From the Senior Warden
SuEllen Pommier
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This past week, I attended the week-long Festival of Homiletics in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The purpose of this ecumenical festival was to gather those who have been called as preachers to give a voice to God’s vision of goodness and mercy into a setting where they can be inspired and re-imagine leadership in the Christian faith that seeks justice for all. The festival facilitated that by providing days of sermons, lectures, and workshops given by some of the nation’s finest ministers and teachers of theology.
The sermons were phenomenally good, and each time I thought they couldn’t get any better, they did. They provoked profound emotions of joy, but were also challenging, often evoking tears of sorrow as they pointed out the social injustices of our time. But because we are God’s beloved and followers of Jesus, we have Hope, and are called to be good stewards in this world.
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I was deeply moved by my experiences at this festival. I listened to different viewpoints and was captivated by stories of the diverse ways people are called to live out the gospels in their lives. I look forward to sharing these stories with you.
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From the Parish Administrator
Sally LeBaron
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The Trinity Episcopal Bookstore is closing at the end of June, which is bittersweet. I’ve meant to get in there, lured by the idea that maybe they’d have some more recent tomes than we have here in our library, but it was never a high priority given the distractions of my days here in the office. But, now that it’s closing, I hurried in Thursday morning, with the intent to find some books for our youth at the very least.
No luck specifically for kids, but I did find some classics,* which can help you explain the Episcopal faith to your children, to your family and friends, and to yourself.
Something I like about our Mass booklets are the explanations found on the left hand pages, so I was pleased to find
The Book of Common Prayer, A Spiritual Treasure Chest - Selections Annotated & Explained
. It’s laid out like our Mass booklet with fun behind-the-scenes information on the left. Swoon!
I also bought two books by Mr. Episcopal Himself, Ian S. Markham (seriously, the man has written a small library’s worth of books on helping Episcopalians know themselves.) They are similar yet laid out a little differently. Both of them are easy to read and digest, unlike some of the book treasures lining our hallowed shelves here at Ascension.
Episcopal Questions, Episcopal Answers
is, wait for it, laid out in a question and answer format. Markham posits questions from all OVER the place - “How do Episcopalians decide what is right and wrong in ethics” to “How do I become a member of the Episcopal Church” to “Can a Christian fight in a war?” Markham does his best to keep it light while riding the Episcopalian line of “there are a lot of different right answers!” Given that I took Religion as a class in an archaic Roman Catholic school where questions like “Why is God good?” was answered by rote, “God is good because he is all-good,” I appreciate that Markham gets thoughtfully into the fray, albeit in an Episcopalian way.
The other Markham book I bought is
Faith Rules: An Episcopal Manual
. This is written in a breezy way reminiscent of the “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” series layout - there are sixty-seven “lessons”, each a short page long. They are grouped into sections such as “Section Six: Rules for Cool Episcopalians” such as # 50, “You Don’t Have to Believe That Everyone Else is Going to Hell”, and what I imagine Emma’s favorite, #48, “Appreciate the Beauty of the Lessons and Carols Service.” Amen.
Now, I haven’t read these, just a decent perusal that answered the questions: "Is this easy to read?” and “Wait, did I just read that entire section on ‘Why is the Church now referred to as TEC instead of ECUSA’ and did not fall asleep with my eyes open?” But, perhaps as I read them, I will share my knowledge and thoughts with you, in a bite-size review. If you can’t wait that long, come peruse yourself - they are on the table in the office.
So what’s the sweet part of the bookstore’s bittersweet closing? Everything is 50% off! I’d encourage you to go and browse - there’s probably as many books as we have in our library but all new and not all religious (some cute secular kids’ books?). They still have copies of the books I bought too, so you don’t even have to “indefinitely borrow” them from me.
Take care,
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*Classics in a very modern sense.
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From the Minister of Music
Emma Mildred Riggle, M.M.
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Dear Parish family,
Today I would like to introduce you to one of the great composers of our Episcopal tradition. He also has one of my favorite weird names in music history.
Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625) was an organist and a composer who was educated at King's College, Cambridge (they've been doing music for a long time, haven't they?) and then served in the Chapel Royal (the official Liturgical Choir to Royalty) under King James I (of King James Version fame). In case that wasn't enough, he was also the organist of Westminster Abbey, which just goes to show that every church musician needs a solid side job.
