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St Martin of Tours

Anglican Church

Gabriola Island

CROSSWORD

Easter 2013

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On Maundy Thursday members of St Martin’s congregation and our friends from Gabriola United Church will gather for a Seder Meal. Rev Joan explains this tradition. Passover is the oldest and most important religious festival in Judaism, commemorating God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and his creation of the Israelite people. The festival

of Passover begins at sunset on the 14th of Nisan (usually in March or April) and marks the beginning of seven day celebration that includes the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The focal point of Passover is a communal meal, called the Seder (which means "order," because of the fixed order of service), which is time of rejoicing and celebration at the deliverance for the Hebrews that God accomplished in the exodus. Passover has traditionally been celebrated in the home with family and friends as they eat meal together. It is customary to invite guests to share the Seder meal, especially newcomers to the community. The actual Seder meal in most Jewish homes is an elaborate feast, with food, games for the children, and plenty of time to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. It is not unusual for Seder to last three to four hours. The Seder involves everyone present since they all share in reading and singing the story. While the father or grandfather is usually the leader of the service, others have roles as well. The mother of the home lights the festival candles that signal the beginning of Passover, the youngest child asks the four questions, the children help eliminate all Chametz, leaven, from the house, search for the hidden Afikomen (symbolic piece of Matzah, unleavened bread) and open the door for Elijah, the parents or the grandparents tell the story of the exodus, and various others are designated to read or lead certain portions of the service. Passover is really more than festival. It is an elaborate teaching experience, especially for the children, intended to call people to their identity as the People of God. By using all of the senses, the Passover Seder tells the story of God's grace in history and calls the participants to experience and share in the story as their own story. (Scott Wylie)

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ELEMENTS OF THE SEDER MEAL

Unleavened Bread: Bread made without Chametz. Chametz represents sin and its destructiveness. Unleavened bread, without Chametz, reminds us of our sinless Redeemer. Chametz is that which causes fermentation or is the product of fermentation. Examples of Chametz are yeast, vinegar and alcohol, none of which should be included at Passover. The unleavened bread may be Pita bread, Matzo crackers or Communion bread.

Parsley: Represents the newness of spring, as Passover comes in the spring season.

Salt water: Represents the salty tears shed by the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. The parsley is dipped in the salt water.

Lamb: This reminds us of the Passover Lamb who provides life through His death.

Maror (bitter herbs): Represents the bitterness of slavery in Egypt. Made from bitter lettuce and other strong-flavored herbs.

Haroset (morter): Represents the mud used to make bricks for Pharaoh. Made from grated apples and nuts, with spices and grape juice.

Wine (grape juice): A symbol of rejoicing. Four "cups" are utilized within the Seder meal: The Cup of Sanctification; the Cup of Judgment/Deliverance (the disobedient were judged ; the obedient were delivered,); The Cup of Redemption; the Cup of Praise/the Kingdom. In addition, drops of grape juice

from the Cup of Judgment are used to "count" the plagues delivered upon

the disobedient Egyptians.

During the ritual of the ritual Seder meal,

we Christians can see a connection

between our Jewish roots and what we do when we celebrate Communion.

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My vision for St Martin’s outreach Since Rev. Joan has asked me to lead our new ‘Vision/Outreach’ committee , I want to share some thoughts about ‘outreach’ and how it connects to ‘vision’.

As we move forward into the future together with our shared ministry partners at Gabriola United Church, this is a wonderful time for us to consider even more deeply the particular purpose/ministry of our church. I feel we need to think and pray together about what God is calling us to do, that fits our community and our gifts. And as a part of this, we need to think deeply about ‘outreach’, what it is and how we do it.

Over the years, St. Martin’s has done a lot of good work in outreach, including some joint projects with our shared ministry partners at Gabriola United Church.

Over the months ahead, I hope the new Vision/Outreach committee will be helping us all to open up our understanding of ‘outreach’ and envision a focus based on forming relationships, creating mutuality in which all have something to give. This is not a matter of piling on more work on top of the loving service that many are giving now, but of looking at where we are and how we might be more effective, of considering what we are trying to accomplish and how best to meet those goals.

Some things we might do include integrating and supporting individual ministries, developing a process to inventory our gifts, and helping to recognize and assist wherever the Holy Spirit is at work. Perhaps we could be more effective through partnerships, or through strengthening our present

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ministries, or changing to new ones, or finding different ways to do what we do now. Are we giving enough support to our workers for Christ, or are we risking burning them out?

Part of a deacon’s role is to help all of us learn more about ‘diakonia,’ the diaconal ministry or servant-role of the baptized. A deacon should help to ‘equip the saints for the work of ministry’ (Eph. 4:12). I hope to be helpful to us in our visioning together, through providing education and training around our discernment.

Widening and enlightening and ‘enthusing’ our understanding is perhaps more significant than the specific actions chosen. The process itself should help us to deepen our spiritual growth, become more impassioned disciples, and have more impact on how the church ‘does church’.

My own call to diaconal ministry could be part of our discovery process. I hear God calling me to bring together spiritual seekers in ways that offer mutual respect and commonalities of understanding, to create shared contexts for fellowship between secular idealists and service-oriented church members, and to provide spiritual sustenance/nurturance to all, especially the “spiritual but not religious’ who surround us. It may well be that some of this could also be God’s call to us as a community.

