As we start the fifty days of Easter, let us acknowledge the wonderful and inspiring outpouring of thanks and praise to God during Holy Week leading into the Great Vigil of Easter and the four Easter Day services. Many thousands of people, parishioners and visitors alike, give thanks for all who used your gifts to make this possible. You are all evangelists, whether you know it or not!
The Vestry had a full agenda in our March meeting. It is, of course, the height of the season and there is so much going on.
Building and Grounds
Junior Warden Connie Purcell presented several current and future projects. The chiller electrical feed project, which is essential to getting our air conditioning system back to full operating capacity, has experienced some delay in obtaining permits from the Town of Palm Beach. Work is scheduled to commence April 9 and, as I reported in my last message, it will result in a short disruption of activity at Bethesda while power is temporarily turned off.
The Vestry also adopted a resolution to approve a draw of funds not to exceed $65,000 from the Capital Repairs and Improvements Reserve to be used for major repair of the church's sound system. This will entail replacement of much of the sound and recording equipment and extensive rewiring. Fr. James reported that a generous parishioner had offered a substantial gift to fund the majority of the costs of this project, which is very much appreciated.
Connie also outlined several other major capital improvement projects which the Buildings and Grounds committee has identified for the future. Work has started on updating and prioritizing the list of building and other capital projects. The Vestry discussed funding strategies for these projects and the major giving opportunities they present.
Stewardship
Stewardship Chair Paul Coombs made a report on progress towards the Annual Campaign goal for 2018, which has subsequently been updated. As of March 27 and as listed in the Easter Day service leaflets, 343 pledges had been received, including71 first-time pledges. These pledges represent a total of $1,511,470 giving toward the 2018 goal of $2.2 million.
We sincerely thank the 343 families who have already pledged their support of Bethesda's ministries. Please note, there are still 661 families who have yet to pledge and we need everyone's participation to reach our goal.
CEEP
Fr. James, Fr. Burl, Fred Staley, Paul Coombs, and I all represented Bethesda-by-the-Sea at the annual CEEP (Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes) conference in San Antonio in February. CEEP is an important opportunity for clergy, staff and leadership from major churches all over the country to connect and share experience and learning. We attendees shared some of the key insights we brought back from CEEP and discussed how what we learned at that conference helps us better serve Bethesda.
Celtic Experience
An unexpected benefit of attending the CEEP conference was the opportunity to connect with Fr. Dominic Barrington, Dean of St. James Episcopal Cathedral in Chicago and former Rector of a church in Kettering, England. Fr. Dominic has lead numerous Celtic Christian pilgrimages and has extensive knowledge of Celtic heritage and spirituality as well as travel considerations and logistics in the United Kingdom. It is Bethesda's good fortune to gain Fr. Dominic's commitment to organize and help to lead Bethesda's pilgrimage in May 2019. He has already provided invaluable advice which has improved our proposed itinerary. In addition, he has enlistedthe retired Bishop of Oxford, John Pritchard, who is both well-known and well-loved as a teacher and spiritual leader of Celtic Christianity in England, to join our group and help lead our pilgrimage from beginning to end. The planning committee believes that the pilgrimage will be a richer experience with the involvement of Fr. Dominic and Bishop Pritchard and is excited to have them on board.
A revised itinerary and pilgrimage outline is being prepared and will be available at the April 8 and April 15 services.
Evangelism
Canon Elizabeth Geitz and I attended the Evangelism Matters conference in Cleveland Heights, Ohio in March. Leaders at this conference included our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry; his Canon for Evangelism, Racial Reconciliation and Creation Care Stephanie Spellers; and Executive Director of Forward Movement Scott Gunn, who visited Bethesda earlier this season. Canon Geitz and I brought back a lot of exciting ideas and material about practical ways parishes can improve how they reach out to their communities and spread God's word in ways that work in today's environment.
As Fr. James has mentioned, Bethesda will be building a focus on evangelism going forward. Fr. James made the topic a theme of his preaching throughout Lent. Canon Geitz has helped frame the discussion for us with her three-part series earlier in the year at the Middle Way and her extremely engaging Adult Forum on March 11. She is the author of a very interesting book Fireweed Evangelism and we are fortunate to have her as an advisor to Bethesda's Evangelism Committee, which is currently in the formation stage. Watch Bethesda communications for news of future discussions and events surrounding this initiative.