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Gibbons was quite versatile for his time, composing works in both sacred and secular genres, as well as composing both instrumental and vocal music.
His vocal pieces are particular favorites of mine because of their sensitive and expressive connection with their English texts. Gibbons knew how to communicate deep emotion without falling into either bombast or excessive reserve.
I get to sing an anthem by Orlando Gibbons next Saturday evening in Cantores in Ecclesia's Easter season concert,
Jubilate Deo. We're going to sing his setting of Psalm 47, "O Clap Your Hands Together," an 8-part anthem overflowing with joy.
You can listen a recording of it here, and better yet, you can hear it in person at Holy Rosary Church on Saturday, June 1 at 7:30 (
tickets available here).
It's especially exciting to hear it live, because then you can get a full sense of the stereophonic effects Gibbons uses to deliver an overflowing flood of praise from the eight separate sections of the choir.
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Congratulations, Graduates!
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On May 12, we were privileged to have a special moment of thanksgiving and prayer for the graduating seniors in our Parish.
Congratulations to:
Kendall Duffie, who graduated from Oregon Episcopal School and will be attending Notre Dame University in the fall
Meagan Duffie, who graduated from Oregon Episcopal School and will be attending Gonzaga University in the fall
Michael McPhee, who graduated from Lincoln High School and will be attending Gonzaga University in the fall.
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Kendall and Meagan have served as our nursery staff for years and some of our youngest parishioners offered their gratitude through handmade cards presented by our art teacher and Artist in Residence, Andrea Rosselle.
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Summer Mass Schedule begins June 9
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Please mark your calendars for the start of our Summer Mass schedule on
June 9. From June 9 until Labor Day weekend, we will have one Sunday morning Mass at Ascension at 9:00 A.M. Our 9 A.M. summer worship will usually be a Said Mass with hymns.
Please note that the schedule change is a little later than some years in order to accommodate some parish events. We look forward to worshiping together as one parish family during the summer months!
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Next Month
June 2
- 8:00 A.M. Baptism of Dominic Huffman
- 10:00 A.M. Art Class
Please note that Beth Wood's poetry reading, originally scheduled for June 2, has been postponed.
June 9
June 16, 9:00 A.M. - Art Class
June 23, 10:00 A.M. - Vestry Meeting
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Looking Ahead
July 7 - Ascension's 130th Anniversary
July 20, 5:00 P.M. - Annual Summer Hootenanny
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This Sunday: May 26, 2019: Easter VI
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8:00 A.M. LEM & Lector:
SuEllen Pommier
10:00 A.M. LEM:
Gary Hecht
10:00 A.M. Lectors:
Suzan Berry, Brad Mersereau
10:00 A.M. Usher:
Peter Baker
Sacristans:
Janet Baker, Lucy Lloyd, Jan Stuermer
Refreshments:
Diane Hussey, Kris Vanberg
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Next Sunday: June 2, 2019: Easter VII:
The Sunday after the Ascension
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8:00 A.M. LEM & Lector:
SuEllen Pommier
10:00 A.M. LEM:
Jeff Krum
10:00 A.M. Lector:
Brad Mersereau
10:00 A.M. Usher:
Becky Dimond
Sacristans:
Karen Albaugh, Janet Edwards, Pammie Hummelt
Refreshments:
Susan Bodin
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Keep Back Nothing
Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him, everything else thrown in.
― C.S. Lewis (1898-1963),
Mere Christianity
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- Becky Dimond’s sisters Barbara and Katie
- Becky Dimond’s friends Toni & Toni’s husband John, recovering from heart surgery
- Fred Friedle
- Eloise Gibson’s niece Bella
- Eloise Gibson’s friend Richard
- Richard Jester
- Richard Reinhart
- Brice Rosen
- Janet Mersereau
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Today in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer
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- Silverton: St. Edward. Shana McCauley, vicar.
- Springfield: St. John the Divine. Nancy Gallagher, priest-in-charge. PRAY for us in a time of seeking God’s will for our future.
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The Collect
for the Sixth Sunday of Easter
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O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
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Ascension Episcopal Parish | 503-227-7806 | office@ascensionepiscopalparish.org www.ascensionepiscopalparish.org
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