TIDINGS
AUGUST 2021

If you would like a full copy of the tidings for this month, please email or visit Annie in the office.

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FROM THE PRIEST-IN-CHARGE

 

Greetings my friends in God,

 

I am taking a liberty with this reflection for Tidings this month. The liberty is one of using words from Paul’s letter to the community of Philippi, one of the earliest Jesus following communities. Paul has most likely been invited by the community as a consultant of sorts. At least for many Pauline scholars, this is how they oftentimes think about Paul’s ministry in general. Paul is a letter writer and sought out, most think, to address conflicts and challenges facing several early emerging Christ following communities. But I digress.

 

For whatever reasons Paul is involved, his gift is in his letter writing. Paul is an exemplar for demonstrating the art of gratitude. Paul, for many who study him, clearly has been educated and uses his education to its full capacity in addressing the diverse challenges of each community. This is all to say, Paul writes in a high style of Greek, an academic writing style per se, and quite often is developing new words to describe the Mystery of God in Christ and how to put into practice to be graceful follower of Jesus. This is Paul’s gift to the early communities, which continues to inspire us in our communities of today. With that I have adapted the first part of Paul’s letter to the community of Philippi. 

 

Fr. Doug, the Vestry and the Finance Committee, servants of Christ Jesus,

to all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at St. Barnabas, together with the wider community, Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

 

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

 

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

 

I take this liberty, because I see this reality among the people of St. Barnabas. Thank you, Paul!

 

This is all to say, that with our current project of attention to our building with a new roof and exterior work, we are marking our investment ‘in partnership’ toward a Church for the future. This is very exciting time indeed! I am honored to be sharing in this partnership as we move the Gospel forward in Cortez.

 

We, the leadership, are wanting to wrap up our fundraising at the end of August. We set a date as September 1. We have now raised $24,340 of the needed $40,000 for the projects of roof and exterior work. Good work my friends in God! AND THANK YOU all for your participation.

 

As we are over the halfway mark, I again ask for your prayerful consideration for an extra donation or two or three of any amounts to our goal of $40,000.

 

The leadership of St. Barnabas gives thanks to you all for your generous gift giving and investment to a promising future for St. Barnabas.

 

Gratitude and peace

Fr. Doug

AUGUST BOOK GROUP: A PROMISED LAND

 

This month, book club will be reading A Promised Land by former president Barack Obama. All are welcome to join in for the discussion on Friday, August 20th at 10:30am.

 

In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency—a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.

Reflecting on the presidency, he offers a unique and thoughtful exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of U.S. partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond. We are privy to his thoughts as he assembles his cabinet, wrestles with a global financial crisis, takes the measure of Vladimir Putin, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act, clashes with generals about U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, tackles Wall Street reform, responds to the devastating Deepwater Horizon blowout, and authorizes Operation Neptune’s Spear, which leads to the death of Osama bin Laden.

This beautifully written and powerful book captures Barack Obama’s conviction that democracy is not a gift from on high but something founded on empathy and common understanding and built together, day by day.

 

CENTERING PRAYER

 

Centering Prayer has started back up each Wednesday from 12:15-12:45pm in the Sanctuary. All are welcome to join for a time of quiet prayer and contemplation. This is a wonderful offering that includes people of many faiths. Anyone is welcome.

 

WOMEN’S LUNCH

 

Women’s Lunch has also received new life! They will be taking things one month at a time as we continue to navigate changes in public health measures, but they generally occur on the 4th Wednesday of the month at 1:00pm. Feel free to pencil it into your calendar, and we’ll send a confirmation email with the location before each one. If you don’t receive emails and want to make sure you get a call about it, just let Annie know in the office.

 

ROOF & EXTERIOR UPDATE

 

Periodically this week, working quietly at my desk to my classical music, I’m startled into thinking our building is about to come down! Half a second later I realize it is, of course, the roofing crew walking around and fastening panels right above my head!

 

We are thrilled to have the roofing crew here this week, making rapid progress on the job. They’re hoping to have the roof done by the time you read this. You all picked a color that goes so seamlessly with the exterior – it really does look quite natural. Stop by and take a look!

 

Relatedly, I am thrilled to inform you that we have raised over half of the funds for our exterior building repairs and roof work: $24,340 out of the anticipated cost of $40,000. We have spent $11,500 on our roof deposit, and will pay another $11,500 at the end of the project (bringing us to a total of $23,000 spent).

 

Thank you so much to our 24 donors who have made this happen thus far! We are so grateful.

 

IRA MANDATORY WITHDRAWAL DONATIONS

By Judy S.

 

As the fundraising for the new roof and other maintenance winds down, please remember a way that you may be able to help St. Barnabas and yourself. If you are 72 or older and have a traditional IRA, you will be required to take a mandatory withdrawal amount this year. That amount will be added to your taxable income and you will pay taxes on the total amount. If you want to avoid some of the tax, you can contribute from your IRA to St. Barnabas for the building repair fund. The contribution must be made directly to St. Barnabas from your IRA. Contact the bank or company where you have your IRA for information on how to arrange for charitable contributions. If your charitable donations exceed the standard deduction, you may also be able to take your contributions as a charitable deduction.

