Siena Sage
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A publication to promote our mission: "In community, love God, love others, serve both."
Physical address: 10435 Double R Blvd. • Reno, NV 89521
Mailing address: P.O. Box 17831 • Reno, NV 89511-1033
September 2021
PRAYER LIST
Jay, Johnnie, Gail, Carol, Hazel, Marlene and the Sam family, Sharyl, Sue and Victoria
Now on the 1st & 3rd Sundays:
8:30 a.m. Sept. 5
and Sept. 19 
(Outdoors, weather and air-quality permitting)
VESTRY & OFFICERS

The Rev'd Thomas Blake
Priest-in-Charge

The Rev'd Marla Assan
Priest Adjunct
________

Kevin Goss,
Senior Warden
Charlie Dickinson,
Junior Warden
Richard Curtis 
Todd Kodet
Carol Lacy
Kris McCain
Georgia Tachoires,
Clerk
Sally Dickinson, 
Treasurer
______

CONTACTS

JumpStart Kitchen
Kris McCain

Prayer & Recovery Ministries
Joann McKeeman
815-4637

Lectors & EM's 
Anne Towner 
827-3784 
  
Altar Guild  
Linda Stetzell 
826-8585 

Lap Quilts for Seniors
Amy Heintz
851-1026 

Senior Bundles
Amy Heintz
851-1026
and Linda Kodet linda@spacekodet.com

Children's Blankets
Carol Dyer
702-496-8595

Hosts, Greeters
& Oblationers
(Vacant)
______________

IMPORTANT LINKS




Plastic & PayPal available
If you'd like to use a credit or debit card to donate to St. Catherine's, or PayPal, please go to our website and click the Donate button, or click here: stcatherinesreno.org/donate
HELP UPGRADE OUR TECH 

Donations are welcome for Phase Two of this fundraiser.

Phase Two:
• TV#1
• TV#2
• FM Transmitter
Total: $890

Phase One, COMPLETE:
• Camcorder
• HDMI Switch with USB
• HDMI to ethernet
• Tripod
• Camera Wall Mount
• Computers
Subtotal: $3385
Thank you to all who made Phase One happen!
FINANCIAL UPDATE FROM OUR TREASURER
CHOIR RECORDING SESSION
SING WITH THE CHOIR
New voices are always welcome—please join us!
Friday, Sept. 17 at 3:30 p.m. in person at the church.
Father Tom's September Message
In a recent Thursday morning Bible Study, and particularly as we reflected on the multiple plagues inflicted upon Egypt in the Book of Exodus, someone drew a parallel with our own common experience. “Doesn’t it feel like we’re being inflicted by plague upon plague?” she asked. 

We all knew what she was talking about. There’s the pandemic. The fires. The hurricane. The vitriolic state of politics. The refugee crisis. The consequences both of going to war and of ending it. And then came the question, “Could God be trying to tell us something?”

My surface level reaction is that, rationally, such a parallel seems logical, but that theologically, I really do struggle with it. God reveals Godself incarnationally, after all. God grieves with us when we grieve, feels pain with us when we feel pain, and longs with us for what is broken to be made whole again.

God not only creates, but continually participates in creation, and God does so with an end game in mind. One day creation will be restored to its intended glory. One day, the kingdom of God will be fulfilled. One day the pain and suffering and evil and death we know all too intimately, will be gone for ever.

But what about in the meantime? Where is God as we wander in the wilderness, on the way to the Promised Land? Or lament the once great city Jerusalem that now lies in ruins? Or cry out gutturally with the Psalmist, “How long, O LORD? will you forget me for ever?”

One of the virtues of studying the Bible wholly and systematically is that it doesn’t let us get away with proof-texting our foregone conclusions or tidying up our theologies such that we no longer feel challenged, no longer get nudged out of our comfort zones. 

And with that in mind, we have no choice but to confront those elements of Scripture that are at the very heart of the Prophetic tradition: those passages in which morality and consequence are intricately intertwined. 

Through the prophets, God pleads with the kingdoms of Israel and Judah: examine your actions and inactions not only as individuals, but also and even more particularly as a society. Don’t ignore the consequences of those things you’ve done and left undone. If you do, the results may be catastrophic.

God has entrusted us to be stewards of our creative gifts, and sometimes we fall short of our stewardship vocation. And God pleads with us through prophetic voices to change our ways. And God can indeed grieve with us and feel our pain while simultaneously letting us face the consequences of what we have done or left undone. 

