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January-February 2017

The Episcopal Parish of Alton has as its mission:

To live and show Christ in our midst.

The Reverend Cynthia A. Sever, Rector

What Song Shall We Sing?

Most of you know that our Organist-Choirmaster at St. Paul’s retired at the end of

the year. Ken Reuter served our parish with love and excellence for more than eighteen

years, and more than fifty-five years as a church musician. Ken’s retirement took us by

surprise. It has been very difficult to say goodbye, especially for our talented and dedicated choir mem-

bers, who have also served our parish with love and excellence.

So after securing substitute organists for the first six weeks of the year, I’ve begun the search for

our next Organist-Choirmaster. We have several very good leads already, although the ad has not yet

been placed!

We now have the opportunity to shape our music program to meet the current needs of our parish,

and I would love to have your input. During a brainstorming session last Spring, nearly every person who

completed a questionnaire said that he or she would like to have an intergenerational vocal choir, and an

intergenerational hand chime choir. The goal would be for those who are accomplished singers to keep

advancing their skills, and for those who would like to learn how to sing (or play the hand chimes), to

learn in a fun and supportive environment. Another goal of an intergenerational program is to continue to

construct a support network for our families and our young people.

We can make that happen here, if our parish will support and participate in these programs. I

would like to have as many parishioners as possible answer a few questions and return the answers to me,

via a hard copy found in this issue of the Angelus, or emailing your response to me at rec-

tor@episcopalalton.org.

Mother Cindy+

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ECM’S SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE SUPPER

In celebration of Mardi Gras, ECM will again this year sponsor a Shrove Tuesday Pancake and Sausage Supper on

Tuesday, February 28 5:00-7:00 pm St Paul’s A free-will offering will be taken to go to sup-port Chris Food Center. Bring your friends and family.

BOOK CLUB The Book Club’s section for January is A Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman. We will meet on Wednesday, January 25 at 9:30 am at Trinity. Join us! Everyone is welcome.

Family Fun Night January 20, 2017

6:00—8:00 pm St Paul’s

to

Intergenerational Event The generations will teach one another their dance moves! A DJ will play your favorite dance numbers!

PAWS Pets are Welcome Service

My Furry Valentine

Bring your best friend to a short,

non-denominational worship service,

Meet some new friends, and then

enjoy a celebration for human and beast!

Sunday, February 12

2:00 pm

St. Paul’s Church

ALTAR FLOWERS There are great opportunities for you to share your blessings by giving the gift of altar flowers to commemorative a birth, anniver-sary, memorial or any special occasion. It’s easy. Pick a Sunday and deliver your check for $76 to the church office. Please include your name, who you are honoring, and the type of flowers you prefer.

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QUILT SHOW UPDATE

Here we are, 2017 and March 25 will be upon us soon enough. I’ve been busy get-

ting the paperwork ready: flyers, ballots, bookmarks (small ¼ page flyers) and quilt ID

tags to be pinned to the quilts and needlework in the show.

Now is the time for getting those entry forms in to me so I can start making the ID tags. There is no fee

for you to put an item into the show! There is only an entry fee to see the show, so please pick up your entry

form in the parish hall on Sunday and dig out that beautiful piece of needlework or Great-Grandmother’s

quilt tucked away in the attic trunk. Please, we need your participation to make this a beautiful and success-

ful event.

Call me with any questions you have regarding the form. I need one form per item—easiest way is to put

all the ownership info on one form and copy that as many times as you have items and then fill in the indi-

vidual items. I expect a lot of entries thus a lot of tags so, the sooner the better for the entry forms as I will

be in California at least two weeks in February while my daughter presents me with a new grandson. So

please get those forms to me as soon as possible.

I can be reached at home: 618-254-6127 or cell: 618-917-4070. Thank you Connie Terry

Parish Nurse 2016 Report

As your parish nurse, I have met many kind members and friends of The Episcopal Parish of Alton

through phone calls, mail correspondence and visits. I enjoy participating in Worship in the Park in the summer

and the Bible Study on Tuesday mornings at Trinity lead by Mother Cindy Sever and Mother Jane Flaherty.