Fr. James's Sabbatical and Staffing
The plans for Fr. James's sabbatical are firming up as follows: Fr. James will depart Florida on May 21, following his daughter Hannah's high school graduation in May and Bishop Eaton's visit to Bethesda and confirmation service May 20. He plans to return to Florida on October 6 and return to Bethesda the following week to prepare for his first Sunday service back on October 14.
Our Clergy, Staff, and Wardens have been engaged in discussions about staffing strategies for the summer season and longer-term and have begun to review candidate materials. We are working towards having an additional clergy person on staff this summer to assist Fr. Burl and this will be a major focus over the next few weeks. One very positive staff development is Turia Roebuck-Hayden's transition to full-time employment as Outreach and Development Coordinator. Congratulations and best of luck in your new position, Turia!
Yours in Christ,
Beth Cole
Senior Warden
SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018
Preacher (9:00 a.m.): Father Burl Salmon
Preacher (8:00 a.m., & 11:00 a.m.):
Tom O'Brien
*8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist 8:30 a.m. Fellowship Breakfast, Parish Hall West
*9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist and Healing 9:30 a.m. Fellowship Finger Food, Parish Hall West
9:50 a.m. Spring Town Hall Meeting, Parish Hall East
9:50 a.m. 3 & 4 Year Old Sunday School, Sunday School Hall
9:50 a.m. K & 1st Grade Sunday School, Sunday School Hall
9:50 a.m. 2nd & 3rd Grade Sunday School, Sunday School Hall
9:50 a.m. 4th & 5th Grade Sunday School, Sunday School Hall
9:50 a.m. 6th & 7th Grade Sunday School, Library
9:50 a.m. 8th Grade Confirmation Group, ECW Room
9:50 a.m. 9th-12th Grade Mission Group, Youth Room
*#11:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist and Morning Prayer 12:15 p.m. Church Tour
Fellowship Breakfast | 8:15 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | Parish Hall West
We will have a full breakfast, with rotating menu, for $5 per person. After 10:00 a.m., a simpler fare, fellowship finger foods, will be provided until 1:00 p.m. with no cost to our parishioners.
This week's menu: scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits, muffins, and fruit & cheese platters.
Church Tour | Sunday, February 25 | 12:15 p.m. | Chancel
The Church Tour begins in the Chancel (front of the church), immediately following the 11:00 a.m. service.
PARKING: Persons attending Sunday services will be allowed to park on ALL
Click hereto view the service leaflet for this Sunday.
Click here to view this week's Bethesda Happenings.
Spring Town Hall Meeting
Sunday, April 8 | 9:50 p.m. | Parish Hall East
As the season and program year wind down at Bethesda-by-the-Sea, join the Rector, Wardens, and Associates as we reflect back on the 2017-2018 year and look ahead toward the summer and the upcoming year that begins in September.
5:45 to 6:30 p.m. | Community Supper | Parish Hall
The cost is $10 for adults; $5 for children under 12; $25 family max (payable at the door).
This week's menu: Chicken Panang Curry, fresh vegetables, Jasmine Rice, garden salad with ginger sesame dressing, sauteed vegetables, white chocolate, and macadamia nut cookies. Kindly
RSVP here or call Ayana at (561) 655-4554.
*In order to properly plan and prepare the supper, we need your reservations by noon on Monday.
FEATURED CLASSES
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | The Enneagram in Life | Guild Room
In this dynamic five session workshop led by Certified Teacher Paul Van der Grift, we will explore each of the nine Enneagram types through the use of type specific panel discussions. As we hear the stories and anecdotes from each type, the fundamental similarities of their personality type structure will begin to emerge. What is the core motivation for their type? What causes them stress? What makes them angry? What are their strengths? What are their challenges? How does their faith help them deal with their personality? How can we support them in their personal and spiritual development? By hearing the testimony of others, and maybe sitting on a panel yourself, you will have the opportunity to learn how to be more compassionate and empathetic with yourself and others.