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PICNIC IN THE PARK

 

Our next Picnic in the Park will be Tuesday, August 10th from 6-7pm. Bring blankets, chairs, and your dinner if desired, and enjoy prayer, music, and great company! All pets will have an opportunity to be blessed.

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SHOW OFF YOUR GARDEN

 

Traditionally, we have worked with the Flower Cottage in Cortez to provide flowers for our services. When parishioners sign up to provide flowers, a volunteer makes an order with the Flower Cottage on their behalf. On the sign-up sheet, we now have a column where you can mark that you’d like to provide your own flowers, if you would prefer! These can be flowers you purchase, or perhaps you’d like to grace the Sanctuary with bouquets from your garden! We gratefully welcome any beauty you’d like to share with us. And thank you for your patience as we transition to this new system.

 

DISMANTLING RACISM: SPIRITUAL FORMATION FOR RACIAL HEALING

From the Office of the Bishop

 

Are you ready to begin the vital work of racial healing? Have you already begun this work and are looking for the next step in your formation? It is essential to build a spiritual foundation for this work, whether your work is just beginning or further along, and seeking the next step in equipping your community. Dr. Catherine Meeks, the Absalom Jones Center’s executive director, teaches that sustaining a ministry in dismantling racism demands a life-long program in spiritual formation. To this end, she has asked the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Swanson, Chair of the Board at Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing, to develop a new prayer discipline to support those involved in racial healing.

 

The next seven-session class for leaders and advocates committed to this work will take place on Zoom and start on August 30. It will meet every two weeks from 4:00 to 6:00 pm MST. Every session will have an hour of small group work to discuss the practice of each discipline, followed by an hour of learning a new discipline and its historical and theological context. For the duration of the course, every participant must commit to attending each two-hour session, dedicate an hour a day to practice the disciplines, do the assigned reading, and keep a prayer journal.

 

Series courses include: White Privilege and the History of Racism in America, the Prayer of Examen and Spiritual Autobiography, the Prayer of Oblation, the Examination of Sin, the Exploration of Virtue, the Circle of Forgiveness, & the Way Forward.

 

Contact Dr. Ken Swanson at swanson510@gmail.com to register for this series.

 

BOOK RELEASE: THIS BAND OF SISTERHOOD

From the Office of the Bishop

 

Get to know the first five Black women to be elected diocesan bishops within the Episcopal Church.

 

During this moment, with the #metoo movement, Black Lives Matter, and the increased feelings of division in our country, Black women clergy in the Episcopal Church have voiced a need to come together, believing that their experiences and concerns may be very different than those of other clergy. That need is answered here in This Band of Sisterhood. The five Black women bishops featured in this book can provide a compass for how to journey along these new paths. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Carlye J. Hughes, Kimberly Lucas, Shannon MacVean-Brown, and Phoebe A. Roaf offer honest, vulnerable wisdom from their own lives that speaks to this time in American life.

 

JOIN US FOR MORNING PRAYER

 

Morning Prayer is now being held each Sunday at 10am both in person and via Zoom! If you would like to attend in person, we do ask that you wear your mask and practice physical distancing within the space.

 

Contact the office for Zoom access information.

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COVID-19 UPDATES

 

We have created a special page on our website specifically about COVID-19, so please visit there or contact the office for more information: www.stbarnabascortez.org/COVID-19.

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ARTICLES OR ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE TIDINGS

 

If you would like to submit an article or announcement for the Tidings, please send it to office@stbarnabascortez.org by 10:00am on the last Wednesday of the month!

 

 

MINISTRY & OUTREACH SUPPORT

January thru July 2021

 

Good Samaritan Food Pantry: $700

The Bridge Emergency Shelter: $700

Montezuma Youth Pride: $2,547**

Grace’s Kitchen: $13,692**

Sanctuary at Mancos United Methodist Church: $155*

Rector’s Ministry to Community: $4,306

 

*Ministry is funded solely by donation

**Ministry funded solely by donation and grant income

 

GRACE’S PATRONS

 

June 2021: 535 Meals Served

So Far in 2021: 3,363 Meals Served

Total Meals Served Since 1998: 227,313

 

QUOTE OF THE MONTH
 

“How typical of this church and the society it reflects to get its adrenaline flowing over nonissues like irregularity versus validity, while real issues go unaddressed – justice, power, authority, shared mission and ministry and wholeness in the body of Christ”

 

The Late Bishop Barbara Harris, first woman ordained an Episcopal Bishop

Published 1984 in The Witness

 

THANK YOU

 

We would like to express great appreciation to the following people:

 

  1. Sylvia, Victoria, and Cindy for their compassionate assistance for a community member in a moment of crisis, and their support of their priest in that moment as well!

  2. Victoria, Erin, Fred, and Bob for their steadfast and continued leadership and hard work on St. Barnabas’ grounds

  3. Zeke, for help with our new sound system and park events

  4. Judy S., for her leadership in restarting the Women’s Lunches

  5. Ann, Helen, Roxanne, and Sue, for donating their time and musical talent to our services

  6. Our ongoing donors of bottled water and plastic bags for Grace’s Kitchen, including Kathleen

  7. Thank you for the support from the congregation with gift giving in time, talent, and treasure to the Church in its ministries