So, upon reflection, yes, I do believe God is trying to tell us something. The things that perhaps feel like plagues are not happening within a vacuum. War that doesn’t meet the Church’s Just-War criteria* is sinful. Neglecting to care for the environment is sinful. Not noticing or caring about all the ways our individual actions may harm others is sinful. And a lot of what we’re experiencing, frankly, could have been avoided.
Like God, we can and should grieve with, feel the pain of, and do everything possible to care for our neighbours when they are the victims of political turmoil, natural disaster, illness, poverty, or various other “plagues.” But we should also look within our own hearts, and examine our own collective and individual consciences, and be prepared to make amends. Such is our bounden duty as people of faith, even as we look forward to God’s Promised Land ahead.

Fr. Tom +

*That is, a clearly defined objective, an exhaustion of diplomatic means, a reasonable probability of success, proportionality, and the minimization of civilian casualties.
Donations requested for Senior Bundles

By Amy Heintz and Linda Kodet

It is now time to collect items for the seniors at Life Care Center. The items will be collected in the month of September and blessed the last Sunday of September, the 26th. A board with cards detailing the donation needs will be up on the first Sunday of September, the 6th. Please take a few cards with the items listed, and then bring the items back the following Sunday or no later than the 26th.
 
Items requested are: warm socks for men and women including non-skid socks; knitted or crocheted wheelchair lap blankets (approx. 36” x 44”); fleece blankets; shawls; postage stamps; body wash and body lotion for men and women; shampoo and conditioner for men and women; shaving cream; after-shave lotion; hand lotion; carry bags for walkers/wheelchairs; cloth face masks in fun prints; toothpaste; tooth brushes (single packs); mouthwash (alcohol-free); emery boards; colored pencils; hand-held pencil sharpeners; coloring books (not kiddie type); large-print crossword puzzle books; large-print word search books; large-print Sudoku books; large-print playing cards; and up to 200-piece jigsaw puzzles. Additionally, snack foods including cookies, sugar-free hard candy, and small items for room décor.
 
Thank you again for all that you do for these seniors to make their life a bit easier. Life Care Center thanks you for all you do for their residents.
NEW: Weekly Eucharist

There is now a weekly Eucharist available at 9:30 a.m. on Thursdays.

Questions? Contact Fr. Tom at thomas@stcatherinesreno.org
Also new: Yoga classes

Yoga classes will be held at the church beginning Sept 27 on Mondays at 10:00 am. All levels are welcome! The cost is $5.00.
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Let's take a walk

By Charlie Dickinson

Please join us for a St Catherine’s walk on Saturday, Sept. 18.

This is a chance to see some of the local countryside and get some exercise with people from St Catherine’s. Mid-September is a great time to walk with pleasant temperatures.

We will meet at the Starbucks adjacent to the Raley’s on Mount Rose Highway (18250 Wedge Parkway) at 9:00 a.m.  We will probably walk 2-3 miles, but it will depend on who joins us and how far they want to walk. All are welcome (including any 4 pawed friends that you want to bring).

Please remember to bring water or something else to drink. We hope to see you on Saturday, Sept. 18.

If you have any questions, contact Charlie Dickinson (cdickinson1275@gmail.com).
In-person study: the Book of Exodus

Join St Catherine's Bible Study group as they dive in to Exodus at 10 a.m. Thursdays, in person at the church with no reservation necessary. All are welcome.
We welcome your feedback

St Catherine’s kindly requests your participation in a survey. Please click on link below:
Donate flowers for the Altar

Would you like to donate flowers for our Altar? Click on the link below to select a date and work out logistics. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5SVMHR8
Zoom book group meets Tuesdays
Join us as we discuss a book selection via Zoom each Tuesday at 7 p.m. Here's a link to the meetings:
Tele: 669-900-6833; Meeting ID: 848 9641 6369
Catherine's Corner Book Club will discuss its next selection Sept. 14
By Lajuana Bryan

Please join us as we resume this month! Read chapters 1 and 2 of Holy Envy by Barbara Brown Taylor for our next meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 1:30 p.m. at the church. For more information contact me at lajuanabryan@gmail.com or 775-462-1700.
Contact Us

Please feel free to call St. Catherine's at (775) 851-4168 to let us know how we might respond to your needs. If you leave a message, your call will be returned promptly.

St. Catherine of Siena Episcopal Church

Phone: 775-851-4168 
Physical address: 10435 Double R Blvd. Reno, NV 89521
Mailing address: PO Box 17831 Reno, NV 89511-1033

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