and renewal. Ashes to Go is about bringing spirit, belief, and belonging out from behind church doors, and into the places where we go every day, said the Rev. Emily Mellott, rector of Calvary Episcopal Church, Lombard, Illinois, who is organizing the initiative in the Diocese of Chicago.Its a simple event with deep meaning, drawing on centuries of tradition and worship to provide a contemporary moment of grace. On the street corner, we encounter people who have been hurt by previous experiences with organized religion and who, through Ashes to Go, take a tentative step back towards attending church, Danieley says. Diocese of Chicago Bishop Jeff Lee is an enthusiastic supporter of marking Ash Wednesday in the streets. Last year a woman told me that she had left the church years ago, he says. She received the ashes and our prayers gratefully and then she looked up and with tears in her eyes, she said to me, I just cant believe you would bring the church out here to us.

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MARCH 2012

Canterbury Irvine
Invites You !!

Spring Extravaganza
Saturday, March 10, 2012 3:00-6:00 pm
Bishop Diane and Steve Bruces House 5 W. Trenton, Irvine, CA 92620

RSVP: Canterburyirvine@gmail.com

FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE LO

Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church A Christian Community of the Anglican Communion 3233 Pacific View Drive Corona del Mar, CA 92625 Return Service Requested

Inside the March Issue:

Page 1: A ttendance at St. Mikes Attendance Mikes Wednesday Page 3: Details of Wednesday Evenings during Lent Part Page: 7: An Interview with Betsy Starbuck, Part I

Remember Parish Fund Pray for and Remember our Parish Emergency Fund