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New life out of death: a The Wounded but Risen Body of Christ The disciples had seen Jesus put to a painful death and buried. So when their astonished eyes beheld him before them, they were ecstatic with joy. But Thomas was missing, and when they told him, he couldn’t believe it. He wanted to see the mark of the nails in his hands and the wound of the spear in his side. Tradition has called him “Doubting Thomas”, but he had a point. The risen body of Christ still bears the marks of the wounds. The signs of the suffering are still there. The pain, suffering, and death have been incorporated into the victory, the new life. It is the season of Easter, and we are celebrating the Resurrection with glorious music and beautiful flowers. We sniff the hints of spring and long-delayed warmth. At the same time, our spirits here are troubled. It is not just Iraq and the political campaigns and the economic slowdown. As Episcopalians in Pennsylvania we find ourselves facing unusual and difficult matters. There are rumblings from distant places as the Anglican Communion tries to sort out how it feels about the Episcopal Church, which has said it intends to be a very inclusive Church. Our concerns here, however, go deeper and are closer to home. We can scarcely talk about it, but we are conflicted about our relationship with our Bishop. We have had positive experiences and negative experiences. Beyond that, he has been charged by a national Church body with serious offenses in California some years ago. The national Episcopal Church is carrying forward the trial (at its expense) in Philadelphia, beginning June 9. We have to admit that this is going to be distracting and embarrassing and painful for everyone. We will all be wounded in some way. But the wounded Body of Christ, the Church, is risen with its risen Lord. Like the risen Jesus, the Church always has marks of suffering and pain. Yes, some of them are self-inflicted, but we want to try to keep those to a minimum. Admitting the reality of our concern, our pain, we will want to try to keep from making the trial the focus of our attention. Resist the temptation to obsess over this, or be drawn into arguments, statements for the press, or words you might later regret. Give the trial respect, but not your life. What we will pray for is a fair trial, a just outcome, and then the grace to move forward in unity together. The resurrected Jesus brought with him all that Good Friday represents—hostility, misunderstanding, the failure of religious authority, denial, betrayal—and the wounds showed. Christ takes into himself our wounds—the wounds we have received and the wounds we have inflicted—and Christ is risen. We are now called to live as the wounded but risen Body of Christ, bearers of forgiveness, hope, and joy.
Allen L. Bartlett, Jr.
Happiness is a Voyage
Accounting Warden’s ReportFebruary 2008 February was a typical winter month from a financial standpoint. Total income from all funds for the past month was $16,727. Total expenditures from all funds were $16.007, for a positive cash flow of $720 for the month. There were no unusual major income or disbursement items for the month. Operating funds for February included $14,568 of income and $15,189 in expenses for a loss of $-621. Income was derived from parish giving at $5,849 (40%), investment income at $ 3,156 (22%), nursery school income of 2,990 (20 %) and rental income of $2,573 (18%). Operating expenses for February included $4,957 for salaries (33%), $2,823 (19%) for utilities, $1,448 (10%) for maintenance, $889 (6%) for office and administrative expenses, $2,865 (18%) for insurance and $2,195 (15 %) in nursery school expenses. As expected, the Gas and Electric cost was the major item for utility expenses ($2,764). Insurance is a quarterly cost and covers our buildings and liability insurance. Allocated (special) income for the month was $2,159 and expenses were $818. Much of the income ($1,500) was received for the columbarium, with the balance for various memorials, including the organ and window funds. Expenses were for typical items such as the contribution envelopes, flowers, and the columbarium. Bill Parsons Parish dinner planned You are invited to the Newcomer’s Dinner on Saturday April 19, 2008, starting at 6PM This is a chance for the parish family to gather for fellowship and to welcome those who have recently joined us. This is a covered dish dinner so please use the chart in the back of the church to tell us what you are bringing and how many people are coming. Strawberry Festival dates Are you looking forward to the Strawberry Festival? It will be here before you know it. The Jam Session (the day we make the Jam) is scheduled for May 24th. It is followed by an Ice Cream Social, vanilla ice cream covered with hot strawberry jam. Please plan to volunteer for the festival on June 8th Dearden/Spier Wedding Steve and Nancy Spier are proud to announce the upcoming marriage of their son, Kevin, to Amanda Dearden, of Roslyn, PA. Kevin and Amanda began dating while attending Abington High School, where both graduated in 2002. Amanda earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Gwynedd Mercy College and is currently pursuing her career in the ER at Holy Redeemer Hospital, Meadowbrook. The wedding will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church on Old York Rd. in Melrose Park where Amanda’s family are members. The nuptials will take place on Saturday, April 19th at 2:30 in the afternoon followed by a reception at Spring Mill Country Club in Warminster. Kevin and his bride will honeymoon on a Caribbean cruise following a stay in Miami. They will be residing in the Meadowbrook apartments upon their return. We wish them well in their future and pray for their happiness and ask for your prayers of support. Thank you. Sunday School Choir On the third Sunday of every month, the children of the church school meet at 9:30 to learn music that relates to the Gospel or Sunday school lesson. We are very fortunate to have many talented children at Holy Nativity. The next Sunday school choir will be on April 20th. Discernment Committee Revitalized The discernment committee met with Jill Swans Mathis, Canon for Clergy Deployment, from the Diocese of Pennsylvania, on Saturday March 29, 2008. At that meeting the committee was given the names of several possible candidates. Contacts have been made with these candidates. The members of the discernment committee are Joseph Madison, Laura Shawaluk, Harry Clark, Nancy Bowers, Bill Parsons, Bette Thompson, and Gerry Boone.
Window Repair Completed The window above the High Altar has been repaired with a new vented lexan shield. David Crane of Plumstead Studios is our window contractor and has also repaired the large window in the gospel transept and the windows in the back of the church. David is the artist who designed and made the windows in memory of Father Shea in the bell tower. The High Altar window is much brighter than it used to be. We want to thank everyone who donated to the window repair fund. Annual Meeting and Elections The annual meeting is scheduled for the first Sunday in May, May 4th following the 10:30 service. Reports about the parish will be available the week before the meeting. We are planning a multi-media power point presentation showing visually the activities of our parish life in 2007. Election Candidates Vestry Jessica Brown Vincent Corrigan Jane Maher Bill Parsons Diocesan Deanery Representative Joseph Madison Judy Madison Kathy Parmalee Laura Shawaluk
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