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Workshopping the Psalms with Chester Johnson | Library
Author Chester Johnson leads an evening in which we will dive more deeply into the psalms. A member of the team that compiled
The Book of Common Prayer 1979, Mr. Johnson worked on the 150 psalms and shares his wisdom in this workshop on understanding the psalms in general and specifically, taking the psalms apart, reading the psalms, and even praying the psalms.
RECURRING CLASSES
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Liturgy Group| Sunday School Hall
For all children in Kindergarten through 5th Grade who are interested in learning more about what we do on Sunday mornings in our worship services, the Wednesday Liturgy Class will teach them more about what we do and why. Over the course of the year we will explore elements of the Holy Eucharist more in-depth with our young people and also train them to become worship leaders for Sunday services. Topics will include communion, acolyting, music, the liturgical calendar, and saints. If you've ever wanted a class to teach your child about what we do in worship, don't miss this wonderful opportunity.
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Bethesda Youth Group | Youth Room
The Bethesda Youth Group will move from our traditional Thursday night meetings to Wednesday nights to join our Middle Way ministries. Come for dinner at 5:45 p.m. and stay for Youth Group until 7:40 p.m. The Bethesda Youth Group is a fellowship group open to all those in 6th through 12th Grade. Members also participate in monthly special events including our annual lock-in, service day, and camping trip to Peanut Island.
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Yoga | Parish Hall West
Physical therapist and yoga therapist, Emily Large, invites all adults for an evening of holistic worship through Christian yoga practice. Physical postures, relaxation, breath techniques, and mental focus create a holistic approach for worship as we will reflect on the themes associated with the liturgical calendar. A requested donation of $10 per class (payable at the door).
CLOSING PRAYER
7:45 to 8:00 p.m. | Compline | Church
An ancient, brief, and contemplative liturgy of the Christian tradition, compline offers an opportunity to give God thanks for the day behind us and pray for rest and safety in the night ahead. A fitting end to the day, compline offers a peaceful and meditative sacred time in the middle of our often frenetic weeks, as well as a beautiful conclusion to our Wednesday evenings together.
Mary Magdalene as Role Model for the Spiritual Journey
A one day retreat
At The Duncan Conference Center
15820 South Military Trail
Delray Beach, Florida
Saturday April 21 - 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
$100 per person
Includes continental breakfast and lunch.
Reservation Deadline April 12th.
Space is limited to 80 participants, so reserve your space early CLICK HERE
Join Heather Sisk in a one-day retreat exploring Mary Magdalene's transformative spiritual journey as an archetype for our individual path. This retreat is not designed to uncover Mary Magdalene's historical identity, but to explore her Spiritual identity. Mary Magdalene as disciple, witness, and prophet is one of our strongest role models for understanding the elements that emerge as one enters into a spiritual journey. These elements do not follow in a necessary order but cycle within us as we grow into deeper awareness of the movement of the divine encounter. Through lecture and reflection we will consider Healing & Forgiveness, Discernment, Witness, Abiding, and Transformation.
The day is accompanied by 3-D icons for contemplation, and includes a continental breakfast and lunch. The Retreat has traveled since 2012.
Click here for her page dedicated to this retreat.
Heather Sisk, is a spiritual director and retreat leader. She earned her MA in Theology and Spiritual Direction from The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church, NYC in 2010.
Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians & Jews
presents
Pizza & Pathways...
in a World Turned Upside Down
Wednesday, April 11 at 5:30 p.m. -
* Please note venue changed to
Wells Fargo Community Room
255 S. County
NE corner of County and Royal Palm Way, parking lot is entered from Royal Palm Way.
Rabbi Howard Shapiro and Bethesda's own Tom O'Brien will screen and discuss the award-winning short film, "Of Many" the
final session of the Pizza & Pathways series; doors open at 5:15 p.m. and program begins 5:30 p.m. Pizza and beverages will be available at 5:15 p.m. RSVP requested at (561) 833-6150 or
Click here.
This Sunday's Readings in Context
Parishioner Tom O'Brien, a Canon and Examining Chaplain for Scripture of this diocese, writes brief background descriptions of the Sunday readings. We thank Tom for sharing his learning and love of Scripture with us in this way.
The reading discusses the holding of possessions in common by the Jesus Follower Community as described in the Acts of the Apostles, and the background to the letter called 1 John, the first of three letters attributed in the late 2nd Century to John.