On August 20 the Parish partnered for the eighth year with the neighboring downtown churches to host

the Block Party. The participating churches include: St. John’s Baptist, Morning Star Missionary Baptist; Sal-

vation Army, First Presbyterian Church, Union Baptist Church and the EPA. We had a total of 1,200 people

participate. Over 600 people attended the health fair housed in Heneghan Hall and manned by your own parish-

ioners. Free health-related information from multiple vendors and free screenings for blood pressure, glucose

and cholesterol were available. Dental Safari gave out over thirty free dental cleanings and exams. Shriners

were in attendance for referrals for at-risk children. Red Cross came for recruitment for blood and platelet do-

nation and Southern Illinois Healthcare did a total of eight HIV screens .We partnered with St. Louis Children’s

Hospital in providing and constructing 350 first aid kits for children. We also worked with the CHIP program

that helped fifty-six families with lost child prevention. Many parishioners volunteered for the many tasks,

booths and health fair duties at the event.

September brought flu shot immunizations. I vaccinated at St. Paul’s and had an adequate turnout. In

October, I wrote and put together a Safety Plan for St. Paul’s which was presented to the Vestry.

Alton Memorial Hospital continues its community outreach to the members and residents of ten church-

es and the general public, by providing the Grief, Loss and Change Support Group facilitated by BJC Hospice,

a Stephen Minister and Spiritual Care Services. The Parish Nurse program, funded by the Alton Memorial

Foundation, continues to offer free health fairs-heart, diabetes and cancer-throughout the year. Parish Nurses

provide monthly cholesterol checks at Alton Memorial Hospital Lobby, monthly free skin screenings lead by

Dr. Ahmed at the Cancer Care Center, Kids in the Kitchen and Kids Camp programming.

I continue Blood Pressure Sundays quarterly at both Trinity and St. Paul’s and to make phone contact

and home, hospital, assisted living and nursing home visits. My goal continues this year to reach out to as many

parishioners as possible, so that I can form a relationship with you in case you ever need some type of medical

assistance or referral in the future. I have office hours on Tuesdays from 9:00-10:00am at St. Paul’s and 10:00-

11:00am at Trinity and I am available twenty-four hours a day by cell phone. I am able to research and provide

health educational material and continue to provide monthly health related articles in the Angelus.

Total number of personal contacts for Year 2016: 476 personal contacts; 455 were members and 21

were non-members (friends of St. Paul’s/Trinity). 396 were females, 80 were males served. Age group most

often served was 66-80 years. Top four health issues of St. Paul’s Episcopal Parish of Alton were: #1 Hyper-

tension; #2 Respiratory Issues; #3 Cancer; and #4 Dementia. 37 Referrals to MDs and/or community resources

were given.

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Please continue to remember in your prayers all those in need of healing.

Heavenly Father, giver of life and health, comfort and restore those who are sick, that they may be

strengthened in their weakness and trust in your unfailing love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

February-Heart Health Month

When it comes to heart health, developing healthy lifestyle habits can go a long way in preventing heart dis-ease, the No.1 killer of Americans. The “ABCDE” approach simplifies lengthy and complex guidelines into a comprehensive management plane for the prevention of cardiovascular disease: A: Assessing risk for heart disease and taking aspirin when appropriate. Every adult should have their cardiovascular risk calculated at least every five years by their physician. Those at increased risk for heart disease should discuss low dose aspirin therapy to reduce risk of heart attack and stroke. B: Blood pressure control. High blood pressure is a major cause of hear t attack and stroke. By monitoring blood pressure and taking steps to control high blood pressure, like losing weight, improving diet and taking medication when necessary, serious complications associated with high blood pressure can be prevented. It’s estimated that one in three adults have undiagnosed high blood pressure. C: Cigarette cessation and cholesterol control. Tobacco use increases the r isk of hear t at tack and stroke and can lead to multiple types of cancers and lung disease. The good news is that quit ting smoking goes a long way in improving heart health. There are a wealth of tools and medications available to help. Having cholesterol checked regularly is also a key to heart disease prevention. Staying active and eating healthy can help keep cholesterol levels in check. Those patients with a history of heart dis- ease or a genetic component to high cholesterol may also need to take cholesterol lowering drugs. It’s important to discuss potential strategies for lowering cholesterol levels with your doctor. D: Diabetes treatment and diet control. Diabetes drastically increases r isk for hear t dis- ease and stroke. Maintaining a healthy blood sugar and A1C, making healthy lifestyle choices and tak- ing diabetic medications when necessary can help prevent complications associated with diabetes. Adults can also help prevent both heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes with a healthy diet. Based on the latest research, that means eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains and incorporating low-fat dairy products, chicken, fish, legumes and nuts. A heart healthy diet limits consumptions of sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, salt and red meat. E: Exercise. Guidelines recommend that adults get at least thir ty minutes of physical ac tivity daily. Aerobic and multiple repetitions of light resistance exercises are recommended. A seden- tary life style increases risk for heart disease.

