weekly letter

June 25, 2008

 

Greetings to all!

 

It is officially summer now.  Like all the seasons, summer offers its particular gifts.  In her book, The Irrational Season, Madeleine L'Engle shares a summer vision provided by her dog, Timothy, a setter that had been rescued from an abusive previous owner.  It took a long time, but Timothy finally shed most of his fears...

 

     For this summer Timothy has his swallow...Timothy will rush out to the big meadow, his once-timid tail waving ecstatically.  He looks adoringly up at the sky, wagging, listening, and the swallow comes to him, flying very low, and then Tim will run along with the bird while it flies, back and forth, round and about, in great parabolas, all over the big meadow.  Then the swallow will fly off and up, and Tim will stand looking upward, swishing his tail, and waiting for his friend to return.

     It has been a great joy to us to watch this amazing friendship.  Day after day they play together, and the game never palls.  There is nothing of the stalker and hunter in Timothy's actions when he is with the swallow.  Occasionally he will accidentally flush a pheasant, and then his tail goes straight out and still, and one forepaw curves up and he points.  But with his swallow, his tail never stops waving.  The two of them are lion and lamb together for me, a foretaste of Isaiah's vision.  When I watch them playing together in the green and blue, it is a moment of transfiguration....These glimpses of reality are the foundation stones of faith.

 

The scripture lessons for Sunday, June 29:

     Genesis 22:1-14

     Romans 6:12-23

     Matthew 10:40-42

 

Sunday Conversations around the scripture lessons for the day (see above) continue this Sunday, June 29, 10am, in Trinity Hall.  Feel free to stop in and enjoy a cup of coffee, join the conversation, or just listen in.

 

Hospitality:  We have been blessed with abundant hospitality during recent months.  Thanks to all those who have provided hospitality for our after worship gatherings.  We do have a couple open Sundays upcoming, including this Sunday, June 29, and Sunday, July 13.  Use reply email to let us know if you would like to host/co-host either of these two Sundays.

 

Walnut Hill Worship Book:  The provisional edition of the Walnut Hill Worship Book is now in the Sanctuary for your Sunday use and review as we move toward the printing of a final edition later in the year.  Members and friends are invited, even encouraged, to examine the book and offer such comments as will be helpful in making the final edition a resource useful for years to come.  Thanks to Phil Bloomfield for his work on this project.

 

Midwest Flood Relief:  A basket has been placed in the Sanctuary foyer for all who would like to make a special donation to assist those affected by the recent floods in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri.  Make any checks payable to "Walnut Hill Church", designated flood relief.  Our gifts will be sent via Church World Service, an ecumenical agency involved in disaster relief around the world.

 

Thanks, news, etc...

     *Thanks to...Ms. Ann Stanchina who supplied at the organ this past Sunday; the DeReamers and the Smiths for providing our after worship refreshments last Sunday; to Derek Vaughan for his work with the youth this past Sunday.

     *Ten Walnut Hill men and guests gathered for dinner this week at Jo-Beth Booksellers.  Thanks to Gene Brockopp for arranging the gathering.

     *Two children from Athens-Chilesburg Elementary School are attending Reading Camp this week at Cathedral Domain under sponsorship by Walnut Hill.  Keep these and all the children at reading camp in your prayers for a truly transforming week.

    *A mid-summer edition of the printed newsletter is soon to be published.  Please contact Martha DeReamer if you have items to be included in the newsletter.

 

Peace to all.

 

Mike Ward

weekly letter

June 18, 2008

 

One of the more refreshing persons on the international stage is His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  His unassuming manner, smile, and even laughter brings a certain lightness to otherwise difficult issues and times.  Consider these thoughts from His Holiness.

 

    The essence of all religions is love, compassion, and tolerance.  Kindness is my true religion.  No matter whether you are learned or not, whether you believe in the next life or not, whether you believe in God or Buddha or some other religion or not, in day-to-day life you must be a kind person.  When you are motivated by kindness, it doesn't matter whether you are a practitioner, a lawyer, a politician, an administrator, a worker, or an engineer:  whatever your profession or field, deep down you are a kind person.

     Love, compassion, and tolerance are necessities, not luxuries.  Without them, humanity cannot survive.  If you have a particular faith or religion, that is good. But you can survive without it if you have love, compassion, and tolerance.  The clear proof of a person's love of God is if that person genuinely shows love to fellow human beings.