Acts 4:32-35
The book called "The Acts of the Apostles" was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic "history" of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension. The last 13 chapters describe Paul's Missionary Journeys - not always consistently with Paul's letters.
The Gospel According to Luke and Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today's reading exemplify this.
Peter and John and other Jesus Followers prayed at the Temple soon after the Ascension and Pentecost. (Jesus Followers saw themselves as part of Judaism until the late 1st Century, even after the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE.)
After praying, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (v.31) and, as described in today's reading, the "whole group" gave all their possessions to be held in common so that no one would be needy among them (v.34). Today's reading is a reiteration of the holding all things in common by "all who believed" as described in Acts 2:44.
Holding all goods in common is still characteristic of those religious orders whose members take a vow of poverty.
1 John 1:1-2:2
There are three letters attributed to "John" - an attribution that was given to the letters in the late 2nd Century about the same time that the four canonical Gospels were attributed to Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. (We do not know the actual authors of any of the Gospels.)
There are similarities between these three letters and the Fourth Gospel (for example, "from the beginning" in verse 1). But there are also differences - in the use of images (in the Fourth Gospel, Jesus is the "light" but in 1 John, a moral life is the "light" v. 7), as well as differences in theology and in other aspects of the Fourth Gospel.
Biblical Scholars believe that the author of 1 John was likely an individual speaking on behalf of a community ("We declare" in verse 1) of followers of the author of the Fourth Gospel.
Scholars also conclude that the three letters attributed to "John" were written after 100 CE because they do not reflect the tense relationships found in the Fourth Gospel between the Jesus Followers and the Temple Authorities (in Jesus' lifetime and up until 70 CE) and the Pharisees (from at least 70 CE until the "parting of the ways" around 100 CE).
Bethesda's Mission is to experience the clear and strong presence of God and to understand and spread Christ's teachings through collective worship, learning, and service.
The Bethesda Flower Guild would like to thank everyone who worked this week to make the church look so beautiful. We couldn't do it without all of you! We especially thank those people who came to help us, and who aren't currently members of the Flower Guild. If you would like to find out more about our work schedule, and the ways you can be involved during the year, please email us:
Tuesday, April 10 | 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.| Parish Hall
Join us at the ECW Annual Meeting and Tea (which includes
wine) for a fashion show highlighting elegant and stylish items from the Church Mouse. Men & women are both invited. $10 suggested donation per person. Please RSVP by calling the church office at (561) 655-4554, or emailing ecw@bbts.org. And, remember that it is your donations that make the Church Mouse special.
Trivia Night
Friday, April 13 | 7:00 p.m. | Parish Hall
The Bethesda Mission Group will be hosting a Trivia Night fundraiser. Get a team of eight people together or come on your own and we'll pair you up with a team. It's going to be a night of fun trivia, silent auctions, and more. All profits from the event will go to help the Bethesda Mission Group with costs for their summer trip. For more information, contact Greg Knight at (561) 655-4555 x114 or
Come one, come all for a behind-the-scenes look at what makes Bethesda the special place that it is. Over a series of three weeks, join the clergy, associates, vestry and ministry leaders as we discuss the history, mission, and organization of this remarkable parish and how each of these beautiful threads comes together into a diverse and spirit-filled tapestry. Whether you've been here for years or a couple of weeks, you're invited to join this great conversation.
Documentary Screening
Thursday, April 17 | 5:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. | Bob Carter's Actors Rep Theatre
Come support our youth mission trips this summer by attending a screening of the documentary Voices Beyond The Wall at Bob Carter's Actors Rep Theatre (1009 North Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach)
on Tuesday, April 17 at 5:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. The movie will be followed by a Q&A session with volunteers who have spent time at Our Little Roses, an orphanage for girls in Honduras. Tickets are $20.
Grandma's Favorite Dish
SPRING POTLUCK
Friday, April 20| 6:00 p.m.|Garth
Join us for our first Spring Potluck from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Bring your Grandma's favorite dish to share with your Bethesda Family! Sign-up after the services on Sunday or email fellowship@bbts.org.
Cost is $10 per person | Children 12 and under: free | Chefs bringing a dish and their families: $5 per person.
Mary Magdalene as Role Model for the Spiritual Journey