The “ABCDE” framework provides a simplified structure for you and your physician to help maintain

your heart health. It is important to make healthy lifestyle choices and to work closely with your doctor to

monitor key risk factors and address issues that may evolve.

Alton Memorial Heart-Stroke Fair

Saturday, February 4, 2017 8:30am-11:30am,

To register call 1-800-392-0936. Blessings, Parish Nurse Amy Bohn Source: CardioSmart-American College of Cardiology

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Episcopal Parish of Alton Music Program Survey

Name __________________________________________________________________

Email address or phone # __________________________________________________

Please check all that apply

_____ I will continue to sing in our adult choir.

_____ I would like to join our adult choir.

_____ I would like to sing in an intergenerational choir.

_____ My children or grandchildren would like to sing in an intergenerational choir.

Name of child ____________________________________________ Age _________

Name of child ____________________________________________ Age _________

Name of child ____________________________________________ Age _________

Name of child ____________________________________________ Age _________

_____ I would like to learn to play the hand chimes.

_____ My children or grandchildren would like to play the hand chimes

Name of child ____________________________________________ Age _________

Name of child ____________________________________________ Age _________

Name of child ____________________________________________ Age _________

Name of child ____________________________________________ Age _________

The best day & time for rehearsals would be

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Other comments or suggestions

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Please return this completed form to Mother Cindy either by emailing your response to rector@episcopalalton.org or a hard copy to the church office.

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Vestry Rector’s Warden: Charles Buxton

Parish Warden: Mary Molloy

Clerk of the Vestry: Sue Goers

Treasurer: Donna Fisher

Mother Cindy Sever 585-261-8970

Charles Buxton 462-5832

Jean Downey 466-2253

Diana Enloe 463-0391

Donna Fisher 791-3860

A.J. Goers 466-2963

Lynn Hoffman 823-2806

Will Lane 208-7051

Mary Molloy 531-0317

Dan Plate 550-9534

Carl Slaughter 377-3757

Denise St. Peters 467-1233

Barb Ulffers 462-1364

The Episcopal Parish of Alton

St. Paul’s Church Trinity Chapel

10 East Third Street Alton, Illinois 62002 1901 State Street

Office Hours:

Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-1:00 pm

Telephone: 618-465-9149 E-mail: epialton@episcopalalton.org

Rector: rector@episcopalalton.org

Website: www.episcopalalton.org

Facebook: Facebook.com/episcopalalton

Angelus Editor: moyerb@charter.net

January Birthdays

1 Rod Derricott

William Harris

4 Beth Speich

6 Randy Smith

Mike Alexander

Sean Stone

9 Betty Enos

12 Chris Donohoo

17 Bryant Johnson

The church office will be closed January 16 and

February 20

February Birthdays

4 Donna Fisher 6 Sean Downey 25 Bill Moyer

19 Terry Durham Elizabeth Foley 21 Ann Barker 22 Andrew Cook 23 Jerry Criteser Lisa Alexander 26 Tracy Summers 27 Lee Cox 28 Millie Hancock