(as found in For the Love of God)

The Scripture lessons for Sunday, June 22:

     Genesis 21:8-21

     Romans 6:1-11

     Matthew 10:24-39

 

Men's Coffee: Men are invited to gather for coffee this Saturday, June 21, 8am, at Paneras (Richmond Road).  Feel free to stop in for as long or short a time as your schedule allows.  No rsvp required.

 

Sunday Conversations regarding the lessons for the day (see above) resume this Sunday, June 22, 10am, in Trinity Hall.  Our focus for the morning will be the lesson from Genesis, "Hagar and Ishmael." Feel free to enjoy a cup of coffee, join the conversation, or just listen in.

 

Men's Dinner:  The next Walnut Hill Men's Dinner is scheduled for Tuesday, June 24, 6pm, at Joseph Beth Booksellers Cafe (private dining room).  Our special guest for the evening will be a recently arrived refugee from Iraq who has a compelling story to share about life in Iraq and his family's decision to leave their homeland for the U.S.  Use the sign up sheet in the Sanctuary, reply email, or contact Gene Brockopp to rsvp.

 

Walnut Hill Worship Book:  The provisional edition of the proposed Walnut Hill Worship Book is now in the Sanctuary for your Sunday use and review as we move toward the printing of a final edition later in the year.  Members and friends are invited, even encouraged, to examine the book and offer such comments as will be helpful in making the final edition a resource useful for years to come.  Thanks to Phil Bloomfield for his work on this project.

 

Thanks to...Ron Johnston for his leadership of the Working Group session last Sunday; Lisa Smith for her reflections regarding Walnut Hill; John Ragland, Mark Horman, and David Sharrard for their oversight of recent building and grounds projects; Irene and John Ragland, Lee and Jim Tucker for last Sunday's after worship refreshments.

 

Peace to all.

 

Mike Ward

weekly letter

June 11, 2008

 

Greetings to all!

 

Father's Day, like Mother's Day, provides an opportunity to reflect on our respective "vocations" as parents and children.  Catholic spiritual writer, Henri Nouwen, offers the following thoughts on parenthood.

 

     Being a parent is like being a good host to a stranger!  While we may think that our children are like us, we are continually surprised at how different they are.  We can be gladdened by their intelligence, their artistic gifts, or their athletic prowess, or saddened by their slowness in learning, their lack of co-ordination, or their "odd" interests.  In many ways we don't know our children. We didn't create our own children, nor do we own them.  This is good news.  We don't need to blame ourselves for all their problems, nor should we claim for ourselves their successes.

     Children are gifts from God.  They are given to us so that we can offer them a safe, loving place to grow to inner and outer freedom.  They are like strangers who ask for hospitality, become good friends, and then leave again to continue their journey.  They bring immense joy and immense sorrow precisely because they are gifts.  And a good gift, as a proverb says, is "twice given." The gift we receive, we have to give again.  When our child leaves us to study, to look for work, to marry, to join a community, or simply to become independent, sorrow and joy touch each other.  Because it is then that we feel deeply that "our" child isn't really "ours" but given to us to become a true gift for others.

     It is so hard to give our children their freedom - especially in this violent and exploitative world. We so much want to protect them from all possible dangers.  But we cannot.  They do not belong to us.  They belong to God, and one of the greatest acts of trust in God is letting our children make their own choices and find their own way.

(from Here and Now)

The scripture lessons for Sunday, June 15, the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time:

     Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7)

     Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19

     Romans 5:1-8

     Matthew 9:35 - 10:8 (9-23)

 

Sunday Conversations continue this Sunday, June 15, 10am, in Trinity Hall.  Our focus this Sunday will be the 4th installment of the Walnut Hill Working Group, an opportunity to talk together about issues affecting Walnut Hill's life and ministry.  Our June Working Group will follow-up and update some recent Working Group conversations concerning our buildings/grounds, refugee resettlement work, and our worship book project.  Feel free to attend, have a cup of coffee, join the conversation, or just listen in.

 

The Vestry will meet this Sunday, 9:30am, in Trinity Hall.

 

Men's Dinner:  Walnut Hill men are invited to gather for dinner on Tuesday, June 24, 6pm, at Joseph Beth Booksellers Cafe (private dining room).  Our guest speaker for the day will be a new neighbor from Iraq who recently came to the United States with his family.  He has a compelling story to share.  Use the sign up sheet in the sanctuary foyer, call the church office, or contact Gene Brockopp to rsvp.

 

Walnut Hill Worship Book - The first draft of the new Walnut Hill Worship Book will be in the pews this Sunday, June 15, to be used throughout the summer.  This provisional, informal edition of the new worship book is intended for congregational comment and revision, with the final edition to be published later this year. 

