Via Media - Harcourt Parish Episcopal Church

The Newsletter of Harcourt Parish
Harcourt Parish
Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., and by appointment
Phone: (740) 427-2187
Email: harcourt.parish@kenyon.edu
Web site: www.harcourtparish.org
Rector The Rev. Helen Svoboda-Barber svobodabarberh@kenyon.edu
Organist/Choir Director
Sharon Stohrer stohrers@kenyon.edu
Sec./Parish House Manager Hallie Logan loganh@kenyon.edu
Treasurer John Elliott elliottj@kenyon.edu
Senior Warden Adele Davidson davidsoa@kenyon.edu
Junior Warden Jeremy Strayer jeremy.strayer@mvnu.edu
Vestry John Aebi, Lucy Hughes, Linda Legros, Toma Lord,
Andrew Reinert, Abby Serfass, Gregory Stark; Carolyn Batt, Clerk
Bishop January/February 2010
Via Media
WorkshopCycles Winter Project
The WorkshopCycles classroom recently completed a
cycle about The Miracles of Jesus. One of their activities was to make a book about the miracles.
“This is my Body” and their task is to memorize the
Lord’s Prayer. The final Cycle of the semester will be
“Let there be Light” and each child will engage in an
outreach activity to be the Light of Christ in the world.
Leaders (leading a single session) and Shepherds (helping for a cycle) are still needed. Please contact Helen to
volunteer.
Our grade school children will be learning about The
Good Shepherd during the Epiphany season and have
a goal of memorizing Psalm 23. The Cycle for Lent is
The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth Jr. (800) 551-4815
Via Media
Harcourt Parish
P.O. Box 377
Gambier, OH 43022
Artists include: Zane and Emma Wright, Jonathan and Daniel Pastor, Rachel and Eli Strayer, and Frank Winter
Greening of the Church/St. Nicholas Party Wrap-up
Many thanks to Susan Givens, Marco Saavedra, Jeremy Strayer, and Shawn Svoboda-Barber for Greening the Chapel this December. Special thanks to Lisa Strayer for leading the concurrent St. Nicholas Party. Fun was had by all!
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Rector’s Reflections
Vestry Notes
At ordination, clergy take a series of vows that help us
shape our ministry and our life as ordained persons.
One of those vows is, “Will you do your best to pattern
your life and the life of your family in accordance with
the teachings of Christ, so that you may be a wholesome example to your people?” I answered this wholeheartedly and with a hearty “I will!” on my ordination
day eleven years ago. And like with many of our vows, I
had no idea where that vow would take me.
In November and December, your vestry:
• Prayed together
• Studied the Bible together
• Heard reports from the Rector, Wardens, and
Treasurer
• Approved one month of paid family leave for the
Rector
• Discussed our 2010 pledge campaign
• Discussed and approved a budget for 2010
I am so grateful to be in a community that has allowed
me to take a month of family leave while I care for my
mother as she moves back home with us after breaking
her hip and having a small stroke. The nursing home
suggested that her care might be too much for us. And
they may be right. But Shawn and I believe trying to
care for her at home is the right choice for our family.
It’s not the easy choice. And it’s not the comfortable
choice. And it may not be the permanent choice. But
it’s our choice for now.
Pledge Report
Many thanks to everyone who has pledged to Harcourt
Parish for 2010. With a few pledges still outstanding,
Treasurer John Elliott is hopeful that our 2010 pledge
total will be almost $125,000. This is a sizable increase
from previous years, but it is deceptively large. About
$10,000 of this increase is money that has moved from
budget line items of “gifts other than pledge” and
“regular support.” The increase in pledge income also
offsets a large decrease in our investment income for
the coming year.
Mom has improved significantly in the two weeks she’s
been home. I’ve found that many of the things that are
“therapy” for her are sheer delight for our children.
And it feels like a miracle that we have two wonderful
caregivers ready to help out when I return to work.
The total 2010 expected income is slightly above the
2009 actual income, and these increases will be spent
on increased health insurance costs, a salary increase
for the parish secretary/parish house manager who will
celebrate her fifth year with us, and a continued commitment to outreach both locally and internationally.
Yes, this time is exhausting and messy and sometimes
heartbreaking. But those things are all parts of any full
life. The difficult parts are not something we get a “bye”
in just because we’re Christian. If anything, they are
what we are called into because we’re Christian. Christians are called to work hard. We’re called to get messy.
And we’re called to the cross, where our hearts break
and are redeemed. It’s OK if we succeed, and it’s OK
if we fail. The goal is showing up, and being part of
God’s redemption of the world.
Weekly E-mails
Harcourt Parish has begun sending weekly Harcourt
Parish Updates by e-mail each week. These e-mails
focus mainly on the week to come and include tools for
individual preparation for Sunday service, for example:
links to the lectionary readings, a short meditation, and
a list of the upcoming hymns. Please take a moment to
get familiar with our Update and please let us know if it
is helpful or if there is something more you would like
to see included.
Thank you for having patience with me, and for your
continued prayers, as our family lives into our next
phase of doing our best to be wholesome in our life
together.
-Helen+
Harcourt Parish Outreach
Rummage Proceeds
The 2009 Rummage Sale and Jamie Lee Curtis Coat
Raffle raised a record-breaking amount for outreach
locally and internationally. The $9,753.86 collected will
be disbursed as follows:
• $500 To help mail textbooks to Cuttington
• $500 To Episcopal Relief and Development, area of
greatest need
• $600 Habitat for Humanity of Knox County
• $600 Canterbury (with $700 from the parish budget, total $1,300)
T-shirt collection for Diocesan Convention distribution
• $1,100 for Millennium Development Goals work in
Belize.
