St. Bede`s Episcopal Church Parish Profile :: June 2013

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St. Bede's Episcopal Church
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Parish Profile
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June 2013
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St. Bede's Episcopal Church,
1601 South Saint Francis Drive (entrance from San Mateo) Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505
505-982-1133 :: stbedes@cybermesa.com :: www.stbedesantafe.org
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Table of Contents
Welcome
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Our History
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Our Parish
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A Worshipping Community
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Pastoral Care Beyond our Community
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Involvement in the Interfaith
and Ecumenical Community
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A Parish of Two Worshipping Communities
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An Enthusiastic and Informal Worship Style 10
A Welcoming and Social Community
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Financial Stewardship at St. Bede's
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Financial Trends
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Anticipated Compensation for Rector
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Dealing with Conflict and Change
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Vestry and Staff
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Our Next Rector
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Living in Santa Fe
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Welcome!
Welcome to St. Bede’s Episcopal Church in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico,
and to our parish profile. We are a cheerful, friendly and welcoming church
community, committed to a full and active spiritual life. Our mission is to
bear witness and to continue in the teachings of Jesus especially as we care
for one another within and beyond our church community.
Though a relatively small parish, St. Bede's is diverse and inclusive in its
membership, welcoming all worshippers, with a middle-way style of liturgical
churchmanship, balancing our faith on a resilient three-legged stool of
scripture, tradition and reason.
We have been without a permanent rector since mid-2011, and look forward
to renewing our momentum in the coming months. Our children and youth
programs need renewal, and we hope to encourage growth with a younger
age demographic, expanding from the more senior population of many
retired folks that is the pillar and strength of our Sunday morning
congregation of about 110 attendees.
The second pillar of our diversity and perhaps our future is our Spanish
language parishioners (ca. 15 attendees) who worship Sunday evenings. The
two subsets of our congregation are well integrated within the paradigms of
two languages and cultures, and the first Sunday of every month is dedicated
to a bi-cultural "potluck Eucharist" evening in which the two groups worship
together and celebrate our common Christian heritage.
We seek a devout rector, an excellent preacher, who will bring together the
skills of our people with sensitivity, encouragement, and collegiality, building
upon our strengths, under an umbrella of expert and experienced leadership,
management, vision and planning.
We invite qualified applicants to submit their resumes electronically to the
Rev. Canon Kathleene McNellis – kmcnellis@dioceserg.org.
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Our History
"For as much as devout and faithful people have taken in hand to build on
this ground now marked with the symbol of Christ, a House to be dedicated
to the glory of God, to be known as St. Bede’s, wherein the Gospel shall be
truly preached, the Sacraments duly administered, and the service of
Prayer and Praise offered in this and coming generations: Therefore I
break ground for this church; in the name of the Father and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
The Southwest Churchman, January 1965
With these words Bishop Kinsolving turned the first shovelful of earth for the
breaking of the ground for St. Bede’s, the youngest of the diocesan missions,
on Sunday afternoon, October 27, 1964, at Santa Fe.
Before ground was broken, the first service was held on July 15, 1962. The
name chosen for the new mission was St. Bede's; the meeting place the Odd
Fellows’ Hall; the Vicar, the Rev. William E. Crews. Starting with some forty
families, within a year the congregation had grown to 100 families and the
need of permanent quarters became apparent. Construction started
immediately after the groundbreaking and the first building was dedicated in
October 1965.
Bede Translating the Gospel of John by J.D. Penrose 1862-1932
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Our Parish
A Worshipping Community
We express our core values of spiritual exploration and learning, connection,
prayer, and welcoming inclusivity in a variety of ways. We hold an Adult
Forum each Sunday. Recent topics from fall of 2012 included the Connecticut
school shootings, the Sharia, children’s literature and Christianity, and civil
rights in Santa Fe.
We celebrate Holy Eucharist with Healing Prayers weekly, and hold Morning
Prayer, lectio divina, and Bible study one day each week. Members of the
Prayer Shawl ministry knit shawls for those in need of comfort. The 60+ers
meet monthly with food, fellowship, and a speaker; all ages are welcome.
Bede’s Backers marshal assistance for parish members during difficult times.
Lay Eucharistic Ministers provide Eucharist to those who request a visit and
are unable to attend church.
We express prayerfulness through service on the Altar Guild, Flower Guild,
altar bread baking, choir, and activities of ushers and lay readers.
Our library contains about 1,500 books.
Priest-in-Charge M. Nicolette Papanek, Preaching
With Acolytes Bud Redding, David Glass, and Michael Patterson
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Pastoral Care Beyond Our Community
The three components of outreach, a core value at St. Bede’s, are the giving of
time, talent, and treasure. Parishioners regularly express this value by
offering time and talent in activities such as the Juárez house build, in which
we have assisted in building twenty houses for the poor in Juárez, Mexico.
St. Beders participate in a
housebuild at Juárez, for a
local Mexican family.
in Juárez, Mexico
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Kairos is the prison ministry whose volunteers visit residents at Guadalupe
County Correctional Facility to tell them Jesus loves them.