 

Thanks to all those involved in our recent "Weekend Together" including...Nell Horman and Lauren Fouts for their work with the children, Angela Hurley and the Choir for their leadership of hymn singing and Evensong on Friday evening, David Sharrard for leading the Sunday morning session on music from the gospel tradition, Ashley Clark for childcare service on Friday evening, the children for their music presentation on Sunday morning, and all the children and adults who participated in the weekend activities.  We will look forward to next summer's "Weekend Together."

 

Peace to all.

 

Mike Ward

weekly letter

June 4, 2008

 

Greetings to all!

 

This weekend, June 6 - 8, is our second annual Weekend Together (see schedule below).  Our theme for the weekend is "Make a Joyful Noise: A Celebration of Music in the Life of the Church".  We will be focusing our attention on congregational music, hymn-singing and the like.  In regard to hymn-singing, there may be more to it than meets the eye, or should we say "the ear."

 

     The faith that is produced by hymn-singing is reinforced by the communal event in which the individual is caught up.  A singer does not simply contemplate the images of the hymn in solitude, but stands amid others and sings as one among many.  The potential for transformation is magnified because one sings in a group; the group itself adds elements of chance and change that might not be as prevalent in isolation or solitude.  One enters a realm where one is not alone; the ordinary psychic boundaries are transcended and energy is permitted to flow back and forth among the group, in and out.  The feeling of this movement is highly pleasurable....Not only are the boundaries between individuals transcended, the boundaries of time are also transcended as the past merges with the present.  Moreover, the particular past that is brought into the present through hymn-singing is often one marked by heightened awareness and the potentiality for transformation: memories of a funeral of a beloved aunt, a crisis in the community, one's marriage, or ordination.  Expressive forms carry "a qualitative dimension of the historical experience" into the present.  A hymn brings the felt experience that has coagulated around its images into the room at each rendition.  This "past/present" experience of faith usually happens at a very primary psychic level - on the boundary of conceptual thought, touching the mystery of existence itself.

(from an essay, "Hymn-Singing: The Congregation Making Faith", by Linda J. Clark)

 

The Scripture lessons for Sunday, June 8:

     Exodus 15:1-18

     Colossians 3:12-17

     Matthew 26:26-30

 

Make a Joyful Noise... The second annual "Weekend Together" will be held June 6 - 8.  Our theme will be Make a Joyful Noise: A Celebration of Music in the Life of the Church.  Activities will be available for all ages including:

     *Friday, June 6, 6pm - Dinner and Activities:  We will begin the weekend with a catered dinner and activities for all ages. Nell Horman and Lauren Fouts will lead a music program for children.  Adults will enjoy a program of hymn history and hymn singing led by Angela Hurley, closing with a service of "Evensong".  Please rsvp for Friday's dinner by reply email or by phone (263-5304).

     *Saturday, June 7, 9am - Activities for Children: Children will enjoy a morning of music and sign language, even making simple instruments of their own.

     *Sunday, June 8, 10am - Activities for Children and Adults: Children will put the finishing touches on music to be presented during morning worship.  Adults will enjoy a program of reflection and singing hymns from the "gospel tradition" as led by David Sharrard.  At 11am we will conclude our weekend with a service rich in music and singing.

 

Men's Coffee:  Walnut Hill men are invited to gather for coffee this Saturday, June 7, 8am, at Paneras on Richmond Road.  Feel free to stop in for as little or as long a time as your schedule allows.  No rsvp required.

 

Parents Meeting:  Parents are invited to remain after worship on Sunday, June 8, for a brief meeting regarding "Sunday School" for the summer months.  Lauren Fouts will share information regarding curriculum plans as well as volunteer needs for the summer.

 

Disaster Relief:   If you have not yet found a way to respond to recent natural calamities, including the Myanmar cyclone, China earthquake, and Midwest tornadoes, Walnut Hill is now accepting donations to be sent via our ecumenical partner, Church World Service.  A collection basket is available in the foyer of the sanctuary.  All individual donations will be added to a $500 donation soon to be sent from the Community Fund.

 

Resettlement Update:  A recent meeting with Kentucky Refugee Ministries indicates that we are on the right track with the support being provided to Raghad and her daughters.  Primary needs now include:  language training, employment contacts, and recreational opportunities.  To offer assistance or ideas in any of these, or other, areas, contact Nelson Barnes (519-0013 or nb@nelbar.com).   

 

Peace to all.

 

Mike Ward