— $500 scholarship for Harcourt Parishioner
to join Jim Skon’s MVNU spring break trip to
Belize
— $600 to deliver to Belize charity working
with the Episcopal Church (or $1,100 to the
charity if no parishioner attends)
• $6,453.86 To Interchurch Social Services of Knox
County.
The rummage workers, Outreach committee, and Vestry believe the area of highest needs is Interchurch, so
the majority of the funds were designated for the work
they do for the poor in Knox County.
The parish is also committed to continue designating
at least 0.7% of our budget to the Millennium Development Goals to help eradicate extreme poverty internationally. Our 2009 giving towards the MDGs includes
the money given to Episcopal Relief and Development
and the money allocated for Belize.” For more information on the MDGs, go to www.E4GR.org
Diocesan Convention Hands-on Work Day
Ink Recycling
Please continue to give the church your used printer ink cartridges of any type. You may drop them off any time
outside our office door (or even put them in the offering plate as one unknown person did last month). We turn
these used cartridges in to Staples and receive great discounts and coupons that save us hundreds of dollars.
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Food for the Hungry volunteers
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Epiphany Party, January 6th
The Season of Lent
Ash Wednesday
Buffy and Bob Hallinan hosted our annual Epiphany
Party at their home on Wednesday January 6th. Much
fun was had by all who attended! Thanks to Buffy and
Bob for hosting, and for all who braved the cold weather to attend!
Ash Wednesday falls on February 17th this year.
Please plan on attending one of our Ash Wednesday
services to begin your holy observance of Lent. We
offer a brief Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes over
the lunch hour from 12:10-12:50. A half-hour meditative Taize-type service will be at 5pm, followed at 5:30
by a Eucharist with sermon, music, and Imposition of
Ashes.
Youth Group
The new Harcourt Parish Youth Group continues to
meet twice per month. Most recently, we gathered to
make 20 loaves of banana bread from scratch. These
loaves were handed out at the Hot Meals dinner on
December 24th as a gift to all who attended. While we
made the bread, we talked about different aspects of
Christmas, which parts are most important, and which
parts have little to do with the core of our faith.
Lenten Evening Prayer
Evening Prayer will take place in the chapel each
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 5pm during Lent (Thursday February 18th through Tuesday
March 30th). If you would like to lead one or more of
these prayer services, please contact Abby Serfass.
Lenten Study: Becoming Bread
Diocesan Winter Convocation
Mark your calendars for our Lenten Supper and Education Programs which will run from 6:00-7:30 on
Wednesday nights February 24th through March 31st.
The second annual Diocesan Winter Convocation will
be February 5-6 at the Holiday Inn in Perrysburg. The
keynote speaker will be Martha Grace Reese, author of
Unbinding the Gospel. The gathered community will
discuss faith sharing, evangelism, and how these ideas
can be authentically lived out in each of our lives without scaring our friends. Please consider attending this
event. Brochures and registration forms can be downloaded at www.dohio.org
Our theme this Lent is based on the book “Becoming
Bread” by Gunilla Norris, and the wonderful bakers
that are part of our community. Each weeks’ meal will
include bread from a different baker, the recipe, and
a bit about what each baker has learned about bread.
We will also use portions of the book to guide our
discussion and help us weave God, our own lives, and
our daily bread together.
New Year, A New Commitment:
Join the Choir!
Lenten Evensong
We always welcome new voices, especially sopranos and
altos. Next year we will be without two of our sopranos,
so please give careful thought to joining. Questions?
Speak with Sharon or any choir member.
Harcourt Parish will present a simple, formal highchurch Evensong at 5pm on Sunday, February 28th.
Lessons & Carols
Thank you to all who participated in Lessons and
Carols this year and especially to Sharon Stohrer for her
fine musical and organizational leadership. Those who
attended appreciated the prayerful tone of the evening
as well as excellent music.
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Kroger Rewards
HARCOURT PARISH
During the last quarter of 2009, Kroger gave a total of
$965.10 to Harcourt Parish because of the Kroger Community Rewards Program. Anyone can be added to this
program by simply having a checker scan your Kroger
Plus card and the scan code accompanying this article.
KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM
Registration instructions for those who do not have
access to a computer:
1. Take this form with you the next time you shop at
Kroger.
Share this scan code with your friends and family--they
all can help Harcourt Parish earn rewards. (Please note,
your Plus card can only help one charity.)
2. Hand this form to the cahier to scan along with
your order and your Kroger Plus card.
3. You only need to use this form once. After initial
registration, your Kroger Plus card will be automatically linked to the Harcourt Parish rewards
program.
Once registered, a percentage of your grocery bill will
be credited to Harcourt Parish every time you use your
Kroger Plus Card when shopping.
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING YOUR PARISH!
Bobby Toth ’10 shares his acolyting expertise at the Diocesan
Convention in November.
Harcourt Parish Prayer List Request Form
The prayer list is renewed several times a year. Names should be resubmitted each cycle for ongoing prayer requests.
Your Name: _______________________________________________________________
1) Name to pray for: _______________________________________________________
Relationship (friend, relative, self, etc): _______________________________________
Concern: ___________________________________________(Keep private? Yes No)
Please keep on list: 2) Name to pray for: _______________________________________________________
Relationship (friend, relative, self, etc): _______________________________________
Concern: ___________________________________________(Keep private? Yes No)
Please keep on list: ____2 weeks
____2 weeks
____entire cycle
____entire cycle
This list may be mailed, e-mailed, phoned in to the office, or dropped in an alms basin.
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