We collect food each Sunday for distribution to the
hungry. We also work at the Interfaith Community
Shelter, which provides meals, clothing, showers,
and a safe bed for homeless people, particularly
during the winter season. Parishioners at St.
Bede’s helped found this facility.
Evening Meal at the Shelter
The third component of outreach, treasure, has for years been expressed by
setting aside a portion of our budget for purposes such as grants to youth
counseling services, fine arts programs for children, Native American
services, and many others. Demographic and financial issues, including some
nonrecurring expenses, have forced us to reduce these grants temporarily.
We are eager to learn new ways to make our outreach more effective.
Involvement in the Interfaith and Ecumenical Community
We are proud to be a church incubator, having fostered Santa Maria de la
Paz, a Roman Catholic Church, and St. Elias, a Greek Orthodox Church, by
providing meeting space in their early years. Both are now on their own and
successful.
St Elias Greek Orthodox Church
Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Community
HaMakom Jewish congregation began in 2002 and continues to meet at St.
Bede’s. Our library serves as the synagogue for HaMakom, which also is free
to use all of our available space as needed.
Rabbi Malka Drucker Instructs in the Torah
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We worship jointly with Christ Lutheran Church in an annual choral
evensong and engage in pulpit exchange with the United Church of Santa Fe.
A member of our congregation serves as Diocesan Chancellor (legal counsel)
and another as a member of the Diocesan Standing Committee.
We express our commitment to peace and justice through participation in the
Peace Walk and the Gay Pride Parade.
We participate in the community program to prevent bullying in the schools.
We are a Parish of Two Worshipping Communities
St. Bede’s, a congregation with relatively few young people, has traditionally
replenished its numbers through people who retire and move to Santa Fe. As
demographic and financial issues begin to cut into this process, another
mode has opened up.
An influx of Hispanic Santa Feans near St. Bede’s inspired creation of a
ministry that would meet the needs of this population. For years, people had
been bringing babies to St. Bede’s for baptism but had not returned. Fr. Juan
Oliver, a retired bilingual priest at St. Bede’s began inviting those wishing
baptism or confirmation to join a group of explorers who meet with the priest
for about three months, giving them time to know the congregation and the
church and its services. They are invited to join and assist in the functions of
service. As a congregation of Hispanics formed, services were initially held on
Sunday afternoons but were moved to Sunday evenings to accommodate
work schedules of the congregants.
Altar de muertos. All Souls' Eve coincides with the Mexican
celebration, Dia de los Muertos, also known as Day of the Dead.
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The growing Spanish-speaking congregation is on average much younger and
contains many children. Integrating these congregations is a challenge that
will be met. We share a monthly bilingual potluck and Eucharist and have
jointly celebrated Dia de los Muertos and Virgen de Guadalupe.
We have included a representative of our Spanish-speaking population on
the Vestry and another on the Discernment Committee. We recognize that
there are many opportunities yet to be explored.
An Enthusiastic and Informal Worship Style
In the spirit of the Episcopal middle way, St. Bede’s is liturgically neither
high church nor low church. We celebrate Holy Eucharist at 8:00 a.m., 10:30
a.m., and 7:00 p.m. each Sunday in a semi-round worship space. The
morning services are Rite II. There are no sung hymns at 8:00 a.m., but the
organist plays a prelude and postlude. At the 10:30 service, the choir sings an
anthem and leads hymns from the 1982 hymnal and occasionally from Lift
Every Voice and Sing. A committee writes the prayers of the people to reflect
concerns of the parish and the wider world.
10:30 am Holy Eucharist (l. to r.) Associate Priest Mother Madelynn Johnston,
Retired Rector Father Richard Murphy, Bishop Michael Vono,
Deacon Owen Kunkle, Acolyte David Glass
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The 7:00 p.m. Santa Misa, in Spanish, is attended by our growing Hispanic
population. The first of these services each month includes a bilingual service
and potluck dinner with the entire population invited.
Other services once each week include Contemplative Prayer, Holy Eucharist
with healing prayers, and Morning Prayer. Special services occur during Holy
Week, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and there is an annual Navajo service.
The choir leads Evensong several evenings each year.
A Welcoming and Social Community
Our Membership Development Committee greets newcomers at each Sunday
service and provides blue ribbons for them to wear so parishioners can
identify and welcome them at the service and during the coffee hour
afterward. The clergy conduct a newcomers’ orientation several times a year,
explaining the different ministries of the church and providing contact
information. We update our ministry catalog regularly with the ministry
leaders’ phone and e-mail information. A Ministries Fair, usually held in the
fall, acquaints parishioners with opportunities to serve. Our monthly
publication, The Beacon, lists upcoming events and appeals for volunteers, as
does the weekly church bulletin. The Common Room is full of notices and
sign-up sheets for our parish and for community events. Our coffee hour
serves as a time for fellowship and for one-on-one recruiting. We have
learned that it is harder to refuse a request with a mouthful of donut than
with an empty stomach.
The Flower Guild Produce the Finest Arrangements in Town!