I am certain that it is God’s purpose to renew the church, and that God has a special part for us to play!

Deacon Shelagh

Acknowledgements

St Martin’s is most grateful to Don Bott for kindly allowing us to reproduce the photographs on the cover, pages 6 and 7 and page 11. Thank you also to Rev Joan, Rev Shelagh, and Susan and Rob Brockley for articles and photographs for this edition of Crossword

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Deacon Shelagh calls us to The Bishop inducts Joan

The symbolic gifts

given to Joan by her

Rev Dan leads the praise

Rev Joan makes her declaration

Sunday 17 February 2013

Induction & Covenanting

of Rev Joan Scandrett

First Minister and Priest

of the St Martins and

GUC Shared Ministry

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A surplice of clergy?

The shrub planted by Joan to mark the day and the

new shared ministry with assistance from Jacquie

and MJ.

Our friendly priest with knife in

hand attacks the cake!

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Just Keep on Walking

Almost a year ago, Rob and I went on a pilgrimage in Spain to Santiago de Compostela. A year later, as I reflect on the pilgrimage, what have I learned?

How to make God laugh? Tell him your plans. Things didn’t work out as planned or as expected. The pilgrimage was not what I thought it would be. Sort of like life.

However, first I will discuss the things that did go according to plan. I left with a written prayer request that God would “call for us a holy and faithful leader” and now we have Joan! I left with the names of all the members of the congregation of St. Martin of Tours, and a request to pray for them. I am blown away with the faithfulness and depth in our small congregation and by my love for each of them. I have never felt so connected to a group of people. I left with one specific request for myself: that I would have the strength and energy to carry out Christmas Alive and I was able to do so.

And now for God’s surprises: walking the Camino turned out not to be actually what I would call a spiritual experience. It turned out to be unbelievably hard (for me, not Rob) and the only focus was on how to put the next foot forward and keep going. There was no time for deep spiritual reflection, only time for the written prayers I had brought with me and for exhaustion. “ Your fatigue (will be) your prayer.” (To the Pilgrim, below). Again, this is sort of like life, at least at times.

God’s most wonderful surprise was an opportunity to go on a week’s silent retreat in October, which was based on the theme of the Camino and led by Michael Fish, who had walked two different Caminos. I probably would never have considered going on the retreat if I hadn’t actually walked the Camino and been encouraged by others to go on the retreat. The retreat was a great blessing to me. Many of my wonderings about my Camino were addressed. I also learned that it takes a long time to ‘unpack’ the Camino and learn its lessons.

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One thing Michael Fish talked about is Jesus as the Way. Before we left, and as we travelled, Rob and I were aware that in Spanish “The Way” is translated “El Camino”. We knew the verse “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” Many times we wondered how a person can be a way. Michael taught that when we walk El Camino, we walk Jesus. We can talk to Jesus as the Way. Michael said that he walks for about an hour daily. On his outward journey, he asks questions of The Way and on the return he listens to the answers. He also talked about dedicating his daily walks in the same way that many people dedicate their pilgrimages to different people or causes. Rob and I now practice this when we walk. We dedicate our walks to a person we are concerned about, or to a problem that we need to think and talk about, and about which we need to ask God’s help. I think we are more aware of how our bodies need to be an

integrated part of our prayer lives.

Another big lesson is that sometimes you just have to keep on going, however slowly, whether or not you have any ‘spiritual experiences’ or can see the end in sight. And every so often, you get glimpses of what one Spaniard said to me: “The Way, the Way is beautiful.”

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To the Pilgrim Go from the day of your birth you have been on the journey. Go an encounter awaits you with whom? perhaps with your own self. Go your steps will be your words the journey your song your fatigue your prayer and your silence will at last speak. Go with the others but out of yourself you that think yourself surrounded by

unfriendliness will find joy. Go although your spirit may not know where your feet will carry your heart. Go another is coming to meet you, and is searching for you so that you can find Him in the sanctuary at the end of the pilgrimage, in the sanctuary deep inside your heart.

‘He is Your Peace, He is Your Peace’ carried by a South African pilgrim and presented at Refugio Gaucelmo.

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Gabriola Hand Bell Choir

In the past couple of years a new sound has echoed around the church – a hand bell choir has been established and their fame is spreading beyond our island. In January they were the cover photo of Grey Matters – The Magazine of the University of Victoria Retirees Association.

The ringers are from the United Church congregation, the Anglican congregation and the community. Only one ringer has had previous experience and it has been interesting to see how the group have not only learnt techniques, but also, in some cases, to read music. Pianists had to get used to playing the occasional note, not the whole piece. Non music readers had to keep count and make sure they played on the correct beat.

Angela Nutter, St Martin’s Church Warden and a member of the group, said “We meet regularly for practice and are delighted when a recognisable tune is heard. This is rewarding. However, it is somewhat nerve wracking if we are to play for an audience, which we have done on a few occasions. Ringing the bells is exercising our brains which is probably a good thing considering the combined age of the group!!. We thank Margaret Taylor of the United church section of our congregation for initiating this activity. It is great fun.”

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Corinne Carlson–

Treasurer Rob Brockley—

Warden

Angela Nutter—Warden

George Westarp

Rev Joan Scandrett -

Parish Priest

Rev Shelagh Huston

— Deacon Greg Walter Rose Jones

St Martin’s Church Council 2013

Jacquie Jessup—

Secretary