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Financial Stewardship at St. Bede's
Our traditional stewardship at St. Bede’s has included an annual fall drive,
including a written appeal along with testimonials in Sunday services, pledge
cards, and follow-up phone calls. The recently completed campaign produced
more revenue than the prior year’s but with fewer pledges. We have an aging
congregation that has been affected by the economic situation and by the
large number of people on fixed incomes. Within this environment, we are
encouraged by the response of the congregation, but the need for
improvement is also evident. We clearly need guidance on new methods to
better support our physical plant, our clergy and staff, and our exceptional
programs of outreach and in reach. Our congregation has been unflagging in
its generous contribution of time and talent, as described in earlier sections,
but there is no margin for error in the challenging process of funding
ourselves.
Financial Trends
Shown here are our beginning-year budget totals for 2011, 2012, and for the
current 2013 year. Surpluses or deficits are as of the end of the budget year:
ST BEDE'S FINANCIALS
$
Budgeted Income
Year End Performance - Surplus (Deficit)
2011
2012
2013
326,000
333,000
327,100
3,010
(24,777)
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Anticipated Compensation for Rector
Salary offered is $80,000 per year which includes housing.
In addition, pension and health benefits to be paid by the parish.
Dealing with Conflict and Change
When it went poorly. The perceived need for more space led to a feasibility
study of our capacity to raise enough money to build. We hired a consultant
to assist. The consultant concluded that we could not raise the necessary
money and made unnecessarily candid remarks about individuals. Feelings
were bruised. The project was abandoned.
What we learned. Adequate communication in such a complex project is
essential, as is the need to keep a clear and cogent goal and engage in honest
and frank discussion. Inclusion of all interested parties must be maintained.
We must resolve contrasting points of view with love.
When it went well. By agreement between the two congregations, HaMakom,
a Jewish congregation, uses the facilities of St. Bede’s. We share signage.
HaMakom and St. Bede’s members are invited to each others’ events. This
has been a sound relationship for ten years.
What we learned. From the beginning, all parties celebrated the
arrangement and the opportunities. Communication is excellent and results
in a sound and shared relationship that benefits all.
St. Bede’s flies a rainbow flag expressing our diversity and that we embrace
all people regardless of race, sexual orientation, or details of theological
understanding. A few years ago, people who resented this stance committed
serious vandalism on the church facility. The community’s response was an
outpouring of support, including an ecumenical service followed by financial
contributions to help cover the cost of repairs. Our rector announced that he
wished to talk to the perpetrators, not to punish but to reconcile. This
conversation took place, though we do not know any details. There have been
no further problems. We are proud of having helped lead the community to a
different place.
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Vestry and Staff
The 2013 Vestry
Judy Spain, Senior Warden
Ed Nordstrom, Junior Warden
Ben Cox
Kevin Daly
John Draper
Abel Hernández
Ann Moon
Sandy Pitre
Catherine Willmott
Rudy Busé, Treasurer
Miff Dikeman, Clerk
The vestry meets monthly.
Clergy
M. Nicolette Papanek
Priest-in-Charge
M. Madelynn Johnston
Associate Priest
Staff
Jerome Nelson
Director of Music
Ruben Gonzales
Administrative Assistant
Germán Barrera
Sexton
Also serving as Vicar of
St. Jerome's Episcopal Church,
Chama, NM
Each vestry member
undertakes a personal interest
in specific administrative areas
of the parish through the
functions of policy, oversight
and resources, in support of
the management function of
the Rector or Priest-in-Charge.
Thirty-four committees of
clergy and lay persons further
manage affairs of the parish.
Volunteer Clergy
Fr. Randall Lutz
Assisting Priest
M. Kim Martinez
Assisting Priest
Fr. Juan Oliver
Assisting Priest
Deacon Owen Kunkle
Santa Fe Opera Guest Soloist Nicole Rodin with
Jerry Nelson at the Allen Rennaisance Organ.
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Our Next Rector
Outgoing
Scholarly
Spanish speaking a plus
Joyous
Devout
Approachable
With a Sense of Humor
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Living in Santa Fe
Santa Fe, in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains with an average of 325 days
of sunshine and blue sky, is a most popular travel destination and retirement location.
To fully appreciate why living in Santa Fe is so appealing, please browse these links:
Wikitravel – Santa Fe
The Santa Fe New Mexican Newspaper
Santa Fe Cam
Santafe.com: live, work, play, stay
About.com: Top 12 Santa Fe Places
Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau
Santa Fe Reporter Restaurant Guide
Santa Fe Indian Market
Santa Fe Community College
Santa Fe Public Schools
Santa Fe Official Site
Ski Santa Fe
Santa Fe National Forest
Valles Caldera National Preserve
Cerrillos Hills State Park
Bandelier National Monument
The Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Desert Chorale
The Santa Fe Symphony
Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival
St John's College Music on the Hill
Sangre de Cristo Chorale
Canticum Novum Chorus and Orchestra
Museum of International Folk Art
Lensic Performing Arts Center
New Mexico Museum of Art
Museum Hill
Museum of Contemporary Native Arts
Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
New Mexico History Museum
San Miguel Mission
Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
Holy Family Episcopal Church
St Bede's Website
Church of the Holy Faith
Santa Fe Real Estate: Realtor.com
Canyon Road
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